Thanksgiving recipe: Just add chocolate.

Returning home from our vacation in Montreal, we headed to the Phone Booth last night to see the Caps seek some revenge for their season opening loss to the Atlanta Thrashers. Since that initial defeat, the Caps had not dropped a game to other Southeast Division rivals, and were looking to not only extend that streak, but to snap a three game losing skid from their previous west coast road trip. Listening to XM on the way to the game, we were surprised to learn that Chris Bourque, Karl Alzner, Sami Lepisto and Graham Mink had all been recalled from Hershey to fill an injury depleted Caps roster. With Chris Clark and Jeff Schultz out on LTIR, an opportunity was presented for these four athletes to show the NHL what they have to offer - especially Alzner, who would be making his NHL debut.

With a 5-3 victory, the Caps took the much deserved two points, and continued to be dominant on home ice. Alex Ovechkin shifted gears and notched his first hat trick of the season, whilst adding an assist on a goal by Viktor Kozlov. The prettiest goal of the evening, however, came from Eric Fehr, who scored on a sensational tic-tac-toe play from Tomas Fleischmann and Michael Nylander. Kudos to Fehr for his performance this season - I was a tad worried about his future with the organization when he was consistently scratched from the line-up throughout October.

Other players worthy of recognition from last nights performance include Graham Mink, Matt Bradley and Tom Poti. All three worked hard out on the ice, and helped the team to secure the victory. Props also to #60, who looked much more comfortable last night, and could only really be criticized for the third Thrasher goal, which I am sure he would have liked to have had back. Overall, a good performance from the Caps who were clearly feeling the effects of both jet lag and a lack of chemistry between the Caps regulars and the Chocolatetown boys who were called up with such little notice.

Halloween came early at the Verizon Center

October 31st may be a few days away, but the contest between the Capitals and the Predators certainly scared me at times, and left me with a few tricks and treats to post about here today - more on that in a moment.


I stopped by at the Kettler complex for the morning skate, and was surprised to see Eric Fehr being singled out and put through his paces. Fehr has not seen much ice time this season, and I'm curious to know what the underlying issues are here. Obviously he cannot be sent down to the AHL without clearing waivers, and the Caps would certainly not want to lose him for nothing in return. Fehr took a beating yesterday morning, and although he participated in pre-game warm-ups, he was scratched from the line-up against the Predators.


I would like to say thank you to Tyler Sloan for sharing a little of his time with me yesterday. As a Hershey Bears fan, I am always happy to see one of the boys get his opportunity with the Caps, and I'm sure that Tyler is happy to blend in easily with the crowd.


But what about those tricks and treats from last nights game? Here are some observations made from the stands:


Tricks:

A 2 point night, but a game that should have been won in regulation. The first Predators goal was soft, and Theodore should have made the save. Many commentators state that Theodore will calm down and improve as the game goes on, but those early goals against are killing us.


I am not entirely sold on the ability of Jeff Schultz. His playmaking in the defensive zone is often hit and miss, with some soft puck clearances that never leave the zone, and some questionable positioning at times. With his huge frame, and increased muscular bulk, he has the tools to be an effective hard-hitting defender; yet fails to capitalize on that opportunity. Play harder Jeff - please!!!!! Prove my observations wrong, I beg you!!!


I won't visit the school of bad officiating today, as the crowd at the Verizon Center pretty much voiced my concerns last night. Ref, indeed you sucked with some of those plays that deserved a whistle and a two minute minor.



Treats:

The most notable treat was that Ovechkin's absence did not affect the outcome. I would imagine that the late Nashville goal to tie the game in the third period led to several journalists already preparing their "Cannot win without the Great 8" headlines. It was good to see others take the lead.


David Steckel played a stellar game last night. The obvious highlight was his short-handed goal, but every minute of his ice time was productive and well played. While the 3 stars are often awarded on a points and goal-count basis, Steckel deserved to be the number one star last night in my opinion.


We have great talent in the shoot-out pool - especially as the likes of Federov, Gordon and Steckel did not have to come out and take a shot at Ellis. While Theodore was a little shaky in regulation, he got the job done in the shoot-out, and I thank him for that. Let's just hope that he can provide some consistency and not have the crowds at the Verizon Center trembling in fear when the puck is bouncing around the net.




Overall, a win is a win, and I'll take it - but the Caps have a lot of work to do. Chemistry, timing, and improvements to the PP need lots of work at times. Fortunately, some of the breaks went our way, and we came out victorious. But I'll be happier still when this team can find that rhythm and truly unleash the fury.