August 19, 2022

Washington Capitals Game Five Recap: Hustle Plays and Dirty Goals Give Caps 4-3 Win, Chance to Clinch at Home

April 21, 2012 by

Skill goes a long way in the NHL playoffs, but experience even more so.

It should come as no surprise, then, that the two members of the Washington Capitals whose names are engraved on the steely facade of the Stanley Cup, Mike Knuble and Troy Brouwer, netted lead-taking goals in the third period of Saturday’s Game 5 in hostile Boston.

Brouwer’s power play slapshot with 1:27 left in regulation held up as the game-winner, giving the Capitals a 4-3 victory on the road to take a 3-2 series lead in their first round match-up with the Boston Bruins. [Read more…]

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Washington Capitals Game 80 Recap: Lightning Score in Bunches, Caps Blow Lead in 4-2 Loss

April 2, 2012 by

With a golden opportunity to all but guarantee a playoff berth with a win over the last non-playoff team in their regular season schedule, the Washington Capitals allowed two goals by NHL leading scorer Steven Stamkos in the final 63 seconds of Monday night’s game to fall to the Tampa Bay Lightning by the score of 4-2.

Alexander Semin opened the scoring at 12:47 of the second period to give Washington a one-goal lead, but a pair of Tampa Bay strikes 25 seconds apart at the tail end of that frame knocked the Caps back on their heels and into panic mode.

A late goal by Jason Chimera to knot things up again with under four minutes remaining in regulation gave Washington brief hope, but Stamkos’s outburst put a stop to that and sent the Caps home disappointed. [Read more…]

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Washington Capitals Game 76 Re-Cap: Braden Holtby shuts out tired Minnesota Wild, 3-0

March 25, 2012 by

There was no third period collapse in this one.

The Washington Capitals systemically controlled the pace of the game and offensive possession of the puck and young netminder Braden Holtby did the rest, registering 28 saves in a 3-0 whitewashing of the Minnesota Wild, who were playing the second of back-to-back games — and looked it.

After a scoreless — and sluggish — first period, the Caps took control of the game in the second, scoring twice and driving play all period. The first goal came as the result of a nifty play by Alexander Semin, toe-dragging on a two-on-one long enough for the defenseman to commit before sliding the puck to a wide open Jason Chimera, who simply had to tap it past Matt Hackett (20 saves). [Read more…]

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Washington Capitals Game 73 Re-Cap: Capitals ride first period outburst to 5-3 win over Detroit

March 19, 2012 by

In a crucial late-season game against one of the best teams in the NHL, in one of the toughest arenas to play in on the road, the Washington Capitals charged to an early three-goal lead and held off a furious comeback by their unwelcome hosts to drop the Detroit Red Wings by 5-3 margin.

Alexander Ovechkin scored twice on the power play in the first period, and Washington held a three-goal lead less than 15 minutes into the game. Mike Knuble, Keith Aucoin, and Jason Chimera also scored and weekend call-up Braden Holtby made 30 saves to earn the win in his second start of the season. [Read more…]

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CAPS: Happy Birthday, Sasha

March 2, 2012 by

HAPPY 28th BIRTHDAY ALEXANDER SEMIN!

The Washington Capitals Left Winger was born on 03/03/1984 in Krasnojarsk, Russia. Alexander Semin (aka “Sasha”) was the Caps’ first round pick (13th overall) in the 2002 draft.

Semin has been very involved in the DC community this season. Sasha hosted a hockey school with Brooks Laich at Kent Gardens Elementary School in November, posed for photos at the Hockey ‘N Heels event in January and, of course, was part of Casino Night in February.

Happy 28th Birthday to #28.

Alexander Semin (Stock Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Alex Semin smiling during a practice at Kettler (Cheryl Nichols/District Sports Page)

Semin during Montreal game Feb. 24 (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

 

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Caps in Advance: Week 21

February 27, 2012 by

There are three games on tap for the Washington Capitals this week, but I can guarantee that this morning every member of the team is squarely focused on the trade deadline at 3 pm this afternoon.

With positive results on both ends of a back-to-back over the weekend, Washington positioned themselves as buyers on trade deadline, or at least not sellers.  General manager George McPhee is renowned for not showing his hand when it comes to trades, so expect some surprises today.

Around 20 games remain in the regular season, and the Southeast Division is going to be a three-team dogfight for the next five weeks.  The Capitals, Florida Panthers, and Winnipeg Jets all sit within three points of each other; as the league standings currently hold, the Division winner will be the 3rd seed in the playoffs, and the other two teams will be battling for the final spot in the Eastern Conference.  The teams sitting in 4th-7th have begun to separate from those in 8th on down. [Read more…]

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GAME 62 RE-CAP: Capitals start quick, finish early against Toronto in 4-2 win

February 25, 2012 by

Marcus Johansson scored 32 seconds into the game and the Washington Capitals never looked back, building a 4-0 lead en route to a 4-2 victory over the massively slumping Toronto Maple Leafs before 19,577 at Air Canada Center, celebrating the 50th anniversary of their 1962 championship squad.

The Caps won back-to-back games on consecutive nights for only the second time this season.

After the dust settled around the NHL slate last night, the Caps found themselves in ninth place in the conference, one point behind Florida for first place in the Southeast Division (and the third seed in the conference) and Winnipeg for the eighth seed.  Florida won and Winnipeg lost — both in shootouts — Saturday night. [Read more…]

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GAME 60 Re-Cap: 20-Minute Effort Leads to 5-2 Loss in Ottawa

February 22, 2012 by

The Washington Capitals are beginning to enter desperation mode in their hunt for a fifth consecutive playoff berth, but it would be hard to tell from their performance Wednesday night on the road against the Ottawa Senators.  Instead, for the second game in a row the Caps delivered a positively tepid performance in an embarrassing 5-2 loss to the surging Sens.

John Carlson provided Washington’s first goal, an impressive one-timer from the right faceoff dot on the power play.  Mathieu Perreault’s goal was far less impressive, a shot that deflected off his face into the open net. [Read more…]

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GAME 57 RE-CAP: Caps wear down Panthers for 2-1 road win

February 17, 2012 by

The Washington Capitals were out-shooting and out-hitting the competition with little to show for it and it looked like they were headed to an all too familiar road loss against their Southeast Division foe, the Florida Panthers.  But the game plan eventually wore out Florida, and Alexander Semin changed the script with a late goal, lifting the team to a much-needed 2-1 regulation win.

With the win, the Caps trail division-leading Florida by just two points.

Trailing 1-0 at the start of the third period, the Capitals rallied with two goals, a power play marker by captain Alex Ovechkin and Semin’s slick wrist shot — deflected by a Panther defender — just over the outstretched arm of former Caps goalie Jose Theodore, giving the Caps their first lead of the game with less than seven-and-a-half minutes remaining. [Read more…]

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CAPS: Hockey ‘N Heels 2012

January 24, 2012 by

Hockey ‘N Heels returned to the Verizon Center for the first time since the inaugural event in 2007. Many fans that had previous attended the Hockey ‘N Heels events at Kettler were excited about the venue change, especially the opportunity to see the Caps’ locker room. Getting a chance to walk across the Verizon Center ice was a treat as well.

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Caps Locker Room (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

This was the second Hockey ‘N Heels during the 2011-2012 season. The first one was in November at Kettler and featured Nicklas Backstrom, Troy Brouwer, Mathieu Perreault, former Head Coach Bruce Boudreau and former Assistant Coach Bob Woods. (Re-cap and photos). After talking with several attendees, an overwhelming majority preferred the Verizon Center venue.

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Tour of Verizon Center: Fans with players' sticks in Caps Equipment Room (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

On Monday night, Jan. 23, 2012, MIX 107.3 radio personality Chilli Amar kicked off the event with about 200 female hockey fans, close to half were first timers by a show of hands. The 6-9:15 p.m. event featured instructional lessons and on-ice demonstrations targeted towards the Capitals’ female audience. As always, this year’s event was only open to members of Club Scarlet, the Capitals’ female fan club.

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Chilli Amar and Caps Goalie Tomas Vokoun (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

The evening was divided into six sessions, including two on-ice demonstrations. The two on-ice sessions featured learning how to shoot the puck with defensemen Dmitri Orlov and Dennis Wideman and teaching the ladies how to stop the puck in the net with goalie Tomas Vokoun at the other end of the ice.

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Dennis Wideman providing shooting instruction (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Caps Goalie Tomas Vokoun helping fan put on goalie glove (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Caps Defensemen Dennis Wideman and Dmitri Orlov (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

The third session was a photo station, a new addition to Hockey ‘n Heels this season. Nicklas Backstrom posed for photos in November and this event featured forward Alexander Semin taking pictures with each Hockey ‘n Heels attendee. The photos will be emailed to the attendees after the event.

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Alex Semin posing for photos with fans (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

The fourth session featured Caps’ strength and conditioning coach Mark Nemish explaining to the ladies what fitness routines the players go through. The ladies actually performed real drills that the players do before games.

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Mark Nemish (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Ladies running through strength and conditioning drills (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

The fifth session was a question and answer sit down with former Capital and Comcast SportsNet analyst Alan May (Caps assistant coach Jim Johnson was unable to attend as previously scheduled). May broke the news of Alex Ovechkin’s suspension to the ladies which prompted many questions about the suspension, hits, concussions and general play of the game.

Alan May can sure tell a story. One group was entertained by his animated tale of the scrap with Kevin “Killer” Kaminski during the Alumni Game in the fall. The one comment repeated throughout the tour (sixth session) was that there was not enough time with May. If you follow him on Twitter (and if you don’t you should), you already know that he is open, honest and funny.

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Q&A with Alan May (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

The sixth session was a tour of the event floor at Verizon Center including the media room, family room, players’ lounge, visitors’ locker room, Caps locker room and equipment room. During the tour, head equipment manager Brock Myles explained the different equipment the players wear, how he arranges the locker room in order to get ready for a game, which equipment was kept at Kettler and a lot of other fun tidbits. Mike Knuble prefers Big League Chew bubble gum. The team travels with 3,500 lbs of equipment for a game. He has the inside scoop. Many ladies expressed how much they enjoyed the tour and that it was their favorite part of the event.

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Brock Myles (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Tour of Verizon Center: Q&A with Brock Myles in Caps Locker Room (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

There were also fantastic refreshments from Taylor Gourmet and attendees got to take home a souvenir Club Scarlet tumbler. Hockey ‘N Heels was another success and the women are looking forward to the next one.

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Attendees received souvenir tumbers (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Tour Photos:

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Tour of Verizon Center: Media Room (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Tour of Verizon Center: Caps Family Room (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Fan testing out couch in the Caps' family room (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Tour of Verizon Center (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Game goals hanging on wall (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Caps hockey sticks (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Tour of Verizon Center: Caps Equipment Room (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Tour of Verizon Center: Glove dryer in Caps equipment room (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Tour of Verizon Center: Blade sharpener in Caps Equipment Room (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Tour of Verizon Center: Skate blades in Caps Equipment Room (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Tour of Verizon Center: Containers in Caps Equipment Room including gum for Ovi and Knuble (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Additional Photos:

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Dennis Wideman explaining how to hold a hockey stick (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Fan getting goalie tips from Caps Goalie Tomas Vokoun (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Caps Goalie Tomas Vokoun helping fan put on goalie glove (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Alex Semin posed for photos with each attendee (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Nemish coaching ladies through strength and conditioning drills (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Alan May at Q&A (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Ladies in Caps Locker Room (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Caps Locker Room (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Caps Locker Room (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Tomas Vokoun (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Dmitri Orlov (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Dennis Wideman (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Hockey 'N Heels 2012 - Last fans leaving Verizon Center (Photo by Cheryl Nichols)


Cheryl Nichols is a Columnist and Photographer for District Sports Page. She is credentialed to cover the Washington Capitals and has reported on the community service and fan events for Nats News Network and Caps News Network since 2006. Cheryl is an accomplished action photographer and has been published in The Washington Post and many other local media. She was a credentialed photographer for the 2010 season covering the Washington Nationals. You can follow her on Twitter @cnichols14.

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