Ovi Jr. waved to Capitals players from the tunnel as they went out onto the ice

Alex Ovechkin didn’t play in the Capitals’ first game of the preseason, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have an active night.

The Capitals captain served as a babysitter of his three-year-old son and watched the game with Sergei from the club level. Later in the night, Ovechkin revealed on his Instagram Story that he gave Sergei an important job: a Capitals player greeter.

Ovi took Sergei down to the tunnel to wave to the players as they went out onto the ice.

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By Ian Oland 12 hours ago

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Dylan McIlrath ejected for headshot on Steven Fogarty

The Washington Capitals signed defenseman Dylan McIlrath over the offseason to give the team more snarl and size on the backend with Zdeno Chara and Brenden Dillon departing the team.

Sunday, McIlrath showed off his physicality, but not in the best way. While trying to deliver a big hit to Steven Fogarty 35 seconds into the third period, McIlrath clipped the Bruins forward in the head with his right arm.

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By Ian Oland 14 hours ago

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Alex Ovechkin is watching the Capitals’ preseason game with his son Sergei

The Washington Capitals are taking on the Boston Bruins in their first preseason game of the year on Sunday.

While the Caps’ roster on the ice consisted mostly of prospects and bubble players, some of the team’s veterans were at the game anyway and sat in the crowd of Capital One Arena.

Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin was one of those veterans. He sat with his teammates in the club level, but in a row to himself. That’s because he had a special guest with him at the game he wanted to tutor: his son, Sergei Ovechkin.

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By Ian Oland 15 hours ago

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Highlights from the Capitals’ 3-2 (SO) preseason loss to the Bruins

The Washington Capitals lost to the visiting Boston Bruins, 3-2 in a shootout. The game marked Washington’s first game of the preseason.

Herndon native Joe Snively kicked off the scoring in the first period before Jake DeBrusk returned the favor later in the period. New Boston addition Erik Haula would deflect a shot in the front of the net to put the Bs ahead in the second, 2-1. That lead would last until Garrett Pilon backhanded a shot into the back of the net that sent the game to overtime. The Capitals eventually fell in the shootout.

Peter Laviolette’s lineup consisted of players who are mostly prospects and AHL players, but some Capitals stars played like Tom Wilson, Lars Eller, Dmitry Orlov, and Vitek Vanecek.

Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre were both impressive during their first appearances in the lineup.

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By Ian Oland 16 hours ago

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Evgeny Kuznetsov plans to use his tumultuous last season as motivation: ‘The goal is for me to get my smile back in the game’

Evgeny Kuznetsov was the Washington Capitals’ leading scorer during their Stanley Cup championship run in 2018 and looked prime to soar into superstardom in subsequent years. Instead, Kuznetsov’s effectiveness on the ice has waned with higher expectations and a bigger contract. A lack of discipline derailed Kuznetsov’s first season under new coach Peter Laviolette, which saw him contract COVID-19 twice and miss 17 out of 61 games in the regular season and playoffs combined. Kuznetsov was suspended by the team for disciplinary reasons, and eventually, landed in offseason trade rumors as the Capitals reportedly became tired of the center’s antics.

But now, after not finding a trade partner, Kuznetsov is back. And after spending the entire summer stateside, Kuznetsov says he is completely healthy and ready to use last year as motivation.

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By Chris Cerullo 19 hours ago

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Jakub Vrana hurts shoulder ten minutes into first Red Wings practice

A mid-April trade between the Capitals and Red Wings last season sent Jakub Vrana to Detroit and brought Anthony Mantha to DC. Vrana, who only just returned stateside due to visa issues, was primed to start his first Training Camp with the Red Wings until things quickly veered off track.

Vrana hurt his shoulder only ten minutes into his first practice of the season.

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By Chris Cerullo 21 hours ago

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Michal Kempny suffered three traumatic injuries to his left leg in three years. Now he’s back healthy and pain-free. ‘It means a lot to be here.’

Michal Kempny was the Capitals’ key acquisition down the stretch that helped them become Stanley Cup champions in 2018. Since then, Kempny’s impact has waned as three consecutive injuries to his left leg have paused what appeared to be a promising future.

The trouble all started for Kempny in March 2019, when he suffered a freak injury in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Kempny tore his left hamstring after being wrestled to the ice during a scrum. The tear ended Kempny’s season, forced him to go under the knife, and delayed his start in 2019-20.

After playing 58 of 69 games that next year but was never quite himself, Kempny tore his Achilles in the Czech Republic during the offseason and missed all of the NHL’s 2020-21 season. As the defenseman neared a return nearly a half a year later around playoffs time, he injured his left leg again while rehabbing in Hershey during a freak accident with an ice shoveler. “Shit happens,” a demoralized Kempny wrote on Instagram after the incident occurred.

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By Ian Oland 1 day ago

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Fan breaks down in tears after Max Scherzer signs autographs, high-fives him on 12th birthday

Former Nationals’ ace Max Scherzer is going viral on social media after a kind gesture he made towards a fan at Dodger Stadium, Saturday night.

Scherzer saw a young fan named Cruz holding a sign along the railing. Scherzer came up and not only autographed the kid’s sign, he also signed him a baseball as well.

Cruz was so overwhelmed that Scherzer stopped for him that he broke down in tears.

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By Ian Oland 2 days ago

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Ryan Reaves is teaching his Rangers teammates how to fight four days into Training Camp

The New York Rangers didn’t acquire Ryan Reaves because of Tom Wilson, according to Ryan Reaves, but I’m getting more and more skeptical by the hour.

Saturday, the Rangers posted an update of what Reaves was doing in camp.

He was teaching his new teammates how to fight.

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By Ian Oland 2 days ago

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Capitals announce lineup for first preseason game of the year

The Washington Capitals will take on the Boston Bruins on Sunday at 5 PM, marking their first game of the preseason.

The Capitals will dress a group that combines a small number of veteran players with mostly prospects and bubble players.

The team will be led by Tom Wilson. Other high-profile players to get a jersey will be Lars Eller, Daniel Sprong, Connor McMichael, Dmitry Orlov, Martin Fehervary, and Vitek Vanecek.

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By Ian Oland 2 days ago

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