Bruce Boudreau has his misgivings about pairing Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alexander Semin together. He recognizes their other worldly skill set, and how destructive it can be when it’s in synch, but he also believes that that massive sum of skill is the line’s undoing at times — that it leads the unit to get “too cute” and undermine its game-breaking threat. Well, after the Saturday night pre-Halloween massacre in Alberta, Gabby may just have to keep it together a while. Ten points between that trio last night.

• The Caps scored five of their six second-period goals in just 10 minutes and 12 seconds of skating time, and they put six markers past a world-class talent in Miikka Kiprusoff with just 21 shots.

• Success out West, even in the Ovechkin era, has been terribly difficult for the Caps to achieve, and the opening 10 minutes of Saturday night offered the sort of script we’ve become accustomed to seeing from these games. The Caps looked tentative, jittery, deprived of poise. A bad bounce or two went against them. They got beaten badly on draws, with eerie regularity, and wide swaths of ice were open for Flames’ forwards to skate through and get deadly looks at Michal Neuvirth.  The hosts got a leg up early, rousing a raucous crowd. It really looked grim for the guests. “It was a rocky beginning but a great end,” Boudreau noted afterward. The season-long disappointing power play (4 for 38 entering play Saturday night) at last delivered, Nick Backstrom gorgeously converting a sublime Mike Green cross-ice feed, and in halving a 2-0 deficit before the intermission the Caps gave themselves a competitive pulse.

• It was a bit of a breakout game for Mike Green, who scored his first goal on the campaign and added 2 assists. Early on he played that fancy-pants style that infuriates coaches and fans alike, dropping no-look passes in the neutral zone and firing presumptive passes to unmanned point positions. Then he simplified his game and beautifully blended wise decisionmaking with his elite skill set. “Anytime we’re working hard, we’re getting opportunities to score. When we’re sitting back and making those lazy plays, that’s when we get in trouble and we have no chemistry,” Green said. “Tonight everybody was working hard, and that’s why we had the momentum to go and win.”

• Last night was my first real good look at Flames’ center Curtis Glencross, about whom many nice things have seen said in the new season (Grapes sang his praises during ‘Coach’s Corner’ last night). He’s ruggedly built, and he appears to have some offensive upside — he went for 15 and 18 a year ago in 67 games for the Flames. With a wee bit more speed he’d remind you of Brooks Laich, perhaps. But the tripping penalty he took on Mike Green early in the second period last night, with his team already down a man, was devastating. It allowed Ovechkin to steal all of the Halloween candy from all of the Calgary children in attendance.

• It’s easy to lose sight of a winning goalie’s effort in a blowout, but Michal Neuvirth made more surreal stops last night, and one or two of them came with the game not yet determined. Indeed, he authored a split-pad stuffing along the pipes in the first period with his club already down 2-0. That may have saved the night.

• That Alexander Semin curl-and-skate-blade-slide around Jarome Iginla in the third period was so so . . . Semin, so so slick.

• Eric Fehr was a healthy scratch Saturday night, and I rank among those who expected much bigger things from him in 2010-11. It’s not so much that his production is wildly off (2 and 2 in 10 games), it’s his play away from the puck I think that has been noticeably disappointing. The Caps need more jam in front of the opposing net, and Fehr has jam in his game.

• I really liked what Comcast’s Craig Laughlin offered as parting reflection in the broadcast: “This must be a carry-over game,” he opined. Yes the Caps don’t play again until Wednesday, but Laughlin’s right, they must find a way to make Saturday night more than a singular statement affair, and stake out a set of inspired efforts back home against a tough slate next week. The Leafs are improved, Boston has humiliated the Caps twice already, and the season’s biggest game to date arrives Sunday, with a visit from the Flyers.

* * * * *

After his practice skate Friday morning Mike Knuble obliged a youth’s request to part with his stick, which he signed. But of course one youth’s lottery winning with an NHLer’s stick is another’s loss out at kid-packed Kettler. Knuble, taking notice of the disappointment that accompanied his generosity, looked down at the disappointed lad and said,”Next time, I’ll remember you. The kid with a cut on his chin.” The wager here is that indeed the Caps’ right wing comes up with another stick soon for the kid with the nicked chin. Maybe even today.

* * * * *

Craig Laughlin made his maiden appearance at training camp, having just returned from Canada and a summer-long hosting of his summer hockey camp. His thoughts related to the few open roster spots were the popular topic of the morning in the media work room. The long-time Caps’ broadcaster doesn’t see much in the way of competition remaining — if there ever was any. The forward lines are basically set, he suggested, with an extra body perhaps slated for the fourth line, and there’s little doubt about one through five on the Caps’ blueline. I think he’s right. Of Marcus Johansson, who’s had a solid camp thus far? “No way,” said Laughlin. Too much to ask of a kid making the transition from Europe to North American pro puck, the broadcaster claimed. Maybe he’s been reading this blog.

I also had a chance to ask Laughlin about the Southeast division in 2010-11. I suggested to him that few observers believe the Caps are weaker than they were a year ago, and so subsequently a division foe would have to make a dramatic improvement just to halve the Caps’ nearly 40-point division title margin of a season ago. He predicted the Caps winning the division by 20 points, with Tampa improving significantly. That does seem to be the conventional wisdom this preseason.

* * * * *

My sample set is admittedly small, but for my digital recorder there is no more engaging and thoughtful and pleasant an interview in all of hockey than Andrew Gordon. After his workout Friday, still in his gear and soaked with sweat, he obliged a Washington Post interview request, and when that ended I approached him. “I’ve got just two questions for you, Andrew,” I said. “And I’ve got two answers for you,” the right wing replied, beaming. Always he’s smiling and good-natured and blissfully free of cliche and canned response in every encounter with media I’ve observed, here and in Hershey.

* * * * *

Cody Eakin is impressing, no question about it. “He hasn’t looked out of place, I can tell you that,” Gabby said of Eakin. “It’s not like you can tell he’s an 18- or 19-year-old. His maturity is I think beyond his years.” He’s pushing some older guys for a job, the coach added.

* * * * *

Training camp of course is a great deal of work for its participants, filled with scripted drills, lots of conditioning, lots of off-ice workouts. It’s a real grind. Especially for veterans. And so I was curious to see if guys at camp would identify the experience as also affording any moments of genuine fun. I got some interesting reflections on Friday about this.

“It is all about conditioning and preparation and all about business to make the team,” Tomas Fleischmann told me. “But you always get fun if you are spending time with guys in the dressing room. Seeing guys every day and making jokes . . . it’s a way to relax.”

Gym rat Andrew Gordon would have none of my suggesting that conditioning and weight training wasn’t fun. “I think all the preparation and conditioning is fun, for me anyways. I like going to the gym, I like being in shape. Andrew Joudrey and I take [fitness] very seriously all summer long. He’s my workout partner at home.

“It’s fun to come out and have the coaches try to work you into the ground and then you’re not that upset about it. When you work hard you know it’s for a reason and that it’s going to translate to game situations.”

I asked Gordon what he enjoyed doing away from the rink during camp to give his body a bit of a break from all the rigor. This week, he told me, he’s been helping Tyler Sloan “lug furniture up to the 19th floor” of the defenseman’s apartment building. Note to self: Don’t R&R with Gordo.

The ultimate rink rat in the Capitals’ organization, I’ve learned in recent years, is Mathieu Perreault. No surprise: he fairly detests off days, and he spends them wishing he was playing hockey.

“I enjoy playing so much, even the drills,” Matty told me. “I love the game so much that even on the days off, at my house, I’m like, ‘What am I going to do today, I want to play hockey.’ To me being here just to practice is fun.”

1st Period

Andrew’s take:

• It is hard to make a definitive decision for or against the Av’s third jersey in this corner. It looks as if it harkens back to a more classic era but the strange color scheme makes it look like a bad Arena Football League or IHL sweater. Pucksandbooks astutely pointed out (before he went to bed) that there is a very Atlanta Thrashers look to them, which begs the question: why would you want to look anything like a largely unsuccessful franchise?
• The Caps continued their first period dominance with two unanswered goals in the first frame. They have now outscored their opponents 43-17 in the first 20 minutes.
• Both callups continued the trend of making an immediate impact as soon as they hit the ice. Birthday boy Kyle Wilson had an assist on his first shift and almost had a goal on his second. Later he added another assist. He looked most comfortable in his NHL debut. Meanwhile, Karl Alzner authored quick and accurate tape-to-tape passes and played super solid positionally. We shouldn’t be surprised by this any more, though, as Quintin Laing, Matthieu Perreault, Keith Aucoin, and Jay Beagle all were called up and had reliable if not strong stints with the team. Moreover, callups from Hershey never seem out of place, or uncertain of their assignments, in Bruce Boudreau’s system, precisely because it’s one that’s instituted organization-wide. Even the parent and affiliate practice sessions mirror one another down to the drill and minute.

Alex’s take:

• When Alex Ovechkin isn’t shooting, his passing game is *ON*. He set up Knuble’s goal completely unselfishly on a play he’d normally shoot on, just as he set up Backstrom’s two-goal game against Toronto. Looks like Crosby’s becoming a better goal scorer this season and Ovechkin’s playmaking skills are blossoming this campaign too.
• Theodore, on again, off again, on again: he looked strong last night and he looked strong against Carolina. Whatever was bothering him last month has certainly not been in his coconut much lately. Doubters may disagree, but his “poor” performances seem to include more defensive errors than we see with Semyon Varlamov in net. Do you think it’s possible that the team plays differently in front of the two goalies to any degree — even subconsciously?
• Interminable goal reviews not only rob hockey games of their flow but often halt the momentum one team is enjoying. A new glacier formed in the Rocky Mountains in the time it took Toronto to adjudicate Brooks Laich’s kick-in goal, and seconds after play finally resumed the Caps out on the ice didn’t quite seem to be moving their legs as before, and Eric Fehr went to the sin bin for holding on that shift.

2nd Period

Andrew’s take:

• While there was so much good in this period, the hit on Green just can’t be ignored. It is clear to me that Green is viewed as one of the Caps “can’t lose” players, that he’s irreplaceable. In my mind there is no question that the hit was dirty, and warrants a sizable suspension (not holding my breath for that). Koci led with a shoulder to the head, and I don’t think it was any coincidence that it occurred after the Caps were up 5-0.
• Keeping the foot on the gas was the theme of this period. Earlier in the year Coach Bruce Boudreau said the team needed to learn how to win 3-0 and not 9-0. Watching them this season, I think the way that the team wins 3-0 is by actually winning 9-0. If they stop gunning for the net or playing their elite playmaking style it seems like they get caught flat-footed and on their heels a lot.
• A tip of the victory glass  to John Erskine. The quiet big man wasted no time seeking retribution for the hit on his teammate. At the start of the season many were worried about the team’s toughness after Donald Brashear left, and there are very legitimate questions as to whether having two “middleweights” carry out the enforcing is an adequate substitute, but there can be no denying the vigilance and guts of Erskine and Matt Bradley.

Alex’s take:

• The Avs looked flat without the puck. With the puck, only a couple of their lines were buzzing, but if this was a first-place team playing tonight, that was pretty pitiful. Duchene and O’Reilly, really, were nowhere to be seen. Thumbs up to the D tonight for keeping them quiet.
• Erskine’s game really picked up in this period. Over the past few weeks he’s been one of the safest players for the Caps, always funneling the puck deep in the offensive zone and digging deep in the defensive corners. Locker mentioned his minutes were up because Morrisonn only played five minutes the whole game, but did a lot with them including sticking up for his buddy Mike Green.
• A shift for the ages: with about seven-and-a-half minutes left in the second stanza the Caps’ fourth line of Chris Clark, Dave Steckel, and Matt Bradley pinned the Avs in their own end for a seeming eternity, outhustling and out-playmaking their hosts at every turn. Ultimately they scored, too. The game was already 4-0 Caps before the goal. The effort and production on that shift seemed a microcosm of the entire night.
• Forget Flash, he’s on Fire. He really wanted to get that hattrick, and the way he was shakin’ and bakin’ made him look like he was hell-bent on scoring his third. Unlucky to not get it in the end, but if he keeps up the way he’s been playing, it’ll happen really soon, I bet.

3rd Period

Andrew’s take:

• What does it say about the Caps scouting and coaching that they can seamlessly switch forwards and d-men in and out of the front three and back two? That was a positively emergency bit of personnel movement required by Gabby in the game’s second half — they were down to just three D at one point! And they surrendered just the lone goal to the Avs. Amazing.

Alex’s take:

• When Joe B and Locker have nothing else to say about how the Caps thoroughly crushed the Avs, well . . . there really isn’t.
• The Lisa Hillary Christmas sweater back in the Comcast studio looked a heck of a lot better than the Avs’ third sweater.

• The night’s line for a liberated AO: 2 goals, 7 shots, about a half dozen hits, 22 minutes of ice. Basically, your typical AO brilliant game. He’d caused quite a stir with his reaction to his two-game suspension over the weekend — “maybe it just get me more angry” — but that turned out to be bluster. As we should have suspected. Ovi loves nothing so much as playing hockey, and when that’s taken away from him he takes it personally. That’s a fabulous trait.

• Admit it: when the Caps were awarded the game’s first three power plays — all in the first period — and went  0-for, it just felt like it wasn’t going to be their night, no?

• Tampa entered play last night trailing the Caps by a dozen points in the Southeast. Huge game for the hosts. The ‘Bolts needed their Big Three of Levacalier, St. Louis, and Stamkos to play big in a big game. Did you think they did? Last spring I came to the opinion that just as the wonderful talent Stamkos was ascending into a star NHL career Lecavalier and St. Louis would experience their respective thirtysomething career descents. Last night did nothing to change me of that opinion. There’s a lot of wear on those French Canadian tires, and in Lecavalier’s case, miles still to go on them. Incidentally, Brooks Laich is outscoring him this season.

• Semyon Varlamov = a Lamborghini of lateral speed.

• His play the past few weeks has rocketed him up a number of important goaltending categories. He’s now 7th in the league in goals-against average (2.21), and tallying both his regular season and postseason games the past two seasons, he’s earned four shutouts in fewer than 40 games. And of course he’s not playing behind the ’76 Habs’ blueline. It’s time to get seriously excited about him.

• The development of Eric Fehr (points in seven straight games) is one of the now-not-so-young season’s most important and encouraging storylines. I venture to say that upwards of three-quarters of the Capitals’ fanbase had tossed in the towel on him in recent months, and of course did so loudly reminding of the Caps failure to grab Ryan Getzlaf (Fehr at no. 18, Getzlaf to Anaheim at 19) in the ’03 draft . I never did, partly because out at Kettler in camps I kept seeing displays of so much elite raw scoring ability in Fehr, and partly out of a conviction that you don’t put up consecutive 50-goal campaigns in the WHL without a gifted game. Fehr of course is never going to be Getzlaf , but the wager here is that he’s going to enjoy a terrific NHL career — and at a position of need in this organization. On the whole Getzlaf thingy (and Mike Richards went later in that 2003 first round as well), move beyond it. The Caps did ok with picks like Mike Green and John Carlson deep in subsequent first rounds.

• Craigh Laughlin referenced the Harlem Globetrotters in analogizing the Caps’ passing with the man advantage, and I thought that clever and appropriate. I remember seeing the Globetrotters out at old Capital Centre back in the ’70s, the real Harlem Globetrotters, and they were famous and world-class entertaining for their ball movement, kicking it back and forth from the perimeter to the paint, behind-their-back-passing and sleight-of-hand maneuvering making millions, young and old, smile. I remember the Globetrotters passing up layups in their prolonged exhibitions of ball possession razzle-dazzle, scoring only when they felt they’d entertained long enough. The Caps to an extent do this as well on the power play, almost toying with four defenders in the offensive zone and at times passing up decent scoring opportunities for the perfect one. The Globetrotters of course were being intentionally cute, in exhibitions. While it’s a marvelous testament to their skill level and poise with the puck, the Caps aren’t playing exhibitions, and their downfall at times is being too cute with the puck. But what a nice problem to have.

• When I watched the Adam Oates-Peter Bondra-Sergei Gonchar power play in Washington I was convinced I wouldn’t see its like here again in this lifetime. Ovi-Backstrom-Semin and Green are a whole aesthetic level above, however. Wow.

• The Caps are real good at home (9-2-3) and virtually New Jersey-good on the road (10-3-3). There is now serious separation from the rest of the division (double digits). In the Comcast studio during last night’s postgame Lisa Hillary asked the broadcast team about any concern we ought to have about this team’s peaking too early in the season. Laughlin suggested that there would be brief struggles in midseason, perhaps, and that’s about it, which, given the success the Caps have had while battered by injury, and with Semyon Varlamov’s emergence as a between-the-pipes stud, sounds about right. But I really liked JoeB’s point about strong play early in a season; he noted that recent Stanley Cup winners all had come out of the gates real, real strong.

The next stop was some “chalk talk” with Jill Sorenson and Craig Laughlin, where we reviewed rules such as icing and off sides. The talk was about twenty minutes long, perfect for a quick rules refresher. We continued moving on from there for a little girl talk with hockey wives.
There was really only one wife at the event, Jamie Heward’s. Brent Johnson’s fiancée and Shaone Morrisonn’s girlfriend rounded out the trio, taking questions about life as the significant other behind the player. The main thing we all took away is how normal the players are: they meet their girlfriends at a friend’s party or while waiting for a taxi. In the case of Jamie Heward, he has been with his wife since he was seventeen. After some goodhearted gossip we met up with Joe Reekie who gave us a behind the scenes look at the training rooms.
The tour with Joe was a highlight since he has a very dry wit and kept what could have been a boring look at jock straps lively. The digital cameras were out for this part and many women got a giggle at the underwear bags sitting out, ready to go for today’s game. I did overhear someone say she would never wash her hand again after getting to touch Ovechkin’s supply of hockey sticks.
Our final room was the actual Caps locker room, where we spoke with two of the Caps equipment managers. We discussed player superstition and what products take the smell out of hockey equipment. Overall the locker room was not terribly smelly. Many of the hockey moms commented that their mini vans smell much worse. By this time it was nine o’clock and there were a lot of hungry women, something to avoid at all costs. After a quick elevator ride to the Acela Club, we were treated to an open bar. There were a couple of specialty drinks just for the event (Hockey Bling Cosmo anyone?) along with beer, wine and liquor. There was also a very generous buffet and that is where the stampede started as women rushed past Brooks Laich, Steve Eminger and Donald Brashear to munch on chicken satay and pot stickers. After getting some food and drink the cameras were out again as everyone began taking pictures with the players, who were all incredibly gracious with their time. Finally, door prizes were handed out and the event was over. All of the ladies received a Hockey ‘n Heels goody bag as a parting gift.
All in all the Caps did a fabulous job on this event and offered something for everyone. I hope they continue to offer this in coming years and suspect that it will grow as well, possibly selling out in a matter of hours next time.