February 2 - Washington Capitals vs. Boston Bruins

11 in a row!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Neil, Andy and I watched most of the game from the Front Page in Arlington, right across from the Caps' practice facility. Neil had a 9:45 hockey game of his own at Kettler, so we wanted to be close so he didn't have to miss much of the Caps game.

When we arrived late in the first period and sat down at our table, I was concerned. The Caps had 5 shots to the Bruins' 13 and the Bruins had a goal. Not good. However, I had a feeling they would come back from the first intermission with a little something extra. I believe in these Capitals and, more importantly, they believe in themselves.

So it wasn't the Caps' best game, but that's almost silly to even say because they won 4-1. The victory was due in large part to the amazing play of Jose Theodore. If he keeps playing like this (41 saves!) the Caps are going to have to re-sign him for next season.

The Capitals goals came from Knuble, Laich, Gordon and an empty netter from Ovie. It's so fun to be a Caps fan right now. It must be out of this world to be a Capital right now.

The Caps are in NYC with their dads today and play the Rangers tomorrow night. I hope they make it 12, but even if they do not, I hope they remember what it feels like to win like this come Stanley Cup time.

January 26 - Washington Capitals vs. NY Islanders (at NY)

Another amazing game. Another amazing win. Neil and I ordered the new, and surprisingly tasty Dominoes pizza and watched this one from home.

Final score: 7-2 including a goal and an assist from rugged defenseman John Erskine. He hadn't scored a goal in 109 games and his assists are few and far between.

It's not like the Islanders are a bad team this year either. This was an awesome and extremely convincing victory. Everything the Caps are doing is working and it's really exciting to be a fan.

Theo was hurt in this game an Neuvirth relieved him for the third period. All indications are that it's not a serious injury.

January 21 - Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins (at Pittsburgh)

The only thing better than the Caps winning a game against the Flyers is the Caps winning over the Penguins and last night's game was fantastic. Not only did my Capitals win, they did so convincingly.

Pretty much every player had a great game, even Jose Theodore who gave up a really weak goal at the beginning of the game, bounced back and put in a solid performance with 34 saves. Ovechkin came away with two goals, an assist and a great defensive move - awesome. Knuble did another pound in of an Ovie rebound and scored another great goal. Backstrom had a fancy falling-down goal in the crease, Eric Fher scored on a lucky bounce combined with great positioning on his part and the most beautiful goal was the game winner by Tomas Fleishman with a truly sensational pass from Alex Semin.

The Penguins were good, but really, unremarkable. The Caps kept them in check nearly the entire game. Aah the satisfaction of a 6-3 walloping against the NHL team I hate most. :)

Check back this weekend for photos of the amazing souvenir Neil brought me from Ukraine. (Yes, it's Caps-related)

January 19 - Washington Capitals vs. Detroit Red Wings

Jose Theodore is a rock star. I have not seen a goalie performance like his against the Red Wings ever. The Wings ended up with 46 shots and only 2 goals in the Caps' unlikely 3-2 win. If not for Jose being a monster in goal, the Red Wings could have won that game at least five times over.

The Caps had 20-something shots. Ovechkin was held without a shot on goal and for the first period, the only Capital playing was Jose. The fourth line was on fire and both Matt Bradley and David Steckel scored and Nick Backstrom had a pretty Ovie-like goal and somehow, we came away with a victory.

Somehow = Jose Theodore. Not only did he make 44 saves, he also got an assist on one of the goals. Yep. An assist from the goalie. Amazing.

Neil, my mom and I attended the game and my mom, a Red Wings fan, wore a Capitals sweatshirt. :) I am not sure if she was REALLY hoping the Caps would win, but she seemed glad they did and announced that she thinks it's their turn to win the Cup. I have to agree.

I am hoping that Jose remains amazing and the rest of the Caps actually skate tonight against the Penguins. It's about 6 hours until game time and I'm already nervous.

January 17 - Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Woo! There are few teams I dislike more than the Philadelphia Flyers and it has been immensely satisfying to see them solidly beat by my Capitals twice this season on home ice.

I went to yesterday's game with my friend Erik, who is a great hockey companion and jumped up and cheered with me for all five Caps goals. This game had it all. At the beginning there was some suspense as the teams traded goals. Then there was the thrill of Brooks Laich's short handed goal of beauty, the kick-ass-ness of Tom Poti's goal tending on a Jeff Carter shot (that's right, Tom Poti's goal tending), the comfort of Jose Theodore's strong performance and finally, the amazingness of Alex Ovechkin converting his first career penalty shot with a skillful deke.

Every time a Capital put a good hit on a Flyer, I felt a bit of joy. Each time the Caps scored (in spite of what some may call uneven refereeing that gave the Flyers lots of power plays) I was elated. When Flyers fans began leaving the arena in droves in the last half of the third period, I was overjoyed. (For such hardcore and often mean fans, they sure did abandon their team in a time of need.) Few things are more satisfying than watching the Caps beat the Flyers.

A funny from the Capitals Insider that needs repeating here:

With a 5-3 win over the Flyers this afternoon, the Caps regained first place in the Eastern Conference by recording five or more goals for the fifth time in their past six games. When they do that at home (and they've done so three times during that stretch) it means fans can redeem their ticket stub for 10 free wings at Glory Days.

Which leads me to the quote of the season. After converting his first career penalty shot (on his sixth attempt) Ovechkin told reporters: "I just wanted to give the fans free chicken wings."

 Amazing.

Here's a post-game photo of me and Eric. I am  looking happy to be victorious and Eric is making his "I'm a bad-ass in my borrowed Caps shirt" face.

January 15 - Washington Capitals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Pardon the delay in posting. The View from 419 has suffered from lack of Internet for the past four days. Today is a big day - Internet is back and the Caps play the Flyers! 

I LOVED this game.

I brought my Canadian friend, Lia and my mom to the game with me. Lia is from Toronto and she had a rough night trying not to cheer for the Caps. Or more accurately, she couldn't make herself cheer against her home team, in spite of their abysmal performance.

I felt a little bad for Lia, but mostly I had a ton of fun being there with two of my favorite people and watching the Capitals kick butt.

Ovechkin's goal and four assists were incredible. Knuble's net presence is helping him get more and more goals and the new top line of Ovie, Backstrom Knuble is really working. Jose was outstanding and, really, I can't think of one Capital who wasn't outstanding. It was such a fun game to watch. I did feel a little bad for Toronto when they couldn't even convert on the long five on three at the end of the game... but they beat us this season and this game was good revenge.

January 13 - Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers (at Florida)

My mom's in town and after picking her up from the airport and making a quick dinner, I immediately sat her down on my couch and we watched the game. :) When the Caps were down by two or three goals, I said something like, "This HAS to get better," and she said, "Should we turn it off for a while?" That question was kind of like blasphemy in my household. I mean, turn it off???!!!

When the game ended a couple hours later with Tomas Fleischmann's first-ever shootout goal, my mom smiled and commented that it was a good thing we hadn't turned the TV off. Whewh.

So the game wasn't pretty, but the comeback was extraordinary. I loved Chimera and Ovie's goals, especially. It's good to see the team play with that kind of character and determination. They're going to need it down the stretch.

I also thought Jose Theodore was outstanding. He can really play when he's having a good night and in spite of his occasionally spotty performance, I like him.

The Caps are home tomorrow night to face the Leafs and I am bringing a Toronto native to the game with me. She claims to be part Leafs fan, part Caps fan. We'll see...

January 12 - Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (at Tampa Bay)

Meh. This was not the best, and also not the worst game of the year. But whenever an opponent scores 7 goals against the Caps, it's a little concerning. The final score, 4-7 was at least not of blowout proportions, but really, the Lightning trounced all over the Capitals and our two goalies.

Neuvirth was pulled after the first period when the lightning had 4 already. I don't think any but the last goal were he fault, though. The Caps were not playing defense. They let far too many people in black jerseys get way too close to the net. They just weren't skating.

Theo came in as relief goalie and ended up getting scored on three times and again, I didn't think it was all his fault. Both goalies also made some spectacular saves. The Lightning were just shooting machines and the Caps needed to shoot more, skate more and defend more.

Harumph.

The most interesting part of the game was in the final minutes when Tampa Bay tough guy Steve Downie started fighting with Ovechkin and Matt Bradley intervened. I was thrilled that Bradley prevented Ovie from hurting his precious hands, but that's probably because I am a girly sports fan who loves Alex Ovechkin and never wants him to get hurt.. I realize that to others, it might have looked a little bit like Bradley stole Ovie's fight. But surely all hockey fans realized the need to protect the MVP. The DC Sports Bog has an amazing play by play of the fight that made me laugh out loud and I really can't do better, so check this out if you know what's good for you.

Here's to a better game tonight!

January 7 - Washington Capitals vs. Ottawa Senators

My husband, Neil, had another hockey game to play so my friend Rebecca and I went to the game last night. The arena was a little emptier than it has been lately. I think the fact that it was a freezing cold week night must have combined with the fact that Ottawa isn't that popular here in DC. But it wasn't empty by any stretch. There was still a fantastic atmosphere in Verizon Center.

The Caps came out swinging again (thank goodness) and a great goal from Boyd Gordon (his first of the season) helped the team take the lead early. Goals from Knuble, Backstrom and Ovechkin followed. Backstrom got two goals and Ovie put one in the final minute and a half of the game. The top line of Ovie, Backstrom and Knuble was awesome and all the other lines, especially the fourth, looked great, too.

Perhaps the most important individual performance of the night, however, was that of Jose Theodore. This was his first game in quite a while and he looked fantastic. I have been feeling bad for Jose. Even though he really wasn't good in the last game when the Caps lost to Carolina, and he's had several shaky performances, I like him and I know he has the potential to be great. It has to be tough to be the most experienced guy and be continually passed up for 21-year-old rookie goaltenders. Last night was a great game for him and I hope for his sake, and the sake of the team, he can continue to play like that for many more games.

Overall, an awesome game last night. Such a solid and convincing win. Rebecca, who had been to only one other Caps game, seemed to have a lot of fun and even joined in on the cheering - a great sign of someone enjoying the experience.

The Caps are off on a road trip now and back in town next Friday to play Toronto. Can't wait!

December 15 - Washington Capitals vs. Colorado Avalanche (at Colorado)

Well, THAT was convincing. The Capitals beat the Avalanche 6-1 last night in Denver in a fantastic game, marred only by Mike Green being hit from behind by David Koci and having to leave the game at the end of the second period. Hopefully Green will be ok and Koci will get a suspension for one of the dirtier boarding hits from behind that I've seen.

I love this story from the Denver Post. Awesome writing and very complimentary to the Caps. (How could it not be.) My favorite excerpt from the story:

"Washington came to the Pepsi Center — its first visit since Oct. 25, 2006 — and cut through the Avs with the swiftness and precision of one of Alexander Ovechkin's skates through the Pepsi Center ice, departing with a 6-1 win over Colorado.

"If this was one of those 'measuring stick' games, then the Avs are still Danny DeVito in comparison to Washington's stature."

Amazing.

Another highlight of the game was Jose Theodore's play. He allowed only one goal and had 26 saves on 27 shots in his old arena against his old team. Way to go Jose! Some of the saves he made were quite spectacular and I was a little sad he didn't get the shutout he deserved.

Looks like the boys can play at high altitudes. A couple more West Coast games coming up this weekend. I'll be in the Pacific Time Zone for at least one of them because my nephew Reuben Isaiah Harper was born last night and we're going to Oregon to meet him. Thanks Caps for winning on Reuben's birthday. His parents aren't hockey fans, but I think he could use a little Capitals onsie... Don't you?

December 12 - Washington Capitals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Bummer. In spite of a stellar start to the game (which we missed because Comcast didn't have CSN+ on any channel) the Capitals completely collapsed and lost to the lowly Leafs.

Neil and I had to leave home and go to the Green Turtle to watch the game. For whatever reason, the bar was completely empty. We got a booth with our own TV, which was fun, and we ate some bad food and watched a bad game.

We'd left a holiday party early to make it home to watch the game and it was pretty disappointing to see them lose in such spectacular fashion. Based on Theo and Neuvirth's performances as of late, we really need Varly back in net. I have faith in both Theo and Neuvy, but they really didn't take the opportunity to step up their games last week. Varly is traveling with the team this week, but not expected to play.

Here's hoping the Caps bring their A game when they play the Avalanche tonight. We'll be staying up late to watch.

November 30 - Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes

The Caps won the game, which is great. Jose Theodore was outstanding. Backstrom scored twice and got one assist and Eric Fher continued his streak with a goal and an assist.

BUT, Ovie got injured and while there are no details yet, it looked pretty bad. He hit a Carolina defenseman knee on knee and definitely got the worst of it. Ovie got a major penalty again and was ejected from the game, but it didn't matter because he couldn't even use his leg when he was taken off the ice.

It's funny. I spend a good deal of my free time attending hockey games, watching hockey games on TV and thinking about hockey (hence, this blog). One of my major fears is Capitals players getting hurt, especially Ovechkin. Watching him hurt on the ice last night made me so sad. I worried about his health, the effect it will have on the team, etc. But maybe even more than that, it was sad because Ovie is like a DC superhero in a way. He's impossibly strong and fast. He's always saving the day in hockey games and as a fan, I want to believe he's indestructible. Of course, he is not. He's fragile and human just like the rest of us... and, don't get me wrong, I like his humanity, too. But if only he had a little more superhero in him last night when he hit his knee.

The team is supposed to release some information on Ovie's condition today after he's seen by the team doctor. I hope it's good news. I hope the injury is not as bad as it looked.

Right now, I am pretty sure that the collective Capitals fan community is holding its breath.

November 11 - Washington Capitals vs. New York Islanders

This game certainly had me on the edge of my seat until the 11th round of the shootout when the Caps finally prevailed.

Ovie was in the box above us again. I didn't take any pictures this time because I left the camera at home. It was still cool to be able to look up and see him on occasion during the game, but I hope he's back on the ice next time the Caps are home.

The energy in the arena was pretty good. I was concerned that since it rained all day in DC yesterday and was cold and icky out, people might not show up, or if they did, they'd be too soggy to cheer. Nope. Alexander Semin got things started by scoring a goal eight seconds into the game and the crowd was excited from then on.

I felt bad for Jose, because it didn't seem like those goals were totally his fault, but after letting in 3 goals on 5 shots, he was pulled. Varly was pretty awesome, especially in the shootout. That may have been the most insane shootout I've seen. 11 rounds! I was starting to wonder what happens when they go through every player? Is it like baseball? Do they all try again? Luckily, Semin and Clark scored and the Caps won.

It's great to see all this success even with Ovie injured. Sure, it was a close game, but the Caps won and that's the most important part.

November 7 - Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers

This was a fantastic night. We brought my friend Andy to his first hockey game tonight. It started with the season ticket holder chalk talk with Ted Leonsis, which was really fascinating. Ted was very open and honest with the fans and it was great to hear him talk about the team with such passion. The Capitals are in very good hands.

After a quick stop at Chipotle, we made it back into the arena in time for the beginning of the game. Without Ovie, Green and Schultz, I was concerned that Andy wasn't going to be in for the most awesome first hockey game experience, but the Caps were fantastic. The second period was a low point, when Jose Theodore looked a little soft in goal and the defense got sloppy. But the third period was amazing. I am not sure when I have seen the Caps score 5 goals in a single period. It just doesn't happen. The final score was 7 to 4. And now, at least for the moment, the Capitals are first in the East.

During the first intermission, I turned around and noticed that Ovie was sitting in the press box right above us. It's definitely the closest he's ever been to section 419 during a game. So, I stared a bit and at one point Ovie stared back! I know I am not the best judge, but Andy is impartial and he noticed Ovie looking our way as well. Later, I snapped a couple paparazzi-style shots. It was cool to have him almost in our section, but I'd much rather watch him on the ice.

Not the most amazing photo, but I think he's smiling in this one.

And one more for good measure.

Andy says he enjoyed the game. Perhaps we have another hockey convert! Tomorrow, we head into enemy territory for non-hockey-related fun. But check back for my post from Pittsburgh!

Me and Andy.

October 27 - Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers

There are few better feelings than walking out of Verizon Center after the Capitals beat a team from Pennsylvania. Neil and I have a debate about which team we hate more, the Flyers or the Penguins. For me, I think it might be a tie, but the Flyers were the first team I hated as a sports fan and there's something a little special about that.

Last night's game was amazing. It started off as sort of a question mark. The first period was scoreless and the vibe in the arena was muted. I wondered if it was because of the rainy weather or the fact that the game was on a Tuesday. Normally at Flyers games, the Caps fans are amped up and out for victory. The first period, probably because there were no goals and lots of chances for us to be scored on, everyone was nervous. Some raucous Flyers fans started "Let's go Flyers" chants and Caps fans responded appropriately with "Flyers suck", but I was hoping some loud "Let's go Caps" chants would get going. They were few and far between.

Period two started out with disappointment. The Capitals continued to struggle on the power play and not score and the Flyers scored two goals. Now, I am the eternal optimist when it comes to many things in life and the Capitals are no exception. I always know they can come back. I always think they are going to win. I believe in them. But, when they didn't score on a 5 on 3 power play that was more than a minute long, I was feeling discouraged. Then, the magic began to happen. Ovie scored off a sweet pass from Backstrom, then Backstrom scored a convincing goal on the power play and the game was tied again.

The third period goal by Semin was a thing of beauty and made me very happy he's back from his injury/illness. The poor Flyers goalie slumped over in defeat when Semin scored and I had a good feeling about the outcome when I saw that. After gaining the lead, the Caps played hard and Jose Theodore sealed the win. I'm going to say it, Jose is one of my favorite players. I know he has had some spotty performances and isn't always the most popular, but I really can't think of many times when he's let us down terribly. He has real heart, he's fun to watch and last night he was a magician. He made something like 20 saves in the third period alone. AND he stopped a penalty shot. We needed the goals, of course, but Jose is the reason the Capitals won the game.

Of course, by the end of the second period the crowd at Verizon Center was into it and by the third period there was no hint of weeknight exhaustion or rainy day blues -  the arena was loud and you couldn't hear the Flyers fans anymore.  In 419, the cowbells were ringing and Neil and I were jumping up and down by the time Ovie scored the empty netter in the final minutes. 

Last night, the team I love played like the team I love and sent the Flyers home without any points. Awesome.

October 15 - Washington Capitals vs. San Jose Sharks

This was an amazing night with one sad part.

First the bummer: Neil had a hockey game of his own and had to skip the game (which was sad on several levels - especially since it ended with a trip to the hospital - don't worry, he's ok, just a cut up finger - stupid puck).

The upside to Neil missing the game is that I invited my friend Mikah to join me. It was her first Caps game and you never know how someone's first game will go. She could have hated it, but, lucky for both of us, she got into the game fast and had a really good time. And what a great game for her to come to for her first game!

The intensity level was high all night and the Caps played fantastic. Ovie scored two goals in 28 seconds against the only team he hadn't scored on in the NHL. Matt Bradley had a goal (yay). The Sharks couldn't stop taking penalties in the first period which resulted in the longest string of power plays I can remember seeing (A low point in the Caps' performance is that they only scored one power play goal). Our goalies were fantastic. (Hopefully Jose Theodore will be ok after leaving before the second period with an injury). Most importantly, perhaps, is that the Caps beat a really good team and seem to have a bit of their confidence back.

Up in section 419, it was nice to have some girl talk mixed in with my hockey game.

After the game, on our way out of the arena, I saw some really cool dudes in matching all-red suits with red wing-tip shoes, red bowler hats and Capitals lapel pins. First I took a covert photo which captures the entire ensemble:

And then they noticed me. I tried to ask if they come to all the Caps games dressed in awesome red suits, but they seemed a tad too intoxicated to pay attention to my question, or maybe they were sober and couldn't hear me over the hum of the happy crowd? They did agree to pose for a photo, but then one of them moved:

And then (and here's where I think I embarrassed Mikah) one of the red-suited ones suggested I get in a photo. How could I refuse?

Clearly, I need to step up my red to compete with these guys (and perhaps I also need to step up my alcohol consumption?) I must say, I prefer this kind of all-red suit to the one I saw during preseason.

Walking out with the crowd was exhilarating. People were cheering, cars were honking three honks for "Let's Go Caps." The sidewalks were alive with Caps fans in spite of what has been a wet and dreary day in DC. When I got home, I learned from the post game show on Comcast that Ovie had never scored two goals so close together before. It's a great night to be a Caps fan!

Take that Baskman! ;)  (The aforementioned Baskman is an old friend of my father's and a San Jose Sharks season ticket holder)

October 10 - Washington Capitals vs. Detroit Red Wings (in Detroit)

I always love it when Matt Bradley scores a goal, but other than that and Jose Theodore's solid goal tending, not a lot to love about this game. I am still in NM, so I had to check updates on my phone and watch highlights after the fact. I hope the Caps work out all their issues soon. I'll be back in Verizon Center on Thursday and I think it's time to win. A win before I am back would be good too.

October 8 - Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers

I suppose that if I had to miss a home game, this was a good one to skip out on. After tonight's game, the Capitals lead the league in goals scored and goals scored against. Naysayers always cite the goalies and the defense when they doubt the Caps' ability to win the cup and a statistic like that doesn't do anything to prove them wrong.

It sounds like Coach Boudreau was not happy after the game tonight. Hopefully he can inspire the team to step it up a notch and play like they know they can.

Meanwhile, I am enjoying visiting my family and I did a relatively good job of paying attention to them in spite of my absorption in the radio coverage of the game and then for the third period, ESPN's cell phone updates. Oh the resourcefulness of sports fans.

Bright spot: Backstrom's two goal game!