Caps Sleep In 4-1 Loss

By Rodger M. Wood18,398 fans at the Verizon Center Saturday afternoon matinee were again shortchanged when the home team stopped playing halfway through game and lost to the harder working Los Angeles Kings 4-1.Scoring an unassisted goal at the 1:06 mark of the first period, Ovie gave fans false hope. Today’s outcome wasn't different than the past six contests against Western Conference teams, in which the Caps were beaten decisively.Back to normal after the goal, the Caps played decent defense for a period and a half, but then gave up again against another tough opponent. Kings forwards swarmed harder and harder on the Caps goaltender, Semyon Varlomov as the game wore on, and whose big tough defensemen knocked Caps forwards on their butts.Perhaps our European stars, Alex O, Niklaus Backstrom, Alexander Semin, Marcus Johanssen, Michael Neuvirth, and Semyon Varlomov can’t cope with the Western Conference’s rugged game.Near the end of the first period, DJ King tried to energize his teammates, taking on Kings Kevin Westgarth in a rugged heavyweight battle, and throughout the game, by hard checking opponents, crashing on net, and shooting the puck, but his good effort did't help.While King’s plus/minus was zero, All Star defenseman Mike Green and Jeff Schultz’ was a -3, indicating they were on the ice for three of the Kings goals, and forwards, Jason Chimera, Brooks Laich, and Mathieu Perreault a -2, indicating they were on the ice for at least two of the Kings goals.Before the Caps go West next week to face the Phoenix Coyotes Monday, Anaheim Ducks Wednesday, and San Jose Sharks Thursday, maybe some of our Caps need to be sent back to Hershey where they will not be traumatized by such tough competition.In summary, the bottom line this afternoon was Kings 4 Caps 1.Ottawa’s Good Center Mike Fisher Traded to Nashville: Needing a good second line center badly, the Caps lost out again, when former Caps GM David Poile traded a 2011 #1 draft and a 2012 conditional pick (third or second, depending on how many rounds Nashville wins) to Ottawa for two way center Mike Fisher.

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