Nick Backstrom

Alex Ovechkin says reaching the 600-goal milestone will be difficult. Nicklas Backstrom thinks he’ll do it tonight.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is nearing his 600th career goal, a milestone only 19 other NHL players have ever reached.

Sitting at career goal number 598, Ovechkin spoke to Anaheim Ducks media and remained humble about the two goals he still needs to score.

Nicklas Backstrom wasn’t having any of it.

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Cure your playoff anxiety with photos from Tuesday’s practice

The Washington Capitals held their first playoff practice on Tuesday morning at Kettler. It was John Carlson’s first practice back with the team, and although Barry Trotz wouldn’t confirm or deny if Carlson would play on Thursday, he took rushes with Karl Alzner during practice on Wednesday.

The practice was a bit more serious and way more fast than usual. The good guys came focused and are in good spirits about Game One tonight.

Enjoy the photos below and then continue getting pumped up with our new hype video. Puck drop will be here before you know it.

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By Cara Bahniuk On April 13, 2017 0 Comment

It doesn’t matter who Alex Ovechkin’s center is

Alex Ovechkin is the league’s most prolific scorer, but he did a lot less of it in 2016-17. Ovechkin shed 15 percent of his shot-attempt volume and 44 percent of his goalscoring during 5-on-5 this season. Paired with his diminished individual offense was a stark increase in opponent shooting rates when number eight was on the ice. Concerned, analysts and pundits have looked at Ovi’s declining possession and searched for solutions.

One leading idea: Barry Trotz should swap Ovi’s center, Nick Backstrom, with Evgeny Kuznetsov. With a different center, maybe Ovechkin could get his offense back. That was the thought, and it was one I voiced several times.

I was wrong.

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By Peter Hassett On April 10, 2017 0 Comment

The many personalities and faces of the Caps’ Team Photo Day

On Monday, the Capitals took to the ice at Kettler for their annual team photo. Everyone came out fresh, cleaned, and groomed for the photo, except for Justin Williams and Andre Burakovsky, who came out well poofed.

We have broken down each look — from ultimate dad to the very special Holthair, Holtfade, and Holtbeard.

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By Cara Bahniuk On March 27, 2017 0 Comment

Player Gift Baskets: Russian vodka signed by Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, and Orlov highlights Caps’ Better Halves auction

The Capitals Better Halves are auctioning off their annual gift baskets. The themed baskets include autographed items and jerseys from all your favorite Capitals players. The basket also includes items that highlight each player’s unique personality.

For the Winniks, their basket highlights the couple’s love of bulldogs and liquor. Taylor Winnik and her creative mind got alcohol from every country represented on the Capitals and then had the corresponding players sign the bottles.

So yes, there is a bottle of Russian Vodka, Stolichnaya, signed by Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Dmitry Orlov.

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By Cara Bahniuk On February 23, 2017 0 Comment

Capitals hang out with fans at Topgolf for charity event ‘Wish Upon A Par’ (Photos)

On Monday, the Capitals spent their day at Topgolf for Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic’s Wish Upon A Par. The event gave Caps fans a unique opportunity to spend the day eating and golfing with their favorite players while raising funds for a fantastic non-profit organization. Many of the Wish Kids from Hockey Fights Cancer month attended and were reunited with their players.

The cherry on top was the beautiful 65 degree weather. Check out our favorite photos below. You’re going to love the Swede pics.

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By Cara Bahniuk On February 21, 2017 0 Comment

Nick Backstorms Storms Out of World Cup of Hockey Commercial

The World Cup of Hockey is rolling out its marketing plan and it features Nick Backstrom.

(Squee!)

Wearing his beautiful tre kronor uniform, Backstrom appeared on the “Reg Carling” show for the ad. But Backstrom did not stay long.

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By Peter Hassett On April 24, 2016 0 Comment

Photo: Amanda Bowen

Barry Trotz has been singing Nick Backstrom‘s praises since he took over as coach of the Caps. He’s basically called shenanigans on Backstrom never receiving the Selke (awarded the the league’s best defensive forward) and also called him the best two-way forward he’s ever coached.

Last season, Backstrom finished 11th in Selke voting. If voters are paying attention in 2015-16, they may notice Backstrom’s making his best case for Selke yet.

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By Patrick Holden On November 17, 2015 0 Comment

Why the Caps Will Win the Stanley Cup; Why the Caps Will Not Win The Stanley Cup

In this week’s snapshot, Peter offered his assessment of the Caps’ chances this Spring in the playoffs:

However they looked in October and whatever hot streaks we’ve seen this season, the Capitals are not a championship team. (Or, if they are, we haven’t seen evidence of it lately.) They’re not bad like under Adam Oates (and for that I am grateful) but they’re not great. They’re just good. They’re a good team with a good coach.

Unless the bounces go bad or they draw a tough team, these Capitals should make it into the second round of the playoffs. No further.

I tend to agree with Peter. The Caps are a solid team. And while anything can happen once you get into the playoffs, I wouldn’t put any kind of money on this being the Caps’ year. They are a good team, but they are not currently a Cup-caliber team.

But, like I said, anything can happen once you’re in the playoffs. So let’s look at three reasons the Caps could win the Cup, beyond the fact that hockey, much like life, is often more random and unpredictable than we can comprehend. And then to be end on a downer, we’ll look at three reasons the Caps won’t win the Cup.

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By Patrick Holden On March 25, 2015 0 Comment

Shot Generation Is a Problem for Caps Forwards

Photo: Alex Brandon

The Washington Capitals have one of the most prolific goal scorers in NHL history in Alex Ovechkin. One of the main ingredients in Ovechkin’s success is his ability to generate an insane amount of shots. Since entering the league, Ovechkin has 2252 shots on goal during 5v5 play, 553 more than the next player, Rick Nash. In terms of shot attempts, Ovechkin has 4326, which is 1,479 more than the next closest player. Here’s one stat I can’t wrap my mind around:

Since 2005-06, if you rank 1,371 forwards by 5v5 shot attempts, and only count SOG for Ovechkin, he'd rank 20th with 2252. WHAT.

— Pat Holden (@pfholden) March 15, 2015

This season is no exception. Ovechkin is once again pacing the league in shot attempt rate.

But here’s the problem: After Ovechkin, the 2014-15 Caps’ forward corps struggles mightily to generate shot attempts.

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By Patrick Holden On March 16, 2015 0 Comment

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