they have to work hard against alex ovechkin. jacques martin told us this more than it's more by committee. it's five guys, look for the line to be line to be matched up against ov's line. >> joe: the capitals have been getting a steady diet of canadian teams. they have been playing outside of the southeast division for weeks. they finally get to see one of their own in a couple days' time. when they square off against the canadiens they look forward to an up tempo type match-up when jacques martin doesn't want to play running guns. >> craig: he doesn't want to but the caps can get a team on their heels on the road they can set the tempo and the type of game they want to play. they have to be the table dressers tonight. if montreal sets the table it will be slow pace and under control. that won't work for the caps. >> joe: blue, blanc, and rouge hit the ice to thundering applause. now let's scan the entire eastern conference. >> craig: new jersey, washington, ottawa, pittsburgh, boston and buffalo climbing up. how about atlanta?

there is alex ovechkin. he is the subject of the ovech cam. >> a ton ice for again ovechkin, over 15 minutes. here he is, walking into the a.c.c. right about 4:15 getting ready for this hockey game. guys arrive early to get you prepared. there is the smelling salt. i used to love that stuff >> joe: no >> craig: you know, i would be on the bench and when they called, it i had to be ready. you knew it was going to half after being held off the board last night, here it is. nice shot. closing in on the league lead. the goal scorer heatley who has 17. >> reporter: that little nugget about the smelling salts tells me something a little bit more about you in the way you turned out. now, i understand. well, okay. >> craig: i need some up here the odd night when i listen to you a lot. >> reporter: etch kin -- >> craig: you are not even listening to me >> joe: no, i'm linking >> craig: its there another period? >> joe: you need some to work with me. i can multi-task. i this is what i do. sort of. >> reporter: we'll b

we thought he have back to being the old alex ovechkin. a close look at him and much, much more on capitals post game live. >> al: don't miss my life 365 with ron thompson, the show that takes you inside the lives of some of the area's most interesting sport figures. this week, get an inside look at redskins hall of famer art monk. watch tomorrow night at 10:30 right here. alan may and al koken back with you on capitals post game live. last night after the cap as it' lost to the montreal canadiens. bruce boudreau bemoaned the fact that they could not get their legs going. and it was not until the third period that they got it going. i thrut it was the same tonight >> alan: they didn't they were fatigued tonight. whereas last night they were not. right from the start of the game, you know, they just weren't ready to compete. they are not skating the puck in the zone enough. ovechkin makes a pass when he should have taken the puck to the net. i thought, you know, bad decisions at the blue line, offsides continuously and a dump by mike green.

ovechkin will turn with it. [ crowd booing ] . >> joe: alex ovechkin forced to dump it in. price will hold it up. around the boards, waiting there with backstrom. varlamov is on his way to the bench. six attackers out there now for washington in white. pothier will capture at center. gets around cammalleri. ovechkin down the alley way for backstrom. further still to fehr. backstrom in tight quarters. nick backstrom in in the final minute of regulation hits the brakes. backstrom looking for a passing lane. plekanec pushes him to the boards. fehr fires. price made the save. ovechkin winds and fires. way wide as price was screened. brendan morrison to ryan pothier from deep. that one buzzed wide of the goal. furious ovechkin trying to keep it in. he did not. 35 seconds to go in the 3rd. brendan morrison scoops it in. ill he'll give chase. price helping his own cause gave it up! a save price! marvelous! back patrolman waits, fires through the screen. that was stopped. fehr has the rebound for a moment with 20 seconds to go. backstrom on the give. brendan morrison to the front a

alex ovechkin on the board. brendan morrissonn against beauchemin who wins the race >> craig: the game of hockey is all about passing. morrissonn, guys like gordon coming up, the caps play at a high tempo and you have to move the puck. gordon an excellent start in the american hockey league this season. he has proven that's goal scorer and a point producer and it shows you the depth of this organization. they can bring guys up and what i like about boudreau and his philosophy, he does not sit them at the end of the bench. he plays guys when they are called up. a lot of teams don't do that. >> joe: doesn't that go back to his own playing days, the weighed he was treated? >> craig: yes, indeed >> joe: former maple leafs in his on right, bruce boudreau behind the washington bench. 1 minute to play in the opening frame. mikhail grabovski with blake. blake fires. varlamov will cover. a chance for us to step away as, once again, the guys get introduced in front. washing phone has the lead. the game's leading goal scor

nice going, alex. sorry coach. alex! good call. >>> finally, you know their names, crews by, ovechkin, preair. they are among the les of the top selling jerseys in the national hockey lead, but as chuck found out, blackhawk fans take their passion for hockey jerseys to a whole new obsession. >> reporter: blackhawk fans love their jerseys. how many blackhawk jerseys do you have? >> i have about probably 20. >> reporter: 20 jerseys? >> at least. >> reporter: from pure hockey passion to borderline addiction. you have your own separate closet for them? >> i actually do. >> reporter: that's sick. >> it's very sick, and i'm horribly embarrassed right now. >> reporter: so if you can't actually be them, you might as well ware them, even if you can't spell them. put you on the spot, how do you spell -- >> how do i spell it the american way or the right way? >> reporter: the way it's on the back of your jersey. >> byful -- let's see here, byfug -- >> oh, okay. du. >> reporter: no, no,llu. ien. but hawks fans really remember those