Jenaya Talks Caps: The Podcast

Taking a deep dive into the clown show that is the NHL's Department of Player Safety, where inconsistency reigns & logic does not exist.

Games against the Boston Bruins over these last five years have become an automatic two points for Washington as there seems to be nothing the Bruins enjoy more than bending right over for Alex Ovechkin & all of his Capitals friends, Braden Holtby is the mayor of Beantown, Brendan Leipsic is a total badass, Travis Boyd is a legitimate NHL player, and other things we’ve learned & confirmed through the first month & a half of this season.

After scoring a touchdown against the Buffalo Sabres and then beating the Calgary Flames 4-2 on what shall henceforth be known as Nationals Super Un-Sober Sunday, the Caps sit 1st place in the NHL with an 11-2-3 record & 25 points. We take a look at the Caps' juggernaut offense & at Jakub Vrana reaching star status, as well as taking a peek around the league with some notes on fellow Eastern Conference teams in particular.

The two Alexes - Ovechkin & Luey - once again team up for a special night in Toronto as the Caps down the Leafs in overtime powered by Ovechkin's 2 goals & 4 points. Future Norris trophy winner John Carlson also had another big night with 2 goals of his own, Ovi says the Leafs need to play differently & Mike Babcock agrees with him, and D.C. is the new #TitleTown.

The Caps are sitting pretty at 1st overall in the NHL after having won five of their last six games, and their most recent win made history as the Caps staged a seemingly impossible comeback in Vancouver. We also discuss Braden Holtby righting the ship, John Carlson's Norris-worthy start, and much more in this edition of Jenaya Talks Caps!

Recapping another up-and-down (but mostly up) week for the Caps, which saw them go 2-1-0 with wins over Dallas and Toronto. We also take a look at some massive improvements being made by the Caps when compared to last season, we tackle the goaltending "controversy", and is John Carlson Norris trophy-bound? Lots to unpack in this episode of Jenaya Talks Caps!

The Caps are off to a decent start, scoring 60% of available standings points through the first five games. They started off the season with back-to-back wins on the road, but then dropped back-to-back games in OT before losing a back-and-forth barn-burner to the Preds in Nashville. Ovechkin is scoring (as usual), Carlson is off to a roaring start offensively, and Kuznetsov made a triumphant return from a three-game suspension, scoring on his first shot of the season. But what the hell is up with the Caps & third period leads?

Hockey players are known for being one-of-a-kind specimens, in more ways than one --- and one of those ways is the lengths to which many of us players take our pre-game rituals & superstitions. So what are some of the most “out there” pre-game rituals & superstitions of some of your favourite players? Give this episode a listen to find out. Hint: The acronym “NHL” probably actually stands for “Nutty Hockey for Lunatics”.

We take a look at the Capitals’ current salary cap situation and the moves they could potentially make in order to become cap-compliant before the League’s deadline of October 2nd. We make an early lineup projection for opening night of the 2019-2020 season, as well as taking a REALLY early look ahead at how the moves the Caps make today could play a huge role in what the team looks like in the next - oh - eight or so years… *Cough* Backstrom *cough* Holtby *cough*.

The IIHF hammers star forward Evgeny Kuznetsov with a four-year suspension from international play after Kuzy tests positive for cocaine. After lying to the Caps and the rest of the hockey world about his drug use, what's next for the Bird Man?

The Man, The Myth, The Legend: We take a deep dive into the growing legacy of Alex Ovechkin’s magnificent career --- Crazy numbers. Countless records. And still going strong. With Ovi still far from finished after notching his eighth 50+ goal season and winning his eighth Rocket Richard trophy, could he really do what was once thought to be completely undoable --- Could he catch Wayne Gretzky?

We recap the moves the Caps have made this offseason and take a look at whether they’re better or worse on paper than the lineup that took to the ice for Washington in the 2018-2019 season.

The Washington Capitals' offseason is off to a flying start after they flip Matt Niskanen to Philadelphia for Radko Gudas, and re-sign Carl Hagelin to a new four-year contract. Of the remaining free agents for the Caps, who stays and who goes? We discuss this, as well as the best summer beverages (alcohol-loaded, of course) to help get you through the long offseason.

Gary Bettman seriously needs to put a leash on his officials as the referees have been out of control so far in these playoffs, changing the outcomes of more games than we can count league-wide, and Game 6 in the Washington-Carolina series was no different. A disallowed goal scored by Alex Ovechkin - which would've been his 2nd goal of the night - changes the momentum of the game and pushes the Hurricanes to a victory. Game 7 is coming up on Wednesday night in Washington.

After Rod Brind'Amour gave the Caps some bulletin board material following TJ Oshie's injury, the Caps answered back in a big way, lighting up Petr Mrazek and the Hurricanes for six goals while also punishing them physically with 48 hits. The complete, 60-minute effort has the Caps one win away from advancing to the Second Round, while the Hurricanes will face elimination on Monday night.

The Caps outshoot the Hurricanes 31-24 in Game 4 but lose 2-1, and so the series is tied coming back to Washington for Game 5. Also, TJ Oshie is expected to be sidelined for "quite some time" after a scary crash into the boards following a cross-check from behind by Warren Foegele, and Hurricanes' coach Rod Brind'Amour may have just poked the sleeping bear when he blames TJ Oshie's injury on none other than Oshie himself, whom Brind'Amour says was "not ready for the hit". It's hard to be "ready" for a hit from behind, and the Caps really didn't like the hit and likely won't appreciate these comments much either so thanks for the bulletin board material, Rod.

The Caps stink up the joint in Game 3, and now lead their series against the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1. But more importantly: Rod Brind’Amour has lost his mind, is talking out of his ass, and needs to be set straight. We discuss his seemingly increasing lack of understanding of how this thing called the ‘Stanley Cup Playoffs’ normally works, as his postgame comments just keep increasing in stupidity as the heat in the series gets cranked higher and higher. Then, we take a look at what’s happening around the league, including two self-proclaimed “favourites” in the East being swept out of the First Round.

The Caps win again, this time in overtime, in Game 2 to take a 2-0 series lead over the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference First Round. And while as fans, we expect the Caps to win, it’s safe to say that most of us did not expect Brooks Orpik to be the guy scoring the game-winning goal in overtime. And yet, that’s exactly what happened. Legen- wait for it- DARY! Let’s discuss, friends.And while we’re at it, we also take a look at what’s happening elsewhere around the League, including Nazem Kadri’s continued antics and the Pittsburgh Penguins hanging out at death’s door.