Corvo, Caps back together again

Joe Corvo doesn't feel like he was with the Washington Capitals long enough last season to think of them as one of his "old teams."

The Canes' defenseman went to the Caps on the March 4 trade deadline, playing 18 regular-season games and seven in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Not long after the Caps were bounced in the opening round of the playoffs, Corvo and the team parted ways and Corvo soon signed a free-agent contract to come back to Carolina.

What did he learn about the Caps?

"Not much," Corvo said today. "It was just a short period of time that I was gone.
Their talent is pretty obvious. It's just a dangerous team."

Corvo said being around Alex Ovechkin gave him a better feel for the Caps star  but didn't change any of his opinions about the hard-charging Russian.

"No, he was exactly what I thought. He just loves to play the game, has a huge competitive edge and is just a fun guy," Corvo said. "Exactly what I expected."

Fun guy? One doesn't often hear that said about Ovechkin, not in opposing locker rooms.

The Canes were 3-1-2 against the Caps last season, even as Washington dominated the Southeast Division and Eastern Conference and claimed their first Presidents' Trophy. There were three overtimes games and one shootout.

"They always have great games against us," Caps forward Matt Bradley said today. "They're a good team. For whatever reason we always have real close games and hard-fought battles.

"Obviously, it's their opening night (at the RBC Center). They'll come out strong, we know that, so we'd better be ready to play.  I think they've been playing pretty good hockey this year, so we better have our 'A' game tonight."