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(photo by Alex Brandon)

Those who missed the Washington Capitals’ 6-4 win over the Atlanta Thrashers yesterday might think the home team breezed to an easy victory over a lesser opponent. Those who watched the regular season home finale know that wasn’t the case at all.

Adding fuel to the notion that this team loves to sleep in and simply hates playing early games, the Capitals looked downright sluggish the first 40 minutes of the game.

“Our guys were sleepwalking through the first two periods,” said coach Bruce Boudreau. “It seemed like they wanted it more. It happens a lot when you depend on your power play to win you games and then the power play wasn’t going very well, so it was time the five-on-five stepped up a little bit.”

The one exception was forward Keith Aucoin. While his teammates were “sleepwalking” through the first two-thirds of the game, the minor-league call-up was flying around the rink doing anything and everything he could to impact the game.

During the second period Aucoin recorded a goal on his first-ever power-play shift with the Caps and later added an assist for his first multiple-point game with Washington. On a team in dire need of production from someone other than guys named Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom and Green he’s quietly racked up points in four of his last five games (two goals, three assists). And let’s not forget that right now he’s tied with Hershey Bears teammate Alexander Giroux for the AHL lead in points with 94.

For a guy who has played just eight games for the Caps this year, you sure do look right at home out there. What’s really going on?

“I think playing with Carolina the last half of the year last season helped out coming into this year,” Aucoin said. “You know, getting the jitters away being on a new team and finally getting more ice time. I’m playing well and with a lot more confidence. I’m just having a lot of fun right now.”

You scored your second goal in three games. Can you walk us through the play?

“It was my first powerplay shift since I’ve been here and I didn’t know what to do, so [Brooks Laich] just said ‘go to the goal line,’” he said. “I saw Ovi go to the slot and I just went backdoor. He made a great pass and I had an easy job to do.”

[Editor’s note: Thank you Brooks. Now this team has two guys willing to crash the net.]

For our money, the Alexander Semin goal you set up was even prettier. How were you able to read the play and create a turnover against Ilya Kovalchuk, one of the league’s premiere players?

“Kovalchuk got the puck in the slot and I have a long stick, so I kind of got under his stick a little bit,” Aucoin said. “He lost it and I heard [Tomas Fleischmann] yelling for it and those two did the rest of the work. It was fun to be a part of it.”

Fans may not know much about Aucoin yet, but if he keeps playing like this that’ll change in a hurry. The Washington forward may be listed as 5’9”, but he’s making a big impact each and every time he hits the ice for the Capitals.

“Keith Aucoin has been great,” said forward Eric Fehr. “Every time he is in the line-up he’s been a spark plug for us. He’s a great passer, he’s got a lot of energy, and he hits well for a smaller guy.”

Defenseman Mike Green agreed with Fehr’s assessment and was quick to endorse Aucoin as well.

“He always seems to be in the right spot at the right time and his vision is incredible,” he said. “If he could hang around here for a little while longer I think he could produce a lot of points for us.”

Luckily for Aucoin, his teammates aren’t the only one taking notice of Aucoin’s high level of play.

“He’s definitely played very well for us,” said Boudreau, when asked if Aucoin’s play of late has earned him a roster spot come playoff time. “We’ll probably have to make a decision here sooner or later. He’s done really well.”

Aucoin was realistic when asked if he thinks his play should merit a roster spot in the postseason.

“You know, it’s out of my hands,” Aucoin said. “The only thing I can do is go out every shift and work hard. If they need me here, then I’ll be here. I’ll do what they need me to do.”

No offense to guys like Boyd Gordon and Matt Bradley, but we’ve always been of the mindset that your team’s fourth-line should be comprised of young (i.e. – hungry) minor-league type players in the mold of Aucoin. He’s scrappy, fearless and will absolutely do whatever he’s asked to.

“I think when you’re playing on the third and fourth line that’s what you got to do – create energy for the team,” he said.

The fourth line doesn’t get much in the way of ice time, but guys like that typically find a way to impact the game regardless. If he keeps playing like this, Boudreau and the rest of the coaching staff will have little choice but to find a roster spot for Aucoin come playoff time.

One final note – the quote of the night goes to Green, who earned a chuckle when asked about his team’s inspired play in the final period.

“Bruce came in here and gave us heck between the second and third and we responded well,” Green said.

Thanks to Aucoin for leading by example and to Boudreau for giving his players “heck” and waking up the rest of the locker room the Caps were able to pick up another two points in the standings.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Thanks to their 5-3 win over the New York Islanders Wednesday night the Washington Capitals reached a special milestone – reaching 100 points for just the fifth time in franchise history. We decided to look back at the previous four times, as well as one other memorable season, to see how the Caps fared as a possible gauge for how the upcoming postseason might play out.

1983-84 – a record of 48-27-5 for 101 points

Led by legendary defenseman Rod Langway, the Capitals reached the 100-point mark for the first time in team history. In the first round of the playoffs the Caps breezed by the Philadelphia Flyers, sweeping them in three straight games. The promising season came to an end though in the next round when the New York Islanders reeled off four-straight games to win the second round matchup four games to one.

1984-85 – a record of 46-25-9 for 101 points

The good news? Mike Gartner and Bobby Carpenter each scored 50 goals and the Caps reached the 100-point plateau for the second-consecutive season. The bad news? The Islanders eliminated the Caps yet again, this time in the first round.

1985-86 – a record of 50-23-7 for 107 points

Led by an amazing nine players who registered 50 points or more, the Capitals earned the most points in franchise history and reached 50 wins for the first time. That secured them the right to face the New York Islanders in the playoffs for the fourth-straight season. After sweeping the Islanders, the Caps were eliminated by New York’s other team, the Rangers, in six games.

1999-00 – a record of 44-24-12-2 for 102 points

The Capitals, led by goalie Olaf Kolzig, bounced back from a disappointing season to earn the second-most points in franchise history. Kolzig was outstanding all season long, going 41-20-11 with a 2.24 goals against average, a .917 save percentage and five shutouts and earned the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender. Unfortunately, a promising season came crashing down when the Caps were foiled once against by the Pittsburgh Penguins four games to one in the first round of the playoffs.

And lets not forget …

1997-98 – a record of 40-30-12 for 92 points

Talk about new beginnings. The Capitals started the season with new coach Ron Wilson and moved from the outdated Caps Centre in Landover, Maryland to the new state-of-the-art MCI Center downtown. Backed by goalie Olaf Kolzig, the Capitals finished in third place in the conference and outlasted Boston, Ottawa and Buffalo to head where no D.C. hockey team had gone before. Unfortunately, the Caps were swept in their one and only trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, losing four games to none to the Detroit Red Wings. Even so, this season holds a special place in the hearts of Caps fans.

Twice the Caps were bounced in round one. The other two times their season ended in the second round. Not too promising. But then again, those teams never had a player like Alex Ovechkin. If the Capitals get solid play from their goaltenders, the defense plays smart in their own end and the offensive players understand that the only way to win in the postseason is to get down and dirty (i.e. – crash the damned net) … well, things could play out differently this year.

If nothing else, it sure is nice to have a local team even be in the discussion.

(photo by Alex Brandon)

Far too many times this year the Washington Capitals have fallen asleep at the wheel when lining up to play one of the league’s bottom feeders and for one period it looked like history was about to repeat itself.

Luckily, the Caps had Mike Green on their side, who had a different plan in mind when it came to making history. The Capitals’ talented defenseman scored two powerplay goals in roughly 90 seconds to help propel Washington to a 5-3 win over the league’s worst team, the New York Islanders.

Green tallies gave him 30 for the season, making him just the eighth defenseman in NHL history (and the first in 16 years) to accomplish the feat. The 23-year-old also set a franchise record for most powerplay goals by a defenseman with 18. Not bad for a guy who missed 14 games earlier this season due to injury.

“As I used to say about Ovie, I’m not surprised anymore,” said center Nicklas Backstrom, who finished the game with one goal and one assist. “That’s what I have to say about Greenie now too. He’s a great guy and he has a lot of skills out there. He has a good shot and it’s good for our team to have that kind of offensive D-man who leads the team.”

Others were even more generous with their praise for Green on this memorable night.

“He’s special,” said defenseman Brian Pothier. “He skates better than most. He has a better shot than most guys. He sees the ice better. He’s stronger … I mean, he’s in a category all his own. He’s a special player and it’s fun to watch him play every night.”

Even those who haven’t been around Green much this season were willing to sing his praise.

“He’s the best I’ve seen,” said forward Keith Aucoin, who scored his first goal as a member of the Capitals. “I grew up watching Ray Bourque and he reminds me a lot of him, the way he plays. His hands are unbelievable, he can skate like the wind and he can score from anywhere. It’s a lot of fun to be a part of something like that.”

Critics say the only knock against him and the biggest reason he shouldn’t win the Norris Trophy, as the league’s top defenseman, is that he’s not as strong in his own end. What do you say to that?

“The thing about Mike is that he doesn’t really have to play in his own end because he has the puck most of the night,” Pothier said. “That’s the thing about him that’s so special – if he’s out there for 30 seconds, there’s a good chance he has the puck for at least 10 seconds. His knack for scoring powerplay goals, I don’t think anyone in the league is close to him. I’d put him right up there with the best defensemen in the league.”

One would think reaching a significant milestone that only seven other defensemen in NHL history have ever achieved would go a long way towards bringing home the Norris Trophy, but regardless of whether or not he takes home the hardware the fact of the matter is that the Capitals are fortunate enough to have Green, who is easily one of the best and brightest stars in the hockey today.

(photo by Steve Mitchell)

This is what makes the Washington Capitals must-see TV. Or maddening. You pick.

Just 24 hours after getting trounced by the lowly Atlanta Thrashers 5-1, the Caps responded with an authoritative 3-0 victory over the Florida Panthers Tuesday night. Most teams look better on the first night of a back-to-back set. But where’s the fun in that? Sure, these Capitals are as talented as any team D.C. has had over the last decade, but we’re truly starting to believe that they’re also bipolar.

Even if you missed the Atlanta game, one look at the boxscore should have been enough to guess how the game played out. The Caps took 50 shots but scored only once, which meant the team settled for long-range shots instead of creating traffic in the crease. The Thrashers scored three powerplay goals, which meant some players took bad penalties and defense apparently wasn’t much of a priority. Washington goalie Jose Theodore was pulled from the game after allowing four goals on just 19 shots, but it was a safe bet he wasn’t the only problem. Sound about right?

Well, thank the hockey gods for Bruce Boudreau. Thanks to him, this talented but still immature team rarely mails it in two games in a row. So last night the Capitals played inspired hockey. Players were backchecking. Defensive players were rarely caught out of position. The team got much-needed secondary scoring (which essentially means goals from people not named Alex). Instead of giving up multiple powerplay goals, the team actually scored a shorthanded goal against Florida. And in the end, Theodore secured his second shutout of the season. Sound about right?

And here’s the stat of the night – the Capitals did not allow a single shot by the Panthers in the third period.

“I’ve never been involved in a game where that’s happened,” Boudreau said in his post-game press conference. “It’s a great testament to our players. They proved they can do it when they want to do it. It was a total team win and we got that secondary scoring.”

Ahead 1-0 heading into the final frame thanks to Brooks Laich’s shorthanded goal from an impossible angle, the team clamped down in their own end and got the job done. Because they didn’t try to force the offense (remember that five-on-one breakaway over the weekend?) and just took what the opposition gave them while playing Capitals hockey, everything is right in the hockey universe, for another day or two at least.

Here’s the funny thing about these two back-to-back games – Theodore faced 19 shots in both affairs. When he was hung out to dry, he was pulled from the game. When his defense actually gave him a chance, he picked up a shutout. We know a lot of people think he can’t carry the load for this team, but we’ll continue to support the guy. Once he got over that awful habit of allowing a goal on one of the first two or three shots of the night from earlier this season, Theodore has been solid.

Of much greater concern should be the Capitals’ erratic defensive play, as well as the offense’s lack of desire to roll up their sleeves and get dirty. Viktor Kozlov scored the second goal of the game because Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun was screened and never got a clear view of the puck. Good things happen for this team when guys crash the net, but it’s apparently much more fun to play finesse hockey and attempt to skate circles around opponents. If you want a reason why this team might not yet be ready for a legitimate Stanley Cup run, that’s it. Don’t take it from us, take it from Boudreau who has been telling his players as much all season long. It’s up to them whether they listen or not.

(photo by Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Washington Capitals wing Alexander Semin continued his superb play over the weekend by extending his personal-best scoring streak to nine games with one goal and three assists in the Caps’ 5-4 shootout victory over the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday night.

Not only did Semin have a hand in all four of the team’s goals during regulation, but he also beat Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward in the shootout to help secure the win.

Semin has recorded seven goals and nine assists for 16 points during his nine-game scoring streak. Over the same period, left wing Alex Ovechkin has recorded five goals and five assists, center Nicklas Backstrom has three goals and six assists and defenseman Mike Green has two goals and six assists.

Just as important though as Semin’s recent offensive contributions is the fact that the talented forward has, for the most part, stayed out of the penalty box. Even though the Capitals get whistled for far too many minor infractions, Semin has served just six minutes in the penalty box over the last nine games.

For the year, Semin now has 29 goals and 40 assists for 69 points. While he’s got 67 penalty minutes on the year, Semin does rank in the NHL’s top 10 for plus/minus with an impressive plus 26. And we don’t think many people realize this, but Semin has recorded at least one point in 43 out of the 51 games he’s played in this season. That shows a level of consistency in his play that Caps fans might otherwise miss.

Semin is an aggressive player with a lethal wristshot and even though he’s been around a while, he’s still only 25. And when it comes to young players, it’s best to never get too high or too low. It’s why Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Blache suggests fans fall in love with strippers rather than rookies. Less heartbreak involved, or so he says.

Remember, all of this “consistency” is coming from a guy who earlier this season was doing his best to get in management’s permanent doghouse for what was termed “lazy penalties.” So what changed? Honestly, no one knows for sure.

Although he understands more English than he lets on, Semin prefers to keep a distance from the media and gladly uses the language barrier to do so. But seriously, why should anyone care if the guy likes talking to the press or not? As long as he stays out of the penalty box and keeps producing at his current more-than-a-point-per-game pace, Semin can do whatever the hell he wants.

(courtesy photo)

As a follow-up to yesterday’s HoboTrashcan column on professional malcontent Terrell Owens, we wanted to post some quotes from a few Washington Capitals players we had the chance to catch up with earlier this week.

In football there’s Terrell Owens. In hockey, it’s a guy like Sean Avery who provides regular distractions to seemingly whatever team he’s playing for. Do actions from selfish players like that really affect their team on the field or on the ice?

“Yeah, I mean, you really want to have your team stick together,” said Caps forward Eric Fehr. “Through thick and thin, you’ve really got to stick together. I know our team will do that when push comes to shove. We’ve got a great group of guys and we’re excited with what we’ve got together for the playoff run.”

You bring up an interesting point – how important is team chemistry?

“Team chemistry is really important,” Fehr said. “We managed to keep our same team together after the trade deadline here so we feel like we have the chemistry, we’ve just been struggling to score some goals. But we do have great chemistry in this room. We enjoy being around each other, so that’s huge going into the playoffs.”

What say you Mike Green? Does a “me-first” player like that really bring down a locker room?

“Well, you don’t want it to, but it does,” said the Capitals top defenseman. “You obviously don’t want someone like that causing problems, but a lot of times with guys like that it takes a lot of attention off of a lot of other guys. So I guess for everything that’s negative, there are some positives. That being said, you don’t want a guy like that in your locker room.”

So would you be for or against adding a guy like Avery – maybe not him specifically, but a controversial guy like him – to this team?

“If that’s the way he is – I don’t know him personally and I only know what I hear in the media – but as long as he does what he needs to do on the ice, that’s all that matters,” Green said.

Putting it in non-sports terms, we know if you have to share an office with an asshole, it’s going to wear on you …

(Laughs). “Absolutely,” Green said. “You never want something like that.”

So we guess that rules out bringing Don Cherry into a front office role with the Capitals, huh?