Go Time

This is it, Caps fans.  The journey continues tonight.  It's game time. One win down, fifteen to go.

Updates from the Morning Skate

The Washington Capitals were on ice this morning at 10 for their pre-game skate before tonight's game two against the Rangers.  Some updates from Kettler Capitals Iceplex:

The big news out of the morning skate today is that Dennis Wideman skated for the first time since his injury before the rest of his teammates.  Wideman was not in full pads, but he was able to shoot and put himself through some skating maneuvers. Bruce Boudreau sounded very optimistic about a possible return, saying he could come back by the end of this series if it goes long enough.
As expected, Michal Neuvirth has been confirmed as the starter in goal for the Caps tonight.
Bruce Boudreau will keep the same lineup from Wednesday night's win.  That means that DJ King, Tyler Sloan, Sean Collins, Jay Beagle, and Eric Fehr will all be healthy scratches.  Tom Poti and Dennis Wideman are still out.
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On the New York side, Henrik Lundqvist has been confirmed as tonight's starter (in other breaking news, the sky is blue today).
There is one big lineup change, as Mats Zuccarello will be scratched after playing in game one.  He will be replaced by pest Sean Avery.  Steve Eminger will be remain a healthy scratch.

That's all for now.  Check back after the game.
Information from Sky Kerstein was used in this post.

Gameday: vs. NY Rangers, Apr. 15 - Round One, Game Two

Karl Alzner eats a shot late in game one.

The Washington Capitals will welcome the New York Rangers to Verizon Center tonight for game two of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series.  The Capitals hold a 1-0 lead in the series, having won game one, 2-1, deep into the first overtime period on Wednesday night. Alexander Semin scored the game-winning goal for Washington in a physical, fast-paced game.  Tonight is a big game for both teams, as the Capitals will look to hold home-ice advantage while the Rangers will look to avoid falling into a 2-0 hole in the series before it heads to Madison Square Garden over the weekend.

John Tortorella will roll with Henrik Lundqvist in nets for the twenty-eighth consecutive game tonight.  Lundqvist was superb on Wednesday, making 31 saves and playing very well early to prevent the Caps from taking an early lead. On the injury front, the Rangers are still without alternate captain Ryan Callahan, who it out with a broken ankle.  Steve Eminger and Sean Avery, both healthy scratches in game one, are expected to remain so tonight.

For the Capitals, Michal Neuvirth will get the nod in nets for the second game in a row.  In game one he turned in an admirable performance for a playoff debut, making 24 saves, many of them huge, for the win.  Outside of the crease, Bruce Boudreau is expected to keep the same lineup from his game one victory, which means that DJ King, Jay Beagle, Tyler Sloan, Sean Collins, and Eric Fehr will all be scratched, although Boudreau may give Fehr a chance in Jason Chimera's spot.  Tom Poti and Dennis Wideman remain out with a groin injury and hematoma, respectively.

Puck drops for this one 7:38-ish.  Check back for updates from the morning skates of both teams later this morning.

Sasha Power

If anything could ever be "lost" in last night's win, it was that Alexander Semin scored his first playoff goal in almost two years to win the game.  Much has been made of Semin's struggles in the playoffs over the last two seasons, but at least for one night, the Russian Enigma managed to silence the doubters.
By the way, the best part of this video is by far the Craig Laughlin analysis.

Practice: Apr. 14

The Washington Capitals were on ice this morning at 11 for a practice following last night's thrilling 2-1 OT win over the Rangers.  Some updates from Kettler Capitals Iceplex:

Today was an optional practice, and many of the Caps' top forwards took the day off.  The following players skated: Varlamov, Alzner, Hendricks, King, Beagle, Chimera, Schultz, Bradley, Fehr, Erskine, Collins, Neuvirth, Carlson, and Green.
Of note here is that Mike Green was on the ice after not only playing almost 30 minutes last night, but also taking a few huge hits during the game.  He says he feels great and he looks like it too.  Welcome back, Greenie.
Also important here is that Tom Poti was not on the ice, and Bruce Boudreau said that he was sore from being worked so hard in the post-practice scratches skate yesterday.  Boudreau mentioned that Poti is getting close to being ready, but likely won't crack the lineup unless another Caps defenseman gets injured because he hasn't played in almost four months.  Fair enough.

That's all from a relatively quiet day at KCI.  More later today.
Information from Sky Kerstein was used in this post.