Capitals Insider

Varlamov appears set to start

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:23:09 -0500

Here's a quick run down of the Caps' lineup/injury situation from this morning's optional skate at ACC: *Semyon Varlamov appears to be line to start tonight at ACC while it also looks like he'll be backed up by Jose Theodore. Michal Neuvirth, meantime, has been reassigned to Hershey to make room for right Andrew Gordon, who was recalled from the Bears today. "We had to make room on the cap, so we sent Nuevirth back down," Coach Bruce Boudreau explained. "And we needed a roster spot, as well." Why Gordon? He's got 20 points (eight goals, 10 assists) for Hershey.

Canadiens 3, Caps 2

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:49:58 -0500

The Caps came out slow against Carey Price and the Canadiens, then poured it on late. But in the estimation of Coach Bruce Boudreau and several of his players, this game was lost in the first period and the opening minutes of the second. "The biggest thing is I don't think we were ready at the start of the game," Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "I think we thought, 'We're the Washington Capitals and we're going to go out there and it's going to be an easy win. But there's no easy wins in the National Hockey League." "When we got the sense of urgency in the last two periods," he added. "Sometimes it's too late when the other goalie is on top of his game." I covered a decent bit in my game story, but after you finish reading that, come on back for a few notes and quotes:

Poti suffers upper-body injury

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:55:44 -0500

Tom Poti left tonight's game early in the second period with an upper-body injury. The Caps won't comment on the nature or extent of the ailment, other than to say that the defenseman is day to day. Coach Bruce Boudreau said the Caps would likely need to recall someone from Hershey. Boudreau also said he doesn't expect Alexander Semin to make tomorrow's road trip to Toronto.

Tonight's lineup: Canadiens at Caps

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:28:30 -0500

Michal Neuvirth will make his season debut tonight at Verizon Center as the Caps look to win their second straight game and for the sixth time in their past seven contests. Carey Price, meanwhile, will get the nod for the Canadiens. The Caps, as you know by now, are really banged up. They're so banged up, in fact, owner Ted Leonsis blogged about it earlier today: No Alexander Semin; Mike Knuble; Boyd Gordon; Quintin Laing; Milan Jurcina; Shaone Morrisonn. Jose Theodore is out for a few days and, of course, Michael Nylander is deciding where he wants to play. It is funny. That is about $20 million in payroll not in the lineup. With that said, here's what the Caps' lineup should look like: Forwards Ovechkin-Backstrom-Fleischmann Laich-Morrison-Clark Steckel-Perreault-Fehr Sloan-Beagle-Bradley Defense Schultz-Green Poti-Carlson Erskine-Pothier Goalies Neuvirth Varlamov I'll have more after the game.

Neuvirth to start vs. Montreal

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:15:13 -0500

Michal Neuvirth will make his first start of the season against the Canadiens tonight, Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "He had a great training camp and then got hurt," Boudreau said. "We wanted to see him play." The 21-year-old's last start in Washington was a 5-2 loss to Carolina March 3. Neuvirth will be backed up Semyon Varlamov.

Carlson's sleepy, but ready

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:08:38 -0500

With less than eight hours to go before his NHL debut, defenseman John Carlson stood in the dressing room at KCI this morning and joked about how he didn't get much sleep last night. But don't worry he said with a big smile, his relative lack of shut-eye won't be an issue on home ice tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. "I'll try to get as much as I can today," the 19 year old said when asked if he planned to squeeze in a nap. "I'm just happy right now, but I'm sure I'll be nervous. I just want to go out there and play with confidence." Carlson will be paired with Tom Poti, the most senior of the Caps' blueliners. Carlson, who grew up in New Jersey, said his father Richard, mother Angela and older brother Andrew will be in attendance. "I always believed that [veterans] are a steadying

Morning roundup: Carlson makes his debut

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:44:49 -0500

(John McDonnell/The Washington Post) Defenseman John Carlson will be out to prove he's right where he belongs when he makes his NHL debut for the Capitals tonight against the Canadiens. "It's always interesting when you see guys get their first taste and see how they react to a situation because some guys, they look like deer in the headlights," assistant coach Bob Woods said. "He looks like he's been here all year so far." Tonight's matchup: Montreal Canadiens (10-11) Washington Capitals (13-4-4) Verizon Center, 7 p.m. TV: Comcast SportsNet Radio: 820 AM, 1500 AM

Boudreau keeps expectations for Carlson in check

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:14:40 -0500

Now that six Washington Capitals are nursing injuries with a four-games-in-six-nights stretch set to begin tomorrow at home against Montreal, the big story of the day at KCI was the re-appearance of 2008 first-round pick John Carlson, called up from Hershey last night thanks to the bumps and bruises along the Capitals' blue line. The 19-year-old made an impression on the organization when he made his professional debut last spring during the Bears' Calder Cup run, and followed it up by making himself a tough cut during this year's training camp. Carlson, listed at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, has 10 points and is tied for the team lead with a +14 rating through 17 games with the Bears this season. Carlson will likely be paired with Tom Poti when he plays his first NHL game tomorrow night, but Coach Bruce Boudreau wants to make sure Carlson -- and fans -- don't

Caps recall Carlson

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:41:08 -0500

With defensemen Milan Jurcina and Shaone Morrisonn nicked up, the Capitals have recalled first-round pick John Carlson from Hershey. He's here at Kettler skating with Tom Poti during beginning-of-practice drills. How big of a deal is this? Well, owner Ted Leonsis has joined General Manager George McPhee in the management box perched above the ice here in Arlington for a bit. He's not usually a fixture at practice. Jurcina, Morrisonn (who was on the ice for a few minutes during warmups, but then left), Alexander Semin and Boyd Gordon are all not practicing today.

Morning roundup: Semin sidelined (updated)

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:07:51 -0500

(Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post) Update: The Caps have recalled defenseman John Carlson from Hershey. Both Milan Jurcina and Shaone Morrisonn are hurt and could be out for tomorrow's game against Montreal. More to come. An MRI exam on Alexander Semin's right wrist did not reveal any structural damage, but the winger is listed as day to day (don't you love that term?) and GM George McPhee said it's unclear when he'll return. "The wrist got sore [but] it's not from a blow or anything," McPhee said. "He just tweaked it." Alex Ovechkin returned to the lineup Tuesday and helped the Capitals to a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers, but with Semin sidelined, they are now without four forwards from the opening night roster. Mike Knuble (broken finger), Boyd Gordon (sore back) and Quintin Laing (broken jaw) are also out. Semin, who is listed as day to

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Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:07:51 -0500

Updates on Semin, Laing and Theodore

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:28:47 -0500

Alexander Semin arrived at KCI after his teammates practiced wearing a new brace on his right wrist (the type with Velcro straps on it). An MRI revealed nothing serious, GM George McPhee said. But the Caps' second-most dangerous goal scorer might be forced to miss this weekend's games against Montreal and Toronto, McPhee conceded. "It's not from a blow or anything," McPhee said. "He just tweaked it. He's day to day and will be ready to go when he's ready to go."

Updates from practice: Semin hurt

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:52:36 -0500

Tarik's running to talk to GMGM, so here are a few updates via Twitter: * Jose Theodore is on the ice for practice after missing yesterday's game for family reasons. * Many players are taking their option not to skate today, including Alexander Semin, who missed last night's game with a wrist injury. * No update on Alexander Semin's status yet. Hope to have one soon. He just walked back into KCI, presumably from doctor's office. * Coach Bruce Boudreau said Sean Avery talked trash to him for the entire warmup last night at MSG. The comments were mostly about BB's book. * Defenseman Milan Jurcina (lower body) skated on his own this morning. So he's making progress. * Quintin Laing had plates inserted into his jaw last night in NYC. Bruce Boudreau hopes he'll be back sooner than expected. * Chris Clark on Quintin Laing: "It's like he plays

Morning roundup: Bradley steals the spotlight

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:22:08 -0500

(Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) Matt Bradley got into a fight that left him with a gash over his left eye in the first period, then scored the go-ahead goal in the Caps' 4-2 win over the Rangers last night at Madison Square Garden. Oh yeah, and Alex Ovechkin returned: Ovechkin also tallied on Tuesday in his anticipated return from a six-game absence with an injury, but it was Bradley's clutch, Ovechkin-like goal that everyone was toasting in the visitors' dressing room at Madison Square Garden afterward. "Bradley was our MVP of the night," said defenseman Brian Pothier, whose empty-net goal with 17 seconds left clinched the win. "His fight changed the momentum of the game and scores the goal that seals the deal for us. Every time he had the puck he was doing something with it. And when he didn't have it, he was hitting someone. He was great

Caps 4, Rangers 2

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:48:26 -0500

The night was supposed to belong to Alex Ovechkin. Instead, it belonged to Matt Bradley. As I wrote in my gamer (which can be found here), Bradley was the Capitals' catalyst in a 4-2 victory over the Rangers tonight. The fourth line winger scored the winner and suffered a pretty bad gash over his left eye in afight with Aaron Voros. But, as I mentioned in an earlier post, it was Quintin Laing's face that got the really bad beating tonight. Laing, if you have not seen the update, suffered a broken jaw when he went down and blocked a shot with his face in the third period. For those keeping score at home, Laing has now suffered a torn spleen, contracted swine flu and sustained a broken jaw in the past in nine months. (He also walks with a permanent limp, presumably from blocking all those shots). No

Laing update (updated)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:57:19 -0500

Coach Bruce Boudreau said he thinks Quintin Laing suffered a broken jaw when he was struck in the face by a Michal Rozsival shot in the third period. The team has not provided an official diagnosis yet, but Boudreau said Laing will remain in New York overnight for observation. Update: Laing did suffer a broken jaw, a team official confirmed. it's believed he'll be out of the lineup for several weeks. We should have more information tomorrow at practice.