The Caps’ explosive offense left Florida Panthers winger Mike Duco so frustrated that hefelt the need to attack Caps left wing Alexandre Giroux. Duco was rightfully ejected,and the Caps won 6-2. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) 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…

Alex Semin was all over the ice Wednesday, helping Chris Clark andSemyon Varlamov push the Caps past the tricky Islanders. Photo by choofly. Welcome back, Captain Clark – with a little help from his trusty sidekicks Alex and Semyon, of course. Chris Clark was the eleventh Cap to take the ice in a shootout against the New York Islanders Wednesday night, and only the second Cap to score, but the captain’s tally was one…

Alexander Ovechkin and goalie Jose Theodore react to Ryan Callahan’s opening goalduring the second period of last night’s 4-3 loss. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) The most frustrating thing for a head coach may be when the team drops a game it should have won. Capitals boss Bruce Boudreau certainly showed some of that frustration after the Caps gave up a 3-2 lead against the Rangers with under ten minutes remaining in the third period…

Simeon Varlamov’s long trip from Hershey, PA meant he didn’t arrive in time to back up Brent Johnson when the puck dropped Friday against the Ottawa Senators. Instead, the Caps had to rely on team Web Producer and former Division III goalie Brett Leonhardt as their backup goalie for ten minutes of nail-biting NHL action. The Senators took every possible opportunity to try to hurt Johnson and get to Leonhardt, the only Division III goalie…

Usually at this time of year the Washington Capitals are a distant memory and an icy dream in the warm hearts of their fans. Today, though, we watched 14 likely team members (12 returning Capitals plus Karl Alzner and Jose Theodore) practice together at Kettler Capital Iceplex. This unusual level of commitment is a positive sign for a team on the rise. Even better, we are pleased to report that Caps captain Chris Clark looks…

Talented European prospects Jacub Klepis and Jame Pollock left the Washington Capitals’ farm team this week to play in Europe. The Capitals will no longer have to pay their salaries, but they will also no longer have them around to call up when their star players get injured. Klepis played half the season for Washington last year, gradually developing into a decent center, and showing signs that he could become more of an offensive force…

In the midst of trying to pull the Capitals out of last place, new coach Bruce Boudreau (2-1-1) has the challenge of finding enough playing time to let the young guys–and except for goalie Olaf Kolzig and a few free agents, they’re all young guys–develop to their potential. Boudreau has already won top marks from embedded blogger Mike Vogel for letting Steve Eminger play his second game of the season. It will be interesting to…

Three of the Capitals’ best five offensive players are still out with minor injuries. That’s the good news. The bad news is that, after being absolutely destroyed by the Carolina Hurricanes last night, the Caps are tied with the Atlanta Thrashers for the worst record in the East at 5-9-0. Last night’s loss would have been easier to explain if the Caps were missing ten, or maybe twenty of their best players. Two Hurricanes scored…

It’s getting hard to keep track of what to think about the Capitals this year. At the beginning of the year, they won three straight games, and even spent an hour as the league’s first place team. Then they lost a few, won one, and tried losing again. Last night, in what should have been a hopeless battle against a hot team, they put together a seven to one victory over the grammatically challenged…

Written by DCist contributor Eli Resnick The Capitals are on a “mostly winning streak.” Why? How? What’s a “mostly winning streak?” Who cares! They’re doing good. But first there’s some bad news: Alexander Semin left the ice late in the third period doubled over with pain. A possible shoulder injury could make it painful for Semin to shoot. We don’t want to see Semin’s shots dribble weakly to the crease, do we? No! We want…