Ask Not For Whom the Alex Tolls...

... He tolls for thee. One night after Alex Ovechkin single-handedly beat the Atlanta Thrashers, Alex Semin decided he would not be outdone and scored two pretty goals to provide all the offense the Caps would end up needing. That is, of course, not to ignore the contribution of Alex 1.0, who added a highlight reel goal of his own along with two assists, and just like that the Caps have won seven of their last nine, recording 15 out of a possible 18 standings points (that's 83.33% for those of you who were wondering).

Ignoring, for a moment, the first ten or fifteen minutes, this was one of the Caps most complete wins of the season. The offense seemed to be clicking on all cylinders, generating a lot of zone time. The defense did a good job of forcing shots to the outside, allowing only one real scoring opportunity which resulted in Mike Knuble's goal. Olie had a pretty good night, though it's tough to tell as he was never really tested. The most impressive thing about the defenseive performance was the fact that the Caps played much of the game shorthanded on D, with Erskine hiding out in the dressing room (being joined briefly by Mike Green).

Next up, the Caps face Tampa on Tuesday, followed by back-to-back games against New Jersey and Toronto. These are games where they are really going to need to record some wins, as their schedule after the Christmas holiday is absolutely brutal (five games in seven days after Christmas, followed by a stretch where they never have more than two consecutive days off all the way until the All-Star Break).

Standings Watch: I Watch So You Don't Have To (Because You Shouldn't Be Watching To Begin With, Probably)!
With the win, combined with losses by the Devils and the Penguins (YAY!) the Caps find themselves tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference. As for the division, the Thrashers got blown out by the Islanders and the Caps are now just five points back with two games in hand.

Ovechkin vs. Crosby Again Some More
Ovechkin in the month of December: Six goals and ten assists for sixteen points in seven games (2.286 PPG). Team's record: 5-1-1 (Ovie is now tied with Marian Hossa and Brendan Shanahan for the league lead in goals.)

Crosby in the month of December: Six goals and fourteen assists for twenty points in nine games (2.222 PPG). Team's record: 4-4-1 (He's still leading the NHL in points. I am nothing if not fair and balanced.)

Recaps From People That Matter:
-A View From The Cheap Seats
-Bleatings From a Caps Nut
-Capital Punishment
-On Frozen Blog (Empty Maybe)
-On Frozen Blog (pucksandbooks)
-Off Wing Opinion
-Puckhead's Thoughts