WASpage

Capital Gains Oct 28th

The Washington Capitals have jumped out to a 3-0-0-0 record to start the season and their second Rokhed Stanley Cup defense. With wins over the New York Islanders and the revamped Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes the Capitals have displayed a mixture of new line combinations yet the same old defense first effort. In three games the Capitals have only surrendered one goal with net minder Nikoli Khabibulin notching two shutouts and a sparse .330 GAA rating.

On the offensive side of things the Capitals leading score is none other then Alexei Kovalev with 3 goals and an assists, two goals being game winners. It�s apparent that the reuniting of the Russian line (Samsonov, Yashin and Kovalev) has been a
success to start the season. The other notable line changes from last seasons playoff run, head coach and general manager has given Oleg Petrov a shot on
the first line with Jason Allison and Owen Nolan. Petrov�s promotion to the first line and the reunion of the Russian line as the Capitals second line has left Dainus Zubrus skating on the checking line with Chris Simon and Kevyn Adams. Zubrus had success two seasons ago when acquired in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche playing on the checking line with Adams. With rumors so rampant these days, Zubrus could be finding time on with Allison and Nolan in no time if Petrov does not produce. Finally, the 4th line is composed of free agent signing Alexander Selivanov, rookie Andy Hilbert and Toby Petersen. Selivanov has turned into a great signing by the Capitals, after having a great preseason he has found himself playing point and wing on the first unit of the power play. Moreover, Selivanov can jump into a spot on the checking line or any other line if injuries arise.

The defense is as strong as ever at this point with the resigning of Bryan McCabe. Defensive stalwarts Wade Redden and Dimitri Yushcevich find themselves as the top defense unit in DC yet again. After active trade talks involving Dimitri Yushcevich for the better part of the off season, he seems to have yet again proved he is to valuable to let go. The second defensive unit sees Bryan McCabe joining Roman Hamrlik as the defensive anchors for the Russian line. The last defensive pair for the Capitals has Lubimir Visnosky and Mathieu Biron finding ice time with the checking line. Biron beat out Bryan Allen and Steve McCarthy for the 6th spot. Currently, the Capitals defense has two goals to their credit with one being a game winner scored by Wade Redden. From the looks of things, at this point the Capitals defensive corps is more involved in the offensive end.

With backup goaltender free agent signing Jeff Hackett in the wings to give Nikoli Khabibulin a rest when needed, the Capitals look in great shape at this early point in the season.

2002 - 2003
Depth Chart

- A RHN Exclusive Clubhouse -

Capitals Report Card Dec 31st

2002 - 2003
Payroll

Offence � A
To this point in the season the Capitals have been outstanding in the offensive end of the ice. With two solid scoring lines and increased production from the checking lines the Capitals have jumped out to lead the league in goals scored. Having a second line consisting of Alex Yashin, Sergie Samsonov, and Alex Kovalev, one would assume scoring wouldn�t be a problem. The Russian line has been outstanding and has continued to produce with the absence of Kovalev (out with post concussion syndrome). Off season signing Alex Selivanov has stepped right into the Right Wing position and has played well.   The first unit consisting of Oleg Petrov, Jason Allison and Owen Nolan provides a balanced attack and a good compliment to the speed and skill of the Russian line. Finally, the production of the shuffling third line has been a great bonus. Normally, looked on for solid defense; players such as Chris Simon, Dainus Zubrus, Kevyn Adams (when healthy) and Toby Petersen have managed to put goods numbers considering their checking role.   The other significant contribution to the offense this season has been the defense activating at the right times.

Defense � B+
As usual, the Capitals preach defense first and that remains head coach and general manager Will Bedinger�s philosophy. The Capitals have done a great jobbing limiting the number of quality shots along with a new effort to stay out of the penalty box this season. With a little shuffling in the defensive pairings, the Capitals have continued to play good defense and have increased their offensive role on the team. The pairing of Bryan McCabe and Roman Hamrlik has gelled with the Russian line forwards. Overall the Capitals defense has done well barring a few lapses here and there.

Goaltending � A+
What can we say, no matter how good of an offensive attack you can put out there and how great of a defensive effort the biggest factor in a teams success is their goaltending. So far the Capitals have had outstanding net minding by Nikoli Khabibulin and free agent signing Jeff Hackett. As many call him the Bulin Wall (Khabibulin) has been up to his shenanigans again, boasting a miniscule GAA and 4 shutouts on the year. Jeff Hackett has done nothing short but earns every penny of his signing bonus and salary to date. Coming in as an insurance policy, he has proved he is still a great goaltender in this league.   To date Hackett has put up impressive numbers with 4 wins and 1 loss in 6 games played, a great GAA and save percentage and 2 shutouts to top things off. Outside of a handful of off nights, both goaltenders are playing great.

Intangibles
Injures have caused some concern, yet players are stepping up and picking up the slack. With Alex Kovalev out indefinitely while recovering from post concussion syndrome, the Capitals are lacking one of the major offensive contributors and league leaders from the past two seasons. Combine Kovalev�s loss with the loss of defensive center Kevyn Adams to a torn MCL and minor injuries to the defense the question becomes whether the Capitals can survive any more injuries. So far things look good, but you never know what can happen these days.

Biggest Surprise
Offensive numbers have to be the biggest surprise in DC. Never really known as a team that put up big offensive numbers, the Capitals have broken out of that defensive shell and done just that. With Sergie Samsonov leading league in scoring and many others such as Yashin and Allison close by the Capitals seem to be rolling.    The other surprise has to be the production of the defense and the great goaltending Jeff Hackett has displayed in his starts.

Biggest Disappointment
Less then stellar Penalty Kill would be the biggest disappointment to date for the Capitals. Normally among the league leaders in killing penalties, the penalty kill has not been nearly as friendly this year.