WASHINGTON D.C. (January 23) – The Washington Capitals defeated the hard-charging Phoenix Coyotes 4-2 on Saturday night.

Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich (21) goes old school after having his helmet
removed by a Phoenix Coyotes check behind the net. (Pete Silver/OffWing Photo)

Click below for a slideshow of images from Saturday night’s game, and lots more from OffWing Photo!

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 26: Chris Clark of the Washington Capitals attempts to score on goalie Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils during a NHL hockey game on December 26, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWing)

By Allen Clark
OffWing Opinion

WASHINGTON D.C. (December 26) – Tonight the Washington Capitals picked up a big win over the second place NJ Devils. The Caps’s 4-1 win over the Devils moved the Capitals a point ahead of the Devils in first place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Alex Ovechkin gave the Caps a 1-0 lead at 4:09 of the first and Matt Bradley made it 2-0 for Washington at 13:54. Late in the first New Jersey’s Rod Pelley scored a goal and the Devils had opportunities to draw even when they benefited from the game’s first four power play chances. But Washington was able to kill each NJ power play opportunity against the Devils extra-man unit that the entered the game with the league’s fourth-best road power play numbers (25.9%).

Nicklas Backstrom’s goal at 9:52 of the second made it 3-1 Caps. Mike Green finished the Caps scoring for the evening when he netted his eighth of the season in the first minute of the third period.

Washington Coach Bruce Boudreau was pleased with the effort, “I think we played a complete game. I thought early in the third period we started to sit back a little bit too much, but then we went back at them and took it to them in the last half of the third. I thought it was a great effort on our part.”

For more photos from tonight’s game click on the image below to view a slideshow.

Following the win the Capitals also announced that they had resigned  Alexander Semin to a one-year contract extension. Semin, 25, is in his fifth season in the NHL, all with the Capitals.

Semin has 32 points (14 goals, 17 assists) in 29 games this season, tied for third on the team in goals and fourth in points. In 283 career games the 6’2”, 208-pound native of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, has recorded 248 points (122 goals, 126 assists) and already ranks 26th in Capitals history in points.

Semin, who was named to the 2010 Russian Olympic team on Thursday, ranks ninth among active players 25-and-younger in goals and 12th among that group in points.

WASHINGTON D.C. (November 25) — Semyon Varlamov, the Washington Capitals 21-year-old goaltender, recorded his first regular-season shutout by making 25 saves against the Buffalo Sabres in a 2-0 victory Wednesday night that was completed without the Capitals’ star Alex Ovechkin, following a third period ejection for a hard shoulder check called boarding and resulting game misconduct at 3:38.

Defenseman Mike Green (#52) cuts off a pass from Buffalo Sabres’ forward Michael Grier (#25). (Pete Silver/OffWingPhoto.com)

“You lose the most prolific scorer on the planet Earth, which is tough,” said Capitals’ defenseman Brian Pothier.  “But you have to kill a 5-minute penalty.  As Ovie’s skating off the ice, we’re telling him, ‘We’ve got this one for you.’  He does so much for our team.  Every night, he bails us out.  We could sure do it for him.”

Ovechkin put the Capitals up 1-0 at 6:24 of the first period, his 17^th of the season.  Shots came slowly, both teams playing aggressive, trapping defense.  There were no penalties in the first two periods.

Alex Ovechkin (#8) scores in the first period to put the Capitals up 1-0 over the visiting Buffalo Sabres. (Pete Silver/OffWingPhoto.com)

Eric Fehr scored the Capitals’ second goal with 6:22 in regulation, redirecting Brendan Morrison’s centering pass.

Foward Eric Fehr (#16) scores at 6:22 of the third period, sealing the Capital’s 2-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. (Pete Silver/OffWingPhoto.com)

Prior to the singing of the National Anthem, there was moment of silence in memory of Mr. Abe Pollin, Capitals owner from 1974 to 1999, who used his own money to build Verizon Center and revitalized the Washington D.C. Chinatown area, along with numerous other real estate improvement projects around the District. Pollin died Tuesday at the age of 85 from a rare brain disease.  Funeral services were held Friday and a public memorial service is scheduled on Decemeber 8th at Verizon Center.

Click below for a slideshow of images from Thursday night’s game and more from OffWing Photo.

WASHINGTON D.C. (October 30) – On the day before Halloween the NY Islanders came knocking on the door of Verizon center and went home with a few treats. The Islanders got the win, only their third of the season and the first victory over the Caps since Feb 2008. The loss also put an end to the Capitals six game winning streak.

Ovechkin scored first and now leads the NHL with 14 goals. He now matched his personal best for most goals in a month. Ovechkin scored 14 goals in March of 2008 as the Caps charged to their first playoff berth in five years.

Alex Ovechkin celebrates following his goal against the New York Islanders.

While the Caps finish October with an impressive 8-2-3 mark, their lack of a killer instinct in games and the difficulty they’ve had protecting late leads has prevented them from posting a even better record.

“A lot of these games we’ve escaped,” says Morrison. “We haven’t played our best hockey. I think what we have to worry about is more the process – how we’re winning games. Don’t think about the result; think about the process. If we go about that the right way, we’ll come out on top most nights.”

For more photos from tonight’s game click on the image below to view a slideshow.

Ovechkin Hat Trick Bests Nashville

Alex Ovechkin turned in a stellar performance tonight with a hat trick to lift the Washington Capitals to sudden-death victory over the Nashville Predators.

After skating a great first period that saw Alex Ovechkin score twice, the Washington Capitals fell flat for two periods. Nashville evened the score in the second period and skated to a two-all draw through overtime and into the shoot-out.

Capitals Winger Mike Knuble summed it up this way, “When we had them up 2-0 we let them hang around too long and that’s when teams are kind of dangerous. We had trouble, took some penalties, which takes guys off the ice and gets them out of sync. Next thing you know they score and they’re back in the game. It almost came back to bite us.”

In the shoot-out the Predators were shut-out by Washington goalie Semyon Varlamov, while Ovechkin’s third goal sealed the victory for Washington.

Goalie Simyon Varlamov of the Washington Capitals makes a diving save in a shootout.

After a four-game winless streak that ended on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. Washington was looking to capture some momentum in tonight’s solitary match-up between Washington and Nashville. The Caps have now improved to a 4-2-2 record.

Coming into tonight’s game Alex Ovechkin already led the NHL leader in points (14), goals (7) and shots (55). After tonight’s performance by the Alex improved those stats with 16 points, 10 goals, and 61 shots.

“Best Player In The World”

“He’s (Ovechkin) is obviously the best player in the world. He made some great goals tonight and the shootout goal is just kind of icing on the cake for him. He had a great night,” said Predators Goaltender Dan Ellis. “He’s a dangerous player and he gets his goals whether you got three guys on him or five guys on him, it doesn’t matter, he finds a way and that’s what makes him the best player in the world.”

For more photos from tonight’s game click on the image below to view a slideshow.

Pittsburgh Penguins’ goalkeeper Marc-Andre Fleury (29) made 19 saves including this stretch against a break-away by Alex Ovechkin (8), holding a 5-0 lead until late in the second period. (Pete Silver/OffWing Photo)

Outshooting the Capitals 30-21, the Penguins repeatedly found the net despite replacement of Sidney Varlamov with backup goalkeeper Jose Theodore in the second period, following Pittsburgh’s fourth goal.  With two back-to-back scoring flurries the Penguins amassed a 6-1 lead, the final goal being scored by Crosby, his second of the game, after stealing the puck from Ovechkin.

“It feels good, just because of the way the series went, not particularly because it was me and him,” said Crosby about a series that many sportswriters referred to as “Sid the Kid vs. Alexander the Great.”

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby (87) scores in the first period
against Capitals’ rookie goalkeeper Simeon Varlamov (40). (Pete Silver/OffWing)

Pittsburgh awaits the winner of the Boston Bruins – Carolina Hurricanes series, which is tied at 3-3.

See all photos from Game 7 and other events on the Off Wing Photo Flickr site:

WASHINGTON, DC – April 1: Viktor Kozlov puts pressure on MacDonald early in the third period. He had four shots on goal tonight, but was unable to find the net. (Photo by Kate McGovern/OffWing Photo)

WASHINGTON, DC – April 1: Tomas Fleischmann takes one of his two shots on goal tonight. Like Kozlov, he spent a good amount of time pressuring MacDonald, but was not able to produce. (Photo by Kate McGovern/OffWing Photo)

2009.04.27 Washington, D.C.: Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin (#8) battles Tampa Bay’s Martin St. Louis (#26) at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., on Friday night. (OffWing Photo/Pete Silver).

Through tenacious neutral zone pressure the Lightning managed a 3-3 tie which remained unbroken until 15:30 remaining, when Defender Brian Pothier netted his first goal in over a year, which would be the game-winner.  Pothier, who still performs daily exercises for his eyes following a near career-ending check against the boards in January of 2008, was given a standing ovation from the home fans.

“It’s been a while and really feels good,” Pothier said. “I had to hold back the emotion a little bit, but I feel like I’m contributing. To put one in and an important goal was pretty special.”

2009.04.27 Washington, D.C.: Washington Capitals’ Brian Pothier celebrates following his first goal of the season to break a 3-3 tie with 15:30 remaining against the Tampa Bay Lightning, at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., on Friday night. (OffWing Photo/Pete Silver).

2009.04.27 Washington, D.C.: Washington Capitals’ head coach Bruce Boudreau responds to questions about the emotional impact of Pothier’s return and what the Capitals must do to prepare for the Stanley Cup playoffs. (OffWing Photo/Pete Silver).

“I just told him 15 months is way too long in between goals,” Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said. “You just think of the mountain the man had to climb. If you guys knew the days he came in — he couldn’t even focus, and he just sat there and he’d bring his kids in and he’d walked around and he’d leave. He practiced for two straight months without getting cleared, and he worked so hard, and to see a little bit of success happen to him tonight was really uplifting.”

The Capitals (now 45-23-7) went on to beat the Lightning 5-3 after Ovechkin’s open-net goal at 6.3 seconds, his 53rd goal this season.  Their next game is at the Verizon Center on Wednesday, April 1st, against the NY Islanders (25-41-8).

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 1: Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals falls onto the ice in front of goalie Craig Anderson of the Florida Panthers during a NHL hockey game on March 1, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWing Photo)

In the end the Panther’s took the Caps to the shed for a beating, final score was 6-2. The score would have been 6-1, if not for the determination of Alex Ovechkin in the final minute that he was going to score. Down on the ice gave me the opportunity to see the determination in Alex’s eyes, he was absolutely going to score, nothing was going to stop him.

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 1: Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals following his goal late in the third period against goalie Craig Anderson of the Florida Panthers during a NHL hockey game on March 1, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWing Photo)

The photo above is of Alex just after his goal; no trademark fist-pumping, no jump into the boards, or big toothy smile. That goal was for Alex alone. The lack of celebration? Maybe that was for Don Cherry.

Enjoy the slideshow below by clicking on the photo. Then you can click on the square in the lower right hand corner for a full screen slideshow.

www.flickr.com Off Wing Opinion’s 2009.03.01 Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers, Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com photoset

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 25: Nicklas Backstrom earns the first goal of the night, just over a minute into the game. (Photo by Kate McGovern/OffWing Photo)

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 25: Alex Ovechkin tries to regain posession of the puck during the second period. Ovechkin scored Washington’s second goal this period, his 44th of the season. (Photo by Kate McGovern/OffWing Photo)