Time CAPSule - Caps vs. Carolina, April 1, 2008

Earlier this season, we posted Alex Ovechkin](https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/early-times-of-the-great-eight/c-311761890) and another Nicklas Backstrom](https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/backstrom-takes-center-stage/c-313921356). In the process of crafting those stories and talking to the subjects themselves and many others, we were reminded of how exciting and thrilling the 2007-08 NHL season was in these parts.
It stands as Ovechkin's career year, it was Backstrom's rookie year, Bruce Boudreau took over behind the Washington bench on Thanksgiving Day, and the Caps made the playoffs for the first time in five years, winning 15 of 19, 11 of 12 and seven straight at season's end to come back from a dismal 6-14-1 start to win the Southeast Division title.
That season and that run into the playoffs augured in the "Rock The Red" era of hockey in DC, the beginning of 11 playoff appearances in a span of a dozen seasons. At this time a dozen years ago, the Caps were in the midst of that wild run. With the NHL's 2019-20 season "paused" for the foreseeable future, we're going to spend the next month looking back at the day-to-day of that remarkable late-season run, revisiting some of our coverage at the time with some fresh hindsight mixed in. On the off days between games, we will revisit some events from earlier in that landmark season. Enjoy!

Tuesday, April 1, 2008
The Caps are set to start a three-game, season-ending homestand against Southeast Division foes, starting with the leaders of the division, the Carolina Hurricanes. In late November, the Caps occupied the basement of the Eastern Conference standings. But after elevating Bruce Boudreau from AHL Hershey to NHL bench boss on Nov. 22, the Caps steadily climbed the standings ladder to the point that they could pull into a tie with Carolina for the Southeast lead with a regulation win in this contest.
Here's how the Eastern Conference standings looked as the Caps took their morning skate ahead of the most important game they had played in five years (* denotes division leader):
\Pittsburgh 100
\Montreal 98
New Jersey 93
NY Rangers 93
Ottawa 92
Philadelphia 91
Boston 91
\Carolina 90
------------
Washington 88
Buffalo 86
For all intents and purposes, this was a playoff game for Washington. Carolina would clinch the division with a win, and a loss would leave the Caps hanging by a thread in their pursuit of the Bruins. Here's how we covered that one on the day of the game.
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April 1 versus Carolina Hurricanes at Verizon Center
Time: 7:00 pm
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio:3WT 1500AM, 820 AM and 107.7 FM
Pre-Game: Pre-Cap Podcast at 3 p.m. on www.washingtoncaps.com
Washington Capitals (40-31-8)
Carolina Hurricanes (42-31-6)
On the first day of April - no fooling - the Capitals will play their most important home game in nearly five years. The Carolina Hurricanes come to town on Tuesday to open Washington's season-ending three-game homestand. The Caps trail the Canes by two points, and Washington needs a win on Tuesday - and preferably a regulation win - to keep its hopes of a Southeast Division title alive.
Washington just returned home from spending the better part of the last two weeks on the road where it went 5-1 in its longest road stretch of the season. The splendid road trip puts the Caps in position to earn their first playoff berth in five years if they can continue their winning ways at home.
"It gives us an opportunity," says Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. "Our big thing was coming home and having an opportunity in the last three games. We're still back and we're still climbing. It's tough, but we firmly believe that if we go out and take care of business that good things are going to happen. And that's all we can do, is take care of our business. Not that being home is going make [for an automatic] win, but it will be a good boost."
The Caps closed out the road trip with a 3-0 whitewashing of the Panthers in Florida on Saturday. After taking Sunday off, Washington reconvened at Kettler Capitals Iceplex for a practice session on Monday in preparation for the Hurricanes' visit.
"We fight for something," says left wing Alex Ovechkin, itching for his first taste of the Stanley Cup playoffs. "We have a young team, we have great experienced guys. Everybody's excited. It's not for me; it's special for our team right now, especially [for those] who played here before the lockout. After the lockout, Washington never goes to the playoffs and we never had in three seasons 90 points. So we can't wait to see what place we can be."
"So far we feel comfortable," says veteran center Sergei Fedorov. "[Tuesday] we're just going to step it up and put it in another gear."
Fedorov was asked whether he thought it would take three wins in their remaining three games to get the Caps into the playoffs.
"I don't know," he begins, "but I know we can start with one on Tuesday. That would certainly help us if we can get this done. We're facing a very serious opponent. It's not like it's going to be a walk in the park or anything.
"I know it's part of [the media's] job to stress how huge this is and how huge that is. As players, we understand that very much. We don't like to stress this much today. But [Tuesday], yeah. We'll be there, right with you on the same level. Everybody understands the importance of it. But you still have to maintain a kind of coolness about the situation we're in. It's exciting; it's a new situation for all of us. Hopefully we just come up with the effort and go from there."
The Capitals have won 12 of their last 16 games to put themselves in a position to make the playoffs with a strong finishing kick. Washington's defense and its goaltending have spearheaded the team's late surge. The Capitals have allowed just 2.3 goals per game in their last 27 games, a period that covers about a third of the season. Had the Caps maintained that rate over the course of the entire season, they'd rank fourth in the league in goals against.
"Our goalies have been great," says blueliner Shaone Morrisonn, "and not only have our goalies been great, our forwards have been great coming back and playing sound in the defensive zone and just limiting their chances on that, on the second and third shots after the initial shots. It's been a group effort and it seems to be working all right. We've just got to keep it up."
They'll have to keep it up for three more games just to extend their season for the first time since 2003.
"The games are tight and the standings are tight," Morrisonn says. "It's like a playoff game out there; everybody is playing for points. You've got to try to limit your mistakes out there. [The games] have been a lot closer than at the beginning of the season when we were trying play a new system and we had to tweak it here and there and get everybody used to it. Now I think everybody is used to it and playing pretty solid. The D is going to win games for us right now because it is so tight. There aren't going to be too many power plays, so we have to be sound defensively first."
Although they have netted just one power play goal in their last 21 chances (4.8%) covering the last five games, the Caps rank seventh in the circuit with an 18.8% extra-man success rate this season. Washington ranks 25th in the league with a penalty killing success rate of 80.1% in 2007-08.
For the Hurricanes, look for wingers Ray Whitney and Jason Williams to return to the lineup on Tuesday after missing time with injuries. Whitney missed all of March with a leg injury and Williams has been sidelined for more than three months with a torn left MCL/ACL. Winger Chad LaRose returned to the lineup last week after missing the better part of two months because of a broken bone in his leg.
Even without Whitney and Williams, the Canes have been a formidable offensive team. Carolina has averaged 3.52 goals per game over the last 21 games. If maintained over the entirety of the 2007-08 season, that figure would lead the league by far.
Goaltender Cam Ward will almost certainly make the start for Carolina, and if he does it will be his 18th start in a row. He is 12-3-2 with a 2.18 goals against average and a .923 save pct. during his 17-start run, so the workload appears to be agreeing with him. Going back to Jan. 5, Ward has appeared in 34 of Carolina's last 35 games.
Carolina's power play ranks eighth in the league with a success rate of 18.7%. The Hurricanes are 26th in the league in penalty killing with a kill rate of 79.1%.
Fun Fact: Carolina and Washington are the only two teams who can win the Southeast Division crown this season. The Canes took the first Southeast title in 1998-99, the Caps the next two, and the Canes the one after that. Carolina also won in 2005-06, en route to its first-ever Stanley Cup championship. The 2007-08 season will mark the sixth time in nine seasons that either Carolina (three times) or Washington (twice) has won the Southeast.
Injuries
Carolina Hurricanes
Defenseman Bret Hedican has a strained torso and is day-to-day.
Right wing Patrick Eaves had shoulder surgery and is out indefinitely.
Center Matt Cullen has post-concussion symptoms and is day-to-day.
Center Rod Brind'Amour has a torn left ACL and is out indefinitely.
Defenseman David Tanabe has a concussion and is out indefinitely.
Washington
Defenseman Brian Pothier has an upper body injury and is day-to-day.
Right wing Chris Clark has a groin injury and is day-to-day.
Center Michael Nylander underwent surgery for a torn rotator cuff and is out 3-6 months.
Center David Steckel has a broken finger and is day-to-day.
Possible Line Combos and Defensive Pairings
Carolina Forwards
14-Samsonov, 12-Staal, 26-Cole
13-Whitney, 51-Hamilton, 11-Williams
15-Ruutu, 19-Letowski, 59-LaRose
18-Bayda, 37-Aucoin, 24-Walker

Carolina Defensemen
6-Hedican, 42-Gleason
5-Kaberle, 77-Corvo
7-Wallin, 2-Wesley
Goaltenders

30-Ward, 47-Grahame
Washington Forwards

8-Ovechkin, 19-Backstrom, 25-Kozlov
28-Semin, 91-Fedorov, 24-Cooke
43-Fleischmann, 21-Laich, 14-Fehr
87-Brashear, 15-Gordon, 10-Bradley

Washington Defensemen

26-Morrisonn, 52-Green
55-Schultz, 3-Poti
4-Erskine, 23-Jurcina

Goaltenders

37-Kolzig, 38-Huet
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In addition to the game preview, we posted a pair of blog entries with quotes from players and Boudreau after the morning skate.
"It's Going To Be A Big Tilt"
If you're like me (and some of the players, too), you can't wait for face-off tonight at Verizon Center between the Caps and the Carolina Hurricanes. Time moves slowly on game days when things are going well, and it's certainly true today.
With that in mind, here are some great quotes I gathered from the Caps' locker room after Monday's practice.
Center Sergei Fedorov

On what he might tell younger players before a big game like this one:

"Not much, to be honest with you. I think we have a great coaching staff. They are already on top of things. They stress enough and focus our energy and our desperation. I don't think we have to say something. Because we are players, too. We have to do what we have to do in order to come out and be at our best. Obviously it's a work in progress during the game; we'll exchange whatever info we need to in order to get better immediately.
"But before the game everybody maintains and gets ready in their own way. And hopefully we come together as a group at the right time."
On playing the same three teams they played last week at home thins week:

"I personally like to play here at home. On the road was a little bit tougher. At home you have more things at your disposal to get you ready. It's more relaxing and not so hectic. You know, hotels, suits, ties and all that stuff. You're more relaxed here. All we have to do is maintain our focus and hopefully don't relax too much."
Center Brooks Laich

On the stress level:

"I watched the Boston game last night and you feel powerless sometimes when you watch and you hope for another team to win. But we're looking at [Tuesday's] game. We feel that if we win [Tuesday] we're going to be in. Obviously it's a big game. We still have Carolina in our sights. They've been ahead of us lots of times this year. They haven't really pulled out of our window and we've kept fighting and fighting. We still believe we have a chance at the division. [Tuesday's] going to be a war. We're looking forward to it."
On coach Boudreau's approach:

"He tells us just to focus on practice today and after practice he tells us to focus on the game tomorrow. I know he's looking ahead; he's scoreboard-watching probably more than anybody. But he's trying to keep our group in here focused on the task at hand. And we have to prepare. We can't look by Carolina. They're going to be playing their best hockey [Tuesday] and we're going to play our best. It's going to be an exciting game and if we can get that one it should lead to two more victories the rest of the week."
On what it was like to be out of the playoff chase last year:

"Yeah. I remember the last two years. We weren't in the race. We were out of the race in February. We were just trying to play and still be competitive because you're playing for pride at that point in time. Now we're playing for a playoff spot. I think if you ask anybody in here they're having a ton of fun. We're having a blast right now. It's tight, the games are intense, they're so meaningful. You just look at when we score goals and win hockey games how everyone is just so excited and so happy. If we can keep that feeling it's going to be an exciting time going into the playoffs."
On playing the last three at home:

"We had a great road trip. That's one of the best road trips I've ever had in my career. We took five out of six and the games we were in were [like] playoff games. We came through in tough games where we were down 3-1, we were able to win games in shootouts and overtimes. Being in tight games is something that we're used to around here, and it's going to benefit us. [Tuesday's] going to be another tight game. From now on they only get tighter and tighter and tighter and more pressure packed. I think we're prepared for it."
On the mood in the room:

"I think everyone is having so much fun. The games are tight. But we're not squeezing our sticks so tight that we're almost taking ourselves out. We're playing. We're not even thinking. Guys are playing; guys are on a roll. It's hard to describe. If you don't play, it's a hard thing to understand. But when you're a player and you get on a roll, you don't think. You just play the game and you react. You use your instincts and you're so intense. I think we have to have that going forward if we're going to make a push. Honestly, [Tuesday] like I said is going to be a war on ice. It's going to be a fun game. I'm looking forward to it."
On watching the standings and scoreboard:

"Other teams are playing well. It's tough to make up ground. And then you miss a day, you don't play for a couple days and another team gets another point ahead of you. Some teams are three points ahead of us. There's a cluster at 91 points. We're still looking at Carolina. We've had them in our sights since Bruce got here. At one point we were ahead of them and then they took back first [place]. Right now, they're holding something we want. All [Monday's] practice was to getting prepared for [Tuesday]. We're looking forward to [Tuesday's] game and we'll deal with Florida and Tampa after that."
On playing the first home game after a long road trip, a game that often produces a letdown:

"I don't think that should be a problem, especially this time of year with how big that game is. [Tuesday's] game could be the make or break. If we win it, we're probably going to get in. If we don't win it, it's going to be tough to get in. It's going to be real tough to get in. We're going to need a lot of help from other teams. If you can't get up for [Tuesday's] game, I don't think you should be in this league."
On the expected atmosphere for tonight's game:

"It's going to be nuts. As I've said a couple times, it's going to be war on ice. It's going to be a bitter fight. They know what's at stake, too. They know if we get them [Tuesday] there is a chance they might not sneak in. So they're going to be hungry. They're going to play their best hockey and they're going to throw everything at us. And we're going to do the same to them. We have to play with total disregard for our bodies. We have to block pucks, take hits and do everything we can to win this hockey game. It's going to be a big tilt. Like I said, I can't wait to go for it."
On coming to the rink with the feeling that you're going to win, like during the spring of '06 when Laich and several other current Caps won the Calder Cup:

"We've got that. I've talked to guys about that, I've talked to Gordo and Stecks and Flash and Fehrsie, It's such a unique feeling.
"When we won that Calder Cup, you would come to the rink and you did your thing. You practiced. You didn't even think about it. You just came, you practiced, you went home. When you came to the rink to play a game you just knew what to do and you knew what everybody was going to be doing. I was going to skate and move the puck, Fehrise was going to shoot the puck, Freddy was going to stop the puck. Greenie was going to be flying. You just knew what everyone was going to be doing and it was just easy. It was the hardest time of the year to play, but the games were just easy because you're not thinking about it mentally. You're on such a roll that you just play the game.
"I think we've got that with 10 wins in our last 12 games I think it is. We've got that around here. The confidence just keeps going higher and higher until you think that you're unbeatable. I remember when we lost. We won 10 games in a row to start the playoffs, and then we lost that one game. Everyone was so bitter. There wasn't a word said after the game. We just showered and went home and couldn't wait to get back for the next game.
"There are guys in here who know what winning is like. [Fedorov] has talked about that before. He has talked about his experiences in Detroit where the game just becomes easy. You come to the rink, you do your thing and you go home. You come to the rink, you do your thing and you go home. That's just your routine. We've got that feeling right now and we've got to keep it going."
On how hard it is to wait for game time on game day:

"For me, my pre-game naps are getting shorter. I can't fall asleep as quickly, and I'm thinking about the game and I'm up. And finally I can't sleep anymore. So I get up.
"I remember our playoff run, I'd be at the rink at three o'clock or 3:15 for a seven o'clock game.
"And Bouds, would say, 'Why don't you stay at home and get some rest?'
"I'm like, 'I can't, I have to come here.' And I'd say, 'Well, you're telling me to stay home, look at you. I can tell you're not sleeping at night.'
"And he'd say, 'No, I'm getting three hours of sleep at night."
"It's an exciting time and I can't say it without a smile on my face: I love this time of year. We haven't had this feeling around here in Washington. We've had it in Hershey, but we haven't had it in Washington for a while. I think you're starting to see some reaction from around the community and the fans. We're starting to make it a bit more of a hockey town."
Don't forget to wear red.
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Pregame Q&A With BB
Caps coach Bruce Boudreau held court for the media before the game tonight, and the transcript follows. First, a few notes on the game.
The Caps will ice the same lineup for the third consecutive game. Carolina defenseman Bret Hedican (torso) will be a game-time decision. If he can't go, Dennis Seidenberg will be in. Both Justin Williams and Ray Whitney will be back in the lineup tonight for Carolina after lengthy absences. They'll play on the fourth line with Jeff Hamilton to start with, but they'll also get some power play time.
Here's what Bruce had to say.
How exciting is this to have three games left in the season and be right in the thick of it?

"I don't think anything has changed. We're not looking at three games. We're looking at tonight. When we wake up tomorrow we'll figure out what we have to do tomorrow. It has been a long haul to do this and we want to continue to be able to do it a little longer."
How important is it for you guys to stay out of the penalty box against this team?

"I think they got two [power play] goals last game against us and they got four [power play] goals the game before so I would think it would be something that we've addressed. Hopefully it can be done. I think it's two teams that are going to be highly emotional today. I think the team that might be a little smarter - and controlled emotion is one of the things we talk about - might have a little bit of the upper hand."
Why do they get so many penalty calls? Is that an acquired skill?

"An acquired dive? I don't know. They lead the league in calls against them. I don't know what it is. Whatever it is, I'd like to know how to do it. Maybe they play harder than every other team and get called with hooks and everything."
What's the mood like in there? Are the guys up, nervous, apprehensive?

"I think the mood is all of those. Before the season is over you don't get to play in games like this too often. They're excited. A lot of guys haven't been involved this close to the end of the season with something that really matters at home. I'm sure they're excited and yet apprehensive."
Are the what-if scenarios too mind-boggling for you to follow?

"No. It's fun. It's better than, 'What if we went golfing today? What would happen?' It's a lot better than that. We're looking at every other team, watching the TV, watching what Carolina does. It's an exciting part. I can only imagine if we're lucky enough to get in, how exciting it will be in the following weeks."
[Carolina] is only a couple years removed from playing 20-some games of a bit higher magnitude than this one. How much does that come into play tonight do you think?

"I think it does a lot. The last time we were in this situation to tie them or go ahead of them in the standings - it might have been as many as six weeks ago - we talked about them having a lot of championship blood over in that room. They're going to know what to do and how to play. They came out and they scored two goals in the first period and won the game. I don't think anything has changed from that. They know how to play. They've been in first place for a long time. They know what we want and they know that they can clinch first place with a win. I've got to believe that they're going to play as good as they possibly can."
Last week against Carolina, in the game you went on to win in the shootout, the first 10 minutes of that game I thought the Caps played really, really well. Was that one of the better starts you've had against this team?

"I think it was, but it was a necessity because we know how good they come out in the first period, and what their scoring differential in the last 15 games has been in the first period and all of those things. They've won a lot of games in the first period. We knew just what we had to do and we played as hard as we could.
"The biggest disappointment was that we were down 1-0 after the [period], and we were a little worried going into the second. It's a game we have to play like that for 60 minutes. We can't afford to have just one real good period and I thought in Carolina we did, we had three good periods. With three good periods and them being as depleted as they were, it still took a shootout [to beat them]. We know we're in for a battle."
As well as you guys have played, you're still in the position you are now. Is that frustrating?

"It's frustrating. You'd like to be able to sit there and say you're in first place. But the frustrating thing is if you're not mentally tough enough and you say, 'I've tried so hard and I'm tired and I don't want to try any harder.' That's the one thing you can't say about us. For the last three months we've been in playoff mode and we haven't given up. We could have in the two games against Boston and Pittsburgh, probably two of the most depressing losses you're going to see, and then we ran off four [wins] in a row. So this is a resilient group. They're going to play with probably a lot of emotion. I hope it's not too much emotion. But they're going to give it their best shot again."
What about [Nicklas] Backstrom and the resiliency there for a rookie?

"I just told him, 'Don't worry about it. If that's the worst mistake you make in the next 15 years, that's okay.' It didn't happen in a playoff game in a seventh game. The games he has won for us by himself quite frankly have more than made up for that little mistake he made."