After a two day break in which Washington hockey fans were left to revel in the early Christmas gift of a 5-4 comeback win over the Rangers, the Capitals are back home to take on another foe from New York, albeit it one that, at 16-13-5 thus far in 2008-09, doesn’t quite have the same pedigree as the 22-12-3 Rangers. Right?

Not quite. The Sabres are 5-2-2 in their last nine while the Rangers have won in regulation only twice since November 12th. A big reason for that might have to do with attitude. Whereas Rangers captain Chris Drury is apparently determined not to let a pesky little thing like blowing a 4-0 lead at home ruin his Christmas, Sabres forward Adam Mair said of his team’s consecutive overtime losses, “I just think it shows a lack of focus and a lack of willingness to shut the other team out and really take control of the game. I think that’s the killer instinct we’ve been looking for, the killer instinct we need to find.”  And if Capitals fans learned anything from the team’s 2007-08 run it should be that no one wants to face a team upset about their recent play and looking for a killer instinct.

Looking to stymie the development of said killer instinct will the now-usual suspects of Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Karl Alzner, a half dozen AHL players - and perhaps Simeon Varlamov, who was recalled to most likely take the place  Brent Johnson, who looked noticeably sick on Tuesday.

As a die-hard Capitals fan it’s awfully hard not to want to see more out of Varlamov. As a pragmatic, skeptical hockey fan…it’s hard not to want to see more out of Simeon Varlamov. It’s pretty likely that the Capitals are doing the best thing for the long term by keeping Varlamov in the AHL but he’s also looked better than Brent Johnson or Jose Theodore and put up better numbers than either of the verteran netminders, small sample size notwithstanding. Even if it is best to keep him at the AHL for this season, it does at least make sense to play him while he’s with the big club if he’s been the best goalie, doesn’t it?

Players to Watch

Washington
Alexander Ovechkin - Ovechkin was as dominant as a player can be in Tuesday night’s win, scoring two goals, taking thirteen shots, and carrying the team back from the four goal deficit. What’s he going to do for an encore?

Sabres
Chris Butler - Butler’s a 22 year old defenseman who hails from St. Louis. He’s played three games with the Sabres this season…and his +5 rating is tied for the team lead. Also of note: he’s listed at only 178 pounds.