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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 30</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 30, 1988 the Caps absorbed a 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils in Game 7 of the Patrick Division final series between the two teams at the Capital Centre in Landover. 

Having advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in their history, the Capitals forced a Game 7 with a convincing 7-2 victory over the Devils in New Jersey in Game 6. Seven different Capitals scored in that game, and a whopping total of 626 minutes in penalties were assessed to both sides.

Devils forward Kirk Muller staked his team to an early 1-0 lead when he beat Capitals goalie Pete Peeters just 14 seconds after the opening puck drop. The Devils’ Claude Loiselle made it a 2-0 game when he scored on Peeters at 12:01 of the first.

The Caps responded in the second, halving the New Jersey advantage on a Grant Ledyard goal at 15:21 of the period. Kevin Hatcher and Greg Adams assisted on the Ledyard strike. With just six seconds remaining in the middle frame, Caps blueliner Garry Galley evened the score with an unassisted goal on New Jersey goaltender Sean Burke. 

With 6:11 left in the third. New Jersey’s John MacLean netted the decisive tally, sending the Caps to a defeat and ending Washington’s season just two weeks after Dale Hunter’s overtime tally enabled the Caps to climb out of a 3-1 series hole against the Flyers and to advance to the second round.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 29</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 29, 1992 the Caps missed out on a chance to eliminate the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 of the Patrick Division semifinal series between the two teams, losing a 6-4 heartbreaker to the Penguins in the Steel City.

Washington held a three games to one lead in the series before the Pens forced Game 6 with a 5-2 win over Washington in Game 5 at USAir Arena.

The Pens jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on the Caps and Washington netminder Don Beaupre. Kevin Stevens scored an even-strength goal at 2:48 of the first and added a power play marker at 5:05 of the opening period to give the Penguins an early advantage.

Washington answered back emphatically in the second half of the first frame, scoring three goals in a span of less than six minutes against Penguins goalie Tom Barrasso. Dale Hunter scored his first of the playoffs from Michal Pivonka at 12:30 of the first, and Peter Bondra scored his fifth of the playoffs at 15:19 to make it a 2-2 game. Calle Johansson and Todd Krygier assisted on the Bondra goal.

Exactly three minutes later, Bondra netted his second of the game on a Washington power play with Al Iafrate and Dino Ciccarelli assisting. The Caps took a 3-2 lead into the locker room after the first 20 minutes of play. 

Washington padded its lead, scoring its fourth goal in succession when Iafrate tallied at 3:55 of the second, Mike Ridley and Kelly Miller assisting. But that was as good as it would get for Washington.

Joey Mullen cut the Caps’ lead to 4-3 with a goal at 9:10 of the second, and Phil Bourque tied it with a power play strike at 11:01 of the second. With just 1:41 left in the middle frame, the Capitals’ penalty killing outfit was victimized for a third time when Mario Lemieux scored his fifth goal of the series.

The Pens iced it late in the third when Lemieux scored his team’s fourth power play goal of the game to give Pittsburgh a 6-4 lead and account for the final score. 

Washington dropped the series two nights later, losing a 3-1 decision. The Penguins scored 11 power play goals in the series and went on to win a second straight Stanley Cup championship.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 28</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 28, 2009, the Washington Capitals downed the New York Rangers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series between the two teams. The Caps had been down three games to one in the series against their former Patrick Division rivals before rebounding to win three straight and advance. 

The Rangers drew first blood on a Nik Antropov goal at 5:35 of the game’s first period. Washington answered back just under 10 minutes later when Alexander Semin – with help from Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green – netted his fifth goal of the series to even the game at 1-1. Semin’s goal came on one of just two shots on goal the Caps managed in the first. New York held an 8-2 advantage in that category after the first 20 minutes.

Washington rebounded to take a 9-6 lead in second period shots on goal, but neither team scored in the middle frame. There were no power plays on either side in the second period after each team had one man-advantage opportunity in the first period.

The Caps got their second power play chance of the night early in the third when New York’s Dan Girardi was whistled for interference. The Caps didn’t score on that chance, but they gave the Rangers next to nothing in the way of scoring chances. 

The Rangers got their first third-period shot on goal at 9:29 of the frame, when Ryan Callahan got a shot through to Caps goalie Semyon Varlamov. Late in the frame, the Caps took the lead. Matt Bradley shoveled the puck to Sergei Fedorov along the right wing wall in the Washington end. Fedorov skated the puck into the Rangers’ zone and stopped on a dime at the half-wall. From there, he released a wrist shot that beat New York netminder Henrik Lundqvist high to the glove side.

At the time of Fedorov’s goal, there was 4:59 remaining in the game. New York managed just one shot attempt – it was blocked – over that period as the Caps pressured the Rangers relentlessly and wouldn’t permit them to exit their own zone. The Verizon Center crowd was as loud as ever, and its din reached a crescendo in the final minute. The Rangers weren’t able to get Lundqvist to the bench for an extra attacker until there were just two seconds remaining in regulation. 

The Caps outshot the Rangers 13-1 in the final frame in one of the most suffocating instances of team defense ever seen in the third period of a tied Game 7. New York managed only 10 shot attempts in the final 20 minutes; four were blocked and five missed the mark.

The victory vaulted the Capitals into the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 11 years.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Sun, 28 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 27</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 27, 1990 the Caps earned a 2-1 overtime win over the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the Patrick Division final series between the two teams. The victory enabled Washington to move on to the Wales Conference final for the first time in franchise history.

The Caps took a 1-0 lead at 3:16 of the first on a Kelly Miller goal, John Tucker and Rod Langway assisting. 

After a scoreless second frame, New York drew even at 1:47 of the third on a goal from defenseman Normand Rochefort. 

Washington skated off with the game and the series when John Druce scored the overtime game-winner at 6:48 of overtime with help from Geoff Courtnall and Tucker. The goal was Druce’s 12th of the playoffs and his fourth game-winner, accounting for half of the Caps’ team total of eight game-winning goals at that stage of the playoffs.

After losing the series opener by a 7-3 score, the Caps won four straight games to drive the Rangers from the playoffs and to earn a berth in the conference final against the Boston Bruins. Boston swept the Caps in four straight, with Druce scoring two of the six Washington goals in the four games.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Sat, 27 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 26</title>
				
			    <link><![CDATA[http://capitals.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=667598&cmpid=rss-vogel ]]></link>

                <description><![CDATA[On April 26, 2009, the Washington Capitals beat the New York Rangers in a Sunday matinee match at Madison Square Garden in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series between the two teams. The Capitals’ 5-3 victory evened the series at 3-3 and forced a Game 7 at Verizon Center two days later. 

With Rangers coach John Tortorella serving a one-game suspension for squirting a Caps’ fan with a water bottle during New York’s Game 5 loss in the District, ex-Caps bench boss and Rangers’ assistant coach Jim Schoenfeld ran the New York bench for Game 6.

The Capitals jumped out to an early advantage, getting goals from three different defensemen in the game’s first frame. Milan Jurcina scored his first goal of the playoffs at 7:09 of the first with help from Brooks Laich and David Steckel to give Washington a 1-0 lead. 

The Rangers’ Scott Gomez answered with a power play goal just 66 seconds after Jurcina’s opening salvo to even the contest at 1-1. At 13:58 of the first, Washington regained the lead for good on a Mike Green power play goal, Alexander Semin and Tom Poti assisting. 

With just 2:46 left in the first, Poti scored with aid from Steckel and Boyd Gordon to push the Washington lead to 3-1. 

Midway through the second period, Viktor Kozlov scored to run the Caps’ advantage to 4-1. Poti and Sergei Fedorov supplied the helpers on Kozlov’s second goal of the series. With 3:16 remaining in the second, Alex Ovechkin scored a power play goal with help from Poti and Nicklas Backstrom to enable to Caps to take a commanding 5-1 lead into the room for the second intermission.

New York got a power play goal from Ryan Callahan early in the third and then Rangers defenseman Marc Staal scored at 19:54 of the game to account for the 5-3 final score. Caps goaltender Semyon Varlamov made 29 saves to earn the win and ex-Ranger Poti enjoyed a banner day with a goal and three assists.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 25</title>
				
			    <link><![CDATA[http://capitals.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=667528&cmpid=rss-vogel ]]></link>

                <description><![CDATA[On April 25, 2012, the Caps faced the Bruins in Boston in a decisive Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series between the two teams. The Caps came away with a thrilling 2-1 victory in overtime courtesy of a pair of unlikely heroes.

Washington won Game 5 in Boston to nudge its way to a 3-2 series lead, but the Caps couldn’t close out the Bruins on home ice in Game 6. Tyler Seguin’s overtime goal in Game 6 gave Boston a 4-3 win and forced a deciding Game 7 in Beantown.

Midway through the first period, Caps winger Jason Chimera pushed the puck back to the right point from down near the goal line. Washington blueliner John Carlson floated a wrist shot toward the net, and left wing Matt Hendricks deflected it past Boston goaltender Tim Thomas to give Washington a 1-0 lead. The Bruins outshot the Caps 11-5 in the first frame.

Boston drew even late in the second when Seguin struck again, pouncing on a loose puck that was lying in the Capitals’ crease just behind goaltender Braden Holtby. The Bruins outshot the Caps 14-8 in the second period. 

There was no scoring in the third, and the Caps held a 12-6 advantage in shots on goal in the final frame of regulation. The Caps had one power play opportunity in the third and the Bruins had two, including a golden chance to end the game and the series when Chimera was given a dubious holding call with just 2:26 remaining in regulation.

Just before the three-minute mark of overtime, the Bruins tried to dump the puck into the Washington end so they could get a line change. The puck hit Washington winger Mike Knuble in neutral ice, and he tore off down the left side on a 2-on-1 with fellow right-winger and right-handed shot Joel Ward. Knuble took a backhand shot, and Thomas made the save. But Ward was right there to collect the rebound, and his backhander found the back of the net to give the Caps the game and the series.

Down the stretch of the regular season, both Knuble and Ward had been healthy scratches. Knuble started the playoffs as a healthy scratch, getting into the lineup only when Nicklas Backstrom was suspended for Game 4. Ward played sparingly early in the playoffs, skating as little as 5:20 in Game 3.

For the crucial Game 7, Ward and Knuble were flanking right-handed pivot Keith Aucoin in an oddly cobbled line featuring three right-handed shots.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 24</title>
				
			    <link><![CDATA[http://capitals.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=667272&cmpid=rss-vogel ]]></link>

                <description><![CDATA[On April 24, 1996, the Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins hooked up in a true marathon of a hockey game, a contest that wasn’t settled until the wee hours of the next day and 44 seconds shy of the end of the seventh period. Unfortunately for the masses of Caps fans assembled that Wednesday night at USAir Arena, the Penguins prevailed by a 3-2 score in Game 4 of the first-round Stanley Cup playoff series between the two clubs.

Tom Barrasso started in net for Pittsburgh against Olie Kolzig for Washington.

Washington got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead on Michal Pivonka’s power play goal at 13:50 of the first frame. Dale Hunter and Sergei Gonchar supplied the assists on that goal. Pittsburgh owned a 16-7 lead in shots on net over the first 20 minutes.

When the Pens came out for the second period, Barrasso was not between the pipes. Back spasms had rendered him unable to continue, and Ken Wregget started the second period in the Pittsburgh crease.

The Caps’ power play struck again at 7:36 of the second. Peter Bondra beat Wregget with help from Joé Juneau and Andrew Brunette to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead. Late in the second period, the Caps’ power play went to work again with a chance to go up 3-0 and take a 3-1 lead in the series with a win. Instead, the Penguins’ Jaromir Jagr beat Kolzig while Pittsburgh was shorthanded to halve the Caps’ lead. Jagr’s goal came at 18:42 of the second.

In the final minute of the second, the Caps caught a break when Penguins center Mario Lemieux went nuts and was assessed 19 minutes of penalties: two for slashing, two for instigating, five for fighting and a game misconduct. Caps winger Todd Krygier baited Lemieux, and the star pivot jumped Krygier. Caps forward Pat Peake got two for roughing and a game misconduct, and Washington winger Todd Krygier got two for roughing.

Even with Lemieux out of the picture, the Penguins struck on the power play at the eight-minute mark of the third. Petr Nedved netted his fifth goal of the four games in the series to date to make it a 2-2 game.

After that Nedved goal, the teams played period after period of scoreless hockey. Juneau was awarded a penalty shot at 15:44 of the fifth period when Pittsburgh defenseman Chris Tamer bumped the net off its moorings while the puck was in the crease, but Wregget stopped Juneau’s bid. 

The Penguins outshot the Capitals 19-5 in the third. The Caps outshot the Pens 14-3 in the fourth period (first overtime). Washington owned a 12-4 advantage in shots on goal in the fifth period (second overtime). Again in the sixth period (third overtime), the Caps owned an 11-5 edge. In the 60 minutes played after the scheduled 60 minutes, Washington outshot the Pens by a combined 37-12. But they could not solve Wregget despite some glorious opportunities. 

Each team had three power play opportunities beyond the end of regulation. At 17:21 of the seventh period, Caps defenseman Jim Johnson was called for hooking. With an excruciating five seconds remaining on the Johnson minor, Nedved scored his second goal of the game to give the Pens a 3-2 win. Nedved faked a shot, skated around Caps defender Mark Tinordi and fired a shot through a maze of bodies that beat Kolzig high to the glove side, nestling just under the crossbar.

Kolzig made 62 saves in the game. The Pens outshot the Caps 65-62, with Jagr having 12 shots on net for the Pens and Bondra notching 11 for the Capitals. All five goals in the game were special teams tallies.

Pittsburgh went on to win the next two games and the series.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 23</title>
				
			    <link><![CDATA[http://capitals.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=667207&cmpid=rss-vogel ]]></link>

                <description><![CDATA[On April 23, 1994, the Washington Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins by a 4-1 score in Game 4 of the first round playoff series between the two teams. The win gave Washington a 3-1 edge in games and the Caps would go on to win the series in six games. 
Peter Bondra scored the game-winner for Washington to support the stellar netminding of Don Beaupre. It was the first playoff game-winner of Bondra’s NHL career.
After disposing of the Penguins in the first round that year, the Caps were eliminated in the following round by the team that went on to win the Cup that spring, the New York Rangers.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 22</title>
				
			    <link><![CDATA[http://capitals.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=667011&cmpid=rss-vogel ]]></link>

                <description><![CDATA[On April 22, 1998 the Capitals opened their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Boston Bruins. The game marked the first-ever Stanley Cup playoff contest played at Washington’s new home downtown in the District. Washington won it by a 3-1 score to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Veteran Caps winger Brian Bellows started the scoring at 16:40 of the first period with a single assist from Peter Bondra. Boston owned a slim 13-12 advantage in first period shots on goal.

The Caps added to their lead early in the second on a goal from defenseman Sergei Gonchar at the 2:49 mark. Michal Pivonka and Todd Krygier assisted on Gonchar’s goal.

Just over four minutes after Washington took that two-goal lead, the Bruins shaved it back to a single goal. With ex-Bruin Joé Juneau in the penalty box for a hi-sticking infraction, ex-Cap Dmitri Khristich scored on the power play for Boston with help from ex-Cap Jason Allison and rookie sensation Sergei Samsonov. 

The Capitals outshot Boston 9-7 in the middle period.

The entire third period was played with both teams at even strength and the Bruins gunning for the tying goal. Boston outshot the Caps 8-7 in the final frame, but the Caps salted the contest away when Esa Tikkanen scored into an empty Bruins net with 22 seconds remaining. Ex-Bruin Adam Oates supplied the single assist on Tikkanen’s tally.

With 27 saves on the night, Caps goalie Olie Kolzig was the game’s first star. Boston defenseman Raymond Bourque was the game’s No. 2 star and Capitals blueliner Calle Johansson was the No. 3 star.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 21</title>
				
			    <link><![CDATA[http://capitals.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=666565&cmpid=rss-vogel ]]></link>

                <description><![CDATA[On April 21, 1994, the Washington Capitals shutout the Pittsburgh Penguins by a 2-0 score in Game 3 of the first round playoff series between the two teams. The win gave Washington a 2-1 edge in games and the Caps would go on to win the series in six games. 
Joe Reekie – obtained from Tampa Bay for Enrico Ciccone little more than a month earlier – provided all the Washington offense by scoring both goals. Don Beaupre backed it up with his third career playoff shutout and his second as a Capitals’ netminder. 
Washington went on to win the series, four games to two. The Caps were eliminated in the following round by the team that went on to win the Cup that spring, the New York Rangers.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Sun, 21 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 20</title>
				
			    <link><![CDATA[http://capitals.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=666563&cmpid=rss-vogel ]]></link>

                <description><![CDATA[On April 20, 1993 the Washington Capitals suffered a 5-4 overtime loss to the New York Islanders in Game 2 of the Patrick Division Semifinals at USAir Arena. A disappointing crowd of 15,421 witnessed the game.
New York's Pierre Turgeon fired the first salvo, scoring at 13:14 of the first period. His goal proved to be the lone strike of the frame. New York launched 14 shots on Washington's Rick Tabaracci while the Caps countered with just six against the Isles' Glenn Healy. 
The Capitals pulled even at 6:33 of the second stanza when Dale Hunter tallied with help from Calle Johansson and Kelly Miller. Six minutes later, Turgeon's second of the night put the Islanders back on top, 2-1. Hunter scored his second of the night on a Washington power play at 16:51 of the middle period. The Islanders again had a huge advantage in shots on goal, 17-9.
A wild third period ensued with New York's Benoit Hogue scoring at 3:31 to give his club its third lead of the night. For the third time, Washington pulled eve. Dmitri Khristich tallied the tying goal at 7:16 with assists from Paul Cavallini and Peter Bondra. When New York's Ray Ferraro scored at 14:50 of the third, things looked bleak for the Caps. But with 2:50 remaining in regulation, Islanders defenseman Rich Pilon was assessed a five-minute high-sticking major and a game misconduct. The Caps vied desperately for the equalizer and finally got it with just three seconds left. Hunter beat Healy to record the fourth hat trick in Washington playoff history. Johansson and Khristich assisted on Hunter's power play goal. Washington outshot the Islanders 11-8 in the third period. 
The teams played a scoreless 20 minutes in the first overtime with the Caps holding a 14-13 edge in shots on goal. With 5:10 left in the second overtime session, New York's Brian Mullen ended it when the Islanders' 61st shot of the night eluded Tabaracci. The Isles outshot the Caps 9-5 in the second overtime and 61-45 on the night. 
With two goals, Turgeon was the game's first star. Hunter's hat trick got him the second star. Ferraro had a goal and an assist, good enough to gain him the third star designation.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Sat, 20 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 19</title>
				
			    <link><![CDATA[http://capitals.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=666562&cmpid=rss-vogel ]]></link>

                <description><![CDATA[On April 19, 2008, the Caps took a 3-2 decision from the Flyers at Washington in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series between the two teams. With the win, Washington staved off elimination, cut the Flyers’ series lead to 3-2 and sent the series back to Philadelphia for a sixth game.

The Capitals drew first blood on a Nicklas Backstrom goal at 7:31 of the first period. With Washington enjoying a two-man power play advantage, Alexander Semin snapped a sharp pass from the left half-wall to Backstrom, who was stationed at the right post. The Caps center tapped the feed pass Philly netminder Martin Biron to give Washington a 1-0 lead. Brooks Laich collected the secondary helper on the play.

Early in the second frame, the Caps pushed their lead to 2-0. Viktor Kozlov did some good work down low in the left corner of the Philly end, dodging and darting to elude Flyers defenders. Sergei Fedorov got into good position near the left dot, and Kozlov dished to him. Fedorov carved to the slot and fired a backhander that beat Biron at 1:25 of the middle stanza. Mike Green picked up an assist on the play as well.

The Flyers halved the Washington advantage at 12:35 of the second when Vinny Prospal beat Caps goalie Cristobal Huet on a Philly power play. 

With just over five minutes left in the third, the Caps picked up a much-needed insurance tally. Semin and Green worked a give-and-go in neutral ice, with Green carrying across the Philly line, and then giving it to Semin again. The Caps winger skated a tight circle to shake a defender then drove into the slot and unleashed a wrist shot through traffic that eluded Biron to give the Caps a 3-1 lead. Fedorov was credited with an assist on Semin’s goal as well.

Less than a minute later, Philly’s Derian Hatcher scored to make it a 3-2 game. Washington and Huet held on the rest of the way to force a Game 6 in Philadelphia. The Flyers went on to win the series in seven games.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 18</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 18, 1987, the Washington Capitals and the New York Islanders engaged in one of the most memorable Game Seven battles in Stanley Cup Playoff history. Unfortunately for the Capitals, the Islanders prevailed by a 3-2 score on a goal by Pat Lafontaine in the fourth overtime. 
The game began at 7:35 on a Saturday night – Easter Eve. A sellout crowd of 18,130 was in attendance at the Capital Centre, hoping to see the Caps eliminate their most heated rivals of the day from the playoffs. It was the fifth time in six seasons the two teams had met in the playoffs and Washington had won only one of the previous for series. 
With less than a minute remaining in the first period, Mike Gartner’s fourth goal of the playoffs gave Washington a 1-0 lead. The Caps fired 15 shots at Islanders netminder Kelly Hrudey with New York countered with just five against Washington’s Bob Mason.
Midway through the second period, the Islanders’ Pat Flatley tied it up at 1-1. Just over seven minutes later, Grant Martin gave Washington a 2-1 lead. It was the only playoff game of Martin’s career, the final NHL game of his career and the lone NHL goal of his career. He played in 20 regular season games with Washington and 24 games with Vancouver but registered no goals and four assists. The Caps outshot New York 10-5 in the second period. Hrudey denied the Caps on a two-on-none break, a save that would get bigger as the game went on.
For a while, it looked as though Martin might become an unlikely hero. His late second period goal stood up until noted Cap-killer Bryan Trottier tied it up at the 14:37 mark of the third. Hrudey made two big saves as time expired in regulation. The two clubs would skate for nearly 70 more minutes before another puck would cross the red line. Each team had 11 shots on goal in the third.
The Caps and Isles played penalty-free hockey through the first overtime and once again matched each other with 11 shots on goal. Mason stopped a pair of New York breakaway chances in the first OT – one by Bob Bassen and the other by Duane Sutter – and came up big on a point blank chance by Lafontaine.
In the second overtime, the two teams were twice whistled for matching minors and Washington’s Greg Adams received a 10-minute misconduct. The Caps outshot the Isles 17-9 but the two teams remained deadlocked. 
New York held an 11-10 advantage in shots during a scoreless third overtime. Players were on the verge of exhaustion by now and many later reported losing 7-10 pounds on the night. There were no whistles for penalties as the law of the Old West prevailed on the ice. Scoring chances were abundant but goals were still absent. 
As 2:00 am on Easter Sunday morning approached, Lafontaine took the ice. The puck found him out near the right point and he shoveled a shot netward. The disc weaved its way between a tangle of bodies and into the back of the net. A dejected and exhausted Mason slumped to the ice in defeat while the exhilarated Islanders mobbed Lafontaine. The Islanders were going on to the second round while the Caps were going home. Lafontaine’s goal came at 8:47 of the fourth overtime on New York’s fifth shot of the session. Washington had only one shot in the fourth OT.
It was the fifth longest game in Stanley Cup history and the third longest since 1943. Lafontaine’s game-winner earned him the honor of first star. Hrudey made 73 saves and was named second star. Mason’s 54 saves made him the game’s third star. Washington’s Bobby Gould accounted for 12 of the Washington shots on goal.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 17</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 17, 2010, the Caps hosted the Montreal Canadiens at Verizon Center in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series between the two teams. The Habs took Game 1 of the series by a 3-2 score on a Tomas Plekanec overtime goal. 

Montreal scored on each of its first two shots in Game 2 to put the Habs up 2-0 before the midpoint of the first frame, prompting Caps coach Bruce Boudreau to hook goaltender Jose Theodore in favor of Semyon Varlamov. 

Caps right wing Eric Fehr halved the deficit at 10:21 of the first when he beat Montreal goalie Jaroslav Halak on a breakaway after a terrific feed from Tomas Fleischmann. Despite trailing 2-1 after 20 minutes, the Caps owned a 13-8 advantage in shots on goal after the first frame. 

Montreal’s Andrei Kostitsyn stretched the Habs’ lead to three with a pair of goals in a span of just 6:38 in the second period. The Caps were on the verge of falling into an 0-2 hole in the series, but Nicklas Backstrom kicked the door open just a bit when he scored at 18:23 of the second on a slapshot from the left circle, Joe Corvo and Alex Ovechkin assisting.

Ovechkin scored his first of the playoffs at 2:56 of the third, jamming the rebound of a John Carlson point through Halak. Matt Bradley and Carlson assisted on the goal that made it a 4-3 game. Backstrom brought the Caps all the way back to even with his second of the night at 9:47 of the third, a tap-in from the top of the paint. Ovechkin and Jeff Schultz collected the assists on Backstrom’s goal that made it a 4-4 game midway through the third. 

But with just 5:06 remaining in regulation, Plekanec scored to put the Habs back on top at 5-4. 

Carlson scored a clutch goal to make it a 5-5 game with just 1:21 left in regulation, taking a pass from Backstrom and firing a shot past Halak from the high slot. 

Backstrom completed the hat trick and won it for Washington at the 31-second mark of overtime. He took a feed from Mike Knuble in the neutral zone, gained the line and ripped a wrist shot that beat Halak high and lifted the Caps to an improbable 6-5 victory.

The win ended a six-game home ice losing streak in playoff games that dated back to 1998.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 16</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 16, 1988, the Washington Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers by a 5-4 score in overtime of Game 7 of the opening round of the playoffs. The win enabled Washington to advance to the second round where it would face the New Jersey Devils. 
A deadlocked game went into overtime with the two teams tied at 4-4. Pete Peeters was in the nets for Washington, Ron Hextall stood between the pipes for Philadelphia. Larry Murphy pried a puck loose along the wall in the Washington end and Dale Hunter – anticipating the play – broke for the red line. Murphy hit him in full stride and he skated in alone on Hextall. Hunter deked and shot and the puck went through the five-hole and into the back of the net. Washington had its first ever series win in a best-of-seven playoff set.
The Caps went on to a valiantly fought series against the Devils but Washington ultimately fell in seven games.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 15</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 15, 1990 the Washington Capitals beat the New Jersey Devils 3-2 at the Capital Centre. With the victory, the Capitals closed out the Devils in six games in the Patrick Division Semifinal series. 
Washington got on the board first when Steve Leach scored an unassisted goal with just 11 seconds remaining in the first period. New Jersey fired 13 shots at Washington's Don Beaupre in the opening stanza while the Caps countered with 10 on the Devils' Chris Terreri. 
The Caps pushed the lead to 2-0 on Geoff Courtnall's goal - his second of the playoffs - at 3:27 of the second period. John Tucker and Scott Stevens earned assists on the Courtnall goal. New Jersey's John MacLean halved the lead with his fourth goal of the series at 13:21 of the middle period. For the second straight period, the Caps capitalized in the final minute of the frame. This time it was John Druce scoring his third of the playoffs with just 54 seconds left in the second. Kevin Hatcher and Rod Langway were credited with the helpers. The Capitals outshot the Devils 13-10 in the second.
Peter Stastny scored at the five-minute mark of the third period to draw the Devils within a goal but the Washington defense held the rest of the way, sending Washington to a date with the New York Rangers in the Patrick Division Finals. The Devils outshot Washington 13-11 in the third period and 34-32 on the night.
With 32 saves, Beaupre was the game's number one star. Druce's game-winner earned him the second star and New Jersey's Terreri was named third star on the strength of his 29-save performance in the Devils nets.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 14</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 14, 1988, the Washington Capitals pummeled the Philadelphia Flyers by a 7-2 score in Game 6 of the opening round of the playoffs. 
Bengt Gustafsson scored the game-winner and Pete Peeters backstopped the Caps to the win over Philadelphia’s Ron Hextall.
The win enabled Washington to tie the series at three games apiece. The Caps fell behind three games to one in the series when Philadelphia’s Murray Craven scored in overtime to give the Flyers the win in Game 4. The Caps won the next three to advance to the next round. Washington won game seven in thrilling fashion when Dale Hunter got loose on a breakaway in overtime and beat Hextall through the five-hole.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Sun, 14 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 13</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 13, 1997, the Washington Capitals defeated the Buffalo Sabres by a score of 8-3 in Buffalo.
Michael Peca opened the scoring for the Sabres at 2:37 of the first with his 2oth goal of the season, an unassisted shorthanded score. It took Washington more than 11 minutes to draw even. Peter Bondra knotted the score at 13:44 of the period. Bondra's goal - assisted by Phil Housley and Sylvain Cote - was his 46th of the season. Less than three minutes later, Andrei Nikolishin netted his ninth of the year on a Washington power play to give the Caps a lead they would not relinquish. Cote picked up the solo assist on Nikolishin's goal. Washington rookie Yogi Svejkovsky started off what would prove to be a career night for him when he tallied his fourth of the season at 17:23. Joe Reekie earned the lone assist. Less than a minute later, Svejkovsky struck again with help from Brendan Witt and Andrew Brunette. The Caps bombarded beleaguered Buffalo goaltender Steve Shields with 17 shots in the first period. The Sabres had only five against Washington goaltender Olie Kolzig.
Ken Klee scored Washington's fifth unanswered goal at 5:48 of the second period. Craig Berube and Dale Hunter picked up the assists on Klee's third goal of the season. Buffalo then rallied with a pair of goals - Wayne Primeau's power play strike at 9:15 and Dixon Ward's goal at 10:33 - to pull within a pair. But the Caps' Phil Housley took the starch out of the Sabres' comeback when he scored with just one second remaining in the middle period. Housley's goal was his 11th and was assisted by Bondra and Nikolishin. The Caps edged the Sabres in second period shots on goal, 9-8.
Svejkovsky completed his hat trick with an even-strength goal at 12:18 of the third period. Kevin "Killer" Kaminski registered the lone assist on Svejkovsky's third goal of the evening. With 3:46 remaining, Svejkovsky closed out the scoring with his fourth of the night and seventh of the season, Brunette and Kaminski assisting. It was Kaminski's first-ever multiple-point game in the NHL; it would also turn out to be the final contest of his 139-game NHL career. Caps defenseman Joe Reekie was a plus-five on the night against his former team. The Caps outshot Buffalo 12-11 in the third period and 38-24 on the night.
The game closed out a disappointing regular season for Washington, which finished with a 33-40-9 record. It marked the first time in 15 years that the Capitals did not participate in the postseason and also marked the end of the David Poile management era in DC. Poile and head coach Jim Schoenfeld were fired at season's end.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Sat, 13 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 12</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 12, 1987, the Washington Capitals defeated the New York Islanders on Long Island by a 4-1 score in Game 4 of the opening round playoff series between the two teams.

New York's Brad Lauer opened the scoring with a power play goal at 10:25 of the first frame. Washington's Larry Murphy answered just 43 second later with his third of the playoffs to pull the Caps even. With two goals in the final two minutes of the first period, the Caps pulled out to a 3-1 lead. Dave Christian scored his first pf the playoffs with 1:34 remaining on the clock and Mike Gartner scored his second with only 13 second left. The Caps outshot the Isles by 18-10 in the first period.

Gartner beat New York's Kelly Hrudey at 15:57 of the second for his second of the game and third of the playoffs. The Caps outshot New York 11-10 in the second.

The two teams played a scoreless third. Washington had eight shots on goal for a total of 37. The Isles managed six against the Caps' Bob Mason for a total of 26. The two clubs combined for 85 minutes in penalties and Washington was 0-for-10 on the power play.

The victory gave the Caps a 3-1 lead in the series but New York would go on to win there straight games to take the set. Game 7 went into a fourth overtime before the Islanders' Pat Lafontaine beat Mason with the game-winner.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 11</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 11, 2008 the Washington Capitals played their first Stanley Cup playoff game in nearly five years and their first postseason game of the Alex Ovechkin/”Young Guns” era. The Caps skated to a thrilling 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series between the two teams. 

Washington drew first blood at 3:16 of the first when ex-Flyer Donald Brashear scored with help from Matt Bradley and Tom Poti. Philly’s Vinny Prospal drew his team even five minutes later and the two teams headed to their respective rooms tied at 1-1 after the first frame.

Caps center David Steckel staked his team to a 2-1 lead at 4:08 of the second, Bradley and John Erskine assisting. But Philly erupted for three second-period goals in a span of just 3:36 in the second half of the middle frame to take a 4-2 lead into the final stanza. Prospal scored his second of the night and Philly’s Danny Briere scored twice – including once on the power play – against Washington netminder Cristobal Huet.

The Caps dodged a bullet that could have brought on further damage in the second when they killed off a Mike Green delay of game penalty that carried into the third period.

Needing to make up some ground on the scoreboard, the Caps got started early in the third. Green notched his first career Stanley Cup tally at 1:50 of the third period with Sergei Fedorov and Alexander Semin to pull the Caps within a goal at 4-3. Bradley drew a hi-sticking call on Briere at 5:22 of the third, and the Caps cashed in on the ensuing power play, Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom assisting.

With the game all even at 4-4 late in the third, Ovechkin executed the swipe and snip. He stoled the puck from Philly blueliner Jaroslav Modry near the left dot in the Philly end, then cut to the middle and beat Flyers goalie Martin Biron with 4:32 left in the game.

The Caps held on the rest of the way for a 5-4 triumph in Game 1 of the series.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 10</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 10, 1985, the Washington Capitals beat the New York Islanders 4-3 for the first overtime playoff win in franchise history. The game - played before a sellout crowd of 18,130 at the Capital Centre - was the first in the best-of-five Patrick Division Semifinal series. 
The Caps and Isles skated a scoreless first period. Washington put eight shots on New York's Billy Smith while the Isles managed just three on the Caps' Pat Riggin. 
Longtime Washington nemesis Mike Bossy gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead when he tallied a power play goal at the four-minute mark of the second period. When Denis Potvin scored at 9:07 of the second, the New York lead went to 2-0. Seconds after Potvin's tally, New York got into penalty trouble. Tomas Jonsson was whistled for interference at 9:36 and John Tonelli got caught slashing 66 seconds after that. With a 5-on-3 advantage for 54 seconds, Washington went to work. Larry Murphy got the Caps on the board at 11:15 with Scott Stevens and Bobby Carpenter assisting. Just 16 seconds later Murphy teed up another power play goal to even the score at 2-2. Mike Gartner and Carpenter collected the helpers on the game-tying tally. At 13:24, Gartner scored Washington's third unanswered goal in a span of 2:09 to give the Caps the lead. Mike McEwen picked up the lone assist. With just 1:23 remaining in the second, Bossy beat Riggin to tie it for the Islanders. The Capitals outshot New York 13-8 in the second period.
Washington came out firing in the third but neither team was able to light the red lamp. The Caps poured 18 shots on Smith while the Isles managed only six against Riggin in the third. 
The Caps came out with similar fervor in overtime, firing three shots before the Islanders could register even one. At the 2:28 mark of overtime, Alan Haworth made the third one the charm when he put the puck past Smith. Rod Langway and Lou Franceschetti assisted. The Capitals outshot New York 42-17 on the evening.
New York's Potvin was the game's first star. With a goal and two assists, he had a hand in all three Islander goals. Gartner was the game's second star with a goal and an assist on the night. Murphy's two quick power play strikes earned him the third star.
Murphy's two goals in 16 seconds and the team's three goals in 2:09 set franchise playoff records that still stand.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 9</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 9, 1994, the Washington Capitals defeated the Ottawa Senators by a score of 8-4 at USAir Arena in Landover.
Phil Bourque put the Sens on the board first when he netted a shorthanded goal at 1:42 of the first period. Craig Berube evened it up for Washington at 14:18 of the period when he scored his seventh goal of the season with help from Dave Poulin and Joe Reekie. Just 1:11 later, the Caps took a lead they would not relinquish on Kelly Miller's 12th goal of the campaign. Reekie and Sylvain Cote picked up the assists on the Miller goal. It took just 1:02 for Washington to strike again. This time, it was Todd Krygier scoring his 10th with assists from Dale Hunter and Randy Burridge. Keith Jones tallied his 16th of the season at the 17:07 mark to make it 4-1, Washington. Krygier and Poulin assisted on Jones's goal. The Caps scored four goals in just 2:49 to take a commanding lead into the first intermission. Washington had 10 shots on Ottawa netminder Darrin Madeley while the Sens had seven against the Capitals' Rick Tabaracci. 
The Caps pushed their lead to 5-1 on Krygier's second goal of the night at 3:50 of the middle stanza. That was the lone goal of the period; the Capitals enjoyed an 11-5 advantage in second period shots on goal. 
Claude Boivin scored for the Sens at the 49-second mark of the third period to close the gap to 5-2. Less than two minutes later, Alexandre Daigle scored for Ottawa to narrow the Washington lead to 5-3. A minute after Daigle's goal, Michal Pivonka restored some breathing room for the Caps with his 14th of the season. Poulin and Kevin Hatcher helped out on the Pivonka marker. At 8:57 of the third, the Caps went up 7-3 when Miller got his second of the night with assists from Mike Ridley and Joe Juneau. Krygier completed the hat trick at 15:38 of the period with Ridley picking up the lone helper. Daigle closed out the scoring for the night at 16:04 when he scored his second of the game and 20th of the season. The Sens edged the Caps in third period shots on goal, 7-6. Washington held a 27-19 lead in that category on the evening.
Krygier's hat trick - he also had an assist - made him the easy choice as the game's number one star. With a pair of goals, Miller was the second star. Poulin's three assists earned him the third star designation.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 8</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 8, 1979, the Capitals drubbed the Pittsburgh Penguins by a 5-2 count to close out the fifth season of their existence. 
Mark Lofthouse started the scoring for Washington at 6:08 of the first period with his 13th goal of the season. Dennis Hextall’s sixth of the season came at 8:23 and made it 2-0, Washington. The Caps poured a dozen shots at Pittsburgh cagetender Denis Herron while the Pens managed only three on Washington’s Gary Inness. 
Greg Malone halved the Washington lead when he scored his 35th of the season for Pittsburgh at 6:35 of the second. Exactly three minutes later, Washington’s Guy Charron scored his 28th of the campaign while the teams were skating with four players a side. Pittsburgh’s Jacques Cossette scored what would prove to be the last of his eight NHL goals at 13:51 to pull the Penguins within a goal at 3-2. Ryan Walter scored his 27th of the season – a power play strike – for the Caps at 17:21, setting a new franchise record for goals by a rookie in the process. The Caps held a 9-6 advantage in shots on goal for the second period.
At 14:24 of the third, Walter scored his second power play goal of the game and the lone goal of the final period. Pittsburgh outshot Washington 10-5 in the third but the Caps led 26-19 on the night.
Walter was the game’s number one star. Defenseman Leif Svensson, completing his first season in the NHL, was the number two star. Svensson assisted on both of Walter’s goals. Rugged blueliner Pierre Bouchard was the third star for his stellar play in his own end. It was Bouchard’s first game with the Capitals. Claimed from Montreal in the waiver draft the previous October, Bouchard elected to retire rather than report to the Capitals. He later had a change of heart and suited up in time for the final game of the season. Bouchard went on to play two more seasons with Washington.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 7</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 7, 2009 the Capitals paid a visit to Atlanta to take on the Thrashers in the opening contest of their final road trip of the 2008-09 season. Washington skated off with a 4-2 victory.

Tomas Fleischmann got the Caps started at 8:20 of the first, scoring his 19th goal of the season with help from Brian Pothier and Nicklas Backstrom to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead. Atlanta’s Rich Peverley countered at 9:28 of the frame to tie it at 1-1, but Washington’s Viktor Kozlov wasted no time in restoring the Caps’ advantage. Just 28 seconds after Peverley’s goal, Kozlov scored with help from Backstrom and Fleischmann to give the Caps a lead they would not relinquish. Kozlov’s goal was his 13th of the season.

Alexander Semin extended the Capitals’ advantage at 15:40 of the first when he tallied his 32nd goal of the season, Alex Ovechkin and Jeff Schultz assisting.

Early in the second period, Atlanta’s Marty Reasoner scored to pull the home team within a goal at 3-2. The Capitals and goaltender Semyon Varlamov successfully killed six penalties the rest of the way – including an illegal stick call on Mike Green – to thwart Atlanta’s continued bids to tie the contest. 

Midway through the third period, Washington’s Sergei Fedorov supplied the insurance tally that allowed the Caps to breathe easy the rest of the way. Ovechkin  supplied the solo assist on Fedorov’s 11th goal of the season. 

Varlamov made 29 saves to earn the win as Washington ran its record to 49-23-8 on the season.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 6</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 6, 1975, the Capitals closed out their inaugural season with an 8-4 whipping of the Pittsburgh Penguins in front of 9,061 hardy souls at the Capital Centre. The victory raised Washington’s season record to 8-67-5, still the worst mark for any first-year franchise in NHL history.

Veteran Pittsburgh winger Vic Hadfield started the scoring with his 31st goal of the season at 10:10 of the first period. Tommy Williams answered on a power play for Washington with his 21st at 12:41. Pittsburgh’s Ron Stackhouse scored at 14:08 to make it 2-1, Penguins and former Cap Lew Morrison made it 3-1 with a shorthanded goal at 15:55. Just 28 seconds after Morrison’s goal, former Penguin Ron Lalonde – who came to Washington in exchange for Morrison just over three months earlier – netted a power play marker to pull the Caps within a goal at 3-2. Each team had 10 shots on goal in the first period.

Stan Gilbertson tied the game for Washington at 2:36 of the second stanza. Less than two minutes later, Bob Gryp’s goal gave the Capitals their first lead of the night at 4-3. Stackhouse’s second of the game came on a Penguins power play at 17:18 to tie the score but Williams answered 36 seconds later with his second of the game for Washington. The Caps took a 5-4 lead to the dressing room. The Penguins had 13 second period shots on Caps netminder Ron Low while Washington had nine on Pittsburgh’s Bob Johnson, a product of Michigan State who was playing in what would prove to be his final NHL game. 

The third period belonged to Washington, and more specifically, to Gilbertson. At 13:50 of the final frame he scored his second of the night to make it 6-4, Capitals. Exactly one week after Lalonde notched the first hat trick in Capitals history, Gilbertson duplicated the feat with his third of the game at 16:58. Eighteen seconds later, Gilbertson went one better when he became the first Capital ever to score four goals in a single game. Washington skated off with a four-goal win, its largest margin of victory in any of its eight triumphs that season.

Pittsburgh must have been impressed with Gilbertson’s prolific offensive display. Eight months later, the Penguins would ship Harvey Bennett to Washington to get Gilbertson in a Pittsburgh sweater.

In addition to scoring two goals of his own, Williams also assisted on all four of Gilbertson’s goals. Williams finished off the season as the Capitals’ leader in goals (22), assists (36) and points (58).]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Sat, 06 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>Washington Capitals Visit Wounded Warriors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[During a recent visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) in Bethesda, Md., Washington Capitals players Eric Fehr, Jeff Schultz and Aaron Volpatti and their better halves spent time with service members in the Military Advanced Training Center (MATC).
MATC is a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of service members recovering from injuries sustained in service through the use of prosthetics and athletic equipment.
MATC uses a sports medicine model that features much of the same equipment found within sports rehabilitation training rooms.
As a result, many of the same fitness drills practiced by professional athletes are replicated by the service members to work on core strength, balance and stability.
“We understand how hard it is to do rehab every day and how tough it is, and we just want to try and support them as much as we can,” said Fehr following the MATC visit. “At the same time, they’re supporting us.”
Wounded warriors who were both Capitals fans and hockey players themselves spoke with Fehr, Schultz and Volpatti about their participation in the USA Warriors sled hockey program. 
“It sounds like a pretty dangerous sport from what I heard, with a lot of skill involved,” said Fehr. “It’s not something I think I’d be able to do, and it’s great for them to have an opportunity to play.” 
The visit was equally special to the Capitals, who also visited inpatients at the hospital.
“It was awesome and it really put things into perspective,” said Volpatti. “You see the news on TV, but to see it firsthand what these guys are sometimes sacrificing and are willing to do for their country is amazing.”
The visit marked the Capitals first time visiting WRNMMC, which opened in September 2011 following the integration of the National Naval Medical Center and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
In 2008, Capitals players including Mike Green, Brooks Laich and Tom Poti visited the Fisher House at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, while in 2010 the NHL and Capitals donated equipment to the USA Warriors Ice Hockey Program during a visit to the facility. 
Military and veteran’s affairs is one of five pillars the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation, which supports the charitable efforts of the professional teams under its umbrella.: the Washington Capitals, Mystics and Wizards. MSE is committed to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and focuses on the following five pillars to maximize its impact on the community: education and scholarship, hunger and homelessness, military and veterans' affairs, pediatric health and fitness and youth basketball and hockey.]]></description>

				
				<pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:25:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 5</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 5, 1987 the Capitals closed out their regular season with a 6-5 overtime win against the Devils in New Jersey.

The Devils' Craig Wolanin started the scoring with his fourth of the season at 12:36 of the first. New Jersey's Claude Loiselle scored on a power play at 15:56 to make it 2-0, Devils. New Jersey held an 8-7 advantage in shots for the first frame.

Washington's Alan Haworth scored a power play goal - his 25th of the season - at 6:35 to halve the Devil cushion. New Jersey's Neil Broten answered with his 26th of the year just over a minute later, however. Greg Adams scored for Washington at 15:25 to close out the second period scoring with the Devils in front, 3-2. The Caps outshot the Devils 9-5 in the second period. 

The middle frame was highlighted by a series of fights. Washington's Lou Franceschetti and Jersey's Joe Cirella duked it out in the undercard bout at 5:42. The Caps' Ed Kastelic and the Devils' Gordon Mark went at it at 7:10. The main event came just minutes later and featured Washington's Scott Stevens and New Jersey's Al Stewart. Stewart got hit with a minor for instigating and both combatants received five for fighting, five for headbutting and game misconducts. Additionally, New Jersey netminder Craig Billington was also assessed a 10-minute misconduct.

New Jersey's Greg Adams scored at 9:32 of the third to give the Devils a 4-2 lead. Larry Murphy's 23rd goal of the season brought the Caps within a goal at 12:25. Just 28 seconds later, John Blum's second of the year tied the game for Washington. The Caps took a short-lived 5-4 lead on Mike Gartner's power play goal at 16:25. The goal was Gartner's 41st of the season. Just 33 seconds after Gartner's goal, Adams scored his second of the game and 20th of the season for New Jersey to tie the score. New Jersey held a 11-8 lead in shots for the period. At the end of regulation, the teams were even in shots at 24-24 and even on the scoreboard at 5-5.

It didn't take long to resolve matters in overtime. A mere 12 seconds into the extra session, Franceschetti scored his 12th of the season to make winners of Washington and send the Caps into the playoffs on a winning note.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 4</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 4, 2007, the Caps downed the Thrashers in a Atlanta by a 3-2 score in the team’s penultimate contest of the 2006-07 season. 

Ilya Kovalchuk started the scoring at 1:06 of the first period when he beat Capitals goalie Brent Johnson for his 39th goal of the season. 

Washington scored three goals in the second half of the second period to roll out to a rare 3-1 road lead. Boyd Gordon tallied his seventh of the season at 10:08 of the second, getting help from Matt Pettinger and Steve Eminger. At 13:35 of the middle frame, Alex Ovechkin netted his 45th goal of the season on a Washington power play, Bryan Muir and Brian Pothier assisting. Ovechkin scored his second of the night with just 43 seconds left in the second to give Washington a two-goal lead. Gordon collected the lone assist.

Washington had a chance to add to its lead on a third period power play, but instead the Thrashers drew within a goal on a shorthanded strike from lumbering defenseman Andy Sutton. 

The Capitals held on to give Johnson his first win since Feb. 24, a triumph that pushed his mark to 6-15-7 on the season. 

With the victory, Washington halted a nine-game road losing streak (0-7-2). The win also enabled the Caps to match their modest point total from the previous season when they totaled 70. 

The Caps were blanked on home ice in their final game of the season, a 2-0 setback to the Buffalo Sabres, so Ovechkin’s goals were the last Washington tallies of that season.

Atlanta won the Southeast Division that season and made what is to date the only playoff appearance during the franchise’s existence. The New York Rangers swept the Thrashers in the first round that year, outscoring them by a combined 17-6 in the process.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 3</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 3, 1983 the Capitals tuned up for their first-ever trip to the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 3-0 win over the New York Rangers at the Capital Centre. The victory ended a three-game losing streak and a four-game winless streak. 

After a scoreless first period in which the Rangers outshot the Caps 9-4, Bobby Carpenter started the scoring at 5:45 of the second. Carpenter beat New York's Eddie Mio for his 32nd of the season. At 8:16, Greg Theberge scored to make it 2-0, Caps. Craig Laughlin closed out the scoring with his 17th of the season at 13:01.

Washington outshot New York 11-9 in the second period and the Rangers held an 8-6 advantage in shots for the third. New York outshot Washington 26-21 for the game. 

Pat Riggin and Al Jensen combined for the shutout with Jensen picking up the win. It was Jensen's 30th win as a Cap, tying him with Ron Low for the franchise's career record.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 2</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 2, 1993, the Capitals blanked the Montreal Canadiens by a 4-0 score at USAir Arena in Landover. 

With just 12 seconds remaining in the first period, Washington’s Al Iafrate started the scoring with his 25th goal of the season. The power-play marker came with assists from Dmitri Khristich and Kevin Hatcher. 

Peter Bondra notched an unassisted tally at 2:17 of the second period to push the Capitals’ advantage to 2-0. Midway through the middle frame, Washington’s Pat Elynuik scored his 22nd goal of the season when he beat Montreal netminder Patrick Roy with help from Dale Hunter and Calle Johansson.

At the 17:11 mark of the third period, Hatcher scored a power-play goal – his 31st goal of the season – with assists coming from Iafrate and Michal Pivonka.

Tabaracci became the third Capitals goaltender in Washington’s franchise history to blank the Canadiens, following Al Jensen (Dec. 10, 1983) and Pete Peeters (Dec. 10, 1988). Tabaracci made 33 saves on the night.

For Tabaracci, it was the first of his six career shutouts in a Capitals sweater. The first and last of those whitewashes came against the Canadiens, with the last of them coming by a 1-0 score at Montreal on March 20, 1999.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - April 1</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On April 1, 1980, the Capitals thumped the Pittsburgh Penguins by a 6-2 score in front of 15,821 fans at the Capital Centre. 
Bengt Gustafsson started the scoring parade at 8:31 of the first period when he beat Pittsburgh’s Greg Millen. It was the 22nd goal of the season for Gustafsson, who was winding down his rookie season. The Capitals outshot the Penguins 14-4 in the first period but Gustafsson was the only player to light the lamp.
Paul Mulvey scored his 15th of the year for Washington at 1:02 of the second. Pittsburgh’s Dale Tallon answered at 2:39 on a Penguin power play to halve the Capitals’ lead. Rolf Edberg scored his 22nd for the Caps at 10:23 to restore the two-goal margin. Each team had nine shots on goal in the second period.
At 10:08 of the third period, Pittsburgh was whistled for two minor penalties at a time when they already had a man in the box serving a minor. Gary McAdam (roughing) was joined in the sin bin by Ron Stackhouse (slashing) and Rod Schutt (unsportsmanlike conduct). Washington took advantage of the resulting five-on-three advantage at 11:06 when Ryan Walter scored his 23rd of the season to make it 4-1. Just 23 seconds later with the Caps still up two men, Mike Gartner made it 5-1 with his 36th of the season. At 12:17, Pittsburgh still had a man in the box and Washington scored its third power play goal in a span of 1:11 to make it a 6-1 rout. Alan Hangsleben scored his ninth of the season, becoming the sixth different Capital to score. Pittsburgh’s Rick Kehoe added a meaningless power play goal at 17:34 to close out the scoring. The Capitals outshot Pittsburgh 16-8 for the period and 39-21 on the night.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - March 31</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On March 31, 2011, the Caps forged a 4-3 overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Verizon Center.

With help from Brooks Laich and Jason Chimera, Caps defenseman John Carlson staked Washington to an early lead, scoring his seventh goal of the season at 1:39 of the first frame. 

The two teams traded goals in the second, with Antoine Vermette and Fedor Tyutin lighting the lamp for Columbus while Mike Knuble (from Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin) and Jason Arnott (from Marco Sturm) scored for the Capitals. For Knuble, it was his 21st of the season and for Arnott his 16th.

With just 5:37 remaining in regulation, the Blue Jackets’ Scottie Upshall scored on Washington netminder Michal Neuvirth to even the contest at 3-3. 

At the exact midpoint of the overtime session, former Blue Jackets winger Chimera bit the hand that once fed him, scoring an overtime game-winner with help from Laich and Carlson.

The goal was Chimera’s ninth of the season and it made a winner out of Neuvirth, who made 20 saves on the night to earn his 25th victory of the 2010-11 season.

With the victory over Columbus, the Capitals won for the 15th time in 19 games (15-3-1).]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - March 30</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On March 30, 1976, the Washington Capitals defeated the Detroit Red Wings by a 5-3 score before 8,036 fans at the Capital Centre in Landover. 
The first period was scoreless, with a single minor penalty whistled against each side. Detroit had a huge advantage in shots on goal, firing 13 against Washington's Bernie Wolfe. The Caps mustered only two against Red Wings' goaltender Eddie Giacomin.
It took the Red Wings only 19 seconds worth of second period time to grab the lead. Dennis Polonich beat Wolfe to give Detroit the advantage. The Capitals responded at the 1:22 mark of the second on a goal by Mike Lampman. Lampman's unassisted strike came against Detroit netminder Eddie Giacomin and tied the score at 1-1. The Capitals took their first lead of the game at 9:45 of the middle period when Gerry Meehan scored with help from Jean Lemieux and Harvey Bennett. At 13:27 of the second, Rick Bragnalo scored for the Caps to push the lead to 3-1. Nelson Pyatt got the lone assist on the Bragnalo goal. Lampman scored his second unassisted tally of the game at 16:59. Washington's fourth unanswered goal made it 4-1 in favor of the home team. The Caps outshot the Wings 13-10 in the second period. 
Halfway through the third period, the Red Wings began to mount a comeback. At 10:14, Barry Salovaara scored for Detroit to make it 4-2, Washington. Just over a minute later, Dan Maloney tallied for the Red Wings to shave the Capitals lead to one goal. At 14:15 of the third, Meehan iced the game with his second goal of the night, Ace Bailey assisting. The Caps held on for a 5-3 win. Washington held an 11-9 advantage in third period shots on goal but Detroit outshot the Caps 32-26 on the evening.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Sat, 30 Mar 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - March 29</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On March 29, 1977 the Washington Capitals pounded the Detroit Red Wings 6-1 at the Capital Centre in Landover.

Washington's Guy Charron wasted little time in getting the Capitals on the board. He scored at 1:50 of the first period with help from Bob Sirois and Bugsy Watson to give the Caps a lead they would not relinquish. Tony White made it 2-0 in favor of Washington when he tallied at the 4:47 mark of the first. Rick Bragnalo picked up the lone assist on White's goal. Washington had 12 shots on Detroit netminder Jim Rutherford in the first period. Detroit answered with six shots against the Capitals' Bernie Wolfe.

Yvon Labre potted a shorthanded goal at 1:12 of the second period with Wolfe collecting the solo assist on the play. It was the first NHL point for the Washington netminder. Just under seven minutes later, Jack Lynch scored for the Caps to push the lead to 4-0. Charron and Tom Rowe collected the assists on the Lynch tally. Bill Lochead solved Wolfe at 14:18 of the second to pull the Wings within three but Sirois restored the four-goal Washington lead with a goal at 18:45 of the middle frame. The Capitals outshot the Red Wings by a 12-8 total in the second. 

Bill Collins closed out the scoring for the game when he beat his former Detroit mates at 1:40 of the third period. Sirois collected the lone assist on the game's final goal. The Caps edged Detroit in third period shots on goal, 9-8 and enjoyed a 33-22 cushion in that category for the contest. The win was Washington's third in a row and the five-goal margin of victory matched a club standard achieved on three previous occasions.

Labre earned first star honors with his shorthanded goal and stellar play in his own end. Lynch was the game's second star and Charron skated off with the third star.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - March 28</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On March 28, 1975, the Capitals won the first road game in franchise history after 37 consecutive defeats. Washington's first win away from home came at the hands of the California Golden Seals, who dropped a 5-3 decision to the Caps.

Capitals captain Doug Mohns started the scoring for Washington when he tallied on the power play at 3:04 of the first period. It was just the second goal of the season for Mohns and it proved to be the final (248th) goal of his 22-year, 1,390-game NHL career as well. Ron Anderson scored his seventh of the season at 4:12 to give the Capitals a luxury to which they were seldom accustomed - a two-goal lead on the road. Warren Williams put the Seals on the board at 15:57 but Washington answered almost immediately. Gord Smith beat California netmidner Gilles Meloche at 16:49 to restore Washington's two-goal cushion. The Caps outshot the Seals by a 12-5 count in the first.

Charlie Simmer - an NHL rookie with the Seals that season - scored the only goal of the second period at 3:31 to bring California to within a goal of the Capitals. The Caps held a slim 5-4 advantage in shots on goal for the middle period.

Dave Gardner beat Washington goaltender Ron Low at 5:05 of the third to even the score at 3-3. But Nelson Pyatt - acquired in a deal with Detroit just a month earlier - scored his fourth goal as a Cap to give Washington another lead. Pyatt's goal came at 6:31. The Caps resorted to defending their slim advantage until Pyatt tallied an empty-netter with 16 seconds left to seal the victory. California had 11 shots in the third to Washington's eight but the Caps led 25-20 on the evening.

After the game, several Capitals skated around the arena while carrying an old trashcan on their shoulders. The revelers passed the "cup" from player to player and most of them later autographed the receptacle. In subsequent visits to Oakland, the trashcan provided a happy reminder of a brief bright spot in an otherwise dismal season.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - March 27</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On March 27, 2008, the Caps visited Tampa Bay to take on the Lightning. Washington came away with a 4-3 win on overtime, the team’s third straight victory on the road and its seventh win in its past eight games. 

Brooks Laich got the Caps started with a shorthanded goal at 17:58 of the first period. Ex-Cap Jeff Halpern tied it on a Lightning power play just 42 seconds later, sending the two teams to the game’s first intermission deadlocked at 1-1.

Washington’s Matt Bradley scored at 3:11 of the second to give the Capitals the lead, but the advantage was short-lived. Less than three minutes after Bradley’s goal, the Lightning drew even on an Alexandre Picard tally.

When the Lightning’s Michel Ouellet scored early in the third, Tampa Bay took its first lead of the night. But with just 4:48 remaining in regulation, Washington’s Alexander Semin netted the tying goal with help from fellow Russian Sergei Fedorov.

Midway through the overtime session, Washington winger Tomas Fleischmann scored to lift the Capitals to a 4-3 victory. Laich and Mike Green assisted on the overtime game-winner.

Caps goalie Cristobal Huet made 23 saves to earn the win over Tampa Bay’s Karri Ramo (28 saves). 

Washington went on to win each of its final four games of the season in 2008, outscoring its foes by a combined 14-3 in the process to take the Southeast Division crown on the final weekend of the 2007-08 season.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - March 26</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On March 26, 1980, the Capitals defeated the St. Louis Blues by a 4-2 score at USAir Arena in Landover. 
Washington's Bengt Gustafsson got the scoring started at 6:24 of the first period. The goal was Gustafsson's 20th of the season and came on a feed from fellow Swede Rolf Edberg. At 15:06 of the first, St. Louis's Bernie Federko cashed in on the power play to tie the score at 1-1. The Capitals launched 13 shots against St. Louis goaltender Mike Liut in the first period while the Blues countered with 11 on Washington's Wayne Stephenson.
The Capitals' Paul Mulvey scored the lone goal of the second period at 2:48 to provide Washington with a 2-1 advantage. Ryan Walter collected a solo assist on the Mulvey score. Washington outshot the Blues 16-9 in the middle frame.
Mike Gartner extended the Washington lead to 3-1 at 2:15 of the third period, Walter and Mulvey assisting. Edberg netted an insurance tally for the Capitals at 8:42 with Robert Picard assisting. The Blues' Ian Turnbull cut into the Caps' lead with a power play goal at the 16:26 mark but Washington held on for the win. The Capitals held a 9-7 edge in third period shots on goal and outshot the Blues on the evening by a 38-27 count. 
With the victory, the Capitals tied their franchise record for most points in a season at 63. Stephenson recorded his 17th win of the season, setting a new single season record for Washington goaltenders.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - March 25</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On March 25, 1977 the Washington Capitals pummeled the New York Rangers by a 7-2 score in front of 14,160 people at the Capital Centre.

Ace Bailey got the Caps on the board first when he tallied at 5:50 of the first period with help from Bill Collins and Ron Lalonde. Washington put a dozen shots on New York netminder John Davidson in the first while the Rangers countered with eight shots on the Capitals' Roger Crozier.

Bailey scored his second of the night at 1:49 of the second to give the Caps a 2-0 cushion. Lalonde and Bob Paradise assisted on Bailey's second goal of the game. Less than two minutes later, New York's Phil Esposito had a goal waved off. Crozier took a shot to the facemask on the play and was removed from the game after suffering lacerations to his face. Backup Bernie Wolfe replaced Crozier in the Washington goal. Crozier stopped all 10 shots he saw prior to his departure.

Guy Charron ran the Washington lead to 3-0 at 12:08 of the second period with Bob Sirois getting the lone assist. Charron's goal opened up the floodgates for Washington, which went on to set a club standard by scoring five goals in a span of 9:49 beginning with Charron's marker. Gerry Meehan scored for the Caps at 12:47, assisted by Hartland Monahan and Bugsy Watson. Walt Tkachuk scored for the Rangers at 13:12 to put New York on the board but Collins scored at 13:41 to restore the Capitals' four-goal margin. Linemates Lalonde and Bailey assisted on Collins' goal. Tony White scored an unassisted goal - Washington's fifth of the second period - at 19:21 to give the Caps a 6-1 lead going into the second intermission. New York doubled up Washington in second period shots on goal, 16-8.

Just 1:57 into the third period, Collins scored his second of the game with help from Bailey and Yvon Labre to give Washington a 7-1 lead. Less than a minute after Collins' goal, Davidson was lifted from the New York nets in favor of Gilles "Grattooney the Looney" Gratton. Davidson surrendered seven goals on 28 shots before retiring for the night. Steve Vickers closed out the night's scoring when he tallied at 16:24 of the final frame to make it a 7-2 game. The Rangers outshot the Capitals 19-9 in the third period and 43-29 on the night.

With 16 penalty minutes on the night, Washington tough guy Gord Lane broke Yvon Labre's single season club mark of 182. Lane would go on to record a total of 207 PIM in 1976-77.

The Collins line swept the night's three stars. With two goals, an assist and nine of his team's 29 shots on goal, Collins was the game's first star. Bailey's two goals and two assists earned him second star honors. Lalonde had three assists, good enough for the third star.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - March 24</title>
				
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                <description><![CDATA[On March 24, 1984, the Capitals gave the Pittsburgh Penguins a sound, 6-0 thrashing in front of 13,165 spectators at the Capital Centre.

The game was essentially ended for the Penguins at the 28-second mark of the first period when Alan Haworth scored his 28th of the season for Washington. Bobby Gould netted his 20th on a Washington power play at 6:09 to make it 2-0 and Gaetan Duchesne's 16th of the season came at 15:17 to push the margin to 3-0. Bobby Carpenter beat beleaguered netminder Vincent Tremblay at 18:29 for his 26th of the season to close out the first period scoring. The Caps outshot the Pens, 13-4.

Dave Christian's 28th of the season was the lone tally of the second period. It came at 1:56. The Pens outshot Washington 9-6 in the middle frame.

Scott Stevens became the sixth different Cap to dent the twine when he beat Tremblay at 16:48 of the third. The Caps had 14 shots on goal in the final period while Pat Riggin needed to stop only five Pittsburgh shots to register the shutout. The Caps held a 33-18 advantage in shots on the evening.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Sun, 24 Mar 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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				<title>This Date in Caps History - March 23</title>
				
			    <link><![CDATA[http://capitals.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=660676&cmpid=rss-vogel ]]></link>

                <description><![CDATA[On March 23, 1986, the Capitals pulled out a thrilling 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Capital Centre.

Philadelphia's Ron Sutter started the scoring at 1:38 of the first period when he beat Washington netminder Pete Peeters. Washington's Bobby Carpenter answered at 3:22 when he tucked the puck behind Philly's Bob Froese. It was Carpenter's 27th goal of the season. Gaetan Duchesne's 11th of the year came at 4:40 and it gave the Capitals a 2-1 lead. Tim Kerr scored his 51st of the season on a Philadelphia power play at 11:22 to tie the score. Kerr netted his 52nd at 15:48 to close out the first period scoring and give Philly a 3-2 lead. The Capitals outshot the Flyers by a 12-8 margin in the period.

Scott Stevens evened it up for Washington at 1:22 of the second with his 11th of the season. Dave Christian scored his 38th of the year for Washington at 4:41 to give the Caps the lead and chase Froese to the bench. He was replaced by veteran Chico Resch after allowing four goals on 15 shots. Craig Laughlin scored his 25th of the season on a power play at 11:30 to give the Caps a two-goal cushion at 5-3. Just 11 seconds later, however, Ilkka Sinisalo bagged his 35th of the year for Philly to pull the Flyers within a goal. Washington had 11 second period shots on goal to Philadelphia's four.

Brian Propp scored his 36th of the season for Philly at 1:37 of the third to tie the score at 5-5. Just over a minute later, the Caps took the lead for good on Bobby Gould's 14th of the season. The Caps held off the Flyer attack from that point on; the Flyers outshot the Caps 11-10 in the final frame but the Caps enjoyed a 33-23 advantage on the game.]]></description>

				<author>mvogel@washcaps.com</author>
				<pubDate>Sat, 23 Mar 2013 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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