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Thrashers beat Caps 1-0, Shutout Number Seven
ovechkinGoingDown

Here’s a picture of Ovechkin eating snow for the billionth time. (Photo credit: Scott Cunningham)

To all our friends stuck on the roads during this crazy #thundersnow storm, safe travels. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.

So the final game for the Washington Capitals before the All-Star break found them meeting the Atlanta Thrashers in the not-so-balmy temperatures of Georgia. It did not go well.

Nik Antropov settled a lucky bounce in the Caps zone, leading to an easy goal against Semyon Varlamov. That was it. No other goals. Shutout for Ondrej Pavelec. Thrashers beat Caps 1-0.

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By Peter Hassett 13 years ago

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Matt Hendricks Brings Grit, Grime, Dekes to the Caps
Hendricks Stretches

[Editor’s note: Russian Machine Never Breaks is delighted to welcome Chris Gordon of Caps Snaps to the team. Chris is an accomplished photographer and interviewer,  so he should make the rest of the staff look bad on a regular basis.]

The Washington Capitals have been struggling to score lately. Players that could be relied on for goals in the past have looked off their game, and the team’s power play has been anemic. One bright spot, however, has come an unlikely source: forward Matt Hendricks. He has had goals in each of his last two games including two deke-tastic tallies, one against the Leafs on Saturday and one in the shootout against the Rangers Monday night at Verizon Center.

“I knew he was going to do that move,” said Capitals goalie Braden Holtby, who doesn’t expect opposing teams to catch on anytime soon. “He’s done it to me three or four times in practice and still scored. It took me a while to figure it out. I don’t how much video guys are going to do on Matt Hendricks,” he added with a laugh.

The 29 year-old Hendricks has become a fan favorite in Washington this season with his enthusiasm, toughness and a nasty black eye that HBO made famous.

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By Chris Gordon 13 years ago

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Rangers beat Caps 2-1 (SO), Offense M.I.A.
hendySO

Matt Hendricks celebrates his shoot-out goal. (Photo credit: Mitchell Layton)

Last time the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers met, well… it was bad. But we had higher hopes for tonight and a rejuvenated Caps offense.  Aside from Matt Hendricks and the superb Braden Holtby, we got disappointed big time.

Matt Hendricks found the perfect spot to receive a surgical pass from Marcus Johansson and turn it into a goal. Then, late in the third, Marian Gaborik scored a greasy goal following a series of puck bounces and deflections that only the Large Hadron Collider could map. And so we headed into overtime, which has been famously unkind to the Caps lately. The five-minute, four-on-four period was exciting but scoreless, and so the gimmick beckoned. The Capitals lasted until the fourth round, when Martin Biron rebuffed Marcus Johansson and Artem Anisimov beat Braden Holtby with alacrity. A lazy loss. Rangers beat Caps 2-1 (SO).

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By Peter Hassett 13 years ago

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Should We Be Concerned About Brooks Laich?
Brooks Laich

Photo credit: Joel Auerbach

Before the season began, a lot of people were looking for Brooks Laich to “turn it on” in his contract year. After three straight years of scoring 20 goals or more, many felt we would see his game taken to the next level. His season up to this point:

Instance G A PTS S TOI
Laich through 49 games 9 18 27 116 889
proj 82 games 15 30 45 194 1488

So far, underwhelming. Or is it?

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By 13 years ago

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Prospect Watch Extra: Caps Prospects Shine in 2011 WJC
Evgeny Kuznetsov drives hard to the net

Photo credit: BuffaloWorldJuniors.com

As we already wrote, the Caps were well represented in 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship, sporting five prospects in the tournament. Philipp Grubauer played on the weak German team and Patrick Wey had a situational role on the bronze-medal USA squad.  The other three Caps prospects played in the finals and each had great success in the tournament. So what did they do in the gold medal game? Here is our look at their best moments.

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By 13 years ago

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Prospect Watch: Russians Win WJC, Eakin Gets Traded
RMNB Prospect Watch

Ed. note – Fedor Fedin and Roman Piontkovsky of GlobalCapsFans live to dish out salacious gossip about those players orbiting just out side the Capitals’ exosphere. Here is your sorta bi-weekly edition about kids in the Caps system (CHL, USHL, NCAA, KHL, TL;DR).  It’s Prospect Watch!

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By 13 years ago

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Alex Ovechkin’s Hat Trick Leads Caps Over Leafs, 4-1
Alex Ovechkin nets a hat trick against in the Leafs.

GROUP HUG! (Photo credit: Abelimages)

Braden Holtby stones Tyler Bozak on a breakaway. (Photo credit: Graig Abel)

Braden Holtby stones Tyler Bozak on a breakaway. (Photo credit: Graig Abel)

The last time the Capitals played on Hockey Night in Canada, they destroyed the Calgary Flames 7-2 on October 30th, 2010. Coincidentally, it was also the last time that The Great Eight had a multi-goal game.

Eighty-four days and thirty-eight NHL games later, that streak would finally end for Ovechkin against a team he consistently has success against: the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Tonight, the Capitals managed to get on the board first for the second consecutive game. Jeff Schultz unleashed a howitzer from the point, and a hard-charging Russian Machine tipped Sarge’s shot past Maple Leafs’ goaltender, Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Despite both teams combining for forty shots through the games first two periods, scoring would not resume until the third.

One minute into the games final’s frame, Ovechkin would strike again, as he set up shop in his new home in front of the net. Unfortunately, the two-goal lead would only last a minute and a half. Leafs’ fourth-liner Tim Brent ended Braden Holtby’s shutout bid, going five-hole after Jay Rosehill’s shot from the point was muffled. The Leafs then astutely seized the momentum and came at the Caps in waves for the next several minutes. That is until Bruce Boudreau wisely called time-out after an icing call.

Matt Hendricks then scored the most beautiful goal of his career on a breakaway and Ovi’s ENHTG (empty net hat-trick goal) sealed the deal. Caps win 4-1.

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By Ian Oland 13 years ago

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Introducing: Feed The Machine
Feed The Machine

One of the things we love about Russian Machine is how engaged and creative our audience (that’s you!) is. All that artwork and those guest posts are among the very best work we’ve ever published here, and we want to keep that going. So we’ve invented a new column that requires your help.

Helmed by Neil Greenberg, Feed the Machine is our version of the “Dear Abby” column, except crazier. Here’s how it works: you email us your thoughts about anything. Maybe you have a question about those impenetrable statistics (PDO, what’s that?) or an observation you’d like to share on Joe Beninati’s wardrobe. Maybe you’d like us to demystify the arcana of AHL-NHL eligibility rules.  Maybe you need dating advice and it hasn’t occurred to you that we’re the worst possible people to ask.  Whatever. Just drop us a line, and we’ll get back to you– by writing about it on here on the site.

The lines are open, and operators are standing by to take your call.

Let’s get it started.

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By 13 years ago

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The Machinist: January 21, 2011

This week we created the Russian Machine tumblr site. We promise never to post anything not completely pointless there. Hop on over, giggle at silly photoshop jobs, and carry on with your day.

219 people reached the site looking for Ovechtrick, and all of them were disappointed. 27 people were looking for Charissa Thompson, and I guess they took a wrong turn somewhere.

SHOE alert: Do yourself a favor and read Kathryn’s recap of Hershey’s shutout SHOOTOUT (my bad!) loss to Lake Erie. Kyle’s photo of Holtby pouting in the paint is priceless.

Now, let’s do the Machinist.

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By Peter Hassett 13 years ago

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Caps beat Isles 2-1, but the Cake is a Lie
chimmerscores

The top line converts, but Ovechkin is pretty mellow. (Photo credit: Lou Capozzola)

I know a special place. A magical place. A place where the beer flows like wine. Where normal men are giants, and struggling hockey teams play like they’ve never been better.  A place called Long Island.

The Washington Capitals spent the evening in that benign growth of land dangling unloved off the mainland. There they met the New York Islanders (29th in the league in… oh let’s just say everything). But the Caps didn’t play down to their competition. Instead they looked like the studs we know deep down they really are. But looks can be deceiving.

Nick Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin delivered a masterful possession that Jason Chimera finished off from the goal mouth. Backstrom then broke his 21-game goalless streak by cleaning up an Ovechkin rebound. On a rail, NYI’s Michael Grabner beat John Carlson’s coverage and Braden Holtby’s read to put the Islanders on the board, but the third period was scoreless. Caps beat Isles 2-1.

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By Peter Hassett 13 years ago

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