head coach: Ron Wilson

roster: C - Adam Oates, Dale Hunter, Andrei Nikolishin, Michal Pivonka, Jan Bulis. LW - Andrew Brunette, Joe Juneau, Steve Konowalchuk, Jeff Toms, Todd Krygier, Mike Eagles. RW - Peter Bondra, Richard Zednik, Craig Berube, Kelly Miller. D - Phil Housley, Calle Johansson, Brendan Witt, Sylvain Cote, Sergei Gonchar, Joe Reekie, Ken Klee. G - Olaf Kolzig, Bill Ranford.

injuries: Pat Peake, rw (torn ankle tendon, indefinite); Yogi Svejkovsky, lw (sprained ankle, indefinite); Chris Simon, lw (shoulder surgery, out for regular season); Calle Johansson, d (sprained knee, day-to-day); Mark Tinordi, d (stomach/groin, 1 week).

transactions: Returned Stephane Beauregard, g, to the Chicago Wolves (IHL). Signed Peter Bondra, rw, to a four-year contract, replacing his old contract. Placed Mark Tinordi, d, on injured reserve. Removed Joe Juneau, lw, from injured reserve.

standings:

Eastern Conference - Atlantic Division   
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA     
New Jersey   50  31  15   4    66  148  102
Philadelphia 48  27  12   9    63  144  104
Washington   50  25  17   8    58  142  127
NY Rangers   50  16  21  13    45  127  137
Florida      51  15  25  11    41  125  149
NY Islanders 50  16  27   7    39  127  145
Tampa Bay    49   9  32   8    26   87  160

game results:

1/13 Ottawa        W 4-0
1/15 Chicago       W 3-2
1/21 at Tampa Bay  W 3-2
1/25 Boston        W 4-1
1/26 at NY Rangers T 2-2

team news:

by Jason Sheehan, Washington Correspondent

Caps Return to October Form

A new training regimen meant early success for the Washington Capitals in October, but the newfound freedom to create offensively eventually led to bad habits and a less-than-stellar month in December.

Coach Ron Wilson's offensive system also allows defenseman to become more offensive-minded instead of just worrying about their own end of the ice surface.

Unlike previous seasons under coach Jim Schoenfeld, who has since moved on to Phoenix, many players felt the noose around their necks loosen upon learning and practicing under Wilson's leadership.

As a result, the Capitals, whom in history have been notorious for slumping in October, shot out of the gates faster than a speeding bullet on the bad streets of Harlem. They began the month with a record of 7-1-0. And as an added bonus, the Capitals were the highest scoring team in the league. But that is all in the past. Until now.

Fast forward to November and the Capitals were once again crippled by injuries. A season ago, they lost 361-man games to injury and missed the playoffs for the first time in 15-years. This season, the injuries have only caused a minor collapse. And that's really saying something about the quality of coaching from Wilson, since the Capitals have lost 271-man games to injury and are on pace to shatter last season's team record.

Fast forward to 1998 and the Capitals are once again the hottest team in the NHL. Washington is currently unbeaten in its last five games and is 9-2-1 in its last 11. As of Jan. 26, the Capitals rank fourth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 25-17-9 (58 points) and are third in the Atlantic Division behind New Jersey and Philadelphia.

Not bad for a team with an injury jinx.

However, the recipe for Washington's success this season is not as complicated to dissect as it may appear.

One reason for the Capitals' success has to do with the return of Joe Juneau, Jeff Toms and Andrei Nikolishin. Besides returning at about the same time, Wilson has placed these three players on his second line.

Boston coach Pat Burns discovered firsthand the difficulty of defeating a club with three strong lines. The Capitals pounced the Bruins Jan. 25 at MCI Center, 4-1.

"They have three really good lines," said Burns. "That's a pretty good team, but I thought we played them well. We just didn't finish our chances in front of the net."

Toms has yet to register a goal since returning to the lineup three weeks ago. Juneau, meanwhile, returned Jan. 25 from a knee injury suffered in a knee-on-knee collision with Los Angeles Kings forward Sandy Moger Dec. 13. Nikolishin has given the team great chemistry since returning early this month from a knee injury suffered last April in the World Championships. He has tallied two points (one goal, one assist) in eight games.

Yet another reason for Washington's improved record is its superior penalty killing unit. The Capitals have a success rate of 88.4%, which ranks them fourth in the league. They also have scored eight short-handed goals, which ties them for fifth. In comparison, the New York Rangers, still limping from Mark Messier's departure to Vancouver, is the only team without a short-handed goal.

Perhaps the biggest reason for Washington's improved record is the play of goaltender Olaf Kolzig. Previously a backup goaltender, Kolzig has taken the No. 1 spot in goal away from Bill Ranford and has become one of the best netminders in the game.

He seems to make big stops at key times in most games, which is supported by his statistics. As of Jan. 25 Kolzig, who has played 40 games, has posted a record of 22-10-7 to go along with his impressive 2.29 goals-against-average and an equally astonishing save-percentage of .919.

But to do well in the playoffs, the Capitals realize they cannot overwork their goaltender. To ease his workload, Wilson gave Ranford the starting assignment against Boston, his former club, Jan. 25th.

Ranford was up to the task in his first start since going down with a pulled hamstring last month. Not only did the Capitals down the Bruins in convincing fashion, but Ranford played perhaps his best game of the season, stopping 34 shots while posting only his third win of the 1997-98 campaign.

Ranford credited his hard work in practice with assistant coach Tim Army for his improved play and psyche as a backup goaltender.

"I felt good," said Ranford. "Any time you go a month without playing, there's a little bit of butterflies going into the game. But I've been working hard in practice, and there's a lot of support from teammates all year with these crazy injuries I've had. I was a lot more relaxed tonight than I was early on in the first game that I played against these guys."

The first game Ranford played against his old mates was a highly forgettable night Nov. 6 at Boston. The Capitals were stonewalled that night by Bruins' goaltender Byron Dafoe, 2-0.

Bondra Signs New Contract

For Capitals sniper Peter Bondra, All-Star Weekend will likely not be remembered for the thrill of sharing the ice surface with the league's greatest players. Instead, it will be remembered for the day Bondra's greatest financial wish finally came true.

Capitals general manager George McPhee, who suspended Bondra in the preseason for wanting his current contract to be renegotiated, had previously said he wouldn't rework the contract of any signed player in the organization.

McPhee, though, realized Bondra's situation had existed long before he took over as general manager last summer, so he budged on his beliefs and gave Bondra his day of dollars.

Some experts may say McPhee got the best of this deal. He signed Bondra to a four-year contract worth approximately $13 million to $14 million. The deal voided Bondra's previous contract, which had three years left, and caused the star winger to lose one of his years as an unrestricted free agent.

"It was imperative that the club received an additional free-agent year if the deal was going to be restructured," stated McPhee. "The club has now secured two of Peter Bondra's unrestricted years. We expect that he will be completely focused on this team and assist on taking this team farther than ever before."

Bondra has proven his weight in gold since signing the contract. Skating alongside Adam Oates and Andrew Brunette, Bondra has caught fire, scoring four goals in his last three games. Bondra now will take his new friend, the dollar sign, to Nagano if Slovakia advances past the qualifying rounds.

Alternate Jerseys Unveiled

For the second time in three years, Washington has a new look.

Following the lead given from the marketing geniuses in many other cities, the Capitals unveiled their new alternate jersey Jan. 25. The jersey, which is predominately black, features the club's secondary logo, the Capitol Building with crossed-hockey sticks, on the crest and a bronze stripe around the waste and arms.

The most revealing feature, however, is the detail that went into the numbers and letters. The stitch-work is coated in bronze and outlined in white. The creation, which was designed by equipment manager Doug Shearer, has already received rave reviews from fans and players.

"It's one of the best third jerseys I've seen around the league," said defenseman Joe Reekie, who has worn all five jerseys, home and away, in his four-year stint with the Capitals. "I like the color scheme, and I think it's a nice change for the fans."

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