Caps down the Devils, 3-1

First thoughts on the Caps' win tonight:
- I'm glad that Viktor Kozlov got his 500th point tonight. That's pretty cool.
- Flash is fast. And very good in cramped quarters. A very good goal on his part.
- I hope that whatever kept Semin out for a good majority of the game was only preventative. With the pace he's been at these first 16 games, it would be terrible to lose him. A serious injury wouldn't just affect his groove, but would probably throw the team out of sync as well.
- We were one mental breakdown from seeing 100 minutes of straight-up Jose Theodore shutout hockey. Even though the shutout only lasted 91:55 (two periods from Wednesday in Raleigh and tonight's game), I think he has really started getting back into form. I say give him the start again tomorrow night in Newark. Give Brent some more time to rest that hip. JT has the hot hand for the moment; let's take advantage of it while we can.
- I was bummed to hear that they switched Ovie's first goal to Brooks Laich, until Ovechkin got the empty netter in the last minute to keep the 3-game goal streak alive. Brooks has been playing very well the past few days, and congrats to him on the hard hat tonight. It's starting to look really good with all the numbers on there.
- Speaking of Ovechkin's goal streak... I think this is just what he's needed to get back on track. As much as I'd like to see a repeat performance and a run for the MVP, I'd much rather see both him and Semin get, oh how about 55 goals each? Sound good?
- I really wish I had the money and time to go on a roadtrip out West next week. California in November would be stellar.

Welcome back to ESPN, Barry

This just in: Barry Melrose is canned just 16 games into the season as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. I definitely did not see this coming. As much of a rebuilding project that might be down in Tampa, I did not think that management would give up on someone like Barry so quickly. But hey, at least he lasted longer than Denis Savard in Chicago with that talent-laden squad, eh?
Now, I know Barry didn't have the best relationship with the players, often ripping into them about their sub-par performance and underachieving. I don't know if there's a link, but he did not attend practice yesterday. Could this have been the deal breaker, or was he just getting his stuff packed? It might not be exactly the same, but I do see some parallels to the move made by the Caps last Thanksgiving, firing Glen Hanlon and bringing in Bruce Boudreau. They have a good team, a little rough around the edges, a possible rookie of the year candidate, and some very solid forwards in St. Louis and Lecavalier. And they have Olie in goal as well, so he knows exactly what it's like. Maybe it's a move to try to shake things up in the organization hoping to turn a sour start into a playoff push. Since many people are looking to the Caps as the model for rebuilding, I don't blame them from mimicking our style. In any event, best luck to Barry Melrose. I have a feeling we'll all be seeing plenty of him soon enough.