What happened to the Washington Capitals in its loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday? According to team owner Ted Leonsis, his guys looked "flat" during the game. more ›

The Capitals knocked off the 2011 Stanley Cup champions after beating the Boston Bruins 2-1 in Game 7 of the first round of the NHL Playoffs on an overtime goal by fourth-line forward Joel Ward. more ›

This morning, Dale Hunter was announced as the new head coach of the Washington Capitals. more ›

Yes, it's hockey season again. more ›

Just moments ago a final buzzer rang in Gallery Place, a clarion call signaling the Washington Capital's' berth into the second round of the NHL playoffs. It took five games -- two more than the past five playoff series since 2008 -- to move past the New York Rangers 3-1 at the Verizon Center. Until most of the way through the third period the Caps were up 3-0, thanks to an Ovechkin second period goal in the second period and a series of third period saves by Neuvirth. The Rangers were able to throw up a single tick on the score board with a sixth-man goal with 31.5 sceonds remaining. more ›

Sure, we probably could pound out a few hundred words about the Capitals' epic comeback from 3-0 down against the Rangers in Madison Square Garden last night. (After all, the campaign to dub the rally and Jason Chimera's double overtime game-winner as the "Miracle on 34th Street" appears to be picking up steam.) But this image, taken from the back cover of this morning's New York Daily News, just wraps things up perfectly. more ›

For being such a rugged sport, hockey sure does require a certain set of conditions in order to be played optimally and without interruption -- namely, it needs to be chilly and clear. So there are some concerns about the upcoming Winter Classic, the NHL's annual New Year's Day showcase game which, this year, will be played outdoors at Pittsburgh's Heinz Field and contested between the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins. more ›

Well, that certainly crept up on us -- the Capitals face off with the Atlanta Thrashers this evening to kick off their 2010-11 season. To think, it's been only a few months since we were licking our wounds as Jaroslav Halak ripped out Washington's collective heart and spit on the Caps' record regular season. We know it's Friday afternoon, so here's some images from last weekend's fan convention to get you ready. more ›

This week, the Capitals are hosting their annual development camp for top prospects in the system. One of these is goalie Braden Holtby, whose resume has filled out significantly since we last chatted with him during training camp in 2009. Holtby started the season in net for the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays and finished with a Calder Cup in Hershey. He also got five call-ups to the Capitals last year, though he didn't get any time on the ice. DCist caught up with Holtby this week to see what he's learned from last year. more ›

Tonight at 7 p.m. you can watch the first round of the NHL draft on Vs. In a week where the Caps have received some of their annual propers with one of two available MVP awards (Alexander Ovechkin), comeback player of the year (former Capital Jose Theodore), and first team NHL all star nods (Ovechkin and defenseman Mike Green), this is just one more reliable sign that summer is here and hockey isn't. more ›

It became official today: the Washington Capitals will get to play the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2011 Winter Classic at Heinz Field. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also promised a Winter Classic will come to Washington, D.C. within the next two to three years. more ›

It's not as hard as netting a game-winner or facing down Steve Downie (after all, we can't all be Matt Bradley), but covering the NHL's top team during the regular season is a pressure-filled assignment for the Washington media. Since we get to cast judgments and analyze the Capitals' play all year, it only seemed fair to ask the players themselves how well we -- the media -- have performed this season. more ›

With a 3-2 overtime victory on Monday night against the Boston Bruins, the Washington Capitals notched their 52nd win of the season and added even more points to their already-clinched Presidents' Trophy haul. For the Caps, the road to the Stanley Cup is now paved with advantages as the league's number one seed. But Washington also has a chance to make the playoff stretch miserable for currently seventh-seeded Boston and the in-contention Atlanta Thrashers, each of whom have to come to Verizon Center during the final week of the regular season. more ›

When Matt Bradley put the puck in the net in the third period of Thursday's game against Atlanta Thrashers goalie Ondrej Pavelec, he accomplished two things: his team had their first game-winning goal in four games, and Bradley tied his NHL career high of nine goals in a season. more ›

Going 0-1-2 in your past three games isn't the worst stat in the books, but it's certainly unusual for the league-leading Washington Capitals. After losing 5-4 to the Ottawa Senators in overtime last night, the Capitals traced their problems back to poor performance in the first period -- a recurring problem in their last three outings. more ›

Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports today that, contrary to earlier rumors that Washington is leading the pack to host the 2011 NHL Winter Classic, Pittsburgh's Heinz Field, home to the Pittsburgh Steelers, is "likely" to host the game between the Penguins and the Capitals next January. Though neither the league nor the Penguins will confirm anything at this point, Molinari reports that things are "falling into place" and "the larger seating capacity at Heinz Field" is a major selling point for the league. more ›

Thanks to those of us who think hockey is the coolest thing since the Ice Age, Wednesday's matchup -- the NHL-best Washington Capitals against the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins -- was in danger of being the most over-analyzed 60 minutes yet in 2010. more ›

If first impressions are everything, then D.C. should be head over heels in love with new Washington Capital Scott Walker. more ›

The 2010 playoff-edition Washington Capitals are here, and they are here to cause pain. You might not recognize all four of the Caps' latest acquisitions, but no one will recognize you when they get through with you. The departing Brian Pothier, for all his previous experience with post-concussion syndrome, will be happy he doesn't have to hit the Kettler ice with this bunch. more ›

The Washington Capitals are the best team in the NHL's eastern conference, and the hottest in the league, only a few games removed from a franchise-record fourteen game winning streak. They have scored the most goals in the NHL by a margin of half a goal per game, and their defense is distinctly middle of the road. It's only fitting, then, that as they approach the NHL's 3pm deadline for trades in the 2009-10 season, they have added... two veteran forwards? more ›

Scuttlebutt began to swirl over Twitter yesterday that Washington will host next season's NHL Winter Classic, the league's marquee regular-season, New Year's Day outdoor showcase and historical celebration of all things hockey. The excitement was based on a report by the New England Hockey Journal which learned from sources that the Capitals are "a favorite" to host the game at Nationals Park. The opponent is obviously up in the air (as it all is), but the no-brainer choice would be Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. more ›

Right now, your average Capitals fans is as happy as a lobbyist with a wad of cash to spend. Their team is riding the best winning streak in franchise history. Alex Ovechkin is crashing every NHL goalie's party and leading the league in goals, points, and plus-minus, with his teammates cracking the top five in two of those categories. more ›

You'd have to be a Vulcan to begrudge Alex Ovechkin his Wayne Gretzky arm pump after scoring what turned out to be the game-winning goal against Tampa Bay on Sunday. more ›

The Caps' winning streak is getting ridiculous. They've won nine straight (something the Redskins haven't done since 1991), and their most recent win -- 4-1 Friday against the Florida Panthers -- came against the goalie with the second best save percentage in the NHL. more ›

Coach Bruce Boudreau knows Alexander Semin, who had a goal and three assists in the Capitals' 4-2 win over Phoenix Saturday, has been playing well recently. Boudreau told reporters after Saturday's game that he attributed it to a solid power play (the Caps lead the league in power play percentage) and the lines being able to stick together. more ›

Our twitter timeline just about exploded a few minutes ago, when word broke that Alexander Ovechkin will be taking over as captain of the Washington Capitals. Ovechkin will be the 14th captain in team history, taking over for Chris Clark, who was traded to Columbus last week. The Caps had any number of legitimate contenders for the honors, but Ovechkin was the likely selection. On the opportunity, Oveckin told the Post that "[i]f the team's going to trust me, and going to let me, why not?" -- it should be a fun regime. more ›

Cam Ward probably won't be sending Alexander Semin a Christmas card anytime soon. more ›

The Capitals-Panthers game was less than 10 minutes old Thursday night when one fan was already shouting, "come on, [Alex] Semin, make us happy to see you." By the end of the period, Semin -- playing in his first game since November 14 -- delivered, scoring his first of two goals, as the Caps beat the Panthers 6-2. more ›

Semyon Varlamov earned his first shutout of the season Wednesday night, and it couldn't have come at a better time. more ›

The Washington Capitals scored first, but the Montreal Canadiens scored more and won 3-2 on Friday night at the Verizon Center. more ›