It is one thing to hold sole position of first place in the NHL’s Eastern Conference. It is another to have earned it by beating one of the conference’s hottest teams with some of your best players out of the lineup.
The Washington Capitals did just that Monday night with a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers. Washington is clearly on a mission to win the Stanley Cup. They have lost only one game in regulation at home and only four total. Not only have they vaulted into first place, but they have done it with what many would consider a somewhat mobile M*A*S*H unity.
As of Tuesday, the Caps had six of their players on the injury report. Wingers Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and goalie Jose Theodore are just three of those listed day-to-day. While it is not as serious as being placed on the injured reserve, a day-to-day listing generally means the player has a fifty percent chance of playing. Six of the players from the team’s minor league franchise, the Hershey Bears, were called up.
Jay Beagle, Mathieu Perreault and Michal Neuvirth have been added to the team’s roster. While Beagle and Neuvirth are just stopgaps, Perreault has quickly made a name for himself in this new hockey town.
The 21-year-old Quebec native has five points in just seven games. He notched two goals and three assists, including a game winning assist on a pretty pass to Brian Pothier for the game winner against the Minnesota Wild. The production has been consistent as well, with the young center having only two pointless games.
Support for this superstar-in-waiting exploded inside the Verizon Center. Screams from the upper deck, cheering on the call-up, could be heard on his first shift of the night against the Wild. Those screams even turned to boos when Perreault was hooked and no penalty was called.
He was originally called to replace an injured Ovechkin, with the idea that he would return to Hershey when he was no longer needed. That plan was quickly averted after Perreault’s stellar performance and another rash of injuries. No team likes injuries, but in this case it helps Washington because they do not need to make a tough decision on whom to send down to the minor leagues.
While the injuries allow the Caps to keep Perreault, it is too bad a few of their best players had to go down for him to stay. The oft-injured Semin is yet again struggling with a wrist ailment, which is a shame because the Russian star was just starting to heat up and get back into his groove offensively. Mike Knuble also joins Semin on the sidelines, as he will be out several weeks with a broken finger.
Knuble’s injury hurts the Caps the most because of his play on the man advantage with Ovechkin. He was added in the offseason because of his knack for standing in the net and he has not disappointed. He has five goals and 10 assists so far this season – many of them coming on the same line as Ovie. Knuble’s ability to score at will took a pedestrian first line that was unable to get any chemistry going and transformed it into a scoring threat.
Head Coach Bruce Boudreau had to do some quick thinking before his team’s game against the Rangers. With three of his top forwards out of the lineup, Boudreau had to do some line shuffling. Captain Chris Clark ended up being placed on the top line to fill in for Knuble.
It will be the captain’s first action on the top line since he played with Ovechkin three seasons ago. His next two years were filled with injuries, and the leader was moved to the third line and into obscurity. That ended at the beginning of November, when Clark went on a four-game points streak in which the team went 3-1. The journeyman’s return was completed when he scored in the 11th round of a shootout against the New York Islanders to secure the victory.
The Washington Capitals have continued to win despite losing some of their best players. Home games at the Verizon Center have continued to sell out, and the Caps have continued to dominate on their own ice. If this is what the team looks like with a sub-par lineup filled with rookie call-ups and rejuvenated veterans, one can only imagine what happens when Semin, Knuble and their other injured regulars return to the lineup.
Times like these are when teams learn what they are made of. If they can grind through injuries, then they are a championship-caliber team. Washington has clearly made a statement that they are that kind of hockey club.
You can reach this staff writer at atomlinson@theeagleonline.com.
