by | January 27, 2012

KOL Examines The Trade Deadline – Part I

If there is one thing that sports fans cannot live without, it is speculation. That being said, the NHL trade deadline is fast approaching – February 27 at 3 p.m. ET – so ’tis the season to start speculating. The Washington Capitals, as they have been in recent seasons, are sure to be active at the deadline, so over the next month, KOL will examine some of the marquee names available as well as some surprises. The first installment is below. Share your thoughts down there as well.

Jeff Carter (C), Columbus Blue Jackets

  • Contract status: 10 years remaining on a 11-year, $58 million contract; $5.2 million annual salary cap hit.

The figure above is most likely enough to scare away General Manager George McPhee, not to mention Carter’s struggles during his inaugural and injury-plagued season with the Blue Jackets (10 goals, 17 points in 30 games while suffering from a fractured foot, a lower-body injury and a separated shoulder). Yet, there are plenty of pluses in Carter, who has proven to be an elite scorer when healthy and is reportedly “100% available” according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, something echoed by Blue Jackets majority owner John P. McConnell.

First, Carter’s contract, while enormous, does not feature a large cap hit: $5.2 million. The Caps could easily afford that next season if the team does not retain Alexander Semin, whose cap hit is $6.7 million. The Edmonton Journal‘s Jonathan Willis expands:

“For a team struggling to generate revenue, this is not advantageous, while for a larger club that has plenty of dollars available but needs to carefully watch the salary cap the structure is ideal.”

Sounds like Washington.

Yet, the problem lies in how the Caps could afford Carter now. Either salary would have to be dumped in a trade or Mike Green’s $5.25 million cap hit would have to remain on long-term injured reserve.

If the Caps do take a risk on Carter and it does not pan out, his no-trade clause, which starts next season in full before transforming into a modified clause by contract’s end, may not be transferable in a trade, according to Willis. That way, if Carter does not fit, Washington can place him on the trading block. Willis also reports that buying out the final three seasons of Carter’s contract (2019-2022) would cost less than $5 million.

These, however, are all ways to circumvent Carter failing. There are positives that have to do with his production.

Carter is a bona fide scoring center (three consecutive seasons of at least 33 goals, including 46 in 2008-09) with great versatility; he can play on both special teams units and is incredibly successful on the power play (he scored eight power play goals for the Flyers in 2010-11, tied for most on the team with Claude Giroux and leads the Blue Jackets with five this season in limited action). Carter is also successful in the faceoff circle with a 51.3% success rate, 40th in the NHL. That number would be tied for second on the Caps with Nicklas Backstrom.

Most importantly, Carter is capable of being the second-line center that Washington has sorely missed since Sergei Federov left after the 2008-09 season. No longer would Washington have to fill that hole with players like Jeff Halpern, Brooks Laich or Marcus Johansson, who are more suited for a checking line role than a scoring one. There are plenty of risks associated with Carter (Dry Island, anyone?), but with high risk can come high reward.

Brenden Morrow (LW), Dallas Stars

  • Contract status: one year remaining on a six-year, $24.6 million contract; $4.1 million annual salary cap hit.

Caps fans would not be wrong for seeing Morrow as nothing more than another Jason Arnott: a gritty, complementary forward with leadership qualities. Both were/are captains and they were teammates in Dallas. The comparisons are endless.

Where Morrow differs from Arnott, however, is that Morrow would not be a rental; he has one more year remaining on his current contract. What Morrow would be is a replacement for Mike Knuble.

Knuble’s one-year, $2 million contract expires at the end of the season, a season that could ultimately be the worst season he has ever had offensively. At 39 years old, Knuble’s production will likely continue to decline. Meanwhile, the 33-year-old Morrow is still going strong, earning 22 points (eight goals) this season through 41 games.

While Morrow is more injury-prone than Knuble (he only appeared in 18 games in 2008-09 after right knee surgery and 40 games in 2006-07 with groin and wrist issues), he is still capable of producing; he is just one season removed from a 33-goal, 56-point 2010-11 season where he played in all 82 games.

Morrow is physical (14th in hits with 225 in 2010-11), excels on the power play (2:51 PP TOI/G, third on the Stars, and four goals, tied for first) and makes a living in the slot. He is also sound defensively, making him a two-way asset that the Caps could use and any team cannot have enough of.

The biggest similarity between Carter and Morrow is what Washington would have to exchange in order to receive their respective services. Dreger reported that the Blue Jackets are looking for a similar package to the one they gave up for Carter: a high draft pick and a young roster player. According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the Stars are looking to get younger, so a similar package might be necessary to wrangle Morrow from Dallas.

Of course, the Caps have an extra No. 1 draft pick from the Colorado Avalanche that they received last summer for Semyon Varlamov, as well as young players like Cody Eakin in which to entice possible trade partners.

Check back throughout the month for more trade deadline analysis.

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by | January 25, 2012

Alex Ovechkin’s Immaturity, Ignorance About Suspension Will Cause Future Problems

By Adam Vingan

In the midst of Alex Ovechkin’s press conference regarding his three-game suspension Tuesday, an overzealous fan screamed at him from the top of the bleachers on the other side of the Washington Capitals’ practice rink at Kettler Capitals Iceplex.

“Hit ‘em again, Ovi!,” screamed the fan, probably referring to the hit on Zbynek Michalek that led the NHL to discipline Ovechkin.

Ovechkin looked up, flashed his gap-toothed grin and responded to the assorted media standing around him.

“I will,” he said with a chuckle.

This was just one of a few quoteworthy quips that Ovechkin muttered during his five-minute explanation regarding his feelings on his suspension as well as his decision not to attend this weekend’s All-Star Game. In those five short minutes, Ovechkin expressed more disappointment in the league’s decision to suspend him than in himself for the offending hit that caused it, displaying a sense of immaturity that one would hope the 26-year-old would have outgrown by now.

Ovechkin did not take responsibility for his hit on Michalek, which saw him “launch himself” into Michalek, leaving his feet and making contact with Michalek’s head with his shoulder. Instead, he attempted to explain why it was not an illegal check, despite the overwhelming evidence against him.

“I don’t think it was bad hit, a dirty hit,” Ovechkin said. “Yeah, I jumped, but he don’t get hurt and I don’t get two minutes. I don’t think it was a three-game suspension.”

Ovechkin contradicted himself, saying that the hit was neither “bad” nor “dirty,” but admitting that he jumped into Michalek, which is both bad and dirty. To be blunt, if the hit was neither of those things, Ovechkin would not be sitting out until February 4.

Ovechkin continued, blaming Michalek for ducking instead of standing up to the hit.

“I said target was not the head, the target was the body,” he said in regards to how he explained himself to NHL Senior Vice President of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan. “You can see [Michalek goes] down when I try to hit him. If he [stands] up and try to hit me back, maybe it is going to be a good hit. He didn’t and I am suspended and he’s not. Why he doesn’t get suspended is also questionable.”

Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, Michalek, who did not receive any supplementary discipline for his elbow on Matt Hendricks, admitted his mistake and said that he deserved punishment for it.

We obviously cannot read Ovechkin’s thoughts, but to the public, he made it abundantly clear that he felt as though he did nothing wrong. Having the staunch support of owner Ted Leonsis, General Manager George McPhee and head coach Dale Hunter definitely did not help matters.

Something else becoming abundantly clear is Shanahan’s decision-making process. While McPhee said he was “surprised and disappointed” in the NHL’s decision to suspend Ovechkin for three games, he also acknowledged the fact that “the league has done a good job of defining what we need to do”  by eliminating the ambiguity of the rules in seasons past.

“We’ve come to a place where we think [the rules are] clearer,” McPhee said. “I think there was some gray in the past.”

McPhee brought up Ovechkin’s second suspension for boarding former Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell in March 2010 as an example.

“The one in Chicago, [Ovechkin] outweighed the player by 50 pounds,” he said. “It’s not his fault and there was a lot of gray there. We’ve cleaned up the gray and it’s clear what we’re trying to do.”

McPhee may not have agreed with the league’s decision, but he did attempt to understand it, which is more than what can be said about Ovechkin.

There are much more important issues than the length of Ovechkin’s suspension and decision not to attend the All-Star Game as well as Michalek’s non-suspension. Ovechkin, whose prior history (a pair of two-game suspensions and two fines) came during the “gray” period that McPhee referred to, does not have the luxury of hiding behind vague rulings anymore. His actions were clearly wrong and that was made perfectly clear by Shanahan.

Ovechkin does not need to change his style of play; you cannot take the bull out of the china shop. Yet, he needs to be aware of the fact that what he did was wrong.  Ovechkin proved Tuesday that he did not understand why he was suspended and that ignorance will likely cause Ovechkin to perform such illegal hits again.

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. In Ovechkin’s case, those who do not learn from prior history are doomed to be repeat offenders.

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by | January 24, 2012

Mathieu Perreault’s Recent Hot Streak Comes At Right Time

By Adam Vingan

Before the Washington Capitals were missing Alex Ovechkin due to suspension, they were missing Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Backstrom had not played since receiving an elbow from former Calgary Flames forward Rene Bourque January 3. Johansson, Backstrom’s usual understudy, was under the weather, prompting head coach Dale Hunter to look further down his depth chart.

Hunter decided to place Mathieu Perreault in between Ovechkin and Mike Knuble on the first line to start Sunday’s game. Perreault, who seldom played above the fourth line or in general at the time (he was a healthy scratch during the final three games of the Caps’ recent four-game homestand), filled in admirably, earning two assists in Washington’s 4-3 overtime loss.

Tuesday against the Boston Bruins, the Caps were without Ovechkin and Backstrom, so Perreault centered the top line while Marcus Johansson and Alexander complemented him on either side, giving him another opportunity to prove his worth. In the end, the Caps did not need their two leading scorers as Perreault led Tuesday’s scoring with his first career hat trick in a 5-3 victory.

“This is the best feeling ever,” a red-eyed Perreault said after the game. “Getting three goals and we won the game. This is awesome.”

“You can’t explain that feeling,” he continued. “This is what you dream of. You dream to play in the NHL, but when you get a hat trick, it’s even better. It was just a great feeling.”

Perreault has always been an energetic player, coming through in spurts when the Caps need him most. Tuesday, all three of his goals gave Washington a one-goal lead. Such energy is valuable on the checking lines as a way to garner some momentum, but with the Caps missing their star power, Hunter decided to use Perreault’s energy in another way.

“We were talking in the morning about people stepping up when key guys are missing and Matty stepped up,” he said. “You look at his stats when he was younger and stuff. He’s always put up numbers and won scoring races in junior. You know he had skill and that’s why he went right to the top line right from the fourth line because we knew he could fill in with some skill.”

While Perreault had an unparalleled night offensively, he did struggle at times; he took two penalties, one of which allowed the Bruins to tie the game just 3:09 after he gave Washington a 3-2 lead. While that was just one segment of one game, “hot and cold” performances have defined Perreault’s short NHL career so far.

When Washington recalled Perreault last season, he was guaranteed to follow spirited performances with forgettable ones; in his first game of the 2010-11 season against the Atlanta Thrashers October 23, 2010, he earned two assists. In the following two games, however, he failed to register a point. During his second opportunity, he scored two goals against the Toronto Maple Leafs December 6, 2010, before going pointless in his next four.

In his first full NHL season, that has not changed. Perreault opened the season with five points in his first five games, but then went nine games before registering his next point. After earning an assist against the Florida Panthers December 5, Perreault made it through seven more games without a point.

Perreault now has six points (four goals) in his last four games while also seeing the most and second-most ice time of his career in his last two games (16:22 and 13:56, respectively). With Washington missing its most prolific scorers, Perreault knows that he must continue to consistently produce and he is eager to continue proving himself.

“[I've] just got to keep doing my thing and work hard,” he said.”Obviously, when you get more minutes, it’s always easier. It seems to be that when I get hot, I get more minutes, obviously, so I’m just trying to get off to a good start so I can keep getting more ice time and games.”

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by | January 23, 2012

Mike Knuble Snakebitten, But Positive About Turning Things Around

By Adam Vingan

Less than two minutes into the second period of the Washington Capitals’ eventual 4-3 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins Sunday, Mike Knuble corralled an airborne puck, settled it down and raced uncontested towards Marc-Andre Fleury. Knuble went to the left with his backhand, but quickly returned to his forehand before taking a wrist shot.

Fleury was completely out of position, sliding towards his right with Knuble’s deke, leaving the left side of the net wide open. Knuble’s shot, however, hit the post and slid across the length of the goal line before Fleury recovered and froze the puck under his back.

That play Sunday was a microcosm of Knuble’s entire season, one that he feels has left him snakebitten.

“If you look at my career numbers, it looks even worse than that,” he said after Monday’s practice at Kettler Capitals Iceplex. “You might have to dig a little deeper.”

Heeding Knuble’s advice, a look at this season compared to his previous 13 full seasons does indeed show him having one of his worst first halves. Knuble’s three goals through 47 games are the fewest of his career through that span; his previous low was four through 47 games during the 2000-01 season as a member of the Boston Bruins. That season, Knuble finished with a career-low seven goals, which he is on pace to break this season and would snap a streak of eight consecutive seasons with at least 20 goals.

Even through he is dealing with arguably the slowest start of his career, Knuble is maintaining a positive outlook.

“Of late, I’ve been happy to get the chances,” he said. “I think you’re disappointed when it happens. You’re like, ‘Ah, I can’t believe that just happened.’ It seems like when you’re scoring a lot and things are going your way, that will hit the post and spin across the goal line or something. When you’re not, it’s going to hit the post and stay out. That’s just kind of the way breaks go. Of late, though, [hit the] post in two games. At least you’re getting the chances.”

Knuble is not solely responsible for his sharp decline in production. After spending his first two seasons as the right wing complement to Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom on the first line, Knuble has been relegated to a bottom six role for most of the season, skating primarily on the fourth line; Knuble’s average of 14:18 TOI this season is over three minutes less than his average last season (17:52).

Also, Knuble is seeing little time on the power play, averaging just 1:29 per game. In his first two seasons with Washington, Knuble averaged 2:23 on the power play. Knuble has yet to score on the power play this season after scoring at least six power play goals during every season since the NHL lockout ended (2005-06).

Lately, however, Knuble has returned to his usual top six role, having skated on the second line with Brooks Laich and Troy Brouwer last week and earning a spot on the top line with Ovechkin and Mathieu Perreault Sunday. As a member of the first two lines, Knuble has more of an offensive role and his main duty is to crash the net and look for rebounds. Those kinds of dirty goals have defined Knuble throughout his career and he believes finding those will help him tremendously.

“For me, I need to return around the net more,” he said. “It seems like when you play with top six guys, more pucks are going to the net, obviously. It’s pretty elementary when you think about it. There’s always something to find around the net. I think if you keep going back there, you’re going to be rewarded.”

It seems that Knuble knows what he needs to do to get back on track. Head coach Dale Hunter knows as well.

“I talked to him about it,” Hunter said. “He could have had three or four goals on this road trip. It happens. As a coach or a player, as long as you get the chances, you know they’re gonna come. If the chances dry up, now you’ve got problems because you’re never gonna score then. He’s been having great chances. Empty nets, made a good deke, hit the post. He’s getting his chances, which are most important.”

“You can go through some games where you don’t get a chance and at night, you don’t sleep very well,” Hunter continued. “He’s been getting his chances. It’s one of those things where if you just keep going to the net, good things will happen.”

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by | January 22, 2012

Caps Top Six: One Wonky Week

By Reed S. Albers

It seems that of all the sports team in the world, only the Washington Capitals could lose 3-0, win 3-0 and then lose 3-0 all in the same week. And people wonder why Caps fans are on pins and needles at times…

As the title says, it was something of a wonky week for the Caps.

For example, the week started with Alex Ovechkin continuing his hot play with an assist on an Alex Semin goal and ended with talks of a coming suspension for No. 8 after a hit on Pittsburgh’s Zbynek Michalek.

It’s the little things that drive fans batty and just about every little thing (shot on goal totals, shots hitting pipes and lackadaisical power plays) went wrong at times.

The result of those little messes and mistakes? A total of five points earned out of 10 and a feeling that the Caps missed a chance to create some distance in the Southeast Division.

But as Baltimore Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff will learn, life goes on.

The All-Star Game break is near and only one game is on the slate for the upcoming week (Tuesday versus the Boston Bruins). So here’s this week’s wonky Top Six and we’ll see you the week after the All-Star Game (you know, because ranking players on just one game would be kind of silly) for our next Top Six.

1. Alex Ovechkin – two goals, two assists four points

Ovechkin notched his first three point game of the season against Pittsburgh and could also add his first suspension in 18 months along with it. I’m sure that will make for some great in-game discussion during the All-Star Game.

2. Alex Semin – one goal, two assists

Semin took his first lazy stick penalty in what felt like ages on Sunday afternoon. That’s worthy enough of some praise, but so is his continued scoring. The question now is if his resurgence is enough to keep him at the trade deadline?

3. Mathieu Perreault – one goal, two assists

You had to figure he would make this list, given my last article had his name in the headline, but it’s well deserved. Perreault filled in on the top line for Marcus Johansson on Sunday afternoon and earned two assists in his place.

4. Dennis Wideman – two assists, even rating

In a week where a team is shutout twice by a score of 3-0, it’s a bit of an anomaly that one of the team’s top defenders didn’t finish with a minus rating in either of those games, but that’s what Wideman did.

5. Michal Neuvirth – shutout versus Montreal

For the younger Czech goalie on the team, it hasn’t really been a season worth bragging about. So his shutout against the Canadiens on Wednesday is a pleasant surprise, but don’t kid yourself Neuvy fan-girls (or boys), he’s the back-up.

6. Marcus Johansson – one goal, plus one

JoJo has built up considerable momentum in the wake up Nicklas Backstrom’s injury and filled in nicely as a No. 1 center to date, so hopefully his “illness” won’t slow him down at all.

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by | January 22, 2012

Mathieu Perreault Steps Up, But Center Depth Is Issue

By Reed S. Albers

With the Washington Capitals trailing behind the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-0 after one period in Sunday afternoon’s matinee tilt, the conversation about the team’s issues fell on the centers.

Band-Aid No. 1 center Marcus Johansson was scratched before the game with an illness and top line mainstay Nicklas Backstrom remains out with concussion-like symptoms suffered from an early January hit by Rene Bourque.

With Penguins star Evgeni Malkin creating plays, making passes and assisting on James Neal’s first goal of the night (and finishing with another assist and the game-winning goal in overtime), the spotlight quickly turned on the Caps lack of depth between the wings.

Without Johansson and Backstrom, the team’s center talent pool appears thin.

Rookie Cody Eakin still needs time to develop in the NHL and Brooks Laich is a No. 3 center who can – at times – serve on the top lines, but is best paired with Joel Ward and Jason Chimera. So the top line center job fell on the shoulders of undersized spark plug Mathieu Perreault, who made the most of his afternoon centering Alex Ovechkin.

Perreault finished with two assists and recovered from a less than impressive first period to turn in one of his best performances on the season. He played a career-high 16:22, but the issue remains: behind Backstrom and Johansson, the Caps’ center corps is painfully weak.

It’s doubtful the team expects No. 85 to be a long-term center fixture on the top line and Johansson should return for Tuesday night’s game against the Boston Bruins, but the team’s needs are clear.

The Caps are in a playoff race and strong center play goes a long way in creating offensive chances and shots, which in turn creates points in the standings.

With Backstrom still out and potentially injury-prone as he returns to the ice (see: Sidney Crosby’s short-lived comeback), the Caps may need to seek help.

Perreault could be serviceable on the second line, but Sunday’s game was his most productive game since the team’s 7-1 win over Detroit on October 22.

Unless Perreault can suddenly become the model of center consistency, Johansson remains the team’s only viable top line center and after that the No. 2 center slot is being filled by one of three fourth line caliber centers.

Backstrom can’t come back soon enough and after that, a little center insurance could go a long way for the Caps.

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by | January 21, 2012

Power Play Powerless To Help Capitals

By Adam Vingan

Any power play time is precious time for the Washington Capitals. Entering Friday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Caps had 232:57 of total power play time, the lowest amount in the NHL. Despite that, the Caps happen to be one of the league’s best power play units with the sixth-best success rate at 19.5%.

That being said, two power play opportunities in the first period Friday should have been a welcome sign.

Yet, for the Caps, with power plays came great irresponsibility.

In 4:00 minutes of power play time in the first 20 minutes Friday, Washington mustered just one shot on goal. Meanwhile, Carolina had three while shorthanded, including what ultimately became the game-winning goal on Jussi Jokinen’s shorthanded breakaway. The play that led up to Jokinen’s first goal – a horrible turnover by John Carlson in the defensive zone as he was starting the rush up ice – was a microcosm of the problems that plagued the Caps Friday.

There was sloppy zone entry as the Caps regularly ran into human walls of Hurricanes ready to sweep the puck back down the ice. The spacing was off, so Washington never fully set up. When the Caps did set up, however, missed passes led to clearing attempts and scoring chances for the Hurricanes.

After the initial shot from Dennis Wideman to begin Washington’s first power play, it never registered another shot on goal with the man advantage for the rest of the game, finishing 0-for-3 while allowing another shorthanded breakaway late in the third period when Eric Staal got behind the defense. Carolina, on the other hand, scored twice in four shots to finish 2-for-3, but the penalty kill is another story.

To make matters worse, the officials called Washington for having too many men on the ice with Tomas Vokoun pulled in favor of an extra attacker. There were seven Caps on the ice. It was that kind of night.

It is a shame that the Caps’ power plays are no longer sponsored by Pepco. That way, power outages would make much more sense.

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by | January 20, 2012

Washington Capitals In Promising Position Despite Struggles, Angst

The Caps have not had the season that they or anybody else hoped, but considering the trials and tribulations through the first half of the season, things are not as bad as they seem.

Adam’s latest column for SB Nation D.C.

The Washington Capitals and their fans are spoiled.

Since a stirring comeback to win the Southeast Division and make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2007-08 for the first time since 2000-01 and 2002-03, respectively, the Caps have been one of the NHL’s best regular season teams. If one needs proof, just look at the recently-raised banners.

A President’s Trophy in 2009-10 after a 54-win season; four consecutive Southeast Division championships; two consecutive No. 1 seeds in the Eastern Conference Playoffs; a victory over the rival Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2011 Winter Classic. A lack of discernible postseason success aside, Washington and its fans have been treated to pleasant 82-game schedules in recent seasons.

That, however, has not been the case this year, though it started that way. A 7-0-0 record to open the season had the Caps in familiar territory, but a 5-9-1 tailspin over the next month ended the tenure of Bruce Boudreau as head coach, one of the principal figures in Washington’s resurrection. In stepped former Cap Dale Hunter, who the front office believed would give the current Caps an identity.

Under Hunter, the Caps have turned into an industrious team that has relied on forechecking and cycling instead of simply outrunning-and gunning the opposition, but like Boudreau’s final days, they have not sustained much momentum. Yet, despite a season that has featured changes in coaching and philosophy as well as injuries to key players, the Caps are in a good place entering Friday.

For more, finish the column at SB Nation D.C.

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by | January 19, 2012

Sh*t Capitals Fans Say

By Adam Vingan

Thursday, SocialStudiesDC unveiled a two-minute video entitled “Sh*t People In DC Say,” poking fun at the culture of young professionals in Washington. Between references to José Andrés and Washingtonians’ love of brunch were a few mentions of the Washington Capitals: “F*ckin’ Caps!” and “My friend saw Ovi out at Russia House last night.”

While Caps fans have definitely muttered those two phrases, it got me wondering about what things one would normally hear from the Caps’ diehard fanbase. Luckily, Twitter is a great place to find such information quickly, so below are some of the best entries in what will ultimately become “Sh*t Caps Fans Say.”

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by | January 18, 2012

Neuvirth, Caps Rebound Versus Canadiens

By Reed S. Albers

It’s funny how hockey works sometimes.

The Washington Capitals, who own the fourth-best home record in the NHL (17-6-1), played a stinker against a lowly New York Islanders Tuesday in front of their fans and lost 3-0.

Just 24 hours later on the road, where Washington has struggled mightily (7-12-1, the league’s fourth-worst road record), the Caps and goaltender Michal Neuvirth posted a 3-0 shutout over the Montreal Canadiens in Bell Centre.

Also, consider that the Caps were outshot 31-16, which in recent games has been a death knell for the team.

Instead of succumbing to the shot total, the Caps seemingly buried every opportunistic chance the Canadiens offered and instead of scrambling in the third period to hold their lead, they cruised to a win behind a stellar penalty killing effort.

Talk about an overnight turnaround, but it’s exactly what the Caps needed coming into their game with the Habs.

After closing out their four-game homestand with a goalless effort, the Caps needed to show that Tuesday was just a hiccup, not the beginning of a trend.

The Caps did that by coming out with an intensity that Tuesday lacked.

Matt Hendricks started the night by finishing up some business with former Calgary Flame Rene Bourque, who was suspended for a head shot on Nicklas Backstrom January 3 and moments later, Mathieu Perrault potted his fourth goal of the season.

Marcus Johansson made it 2-0 four minutes later and at the end of one period it was clear that despite the low shot total (just five after one period), the Caps weren’t about to let another two points slip away.

The rest of the game was highlighted by Neuvirth’s play, an Alex Ovechkin power play goal and a Herculean penalty killing effort in the third period. John Erskine was awarded a rare six minutes of penalty time for an elbow and high stick, but the Canadiens were unable to break Neuvirth’s shutout bid.

For the Caps, the win is points made up for the previous night where a win was more than attainable had they given the effort. Now the focus has to be turning the current three-game road swing into a bountiful one.

Wins over Carolina and Pittsburgh could help create some distance in the Southeast Division race with the Florida Panthers and the sooner Washington makes a gap the better.

Time isn’t necessarily running out by any means at all, but if it takes a flop to motivate a win, then the Caps could be in trouble.

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