Washington Capitals

By Scott Lowe When you follow a team all your life and since its inception, it's hard at times to be objective. In the case of the Washington Capitals, after years of playoff disappointments, many of their followers - inlcuding me - tend to expect the worst this time of year. Lately, many in the national media - and now even Columbus Blue Jacket forward R.J. Umberger - have jumped on the anti-Caps bandwagon. Several NHL media types have labeled Washington "this year's Sharks," and Umberger last night said that the Caps wouldn't strike fear in any of the Western Confernece teams because "they don't play the right way." Let's address that ridiculous comment first. Based on his - an...

The Washington Capitals hope to get a lift tonight against Atlanta (7 p.m. Verizon Center) when all-purpose forward Brooks Laich returns to the lineup after suffering a freak facial injury in practice last week. Washington has gone 1-1-2, including setbacks in three straight, with Laich out of the lineup and have struggled noticeably on special teams and in their own end in his absence. "There are so many situations in games when I need something and look to Brooks," head coach Bruce Boudreau said recently. "Lately when I've looked for him he hasn't been there. It really shows you how much it means to us to have him in the lineup." Laich most likely will step in for either recent Hers...

By Scott Lowe The Washington Capitals will get physical presence Shaone Morrisonn back on the blueline tonight when they take on Ottawa at 7 p.m. at Verizon Center, but they will still be without the services of forwards Brendan Morrison (lower body), Boyd Gordon (back), Brooks Laich (face) and Scott Walker (knee). Defensemen John Erskine and Tyler Sloan will be healthy scratches for the Caps, which means that recent Hershey call-up Matthieu Perreault, who had a goal Sunday vs. Calgary should be back in the mix again. Ottawa leads the season series 2-1 and has scored six and four goals, respectively in its victories against Washington. "They've turned it around and are playing as go...

By Scott Lowe Even as the Washington Capitals have been the dominant team in the East this season and are in control of the race for the President's Trophy, one concern has always lingered: Do they have the goaltending to make a serious run at the Stanley Cup? Well, there's something to be said for having the ability to simply outscore your opponents on an almost nightly basis. The Caps consistently have shown an affinity for doing just that, easily leading the league with 289 goals and a plus-80 differential. The next closest in those categories are Vancouver at 244 and Chicago at plus-52. But, at the end of the day, history shows that defense and goaltending can overcome scoring come...