Patience is a Virtue

I had a much longer column partially written, about practicing patience and taking to task everyone that seems so infatuated with blowing up the Caps for failing to close out Montreal after being up three games to one.
But instead of preaching, I'll give a simple history lesson.
It took Glen Sather, Wayne Gretzky, and his talented teammates four playoff seasons with the Edmonton Oilers before

FIRST ROUND GAME SEVEN REVIEW: No Words

WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin was despondant in the few moments he spoke to a circle of media that was five and six deep, with another group at least that deep not capable to get their recorders close enough to record what words were coming out of his mouth.

When asked how it felt to lose a series the Captials were so heavily favored in, he replied, “I think we are all disappointed, but you know I

FIRST ROUND GAME SEVEN: It's About Time

It's not about superstitions.  It's not about beards.  It's not about ghosts, or history, or streaks and slumps.
It's about hockey.  It's about skill.  It's about desire and drive and determination and dedication.
It's about effort.
It's about time.
Rock the Red.

FIRST ROUND GAME SIX REVIEW: Hot Goalie Wins?

I have a friend, who is not a big hockey fan, who has a saying about playoff hockey:  "Hot Goalie Wins.  Period."
It's not a particularly nuanced or sophisiticated outlook on the game, but one could surmise from last night's statistics that is exactly what happened.
Hot Goalie Wins.
Jaroslav Halak made 53 saves on 54 shots last night in defeating the Capitals 4-1, sending this series to a

FIRST ROUND GAME FIVE REVIEW: The One That Got Away

WASHINGTON -- Washington Capitals Coach Bruce Boudreau was not happy.  In fact, quite the opposite.
He took the podium for the post-game press conference, and from the get-go you could tell it was not going to be long, pleasant or pretty.
Asked if he thought his team let one get away, he responded curtly, “Of course … What do you think? We have Game Five in our building, and we play like crap the

Caps Try to Close Out Montreal

The Washington Capitals return to Verizon Center tonight with the hopes of closing out their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals matchup with the Montreal Canadiens tonight at 7:00 pm. 
By virtue of a short-handed goal late in the second period in Game Four and a furious four-goal third period, the Caps hold a three games to one lead over the eighth seeded Canadiens.
This franchise has had some

FIRST ROUND GAME FOUR REVIEW: Capitals Seize Momentum in Game, Series with Shorty

The Montreal Canadiens fairly dominated play in the second period of tonight's Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.  They outshot the Washington Capitals 21-9 in the frame, setting a team record for most shots against in a period for a playoff game.
And when the Caps took a bench minor for too many men on the ice at 18:05 trailing 2-1, things looked pretty bleak.
But with seven

FIRST ROUND GAME THREE REVIEW: Caps Blitz Habs in Second, Win 5-1

The Washington Capitals had to scramble a little bit in the first period of Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the raucus Bell Centre against the Montreal Canadiens.
Montreal outshot the Caps 10-7, with Semyon Varlamov making several outstanding saves early to keep his team in it.
The Caps weathered the early storm, came out and took control with four second period goals, and

Jose or Not Jose? That is the Question

(ed.--two mintes after posting this article Damien Cox reported Semyon Varlamov would be the starter for the Cpas tonight)

Sometime very soon we will know who is starting in goal for the Washington Capitals tonight in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at Centre Bell in Montreal this evening.
At least we'll know by 7:00 pm.
It's well documented that Theodore did not start any of

FIRST ROUND GAME TWO REVIEW: Did That Really Just Happen?

Not quite eight minutes into Game Two of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals matchup with the Montreal Canadiens, Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals found themselves two goals down in their own barn.
After dropping Game One 3-2, it was not how the Caps wanted to get out of the gate.
Throughout the game, they found themselves down 3-1, 4-2 and 5-4 to an opportunistic Canadiens attack.
It

FIRST ROUND GAME 1 REVIEW: Habs Shut Down Ovechkin, Caps in Overtime 3-2

The Montreal Canadiens entered Game One of the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs with one goal in mind:  shut down Alex Ovechkin.
They did that and more, keeping Ovechkin without a shot on goal and holding him pointless for the third time this season, defeating the President's Trophy winners 3-2 in overtime.
Washington Capitals Coach Bruce Boudreau was frank in his assessment of his

GAME 82 REVIEW: Regular Season Finishes with 4-3 Shootout Loss to Bruins

In today's game between the Washington Capitals and the Boston Bruins, neither team had anything to play for in the standings with both teams having secured their playoff seeds.
But there were milestones to chase, and tones to set as the NHL's second season gets started later in the week.
In a tightly contested match, the Boston Bruins eventually would triumph in a shootout and emerge as 4-3

GAME 81 REVIEW: Caps Thrash Atlanta 5-2; More Caps History Made

BOX SCORE//GAME SUMMARY//EVENT SUMMARY
The Washington Capitals beat the Atlanta Thrashers 5-3 in front of a electrifying, red-rocking crowd.  The Caps looked like a team that is ready for the playoffs.

The Caps have set new records during the 2009-2010 season and Friday night was no exception.  During a pre-game ceremony, the Caps First-Ever Presidents' Trophy was presented by NHL Deputy

GAME 80 REVIEW: Caps Sweep Pens in Season Series With 6-3 Win

In the finale of a four-game grudge max, with absolutely nothing at stake, the Washington Capitals showed once again their regular season mastery over the Pittsburgh Penguins, winning 6-3 at "The Igloo" to complete the season sweep.
Alex Ovechkin scored twice in the contest, a power play early in the third period to push the lead back to two, and an empty net gift from his center, Nick Backstrom,

GAME 79 REVIEW: Theodore Strong in 3-2 OT Win Over Boston

Jose Theodore made 28 saves, Alex Ovechkin had two assists, and Brooks Laich banged home the game winner in overtime as the Washington Capitals defeated the desperate Boston Bruins 3-2, in what could have been a preview of the first round of the playoffs.
The Capitals entered the game as the newly crowned winner of the President's Trophy, presented to the team that totals the most regular season

GAME 78 REVIEW: Caps Start Quick, Hold On For 3-2 Win Over Columbus

The Washington Capitals got goals from Alexander Semin, Tomas Fleischmann and Mike Green--and 34 saves from first star of the game Jose Theodore-- to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2.
The win is No. 51 for the season for Washington, setting a franchise record.
Theodore improved to 18-0-3 with a 2.70 GAA since Jan. 13, extending his own record for decisions without a regulation loss.
The Caps

GAME 77 REVIEW: Caps Make Statement to Themselves, Beat Atlanta 2-1

During their recently concluded three-game losing streak, Caps players, media, fans and Coach Bruce Boudreau all spoke often about the need for the club to play a full 60-minute game, something they all freely admitted they were not doing.
Thursday night, against a scrappy Atlanta team trying to earn the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Capitals got that 60-minute effort,