Who: Washington Capitals vs Toronto Maple Leafs
Where: Verizon Center
When: Saturday, October 3, 7:00 pm

Broadcast Info: Comcast Sportsnet, CBC, NHL Network (US), WJFK 106.7 FM

So Thursday was a nice dress rehearsal. But really, we all know that tonight is it – the main event, the big show, the one we’ve all been waiting for. Home opener, baby.

If you’ve never been to a home opener at Verizon Center before, particularly in the last few years, it’s something you should plan on doing at some point. There is a certain level of excitement and energy that really can’t be found at any other regular season game. The slate is basically clear; expectations are high, everyone is healthy and, in the case of this particular season, the memory is fresh from last year’s painful ousting – with thoughts of revenge on all our minds.

That quest for revenge continues tonight, when the Toronto Maple Leafs slide into town hauling plenty of attitude and truculence and whatever other words Brian Burke has for general jackassery.

And this ain’t your mama’s Maple Leafs – or even last year’s Maple Leafs. They’ve completely retooled (pun most certainly intended) and loaded up on spare parts to give themselves a new look and 80% more penalty minutes.

Tonight’s lineup should feature Colton Orr, who took all of two minutes to drop the gloves with Montreal’s Laraque Thursday night, as well as journeyman Wayne Primeau. On the blue line they’ll of course have everyone’s favorite blueline UFA from the offseason, Mike Komisarek – who introduced himself to LeafsNation with a fighting major and 10 minutes in minors, two of which led to Montreal goals.

Team truculence aside and despite the fact that the Leafs racked up 210 PIMs (4th highest in the league) during the preseason, there are two other areas the Caps will need to focus on tonight – for very different reasons.

First is the potential for more offense up front, courtesy of the 23 year old “Swedish Rocket”, Viktor Stalberg. Stalberg is a 6th round pick from 2006 who has slowly been making a name for himself, nominated for the Hobey Baker last year before coming into camp and putting up 6 goals and 3 assists in 8 preseason games to lead his team. He’s a fast guy on a slower team and, along with top linemates Matt Stajan and the albino alien known as Jason Blake, could give the defense fits if they don’t shut them down early.

The second area of focus is where it’s been since Curtis Joseph was actually good – goaltending. Whether it’s Vesa Toskala, who wasn’t exactly stellar in the overtime loss two nights ago, or “the Monster” (seriously, most annoying nickname ever) Jonas Gustavsson, neither is the proven answer in net. Yet.

It might not matter, though, once Ovechkin spins around Tomas Kaberle for the eighty-ninth time…

Three things to look for

Special like…’stop eating the paste’ special? – The Leafs had the league’s worst penalty kill last year, and even with the new look roster that’s probably not going to change much, particularly if they take a lot of truculent minors. The Caps, meanwhile, had the second best power play last season, have Mike Knuble in the mix, had two of last year’s top four power play goal-scorers in Green and Ovechkin…and have already gone 2-for-4 on the powerplay in game #1. Yeah, special teams are going to be important.

Net Gains – All signs are pointing toward Semyon Varlamov making his regular season debut tonight (although it wouldn’t be completely un-Boudreau-like to make a last minute switch) and he’ll be looking to follow up a strong preseason. Meanwhile in the blue and white, it sounds like the Leafs will again go with Toskala. And that sound you hear is LeafsNation weeping.

Truculence vs. Talent – Throughout the summer McPhee and others have talked about team toughness and the lack of a need for an enforcer. They’ve talked about how if other teams start running around, the Caps will make them pay on the power play. And tonight is our first chance to see if that’s really true, because the Leafs have some big bodies, bad attitudes and bold fists – while the Caps have Ovechkin, Semin, Green, Laich, Backstrom, etc.

Ten Things You Didn’t Know About the Leafs
10. Gustavsson’s (annoying) nickname comes from his tendency as a child to stomp through cities and eat frightened Japanese tourists in a single bite.

9. On off days, Brian Burke enjoys embroidering cute sayings onto throw pillows for relaxation. His favorite depicts three playful kittens batting at a ball of string, with the words “Might makes right” stitched above them. N’awww.

8. Matt Stajan spent the offseason recovering from various injuries, which included getting hit in the eye with a frisbee, a golf ball, a baseball, a tennis racket, a Nerf football, and oddly enough, an embroidered throw pillow.

7. The Leafs gave away free tickets to their first home preseason game to accommodate fans who wouldn’t usually get to see games live. They also gave away free beer, soda and coffee – and charged $250 per bathroom visit.

6. Jason Blake had to have a special formula sunscreen designed for him so he could enjoy a few minutes of sunshine over the summer. SPF 1000, anyone?

5. Air Canada Centre has petitioned the league for permission to widen the home team’s penalty box by two seats, stating an immediate need for more space. Next season they’re talking about installing a bathroom and a bed for longer stays.

4. The Leafs have already encountered problems with Phil Kessel, including the fact that he reportedly refused to fight through a paper cut to sign the contract.

3. Vesa Toskala is mourning the loss of his man-purse, which was snatched after the game on Thursday…no word on the whereabouts of Ryan O’Byrne at the time.

2. Mike Komisarek is still recovering from the procedure he underwent this summer to remove the “Losers since 1967″ tattoo from his posterior, guessing correctly that his new Toronto teammates would probably not appreciate the gentle humor. He’s made plans to have “truculence” tattooed in its place.

1. Most people don’t realize it, but “truculence” can also be translated as “still losers since 1967″.