I'm back home!

Hey guys, sorry for not posting, but it would have been difficult to take my laptop with me. But I had an awesome time in your great continent. I saw 2 NHL games, firstly I saw Montreal-Florida, and then Montreal-Boston. It was unbelievable, I've never seen such an amazing standard of hockey - I hope I can see the Caps some day.
So on to the Caps. I'm writing this at 11:30 PM and watching the Caps-Islanders game. Caps are up 1-0 right now.  If the Caps hold on to this lead, they will go 10-2-0 this season. That's twenty points already - if they continue this record, they will finish with sixty-eight wins. Sixty-eight. That's 136 points. Something tells me that the Caps might just make the playoffs this season.
But the fact is, the Caps, are almost 25% of the way to a play-off spot now anyway, and more like 20% to winning the conference. Highlights include the 7-1 win against Detroit and the thrilling 5-4 OT win over Anaheim.  the two games the Caps lost came against Vancouver and Edmonton were winnable - but you can't have everything.
But what of the Great 8? Well, Ovi is tied for first on the Caps and 22nd in the NHL with 5 goals. He also has 7 assists, at 31st in the NHL, and his 12 points are good for 25th in the NHL. These numbers are reasonable, but not Oviesque. He needs to get some goals in to justify his contract and reputation as possibly the best player in the world.

Opening Night!

I've been waiting for this day for quite a while now. After barely getting to see any caps playoff games back in spring due to exams (remember I live 5 hours ahead!), I can watch a caps game again. I'll be staying up until 2:30 AM to watch the Capitals destroy the Canes. I know caps fans all feel really optimistic at the start of every season, but I just have a feeling that 2011/2012 will be the Caps' year. We have strengthened our roster considerably, adding a top 5 goaltender in Voukon, and clutch players Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer. But then again, we will have to see what happens in the next couple of weeks to get a more realistic prediction. 

Right now, I see the Caps as a very realistic Cup contender, with the Canucks, Bruins, Sharks and Penguins being their main rivals.

In an unrelated note, in two weeks time, I will be flying out to North America for ten days. I'll be in NYC, Boston and Montreal, and I will see my first ever NHL game (Boston vs Montreal). I can't wait, and I will keep updates on the trip.

Caps win last preseason games, Go 3-3-1.

That's what I'm talking about! The Caps went into their last two games with a realistic regular season lineup, and they did well!

Firstly, the shootout win in Buffalo was promising. It was really good to see Troy Brouwer combine well with Backstrom and Ovi to let Backstrom score - this is now a possible line for BB. Also, a goal from Mike Green, proving he's still the same player since his injuries earlier this year, and another goal from Matt Hendricks, showing why he has earned his 1-way contract. A shootout goal in the 6th round from Backstrom was enough to seal the win. A good game from the Caps.


In their final preseason game, the Caps took on Chicago, and came out with a convincing 4-1 win.  The game started off badly, with Hossa scoring for Chicago within the first couple of minutes, but the Caps rallied, scoring three unanswered goals from Perreault, Laich and Green. Jay Beagle iced the cake with a minute to go with an empty net goal. Neuvirth was in net, saving 28 shots, and of course only letting one by, with a save percentage of .966, so arguably he was the star here.

In an unrelated note, I would like to thank the guys from Russian Machine Never Breaks (RMNB) for sending out a tweet about my blog last night!

Pre Season Re-Cap

Hey, I'm back, as promised.

So with seven pre-season games on the schedule, and five played, the record stands at 1-3-1. Look, I am totally aware that preseason games are for experimenting with different lineups, but this record isn't exactly promising or exciting on paper. Not exactly cup winning. However, I have been impressed by a few caps so far:

Mathieu Perreault, MP 85, whatever you call him, has been very effective so far, scoring several goals and generally making a good impact on the ice, look for him to appear for the Caps much more this season. IS he the second line center we desperately need yet? No. But give him a couple of years and I think he can progress to just that - I feel he is a late developer, if he hasn't already proved this. I mean, he is regularly playing in the NHL at the age of 23 when he was taken late in the sixth round!

Cody Eakin

Cody Eakin is just 20 years old, and the WHL star seems like he will make his NHL break (NOT breakout) this season with the Caps, most likely on the third line, he will still get a lot of experience from this in my view. I predict a 10-15 goal year for him, maybe 30-40 points.

So far, a lot of the regular Caps have not impressed me, but a lot of the younger ones have, which I guess is a positive sign in a way. But the fact is, the salary cap scare this summer proves that the Caps cup window is starting to close, this year is very important if we want to capture our first Stanley Cup.

My Best of Ovi Video

Welcome to Caps From Across The Pond!

Hey there, glad you stumbled into this blog.

My name is Cam and I am 16 years old. I live in London, in the UK and four years ago I discovered the amazing sport known as ice hockey. When I first saw it I loved the speed, skill and physicality of this game. I soon laced 'em up myself and am currently playing for Milton Keynes Storm Under 18 Squad - I'm a winger.

Now, onto the focus of this blog. I discovered the NHL and chose to support the Washington Capitals as I lived in the DC area as a small child. Since then I have followed them like crazy. I'm unable to talk to many caps fans over here, so this is why I made this blog!

Please stay tuned, and look forward to more updates!

Cam.