Caps Triumph in Preseason Opener

Fleischmann's Two Goals Pace 4-1 Win
Boxscore

I know it's too early to say "I told you so," but Tomas Fleischmann's opening night performance is great start on his way to proving his worth to the Washington Capitals. Maybe we should trust Gabby on this one and stop writing off the talented Czech winger. That's all I'm going to say about "Flash."

Simeon Varlamov performed well in his NHL debut stopping all 20 shots he saw in the first twenty minutes of the game. He showed off his outstanding reaction speed and withstood a flurry at the end of the first period. Darren Machesney finshed off the game stopping 10 out of 11 shots over the final two periods. I think there is no doubt that Varlamov has the skills to play at the NHL level right now. The only thing stopping him from starting off the season with the big club is his adjustment not only to the american game and the smaller rinks, but the american culture as well. The Caps will bring him along slowly, but don't be surprised to see him with the big boys sooner rather than later.

Matt Bradley wore the "C" during the game, and showed off his offensive skills too with a nice goal against the Canes' number one netminder, Cam Ward. One of the reasons the Capitals decided to keep Bradley this offseason in place of Matt Cooke was because of his importance to the team off the ice. If he can provide a bit more offensively, like Cooke brought to the team last spring, it will be a great help to the Caps secondary scoring.

The Caps and the Canes square off again Thursday night in the preseason home opener at the Verizon Center.

Tarik on Fleischmann

I have gone on record before that I do not agree with the bashing by the fans that Tomas Fleischmann receives. I'm with Gabby on this one, Fleischmann will surprise Caps fans this season and become a solid contributor to this team. Here is Tarik's take.

Caps Hold Off Lightning 3-2

Well they almost blew it, thanks to a pair of Lightning goals within about 30 seconds late in the 3rd period to tie the game at 2. But Alex saved the day in the end, Alex Semin that is, with his quick reflexes that deposited a loose puck past Johan Holmqvist with three minutes to go. Now the Caps players and their dads will be able to enjoy a Sunday outing in the sunshine state. A couple key contributors for the Caps silenced their critics tonight: (Photo courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

1. Olaf Kolzig - 39 saves on the night, Godzilla was spectacular in net. Neither goal in the 3rd period was his fault. The Caps will need more consistent performances like this one from their number one netminder if they hope to make a playoff run this spring.
2. Tomas Fleischmann - His promotion to the first line resulted in his second goal in as many nights. He is proving why the organization is so high on him. Fleischmann must continue to be a reliable secondary scoring option for this team to succeed.

And how about the debut of defenseman Sami Lepisto? He showed flashes of brilliance in his 14+ minutes of ice time, contributing on the second power play unit while also delivering some big hits, which is a bit unexpected considering his size. He has definitely proved that he deserves a good look with the big club. Hopefully he is here to stay. (Photo of Sami Lepisto during Rookie Camp, Summer '07)