We're into the second half of the hockey season, and the push for the playoffs begin!

Washington Capitals Preview

Written by: Tyler Bodman on 30th September 2009

Washington Capitals Preview | read this item

Last Season
Record	50-24-8
Points	108
Conference	2nd
League	4th
Offense	3.27 GPG (3rd)
Defense	2.93 GAA (19th)
Power Play	25.2% (2nd)
Penalty Kill	80.6% (17th)
Points leader	Alex Ovechkin – 110
Goals	Alex Ovechkin – 56

Team Facts
GM	George McPhee
Coach	Bruce Boudreau
Arena	Verizon Center
Capacity	18,277
08/09 attendance	18,097 (13th)
AHL Affiliate	Hershey

Departures
Sergei Fedorov, Viktor Kozlov, Sami Lepisto, Brent Johnson, Donald Brashear, Chris Bourque

Arrivals
Mike Knuble, Brendan Morrison

Forwards
They boast the most electrifying player in the history of the game in Alex Ovechkin. Ovie is everything to this team. Last season Alex Semin got off to a hot start and finished with 34 goals in an injury plagued season. Nick Backstrom proved, with his 66 assists, that he can be a premiere set-up guy. New guy Mike Knuble comes over from the Flyers. The 230lbs. winger adds net presence on an already dangerous top-line. Brendan Morrison’s best days are behind him but he will be the second line center. Tomas Fleischmann, Brooks Laich and Eric Fehr will have to chip in with some secondary scoring while playing responibly in their own end. The loss of Brashear leaves the Caps without a heavy weight to keep oponents honest.

Defenseman
Mike Green had his best offensive season ever last year with his 31 goals and 73 points. Although he failed to impress during the playoffs scoring just once in 14 games. He will rebound and once again put up his guady numbers. The rest of the defense are pretty ordinary and are prone to making mistakes. Brian Pothier has only managed to play 47 games over the past two seasons. John Erskine is the muscle on the team and that will keep him in the line up most nights. Karl Alzner, the former fifth overall pick, will start the season in Hershey but will undoubtedly get called up and when he does he won’t be going back down. Tom Poti and Shaone Morrisonn just have to be steady.

Goalies
Jose Theodore has the number one job. For now. Theodore is notorious for rebounding after poor seasons, especially in his contract year. If he doesn’t it could spell the end of the former Hart winner’s career. Simeon Varlamov was fantastic in his six regular season games and even better in 12 of his 13 playoff games game seven against the Penguins being the exception. He will push Theodore with every start he gets.

Strengths
- Ovechkin is going for his third straight Hart trophy and Rocket Richard. With Knuble on his line he shouldn’t have any problems scoring over 50 goals again.

- Mike Green wants to prove that he can be effective at both ends of the rink while scoring another 30+ goals

- This team is still fairly young which means there’s still room for improvement. It’s a scary thought for opposing teams.

Weaknesses
- Without any defensive upgrades the team will once again struggle in their own zone. Their best hope is that they can outscore their opponents.

- Sometimes being pushed by a younger goalie will motivate the veteran. Other times it becomes a distraction for the entire team.

Analysis
The Caps loss in the second round to the eventual Cup winners, Pittsburgh Penguins, has left a rotten taste in their mouth. Ovie and his Caps aren’t going to be satisfied with anything less than a Cup final appearance. The problem being that heart and desire can only get you so far after that talent steps in. Defense has to be improved before they can make the next step.

Prediction: 3rd in the East

Topics: Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Jose Theodore, Mike Green, Mike Knuble, NHL Preview, Nicklas Backstrom, Simeon Varlamov, Washington Capitals