Hockey fans, it’s time to stop the presses! Why? Because the Washington Capitals have finally won back to back games for the first time since mid January.

All kidding aside, the two victories this weekend over Montreal and then at Toronto, while against subpar teams, is significant because it shows that this club still has a decent chance to make the playoffs. More importantly, if they can add some help up front, specifically in the pivot position, and get Nicklas Backstrom back from injury before the playoffs, then anything can happen.

The Caps have been really struggling on the road and given that they played on Friday night, flew to Toronto, and had to clear customs might have indicated that Washington was ripe for the pickings against a desperate Maple Leafs crew. But that theory went totally out the window, thanks to Marcus Johansson’s wraparound tally in the game’s first minute. For once the Capitals could finally play with a lead on the road and the goal definitely energized them. Before four minutes had elapsed, Alexander Semin would score off a nifty steal and from there the Caps built a 4-0 lead through 40 minutes and won fairly easily.

Michal Neuvirth was outstanding in net with 28 saves. The 2006 second round pick has always been underrated and those who have followed him closely know that he is mentally strong. The young Czech netminder, instead of feeling sorry for himself and pouting following coach Dale Hunter’s decision to sit him against San Jose on February 13th, has worked even harder since and in the games he’s played this week has been extremely strong in goal. Hunter may have made the wrong short term decision to sit Neuvirth against the Sharks, but in the long run, it worked because #30 has taken his play to the next level. Sometimes coaches tell it like it is or play head games with players in attempt to make them stronger and improve their performance. Whether Hunter was trying that or not with his goaltender in that instance, that sequence of events has gotten results.

As for the rest of the team, much of the inconsistency in their play over the last month has stemmed from many factors. The Nicklas Backstrom injury has been extremely difficult to overcome given the lack of quality centers on the depth chart after #19. Johansson is only in his second year in the league and he is more suited to play third line center. Mathieu Perreault has been practically written off several times due to his size and lack of steady results. Both players have been forced to take on increased roles and they’ve had good games and bad ones. On Saturday night both had solid outings but to think they can continue to keep it up, in Backstrom’s absence, is asking an awfully lot.

In addition to the talent gaps up the middle of the ice, the team’s inconsistent play has led to a serious lack of confidence and anyone that has played hockey knows that if your mind isn’t right when you step out onto the ice, you are pretty much beaten before taking a single stride. The Caps have had confidence problems, especially after that terrible fluky loss to Winnipeg at home back on February 9th. But these two wins could get their minds right and if General Manager George McPhee can move some of the dead weight on his current roster and bring in some reenforcements, then it becomes an iterative process of better play and increased confidence, a mode a hockey team wants to be in down the stretch. We’ve seen the Caps do this before from the trade deadline on but can they find a way this year with Backstrom likely on the shelf for at least a couple of more weeks?

Another thing to be happy about is the play of Mike Green. #52 has steadily improved since coming back from hernia surgery and he’s stabilized the defense. With Green getting more minutes, Dennis Wideman, who has had many good games but then his share of clunkers this season, has seen his ice time reduced.

So Saturday’s victory puts the Caps at 31-26-5 (67 points) with 20 games remaining. The Southeast Division is wide open between the Caps, Florida Panthers, and Winnipeg Jets with the winner getting the 3rd seed in the playoffs in the East. Surely if McPhee can add some help, and Hunter is likely looking for some size and definitely speed (note it has been the slower skaters who have been routinely getting seats in the press box), then the Capitals could be poised to win their fifth straight division crown.

That is why this team has to be buyers, at this point. Washington needs help up front to get to where they want to go, fortunately it appears that the prices for forwards are not at as high a premium as we’ve seen with defensemen, based on this week’s trades.

This has been a disappointing season so far for the Caps, but McPhee has a chance to turn it all around with the right moves on Monday. It won’t be easy, but given what is at stake for him and the organization, the next two days are going to be extremely important for his and the team’s future.

Notes: Alexander Ovechkin had two assists in a fairly strong performance. His one big mistake though was turning the puck over on the power play in the third period with the Caps up 4-1. The Gr8 can’t make those type of mental miscues. Neuvirth bailed him out with the breakaway save so Ovie certainly owes #30 dinner…Green had 23:00 of ice time and Jeff Schultz logged 21:40. Give #55 credit for working hard and improving his game with assistant coach Jim Johnson the last couple of months. He has gotten tougher to play against despite his lack of speed…Karl Alzner and John Carlson both played over 22 minutes while Wideman and Dmitry Orlov were essentially the third d-pair in this tilt…The Caps next game is Tuesday at the Verizon Center against the Islanders. It is the start of a critical five game home stand. It will be interesting to see what moves McPhee makes between now and the trade deadline at 3pm on Monday.

The Buy or Sell decision, on paper, looks like an easy one right now for the Washington Capitals.

Sell.

With Nicklas Backstrom showing no signs of returning in the regular season from his concussion the holes up the middle of the ice appear to be too much for Washington to overcome. On Wednesday night that was apparent once again as the Ottawa Senators raced to an early 2-0 lead, extended it to 4-0 after 40 minutes, then fought off a late Caps rally to prevail 5-2 on an empty net goal.

The Caps played without Alexander Ovechkin, who was injured in Carolina on Tuesday in the second frame, but came back to play in the third period. The Gr8 missed practice yesterday and was scratched Wednesday with an undisclosed lower body injury. To say it has not been a good year, healthwise, for the Capitals is an understatement.

With Monday’s NHL trade deadline looming and just two games left for Washington before then, the Caps remain two points outside of the eighth and final playoff position. They are also only two points behind division leading Florida, who now have two games in hand on the Capitals. But this club has been unable to put together consistent efforts and if the two road games this week are any indication, the team has run out of gas with their most important player, #19, still out of the lineup.

Given that unrestricted free agents Tomas Vokoun, Dennis Wideman, Alexander Semin, and Mike Knuble might yield some good returns surely going the sell route is a no-brainer for general manager George McPhee, right?

Not so fast. The Capitals just announced that ticket prices for next season are going up, on an average of 8%, so for the club to conduct a mini sale and pack it in could significantly hurt season renewals. In addition, there is very likely pressure on McPhee from ownership to not only make the playoffs, but actually go deep into the them. So if the above are the deciding factors then shouldn’t Washington be buyers?

Again, not so easy to decipher and Washington’s salary cap predicament makes it hard for the GM to add assets without moving salary out. In addition, it is even more of a buyer’s market than normal this year, especially when a defenseman like Kyle Quincey goes for a first round draft pick (traded from Tampa to Detroit).

One thing is for certain, this team lacks confidence on the ice. They are not a hard team to play against at all, something that was expected to improve under coach Dale Hunter. At this point, it is clear coaching isn’t the main problem. Both Hunter and Bruce Boudreau have their strengths and weaknesses but the holes on the roster are making it too difficult for any bench boss to keep the team consistent once an injury or two hit.

The question now is can McPhee do something in the next four days to save the season? He has two first round picks in the this year’s draft available to bargain with, but again, he’d likely have to move salary with it in order to take on a top player in return. McPhee has been reluctant to trade 1st round picks in the past so why would this year be any different, especially in a season where the NHL entry draft is supposedly very good? The difference could be the job pressure he has to be feeling, but then again, who is to say that ownership may not give him full reign to make those short term yielding type of trades?

One thing is certain, the next four days are going to be very interesting because everything appears to be a possibility right now for the Caps, from buy to sell to simply standing pat.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: I’ll be on the WNST Morning Reaction with Drew Forrester at 7:35 am on Thursday talking Caps hockey. Listen on 1570 AM in Baltimore or live via WNST.NET

In his playing days he was known as “The Secretary of Defense” but almost 19 years after he left the Washington Capitals organization he has been brought back and named as an “Ambassador to the Capitals.”

Of course I am talking about Rod Langway, the player who helped to save this franchise in the early 80′s leading them to their first ever NHL playoff berth in 1983. #5 would play 11 more seasons after that initial campaign in 1982-83 with Washington and the Caps made the post season every year he put on the red, white, and blue. On the list of most popular Capitals of all time, he was number one until that Gr8 guy came along.

The two time Norris Trophy Winner and Hall of Famer will represent the team in the community and spread the Capitals brand as well as grow the sport of hockey. He will work with various ice hockey and street hockey clinics, including visiting schools in the area, making special presentations at Caps games and attending community events.

Having worked as a team statistician on game nights for the Caps for 11 plus years, it is extremely nice and satisfying to see owner Ted Leonsis bringing back guys who wore the sweater that I grew up watching, then working for, and now covering for WNST. With Langway as Ambassador, Dale Hunter as head coach, and Olie Kolzig as associate goaltending coach, the Capitals have brought three of their most popular retired players into the fold in the last calendar year.

Langway and Hunter played in what I still say was the most important playoff game in franchise history, the 1988 game seven 5-4 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, where #32 potted the series clincher on Ron Hextall. Long time Caps fans never get tired of seeing that highlight. That season the Capitals had a very good chance to go to the Stanley Cup Finals but when Langway was cut in the back of leg by Pat Verbeek’s skate in game one of the Patrick Division Finals, their chances of winning it all went out the window.

In 1990 Langway scored arguably his biggest Capitals goal ever notching an overtime tally against the New York Rangers to give Washington a commanding 3-1 lead in that second round playoff series. The Capital Centre went nuts that night after #5 pinched on the boards to take the puck from Mike Gartner and then potted one top shelf like he was Mike Bossy.  The Caps would knock off the Blueshirts in game five and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston. Unfortunately injuries to Dino Ciccarelli, Kevin Hatcher, and then Scott Stevens did that club in. The man known as “Rocket” had his last real chance at a Stanley Cup ended in 1992 when the Caps lost a 3-1 first round series lead to the Penguins, who would destroy everyone else en route to their second NHL title. One of the big disappointments for Langway in his career had to be not bringing a Stanley Cup to the Nation’s Capitol (he did won two with the Montreal Canadiens).

But now he, Hunter, and Kolzig are all back trying to bring this franchise its’ first ever championship. It is a great thing to see and Leonsis and Team President Dick Patrick have to be awfully proud that these former stars are now back in the organization. It also says a lot about the class and loyalty of the two men at the top of the Washington Capitals food chain.

Notes:  Defenseman Mike Green traveled with the team to Florida and could see action on Washington’s four game road trip. The first tilt is Friday night at 730 pm against the Panthers. A regulation victory by the Caps puts them just two points behind the Cats in the Southeast Division race…the team recalled center Keith Aucoin from Hershey…the Capitals raised over $350,000 for Washington Capitals Charities at last Friday night’s Caps Care Casino night.

Tim Thomas didn’t win the Conn Smythe Trophy as 2011 Stanley Cup Playoff MVP for nothing and on Sunday at the Verizon Center he showed once again why the Boston Bruins are the defending NHL Champions. Thomas’ stellar play in goal (35 saves) propelled the B’s to a 4-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Super Bowl Sunday.

Despite the loss, there were a lot of positives once again for Washington (27-21-4). They outshot Boston, 36-30, but more importantly, they had a slight edge in scoring chances despite trailing 2-0 after 40 minutes. Alexander Semin had a clean breakaway that Thomas thwarted and Alexander Ovechkin missed a mostly open net in period one while the Bruins converted on a Dennis Wideman mistake in the Caps end that left Milan Lucic all alone in front of Tomas Vokoun (26 saves) and they notched a Brad Marchand tally when Washington had three players behind their own net to Boston’s lone Patrice Bergeron. Somehow #37 was able to get the puck to #63 at the side of the net for a tap in with Karl Alzner, John Carlson, and Brooks Laich all in the vicinity of the Bruins center. Getting both defensemen caught behind the net is a no-no in hockey no matter what the system, but especially in a man to man defense, and that mental mistake was costly.

This contest was different than Saturday’s tilt in Montreal where there wasn’t a whole lot of skating room on the ice. With both teams having played on Saturday the game was more open and it was entertaining hockey. An undermanned Capitals squad managed to hold its’ own against the defending champs and if not for Thomas this game could have easily been a Washington victory.

“Yeah, we did have some good [chances]. Thomas played a pretty good game. He made some big saves as he usually does. It’s frustrating when you see that you do have a chance to score and it doesn’t go in. Ovie had that open net and I don’t know exactly what kept it out there. It’s gonna happen, that’s a good team over there. You can’t really give them a whole lot without paying for it. For what we did give them we paid for it,” added Alzner.

The really bad news for the Capitals is they may have lost another one of their top players when Laich crashed hard into the boards with Dennis Seidenberg in period two. #21 went to the ice and crawled towards the Washington bench before being helped through the door and then down the tunnel. Amazingly the assistant captain came out to test his leg at the next timeout but he immediately went back down the runway to the locker room. Brooks will be re-evaluated on Monday and based on the replay his left knee is likely the issue.

With Nicklas Backstrom already out due to a concussion and no true second line center on the roster the Laich situation, if serious, could be a killer for the Capitals playoff chances. But injuries are a part of sports and guys like Marcus Johansson, Mathieu Perreault, and Jeff Halpern will have to step their respective games up even more. In addition, General Manager George McPhee will have more pressure on him to add some forwards at the trade deadline, which is just three weeks away (February 27^th). Mike Green’s successful return from surgery is another key piece to the playoff puzzle since having 52 in the lineup changes the entire dynamic for the Caps on the back end.

But back to today’s game, Thomas was superb and when a goalie is on, he is tough to beat. That was the case with Boston today, as it was last June when #30 was the difference between the B’s and the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Capitals had their chances on Sunday and could have moved back into first place in the Southeast Division with a victory. Now they’ll have to wait until Tuesday night’s game against the Panthers at the Verizon Center to try and do that again, and likely without one of their leaders and top players in Laich.

Notes: Marcus Johansson had the only Capitals goal with just under eight minutes to go. MJ90 actually was trying to pass to Joel Ward but that attempt hit Seidenberg’s skate and went in the net…speaking of skates, it sure looked to me that Tyler Seguin’s goal, Boston’s third, went in off of his skate. #19 appeared to have turned his skate to accept the pass and the biscuit banked in off of it. It may have hit his stick but the baffling thing to me was why the game wasn’t delayed while the replay was thoroughly reviewed by the supposed wizards in Toronto?…not only is the lack of centers hurting Washington’s ability to break out of their own zone, it is really starting to show up in the faceoff column. Boston demolished the Caps from the dot, 43-24…Dmitry Orlov, who broke his nose when hit by the puck in Montreal on Saturday, took another one to the face on Sunday. Talk about bad luck!

With the Washington Capitals hitting their season midpoint, it is time for my fifth annual Caps mid-season grades and analysis. It’s been a rollercoaster ride for the Capitals in 2011-12. This Caps squad that added goalie Tomas Vokoun, defensemen Roman Hamrlik, and forwards Joel Ward and Jeff Halpern during the summer, shot out of the gate 7-0 but an injury to Mike Green coupled with some poor defensive zone play and shaky goaltending sent the team reeling for several weeks. That swoon ultimately led to the firing of Bruce Boudreau. Enter new coach Dale Hunter, who changed the defensive system switching from zone to man to man, and the Caps became a team that was better at keeping the biscuit out of their own cage but saw the offense struggle early on while the team focused on a defense first mentality. In Hunter’s scheme, the offense is created from defense, primarily from transition. Over the last couple of weeks the team has executed those tactics much more effectively and the result has been victories in five of the last seven games. The goals against average, which was 3.32 in 22 games under Boudreau, has declined to 2.47 in 19 games with Hunter.

Washington heads into the season’s second half at 22-17-2 (46 points) which is good for 8th place in the Eastern Conference and 16th overall in the NHL. For comparison’s sake, at the halfway point last season, the Caps were 23-12-6 (52 points) but there were some obvious holes on the roster, with second line center being the biggest. On trade deadline day in 2011 GM George McPhee would make some super deals adding defensemen Dennis Wideman and center Jason Arnott and the Caps went on a tear to seize the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the playoffs. However, both Arnott and Wideman were injured down the stretch and Washington couldn’t get past the second round of the playoffs, getting swept by the Bolts in four games. There were some who felt that McPhee needed to make a coaching change immediately after the second round loss to Tampa Bay but the GM said late this fall, just after switching to Hunter behind the bench just 22 games into the season, that he didn’t want all of the blame for the postseason failure to fall on Boudreau. But clearly Boudreau’s message was falling on deaf ears as a team that played super defense in the second half of 2010-11 became irresponsible in their own zone in the early part of this season.

The old adage, “Defense Wins Championships,” is spot on and Hunter has this team more focused in this area but there are still issues, especially when the club goes on the road. Washington is 15-5-1 at the Verizon Center but a terrible 7-12-1 away. If this Caps team is going to make a second half push to climb up the overall standings, then the road record must improve. The Capitals have not looked the same away from DC and their play in their own zone has been atrocious at times, case in point being this past Monday night in Los Angeles. From the defensemen to the centers to the wingers, the Caps must do a better job with their breakouts because they are making far too many giveaways that lead to more shots, chances, and zone time for their opponents. This Capitals team used to pride itself on being a puck possession crew but due to their own zone struggles, they end up wasting lots of time and energy just trying to get past the blue and red lines. That zaps energy and the ability to use their size and skill in the offensive zone.

Injuries have been a factor in the struggles, Green has pretty much been out since the start of the year and as a result Dennis Wideman and John Carlson have had to take on more minutes. In addition, the absence of 52 exposed the lack of speed that Roman Hamrlik, Jeff Schultz, and John Erskine possess. The good news is that Hamrlik has turned his game around with the new man to man system under Hunter but the other two aren’t even getting a sweater with the recent recall of Tomas Kundratek from Hershey. Assistant coach Jim Johnson is clearly trying to find the right combination on the back end and I wouldn’t be surprised if McPhee adds a defensemen at the trade deadline. In addition, the second line center problem has risen to the spotlight again, especially with Nicklas Backstrom out of the lineup the last three games due to the cheap shot to the head he took from Calgary’s Rene Bourque. Once again, I look for GMGM to address the center position, and possibly another forward slot at the trade deadline. The Capitals have two first round draft picks this year so the GM could decide to use one of them to upgrade the current roster.

To sum up the first half of the year, the coaching change was necessary but it clearly hasn’t solved all of the team’s issues and the personnel will need some upgrades by February 27th. Several players also need to execute better than they did in the first 41 games.

Speaking of players, it is time to move on to the individual grades, which are based on the expectations for each at the start of the season (after the opening night roster was announced). They also take in to account each individual’s yearly salary cap hit:

Top of the Class

Jason Chimera (A) – 14 goals and 7 assists put #25 on pace for a career high in offensive production. In addition, his offense has not come with a drop in defensive zone play as he is +6. Chimera has been excellent using his speed to get around opposing defenders to create offense or simply wear down the other team.

Karl Alzner (A) – The defensive defensemen is a +10 with much of his ice time coming against opposing number one forward lines. Sure there have been nights when #27 has had a rough matchup, but all year long he has been the club’s steadiest blueliner. Add in the fact that King Karl is getting more involved offensively, his 1 goal and 11 assists give him 12 points, the same total he had all last season, and he has really amped up his game in just his second full year in the NHL.

Nicklas Backstrom (A-) – Arguably the team’s MVP so far because he is so valuable on a team that is weak up center ice after #19. 42 points in 38 games for a team that has shifted to a defense first mentality is impressive. It is clear that Nicky got himself in supreme shape this past offseason and his strength on the puck is back this season. It is a shame that he is out right now, for who knows how long, due to Bourque’s reckless cheap shot.

Honor Society

Dennis Wideman (B) – with Green out #6 has been asked to be the team’s ice time leader on most nights. He has picked up the offensive slack notching eight goals and 21 assists, which helped put him in the all star game. Wideman overall though, is a -3, and that needs to improve. He has a tendency to overplay opponents in his own zone which breaks down the entire defensive system when it happens.

Tomas Vokoun (B) – 17-10 with a .915 save percentage are good numbers. He’s had some great games, the two victories over Pittsburgh spring immediately to mind, and some poor outings, such as the night against the Flyers when he couldn’t stop a beach ball. #29 was plagued by the bad goal a night blues for a while in the middle of the first half but he seems to be snapping out of it. For the Caps to get where they want to be he needs to be at the top of his game down the stretch and in the post season.

Jeff Halpern (B) – #15 is 217-148 from the faceoff dot (59.4%) and is the team’s best drawman. Slated to play on the 4th line, the Potomac native has worked himself up the depth chart with solid two way play. He has 3 goals and 8 helpers but is a +4.

Dmitry Orlov (B) – started the season in Hershey but because of the lack of mobility on the blue line, the 2009 2nd round pick was summoned to “The Show” and has acquitted himself so well that it is unlikely he goes back to the AHL. He has six assists, but is -3. He has great wheels and a surprising physical presence on the back end. If he can start hitting the net with his shot the Capitals offense would get a great boost.

Marcus Johansson (B-) – MJ90 has had an up and down first half but his numbers are decent: 9 goals and 15 assists. He is a -2 and surprisingly has had some rough nights in his own zone, something that was supposed to be a rarity for the normally solid defensive pivot. This kid will continue to get better and unfortunately he is forced to play center on one of the top two lines too often. In my book he is a third line center and would be one of the best in the NHL in that role, but he also has shown he can be a decent winger, with the right center (Backstrom).

John Carlson (B-) – #74 has been very inconsistent this season. At times he has been one of the best players on the ice and in other games he has looked lost in his own zone. The system change may have hurt him more than any other d-man because he is still learning how to take time and space away from opponents. Offensively though, he has been there with five goals and 17 assists. I’d like to see him get more power play time.

Cody Eakin (B-) – I didn’t expect the 2009 3rd round NHL pick to spend much time with the Caps this year but due to injuries, a friendly contract that allows him to go up and down without having to clear waivers, and his speed, he’s played in nearly half of the tilts. He has been most effective when using his speed to beat opponents and when he hasn’t done that he has looked overmatched and benched in some games, as a result. Personally I’d rather see him play 20+ minutes a night in the AHL to properly develop his game. He just isn’t physically big enough for the NHL, at this time.

Average Joe’s

Troy Brouwer (C+) – #20 has 11 goals and 20 points and has been a real solid net presence. He also has done a good job of being physical in the offensive zone.

Roman Hamrlik (C) – #44 really struggled under Boudreau and part of that was a lingering groin issue. However, with Hunter’s system he is in familiar territory and doesn’t look like he is skating in concrete, like he did early on.

John Erskine (C) – Started the season on IR due to a shoulder injury. Last year he was one of the best players in the first 41 games but when you can’t lift and work out in the offseason due to an injury it really sets you back. #4′s main role appears to be spot starts where his phyiscal presence is needed. His best games seem to always be against the Rangers.

Joel Ward (C) – Needs to score more than five goals in the second half. His skating is a little worrisome, not sure if he was out of shape or he had an injury but he doesn’t look as quick as he did in the 2011 playoffs when he was a Nashville Predator. His +5 rating saves him from a worse grade.

Michal Neuvirth (C-) – #30 really struggled in the first part of the year before improving once Hunter took over. At one point Neuvy was the #1 goalie but he let in a couple of bad ones in Buffalo the day after Christmas and it’s pretty much been the Vokoun show ever since. 5-7-2 with an .886 save percentage are not good numbers at all, although he is over 90% since number 32 took over.

Brooks Laich (C-) – Another guy, because of the holes up the middle of the ice, gets forced to play out of position. I see #21 as a 2nd or 3rd line winger where he can use his size and drive to help the Caps break out of their zone. As a pivot he just doesn’t have the hands to be effective coming out of his own end. You’ll never get a bad effort from the fan favorite but at the dollars he’s making the Caps need more than a point every other game and a -7 rating. More production please Brooksie.

Alex Ovechkin (C-) – 17 goals, 16 assists, -8. We’ve seen good Ovie and bad Ovie this year. Most of the bad came under Boudreau but he has 0 points in the last three games after 9 in the previous 6. The good news is he was all over the ice against the Penguins hitting and creating chances on Wednesday night. That is the Ovechkin the Caps need to win games. If he doesn’t have it, the Capitals usually lose. The Gr8 needs to continue to improve in his own zone, if he bears down more the breakaways and odd man rushes will come in bunches each night.

Not Making the Grade

Alexander Semin (D) – Was super in the first five games before becoming a penalty machine and a scapegoat for Boudreau. Under the new regime he seems more energized and had six really good games in a row before getting injured in Columbus. If he can get healthy again he can be dominant in this system where he is, in my mind, the best winger at getting the puck out of the Washington zone. But only 10 goals in 37 games is not cutting it, the Capitals need more from this supremely talented player who is making $6.7M.

Matt Hendricks (D) – 1 goal in 37 games is not good for this fourth liner. If he plays like he did against Pittsburgh on Wednesday night he’ll get more ice time and his production will improve. He has to play physical to be effective.

Mathieu Perreault (D) – 3 goals in 26 games is way under where I thought MP85 would be. He has not been the sparkplug that he had been in the past and perhaps his size is why he just isn’t going to be consistent at the NHL level?

Mike Knuble (D) – 3 goals in 41 games for the aging winger. #22 has definitely lost a step and that has cost him lots of ice time. Can he find the fountain of youth once again in the second half?

Whereabouts Unknown

Jeff Schultz (F) – Is this the same guy who was +50 just two years ago? #55 has lost foot speed and confidence. He looks clumsy and a step behind when he plays. I am not sure he is with this team much longer and at $2.75M against the salary cap he is an expensive scratch each night.

Incomplete: Mike Green, Jay Beagle, Sean Collins, DJ King, and Tomas Kundratek

Management Grades

Bruce Boudreau (D) - The likeable Gabby eventually ran out of things to tell his club and they tuned him out. He and assistant coach Bob Woods couldn’t get the defense to be better and as a result it cost them their jobs.

Dale Hunter (B) – Dale brought in a radical system change with arguably some personnel that aren’t exact fits. But when you see the turnaround a guy like Hamrlik had and the goals against dropping so significantly, even with some shaky goaltending early in his regime, it was definitely the right thing to do tactically. The team is becoming a harder club to play against but they still lack some sandpaper type grit. He has definitely turned Semin around and Ovechkin is buying in too. His success rides on Vokoun, the play of 8 and 28, and the personnel tweaks he works with McPhee on to upgrade the roster by the end of February. Another Hunter strength is he is a man of few words so his message is easy to receive. He also stays on an even keel, which is good for the players as they don’t waste energy on emotional issues.

General Manager George McPhee (B) – It is hard for GM’s to do anything in the first half of a season but he did the one thing he had to do, switch coaches. Going forward until trade deadline day are critical times for McPhee. He has to find a way to get some better fits for what Hunter wants to do to be successful in the spring. His off season moves are looking better after a rough first 22 games, especially with Hamrlik’s improved play and the fact that Vokoun has stolen some wins. Still, he has that nagging second line center issue that he will have to address again by the end of February.

In final analysis, over the first half of the sesason there were nights when the Caps looked like they can play with anyone in the league, but on other occassions they were run out of the barn. Those games came mostly under Boudreau but Monday’s loss in Los Angeles was a bit of a scare. Hopefully fatigue was to blame for that one. Going forward this team has a lot of work to be done to get where they want to be. The execution needs to be markedly better and personnel moves will be needed if they want to compete with the likes of Boston. If that doesn’t happen then the ownership will likely take some drastic measures after the season is over. I don’t think anyone wants that to happen.

It wasn’t textbook hockey and it certainly wasn’t pretty, but the Washington Capitals found a way to get a win over their archrival Pittsburgh Penguins at the Verizon Center on Wednesday night. Tomas Vokoun turned in a superb goaltending performance stopping 30 shots and Jason Chimera continued to march toward a career high in goals by notching the only tally in a 1-0 Caps victory, his 14th of the year.

With so many top players out of the game due to injury (Sidney Crosby, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, Jordan Staal, and Kris Letang) combined with the short turnarounds these two teams faced (Caps took the redeye back from LA on Tuesday morning while the Pens played Tuesday night), it was no surprise that the game lacked energy and intensity in the first 40 minutes. The Penguins actually carried much of the play getting 10 more shot attempts and holding a 20-12 advantage in shots on goal. But the only thing that mattered was the scoreboard as Chimera scored after Joel Ward and Jeff Halpern forced Evgeni Malkin into a turnover at the Washington blue line.

Under coach Dale Hunter, the Capitals are focused on limiting or even better, eliminating, odd man rushes and although the Penguins had the shots advantage, they didn’t get any odd man breaks. The Caps did, and Chimera was able to go in one on one on Marc Andre-Fleury (19 saves) and he beat him with a quick shot. Washington’s 1-2-2 defense was mostly effective at keeping Pittsburgh to the outside and when the Penguins were able to penetrate it through the first two periods Vokoun was a wall in net.

In the third period the Caps found some energy and dominated the first 16 minutes. Alexander Ovechkin (0 points) was all over the ice setting up his teammates for chances and getting some of his own, but Fleury was brilliant to give his club a chance. Even though Pittsburgh basically threw the kitchen sink at the Caps in the final four minutes, the uptick in effort in that final frame was really needed from Hunter’s crew. In the previous two games against the Pens, which saw the teams split one goal contests, Pittsburgh was the more dominant team. So it was imperative for the Capitals to take over at that point, and again, if not for Fleury, Washington wins easily.

Still of concern to me though, is the Capitals struggles to find consistency coming out of their own zone. Clearly with #19 out the biggest weakness for Washington is up the middle of the ice. Brooks Laich, Marcus Johansson, Jeff Halpern, and Mathieu Perreault were tonight’s pivots and in my opinion, none of them are currently first or second line centers. Compounding the center problem is the wingers are making poor decisions with the puck which is leading to too many turnovers. Part of the issue for the defensemen are the forwards are simply not doing the little things to help them get the puck out and going in transition. It is a situation that led to numerous breakdowns out in California and the only way to fix the center/winger problem this year is a trade (or two) by General Manager George McPhee.

The Caps are clearly a different team at home and they’ve won seven of their last eight at the Phone Booth, outscoring their opponents 28-13. Fortunately for them they have three more games at the Verizon Center over the next six days with the Lightning on Friday, the Hurricanes Sunday, and the Islanders on Tuesday night. Wednesday night’s win puts the Caps in just eighth place in the Eastern Conference so it is very important that they rack up more points on this stay in DC. The Capitals have struggled mightily on the road and they still have four games scheduled against the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins, who look even better this year than last. So it isn’t going to get any easier schedule wise for the Caps after the next three tilts.

But for tonight, a win over Pittsburgh has to feel good, no matter how they got it. Good goaltending is the most important thing in hockey and Vokoun seems to be getting into a groove (I don’t put the left coast losses on him, at all). Now they just need to get the entire squad playing like they did for most of Wednesday’s third period on a more consistent basis.

Notes: Matt Hendricks only played 7:44 but had one of his better games of the season with a fight win over Craig Adams and a post hit…the Caps won the facefoff battle, 25-20, and Jeff Halpern went 10-2, including several big defensive draws late in the contest…the Penguins didn’t get a power play all night while Washington went 0 for 2 with the man advantage…Malkin was 3-11 on faceoffs…Ovechkin had 4 shots on net and 3 hits…Backstrom was put on IR retroactive to last week.

After the Caps beat the Calgary Flames last Tuesday, one of the weaker teams in the league, for their fourth straight victory, I wrote that we’d really find out how far the Caps have progressed under Dale Hunter when they went to California to face the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings, two of the better teams in the Western Conference.

Well after a 5-2 loss at HP Pavilion the Capitals followed that up with a dud at the Staples Center losing to the Kings by the same score. To top it off, Washington played both games without center Nicklas Backstrom, who is out as a result of Rene Bourque’s cheap shot hit to #19′s head, and lost defensemen to Mike Green to injury (groin) again on Saturday night. Without Backstrom, arguably the Capitals MVP this season, the hole up the middle of the ice is rather large as Washington still doesn’t have a true second line center. Both the Sharks and Kings exploited that issue as well as took advantage of Caps defensive miscues.

Heading out on the road the Caps had hoped to get off to better starts because that had been something that worked well for them at home in their recent four game winning streak. Believe it or not, Washington started strong in San Jose on Saturday playing a scoreless period and they managed to strike just under two minutes into the game in Los Angeles (Marcus Johansson on a two on one break). But after a solid first five minutes, Darryl Sutter’s Kings took over and when Brooks Laich made a horrible turnover with just 33 ticks left in period one to give Anze Kopitar an easy goal, Los Angeles rolled from there.

Alexander Ovechkin had a seven game point scoring streak before this trip commenced. His numbers in the two road games: 0 goals and 0 assists with a -4 rating. The Gr8 tried to be physical against Los Angeles but defensemen Drew Doughty and his teammates didn’t give him much room. The Capitals won’t win many games when Ovechkin has those kinds of numbers.

So the loss in game number 40 drops the Caps to 10th place in the Eastern Conference at 21-17-2 (44 points). Simply put, this team looks good at home but has been terrible on the road. Sure the injury to Backstrom really hurt them, but other guys needed to step up and didn’t. It’s becoming pretty clear that General Manager George McPhee needs to make a move to add a center and perhaps another winger, because his club is too inconsistent as currently configured. The NHL trade deadline is February 27th, right now it can’t come soon enough, because this squad regressed against good teams on the left coast and needs some personnel changes if they want to do something good this spring.

When Washington Capitals General Manager George McPhee made the coaching switch to Dale Hunter on November 28th he stated that his team was not responding anymore to Bruce Boudreau. Specifically, McPhee talked about how poor the Caps were playing defensively and the GM knew that if he didn’t do something, his club was going to have little chance of competing in the post season this spring.

Enter Caps legend Dale Hunter, who not only brought a new voice and an unrivaled work ethic to the locker room, but a different defensive approach. Out went total zone coverage in the Capitals end and newly installed was a system focused on taking away gaps with man to man coverage down low. For most fans, this might not seem like a big deal to be able to implement. After all, we watch college basketball and see teams switching from zone to man and back again, many times in the same contest. But hockey is a different game and despite what one might think intuitively, this new system that Hunter has put in is quite a change. It is not a true man to man, because you’ll never see a defensemen following a forward out to the blue line, which would make a team easy to attack, but once the matchups are established down low the defensemen and third forward stick with their man while they are below the faceoff dots.

On the surface this is a Caps team that is 5-5 under Hunter and to those who are quick to resort to knee jerk reactions you’ll hear that “This is the same team just with a different coach.” But a closer look at the numbers shows that statement to be woefully incorrect. Through 22 games under Boudreau the Caps allowed 73 goals or 3.32 a tilt while scoring 3.18 per game (70 goals). In the 10 games under Hunter, the Caps have given up only 24 goals or 2.4 per game while scoring 2.5 per game (25 goals). In those 10 games, on seven occassions they’ve given up two goals or less. Keep in mind that the two teams that went to the Stanley Cup Finals last season, the Canucks and the Bruins, were first and second, in goals allowed per game at 2.20 and 2.30, respectively. So those who like to throw around the old adage that “Defense Wins Championships” sure look to be right.

In order for the Capitals to be truly successful in Hunter’s coaching scheme, the players obviously have to buy into it, understand it, and then execute it. It is focused on taking away any gaps the opposition might have in the Washington zone and by being aggressive on a body it has the capability to create more offense via quick transitions.

“It’s not that much different than what I was playing in Montreal. Now that Huntsy is here we are more desperate and it is more man on man in our defensive zone. He’s looking for good defense creating good offense. From my experience it’s a good thing because everybody works hard in the defensive zone,” said 20 year NHL veteran Roman Hamrlik, who was on the 2010 Canadiens team that knocked off both the Capitals and Penguins in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

For others, like Karl Alzner and Mathieu Perreault, the approach Hunter has implemented is definitely different for them.

“It’s been a pretty big change, it’s tough to go from zone to man on man because you always go back to that zone coverage. When you don’t know where your man is you just kind of wait back and sometimes you lose that guy and if one person loses them then you can get in trouble. In the Colorado game, I thought Colorado did a good job of cycling and picking us and when you get picked it is tough. So it’s a different system to learn but I think once you get it it is really hard for teams to win against you. You have to make sure you battle hard and that is what Huntsy really likes is that guys being accountable and making sure they do their job. If everyone is doing their job I don’t think there is a better system than that,” started Alzner on the change, “I’ve played bits and pieces of it before, but never full out on man on man and so for me, still, I sometimes I forget off faceoffs to follow my guy and I just kind of just stay in front of the net. Which, if you’re gonna be out of position, be out of position in front of the net. But sometimes you forget about it but you have to just keep reminding yourself what to do.”

“For a centermen it’s quite a difference because once you get your man you have to stay with him instead of just being in good position and keeping an eye on your guy. You gotta be right on him. It took a few games to get used to but I think now guys are getting the system pretty good. Whoever is first back goes, so everybody has to be able to play down low. For me I’d rather always be down low but the guys I play with Hendy, Knubs, or Beags, those are all guys that can play down low, so it is no big deal. Whoever gets there first, just go down low and then we fill in the wing spot,” said Perreault on how it works in the defensive end.

One of the most important things in any team sport is communication. Hamrlik and Alzner both think that Hunter’s system puts a premium on talking on the ice.

“It’s all about communication and reading the play. You can just stay with your man or you can switch with the forward, you call switch and the forward takes the high guy. It’s simple but it’s all about communication. Talking is a big help,”  said Hamrlik on the importance of communication in the new scheme.

“It’s tons, you have to be talking the entire time, which is good though because you want to be talking, even if we’re playing zone, and I think this way it just forces you to do it a little bit more or else you are going to get scored on. So it’s good, it just helps everybody out and even when we do turn the puck over we are so used to talking and calling switches and stuff then you are going to be so used to calling for the puck and letting guys know who is open and then we are going to get out of the zone like last game,” added Alzner when asked if there is an increase in communication with Hunter’s system.

Clearly the players understand it and are buying into the new plan but the execution takes some time, which is a reason why Washington’s offense slowed down initially due to the increased focus on defense. Tuesday’s game against Nashville seemed to be an encouraging sign as the Caps dominated early on and created scoring chances off of their defense.

“It’s getting better, I don’t think it is going to change overnight, but it’s getting much better. There are still lots of things we can work on out on the ice to get better every day as a team. I think the defensive zone is much better. It’s all about communication, have good position, don’t lose too many battles, one on one in the corner. Trust, let’s say I play with [Dennis] Wideman then I have to trust that he is going to do his job or the goalie’s gonna stop the puck, stuff like that,” said Hamrlik when asked how far along the team is at executing the defensive system.

The execution will come with practice and repitition, especially if the players think it will work. With the goals against improving so rapidly, it looks like the players have bought in. But going forward teams will start having film to digest of the Caps playing the new system and will devise ways to try to defeat it. Will it still be effective?

“Yeah, it is good, there are some teams that are good at playing against it and then there are some teams that don’t really know what to do against it. I think you have to know who you are playing against and you can always play versions of the man on man, but personally I think it is pretty tough to play against,” finished Alzner.

It’s only been 10 games and despite the fact that the Caps are only .500 under Hunter, you can see a progression on the ice, especially on defense. The number of odd man rushes against is way down and there aren’t any more questions about effort. In this system, if you aren’t working hard you will be exposed pretty quickly and everyone will be able to see who made the mistake, because this style is predicated on winning the one on one battles. So far the Capitals have embraced Hunter’s system and if they keep that up, the desired results, lots of victories, will come.

Death and taxes are two guarantees in life, but if I could choose a third one, it would be that you will have a very had time winning hockey games with poor goaltending. On Tuesday night at the Verizon Center an inconsistent Tomas Vokoun turned in another clunker and as a result the Washington Capitals were soundly beaten by the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-1.

Washington came into this contest fresh off of three days rest ready to see how their new system would match up against a team that had won seven of eight games and five straight overall. The Caps carried much of the play for the first 15 minutes or so and had the nights first two power plays. But Ilya Bryzgalov (31 saves) was extremely solid for the Flyers in net to keep his banged up road club in it and when Vokoun misplayed a Scott Hartnell shot that was slowed by Caps d-man Dennis Wideman, suddenly Philadelphia had a goal and new life.

Anyone who has followed hockey closely or played the game knows how deflating it can be to work your rear off and dominate a team only to look up and see themselves down on the scoreboard due to the guy in net. The crew that was carrying the play loses confidence and the other squad gains energy. The Flyers were a different team after that Hartnell tally and started dominating late in the opening stanza and then into the middle frame. They then scored again on a deflected point shot at the 7:23 mark and the Capitals just didn’t recover. Vokoun would yield another soft goal along with an additional deflection tally before giving way to Michal Neuvirth for the third period.

Some will call the Caps mentally weak for letting poor goaltending impact their play in this one, however, when your goalies continually give up a weak goal or multiple soft ones game after game, it drains the energy and confidence of the team. This is what is going on with the Capitals right now. Their goalies simply aren’t making the big stop when they need them on a consistent basis. It is an issue that must be addressed and Coach Dale Hunter needs to have one of Vokoun or Neuvirth take charge in goal otherwise it might be time to give Braden Holtby a shot with the big club again.

Washington had other problems on Tuesday night, they didn’t get enough traffic on Bryzgalov early on to rattle him and as a result the Russian goalie got into a groove. In addition, some of the Capitals younger small forwards, namely Cody Eakin, Marcus Johansson, and Mathieu Perreault, had trouble in their own zone with the more physically mature Flyers in the middle frame and that added to the Flyers sustained offensive pressure, that eventaully led to three goals. It might be time for Eakin to be sent down to Hershey to properly develop because he just doesn’t look ready for the NHL grind at this stage of his career.

Still, at the end of the night, this game came down to goaltending. It is very difficult to win when your netminders aren’t playing well and Vokoun was downright terrible to continue a disturbring trend for GM George McPhee’s club.

**************

Notes: The Caps next two games are on the road. They are in Winnipeg on Thursday and Colorado on Saturday…Jeff Halpern had the only Washington goal in the third period after it was 5-0…Alexander Semin had five hits to lead the Caps in that department…Washington’s power play went 0 for 3.