Red Alert: Just a few days away for Caps
Washington Capitals hockey is just a few days away from kicking off a shortened 2013 season. To watch the Caps via TV, here you go, the CSN television schedule.
Bloguin partner, Rock the Red, gives a summary of training camp from yesterday. Read it here.
Bleacher Report looks at the 5 biggest questions for the Caps this shortened season. The first is the biggest in this writer's opinion. How will the Capitals handle the change to the Adam Oates system. Unfortunately for the Washington Capitals, this will be their fourth system change in two seasons. Bruce Boudreau shifted the Caps from an offensive based system to a more defensive responsible system in his final season. When Boudreau was fired, Dale Hunter installed his own defensive first system that took the Caps a bit to get used to. Now the shift occurs to what is reported to be a more offensive aggressive system of Oates. Without a full training camp and pre-season to install the new system, it will be interesting to watch how quickly the Capitals grasp it. It will include Alexander Ovechkin playing both right wing at times and on the penalty kill. Big adjustments for Alex.
Speaking of Alex, he is excited to be named the Russian torch bearer for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
District Sports Page provides a season preview for the Caps' forwards. One such forward that has the Capitals excited is the flashy Mike Ribeiro. The flamboyance and quirkiness of Ribeiro will bring a different style of veteran leaders to the Caps locker room. Don't expect pre and mid game speeches from the veteran, but rather jokes and laughter. Here is another look at the questions on the Caps forward, coming from Peerless. Another new forward veteran is looking to recapture his career. Wojtek Wolski is looking to get his career back on tracker after it was derailed in 2011 by a series of injuries. Those injuries and lack of production from the injuries led to his not being resigned in the off-season by the Panthers, after the Panthers acquired him through a trade from the Rangers. Wolski understands what this season means to him as a player.
"I definitely think that's the point I'm at in my career," Wolski said Wednesday after the Caps completed their fourth day of training camp. "I have to do everything I can to show that I'm still that player. After surgery last year, I'm sure there's a lot of questions about how I'll bounce back. At this point, I'm doing everything in my power to make sure that I'm ready, that I can succeed and given the opportunity that I can strive and do well."
John Walton provides a preview of Tampa Bay this Saturday.
As for the goalie situation in Washington, it appears the Caps are content with golaie sharing dutiues.
Injury wise, Caps fans should be excited with the fact the Caps are entering the season Saturday night relatively healthy. Mike Green and Nicklas Backstrom will both be in the starting lineup.
System news: 2012 first rounder Tom Wilson was shipped back to Plymouth. He leaves camp under a good impression from the Caps brass. The 18 year old was not expected to make the Caps roster, but was one of the only prospects invited to training camp. Here is more from Mike Vogel. Congrats to Caps goalie prospect Stefan Soberg. For the first time in his career, he has made the Norwegian national team.
