Washington Capitals Rumors & News

CSN Washington "Since they rose to prominence in the 2007-08 season, the Capitals have heard all the talk. That winning five South-least Division titles in six years was a lot like winning a bunch of Biggest Loser competitions. The Capitals went 15-3-0 against their Southeast Division rivals this season and..." May 21

Newark Star-Ledger "Even while the Rangers have moved on in the playoffs, the verbal spat between the Capitals and Blueshirts just won't die. While appearing on a D.C. radio show with Chad Dukes and LaVar Arrington, Adam Oates was asked if he could beat up John Tortorella. The Capitals coach responded, via Adam..." May 18

Washington Post "The great teams use a tough loss to get better. When you hear a lot of talk from guys who just lost big about how unfair it all was and how they couldn’t get a call from the refs, you can be certain they’ll lose the next one, too. You didn’t need to go to any videotape to analyze why the..." May 18

Washington Post "Highly-touted prospect Tom Wilson made his NHL debut in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but it remains to be determined whether the young winger will be on the Capitals’ opening-night roster next fall. As encouraged as the Capitals were by Wilson’s performance in three games against the New York..." May 18

Washington Post "The Capitals have confirmed Ovechkin’s injury. Alex Ovechkin played the final two games of the Capitals’ first-round series against New York with a hairline fracture in his left foot, according to a league source with direct knowledge of the winger’s injury. In the first period of Game 6,..." May 16

Washington Post "I have now achieved a rare trifecta: consecutive posts featuring Michael Wilbon on Alex Ovechkin, Skip Bayless on Alex Ovechkin and now Mike Milbury on Alex Ovechkin. Where is my prize???? “I try to just tell it the way it is,” Milbury said on NBC Sports Network Tuesday night. “And this made it..." May 15

New York Post "Everything was hanging over the heads of the Rangers — their expectations, their history, their penchant for pulling on heartstrings and playing the tightest of games in the most dire situations. It was all poised to drop and smash their season as if it never began. But the team that came out..." May 14

Washington Post "Ted Leonsis posted some initial thoughts Tuesday on the Caps’ “painful” 5-0 Game 7 defeat to the Rangers, congratulating New York and commiserating with devastated fans. Here’s an excerpt: We exit Round 1 in seven games, after having a 2-0 series lead. The loss is quite painful to everyone..." May 14

Washington Post "As the Capitals made their push at the end of the regular season to claim a playoff berth, it was the top line that led the way. Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom both averaged more than a point per game in the final 23 contests of the regular season. Marcus Johansson followed not far behind,..." May 14

Yahoo! Sports "After a regular season that saw him regain his MVP form, Alex Ovechkin had a frustrating postseason as the Washington Capitals lost in seven games to the New York Rangers. He pumped 30 shots on Henrik Lundqvist, scoring just one goal, a power-play tally back in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference..." May 14

NHL.com "The Washington Capitals have announced that captain Alex Ovechkin will represent Russia at the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship in Helsinki, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden, which began on May 3 and runs through May 19. Ovechkin will be available at Kettler Capitals..." May 14

New York Daily News "The Rangers intended to make a last stand Monday night and sparked something even better: a new beginning. Game 7 at the Verizon Center was nothing short of a Blueshirt rebirth, a 5-0 statement steamrolling of the three-seed Washington Capitals built on the foundation of goaltender Henrik..." May 14

North Jersey "1. More of the same: The Rangers were at their best this series in Game 6 in terms of sustaining a forecheck, being the more aggressive, faster-skating team and not giving up any power plays. It’s going to be hard to maintain that level of energy tonight, not only on the second night of..." May 13

Washington Post "While the Capitals haven’t been happy about the discrepancy in penalties dished out in this series, they know that they could have avoided some of the calls they received in Game 6. Of the five minors Washington was whistled for before the final buzzer – a melee broke out at the end of regulation..." May 13

Washington Post "The Capitals are quite familiar with the agony-inducing, pressure-packed contests that are a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Winner-take-all nailbiters where every shift and every mistake are magnified because at the end, one team’s season will come to a screeching halt. Five of six contests..." May 13

NHL.com "Washington Capitals coach Adam Oates said there may be one change to his lineup for Game 7 Monday night at Verizon Center, but he did not disclose what it would be. "We're waiting to see," Oates said. However, Oates did confirm that injured forwards Brooks Laich and Martin Erat will not..." May 13

New York Post "Of course it was a grind, because the Rangers would have it no other way. With their season on the line and the summer lurking in the sunshine outside, somehow the Blueshirts staved off elimination yesterday afternoon at the Garden, squeaking out a 1-0 win over the Capitals in Game 6 of their..." May 13

CSN Washington "Game 7 by the numbers: The Caps are 3-8 all-time in Game 7s. The Rangers are 5-5, but 0-5 in Game 7s on the road. Return of Laich?: It might seem like a long shot, but could we see the triumphant return of Brooks Laich in Game 7 tonight? The Caps’ 29-year-old left wing has been trying to get..." May 13

Newark Star-Ledger "Facing elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Rangers received a fortunate first-period deflection and rode goalie Henrik Lundqvist to a 1-0 shutout victory over the Washington Capitals Sunday in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden. Rick Nash was..." May 12

Washington Post "The Washington Capitals and New York Rangers couldn’t keep their frenetic pace in overtime Friday night — something had to give. The two teams traded heavy hits, end-to-end rushes and plenty of scoring chances through the first nine minutes of overtime. It was just a matter of which team would..." May 11

NHL.com "Now in his fourth NHL season, New York Islanders center John Tavares has entered the ranks of the elite players in the League. Tavares on Friday joined Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin as finalists for the Hart Trophy, awarded annually to..." May 10

NHL.com "The National Hockey League moved closer to an agreement to send its players to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia during a meeting in Stockholm on Friday. The meeting included representatives from the NHL, National Hockey League Players' Association, International Olympic Committee,..." May 10

NHL.com "Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin and Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning were announced Thursday as the finalists for the 2013 Ted Lindsay Award. The award is presented annually to the most outstanding player in the NHL, as voted by fellow..." May 09

NHL.com "Following his team's 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series, Washington Capitals coach Adam Oates revealed that wing Martin Erat was dealing with an upper-body injury and would be reevaluated on Thursday prior to Game 5 on Friday in..." May 09

New York Post "The Rangers held serve in this best-of-seven, but this wasn’t tennis, anyone, at the Garden last night. This was an in-your-face display by the Blueshirts; or, rather, an in-the-Capitals faces’ effort that produced a second consecutive 4-3 victory, sending this opening round back to D.C. at..." May 09

CSN Washington "Adam Oates and the Capitals had a contingency plan in place for Tuesday. With Madison Square Garden occupied by the New York Knicks for their NBA playoff game Tuesday night, the Caps planned on practicing at Prudential Center in Newark in advance of Wednesday night’s Game 4 against the..." May 08

New York Post "This was a different effort produced by a different Rangers team in a different kind of game than the ones in Washington that had preceded it. This was a tenacious and compelling blue-collar performance in which the Blueshirts all but willed themselves to a 4-3 victory over the Capitals at the..." May 07

Washington Post "When Brad Richards made his way to the penalty box for slashing Alex Ovechkin with 1 minute 54 seconds remaining in regulation of Game 3, the Capitals couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity. What better way to try and tie the contest than with the power play that ranked atop the NHL in the..." May 07

CSN Washington "There is only one way the Capitals can lose their first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers and on Monday night they showed how. The Capitals went to the penalty box six times in the first two periods, giving the Rangers six power plays and keeping Alex Ovechkin glued to the..." May 07

CSN Washington "There was plenty of frustration in the visiting locker room after the Capitals suffered a 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers Monday night at Madison Square Garden. But not a shred of panic. “It’s unfortunate,” Mike Green said after seeing the Capitals’ two games to none lead on the Rangers..." May 07

New York Post "Braden Holtby wasn’t all that impressed with his first career playoff shutout. Following the Capitals’ 1-0 overtime win over the Rangers in Game 2 of their first-round series on Saturday, the 23-year-old goaltender was excited with the result, but didn’t feel as if the Blueshirts provided much..." May 06

CSN Washington "What a difference a year makes for several members of the Washington Capitals. While Martin Erat, JACK HILLEN, Steve Oleksy and Mike Ribeiro are all making their Washington playoff debuts this spring, mainstays like John Erskine, MARCUS JOHANSSON and MATHIEU PERREAULT are making the most of..." May 06

North Jersey "Rangers coach John Tortorella’s theme in his pre-game presser, no doubt intended to bolster his team, which trails the Capitals 2-0 in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal heading into tonight’s Game 3 and was outscored 4-1 in the first two games with their goal drought at 111 minutes, 16..." May 06

Bergen Record "One must-win begat another must-win situation for the Rangers. For just as surely as the Rangers did not want to lose the first three games of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal to the Capitals, they must be desperate to avoid going back to Washington for Game 5 on the brink of..." May 06

Washington Times "On the ice for Monday’s morning skate in preparation for Game 3, the Washington Capitals looked like a confident, relaxed team that leads a series two games to none. Perhaps too relaxed for goaltender Braden Holtby’s liking. “It’s good to a point. I’m not sure we want it as loose as this..." May 06

Washington Post "Just more than three minutes into the second period of Thursday night’s playoff opener against the New York Rangers, the Washington Capitals took to the power play for the third time. “It’s playoff hockey,” forward Marcus Johansson said later. “There aren’t going to be too many chances.” Yet..." May 04

New York Post "Mike Green scored a power-play goal eight minutes into overtime Saturday to give the Washington Capitals a 1-0 victory against the New York Rangers for a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. Games 3 and 4 are in New York Monday and Wednesday. New York went on a power play..." May 04

Washington Post "The New York Rangers could have some reinforcements coming for Game 2 of its Eastern Conference quarterfinals series with the Washington Capitals, which should help take their minds off the costly penalties and near misses that derailed them during Game 1. Injured forwards Ryane Clowe..." May 03

New York Post "The Rangers are all wearing t-shirts with the message “Stay Positive” across their chests, and for the most part that’s what they were following last night’s 3-1 defeat to the Capitals in Game 1 of the first-round series. There was much talk about having done “a lot of good things,” and that..." May 03

Washington Post "It was just past the midway point of Game 1 of this Eastern Conference first-round playoff series when the familiarity between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers turned hostile. There was a multi-player pile-up; punches were exchanged. The Rangers emerged from the fracas with a 5-on-3..." May 03

Washington Times "The Nashville Predators made the playoffs seven of the past eight seasons, so Martin Erat got plenty of games to build up a resume there. By the numbers, it’s not an impressive one: eight goals, 15 assists and a minus-7 rating in 46 postseason games. But that was part of coach Barry Trotz’s..." May 01

ESPN.com "Pre-empting the crowd of reporters surrounding his dressing room stall, Marc Staal assured them he had no new information on his injured right eye. And although Staal did not definitively rule himself out, he said he will "probably" not play in Game 1 of the team's first-round series against..." May 01

Washington Times "Playoffs were a fleeting experience for Rick Nash during nine seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets. One series in 2009 was a sweep, so the big winger got to put up just a goal and two assists in four games. Columbus is in Nash’s past now, and the spotlight is on him as the New York Rangers hope..." May 01

North Jersey "The Rangers worked on their power play in the second of two practice sessions Monday. They will do so again today. They know it could be the difference in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal against the resurgent Capitals, which opens Thursday at Washington. "Yeah, absolutely," goalie..." April 30

Washington Post "When the Capitals and Rangers met in the playoffs last season their styles of play were near mirror images. For seven games they dueled as risk-averse teams with a priority on shot blocking and protecting one’s own zone at all costs. This year’s Eastern Conference quarterfinal matchup won’t..." April 30

Washington Post "A few minutes into the Capitals’ first practice of the postseason, Joel Ward switched into a white jersey and began working through drills as a member of the fourth line. It’s the most Ward has participated in a practice since suffering a left knee contusion. “I’ve upgraded from baby blue. I was..." April 29