Alexander Semin: 'Let the rest be scared of us'

October 4, 10:03 PMWashington Capitals ExaminerDmitry Chesnokov

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Alexander Semin/AP

Alexander Semin entered the training camp as healthy as he has ever been. He is determined to help the Washington Capitals win the Cup this year.

While Semin recorded "only" two assists in the season opener against the Boston Bruins, which the Capitals won very convincingly 4:1, he scored his first and second goals of the season in the first home game for the Capitals. Semin added an assist on Saturday to secure a 6:4 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The three points on the night earned him the First Star of the Game honor.

Interestingly enough, my Sovetsky Sport colleague Dmitry Shumin and I found Semin standing alone in the locker room waiting to talk to reporters, who used to note that he never talked after games. There he was -- the First Star of the Game -- waiting to answer any question about the team's and his performance. When no one but only two journalists asked him a couple of questions, I spoke with Semin about the game, starting our conversation talking about the third period meltdown when the Leafs scored three goals, making Semyon Varlamov nervous about the number of future starts.

Just like in a recent preseason game against the New York Rangers, the Capitals took their foot off the pedal in the third period tonight. Why is this happening?

I don't even know how to explain it. Maybe because the score was 6:1 after the second period and the team starts playing different. I think this is one of our bad sides. We just had to play a little different against them -- on counter attack. They were all running. We just had to play it along the boards. I don't even know. We didn't score when we got a three-on-one breakaway. That was a shame, because it would have been great.

The Capitals played the first two games with so much fire and it looked like you were in mid-season form already.

We just entered this season in great form. But the season is long. We just have to keep this rhythm somehow throughout the season. And then even further. Of course, you can't play at the same level all season, because we're not made of steel. Sometimes slumps happen. But we are going to try and do our best. There is no other way. And if there is a slump down the road, get out of it as quickly as possible.

The first goal you scored was not your typical Alexander Semin goal. You created it for yourself when you battled for the puck along the board. Is this a different Alexander Semin we are going to see this season?

Both goals were not typical for me. On the first of my goals, I just didn't shoot the rebound right away and took a pause to wait for the goalkeeper to go down and put the puck in. I think I scored a similar goal against Vancouver earlier. But as far as being a different Alexander Semin, it's not for me to decide. It is easier for you to see from upstairs. I just want to go out and play.

Are we going to see more physical play from you this season?

I am definitely ready for it.

Coming back to the third period, did you apologize to Varlamov for hanging him out to dry?

That moment I talked about earlier was the key. Had Alex [Ovechkin] scored when we had a three-on-one, I think everything would have been decided for sure. I think the score would have stayed the same until the end of the game. But we didn't score and they scored against us right away. And the game turned around. That's all. Just like they say in sports 'If you don't score, you're scored against.'

A few days ago you told me that your goal for the season is to score more goals than Alex Ovechkin. You now have five points and are just a point behind your friend and teammate.

But he scored three. And I only scored two. [Semin said with a smile] But the most important thing is that we're winning. It's great to play together on our line [with Nicklas Backstrom]. We just have to pass to each other and not be selfish. I think you can see it yourself that it is just happening for us.

How comfortable are you playing on the first line?  A lot of people thought that Mike Knuble would join Ovechkin and Backstrom on the first line.

It's not about being comfortable or not comfortable. We just have a great chemistry with Alex and Nick and no one is selfish. No one is taking it all on himself. It's simply a pleasure to play when you have such chemistry. We just know each other all too well: where each of us should be, when to expect a pass, which position on the ice each one of us should take.

Because of this chemistry, your line will now be looked at differently by other teams, who will study the way you play. Are you ready to face the best defensemen in the NHL? Are you ready for more personal attention and closer play?

Let the rest be scared of us, than for us to be scared of how someone is going to play against us. Let them study our game. What is it to us? We will just go out and play our best, just like we have been playing. I don't think it makes sense to change your game for anyone -- especially when it comes to our line.