853 Days

"What is how long it has been since the lockout ended, Alex?"

On October 5, 2005, the NHL resumed regular season play with all 30 teams in action. That night was heralded around the league as the debut of Sidney Crosby. Alex Ovechkin played his first game that night as well, scoring a pair of goals as the Capitals defeated the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets by a score of 3-2. 28 months later, the Caps are finally going to Columbus as part of the NHL's unbalanced schedule. I don't know about you, but that is a looooong time between games.

Of the Capitals that are taking to the ice tonight, here is a complete list of those that played the last time these two teams tangled:

Alexander Ovechkin
Matt Bradley
Olaf Kolzig
Shoane Morrisonn
Boyd Gordon

We all know that the NHL's unbalanced schedule is to blame for this, and we all know that the reason the NHL created the unbalanced schedule was to create rivalries among teams that are closer to each other geographically. But think for a second. Of the four other teams in the Capitals' division, only the Carolina Hurricanes are closer to Washington than Columbus. But I won't begrudge the team a couple of trips to Florida in the middle of winter. I'm just glad the Caps will get to go off to far away Columbus more than once every three years now.

Caps Announce Preseason/Regular Season schedules!

From a press release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Washington Capitals 2007 preseason schedule features seven games against four opponents and includes three home games at Verizon Center.

The Caps play their first three preseason games on the road and open the preseason schedule at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 16, at the Carolina Hurricanes. Washington’s preseason home opener is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25, when Carolina visits Verizon Center for a 7 p.m. game.

In addition to playing Carolina twice, the Caps also have a home-and-home series with the Philadelphia Flyers and the Ottawa Senators during the preseason. Washington also travels to Tampa Bay.

So that takes care of the presseason.

For the regular season, check out the Caps' schedule at NHL.com

Let's be honest about a couple of things . . .

The Caps beat two solid teams this past week in Dallas and Buffalo, but let's try to keep our feet on the ground. Both teams had played games the previous night while the Caps rested. Dallas had to travel to DC from Chicago, and Buffalo traveled from upstate New York after an extended game against the Rangers.

This upcoming week the Caps play the Senators on Wednesday. The Caps will be resting while the Senators play on Long Island on Tuesday night. On Friday the Caps play the Ducks, who are now only mighty when one is describing their play. The Ducks also play Wednesday, but then have to fly across the country, and those of us that travel know how much fun it is to travel three time zones East.

The point is, a lot of Caps fans are patting themselves on the back saying "these are the types of games playoff teams like to win." I'm here to say these are the types of games that playoff teams have to win. When you catch a tired opponent, you put them away early, and don't let them in the game for a second. That's what the Caps have done against Buffalo and barely did against Dallas. Will this trend continue when a hot Ottawa team rolls in on Wednesday? We'll see. I doubt we'll see a repeat of the last time the Sens were in town.