http://www.thirtystoriesup.com "What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure." Sun, 07 Oct 2007 17:16:17 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en This one I couldn't miss: I bought a family pack of tickets a couple of weeks ago and dragged (okay, not so much dragged) my loved ones all up to D.C. from Maryland for the day. My quick thoughts: The first period had the Capitals coming out with something to prove; there ... http://www.thirtystoriesup.com/2007/10/07/carolina-hurricanes-at-washington-capitals-home-opener-impressions/ Well, after finally getting to watch some hockey, instead of just hearing about it, here are my quick thoughts for the evening: Center Ice Online is going to be fantastic, when it actually works. Missed about five minutes of the start of the 1st in Canadiens at Hurricanes because of ... http://www.thirtystoriesup.com/2007/10/03/nhl-103-quick-thoughts/ Well, no last-minute trades from the Caps this time (despite rumblings as far up as Ted's Take that a last-minute trade might be in the works), but they were fair to the kids; Steve Eminger goes on the injured reserve to free the last roster spot, which means that Steckel, ... http://www.thirtystoriesup.com/2007/10/02/your-nations-washington-capitals-and-a-few-ex-caps/ As has been covered by the OFB team and Tarik, the Capitals have a few decisions left to make before their season can start.  The deadline for Opening Day's 23-man rosters is tomorrow, and despite the difficult cuts that the Caps have had to make, they still have 25 men ... http://www.thirtystoriesup.com/2007/10/01/washington-capitals-down-to-the-waiver-wire/ Pretty good first period out of these guys, ending with a 1-0 Islanders advantage off a sweet little backhanded scoop by Bergenheim that simply found its way between Lundqvist's legs. The Rangers started off strong, with a flurry of nine shots very quickly. Particularly impressive so far have been Callahan, ... http://www.thirtystoriesup.com/2007/09/28/new-york-islanders-at-new-york-rangers-preseason-impressions/ Finishing is still a problem, and I have a feeling it's going to be what separates the Capitals' bubble guys from the others; Green has had no trouble converting this preseason, but Bradley today had the goalie beat and put a puck into the crossbar instead of the water bottle. ... http://www.thirtystoriesup.com/2007/09/26/washington-capitals-at-philadelphia-flyers-impressions/ Listening to the game on online radio, provided by WashingtonCapitals.com. Final Score (OT) - Capitals 3, Hurricanes 2 Thoughts from overtime: 4-on-3 time - big penalty kill for the Caps if they can do it. Shootouts shouldn't be such a curse this year, with our two big free agent forwards both having ... http://www.thirtystoriesup.com/2007/09/25/carolina-hurricanes-at-washington-capitals-impressions/ One of the more interesting stories that has developed out of Washington Capitals training camp is the story of their forward line combinations.  While Pettinger, Gordon, and Clark make a natural shut-down line that the team looks to want to keep together, the other three lines have been fairly surprising ... http://www.thirtystoriesup.com/2007/09/25/what-is-chemistry-on-one-line-worth/ As long as I'm a traveling man, at least to the extent that I am, I'm unfortunately going to remain unable to carry out my lifelong dream of being a bench player for a low-ranked amateur hockey league in Chelsea Piers. Until I settle down long enough to pick ... http://www.thirtystoriesup.com/2007/09/24/nhl-08-xbox-360-initial-impressions/ Managed to catch the last period of the radio broadcast after watching the Flyers trounce the Rangers 5-0 on MSG-HD. The Caps spent the entire third clinging tenaciously to a 2-1 lead over the Lightning.  From a Capitals perspective, there seem to be two big stories to this one: the penalties, ... http://www.thirtystoriesup.com/2007/09/22/washington-capitals-at-tampa-bay-lightning-preseason-impressions/