on the puck. he knew he wasn't going to get shots past him. just about worked for alex. >> joe: this one deflects a couple rows into the spectator seats. michal neuvirth has taken over goaltending. >> craig: he played the whole game at hershey. he stopped 28 of 29. expected to miss an additional two weeks. without him the caps are one game below 500. >> joe: what was a season ago. he injured a knee. he had the groin muscle trouble last year and the lower body continues to plague him in this season in which his record is absolutely sparkling. tomas fleischmann playing center tonight. on the hand to head, alexander semin tracked by markon.

>> craig: when will he get his next start. michal neuvirth has started the last ones. not sure when field will get his next nod. >> joe: you just know jose theodore is feeling a little grumpy. >> craig: take a look at his numbers. he'd like to bring that save personality up for his numbers between the pipes. >> joe: theodore for so long a member of the montreal canadiens organization. chimera fires. that's the easy stop for price. he makes everything look easy when he's playing well. a marvelous stop. >> craig: how did he stop that with that right pad? deflected enough. >> joe: so tough for goalie. gill play its back on the

washington side of semin. glen metropolit building power. goes crashing into the end wall. d'agostini up and personal. shot didn't get through where neuvirth will squeeze. thompson creek window of opportunity right off the hop. >> craig: a good play by alzner. you see the deflection and look at that toe. he stayed with it with that right pad. caught the end with the say. real good flexibility for carey price. >> joe: back in the 1st period we showed you a a package of eric fehr scoring in montreal. he almost did it again dc. so good to be home surrounded by good friends.

all members of our technical crew assembled at verizon center. and the caps will be in the building quite a bit in january. a chance for them to lengthen their division lead. >> craig: a big month to get ahead of the southeast more than their 12 points that they currently have. >> joe: shaone morrisonn floats this one. left a juicy rebound. there's a penalty call to come. >> craig: that's because of carey price not corralling that puck. his defenseman takes the penalty. carey price looks solid. there's the head coach not too happy with the call. but in carey price holds it, there isn't going to be a penalty against piekanec. >> joe: washington gets its second power play of the

evening. no score in this one. 3 and a half minutes into period 2 as the canadiens clear. the power play. green on the outlet for laich. semin creeping in off the dasher board. blocked. ovechkin turns. off the post. price never flinched. alexander semin whipped it wide. getting help from josh gorges, montreal relieves the pressure. >> craig: that was a bulls eye from alex ovechkin you can hear from hear. green closing in. >> joe: hires high over the shoulder of price. brendan morrison tabled it. nothing there because of gill. >> craig: going high. carey price might have a torn

labrum by the end of this. >> joe: working the shoulder. gionta at the line. offsides against montreal. ovechkin, it's amazing he can be this accurate while spinning. lift him in to this blast as semin controls the puck. as clear as day has the goaltender over the glove. the capitals power play has scored a power play in 5 of the last 11 games. unusual for this attack the caps have with the extra man. >> joe: tom poti unloads a slapper through the screen. washington's power play another 24 seconds. poti at the midpoint. fleischmann fires one over the cross bar.

spot check will be flee 14 seconds. to the interior for poti. nods knuble and that was defended well by markov. >> joe: scores. tomass fleischmann. >> craig: fleischmann right along the ice and markov got the stick flashed out of his hand. that was the turning point of that play. and he may be have been having unsportsmanlike. there's markov without the stick and that's why fleischmann is able to drive the net. the referee listens but he doesn't look like he's nicking marveov. that's what i think. marveov and carey price in particular would like to have

back on that fleischmann shot. >> joe: bruce boudreau moving fleischmann to center tonight wanting him to shoot the puck more. statistically speakeg he leads the league in shooting personality. bruce boudreau wasn't worried about that. there, that one dribbles past price to give washington the lead. >> craig: the caps take that one. a good drive to the net. anytime you sit a center like marveov they are not happy with the refereeing on that call. >> joe: referees allowing that play to continue. markov was helpless to defend. poti digging forward behind michal neuvirth. washington has been a team allowing the first goal quite a bit of late breaks out on top.

wrister that's wide to the cage. schultz on the wing for chimera. wing to wing for brendan morrison. gets into the puck first. paul mara puts it along the dasher board. didn't get through shaone morrisonn. chimera outside for fehr. washington 1, montreal no score. just past the 6 minute mark. fleischmann doing the honors unassisted and on the power play. bradley, the hulking defender gill was close by. got a little nonchalant. turned into the corner. matt bradley on top green.

pouliot was upended. erskine rolls in. quintin laing, laing occupied by josh gorges. scott gomez and that familiar skating stride. then georges continues. no worries for neuvirth. the captains giving michal neuvirth the lead to protect and it's tomas fleischmann who will accept the congratulations.

oh! blue! time! time out. i touched it. i touched the ball before it went out, coach. come on, alex, the ref did not call that! you gotta be kidding me, alex! it's the championship game! talk to him, coach. i touched, it's their ball. don't foul them when they inbound. team on 'three.' one, two, three. nice going, alex. sorry coach. alex! good call.

>> joe: there's a tackle machine in the house. london fletcher taking tail action on a inside dc. caps on top by one. verd says you make the call on this. >> craig: here comes knuble right there. but very close to breaking the stick. and the nod because of the strength of markov. markov wanted the call. very close close with not protecting that. >> joe: fleischmann as a result his 15th unassisted at 5- 14. washington has the lead on the man advantage. brooks laich play its back to the point. fired with of price. price got the pad in the way. he's so good at protecting the lower part of the cage. spot check. didn't get it out. fleischmann fires and wide. price went to the split.

washington outshooting montreal 19-7. cammalleri deals it back. >> craig: this is a carry over from their last game. the kings game had nine 5 on 5 shots the whole game. if the caps can stay under the puck and play this way the rest of the way they will be in good shape. >> joe: l.a. only had a total of 19 shots in the game. d'agostini works off the board. the pass is blocked by backstrom. 7 for the moment. those two have been working with mike knuble tonight. hoot it's knuble who jumps over the bashed. repelled by poti. pouliot this has again. >> craig: pouliot was the last

canadiens to score. they have gone 100 minutes without a goal. >> joe: here's a chance to win two round trips and tickets to the game to see washington take on the rangers in the big apple on for 4. check out csnwashington.com, key word acela. you think we can get london to make another trip? >> craig: we'll have to see what's going to happen with the new coach coming in, mike shanahan. supposed $11 million a year. >> can you start a bank account with that? >> craig: i like that. flew in. >> joe: i can see you having that. >> craig: a jet for a day. i would like that. have them pick me up, that will be awesome. >> joe: you usually take the

escort off the tarmac. >> craig: it might happen once or twice. leave me alone. >> joe: knuble down the wing. his pass blocked by markov. back to green. fancy stuff here. moving towards the midway mark of regulation time. 1-0, washington, if you're just tuning in. delayed offsides here against the canadiens. at center, knuble turned back by turned back. >> craig: they are skilled defensive. >> joe: and they were missing markov forever after that season opening injury. they are only that much more

productive with him. the caps staying out the box so far. chimera wrister. hamrlik is there. brendan morrison with a little help from john erskine. dc up by one as the fans get lively at verizon center. >> craig: i think the caps know what you are talking about. shading well and getting in the lanes and because of that there's only been one defenseman to get a shot on net against the caps. >> joe: here comes the first power play me thinks. caps have a 1 point advantage. here's one for you. if me and buster were hanging over a cliff...

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try the great pilsner taste of a triple hops brewed miller lite. taste greatness. if me and buster were hanging off a cliff... what is she talking about? i know. >> joe: capitals in the lead about to go to the penalty kill. not often you come to washington to warm up. but that's the story for george mcphee returning from saskatoon where it was 27 below to plus 27 here. what warmed him up is watching his four prospects at world junior champion playing for the champion george mcphee says he never felt this good coming back from a world junior tournament with the players he had. the guys playing. they were outstanding. a big save by carey price, he said all will play and some could be playing very soon.

guys, back to you. >> joe: nice call, al. good to hear the report so favorably. >> craig: players are going to be happy to hear that. they are all going to be playing soon? you're promoting me right away. >> joe: go buy a car. >> joe: bradley leaning in. bradley the only shorthanded goal this year. he was close to another one. >> craig: they would say that was al koken saying that. >> joe: the number one power play in the white jersey. neuvirth got help. >> craig: you have been using the no hook shot and using is successfully. that's a little trick he worked on this season and that was perfect. that was a no look shot where the goalie has to look past the

shot and that got past the goaltender and rang the pipe. >> joe: gomez always a strong feeder playing for hamrlik. challenged by laich. 27 seconds left. spasec walks in. off the outside of the pipe. gomez with a rip. he shuffled over for any potential rebound as green will clear. >> craig: the power play is so good because they can come in wings. they are so quick they get to the loose puck which keeps power plays alive. that's why the power play over 30% away from home. >> joe: in the last eight games 46%. >> craig: there you can g. >> joe: tied up along the

boards. capitals survive their first short hand situation. cammalleri on his way down. 7:15 to go. only goal comecoming was tomas fleischmann unassisted. hal gill bumped by backstrom. through moen. caps have it. backstrom, no affects from the migraine headaches. backstrom for schultz. straightened up by baghdad. funneled for ovechkin's big wrister deflected wide. knuble looking to stuff in tight. look out here. went down in a heat. a potential three-on-one.

schultz descending. >> craig: the caps got away it. >> joe: ovechkin putting his shoulder check on to gill. canadiens have it. laperfloats it into the corner. karl alzner a former goal medalist. i'm sure he'll be anxious to hear the outcome from sass catch wan this evening. montreal ties it at 1. >> craig: fleischmann in the high spot. i'm not sure with the montreal canadiens forward was in his shooting lane. georges takes one step snap its. eng it was off one of the caps players. here comes the shot and that's number 14 right in the high

slot. that goes off his body. one more look and there's tomas fleischmann and his stick catches all of that and changes direction. it's about a 180 degrees turn. and neuvirth 1, 1 on the board. >> joe: josh gorges has never tallied against washington prior to this run tonight. former memorial cup winner. >> craig: that all started with one bad break up. you can see what happens on one little mistake. jump on those chances montreal just did. >> joe: three goals for georges. normally a stay at home type. plenty of room to operate. cammalleri did not get it deep. >> craig: somebody is cutting behind the play. >> joe: pacioretty. >> craig: yeah, down in the

heat. >> joe: pacioretty will be needed to be tended to. we are 1-1 on comcast sportsnet. host: could switching to geico really save you 15% or more on car insurance? host: does charlie daniels play a mean fiddle? ♪ fiddle music charlie:hat's how you do it son.

vo: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. >> joe: in the nhl world jacques martin has brought his canadiens to town 1-1. at amateur level everyone fixated on the juniors. >> craig: luke on the board

1st canadiens. sweden defeated switzerland. al koken talks about the prospects. all doing well. they seem to be all play both ends. ice. >> joe: mike green giving ground away from travis moen. >> craig: ud would have to say the canadiens team a star- studded team, holds the u.s. team are more mutt and jeff. they are winders. there are some draft picks but not as high as a lot of canadiens players are. >> joe: united states lost a heart breaker new year's eve. they had a 3rd period lead. >> craig: a couple goals and chris bourque's brother playing for that squad. >> joe: brendan morrison all tied up. canadiens 3 on 3. washington fans wanting a call from the

referee. green on the delay. on the head man to brooks laich. drop its. one more. scores. eric fehr. >> craig: tomas fleischmann deflects it. now it's their defenseman that deflects this one past a surprised netminder. here's eric fehr to the net. and that it hal gill. he's a big rig with a big foot. that's the old-fashioned redirect. off his skate boot. he knew it right away. that puck goes by. >> joe: eric fehr has a thing for a certain team every year.

last year it was atlanta, he couldn't miss. this year it's montreal. caps a 2-1 advantage now as montreal was in a tie game for 1 minute 42 seconds. tom poti, he fires and scores. alexander semin. and then some rough stuff interrupts the celebration. >> craig: a lot of pushing and shoving after this one. the screen on this play on a wicked start from alexander semin. the montreal canadiens not happy with the turn of events. there's a lot of pushing and shoving going on. the fans going crazy in washington with a 2 goal lead.

>> joe: washington capitals the fewest numbers of fighting this year. alexander semin scoring just 36 seconds after eric fehr. >> craig: here's the pass. there's the shot. markov and gill. there's the extra push and there he gets knocked down and there's pouliot going right after him. watch pouliot go there and give him an extra shot and that's when semins turns around and trips him up. >> joe: alexander semin taking a page from the new captain, alex ovechkin. he shot it through the legs of the defender and the goalie. >> craig: it's going to be tom poti who has the seat. the caps have jumped out to a

two-goal lead. >> joe: scott gomez boxed in for montreal. two tallies for the caps on back-to-back shots in less than 40 seconds giving the big house in downtown dc plenty to cheer about. >> craig: four on four, both these teams are very good. the caps have outscored the opposition 7-2. >> joe: backstrom explodes. working against georges. a high slot. shaone morrisonn play its off backstrom. >> craig: the capitals have to keep the pressure. finally a forward gives him a stick. >> joe: green walks in and fires. blocked by georges. green yields it to backstrom. green. price. verizon center is alive now with the capitals scoring those

two goals lickity split. down by neuvirth and he'll hold. >> craig: it's electric. it's amazing. the highest scoring team in the nhl. when they arrive, you can't stop the momentum they can build in a hockey game. a lot of four on four remaining. this is a great battle. alexander semin on the board. just a wicked shot through the screen of their big defender. >> joe: all four goals locker in this 1st period. and you are all caught up. three-1, dc with 2 and a half to go in the second. roman hamrik accellerates through center. the that deflection off josh

gorges. play its straight away from spacek. 23 seconds. 2 on 2 with quality. on the criss-cross, softly to knuble. knocked away by georges. >> craig: cammalleri gliding in. poti. out of the box, he's in. tom poti free. saved by carey price. >> joe: carey price closes. a possible 3 on 2 and he fumbles. cammalleri. dangerous three out for

montreal. mike green collects. laichs swivels away from gill. laing's drive is batted away routinely by price. one of the goal scorers this evening for the guys in red, alexander semin. moen a little chip and chase. moen was finished off clearly. d'agostini fires. 30 seconds to go in the 2nd period. hamrlik on the way. neuvirth this has in his sights. now these teams again get after each other's grill. >> craig: i like this. this is when the caps have to do. they have to regain their identity. they have shown they can score. they have shown they are

playing physical. i like the fact they are doing is that tonight. >> joe: i want you to expand. you talk about rebuilding the identity. they don't have the identity they are overly tough? >> craig: no i don't. we have seen them at their best early in the season. they were giving and taking. that's something that's been missing lately. there's the push at the end. mike green gets in at the end. >> joe: it's a point you and al koken made, that the capitals do play their best when their hit total is high. >> craig: yeah it's 20-11. it puts a lot of pressure on everybody. jacques martin's team down a pair. la pierre will have to stick

the period. >> joe: mike knuble is out there. the capitals with 20. backstrom, fleischmann up front and green and ovechkin in back. 22 seconds to operate in period 2. green for ovechkin. fleischmann working the two man game with backstrom. straight away for green. backstrom has an alley. fired with through the screen. three seconds now. not enough time for the great a here. the horn sounds. an explosive second frame in washington. tomas fleischmann got it started and alexander semin and eric fehr joining him as the caps outscore the canadiens 3- 1. a special visit, al koken chatting with ted leonsis.

highlights and stats are coming your and a that magic illustrator back in gear. a very high octane 2nd period favoring the caps. they have a lead after two.

>> joe: when it comes to home gauges no one scores like the washington capitals. a three goal eruption for them

in that middle stanza outgunning the canadiens 3-1. this is net star intermission live on comcast sportsnet. as we continue the chairman and majority owner, ted leonsis joined al koken earlier today. >> joe, thanks. war your thoughts on number 8 wearing the c? >> he's a grown up now. oscar wild said the two tragedies are getting what you want and not getting what you want. he wanted to be captain. he said he wanted to be captain but he wanted to make sure his teammates wanted that. unanimous and standing ovation when announced to the players. certainly the right thing to do. i think it will help alex to the next level. he has to be more mature and responsible and he's not just

playing for himself and the team but as the captain. that's the greatest honor. >> give us a sketch of what you see you on of your team and off the ice in 2010? give us a strong b. i'd say we are playing well. we hit a little speed bump the last couple games. it's a long season but i think the guys can compete for the number one and number two spot. most points, they have to have goals. they have to be motivated. we're mature enough to know none of that matters. it matters what happens in the playoffs. we want to start gearing up for the playoffs. but we can't take our eye off the ball. you have to make the playoffs. we are halfway through. we are in the doldrums if you will. >> off the ice sell outs and the organization seems to be

strong. are you pleased the direction you laid out so far. what would you like to see different if you could? >> if you told me 10 years ago when i brought the team that the washington capitals could be the number one team in america in terms of selling the most paid tickets, i would have said impossible to do yet that's where we are now. we sold out the games. we have a backlog in season ticket holders. we have the best fans. our building looks spectacular. we're the talk around the league. we can't thank our fans enough and the business is very strong. >> based on what i saw on the 26, it looked like you moved product. >> joe: >> there's a lot of red. that's an indication of how strong the brand is and fan base is and frankly they still believe. they believe we know, we get the joke. we're a really good franchise.

things are go going terrific but until we win a stanley cup, we won't get there. for the organization, that's our singular goal. we have to win the stanley cup and we'll get the respect and accolade we ever desire. >> one of the things is the overall finalizing purchase of the rest of the important of washington sports. can you tell us where you are? >> you have to be respectful to the process. our comments are we have rights thinks; we own 44% of the asset and it's our intention to buy the rest and the poland estate and family and we started the process and it's best left to deal and negotiate with that in the right time. it's our intention to buy the rest of the assets. >> thanks for the visit. >> good to see you.

>> ted leonsis, the majority owner of the washington capitals. we have highlights and stats coming back. ? you know there's something i've been wanting to tell you. i love you. and i lo-- ( stutters ) so cute! i loooo... i loooo... i loooo... - another miller lite? - i'd love one. - do you love the taste of your beer this much? - thank you. - what? well, you could. try the great pilsner taste of a triple hops brewed miller lite. taste greatness. you're gorgeous, look at you, i loooov you!

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>> joe: aerog comcast sportsnet tonight the capitallings playing host to the montreal canadiens. prior to tonight the caps played the fewest home games of any team if the eastern conference. they are doing well entertaining the locals. craig laughlin with me. what are the caps doing well offensively? >> craig: they are holding the line. stocking them up defensively and holding in and creating offense at the montreal line. >> joe: highlights. all the goalings in the game coming in the 2nd period. >> craig: a look at tomas

fleischmann. rotate on the corner. here's backstrom down throw knuble. markov and fleischmann senses that. he takes it back to markov and puts it under the right pad of carey price. not the hardest shot. >> joe: number 15 for number 14. >> craig: everything eric fehr seems to touch against montreal goes in. josh gorges' goal on a fleischmann deflection. watch him deflect it. here's josh gorges. there's the redirect. he feels bad about that one. >> joe: now you can talk about fehr. >> craig: the halfway. drops. back handed. right off the big right toe of hal gill. no chance. hal gill deflected into his net. the only clean goal you have to see their that in that period

is this one. alexander semin. snap its off the back foot. it shows you the power alexander semin has. >> joe: 36 seconds apart. that was semin's 15th. >> craig: 14 different caps have a shot on net. the caps are playing better d on home ice. they are outhitting the half. this is the type of image you want for a caps' team. >> joe: tomas fleischmann playing center. old glory flying high in washington, dc.

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caveman: where's my coat? it was suede with the fringe. >> joe: the nhl on comcast sportsnet tonight. third've four regular season meetings between the caps and

canadiens. the telestrator. the might have vo craig laughlin. >> craig: the key guy to watch is tom poti. watch the puck from the backside there. now he's going to lead the attack. here he comes. hold it here. now it's two on these two guys. they have to hold the gap. they have to play moon man. look how far back he is when you take a look at the shot coming. there's too much space which allows semins to unload it. heading to the third. >> joe: 20 minutes away from ending a three game losing skid on the washington capitals. your miller lite? oh man... ( mumbling ) how high is the cliff?

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>> joe: our comcast sportsnet coverage of caps hock sebrought to you by your washington area chevy dealers.

and by morgan franklin. >> joe: washington capitals tonight back in the district entertaining montreal. they'll see ottawa on thursday. boston is beating atwaat last check 4-1. wheeler in new york has a pair this evening north of the border. >> craig: a little goalie exchange up there. two young net minders trying to find a right mix with the senators. >> joe: carey price has gone the route for montreal and played well. back in the 1st period the caps were all over him. it's 3-1 for washington as we dig in for this defensive end draw. it's backstrom. >> craig: there's a little

delay in the drop. >> joe: the referee was there. he works together with tim peal. washington skating five on four. let's it fly right to the gut of price. >> craig: that's a real good save by carey price. another face-off here. another good opportunity. >> joe: new jersey behind a couple from patrick on top of dallas. toronto has a 3-2 lead over florida. green snaps is right to the glove of carey price. pittsburgh beating atlanta trying to snap out of a skid. that's the score we were telling you about with boston in front of atwa. atwan with a on the way to dc

thursday night. these two teams top of the heap on the power play. >> craig: flyers right up there all over 21%. these two the best in the nhl. >> joe: gionta to the outside. two good stops from neuvirth with markov on the doorstep. >> craig: markov and the caps, beware of them shorthanded. >> joe: tomas fleischmann, one of the goal scorers this evening. scott gomez is keyed. somehow caught at the outside of the cage. >> craig: the red light is going on and that's why the fans are up in armstrong. three saves on this penalty kill from montreal. the caps have yet to muster closing chances with the extra man. >> joe: right around 6:00 tonight the washington capitals

announced alex ovechkin the captain. gill and georges to stave it off for montreal. one more meeting thorough these two squads. it becomes intense. along the goal line. poti steps in. fires. through a maze of traffic. price trying to hang on and he will get the whistle. >> craig: that all starts from a great pickuv of a clearing pass by alex ovechkin. this leads to a quality opportunity. the caps had plenty chances but little room to shoot the puck. sharp wide. sharp angle. the help comes from the defender. there's that pig pile you're talking about. that last shot might have hit josh gorges. markov gets one and two great opportunities short hand. >> joe: we always tell you how flexible semyon varlamov is,

the injuried netminder. neuvirth going full split. cut off by carey price. you think back a few years when price was playing junior hockey. neuvirth helped him out a time or two. >> craig: it's come around for carey price and his family. >> a save. spa check be we move towards the 3 minute mark of period three. washington better than montreal for the moment. jason chimera out there. gill the other way as this one dribbles wide of the washington

net. i look at gill. am i see the kevlar sleeves? >> >> craig: there are guys that wear them because of foot injuries. it doesn't hamper speed. after last game one of the goal scorers put them on and started to use them. a lot of the guys are starting to use them because of the flexibility. >> joe: five on five action continues. 3 and a half gone by in the third. moen making a bee line down the boards along with glen metropolit. green is there for washington. green united with shaone morrisonn on the back end. georges along with the wall for metropolit. he goes round and round with david steckel. steckel hoops out of the corner

away from markov into a vacant corner. >> craig: another great night. he's 8-0 after the face-off win in the third. >> joe: 70%. this is a hand pass against montreal. 3-1, caps and al koken wants to chat about tomas fleischmann. >> pretty good start for tomas fleischmann. he's picked up a goal. he's going to judged by the other things he does. he lead the capitals with three take aways and blocked a shot and won four of his six face offense. a very good debut. >> joe: we were having lunch in denver when bruce boudreau said what do you think about

him for center? close no, sir towards the kang. ovechkin tries to jam it through. poti drives. that hits the screener. knuble, poti, on the back pedal. one more feed look for example backstrom at the doorstep. >> craig: how great has poti been defensively. he had a breakaway in the game. we see what he's doing with the puck. he seems a lot more confident and calm with the puck. >> joe: he had a nice start for the bake away. >> craig: only a handful he had his whole career. >> joe: stopped by carey price. >> craig: there's going to be a penalty goal and i think it's going against the caps. i think it's a retaliation penalty. we'll see what happens here. it will be hamrlik heading off.

hamrlik in the box. power play. >> joe: fleischmann has the power-play goal tonight. washington now 2 for 9 against montreal in the series. these two teams split two games in november. unsportsmanlike call against them. they are livid yelling at the referees tonight. >> joe: laichsgetss excused and fleischmann will take over. way off the post as he caught carey price unaware. brooks laich feeds out of the corner. green wide to brendan morrison. along the dasher knocked down. and a hand pass against

washington. a hand pass call. >> craig: there they are pushing and shoving. see if the referees will call a retaliation penalty. a minor penalty. rattles the pipe. you can hear the moan. one piece shot as he lets her fly. you can see the power you generate. the bigger the torque the faster is gets off your blade. that baby had a lot of start jump. >> joe: brooks laich going straight ahead with the face- off. washington has the lead by two angling for win 25 on the season. they have the top run in the southeast. montreal 21, 20 and 3. >> craig: not a surprise with these extra penalties being

called with montreal. philadelphia taking minor penalties. >> joe: brendan morrison for green straight away. brendan morrison scanning the defense. alexander semin for laichs. contonight send it in. >> craig: this is the first ever game, january 5, 1910. one of the oldest. they are playing with the caps. over 6000 teams in the history of the montreal franchise. it's amazing. >> joe: 20,000 goals. knuble down the wing canceled by markov. >> craig: 20,000 goals. they would like one tonight to full to a closer game. >> joe: the only one they have from blue liner josh gorges.

green trailing the play. his wrister off the defender. knuble with a good retrieve. backstrom are. back to knuble. good defensive form in front of carey price. >> craig: they rose to the occasion. stepped out of the box to end the penalty. >> joe: 12:46 to go in the 3rd period. ovechkin and the caps have the lead where they want it. made 4 figures. does he need to file a tax return ? they're not just any questions. ( woman ) did we just make a charitable donation ? they're the trickiest, thorniest, questions of all. ( woman ) is this considered a home office ? bring your tax question to the company that helped clients get over 43 billion dollars in refunds last year alone. how can i get more money ? click, call, or come over. h&r block: get it right.

>> joe: here's ray game summary. >> craig: like in man in first and like in man in second. josh gorges and caps two goals in 36 seconds. a pair on a foot from the defenseman. and another by alexander semin. that's where we stand in the third. 3-1, caps. >> joe: first game under the captain c of alex ovechkin. in the wake of the trade that sent chris clark and milan jurcina. so far so good. 7 and a half minutes gone by in the third. montreal next up for them. they will be entertaining florida. they just beat the panthers new year's eve in sunrise.

here's brendan morrison. chimera. and two on two the other way. hesitating on schultz. using his reach to full affect. chimera bottled up by spacek. even strength five on five. spacek will wait. they look for scott gomez for center on-the-fly. david steckel was waiting there. bradley on ice for bruce boudreau. scott gomez on the hot spinner. sends it on its way back to michal neuvirth. turnover. trouble. gomez fires.

deflected down. neuvirth just used his goalie stick there at the last instant. >> craig: good transition. very fast and aggressive going to the net. not very big in gomez and gianta. they create a lot of problems defensively. >> joe: this one leaves the rink. coming up on geico sportsnite 10:00, chick hernandez sat down with former head coach jim zorn this morning. you want to hear what jim zorn had to say about this is dismissal and his future. we are hearing reports about a five year deal between the redskins and mike shanahan. csnwashington.com is the place to go for more information. >> craig: that's a lot of dinero. about $35 million worth, i would expect. >> joe: can you spare a dime? fires to the glove of price. >> craig: he's going to be the big cheese. he's going to have all the

power. other than dan snyder he's the next guy. i think he'll make wholesale changes throughout the franchise. >> joe: as fleischmann wins the draw, the wrister by spacek. shoulder with thought with bruce boudreau behind the bench with respective tenure in dc. it's amazing how fast you move up the ladder. lapierre for bergeron. bergeron normally a defender playing the wing. metropolit angles this. alzer keeps them to the outside. it was 2-2 for canada and the united states. semins dances around markov cut off by metropolit. >> craig: now we hear 3-3.

they tied up for the u.s. >> joe: good for john carlton. >> craig: i think he has confidence. >> joe: poti inside. there's price. he read that. >> craig: talking about poti and his offensive skills. he's been all over the place making nifty passes and creating the rush and having the puck a lot tonight against montreal. >> joe: on the dump. schultz swats it ahead. we are across the midway mark of the 3rd period. there's a call against washington. the caps go shorthanded as piekanec makes his way back to the bench.

learn more at supportyourvet.org. oh! blue! time! time out. i touched it. i touched the ball before it went out, coach. come on, alex, the ref did not call that! you gotta be kidding me, alex! it's the championship game! talk to him, coach. i touched, it's their ball.

don't foul them when they inbound. team on 'three.' one, two, three. nice going, alex. sorry coach. alex! good call. >> joe: capitals up two about to go to a penalty kill. which forward for the capitals has been your favorite tonight? >> craig: i think alexander semin brought energy and emotion. >> joe: a little break down of alexander semin game. we go back upstairs to joe and craig. >> joe: thank you very much. we thank the men and women in

the technical crew. third installment of four. it's 3-1, washington. high slot, bergeron. work it to the outside. gomez on the interchange with gionta. this way for bergeron. in. clicks off the skate and montreal is within 1. >> craig: there hasn't been many clean goals and there we see another sign of that. it looks like pouliot got his skate has it was fired. there's that power play. they take abuse in front. watch 57 as bergeron just throws it at the net. i think it goes right off his foot and past a surprised net

minored. it looks like benoit pouliot. >> joe: benoit pouliot has struck for this one. the man he was dealt. for minnesota and its action in chicago tonight. canadiens threatening again. this is a montreal team that has won six of the last seven on the road. they have more road wins than they do at bell centre. they are trailing washington by only one. after pouliot cammalleri angles in. high into the safety netting. more cadillac shows ahead. >> craig: in the month of january. after this game we have thursday against the ottawa senators. and southeast division matchup and a good home stant for a while to finish off this month.

>> joe: nine games going on tonight and the obviously two teams with the night off. carolina and tampa bay are idol. roman hamrik is stalked by bradley. drift below 8 minutes to go in the third. capitals fans were breathing pretty easy until a moment ago when pouliot had that one in. he got ripped off by d'agostini. neuvirth says enough of this. >> craig: good pressure against john erskine. that goal often uplifts a team. here's john erskine trying to get up. there's that little play. d'agostini from behind. good opportunity for montreal. unfortunately for him he lost his stick.

>> joe: june so 42, mike greer in 35 today. washington playing host to the montreal squad and all of a sudden in the last couple minutes they tilted the ice into michal neuvirth's direction. short from skate to stick. pouliot keeps it in. >> craig: pouliot has been all over the place. he's the only player on the ice for all five goals tonight. >> joe: some good and some bad. >> craig: yeah. >> joe: gionta motors in. tomas fleischmann down the wing. steps to the middle. criss-crossing. turns and fired with. fleischmann, semin and fehr on the board and georges and pouliot for montreal. hamrlik swivels and fires. he gets help on the rebound

from fleischmann. >> craig: not the prettiest of rebound controls. fortunately for him a lot of red in front of him. >> joe: cammalleri softly to the front. there's a penalty call here. it's a slash. pivotal splay coming your wy comcast sportsnet in what's turning out to be a nail-biter. >> craig: two quick goals in 30 seconds for the caps. just after that face-off at center here comes tom poti and alexander semin. our morgan franklin pivotal plays. >> joe: nervous moments now. knuble. >> craig: back-to-back for him. >> joe: andd now it's flash. gionta and gomez on the ice and

bergeron and markov. >> craig: miscommunication from bergeron and markov. neither went for it. >> joe: laichs blisters one wide. that it makes him tough to read. gionta snapped out of the air by neuvirth. >> craig: good stop there. nice shot off the sharp angle. this is where he's going to tested. they are going to throw a ton of pucks his way. you can feel the change. the caps were on the heels and because of that the montreal canadiens with this power play can take over momentum of the game if they get quality chances. >> joe: the last one on brian gionta who turned 31. >> craig: gomez and gionta being left off the u.s. olympic list for february. >> joe: gionta missed a bunch of time, 21 or so games with a

foot injury. gomez is there. tried to thread that one and matt bradley urbers is down. 55 seconds now. hamrlik in the passing lain. >> craig: a break of a pad and stick from bergeron. >> joe: laichs will play keep away. mike green casually did not get it ahead. glen metropolit for montreal. 5 minutes to go in regulation time. who would have thought another one goal game between these two. the last five have been decided by one. knuble will be set free in 18

seconds. the relay for piekanec. hard around to cammalleri. alexander semin sky its back into the montreal zone. >> craig: just missed the center clock at verizon center. fortunately for semin the puck goes all the way down. just one shot for the number one power play unit and a critical time in the game. >> joe: backstrom on a take away. it pin balls around to center and markov will keep it under control for the half. the chant is let's go caps at the vermont. joined by moen. it rolls to the doorstep. lapierre has it. georges from deep and wide in the cage. collected off the end wall by knuble. to backstrom looking in ovechkin's direction. >> craig: ovechkin throttled this pretty good. backstrom comes away with it. to the front.

green was there in stride. d'agostini was trailing it. >> craig: i like the fact the caps aren't sitting back. they peeled off that penalty and it a great job. they are looking for the decisive net goal. >> joe: a three game losing skid for the guys in the red jersey trying to end that against montreal. quintin laing down the lane and fires. scott gomez turned and burned. brushed in by pouliot. a lot of ice time in the 3rd period and deservedly so. bradley steps in. bradley all the way. it was outstanding. >> craig: that showed pretty good taste. that play allowing the watch to go through. he goes to the bench for not finishing. >> joe: remember that stop.

with 2:40 to go in regulation. still a one goal effort. brooks laich will reflect it back to the montreal side. spacek fumbles. >> craig: go d he take his eyes off the ice. >> joe: piekanec fumbled it ahead. shaone morrisonn in front of neuvirth. 2:20 to go. we'll keep our eyes for when carey price is lifted for extra skater. with semins turning on markov who staves him off well. >> craig: nicely done by markov? fires and scores. a bomb for alexander semin.

i'm not guilty to sure if i've ever seen him unload a slapshot with that velocity. >> craig: that is everything. that is not off the back foot. that's keying it up and going high shelf on his eighth shot of the game. he gets his second goal and man, oh, man, how are you going to stop this? no one is going to to. the torque, the slapshot, the perfect positioning. textbook from alexander semin who's been the difference maker for the caps. >> joe: he has shared 13 of his 16 goals of this season with the verizon center faithful. alexander semin and in washington trying to get the caps off the schneid. >> craig: he's the guy that will score in bunches and he has here tonight. >> joe: his 6th multi goal of the season.

and hal gill peppers it out to the wings. d'agostini going on one. stopped by neuvirth. he stopped the rebound too. >> craig: it will be interesting to see if montreal pulls the goaltender. why not. you have to go for it. down by two. you get the face off. the defenseman in the neutral zone and goes to work. two good chances against michal neuvirth. >> joe: he'd like that number to stay at two. beijing ron's high snapper going off the glass. six attackers in the front. bergeron sends it back to

markov. outside for gianta. gionta rip its. laing doing a great job on the perimeter. 1 minute to go in this one now. pouliot keeping it alive on the board. shut is there for washington now. over the head of markov. it's all about quintin laing. bergeron one of the top scoring defenseman. he laid down the body to prevent that wicked slap shoot through. >> joe: he had ideas of an empty cage. >> joe: i.t. >> craig: i'm not sure he did. >> joe: diving vetch didn't get t. 30 seconds to go in the 3rd period. cammalleri holds. green in front. the puck moving to the outside. gomez will take it off the wall. gomez his relay back to point position. 13 seconds away and washington for the victory in dc.

it bounces down in front. poti playing outstanding hockey game. ovechkin had his hockey stick in half. washington gets by montreal by the final of 4-2. >> craig: a good way to get off the schneid for this caps team having lost three in a row. they come home and regain their identity. one of the keys to this game tonight, they showed speed and courage and passion. they were on top of the puck. they out hit. >> joe: player of the game is alexander semin who had a pair of goals that were performed with a tremendous shot. one a snap, one a slap. washington downs montreal 4-2. we'll be back to vermont right

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>> joe: comcast sportsnet coverage cap's hockey has been brought to you by geico. and by toyota. >> joe: first place team in the southeast division working

at nome washington, dc. the capitals triumph over montreal. here's lisa hillary with tom poti. >> tom, you moved a couple changes to this lineup today. alexander semin comes in or alex ovechkin. you give him the c. tomas fleischmann moves from the ring over to center. that proved to pay big dividends for this club tonight. >> that works well. we should keep flash at center. a perfect fit. there wasn't any other choice for him. the way he competes and plays night in and night out. >> we know what ovie can do on the ice. take us inside the looker room. what's he going to be like there. there. >> he keep its like and we are glad to have him. >> you snapped the losing streak. did you expect it to be as easy

as it was. carey price was outstanding in that 1st period. >> he played well. we have been on the road a bit and we're excited to be back in front of guys. they give us so much energy and we love playing in front of them. >> happy new year. >> we appreciate it. a 4-2 victory over the canadiens. we look at the ovechkin camp. >> craig: named the captain today, alex ovechkin burn aid round of defenders. held off the boards tonight for the second straight game. not for lack of chances or effort. he rang the pipe.

amertelebrings us the ovechkin cam. washington two better than montreal. montreal doing very well against the southeast division. they fall to the southeast division leaders tonight. for al, and lisa and craig laughlin, thank you. be sure to join us for the next telecast on comcast sportsnet. thursday even from verizon center. it's the caps and atwasenators. up next is postgame live. standing by in the studio. all smiles for the boys. 4-2 over the canadiens. cap's fans, jill dougherty here in the studios with this breaking news. the denver post is reporting that mike shanahan has reached an agreement with the redskins to become their next head coach. shanahan will report loadly sign a five year deal and be introduced by the team on

wednesday. we'll have much more on the story as it develops. we all knew it was coming and yesterday the redskins wasted no time firing jim zorn. his final record of 12-20 is one of the worse in team history but what most will remember is the z man's calm demeanor while dealing with at versity. chick hernandez caught up with him today and talked to him for the first time since fired. >> less than two years you were fired. was it a blur? >> yes. i would still want to be the head football coach of the washington redskins. >> here's what's coming up tonight after postgame live. much more from jim zorn one day after the burgundy and gold gave him his walking papers. hear the former head coach

speak about his time this dc. plus the latest on mike shanahan's latest agreement including inside nomination what his future coaching staff might look like. the latest on gilbert arenas' gun charges. it becomes much more serious. that's at 10:00. i'm jill dougherty, caps postgame live is next. see you at 10:00. capitals postgame live presented by: alexander semin among the stars tonight for the washington capitals. this is goal number two. no one could stop that. beat carey price and put the game out of reach as the capitals end a three game

losing streak. they beat the montreal canadiens. two assistances for tomas fleischmann. welcome to caps postgame live. i'm al koken. the last time we saw the capitals here they lost to the carolina hurricanes on a night where they trade their captain and came out flat. did we see an emotional boost? >> very big boost. alexander semin was all over the ice and the team played inspired whereas the carolina game they were distraught over the trade of the captain this time. >> in the 1st period there was no scoring but pretty interesting chance. how about slapper right off the side of the mask of michal neuvirth. and then mike green wrist shot snatched out of the air by

carey price. on the power play in period two and markov loses his stick. fleischmann walks in and beats price puts the caps up 1-0. later on the canadiens will get a break. off the shaft of fleischmann's stick. then the capitals answer with a break as eric fehr will pass across and it goes off the skates. it puts the capitals ahead by one. later in the period alexander semin a quick wrist shot. semin taking exception on how he got dumped to the ice and an emotional response by his teammates. montreal with a man advantage. deflected home by benoit pouliot. montreal was within one. with 2 minutes to play. tomas fleischmann with the perfect set up to alexander

semin and that unbelievable slapshot puts the game away. his second night and the capitals beat the montreal canadiens 4-2. you talked about how impressed you were with alexander semin. i was extremely impressed with tomas fleischmann playing a new position. we heard them talk about tomas fleischmann had played center in junior hockey. a pretty big difference to come against a montreal team. >> the toughest sift defensive responsibility. i thought he did everything defensively on the side of the puck. the blue line there. offensive action to the net. right here he's going to get a steal. gets a shot. taking turnovers and creating opportunities. i like towering off the wall.

scores a great beautiful goal. he's phenomenal. >> i like the fact on the goal that montreal scored, he's back playing defense. he's on the high slot. it cemented like a pretty natural transition. besides the defensive aspect, what is the biggest responsibility change for him at center than at wing? >> the big estresponsibility is down low in his zone and how he communicate with defenseman. a lot of times you are filling in for a center who blew a wheel. now he's got to communicate that will be the key and face- offs will be another area he's got to worry about. >> coming in to period four he won the face-offs. we'll step aside.

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>> tonight and after every cap's game you with check out joe beninati's blog. he breaks it down from his view in the play-by-play booth and he wants to know your thoughts. check it out and leave a comment. enter the key word blog. postgame live i'm al koken with alan may. we don't have to wait. we get the thoughts of joe beninati and partner craig laughlin. it looked like a pretty emotional lift the new capitol captain seemed to provide his team. >> i think so. they have had they were going to take their time selecting the next guy and i think alex

ovechkin was on the short list with brooks laich and michal neuvirth. but they hit it right on the money. you need name the face of the franchise, the way high plays so passionately the capital are captain of the team. >> alan may pointed out the energy level of alexander semin and it continued throughout the night. when he puts his mind to it he's able to take over hockey games on his own. >> when he's into the game, he's around the net. and the puck is on his stick and he's creating problems. he more engaged physically. look at this shot. who's going to stop that? his last goal i haven't seen him transfer weight like you're supposed to do. he's usually on the back foot

shooting the puck because he's so talented. >> he bombed that one. i was checking the wires and internet and look for example at ron dak phantom score ands and saw semyon varlamov won the game. it means they will lean on michal neuvirth and jose theodore. tonight neuvirth performed? >> the way he's been play and this team is playing with a lot of confidence in front of him and the way the schedule is coming up here, it's going to be interesting to see what the coach does as far as goaltenders are concerned. this will be the 7th of the last games he start and he was start. on the couple that beat him, he had nothing to do on it. he goes to 500.

the team is playing with a lot of confidence. it's going to be tough for theo to get in. >> i have a quick question. what do you think having the three goalies. how hard is for the defense pan to adapt to the goaltending styles? >> i don't think it's that hard. they have a great communication factor. you're always chitchat width goalie. they all play a different style. neuvirth gets out of the note stop the pucks and theo sits back and reads the play. that's the type of communication they may have to work o. i think they are comfortable with all three. >> i thought jose handled it a bit and the others are growing into that. >> let's talk at this time defenseman. a traffic night by tom poti. it was interesting, we saw a

little juggling bruce boudreau did in back of the line. he had changes around and it was interesting to see when you have a guy like tom poti. he seemed to relax. playing a little bit with shaone morrisonn and jeff schultz. tom poti, getting the benefits. he can jump on the play. >> the best game i've seen tom poti play in a white. i thought they were stellar offensively and defensively. tom poti rarely inches whether he's playing with mike green. tonight he was holding the line. he had had the puck a lot. this is the type of game they need from tom. it's got to be every game. >> bob woods and bruce boudreau they kept erskine together. and shaone morrisonn seemed comfortable with mike green. i'm imagining it will stay that way for a while.

>> we have to factor in what brian pothier, he may be back in the mix. it will be interesting. our thanks to joe beninati in locker. we will step aside. we'll have a further break down. and lisa hillary in the locker room and bruce boudreau on postgame live. [ all ] 3...2...1! [ cheering ] [ jim ] at sam adams, we always try to push the envelope to show people all the great things you can do making beer. [ man ] 25 years ago, sam adams boston lager pushed the boundaries

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cap fans you have to mis-a goal. you can get caps scores sergeant to your cell phone for free. go to csnwashington.com and enter the key word mobile. standard text rates will apply. it seems like this capital team is so different when they do a few things, score first are first and score on the power play. thanks to tomas fleischmann they go d both.

>> it's nice for to see the quick passes and quicker shots to the net. right at start of the game from backstrom to ovechkin. they have a lot of traffic in front and right there he rings one off the post. and we've got players forcing the puck and fleischmann coming off the wall and firing the shot in motion and that's hard for him to handle. >> tomas fleischmann got the first goal and added two assists. lisa hillary had a chance to catch up with him. >> just got used to it and skated around and went pretty good. >> it seemed you had pretty good chemistry. >> we were working hard. sasha and brooks. it went in today. i think that's the main reason we won. >> i understand your coach in

the czech republic wants you to play center. was this a good warm up? >> he was just asking if i can play if there's a problem. like a left wing. we don't know yet. i enjoy center. >> if it's something they want you to do long-term, it's something that interests you given what happened tonight? >> they just want to make sure i can play both. bruce tried and asked me what i like. i enjoy it. >> ovie named the team capital. it's something that means a lot to him and i understand the players had input. >> >> he's the biggest leader on our team and that's what we expected. and we wanted him to be captain and lead us through the playoffs and all season.

>> two goals? [ indiscernible ] >> what happened on markov? broke the stick. >> there was a display they broke his stick and you knew there was no one in the zone. i skated. >> and the other one went off your stick? >> yeah. i didn't decide if i was supposed to go left wing or stay back. just my stick and went in. >> is that the first time a little different. t it looked comfortable after that? >> you get used to. and play the game. >> how did you feel on the draws? >> practice this morning. it was not bad. i don't know how i did. i don't know. >> did you feel comfortable? >> yeah.

it's a battle one-on-one and you got win. >> last goal was pretty big. come back to within one. a real hardworking stick to it type of goal. >> yes. sasha went in there to make a good display had a big shot. it was good play by all three guys and it was -- they almost tie it. that's what happened. >> tomas in case you are wondering you are 6 of 9 on the face-offs which is a pretty good mark who was just practicing today. that's tough do when you are asked to take draws. that's a good number. >> the second best on the team and i like what he's brought to the team this year. he's getting all these goals and points without playing with alex ovechkin. and i think his game goes downhill when he's paired in the ovechkin line. that's good for him that they

don't need the big guy on the ice to perform. >> we have seen the minors can do as well. because that have good performance on both ends, tomas fleischmann ends up as the first star. the second star with the two goal, alexander semin. and the assists and two blocked shots. we'll step aside. we are still waiting to hear from capital's head coach bruce boudreau. we'll break down the 4-2 win over the montreal canadiens. a hard-hitting affair. the caps jumped on them early the caps jumped on them early and never let them up.

the caps jumped on them early and never let them up. in 1977, in johannesburg, south africa, an 8-year-old boy picked up the game of golf from his father. by the age of 9, he was already outplaying him. the odds of this gentle lad winning the junior world golf championships at the age of 14? 1 in 16 million. the odds of that same boy then making it to the u.s.

and european pro-golf tours? 1 in 7 million. the odds of the "big easy" winning the open championship once and the u.s. open championship twice? 1 in 780 million. the odds of this professional golfer having a child diagnosed with autism? 1 in 150. ernie els encourages you to learn the signs of autism at autismspeaks.org. early diagnosis can make a lifetime of difference. we have an update on the world junior championship game. a united states has a 4-3 lead over canada. a game being played in

sacatoon. you saw the numbers for the capital prospects. i made mention i had a chance to chat with george mcphee who is raving about the four capital prospects at the tournament. he says he's never felt this good about his prospects coming back from a world junior tournament. he thinks they all have a good chance of play negligent league. it bodes well for the organization who's already deep with hershey running deem deep looking for a repeat. >> i have been impress with the players. they stood out. stephon, the fans will love this guy. he's nasty and he can skate hard. john carlson we had a brief taste. it's better for him to be playing in the juniors than the

american league. he's the best defenseman. i think johansson has been unbelievable. every single game they are shined and getting better. they play better through the tournament. >> dmitri a russian defenseman. a lot of leadership skills on display as well. this was the first evening that jason chimera got play in front of his new home crowd as he was acquired in that trade forward captain chris clark and milan jurcina. how do you think he fared? >> we have to dehitch him. you see big hits along the wall. he takes hits to make plays. here's an example here. gets the hit. undoubtedly he learned at columbia. makes a nice pass and gets into the zone. he's starting to get on. we didn't see that the first

few games. a good position. what they need to get out of the player is use his wheels and create a four check and chances and he's getting it slowly. exact opposite type of team than he was playing in columbus. columbus is very defensive. >> there were a couple of times where he got the wheels on track but when you see it it's impressive. for to a guy that tall, he can get it going quickly. >> once he gets it going, the fans will see he will be the fastest on the ice. he's probably overanalyzing the game a little too much now. but i can't wait to see him going. he's going to a blessing in the playoff stretch. i think he's going to be a dominant player on the boards. >> that would be an interesting

line up with. let's go back to the locker room. lisa hillary had a chance to catch up with michal neuvirth. >> i think a lot of -- a tough s. that's no excuse. games we could have won. it was time to come home and have a day off and have a good day at practice yesterday. refocus and come back home and play well again. we lost two in a row let alone three. it's frustrating but nobody is panicking. we know how we will nit and how we will fit in if we play well. >> how relieved were you that -- >> yeah. i was praying a little hard in the box and just you have those brain cramps. the first 1, wharf. the second one you have to

control your stick. those are the one that is came out and bite you and i'm lucky the guys bailed me out. >> some thoughts from michal neuvirth talking about a brain cramp. >> he was sorely missed in l.a. and it was nice to see him get back up to speed. puck handling and fires quick shots to the net. he was on all night long. this is probably the best of the game. semin here. takes a pass back. gets a shot on that. great patience here and sets david steckel for a great two on one chance of he was great moving the puck and getting passes. i really like how he's added shooting the puck to his

repertoire. >> david steckel. 10 of 12 face-offs tonight as the capitals dominated in every category imaginable as they took this game 4-2. bruce boudreau is tired of watching his team over pass. they need get shots. >> they were definitely keeping their legs moving and hard charging. when they sit back they seem to get themselves in a lot of trouble and i like to see the team on attack night in and night. >> that's it for us. for my broadcast partners, i'm al koken with the capitals final score of 4-2 over the montreal canadiens. thursday evening right here at the verizon center the caps take on the ottawa senators. coming up.

jim goes one-on-one with chick hernandez chick to discuss his run with the burgundy and gold. >> i get that. wins. i get that. part of my down fall. could the new captain get the caps out of their funk? and the wizards dealing with troubles on and off the court, could gilbert arenas find brotherly love in philadelphia. get ready, washington because the super bowl is coming your way.

live from the comcast sportsnet studios, this is geico sportsnite. what's been rumored for the last couple weeks has apparently now come to pass. comcast sportsnet has confirmed mike shanahan is the new head coach of the washington redskins. reportedly a five year deal that makes shanahan the executive vice-president of football operations. welcome to geico sportsnite. i'm greg toll tollin. let's go to kelli johnson. another crazy day. yesterday was a crazy day. tell me what you're hearing? >> we thought this would be a little quicker. i confirmed when i got to the park that shanahan's agent had

flown into washington, dc. he was meeting with bruce allen and they have struck a deal. it's confirmed a five year deal. report lead worth $7 million per season and $3.5 million from the denver broncos. that was 7 left on his deal as part of the previous deal with the broncos. things starting to unfold. it's spreading around us the team. the team is starting to find out about this getting text messages from players who are excited about this. they feel his leadership and the fact he's won two super bowls as a head coach will take them a long way. >> when you get a big guy with a big name, other big names follow. give me an idea of what type of staff we expect to see here? >> since we heard about shanahan's impending arrival i have been hearing name after name. these are some of the coaches he might be bringing to

washington. i can guarantee his son, kyle will be the next offensive coordinator. my sources told me that is without a doubt. texans coach told fellow staffers to wish him well. he could bring along two long time assistants. they are still under contract in denver. that's rick denison and bobby turner. they would have to be given permission to interview. mike zimmer is his top choice for defensive coordinator. i'm told zimmer is expecting to leave because the bengals will not pay him. and he also could be wanted by a number of teams. his son, adam is a defensive assistant in new orleans who i'm told is an up and coming talent who wants to join his

dad after his mother and wife passed away suddenly this season. and keeping an eye on jim haslett as another possibility. another defensive assistant who will come is his former coordinator bob slowick. it makes him interesting with jerry gray in terms of what if he's given a job. we know the situation with dan snyder. that helped him get past the rooney rule. there are a couple of guys in the front office. you can expect jim goodman and his son jeff. jeff was the assistant gm for denver broncos under his father. they were both fired after shanahan was fired last year. they have not been in football this year but they have all been sharing an office in

denver with shanahan and slowick and every weekend they are watching tape of every nfl game together. that's interesting. they are going to come on board and they are on the same page. >> staying into it a year out. i know you said you have been hearing from players and the excitement is building. how much stock do you think guys put in the pact that his last three years he had a -- two super bowls with denver and one with san francisco. >> they are looking at the wins. how many people can say they won two super bowls and three super bowl teams. a lot of players they said need that leadership. and automatically he steps in and everybody respects him. i think the toughest things for jim zorn as great a guy and offensive coordinator, no one

knew much about him. they came in and thought how did this guy get our coaching job? there's no doubt about mike shanahan's resume and respect that. you want a guy running the team and calling the shots and has final say. and with the title of executive of operations, he has final say. that will go a long way in terms of players and coaches. >> kelli johnson, thank you for your time tonight. tomorrow is a huge day. we will finally get to meet mike shanahan. he will be introduced at a 2:00 press conference. we have special coverage beginning with the 1:55. that's 5 minutes before the scheduled press conference. come over. russ thaler and brian mitchell will be here to get you ready. joining me now is a man who knows mike shanahan very well.

former nfl player bill romanowski. i have to ask you mike shanahan comes in with a huge resume and huge success. as a player, how much of an immediate affect that has. does he have to earn respect or is it there all right? >> well, he'll have to earn respect. the bottom line he'll earn that real quick. when he walks into a room he's got a certain presence about him. he's a smart, articulate guy. he's passionate and detail oriented. he will win in washington. >> what are some of the intangibles that maybe we don't see being outside the locker room that you have seen especially leadership wise which you've probability read washington has lacked lately? >> you know what, mike shanahan brings to the table is two

super bowlless. he won two super bowls. he collected and brought ticket a great group of guys. it's one thing, john elway was not able to win the super bowl. he got there and took over the team and brought in a great core of guys and we were able to get the job done. he's a great leader and great motivator and he will bring the right taken to that team and do whatever it takes to win a world championship. >> it's interesting. if there are any critics of mike shanahan they will quickly point out that after elway left he had a 500 record in those years. he was 24 and 24. how much stock you put in that? >> i don't put a lot in that because he very competitive teams. you'll go through slumps in the nfl. bottom line is he's a winner.

i know he's excited to be there and i just know in my that is right get ready, washington because a super bowl is coming your way. >> big talk by bill. here's the latest on the gilbert arenas gun situation. our chris clark has confirmed reports that arenas did not have a license to store the guns he had at the center. prosecutors have started presenting evidence to the grand jury. he could face charges of carrying a handgun without a license which could carrya penalty of 20 years in jail. five years for event guns he told investigators he it. there's agent zero trying to forget about the gun chargers and worry about this sixers. arenas is ahead the pack. spots up and he'll hit the

three-pointer. 7 in the 1st quarter for arenas. wizards in front by 4. but philadelphia would respond. sixers go on a run. catched off. philly up at the break. back come the wizards. antawn jamison taking over in the second half. the basket and the foul. the wizards within 3. time winding down in the third. antawn jamison drains the three- pointer. wizards down by just 2. we go to the fourth. nick young providing a spark off the bench. a three-pointer of his own. off the arenas steal, young will take it in for the layup and the foul. nick young getting it done off the bench. he scored 8 in a row as washington takes the lead. later wizards putting it aware.

arenas finds antawn jamison. the wizards come back to win 104-97. afterwards agent zero facing answers. >> if i did something wrong, it would bother me. i would feel remorse. i didn't doing. >> there are reports now that they are not licensed guns and you may not have had a permit? >> that's something i will have to deal with the da. >> were they licensed? >> what was it like to go in the da's office? >> were you nervous? >> of course i was nervous. i thought i was going to be seeing a movie. we were at a conference table. you have no idea. >> we're just thinking it's blown out of proportion? >> you guys do what you have to do. you don't be the story.

>> but you haven't explained left to find out what's going on because you haven't explained. >> i'll let you guys beat me up and i'll take all the hits now. >> interesting. coming up alex ovechkin is the new captain of the washington capitals. did they start his tenure on a winning note? and clinton portis had choice words about jason campbell's leadership skills. wait until you hear how the quarterback fired back. that's coming up.

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they might heat up now that alex ovechkin has been named the 14th captain in club history. there's ovie with the c on his chest. caps came out firing. mike green on the breakaway. a save by care. the caps outshot montreal. ovechkin shot at the iron. very close to breaking through. they finally did. a minute later, time winding down on the power play, tomas fleischmann sneaks one past price. 15th of the year for fleischmann. the canadiens take a break. josh georges. it wouldn't say tied for long. caps on the attack. eric fehr puts one. caps lead 2-1. just 36 seconds

later, vacancy alexander semin. montreal close withp within one. semin hammers one under the cross bar. the caps win 4-2. afterwards talk centered around the new captain. >> i knew they were happy when i told them this morning this doesn't happen too often. the group got up and cheered. and i had talked to a lot of them in the last couple days and they said alex was the only choice. he's our leader and he's our guy. and i think the thing that, you know, sort of shows how he was ready was when i talked to him two days ago or three days ago about it, he said that i would accept the responsibility but only if my teammates want me

to. >> good for me to be a captain of the washington capitals. i'm going to do my best and i'm pretty happy and pretty excited. >> when you think about the personality of a quarterback, a firing leader comes to mind. off the field, that description does not apply to jason campbell. apparently jason campbell's demeanor in the hud cell no different. here's what clinton portis said on the radio this morning. >> as a leader you never heard it was jason couldn't take it in the huddle and take control. that wasn't jason's character. you can't know somebody who's not his character. jason, you can't play so much on somebody who's not ready for that situation. i think jason had enough trouble in getting the plays in and worry about this compared to controlling the huddle and making sure we do this and do

that. you know jason campbell ain't going to go tell the coach we need to do this or we need do that. >> you want a fiery jason campbell. here it is. that was his response. campbell said, obviously he doesn't have the respect of the locker room to be a captain. for someone stotry to take a shot at the me at the end of the season who hasn't been around. and i want you to write this. how does he even know what's going on with our team. end quote. wow, jason. jim zorn kept his silence as rumors for his departure swirled for months. he tells our chick hernandez how he held it together through it all.

learn more at supportyourvet.org.

csnwashington.com is your online source for all the latest on the washington redskins including chick hernandez entire interview jim zorn. csnwashington.com is the only place you need to go for the best analysis and interview us won't see anywhere else. former redskins head coach jim zorn spoke in front of cameras today for the first time since being fired in the we hours of monday morning. josh sat down with chick hernandez in mcclain, virginia to give his take on the many things that took place in his two seasons with the burgundy and gold. >> jim zorn live presented by:

i have no animosity at all. it's just part of what all coaches at some point have gone through. and, you know, for me, i want to continue. i want that, you know, i'm sure the next day it's going to get better. that's kind of how i'm trying to look at this. even now that i'm out of the organization. >> how do you do that? you said you have no animosity. there were times during the season where anybody watching says he's not treated well? >> some people deal with more difficult things than i had to deal with it and they do it. i think i just try to be a problem solver. and i don't like to wallow in it too long. some of that stuff does no

good. >> besides gaining the experience of being a head coach, what did you learn from it? >> i loved every aspect of i loved the hard decisions and dealing with the players dale i. it's fun dealing with the personalities. >> everyone? >> even the ones who create circumstances or issues. i love to, you know, part of being a head football coach is to problem solve. and then, you don't just problem solve, you got get results and you've got to be able to keep the group together. i think we at our best did that. >> besides the losses. what was your biggest frustration? >> honestly some of the adversity that had to be dealt

with how the play calling thing turned out. that was a frustration. >> when that took place was that a sign that, hold on a second, i'm not sure that i'm going to be supported as much as i like. >> it could be taken that way. the way i took it was this was a decision and, you know, we all come under authority and i had to come under authority as well. and that's kind of the way i looked at this. i think the whole thing could have gone really sour. but i didn't want it to. >> all the reports about whether greg blatche or jerry gray interviewed while you were still in the job. did you reconcile with jerry gray? >> weeks ago. yeah it hit me because obviously, all the things that

i was experiencing were my first experience. yost any animosity towards jerry. we talked several times about the issue and put it to rest and moved forward. >> people listening say how can you not have animosity for someone interviewing for a job you have. >> i continued. i have been at it for a while. and then to work it through, just, you know, there's grace and that's what i hope i had in this situation. >> with less than two years since you were hired, was it a blur? >> yes. it wasn't long at all. in fact i still, i mean, i would still want to be the head football coach of the washington redskins. it's got to the transfer into wins and losses and i get that and it didn't for me.

i'm sad about that and it's part of my down fall. >> a classy guy. coming up, the redskins aren't the only dc team making a coaching change. we'll introduce you to the new man of the black and red. that and more when we come that and more when we come back.

i touched the ball before it went out, coach. team! alex. alex, good call.

you're watching comcast sportsnet. d.c. united introduced curt onalfo as their coach today. his coaching staff is to include ben olsen. >> i understand the expectations that are south shored with the position. i put enormous pressure on

myself. that pressure, whatever gets thrown to my shoulders, i have no problem dealing with. i have been through a lot in my life. i coach soccer for a living and a sport i love and there's not a better job to have. of course our big story consent, comcast sportsnet has confirmed that mike shanahan is the new head coach of the washington redskins. it's a 5 year deal that makes him vice-president of operations. we'll have much more here on comcast sportsnet. that will begin with his press conference tomorrow at 2:00. we'll bring it to you live here on comcast sportsnet. that does it for this edition of geico sportsnite. >> for greg toland i'm jill sorenson. back here at 11:00 with more on the big story, mike shanahan,

president? >> well, i try to say the same things i think in maybe a a slight learner gel or way. i think this president has succeeded too much authority to

congress to shape the main legislative package is that he's pushed and has not imposed a distinctive vision on a much less policy of any kind. but i also tried to say that he is facing a very difficult problem. look, i think the fundamental issue that barack obama or any leading politician faces today is not the economy, not afghanistan, not iraq, it is a broken politics. the american people do not think that their do politics delivers for them. they don't trust washington, trusting government is at an all-time low. they trust either party. they're just an obama is now plunging. somebody has to make this democracy work. so if he can get -- you know, if you can get the health care bill through and it won't take a year so you're not going to feel any immediate impact from it really in truth. but it is an accomplishment. it is showing that somehow out of the chaos that he could do

something large done. i think that may make people more confident about what else he can achieve and it's going to modestly replenish his capital because i don't want to overstate that because the senate is going to go to the next issue which is climate change and say let's talk about raising in america. and that's why think the president will put it to the economy and jobs for the next year. but i agree with the underlying theme which is that so far this has been a president that is almost passive spirit is then able to lay out broad goals and led his party take the reins and the results are not beautiful. but the fundamental question is compared to what. had he tried to lay out a template for health care reform at the beginning. my guess is that would look nothing like what we ended up with earlier.

>> just to finish and then turn to the audience in a second. and dr. steel, to extend wilts remarks imagining david axelrod here at the podium speaking on behalf of the president and health care firm wouldn't the narrative sound like we've been waiting since the 1960's to extend this democratic -- this core agenda of the democratic dirty. in the 90's we came close and failed utterly in the intervening 20 years we've been working with interest groups, the insurers, doctors, all of the other structural stakeholders and health insurance to set up conditions in which this core agenda of the democratic party could be achieved. it was incumbent upon this president to bring that deal home. and that's fundamentally what he's done. so if that's the argument in favor of the president's achievement presuming that it comes in over the next four or five weeks. is it really fair to criticize him for passivity in the way you did in your remarks? >> yeah, you think it is fair

because he didn't bring the public with them. there's this enormous outcry of anger and disappointment and alienation. and for him to say i brought us back -- i brought us through nobody else has done this. isn't an answer. it doesn't satisfy those who say you brought an answer that was not my problem, which is the case for many people have insurance. and you didn't persuade me that the cost of this was not going to be detrimental to my interests. what's happened is he's been seemingly harshly absent for the debate and maybe pulling the strings to some degree behind the scenes, but then we have people who we've never heard of lake senator from nebraska economy and the key figures in the health care debate and we run out of petty issues. i think there's a sense that is unjust but i think it's

understandable that the public feel that decisions are being made that ignore their interests. they haven't been persuaded by the president him in the way in which it works for them. and the anger is a result of i think a sense of exclusion. so instead of obama saying we are doing these things, we not my administration that we the american public have to change the system because so many of us are suffering from it. it's rather that he's saying now you senators, you nancy pelosi and what have you and you carry read and now you work a deal with your colleagues. the congress doesn't have that much respect in the country anyway. they're always suspect it of doing the public stature meant which is often the case. but therefore it's up to him to

be the spokesman for the public. and i just don't think he's other -- i don't know please realized it but i don't think you've ever done it. and that's what a president has to be. >> did you want to say something quickly? >> i agree with the last point very much which is that obama has not appealed over to the heads of congress to the country and to the constituency that elected him very quickly. however in public opinion narrowly that is mutable. public opinion is strongly in favor of health care reform when we started out and if we get something that looks at a success or some harmful selling and not sent by the president, my guess is it's going to go back up. it's like the iraq war. americans are for it before they were against it and i think you're going to say something with the same kind of correction on health care. >> i think health care could become poster boy for what professor steele is talking about, which is a profound disappointment in the way the public's business gets done.

and all the details are not known of course, but the manager's bill produced by harry reid in which hundreds of aspects of legislation were changed in many cases to accommodate the body off of individual senators with individual appropriations when it's fully reported is going to be either leave profoundly disappointing. it was not the way to deal with an issue of this magnitude. health care is too important for that kind of legislative treatment. and i think obama is going to pay a price for that. >> do you want to say something? >> in terms of mutability of public opinion it will be interesting to say that right now both the surge in afghanistan and the war in iraq are more popular in some ways

than health care. that is a higher percentage of the population thinks that the war in iraq was a success then supports the current health care package. when a large domestic welfare program is less popular than long inconclusive foreign wars you are not damaging your portfolio well. whatever else can be said about what's going on here. so i think there is a problem goodwill may be right that once there is something to see, you know, people will start liking them more in been some benefits although some of that may not come very quickly since it's not going to take affect. but right now it is bad. there's no way to avoid that. >> but the president has established this pattern with difficult policy processes as in afghanistan of waiting till began to come in with a sort of hail marys speech to try to clarify what he had