The Caps got a stalwart effort from their rested goaltender, but they just didn't have the energy to keep up with a plucky Maple Leafs team that was starving for a win. Every once in a while, Vesa Toskala reminds us all that there's a reason he's still an NHL goalie, and unfortunately, last night was one of those nights. Despite the loss, the Caps shouldn't be too down on themselves. They've still got a chance to salvage three points out of their Canadian tour against the Senators, and with the injury list growing at a rediculous pace, that's not something to take for granted.

The Caps didn't have much of an answer in the neutral zone last night, and the Canadiens came away with the regualtion victory in Verizon Center by a score of 3-2. It's pretty typical that a team clogs up the middle of the ice and the Caps fail to adjust in a loss, and this game was no different. In order to excel later in the season, Washington must learn to turn on their "work hard on the forecheck and not be cute" mode much earlier in games. Hopefully games like this are a learning experience...hopefully. Here are my thoughts on the game:

The Caps walked into Madison Square Garden with their superstar in tow, and walked out with a big 4-2 victory on Tuesday night. Alex Ovechkin made his mark early with a power play goal, and Matt Bradley led the charge for the unsung heroes in a feel good effort for the boys from D.C.

The Caps entered this past weekend riding a three-game winning streak without their all-world talent. They came out of the weekend with some extra bumps and bruises, along with a gritty win and a painful loss. Since my slacker butt was gone all weekend, I'm just now getting around to putting this thing together. Hit the jump for my thoughts on the two weekend contests (that I had to enjoy on 1500AM).

Following a whirlwind of a first period, which started with four goals in the first seven minutes, the Caps survived to beat the Isles 5-4 in the shootout. These overtime/shootout games with the Islanders are really getting old.

On Saturday night, the Caps found themselves some major secondary scoring. The biggest knock on this team, and the organization is that they are built to win with Alex Ovechkin, and could not generate offense without him. That also implied that the guys around #8 were only good when the All-Star was playing with them. The Caps pulled together an offensive effort that put those critics to shame against Florida, and in the process, pulled into a HUGE lead in the Southeast Division.

In the wake of Alex Ovechkin's injury, the Caps found themselves looking for answers. People began questioning their heart and work ethic (myself included in some of those cases), and some even said that they aren't even a GOOD team without #8 suiting up night-in and night-out. We don't want to heap TOO much praise on the Caps for last night's 4-1 victory against Florida, but it's sure as heck a step in the right direction. As much as playing without Ovi can be painful to watch at times, it's a great opportunity for the rest of the team to find it within themselves to work their way to a victory, and they did that on the road last night.

Remember that time I said that Alex Semin needed to step up and become a clutch player while Alex Ovechkin was out with an undisclosed upper body injury? Well that performance that we all just saw at the Rock in New Jersey was about as UNclutch as you can possibly get in hockey. Buyer beware...this is going to be a rant-ish recap. Proceed with caution.

I would really love to do anything but write a post like this. Unfortunately after last night, the old joke "Russian Machine Never Breaks" has been scrapped for "week-to-week with an upper body injury." That will teach me to complain about the small problems that have plagued the Caps over the last few weeks. Losing the best player in the league is a huge blow, and will have a major impact on the standings over the next few weeks. What we don't know is how this injury will affect Ovi's overall game when he returns. Ovechkin is one of the most physical forwards in the game, and it's hard to say if he'll have to change that style if he's nursing a shoulder injury (which it's rumored to be). The biggest concern here is whether Ovechkin can recover enough to be his effective, goal-per-game self that he was up until the injury in 2009. If he has to nurse a shoulder all season, we could be in for Mike Green-like disappointment, only bigger. Those questions will have to go unanswered for now. In the meantime the Caps have to figure out how to carry on without their most dangerous weapon.

The Caps got a solid effort from Brooks Laich when needed, but his offense just wasn't enough to hold off the Blue Jackets, who handed the Caps their fourth loss in eight home games this season. Alex Ovechkin left the game at the beginning of the second period with an "upper body injury," which didn't help things, but Ovi doesn't kill penalties. Stupid penalties and a weak PK let the Caps down on this night. Here are my thoughts from section 430 tonight (my first live game of the season):