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Photo credit: Chris Gordon
When the Washington Capitals let Alex Semin walk last summer, they left a big hole in their top six. That hole has not been permanently filled yet, but there are two talented draft picks who might be a good fit in the future: Evgeny Kuznetsov and Filip Forsberg.
While Kuznetsov is still more than a full season away, Forsberg could be donning a Washington Capitals or Hershey Bears jersey as soon as this year.
Photo credit: @magaman
Since the Chelyabinsk meteor was so fun to cover, let’s do it again!
Shortly before 8PM local time (or during the first intermission of the Caps/Jets game), Twitter blew up with first-hand reports of a green-colored meteor falling from the sky. Fox 5 in Washington D.C. reported that their helicopter crew saw the burning rock from the air and it was visible for five to six seconds.
Photo credit: Bruce Bennett
Per The Washington Post’s Katie Carrera, Brooks Laich will make his season debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight. After missing the first 28 games of the season due to a nagging groin injury he suffered with the Kloten Flyers, Laich will skate on the fourth line with Jay Beagle and Matt Hendricks. Laich was excited after this morning’s practice telling reporters, “I’m just licking my chops here to get in.”
According to The Washington Times’ Stephen Whyno, head coach Adam Oates plans to “ease [Laich] into the game slow,” but admitted that the Wawota, Saskatchewan native could see time on the Caps special teams units if all goes well.
It’s been a long road, but finally, Brooks is back.
Photo credit: Sweetest Hockey On Earth’s Tim Stough
Dmitry Orlov suffered an apparent concussion after a nasty hit at the Hershey Bears’ December 6 game at Verizon Center. He lost most of the next few months recovering from the injury before returning to HBH four games ago. Since the comeback, Orlov’s conditioning has markedly improved, putting up two assists in his latest game with the Bears on Sunday. To make room for Orlov on the roster, the Caps have placed Tomas Kundratek (apparent right leg injury) on injured reserve retroactive to March 14. For an ailing Washington blue line, the return of Dmitry Orlov is great news.
Orlov sported 16 points in 60 games last season, and his on-ice puck possession was second best among the D corps (although he did face weak competition as a rookie).
The happy couple. (Photo credit: @mkirilenko)
Every blogger has that day in his life when he must link to Huffington Post. For me, that day is today.
HuffPo has reprinted an AP story in which the Ovi and Maria finally divulge some details on their upcoming wedding. Emphasis on some. Here is all the information I gleaned from the piece:
That’s pretty much it. You can read the whole article– from which I’ve already extracted all the stuff you might care about– by following this link right here. Boom!
Oleksy smiles and holds up his milestone puck. (Photo credit: Patrick McDermott)
In Sunday’s game between the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals, number 61 netted the game’s first goal. That’s not surprising: Rick Nash is an elite player. But it wasn’t New York’s number 61; it was Washington’s Steve Oleksy. Before this season, Oleksy had just a few years playing college hockey and a bunch of ECHL games to his name. Now, he’s got four points in four National Hockey League games. His goal on Sunday was the first of his NHL career.
“I don’t score a lot of goals so every one’s nice,” Oleksy said after the game. “I don’t really know what to say. I’m just kind of the kid living the dream right now.”
Wolski isn’t dead. This is just how he celebrates goals. (Photo credit: Alex Brandon)
Wojtek Wolski was playing first-line left wing when he scored a third period goal against the Philadelphia Flyers. It was February 1. He would take 35 days to notch his next tally, which came during Tuesday’s overtime win over Boston. Wolski scored another goal less than 48 hours later– at the beginning of the Washington’s 7-1 rout of the Florida Panthers.
“It’s the fun part of hockey,” Wolski said of his recent goals. “I had so many chances in the last little while, and they weren’t going in, and we weren’t scoring, and we were losing. It’s tough, it’s frustrating. When it turns the other way and the hard work pays off, it’s reassuring. I’m really happy about it.”
After spending the last two months in the basement, the Caps have clawed their way into a three-way tie for second place in the Southeast. They’re still six long points out of first, but this thing sure as hell ain’t over yet. The Caps and the Canes meet for the last time on April 6. It’s going to be huge.
Please take a good long gander at those standings– because after this season the Southeast is going the way of the dodo, Fred Durst, and the Capstronaut. Next season, the Caps will be playing in the Patrick++ Division.
And you thought you hated Pittsburgh now.
Photo credit: The Washington Times’ Stephen Whyno
Washington Capitals do-it-all forward Brooks Laich hasn’t skated since February 16, so today was sort of a milestone. Via The Washington Times’ Stephen Whyno, Laich, donning shorts and sneakers, did some stick-handling and passing drills with General Manager George McPhee’s son, Graham, after today’s Caps practice. Katie Carrera also has a photo of Laich on the ice today too.
Oleksy and Kundratek pose with their milestone pucks. (Photo via the Capitals’ Instagram)
Tuesday, while also a good night for the Washington Capitals, was a great one for former Hershey Bears defensemen. First, Steve Oleksy notched his first NHL point, getting an assist on Mike Ribeiro’s second period tally. Later in the period, it was Tomas Kundratek‘s turn. With the Caps down 3-1, Kundratek put Washington within one with a pin-balling shot that hit the back of the net for his inaugural NHL goal. Thanks to Eric Fehr’s magical overtime marker, Washington came back to win 4-3, beating one of the league’s top team in the Boston Bruins. Kundratek, adding to his memorable night, had an assist on the game winner.
“It’s great to comeback in a game like this against a team like this,” Kundratek said after the game. “It’s great thing for us. We’ll have to keep going after this.”
“Fans were pushing us forward,” he added. “It was unreal. It was a great crowd.”
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