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(photo by Greg Fiume)

The Washington Capitals (a.k.a. – the one bright spot in town) are facing their toughest task of the season – finding a way to win without the best player in hockey.

Talented winger Alex Ovechkin, who led the NHL in goals (14), points (23) and shots (86) at the time of his injury, is out of the lineup with what the team is describing as an “upper-body strain” and is listed as week to week. Ovechkin was injured during the team’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets Sunday.

“Hopefully it’s no more than two weeks,” said coach Bruce Boudreau.

Moments later, Boudreau was informed that Ovechkin was already talking about the possibility of being back in the lineup by week’s end.

“It’s Ovi. He does things no one else can do,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s a viable option or not, but we’ll make sure he’s healthy when he plays. I just know that he’s very tolerant to pain. He wants to play so badly. Given those two equations, if anybody can be back sooner, it’s him.”

Since Ovechkin joined the league in 2005, the two-time NHL MVP has missed just two games due to injury. He’s not someone who is content to sit out and collect a free paycheck. If a game is going on, it’s safe to say he’s going to do anything and everything he can to be a part of it. So much so that he’s already told team reporters that he’s planning on making the trip to Florida this weekend, even if he can’t play.

“I want to be around team,” Ovechkin said. “I don’t want to stay at home and watch the game at home. I want to travel and I want to be a part of the team, too.”

While it’s great for Ovechkin to want to be with his teammates, realistically, Boudreau has to go into the next few games with the mindset that he’ll be without Ovi. And let’s not underestimate the challenge ahead for the Caps – proving that this team is capable of winning games without No. 8.

“As much as he gets all the press, I’ve gotta believe we’re not a one-man team and there’s still a lot of good players there,” Boudreau said.

While that is definitely true, Boudreau has done his best to put all his proverbial eggs in one basket. For most of the season, Ovechkin has been paired on the Caps’ top line with center Nicklas Backstrom and wing Alexander Semin.

In related news, the team’s success this season has largely depended on the output of that top line. When they’re on their game, few teams can match their production. When they’re off, goals are typically hard to come by for the Capitals.

No team could replace Ovechkin’s production over night. With him out of the lineup, the Caps would be wise to focus on playing smarter hockey at both end of the ice and shoring up their play on defense.

Not only that, but the team needs to avoid taking what Boudreau refers to as “lazy penalties.” They need to eliminate the freelancing and cutesy plays. They need to do a better job in their own zone and cut back on the number of breakaways goalies Jose Theodore and Semyon Varlamov must face each game.

Honestly, the team would be wise to enter the next few games as if it were the playoffs. Last season the Caps almost found themselves eliminated in the first round for the second-consecutive year because of sloppy, uninspired play against the New York Rangers.

But when they were down three games to one and their season was on the line, suddenly the Capitals transformed into the type of team that we all hope they can be. They took fewer chances. They played smarter on both ends of the ice. They didn’t try to make the highlight reel every time they passed the puck. In short, they played playoff hockey.

The Capitals are currently in second place in the Eastern Conference and hold a six-point lead in the Southeast Division. If they’d like to remain there, even without Ovechkin in the lineup, the Caps would be wise to stop playing like its November and start playing like its March.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

In the interest of full disclosure, we’re just going to come right out and say it – we’re big fans of Keith Aucoin.

There’s something intriguing about the Washington Capitals scrappy forward that makes it impossible not to root for him.

When he got called up two weeks ago, we refused to get our hopes up. The Caps were dealing with a handful of injuries and there was little reason to believe Aucoin would be in town after everyone got healthy again.

But a funny thing has happened recently – Aucoin has points in three-straight games and he keeps finding subtle ways to impact games, even when playing limited minutes.

We caught up with the 30-year-old minor-league standout yesterday to chat about his mindset, both on and off the ice, these days.

Alright Keith, you’ve got a little point-streak going on these last couple days and seem to really be making the most out of this opportunity. How comfortable are you feeling this time around?

“I’ve felt a lot more comfortable out there this year,” he said. “Coming to the team last year was kind of tough. It was the first time I’d done that in a long time. But knowing the locker room, the guys and the system and knowing that the coaching staff knows what to expect from me, I think all of that is making it easier for me to go out there and make plays. They’re giving me a lot of great chances – like playing on the powerplay – and they’re giving me a lot of ice time, so it’s been a lot of fun.”

How much of it is feeling comfortable off the ice first and then having that translate into success on the ice?

“It’s a lot,” Aucoin said. “It comes from playing a lot. When you’re playing well, you’re going to play with a lot of confidence. Once the second and third games came around, I started playing with a lot more confidence and I started playing a lot better. It just takes a little bit to get your legs back under you when you get called up. You get to a point where you’re playing with so much confidence that you’re going to go out there and produce every shift and help the team win.”

And you’re not the only one with confidence. Like you said, coach Bruce Boudreau has thrown you out there with the big guns on the powerplay lately. How great has that been?

(Laughs). “Yeah, it’s fun,” he said. “Every time I get to go out there with those guys – you know, some of the top guys in the league – you get a little nervous because you want to make sure you get them the puck and you don’t screw up. But it’s a lot of fun when I go out there, even if a lot of time I don’t know where to go. It’s kind of a split decision, where to go. But they help me out a lot and make it easier on me because they all know how to make plays. It’s a lot of fun and something I look forward to.”

Boudreau recently said something along the line of, “you’ve got everything except for the NHL body.” Obviously that’s been the knock on you and it’s something beyond your control …

“Exactly,” Aucoin said. “You just have to use the stuff you have to your advantage. With the new rules that have been put into place, they’ve really helped me a lot. I’m able to use my speed more because they can’t use their stick or hold you in the corner anymore. That’s been a big reason why I’ve been successful at this level. I try not to use my size as a disadvantage. I try to be physical and have never shied away from that stuff.

“I wish I was 6-2 or 6-3,” he said. “It’d be a lot easier. But I’m not. So I don’t worry about it. I just go out there and enjoy it.”

Off the ice, how tough is the uncertainty when you’re called up like this – knowing that some roster spots are going to have to open up once guys get healthy?

“It’s tough, but you kind of get used to it,” Aucoin said. “The last few years it’s something I’ve gone through. The best thing you can do is go out there every night and give it 110 percent and make it hard for them to send you down. That’s the best thing you can do, and I feel like I’m doing that. I try not to worry about it, because I think if you get caught up in it, then it affects your game and you don’t play as well. I just take it day-by-day and go from there.”

Okay, so if you’re living one day at a time, then how much fun are you having this time around?

“I’m having a great time,” he said. “It’s a great team and a great locker room. They make it a lot easier on me and this is a fun locker room to be a part of. They’ve got some of the best players in the world here, so it’s a lot of fun. I’m going to enjoy it as long as I’m here.”

(photo by Manuel Balce Ceneta)

When Semyon Varlamov first arrived in Washington and showed flashes of brilliance, Capitals fans quickly envisioned a lock-down goalie who could single-handedly take over games.

One season later, that’s exactly what the Caps have. The only surprise? It’s Jose Theodore who has become the indisputable number-one goalie in Washington. Not Varlamov.

After falling behind 2-0 deep into the second period Tuesday night, the Capitals battled back to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 at the Verizon Center, thanks to Theodore’s best outing since he joined the Caps.

“I felt pretty good,” Theodore said. “I’ve been feeling pretty much the same way since the first game. Sometimes you just have to do a bit more. It doesn’t mean that on a 20-save night I don’t feel as good. I think the guys played really well clearing the puck and I was able to challenge the shooters, which is a big part of my game. They did a great job of clearing away rebounds.”

The Capitals have won five-straight games after Theodore’s 41-save effort against the Flyers. And while Theo kept them in the game early, none of his saves were bigger than when he shut down Flyers forward Darroll Powe on a penalty shot in the third period.

“In training camp I said it was the best I felt since the lockout,” Theodore said. “Sooner or later, people are going to realize I didn’t say that just for fun.”

With Theodore frustrating the Philadelphia offense, the Capitals top line of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin handled the rest – combining for four goals and nine points on the evening.

The Capitals failed to convert on a lengthy five-on-three powerplay in which they had a two-man advantage for 1:41. Typically when that happens, it serves as a huge momentum boost for the opposition. In a related story, Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn scored just one minute after the powerplay to give Philadelphia the two-goal lead.

But that’s when something clicked for the Caps offense, who responded with an Ovechkin goal, which was set up by a beautiful pass from Backstrom, just 99 seconds later.

So what happened?

“We got pissed off,” Backstrom said. “We were so angry that we couldn’t score.”

Well, okay then.

Pissed off or not, Backstrom evened the score at 2-2 with less than two minutes remaining in the second period with his third goal of the season. Not only was it huge because the goal tied the game, but it ended a streak in which the Caps had failed to score on 13-straight powerplays.

Semin gave the Caps the lead for good with a wicked wrist shot that froze Flyers goalie Ray Emery 5:24 into the final frame and Ovechkin added an empty netter to send the sellout crowd home happy. But the only reason the Caps had a chance Tuesday night was because of the superb play of Theodore.

“Absolutely,” said Capitals forward Keith Aucoin. “That’s one of the best games I’ve seen him play since I’ve been here. He’s been playing really good and he made some huge saves for us in every period tonight. It’s fun to watch him when he’s playing like that. He was definitely the key to the win tonight.”

Not to take anything away from fan-favorite Varlamov, but Theodore is definitely the undisputable number one goalie in town.

While his record is just 3-2-2, Theodore 2.47 goals against average and a .922 save percentage. And while Varlamov is prone to giving up goals in bunches, Theodore has only improved when the Caps fall behind an opponent this season.

No lead is safe against the Capitals these days. Not when they have one of the leagues most potent offenses and a rock-steady goalie anchoring their defense. Just ask the Flyers.

(photo by Kevin C. Cox)

If the Washington Capitals are going to be a legitimate contender, then they’re going to need wins like Thursday night’s 5-4 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers at Philips Arena.

On a night when forward Alex Ovechkin was a nonfactor and forward Alexander Semin was out of the line-up due to an illness, the Caps found the secondary scoring that’s often lacking – thanks to goals from Eric Fehr, Alexandre Giroux, Jeff Schultz, Matt Bradley and Chris Clark.

Put it this way, the Capitals top five forwards – Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Brooks Laich, Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison – went pointless. The Caps’ powerplay failed on all seven attempts and even gave up a shorthanded goal. Washington goalie Semyon Varlamov gave up two soft goals. And yet, the Capitals were able to beat a division rival on the road. That doesn’t happen very often.

“It was good because I didn’t think our number-one line was very productive, and our special teams – that was probably our power play’s worst night in the three years I’ve been here,” said coach Bruce Boudreau. “You need them sometimes, and tonight we got them.”

Leading the way for this improbable victory was Schultz – the lanky defender who frustrates many Caps fans with his inconsistent play.

Against Atlanta, Schultz was everywhere – throwing around his body, clearing opposing players away from the net and playing with a general confidence that’s been missing from his game. Fehr’s breakaway goal, just over two minutes into the game, was only possible because of a perfect cross-rink pass from Schultz.

With the score tied 1-1, the Caps took the lead again – this time courtesy of their top two Hershey Bears. Scrappy forward Keith Aucoin faked a slapshot from the left faceoff circle and then fired a beautiful pass to Giroux, who lifted a wrist shot over Thrashers goalie Ondrej Pavelec to regain the lead.

The game was tied 2-2 courtesy of Ilya Kovelchuk, the NHL’s second best Russian goal scorer, after the first period. But the Capitals took over the game for good with a flurry of second-period goals to chase Pavelec from the game and ensure they left Atlanta with two points.

Schultz picked up his first goal of the season on the flukiest of plays. Schultz took the puck from Varlamov and harmlessly flipped the puck out of the Caps’ defensive zone in the general direction of Knuble. The puck took a couple of bounces and somehow skipped over the shoulder of Pavelec to give Schultz a goal from roughly 150 feet away.

Bradley’s goal also came courtesy of Schultz, who blasted a shot from the point that Pavelec once again had trouble corralling. Bradley, who was camped out near the net, got to the rebound before the Thrashers goalie and lifted a shot into the open net for the 4-2 lead.

Just 14 seconds later, Clark took advantage of a fortuitous bounce off the boards behind the net to give the Caps three goals in just 88 seconds and a 5-2 lead.

The Thrashers got back into the game, thanks to a shorthanded goal by defenseman Zach Bogosian and Kovalchuk’s second goal of the net, but the Capitals were able to survive the late surge and preserve the win.

“It wasn’t a textbook game,” Boudreau said. “I think both teams were really sloppy. Both teams got some pretty soft goals. It wasn’t a very well-played hockey game.”

But the man of the night was Schultz, who had the first three-point night of his NHL career. A guy who had one goal all of last season – and it came on an empty netter – paved the way on a night when, more times than not, the Capitals would have lost this game. In fact, Washington was 1-9-1 in games when Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom and defenseman Mike Green went scoreless last season.

The Caps don’t need this kind of offensive output from Schultz every night, but games like this will go a long way towards showing your head coach and your teammates that you can be trusted. And while the points are great, the best way for Schultz to quiet the critics is to go out and play solid hockey on both ends of the rink. This game, hopefully, was his first step in the right direction.

(photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

The Washington Capitals hadn’t beaten the San Jose Sharks in more than a decade, and were winless lifetime against goalie Evgeni Nabokov (8-0-0). And if that’s not bad enough, the Sharks were the one team in the NHL that superstar Alex Ovechkin had yet to score a goal against. Oh, and the Caps were winless in their last four games.

All of that would lead a reasonable fan to assume that the Capitals would struggle Thursday night when San Jose, who earned the President’s Cup a season ago for the most points in the league, came to the Verizon Center.

That, as they say, is why they play the game.

During the second period, Ovechkin scored twice in the span of 28 seconds to blow open a 1-1 game as the Capitals cruised to their most impressive win of the season. Forwards Alexander Semin and Matt Bradley also scored in the win.

“We played well today and were able to scratch out a win,” Ovechkin said to the media circus after the win. “We did a good job all around and found a way to win the game. We knew it was going to be a hard game but we had a good second period and I’m happy to get two points.”

While there was a lot to be happy about at the conclusion of this one, there is some cause for concern – Caps goalie Jose Theodore, who has been stellar in net this season, left the game after the first period due to injury.

Semyon Varlamov, who’s been left to ride the bench after some shaky play earlier this season, started the second period and looked solid in relief, finishing the game with 15 saves.

“You couldn’t have written a better script to have Varly having his struggles the two previous games and then to come in and shut down a team like this,” said coach Bruce Boudreau. “That must be good for his confidence.”

General Manager George McPhee told reporters after the game that Theodore left the game because of back spasms and, like most of us, he is day-to-day.

Should Theodore be out for any length of time, the Caps would go with Varlamov and would likely recall Michal Neuvirth, the Hershey Bears goalie who has been sidelined with a hip injury.

Instead of dwelling on a possible nerve-wracking goalie situation, we’ll instead focus on Ovechkin, who once again found a way to single-handedly take over a game.

“I thought we were a really determined group tonight and when Alex got those two goals, it seemed like a surge of confidence in our team,” Boudreau said.

It should be noted that both of Ovechkin’s goals came courtesy of new linemates, Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison. The players like to joke about Boudreau’s “musical chairs” method of juggling lines, but as long as it continues to provide results, there’s little reason to change.

And while Ovechkin and Semin are expected to score, Bradley scored a goal on his former team that was definitely a cause for celebration. We were at Caps practice one day last week and overheard forward Brooks Laich giving Bradley some grief as the two friends left the ice.

“Nice to see you didn’t work on your shot in the offseason,” Laich said.

But they don’t come much prettier than Bradley’s goal against San Jose.

Defenseman Milan Jurcina blasted a shot from the point and when the rebound ended up on the stick of Bradley, the checking line forward went top shelf. It was a goal scorer’s goal from a guy who is usually described as anything but.

“It was good to see Matt get one,” said Knuble. “He’s been plugging away and played a really strong game. That whole line did. It was good to see them get rewarded, too.”

The Caps had it all Thursday night against one of the NHL’s elite teams. Balanced goal scoring, solid defense and timely saves from their goaltenders paved the way for an easier than expected win against the Sharks.

If the Capitals can build off of this momentum and continue to correct the minor issues that plagued them during their losing streak, there’s little reason to doubt they’ll be returning to the top of the Eastern Conference standings sooner rather than later.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

It became painfully obvious during last year’s playoff run that the Washington Capitals, while immensely talented, were lacking in one major area.

Sure, guys like Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom can skate circles around the competition, but that can also be a problem. More than once, coach Bruce Boudreau was left standing at the podium after a tough loss trying to explain why his players were more concerned with out-skating the competition instead of out-hustling them.

Thankfully, the Capitals are the smartest franchise in town. When there’s a problem, they’re quick to identify it and to find a way to resolve it.

So when free agency began, the team moved quickly to sign forward Mike Knuble – a gritty 37-year-old who has no desire to end up on highlight reels. He’s the epitome of a blue-collar worker. He shows up for work, does whatever the boss man asks of him and never bitches or moans.

If you’re building a team around talented 20-somethings, it’s vital to have a guy like Knuble to point them in the right direction. With that in mind, we sat down with the newest member of the Washington Capitals to see how he’s adjusting to his newest challenge.

Everyone knows what it’s like to be the new kid in school. How tough was it to get used to a new locker room and feel like you fit in with these guys?

“Hockey players are hockey players,” Knuble said. “It’s been good. You known some of the guys beforehand and have friends who’ve played with guys, so everybody kind of knows a little bit about you before you get here.”

Obviously playing with the Philadelphia Flyers, you were familiar with most of the names here. Has anything been different from some of the thoughts you might have had coming into this new situation?

“No, everything’s been good,” he said. “It’s a good bunch and they like to have fun. You can tell they genuinely care for each other, and those are all good parts.”

Talking to some of the guys, they say you fit in so quickly, they don’t even consider you a new guy anymore …

“Yeah, I’m catching up on some of the inside jokes and stuff like that,” Knuble said. “So I can at least know what they’re talking about half the time. When you start catching up on the jokes and stuff, you know you’ve been here long enough.”

This team got off to a hot start, with a couple of early victories, but you’ve lost your last four – two in overtime and two in regulation. What do you chalk it up to and how do you turn it around?

“Obviously, if I knew that, I guess I’d be the coach, wouldn’t I,” he asked with a laugh. “I think in a couple games it was our penalty killing – or taking a penalty late and not being able to kill it. Giving the opponent a chance to cash in, which they did. Last game, our powerplay let us down a little bit, I think. Five on five, I think we’ve been pretty good. I think it’s been coming down to our special teams battles. If you were to crunch the numbers, I think it would reveal itself in the numbers.”

You’re a veteran player who does well planting yourself in front of the net and digging pucks out of the corners. Since you’ve been here, you’ve skated with a handful of different guys. Does it matter to you who you’re on a line with?

“I think I have success when I play with good players,” Knuble said. “Good players get the puck to the net and that’s when I can help out. You saw with our goal the other night, the puck bounces off your skate and goes to Mike Green, who puts it in the back of the net. Just stuff like that, is kind of what we need. That’s what I do. But I’m going to be a good teammate and play wherever Bruce wants me to.”

You’ve played on some impressive teams in your career. How does the talent level on this Caps team stack up against those squads?

“This is a great group,” he said. “They’ve all grown and come up together. They’ve got a few years together now with guys having been here for four or five years. When guys first came in they took a lot of losses and got beat up on. But they stuck with it as a group. They took their losses in order to grow, and now, it’s time for the next step.”

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Hockey fans have come to expect greatness from Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin. So it’s not exactly newsworthy when he’s atop the NHL leader board for points.

But when Caps forward Brooks Laich ranks in the top 20 in scoring … well … that’s a different story. We caught up with the popular forward this morning after practice to get to the bottom of this surprising trend.

With three goals and four assists in your first six games, you’ve started the season on a hot streak. To what do you attribute your hot start?

“Luck? I don’t know,” Laich said. “I’m playing with some good players, some offensive minded players. Our powerplay can be very dangerous at times, and I’m getting some time on that. When you’re out there with them you’re going to get opportunities to score.”

In years past you’ve spent some of your time on the checking line, but this years you’re logging a ton of minutes on one of the top two lines with more skilled linemates. That’s got to be nice, right?

“Oh yeah, it’s been nice,” he said. “Coming into camp, I don’t worry about goals and assists. I just try to improve myself every year. The main thing I look at is ice time and responsibility. If you can be on the powerplay and you can be on the penalty kill and in checking assignments or late in games to try and hold the lead, it means you’re a responsible player and a player that can help the team win. Those are the things that I focus on more than just goals and assists. That being said, the offensive production has been nice.”

No one can question the level of talent in the Caps locker room with high-flying players like Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom. But then you’ve also got grittier players like you, Mike Knuble and Chris Clark doing the thankless work in the corners and in front of the net. How important is it to have that kind of balance?

“You can’t just have a team full of guys who muck it up in front of the net or a team full of perimeter players,” Laich said. “You have to have a nice combination of both. I think with the guys we have, we’re starting to get that. If you watch games, goals are usually scored within 10-15 feet of the net off rebounds or deflections or a puck hitting off of a skate. There aren’t too many two-on-ones or backdoor tap-ins happening anymore because teams play so well defensively.

“We have a good mixture of both, and I think the way that Clarkey and Knuble play is infectious,” he said. “You see a guy like Eric Fehr just back from shoulder issues going to the net. Brendan Morrison plays in the tight zones and around the net too and other players see that, and the success they have and they start doing it as well.”

Obviously you’re going to line up with whoever coach Bruce Boudreau pairs you up with, but do you have a personal preference as to which forwards you enjoy skating with?

“The running joke around here is its musical chairs,” Laich said. “You can show up on any day and be lined up somewhere else. I’ve played a lot with Semin. I’ve played a lot with Morrison and Knuble. I’ve played a lot with Stecks [David Steckel] and Brads [Matt Bradley]. I know how all those guys play. I’ve been here five years now and have played with lots of these guys a majority of that time. You get familiar with how these guys play, adapt to their style and it makes the game pretty easy to play.”

This team got off to a hot start, with a couple of early victories, but you’ve lost your last four – two in overtime and two in regulation. What do you chalk it up to and how do you turn it around?

“Well, we’ve played some very good teams,” he said. “Look at all of the teams we’ve lost to – they’re going to be playoff teams and last year, they all finished first or second in their division. The teams we’ve played are very good and it’s not going to change tomorrow when we play San Jose.

“The other thing is, we’re not sneaking up on teams anymore,” Laich continued. “Teams get very excited to play us because there’s a lot of media hype around our team and obviously we have Alex Ovechkin, which teams really have to prepare for. We see other teams’ best every night and we have to be better than what we’ve shown. There’s no excuse for it. We’ll look for a better effort tomorrow.”

There have been a couple instances during this slide in which you guys haven’t been able to hold onto a third period lead. What do you guys need to do to close opponents out more consistently?

“If you knew that, you could make a million dollars a year coaching,” Laich said with a laugh. “It’s just been little mistakes here or there that have caught up with us. The good thing about it is we’ve had the lead in all of those games. If we were behind in all of those games, chasing and trying to catch up, then I’d say we have a major problem. But we’ve had the lead, and maybe we’ve taken a couple undisciplined penalties and had a few turnovers, but those are all correctable mistakes. That’s why there’s no reason to panic.”

Lastly, we wanted to talk about goalie Jose Theodore. While the numbers might not do him justice, he’s been playing really well of late – especially in overtime against New Jersey the other night. What have you seen from him so far this season?

“The three hacks that [Zach] Parise had the other night – the first one, I said, ‘Ahh, it’s in the net.’ The second one, I said, ‘Ahh, it’s in the net, and the third on, I said, “Oh man, it’s going in the net,’” he said. “But Theo stopped all three of them. He’s been great. He’s come in and got refocused. He’s excited to be at the rink. He went through some off-ice troubles, but the team has really been here for him. He’s really come in with a good attitude and hasn’t let anything else affect him, and we’re so glad to see him doing well.”