Close, But No Cigar for Caps in 3-2 Loss To Devils

Though the Caps have now gone 0-2-2 in their last four, there were still silver linings to be had from Monday's game:

• What else is there to say about Alex Ovechkin? The Great 8 didn't find the net in regulation or the shootout, but he recorded 2 assists, and upped his hits to 20 on the season (which puts him near the top of the NHL -- only Ottawa's Chris Neil and the Rangers' Ryan Callahan have more). At a time where Boudreau keeps saying he needs his players to play as a team and not individuals, Ovie is doing exactly that.
• The Caps finally got a goal from a defenseman when Mike Green scored his. Hopefully, this starts a trend similar to his 31 goal-performance last year.
• People are still willing to make fun of the Redskins first. One fan's text that ran across the jumbotron read, "Who will score first, Varly or Jason Campbell?"
• Jose Theodore's goaltending was truly outstanding. He had some crazy stops on the Devils' 29 shots on goal, including one that looked Varly-esque. Granted, the Caps aren't helping him out with their inability to score on 5-on-3 advantages at the other end; but then again, Theodore got beat twice Monday in the shootout. Boudreau seems comfortable with him, so there's no indication that we'll see Varlamov too soon. One has to wonder, though, when Theodore's inability to get his team a W -- single-handedly or with help from the rest of the roster -- will stir up the starting goalie controversy again.

Above all else, though, Boudreau recognizes that his players need to restore confidence in their ability to stop the current schnide.

"It's the feeling of learning how to win again," Boudreau said of his team's mindset.