Knuble, Ovechkin Shine In 6-2 Offensive Explosion
Mike Knuble, seen here battling defenseman Jason Collins at training camp,
made a serious claim for top-line billing with two goals against Chicago last night.
Photo by photopete
The Caps' roster may be leaner (six cuts Tuesday trimmed the roster down to 36) but it showed some serious muscle offensively and defensively in a 6-2 preseason win over Chicago Wednesday at the Verizon Center.
Alex Ovechkin and Mike Knuble had two goals and an assist each, and Nicklas Backstrom and defenseman Tyler Sloan (who was called up from Hershey last year and played 26 games for the Caps) each added a goal. There's been a lot of debate about who is going to fill the open spot on the first line with Ovechkin and Backstrom, and, frankly, games like Wednesdays make it even more difficult to call. Consider this: the top two candidates, Alexander Semin and Knuble, had two goals and four assists between them Wednesday, working with any combination of Backstrom, Ovie, and each other.
Head coach Bruce Boudreau, notably sporting a shirt and tie that looked suspiciously close to purple in color, commented on the possibility of an 'Alex, Alex, Nicky' line during his post-game presser: "They're a line that I don't think will stay together for 82 games, but...when they're on and they're not just looking for each other to be fancy, they're a pretty unique, skilled line."
Boudreau still refused, however, to commit to an A-line until the Caps' first regular season game, one week from today. He's just as coy about the Caps' final decisions on defense, saying that all 10 of the defensemen left on the roster could play on a regular basis in the NHL.
In goal, Boudreau seemed pretty comfortable hinting Varlamov would stay with the Caps come October (while Boudreau has consistently said Theodore is #1, Varlamov and Hershey Bears goalie Michal Neuvirth are both still on the roster). Varlamov was in the net Wednesday night and looked sharp, with Chicago's only two goals against him coming on power plays. If his reception from the fans Wednesday is any indication, Varlamov should be feeling comfortable enough within the Caps organization to put his feet up on Ted Leonsis' desk come October.
Overall, Wednesday's offensive firepower was a welcome change after Monday's 2-1 loss against Buffalo. The Caps play two more preseason games -- both against the Rangers -- on Thursday and Sunday before kicking off their regular season at Boston on October 1.