Capitals (9-9-6) vs. Stars (16-8-0) Keys to the Game:

#1: Get to Marty Turco:
In his last four starts, Turco is 0-3 with a GAA of 3.27. Playing the night after a heartwrenching loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, the defense in front of him should be tired. The bad news is that in his three starts against the Caps, Turco is 3-0 with a 1.34 GAA.

#2: Limit the Shots:
This is one that has plagued the Caps all year. Washington has given up an average of 36.2 shots per game. The league median is 30.2. The Caps goal should be to only give up 10 or fewer shots each period (which would make the shot total 30 or fewer). The good news is that Dallas only averages 28.1 shots per game (21st in the league).

#3: Get a Big Lead before the 3rd:
Washington has given up 28 goals in the third period (5th worst in the league) while Dallas has scored 22 in the third. Both teams score most of their goals in the first and least in the second, so if the Caps can jump out to an early lead and hold onto it, they need to keep Dallas from scoring in the third.

Players to Watch for...
Dallas: Jeff Halpern
Halpern makes his first visit to DC since signing in Dallas over the offseason. How will the crowd react to the Potomac native's return to the nation's capital? Also, will Halpern improve his pitiful performance this season. He only has 8 points and is a -1.
Washington: Olaf Kolzig
Kolzig is 0-9-1 with a 3.50 goals against average and an .867 save pct. lifetime against the Stars. As evidenced against the Lightning, the Caps need him to step up for them to win. Will Olie break out of his slump against Dallas?

Capitals 5 - Lightning 2 Brought to You by the Number...

48

That's how many saves Olie Kolzig made last night, on 50 shots. Anytime your team gives up 40+ shots and comes away with the victory, a team must look to their goaltender. The Capitals were dramatically outplayed in the first, but Kolzig shut down Tampa Bay and the Caps took a 1-0 lead to the dressing room. In the second, they blew the game open, scoring three goals. The third period tested Olaf with 25 shots, but he stopped all but two of them to give the Caps the win.

"He's the backbone of our team," Clark said of Kolzig. "We were outplayed maybe in the first period, but he was here to keep it (close)."

Kolzig has always been the team's backbone. His 91.8% save percentage is one of the highest in his career (his highest was 92% in 97-98) and has been a huge reason for the Caps success this year.

"One of the best performances I've seen in a long time by a goaltender," Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella said. "Kolzig was the difference."

No arguments here.

NHL.com Article on Brian Pothier

The Washington Capitals badly needing help on the blue line this summer flirted with the idea of signing Ottawa All-Star defenseman Zdeno Chara. Ultimately, the thrifty Capitals opted to sign his less-heralded and even less-expensive teammate, Brian Pothier.

In hindsight, there was no way the Capitals would have paid out the average of $7.5 million per season that Chara later received from the Boston Bruins. Yet the signing of the puck-moving Pothier did not come without some risk of its own.

Pothier played as a No. 5 defenseman with the defense-rich Senators in his first full NHL season. But the Capitals envisioned a much larger role for Pothier, most likely as the team's No. 1 defenseman. The question was, could he make the jump?

The move has paid off in a big way and Pothier is playing every bit as well as Chara. The 29-year-old Pothier ranks fifth in the league in minute, averaging 27:04 a game. That's impressive considering he is basically playing the same number amount of minutes as former Norris Trophy winners Chris Pronger (27:24) and Scott Niedermayer (26:47) of the Anaheim Ducks.
Pothier has been a big part of the reason why the Capitals are playoff contenders a year after the team was in the running for the No. 1 overall draft pick.

"He's added a lot of skill to our blue line and made a big difference on the team," Washington General Manager George McPhee says. "He's certainly been responsible for our better record."

Pothier's biggest impact has been on special teams. The Capitals' power play ranked 25th in the league last season, converting only 14.7 percent of its opportunities. It's a different story this year. Washington is making 16.4 percent of its chances, which ranks 16th in the NHL. Pothier quarterbacks the power play and has 12 assists in 23 games.

"He reads the play well and makes good smart decisions," says Washington assistant coach Jay Leach, who works with the Capitals' defensemen. "He is a great breakout guy. It's one of the things we had trouble with last year. We could not at times get the puck out of our zone."

Playing so many more minutes with Washington has been quite an adjustment for Pothier since he averaged 17 minutes a game with Ottawa last year. The 6-foot 195-pound Pothier knew the big jump in ice time was coming, so he worked out like a maniac during the off-season. He focused on cardiovascular training more than in the past, putting in rigorous three-hour sessions daily.

"I just ramped up the intensity,” Pothier said. "I did a lot more of everything. With the new rules, I spent a ton of time trying to get my feet agile and mobile."

The defensive play of Pothier is sometimes overlooked. He's been paired with rising 23-year-old Shaone Morrisonn. The pair plays against opponent's No. 1 line.

"We didn't realize how good defensively he can be," Leach says. "Brian is not a big guy, but he gets his body in great position and he is not afraid to stick his nose into the play."

The Capitals made a big commitment to Pothier, signing him to a four-year, $10 million deal. It's the longest contract extended to any player on the roster and the richest deal McPhee has given out since forward Robert Lang inked a five-year, $25 million contract in 2002. For a No. 1 defenseman, Pothier is proving to be worth the money.

Pothier, an undrated player out of RPI, emerged on the NHL scene last season with the Ottawa Senators."When he decided to sign with us he had other choices for the same amount of money, but he wanted to come here," McPhee says.

Pothier said picking the rebuilding Capitals was a relatively easy decision.

"I get that question a lot," he says of why Washington. "If you look at this team, it's young and energetic. It's fun to be around. It's got a great foundation for the future, and to be part of that is very attractive for me."

The late blooming Pothier seemed to come out of nowhere last season in Ottawa to put together an eye-catching season. Before that, he'd played in only seven games across three seasons with Ottawa and Atlanta. He spent four full seasons in the minors: three in the American Hockey League (Binghamton, Chicago) and one in the International Hockey League (Orlando).

But Pothier, who went undrafted and played college hockey at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, got his big break with the new NHL rule changes last season and he totaled five goals and 30 assists in 77 games. Even more impressive was his plus-29.

"He wasn't getting the kind of minutes he deserved in Ottawa," Leach says.
McPhee was more than willing to give Pothier all the ice time he wanted in Washington.

"You can tell Brian you don't have to be 6-3 to play in the NHL," McPhee says. "The best players are the smartest players. He is a really smart player." --

Capitals (8-9-6) @ Lightning (13-10-1)

From NHL.com's preview:
Washington lost its sixth in a row Saturday, 4-1 to the New York Islanders. Alex Ovechkin scored a power-play goal early in the third period, his third in four games and 15th of the season.

Ovechkin has three goals and an assist during a four-game road point streak.

Success on the power play has been one of the few bright spots of late for the Caps, as they've scored with the man advantage in seven straight games. Washington, though, has been outscored 25-9 during its longest skid since an eight-game slide from March 10-23.

"We're just getting some bad bounces," said the Caps' Olaf Kolzig, who made 26 saves against the Islanders. "I'm a firm believer that the bounces even out, though. We'll get our share."
After Tuesday's contest, however, Washington's next four opponents are over .500, including matchups with Eastern Conference-leading Buffalo and Pacific Division powers Dallas and Anaheim.

Caps left wing Alexander Semin opened the season with eight goals in his first seven games, but hasn't scored since Oct. 21. He hasn't played since Nov. 17 and remains day-to-day with a shoulder injury.

Washington forward Donald Brashear will serve the final game of his three-game suspension for his actions in a late brawl during a 4-2 loss to Atlanta on Wednesday.

From Mike Vogel's washingtoncaps.com short shifts, injuries and probable line combos:
Short Shifts: Donald Brashear has five goals and seven points in 27 career games against Tampa Bay. The five goals are tied for his most against any opponent … Ben Clymer has two goals in nine career games against the Lightning … Steve Eminger has a goal and five points in 12 career games against the Bolts. He has more points against the Lightning than against any other NHL club … Brent Johnson is 4-1-1 with a 2.11 goals against average and a .934 save pct. lifetime against the Lightning … Jakub Klepis has two goals and three points in his last four games … Olie Kolzig is 20-10-2 in his career vs. Tampa Bay … Shaone Morrisonn has two assists in nine career games against the Lightning … Alex Ovechkin has six goals and 11 points in nine career games against the Bolts. Ovechkin has nine goals and 15 points in his last 13 games … Matt Pettinger has three goals and six points in 15 career games against the Lightning. Pettinger has four goals and six points in his last eight games … Brian Pothier has two goals and seven points in 12 lifetime games vs. Tampa Bay … Alexander Semin has two goals and five points in six career games against the Lightning. Thirteen of his 18 career NHL goals have come against Southeast Division opponents … Richard Zednik has a dozen goals and 22 points in 34 career games against Tampa Bay. Zednik has three goals and eight points in his last seven games … Dainius Zubrus has nine goals and 22 points in 42 career games vs. the Lightning. Zubrus has three goals and six points in his last seven games … Dan Boyle has six goals and 21 points in 35 career games against Washington. Dan Boyle has four goals and eight points in his last eight games … Ryan Craig has two goals and three points in four career games against the Caps. Craig has two goals and four points in his last three games … Marc Denis is 2-3-1 with a 3.70 goals against average lifetime against the Capitals … Ruslan Fedotenko has nine goals and 17 points in 27 career games vs. the Caps … Johan Holmqvist has won eight of his last nine starts. He is 4-0 with a 2.03 GAA and a .920 save pct. at home this season … Filip Kuba has three goals and 11 points in his last 11 games … Vincent Lecavalier has 12 goals and 25 points in 37 lifetime games against Washington. Lecavalier has eight goals and 22 points in his last 18 games … Eric Perrin has two goals and four points in his last five games … Vaclav Prospal has five goals and 19 points in 35 career games against the Capitals … Brad Richards has five goals and 22 points in 30 lifetime tilts vs. Washington. Richards has eight goals and 13 points in his last 13 games … Martin St. Louis has nine goals and 22 points in 30 career games against the Capitals. St. Louis has four goals and nine points in his last four games.

Injuries
Tampa Bay Lightning
Left wing Right wing Rob DiMaio has a concussion and is out indefinitely.
Center Tim Taylor has a neck injury and is day-to-day.
Washington
Left wing Alexander Semin has an upper body injury and is day-to-day.
Right wing Richard Zednik has a lower body injury and is day-to-day.

Possible Line Combos and Defensive Pairings
Tampa Bay
Forwards
9-Perrin, 4-Lecavalier, 15-Alexeev
34-Craig, 19-Richards, 26-St. Louis
20-Prospal, 49-Jones, 17-Fedotenko
29-Afansenkov, 24-Karlsson, 74-Tarnasky
Defensemen
3-Janik, 22-Boyle
54-Ranger, 71-Kuba
21-Sarich, 44-Pratt
Goaltenders
30-Denis, 40-Holmqvist

Washington
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 9-Zubrus, 17-Clark
28-Semin, 24-Beech, 18-Pettinger
10-Bradley, 16-Sutherby, 27-Clymer
21-Laich, 15-Gordon, 38-Klepis
Defensemen
2-Pothier, 26-Morrisonn
6-Heward, 52-Green
4-Erskine, 44-Eminger
Goaltenders
1-Johnson, 37-Kolzig

Team Leaders: WSH - TBL
Goals: Ovechkin (15) - St. Louis (15)
Assists: Pothier (12) - Lecavalier (16)
Points: Ovechkin (25) - St. Louis (30)
+/-: Heward (4) - St. Louis (8)

Team Stats (rank): WSH - TBL
Goals for/game: 2.74 (18) - 3.17 (9)
Goals against/game: 3.30 (25) - 3.04 (19)
Power Play Pct.: 16.1 (18) - 17.6 (12)
Penalty Kill Pct.: 80.9 (24) - 73.8 (30)

The JET's take: With Alexander Semin back, the Caps will try to snap that 6 game losing streak in Tampa Bay. This time, the Caps have the advantage of facing the WORST penalty kill in the league. This could potentially help their recently ailing power play.
The Caps get back their third leading scorer, but they have been bad in the last 6 games and especially bad this year against the division. Their defense still leads something to be desired and, again on the road, it is unlikely that they can snap their slump.

Capitals (8-8-6) @ NY Islanders (11-7-3)

From NHL.com's Preview:

Washington (8-8-6) is mired in a season-high five-game losing streak after Saturday's 7-1 rout by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Playing without suspended forwards Donald Brashear and Brian Sutherby as well as injured forward Alexander Semin, backup goaltender Brent Johnson allowed four goals in a 4:10 span of the second period that turned a one-goal game into a 6-1 deficit.

"We certainly didn't want to get embarrassed like that," Capitals coach Glen Hanlon said. "We had all kinds of opportunities to tie it up 2-2 and then we took a couple of penalties.
"After that, it was as if they scored on every opportunity."

Olaf Kolzig, who likely will return to the net for this game, is trying to end a personal three-start winning streak. He has allowed eight goals in his last two starts while making 61 saves.

The 36-year-old netminder is 24-8 with two ties, a 2.29 GAA and three shutouts lifetime versus the Islanders, and he is 11-5 with a 2.44 GAA and one shutout at the Nassau Coliseum.

Alexander Ovechkin, who scored the lone goal for the Capitals in Saturday's loss, has four goals in his last eight games. The reigning Calder Trophy winner as the NHL's best rookie, Ovechkin had two goals and two assists in three games against the Islanders last season.

New York won three of the four games between the teams last season and also has a three-game home winning streak against Washington that includes DiPietro's two shutouts.

From Mike Vogel's washingtoncaps.com short shifts, injuries and probable lines:
Short Shifts: Matt Bradley has two goals and three points in 12 career games against the Islanders … Donald Brashear has three goals and seven points in 31 career games against New York … Steve Eminger has a goal and two points in seven career games against the Isles … Boyd Gordon has two assists in five career games against New York. He picked up his first career NHL point (an assist) against the Islanders on Oct. 9, 2003 … Mike Green has one assist in three career games against New York … Jamie Heward has one goal and two points in eight career games against the Isles … Brent Johnson is 0-4 with a 4.23 goals against average and an .878 save pct. lifetime against the Islanders … Olie Kolzig is 24-8-2 with three shutouts, a 2.29 goals against average and a .911 save pct. lifetime against the Fishermen. He has more wins against the Isles than against any other NHL team, and he picked up his first NHL win against New York on Jan. 27, 1995 … Bryan Muir has two goals and three points in nine career games against the Islanders … Alex Ovechkin has two goals and four points in three lifetime games against New York … Brian Pothier has four assists in seven career games against the Isles … Alexander Semin has one assist in two career games against New York … Richard Zednik has three goals and nine points in 27 career games against the Islanders … Dainius Zubrus has five goals and 18 points in 34 lifetime tilts against the Fishermen … Jason Blake has six goals and 11 points in 20 career games against Washington. Blake has four goals and nine points in his last seven games … Rick DiPietro is 3-2 with two shutouts and a 2.32 goals against average lifetime against the Capitals … Sean Hill has two goals and nine points in 42 career games against the Caps. Hill has a goal and three points in his last three games … Trent Hunter has two goals and six points in nine career games against Washington … Viktor Kozlov has nine goals and 18 points in 28 career games against the Caps. Kozlov has four assists in his last four games … Tom Poti has two goals and 10 points in 15 career games against Washington … Miroslav Satan has 24 goals and 35 points in 36 career games vs. the Capitals. Satan has three goals and four points in his last four games … Mike Sillinger has three goals and 12 points in 27 career games against the Caps … Chris Simon has three goals and four points in eight career games against the Capitals … Alexei Yashin has 20 goals and 44 points in 42 career games vs. Washington. Yashin has five goals and nine points in his last seven games … Mike York has six goals and eight points in 18 career games vs. the Caps … Alexei Zhitnik has three goals and a dozen points in 41 career games against Washington.

Injuries
New York Islanders
No significant injuries.
Washington
Left wing Alexander Semin has an upper body injury and is day-to-day.

Possible Line Combos and Defensive Pairings
New York
Forwards
12-Simon, 79-Yashin, 55-Blake
81-Satan, 16-York, 7-Hunter
11-Hilbert, 18-Sillinger, 25-Kozlov
10-Park, 17-Bates, 45-Asham
Defensemen
3-Poti, 8-Gervais
6-Hill, 77-Zhitnik
24-Martinek, 32-Witt
Goaltenders
1-Dunham, 39-DiPietro

Washington
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 9-Zubrus, 17-Clark
18-Pettinger, 38-Klepis, 14-Fehr
10-Bradley, 16-Sutherby, 27-Clymer
21-Laich, 15-Gordon, 20-Zednik
Defensemen
2-Pothier, 26-Morrisonn
47-Muir, 52-Green
4-Erskine, 44-Eminger
Goaltenders
1-Johnson, 37-Kolzig

Team Leaders: WSH - NYI
Goals: Ovechkin (14) - Blake (12)
Assists: Pothier (12) - Yashin (16)
Points: Ovechkin (24) - Yashin (26)
+/-: Clark (4) - Zhitnik (11)

Team Stats (Rank): WSH - NYI
Goals for/game: 2.82 (17) - 2.71 (20)
Goals against/game: 3.27 (24) - 2.62 (9)
Power Play Pct.: 16.4 (15) - 16.0 (18)
Penalty Kill Pct.: 81.1 (22) - 80.8 (24)

The JET's Take:
It's been a while, but I still know how to do this. The Caps have had 5 lackluster performances in a row and--no surprise--they've lost all 5. Plain and simply, the Caps need to step up from the way they've been playing if they want to win. The Islanders (another overacheiving team) have been hot of late. On the day after a game on the road, the Caps don't have it in them to win.

From NHL.com's preview:

The Washington Capitals have finished in last place in the Southeast Division the last two seasons, but they're looking like a different team so far this year.

Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals look to build on their first back-to-back wins of the season when they visit the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.

Washington (6-4-4) beat the Ottawa Senators 4-3 in overtime on Monday, two days after a 5-3 victory at Philadelphia. The Capitals, who haven't reached the postseason since 2003, ended a 16-game winless drought at Philadelphia and an eight-game home winless skid against Ottawa.
Against the Senators, they came back from a 3-0 first-period deficit.

"Now we know we can score, and that's the difference," said captain Chris Clark, who scored the game-winner on Monday. "We can come back and actually win these games, not just fight hard and make it respectable."

Ovechkin scored two goals for the second straight game, including one with 24.4 seconds left in regulation against Ottawa to force overtime. Last season's Calder Trophy winner as the NHL's top rookie has 18 points through 14 games - three points ahead of the pace he set last season en route to 52 goals and 106 assists.

"My goal is not to score 52 goals, 56 goals," said Ovechkin, who has four straight multipoint games. "My goal is to play hard, try to help the team win."

Ovechkin scored two goals in the Capitals' 5-2 win over the Hurricanes on Oct. 7.

"For a determined guy, he seems to be even more determined when it gets down to the nitty gritty," coach Glen Hanlon said. "When this organization does make the playoffs, you're likely going to see someone who plays even greater hockey."

Olaf Kolzig gave up all three goals Saturday on five shots in less than 12 minutes - his shortest outing since March 2003 - before being replaced by Brent Johnson. Johnson stopped 21 shots against the Senators after making 33 saves against the Flyers.

Johnson owns a 2.21 goals-against average in five games this season, while Kolzig has a 3.45 GAA in 10 contests.

"We never give up," Kolzig said. "Last year, going into the season, it was, 'Let's go out and have some fun and then see what happens.' Now we believe we can actually win games."

From Mike Vogel's washingtoncaps.com short shifts, injuries and probable lines:
Short Shifts: Matt Bradley has two assists in his last two games … Donald Brashear has two goals and eight points in 32 career games against Carolina … Chris Clark has three goals and nine points in 12 lifetime contests against the Canes. Clark has a four game point streak working. He has two goals and five points during that span … Ben Clymer has two goals in his last two games … Steve Eminger has two assists in his last two games … Jamie Heward has two assists in his last two games … Brent Johnson is 4-0-1 with a 2.27 GAA and a .937 save pct. lifetime against the Hurricanes. Johnson has allowed three or fewer goals in each of his four starts this season … Olie Kolzig is 22-10-9 with three shutouts, a 2.15 GAA and a .926 save pct. over his career against Carolina … Brooks Laich has a goal and four points in seven career games vs. the Hurricanes … Shaone Morrisonn has a goal and three points in 11 career games against the Canes. Morrisonn has a goal and four points in his last four games … Bryan Muir has played plus or even hockey in all seven of the games in which he has played this season. He is plus-4 overall … Alex Ovechkin has five goals and 12 points in nine career contests vs. Carolina. Ovechkin is tied for fifth in the NHL with 10 goals. He has four straight multi-point games and two straight multi-goal games. Ovechkin has four goals and eight points in his last four games … Alexander Semin has five goals and seven points in six career games against the Hurricanes … Brian Sutherby has four assists in 13 career games vs. the Canes. Sutherby has two assists in his last two games. Sutherby is slated to appear in his 200th NHL game against Carolina on Thursday … Richard Zednik has nine goals and 19 points in 29 lifetime tilts against the Hurricanes … Dainius Zubrus has 10 goals and 25 points in 39 career games against Carolina. Zubrus has totaled more points against Carolina than against any other opponent. He has four goals and five points in his last four games … Rod Brind’Amour has 33 goals and 66 points in 79 career games against the Capitals. After going pointless in his first four games of the season, Brind’Amour has five goals and 20 points in his last dozen games. He is tied for fourth in the league in scoring with 20 points. At 23:35 a night, Brind’Amour is second among all NHL forwards in average ice time per game. Brind’Amour recorded the 1000th point of his NHL career in Ottawa on Saturday, becoming just the 71st player in league history to reach that milestone … Erik Cole has four goals and nine points in 17 career games against Washington. Cole has two goals and seven points in his last five games … John Grahame is 5-4 with two shutouts and a 2.71 GAA in his career vs. the Caps … Eric Staal has four goals and 11 points in 15 career contests against Washington. Staal has eight goals and 16 points in his last 12 games … Cory Stillman has six goals and 22 points in 24 lifetime tilts against the Capitals … Scott Walker has four goals and five points in his last seven games … Cam Ward is 2-2 with a 3.70 GAA lifetime against the Caps. Ward has surrendered four or more goals in five of his last seven starts … Glen Wesley has four goals and 14 points in 68 career games against the Capitals … Ray Whitney has 12 goals and 25 points in 32 career games vs. Washington. Whitney has five goals and 18 points in his last dozen games. He is tied for fourth in the league in scoring with 20 points … Justin Williams has nine goals and 22 points in 24 career games against the Caps. Williams has four assists in his last five games.

Injuries
Carolina Hurricanes
Defenseman Frantisek Kaberle had shoulder surgery and is out indefinitely.
Defenseman Tim Gleason has an upper body injury and is day-to-day.
Left wing Cory Stillman had offseason shoulder surgery and is out indefinitely.
Washington
Defenseman Jamie Heward has an upper body injury and is day-to-day.
Right wing Richard Zednik has an upper body injury and is day-to-day.

Possible Line Combos and Defensive Pairings
Carolina
Forwards
24-Walker, 12-Staal, 11-Williams
26-Cole, 17-Brind’Amour, 13-Whitney
16-Ladd, 25-Belanger, 27-C. Adams
59-LaRose, 14-K.Adams, 19-Letowski
Defensemen
6-Hedican, 22-Commodore
7-Wallin, 48-Babchuk
2-Wesley, 28-Hutchinson
Goaltenders
30-Ward, 47-Grahame

Washington
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 9-Zubrus, 17-Clark
43-Fleischmann, 38-Klepis, 18-Pettinger
10-Bradley, 16-Sutherby, 27-Clymer
28-Semin, 15-Gordon, 87-Brashear
Defensemen
2-Pothier, 26-Morrisonn
6-Heward, 52-Green
44-Eminger, 47-Muir
Goaltenders
1-Johnson, 37-Kolzig

Team Leaders: WSH - CAR
Goals: Ovechkin (10) - Staal (9)
Points: Ovechkin (18) - Brind'Amour (20)
+/-: Clark (5) - Wallin (3)

Team Stats (rank): WSH - CAR
Goals for/game: 3.36 (8) - 3.12 (12)
Goals against/game: 3.21 (21) - 3.38 (25)
Power Play Pct.: 17.8 (14) - 15.8 (17)
Penalty Kill Pct.: 83.5 (16) - 84.4 (12)

The JET's Take:
The Capitals are coming off a huge, come from behind win against Ottawa, but now they face some more stiff competition in the Carolina Hurricanes. The Caps claimed their first win of the season against Carolina at home, but now they travel to Raleigh. Even though the Caps have been above .500 on the road, this will still be a tough game.

The Caps defense is still their achilles heel. They still allow above 35 shots per game. Their special teams are in a good place but if they want to win in Carolina, they should try to limit the 'Cane's number of shots. I wince, but will give the Caps the chance to take this one, but I think it'll go to OT.

NHL Power Rankings for Nov. 2

TSN.ca ranks the Capitals #13:

The leading sniper for the Caps this year? Danius Zubrus, who is elevating his game to the first-line status he holds, with nine goals in 13 games.
Key Injuries: None.

ESPN.com ranks the Capitals #19:
The Capitals are 2-1 in the last week and they just missed beating Atlanta. Washington could be even better if Alexander Semin would just break out of his slump (he has no goals in six games after a great start).

SI.com ranks the Capitals #19:
When you need to snap a losing streak, who better to count on than Alex Ovechkin? The 21-year-old ended a four-game goal-less drought with two of the Caps' four first-period goals in a 5-3 win over the Flyers that snapped a 16-game winless streak in Philly. The win came one day after the Caps lost in regulation for the first time after scoring first. They had been 3-0-2 when taking a 1-0 lead.
Last Week: 2-1-0

Average Ranking: #17

The JET's Ranks the Capitals at #12:
The Caps are getting a bad rep for their "weak" team. Many people are quick to believe that the Capitals success will die down. I'm not sure that it will. What the Caps did against Ottawa makes them legit. It is important to know that these ranking were before Sunday's win.

Capitals 4 - Senators 3 (OT): Brought to You by the Number...

1

A HUGE win for the Caps on Sunday. There is no truly relevant statistic. Early in the game the Caps and Olaf Kolzig were bad. Very bad. But then, the Capitals began to play their game and proceeded to come back and beat a very tough Ottawa team.

The number one is for Brent Johnson and more importantly for Glen Hanlon (for putting in Johnson). This is no knock on Olie. When your goaltender comes out and lets in some goals early, changing it up sends a wake-up call to the team. I'm sure once the Caps saw Johnny in net, they realized how badly they'd been playing.

Overall, that was the win for Washington. Coming back from a large deficit against a good team is the mark of a very good team. The Capitals have given themselves confidence and shown the hockey community that they can be for real, as evidenced by the latest power rankings coming.

Ottawa (5-7-0) vs. Washington (5-4-4)

From NHL.com's preview:

Now that the Washington Capitals have ended their longtime struggles in one building, perhaps they have enough momentum to overcome another nemesis on home ice.
The Capitals look to defeat the Ottawa Senators at home for the first time in more than five years Monday when the teams face off at the Verizon Center.

Alexander Ovechkin scored two of Washington's four first-period goals and increased his team-leading points total to 16 on Saturday as the Capitals (5-4-4) defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 at the Wachovia Center. The victory snapped a 16-game winless streak in Philadelphia for the Capitals, who concluded a stretch of five road games in six contests.

"It's part of our progress here that you try to win in buildings where you haven't won," Capitals coach Glen Hanlon said. "It says something at where you are as far as building a team because this is usually the kind of mark that you try to meet as far as competitiveness and challenging and physical play.

"It's just good for us to get this win."

Defeating Ottawa (5-7-0) could be nearly as satisfying - and overdue. The Capitals are winless in eight home meetings with the Senators since the start of the 2001-02 season, with six losses and two ties over that span.

The games frequently haven't even been close. Five of the six Ottawa victories were by three goals or more, and the Senators have outscored the Capitals 35-13 in their last eight visits to Washington.

From Mike Vogel's washingtoncaps.com short shifts, injuries and probable lines:
Short Shifts: Matt Bradley has a goal and two points in 10 career games against Ottawa. Bradley has a goal and five points in his last seven games … Donald Brashear has three goals and eight points in 31 career games against the Senators … Chris Clark has a goal and two points in eight career games vs. the Sens. Clark has a goal and four points in his last three games … Ben Clymer has six assists in 18 career games against Ottawa … Boyd Gordon has two assists in his last three games … Mike Green has been a plus or even player in 10 of his last 11 games. He is plus-5 during that stretch … Jamie Heward has two goals and seven points in 11 career games against the Senators … Brent Johnson is 2-0 with a shutout, a 1.22 goals against average and a .966 save pct. in three career games against the Sens … Olie Kolzig is 7-13-3 with a pair of shutouts, a 3.42 goals against average and an .887 save pct. in 26 career games vs. Ottawa … Shaone Morrisonn has a goal and four points in his last three games … Bryan Muir has played plus or even hockey in all six games he has played this season. He is plus-3 overall … Alex Ovechkin has one goal and two points in four career games against the Senators. He has picked up at least a point in 10 of Washington’s 13 games this season. Ovechkin has six goals and 12 points in his last eight games … Matt Pettinger has two goals in a dozen career games against the Sens. Pettinger tallied his first NHL goal against Ottawa’s Jani Hurme on Nov. 13, 2001 … Brian Pothier is tied for fifth among all NHL defensemen with nine assists … Brian Sutherby has one goal and three points in nine career tilts vs. the Senators. Sutherby netted his first NHL goal against the Senators’ Patrick Lalime on Nov. 29, 2002. Sutherby has a goal and four points in his last seven games … Richard Zednik has eight goals and 18 points in 33 career games against Ottawa … Dainius Zubrus has two goals and 13 points in 30 career games against the Senators. Zubrus has seven goals and nine points in his last eight games … Daniel Alfredsson has 23 goals and 40 points in 36 career games against Washington … Patrick Eaves has two goals in four career games against the Capitals … Ray Emery is 2-1 with a 1.34 goals against average in four career appearances vs. the Caps. Emery has won three of his last four starts. He has allowed two or fewer goals in four of his five starts this season … Mike Fisher has three goals and six points in 13 career games against Washington. Fisher has two goals and six points in his last six games … Martin Gerber is 4-2 with a 2.83 goals against average lifetime against the Capitals … Dany Heatley has five goals and 18 points in 17 career games against the Caps. Heatley has seven goals and 10 points in his last seven games ... Chris Kelly has two assists in four career games against Washington ... Dean McAmmond has two goals and nine points in 18 career games vs. the Capitals. McAmmond has two goals and five points in his last six games ... Andrej Mezszaros has four assists in four lifetime games against the Caps. Meszaros has a goal and four points in his last five games … Chris Neil has four goals and seven points in 16 career games vs. Washington. Neil has a goal and four points in his last six games … Tom Preissing has two goals and five points in his last six games … Wade Redden has five goals and 21 points in 35 career games against the Capitals … Peter Schaefer has four goals and six points in 15 games against the Caps … Jason Spezza has three goals and 13 points in 10 career games against Washington. Spezza has three goals and 12 points in his last seven games … Antoine Vermette has four goals and seven points in his last six games.

Injuries:
Ottawa Senators
Defenseman Wade Redden has a groin injury and is day-to-day.
Washington
None.

Possible Line Combos and Defensive Pairings
Ottawa
Forwards
15-Heatley, 19-Spezza, 44-Eaves
20-Vermette, 12-Fisher, 11-Alfredsson
27-Schaefer, 37-McAmmond, 25-Neil
17-Hamel, 22-Kelly, 16-McGrattan
Defensemen
14-Meszaros, 24-Volchenkov
4-Phillips, 7-Corvo
5-Schubert, 42-Preissing
Goaltenders
1-Emery, 29-Gerber

Washington
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 9-Zubrus, 17-Clark
43-Fleischmann, 38-Klepis, 18-Pettinger
10-Bradley, 16-Sutherby, 27-Clymer
28-Semin, 15-Gordon, 87-Brashear
Defensemen
2-Pothier, 26-Morrisonn
6-Heward, 52-Green
44-Eminger, 47-Muir
Goaltenders
1-Johnson, 37-Kolzig

Team Leaders: WSH - OTT
Goals: Zubrus (9) - Heatley (7)
Points: Ovechkin (16) - Heatley (14)
+/-: Clark (4) - Priessing (9)

Team Stats (rank): WSH - OTT
Goals for/game: 3.31 (7) - 3.00 (15)
Goals against/game: 3.23 (21) - 2.50 (7)
Power Play Pct.: 15.9 (15) - 8.4 (30)
Penalty Kill Pct.: 83.1 (18) - 90.6 (3)

The JET's Take:
The Caps definitely should not let the record fool them. Even though Ottawa is the worst team in the Northeast Division point-wise, they are still a force to be reckoned with. The Sens still have allowed only few goals per game and have the 7th best defense. While they have had trouble scoring (particularly on the PP), they still have the third highest shots per game total. That will ultimately be the key stat.

Washington's defense still allows far too many shots and against Olie Kolzig, that will come back to haunt them. History will repeat itself tonight as the Senators will put up a TON of goals against the Caps tonight and leave DC with a win.

Thrashers 4 - Capitals 3: Brought to You by the Number...

187

Thats how many seconds it took for Atlanta to take control of the game. The Caps had a two goal lead in the second period. But in 3 minutes and 7 seconds, the Thrashers scored three goals to take the lead.

Granted, Dainus Zubrus did score at the end of the second to tie the game, but the damage had been done. It completely deflates a team when you lose a lead that quickly. You could see it in the third. Olie let in a bad goal, the Caps were twirling in their zone, gliding, unable to get quality chances. If this team wants to get better, they must learn to play with more consistency.

Thrashers (8-3-3) vs. Capitals (4-3-4)

From NHL.com's preview:

The Capitals, though, haven't been very effective in short-handed situations this season, killing off just 81.8 percent (54-of-66) of opponents' power plays.

Thrashers left wing Ilya Kovalchuk's six-game goal streak and eight-game point streak ended Wednesday. The point streak started when he had a goal and two assists in the first meeting with Washington. Kovalchuk recorded nine goals and eight assists in October.

In the Thrashers' second victory of the season over the Caps, Hossa scored the tying goal with 33 seconds left in regulation and had a goal in the shootout. Washington is 0-3 in shootouts this season.

Washington returns to the Verizon Center after going 2-1-1 on a four-game road trip. The Capitals, who won 4-2 at Calgary on Monday, play their final 71 games in the Eastern time zone.

Capitals coach Glen Hanlon moved Richard Zednik to the fourth line against the Flames and got results, as Zednik delivered with his first two goals of the season. Zednik had 16 goals in 67 games with Montreal last season before Washington acquired him for a third-round pick in July.

"You could feel it on the bench, you could see it in his body language, the relief and exuberance that he showed," Hanlon said.

Dainius Zubrus scored twice, and Ovechkin added two assists for the Caps.

From Mike Vogel's washingtoncaps.com short shifts, injuries and probable lines:
Short Shifts: Matt Bradley has four assists in 15 career games against Atlanta … Donald Brashear has three goals and 10 points in 17 career games against the Thrashers … Chris Clark has three goals and six points in 15 lifetime tilts vs. Atlanta … Ben Clymer has three goals and eight points in 30 career games against the Thrashers … Boyd Gordon has a goal and two points in five career games against the Thrashers. Gordon netted his first NHL goal against Atlanta on Oct. 11, 2003 … Mike Green has two assists in three career games against the Thrashers. Green recorded his first NHL assist vs. Atlanta on Mar. 4, 2006 … Jamie Heward has two goals and 11 points in 13 lifetime games against the Thrashers … Brent Johnson is 6-3 with a 2.20 GAA and a .906 save pct. lifetime against the Thrashers … Olie Kolzig is 12-8-6 with four shutouts during his career against Atlanta … Brooks Laich has two goals and four points in nine career games vs. the Thrashers … Shaone Morrisonn has three assists in 10 career games against Atlanta … Bryan Muir has a goal and four points in 13 career games against the Thrashers … Alex Ovechkin has six goals and 17 points in 10 career games against Atlanta. Ovechkin has four goals and eight points in his last six games … Matt Pettinger has four goals and five points in 20 lifetime contests vs. the Thrashers … Brian Pothier has three assists in eight career games against Atlanta. Pothier has five assists in his last six games. He is tied for 10th among all NHL blueliners with nine assists … Alexander Semin has four goals and six points in six career games against the Thrashers. Semin has netted 13 of his 18 career goals against Southeast Division foes … Brian Sutherby has three assists in 15 career games vs. Atlanta … Richard Zednik has seven goals and 21 points in 27 lifetime games against the Thrashers. Zednik has two goals and six points in his last seven games … Dainius Zubrus has 12 goals and 21 points in 26 career games vs. Atlanta. Zubrus has five goals and seven points in his last six games … Johan Hedberg is 3-2-2 lifetime against the Capitals … Bobby Holik has 18 goals and 42 points in 72 lifetime games vs. Washington. Holik has a goal and three points in his last three games … Marian Hossa has 21 goals and 42 points in 32 career games against the Caps. Hossa has seven goals and 11 points in his last nine games … Niko Kapanen has four assists in six career games against the Capitals … Ilya Kovalchuk has 13 goals and 29 points in 24 career games against Washington. Kovalchuk has nine goals and 15 points in his last nine games … Slava Kozlov has 11 goals and 22 points in 33 career games against the Capitals. Kozlov has six assists in his last six games … Kari Lehtonen is 5-0 lifetime against Washington. Lehtonen has won one of his last four starts, allowing four or more goals in all four … Steve McCarthy has one goal and three points in five career games against the Caps … Scott Mellanby has 18 goals and 50 points in 82 career contests vs. the Capitals. Mellanby has three goals and six points in his last six games … Steve Rucchin has five goals and eight points in 17 career games against the Caps … Jon Sim has nine goals and 13 points in 16 career games against Washington. He has twice as many goals against the Caps as he does against any other foe … Andy Sutton has six goals and 10 points in 24 career games against the Caps. Sutton has three times as many goals against Washington as he does against any other opponent in the league. He has two assists in his last three games.

Injuries
Atlanta Thrashers
Defenseman Braydon Coburn has a shoulder injury and is out indefinitely.
Defenseman Niclas Havelid is on personal leave and is day-to-day.
Washington
None.

Possible Line Combos and Defensive Pairings
Atlanta
Forwards
17-Kovalchuk, 20-Rucchin, 14-Sim
13-Kozlov, 39-Kapanen, 18-Hossa
23-Slater, 16-Holik, 19-Mellanby
29-Larsen, 9-Metropolit, 11-Vigier
Defensemen
2-Exelby, 25-Sutton
3-Vishnevski, 7-de Vries 5-McCarthy
34-Hnidy
Goaltenders
1-Hedberg, 32-Lehtonen

Washington
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 9-Zubrus, 17-Clark
28-Semin, 24-Beech, 18-Pettinger
21-Laich, 16-Sutherby, 10-Bradley
87-Brashear, 15-Gordon, 20-Zednik
Defensemen
2-Pothier, 26-Morrisonn
6-Heward, 27-Clymer
47-Muir, 52-Green
Goaltenders
1-Johnson, 37-Kolzig

Team Leaders: WSH - ATL
Goals: Semin (8) - Hossa (11)
Points: Semin (12) - Hossa (18)
+/-: Clark (4) - Kozlov (5)

Team Stats (rank): WSH - ATL
Goals for/game: 3.18 (11) - 3.36 (6)
Goals against/game: 3.18 (22) - 2.71 (11)
Power Play Pct.: 17.0 (11) - 18.8 (9)
Penalty Kill Pct.: 81.8 (20) - 86.4 (11)

The JET's Take:
No contest in this one. Atlanta is simply a better team than Washington. The Capitals have not been good against teams with a winning record and Atlanta has been steamrolling through teams. In every single aspect, either individually or as a team, the Thrashers outmatch the Caps.
The only glaring hole in Atlanta is their goaltender, Kari Lehtonen. If the Caps want to win, he'd better have a terrible game. While DC has taken ATL to OT in their previous two games, that's not going to happen this time. The Thrash will win handily.