Thursday, January 31, 2008

Misplaced Anger

The final minute of Washington's loss to Montreal has drawn much debate over the past two days. People (mainly in the Washington camp) are upset that the Canadiens put their top power play unit on the ice in the final minute when they were up 3-0.

This is the National Hockey League, full of professional athletes that are being paid exorbitant amounts of money to play hard for a full 60 minutes. When the Buffalo Sabres were putting the hurt on the Atlanta Thrashers some two weeks ago, they didn't let up. After gaining a 7-1 lead through two periods in which they threw 16 shots on goal each period, they fired 17 more shots on goal in the third -- scoring three more times to win 10-1.

This is pro sports -- it happens. And it has to happen because these guys are so good that no comeback is impossible. Look back to March 23, 1952 when the Chicago Blackhawks' Bill Mosienko scored a hat trick in just 21 seconds. More recently, February 25, 1971 found the Boston Bruins scoring three times in only 20 seconds. Just three weeks ago, the Nashville Predators scored three goals in 1:15. Granted these players and teams did not do this while killing a penalty, but clearly it would not be an impossible feat.

The Capitals can feel that they were being disrespected all they want, but the Habs' decision could have very easily backfired on them. They live on their power play -- over 35% of their goals come from it. If one of their key components got injured, it could have changed their entire season. 

I recall a game last year when Alex Ovechkin was on the ice in the last minute of game that the Caps had control of. A couple seconds after questioning aloud why he was out there, he was involved in a knee-on-knee collision that fourtunately was not as serious as it first appeared. 
The point is, more common than three goals in the final minute are injuries, and the Canadiens were taking a chance whose risk far outweighed its reward.

So enough whining about it. The Capitals have had to wait only 45 hours to exact their revenge. Win and all is forgotten, until playoff time.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

This Is A Problem

For the second game in a row against Washington, Cristobal Huet made 35 saves. Seven weeks ago he faced 37 shots, tonight it was exactly 35. Suffice to say, the guy has the Capitals' number (and we now know exactly what that number is.)

That said, the most significant number for the Caps right now is "3" -- that's how many points they are behind Carolina for the division lead and it's the number of points they are behind both the New York Islanders and Rangers for 8th place in the Eastern Conference.

The Capitals had plenty of chances to put at least one past Huet, who has improved to 6-2-0 in his career against the Caps. Of the 18 players dressed for Washington, 11 registered at least 2 shots on Huet, 7 of whom had at least 3 bounce off the brick wall -- yet nothing found the back of the net. Oh wait, Alexander Semin put one in well after a whistle, much to the ire of the Habs and their Bell Centre faithful.

At the opposite end, Brent Johnson was even busier as he stared down 40 shots and far too many odd-man rushes. The Canadiens had more than a couple steps on the Caps through the neutral zone all night long. Their speedy transition game gave Washington fits and had Johnson not played as well as he did (i.e. if Olie was in goal) the score could have been much more lopsided.

Another area that the Capitals must improve upon is their penalty killing. Granted they were up against the league's second most prolific power play, but the two goals allowed on the PK marks the 4th time in their last 6 games that the Caps have allowed at least two power play scores in a game. It doesn't help that the Caps gave up a goal on a 2-on-0 rush while on a 5-on-3 man advantage (although the first penalty had just ended and the guy out of the box joined a breakaway.)

Everything considered, it was a sloppy effort all the way around for the Caps. Sure they had their chances, but the Habs had more -- and that's something Bruce Boudreau is certain to address. The passing needs to be crisper, the defensemen need to be more selective when jumping into the play, and the forwards have to get back quicker for the Caps to avoid another loss to this Montreal team on Thursday. Plus it wouldn't hurt if Huet pulls a muscle in the morning skate and has to sit.

Anything to avoid having to post that picture again.

A FEW NOTES FROM THE GAME:

• Mike Green seems lost without his partner, Shaone Morrisonn. Since Mo missed his first contest four games ago, Green has not registered a point and is a -4 while seeing his minutes decrease to the fewest over a three game stretch since Boudreau first took over.
• Nicklas Backstrom, who began the season with serious struggles in the faceoff circle, has made a huge turnaround. His 13 faceoff wins were five more than anyone else on either side. Over his last four games, his faceoff effectiveness is as follows: 63.2, 68.2, 58.3, and 65.0 percent.
• Milan Jurcina has put up back-to-back season highs in minutes played. After playing 24:39 against Toronto right before the break, he skated 24:51 in the loss to Montreal.
• John Erskine was perhaps the unluckiest Cap of the evening. He put two rolling pucks into the seats for a pair of delay of game penalties. The first one resulted in the Canadiens initial goal at a time when Johnson had been playing spectacularly.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

...And Down the Stretch They Come

The All-Star break has come and passed, leaving 32 games for the Capitals to stake their claim to a playoff spot. It won't come easily as the Eastern Conference is clogged with tightly packed teams all vying for playoff position.

With the trading deadline less than a month away, no team has established itself as a buyer or seller -- meaning every team will do their best to avoid becoming the latter, making it a difficult road ahead. The Capitals journey will take them through every Eastern Conference team except for Ottawa (unfortunately.) The road begins tonight in Montreal against a Canadiens team that is second in the conference, only six points behind those slumping Senators.

Tonight also marks Alex Ovechkin's first appearance in Montreal since signing his new deal and thusly dashing the hopes of every French-Canadian that the superstar would soon be wearing the bleu, blanc, et rouge. I'm expecting to hear the boo birds loud and strong, and Ovie loves every minute of it.

In what appears to be a sign that Bruce Boudreau has finally lost confidence in Olie Kolzig's ability to carry this team to and through the playoffs, Brent Johnson, who has never beaten the Canadiens, will get the start opposite Cristobal Huet. Johnson, despite sparkling numbers as of late, has lost both of his career starts against the Habs while posting a 3.50 GAA and .875 save percentage (curiously Olie-like numbers.)

The Capitals responded to an early season home loss to the Canadiens with a 5-4 ovetime win in Montreal earlier this month.  That win, however, came against Carey Price who played poorly in what turned out to be his last NHL appearance before being reassigned to Hamilton of the AHL. Since that game, the Canadiens have lost only twice in eight outings -- as has Washington.

Tonight's netminder, Huet, was spectacular in the Habs earlier win over the Caps -- a game in which he stopped 35 shots en route to a 5-2 victory in which he severely outplayed Olie Kolzig who made just 16 stops.

The Capitals, who find themselves only three points out of the 8th spot in the East, will be keeping a close eye on the scoreboard tonight as the Carolina Hurricanes host the New York Rangers. A Caps win and Hurricanes loss will move Washington into sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division for the first time since starting the season 3-0.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Loving the Limelight

Alex Ovechkin, the Capitals' lone All Star, was a hit in the skills competition the night before the 2008 All Star Game. He stood by for the first four skills events (which included a new, much worse version of the faster skater competition) and the YoungStars Game (featuring teammate Nicklas Backstrom) before taking the stage in the hardest shot competition.

Ovechkin's two tries registered 98.3 and 95.6 mph, far below Zdeno Chara's winning shot of 103.1 mph -- second all-time behind former Cap Al Iafrate's 105.2 set back in 1993.  But Ovechkin was about to steal the show -- without actually succeeding. Huh?!?

The new gimmick designed to "spice up" the shootout was a bit of a letdown.  They had to do something to change it since we see it all season long, but they really ought to restrict the goalies to the crease (or better yet, blindfold them) since none of the fancy moves resulted in a goal. As it turned out, however, no one was as spectacular as our very own Ovechkin.

While I was mildly disappointed that he didn't fall on his back spinning away from the goalie in an attempt to recreate "The Goal," he was the only skater of the six in the competition to successfully play with the puck.  On his first try, he juggled it four times before whiffing on a baseball swing.  The next try saw him juggle it much higher in the air as he spun around, only to fan again.  But the moves, which were by far the most creative of any competitor, drew the approval of the judges and crowd as he won the event.

All in all, the skills competition was more uninteresting than I can ever remember it being -- if you missed it, your life will definitely go on.  If you watched it, at least you saw Ovechkin enjoying all the attention.

It's a damn shame, though, that the Sunday All Star Game is sequestered on Versus and couldn't even make it to NBC.  The NHL has got to figure out a way to market itself to the masses. One outdoor game is not enough.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Goaltending (Yes, Goaltending) Leads Capitals to Win

Olie Kolzig, mired in a slump of career ending proportions, looked on as "backup" Brent Johnson gave Leafs' netminder Vesa Toskala a taste of his own medicine. A day after leading Toronto to a victory with stellar goaltending, Toskala was good -- but not as good as Johnson.

Adding fuel to an ever-intensifying goaltending debate in Washington with another star studded performance, Johnson has improved his record under Bruce Boudreau to 5-1-0 (the only loss occurred when Johnny came on in relief of Kolzig and stopped 14 of 15 shots -- the only one to get by was the eventual game winner.) Compare the statistics of Kolzig and Johnson since Thanksgiving and you tell me who should be the Caps' starting goaltender on the other side of the All Star break:

Had both goaltenders performed at this level all season long, Johnson would rank 2nd in the NHL in both GAA and save percentage.  Kolzig would place 44th in GAA and 45th in save percentage -- out of 45 qualifying goalies.  What more proof does Boudreau need to realize that he has the wrong guy etched in as his starter?  The coach was quoted after the game as saying, "Our goalie won us the game."  So just maybe...

In Toronto, the Capitals deserved to win but Toskala beat them.  In Washington, the Maple Leafs deserved to win but Johnson beat them.  Do you see how that works?  Goaltending wins games.  Scoring goals just makes it easier.  The latter has not been one of the Caps' problems for quite some time, but the Leafs did an excellent job of limiting the Capitals scoring chances.

Washington mustered only 20 shots on Toskala, their third lowest output of the season, but it was Alex Ovechkin and his blistering slap shots that gave the Capitals just enough offense to come away with the win.  Although Ovie didn't increase his league leading goal total, he was credited with two assists.  His first helper came when Brooks Laich deflected his bomb from the power play point.  The second assist was registered when Toskala left a huge rebound off Ovechkin's slapper, leaving Viktor Kozlov to pot the loose puck for his 5th goal in four games.

While Ovechkin's two points moved him to within one of Vinny Lecavalier's point total (which was leading the league before the day's play began,) both Southeast Division stars saw Daniel Alfredsson vault from 7th to the NHL's top spot with a three goal, four assist performance against Lecavalier's Tampa Bay Lightning.  Alfredsson now has 67 points, Lecavalier has 66, and Ovechkin ends the day at 65.

With Washington's win, Tampa Bay's loss, and Atlanta and Florida both losing in a shootout, the Capitals enter the All-Star Break as the only team in the Southeast Division with a record above .500 (23-22-5) and are now just one point behind Carolina with two games in hand.  The Caps have set themselves up for a second half run...but who will lead the way between the pipes?  We may find out on Tuesday in Montreal.  Then again, we may not.

In other news, the Caps have signed Donald Brashear to a one year extension making him a Cap through the 2008-09 campaign.

A FEW NOTES FROM THE GAME:

• Milan Jurcina played a season high 24:39. In fact, he had reached the 20 minute mark only once before since Boudreau took over. He finished the night a +1 with a team high 6 hits and was tied for the team lead with 4 blocked shots (with guess who...yep you're right, the guy with the Bobby Clarke smile.)
• Speaking of ice time, Jeff Schultz and Steve Eminger combined played fewer minutes than any of the Caps top four D-men.
• Every Cap that bowed to the task on faceoffs won more than they lost. The list even includes Matt Bradley who went 2-0 on draws. As a team, the Caps were 62 percent. They currently rank 11th in the league for the season at 50.9 percent.
• The Capitals have improved (at least temporarily) their penalty killing. Entering the two game set versus Toronto, the Caps killed off only 12 of 19 penalties in the three games prior. Against the Leafs, they were a perfect 8 for 8 -- albeit against the league's 28th ranked power play unit.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Can't Win 'Em All

The Washington Capitals have spoiled their followers lately, instilling an expectation that they will win every game - especially against foes that have worse records. Of course this is a silly notion. But what we have seen from this team is its ability to avoid consecutive lackluster performances, giving us plenty of hope for tonight's rematch in the District.

The Caps were, dare I say it, outplayed between the pipes. Vesa Toskala stopped 30 of Washington's 32 shots, bettering Olie Kolzig's 21 save effort. Although Olie by no means played as poorly as we have seen him play recently, his league-worst save percentage was lowered just a wee bit more.

Although Kolzig did make some fine stops (something every goalie at this level does,) his poorly placed rebound with the scored tied in the game's final minute left the puck like a sitting duck, quacking for someone to put it past him. Mats Sundin, who beat Alexander Semin to the biscuit, obliged. Hopefully Semin will one day learn from his buddy how important defensive play is. Alex Ovechkin figured it out after a couple seasons so maybe Semin is just a year away himself.

In Olie's defense, the puck skipped a couple feet before reaching him which changed the puck's direction just enough to force Kolzig to react late and lose control of the rebound. Nonetheless, he stopped 87.5% of the shots he faced while his counterpart, Toskala, stopped 93.8% -- this is how goaltending can mark the difference between winning and losing.

Moving away from the cage just a bit and we come to the defensemen. Here is where we find a punishing performance by John Erskine, easily his best game of the season. He laid out the pest known as Darcy Tucker with an open ice shoulder hit that reminded me of one Scott Stevens. Erskine wasn't done -- Jiri Tlusty can attest to that as he was sent flying into the boards by the 6'4" 220 pounder. Erskine's hard hitting was rewarded with a season high 21:17 of ice time.

Another Capitals defender received more playing time than he'd seen all season (which I guess really isn't saying much.) Steve Eminger, who was given the start in place of Jeff Schultz who appeared "tired," rewarded Bruce Boudreau with another solid performance featuring a hit on Alexei Ponikarovsky that will likely sideline the winger "for weeks." In nearly 18 minutes of ice time, Eminger added an assist and played another sound defensive game.

Mike Green did not. Reacquainted with his partner Shaone Morrisonn, Green was a -2 in 21:44 of ice time, the least he's played in nearly six weeks. He wiped out behind the net and was slow to regain position, allowing the Leafs to score a go ahead goal late in the second period. Morrisonn, a -2 himself, looked equally ineffective at times in his return to the lineup.

Offensively, the Caps had their chances but Toskala was strong to the task. Despite garnering 32 shots on goal, Washington appeared out of sync as the Leafs slowed the pace and did not allow the Caps' top guns to get in the flow of the game. Ovechkin did manage to score on 8 shots (7 more didn't reach goal) but he was not his usual physical presence.

Ovechkin's goal, his 6th straight game with at least one tally, gives him 39 on the season. Not only has he moved two goals ahead of Ilya Kovalchuk (who will sit out tonight's game with a one game suspension for a hit from behind,) Ovechkin is now in a four-way tie for 2nd in points with 63, only three behind Vinny Lecavalier for the top spot.

All the way around, it was a relatively quiet night for the offense which was held under four goals for the first time in six games. Since the end of December, the Capitals have not scored fewer than four goals in back to back games. With Brent Johnson scheduled to play tonight, they may not need to in order to win.

A victory would move the Caps to within one point of idle Carolina for first place in the Southeast heading into the All-Star Break. And the Caps would still have two games in hand. Even with a regulation loss (something Washington has avoided in consecutive games since Boudreau took over,) the Caps will be right in the thick of things with over two months to play. Any Caps fan has to be ecstatic considering where they were just two months ago.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Capitals Begin Home-and-Home Against Toronto

The Washington Capitals are finally set to play a team that is BELOW them in the standings, something they have not done since November 6th when they played an Atlanta team that was trying to recover from an 0-6 start that saw the dismissal of head coach Bob Hartley.

Now that the Capitals are expected to win, will they? The way they have been playing...probably. But they may have to do so without Shaone Morrisonn yet again. He'll likely be a gametime decision.  

Perhaps the most unsettling news out of the Washington camp, however, relates to Nicklas Backstrom. The 20 year old who has racked up eight assists in his last two games did not play the overtime session against Pittsburgh, nor did he practice yesterday. The reason, we're told, is because of headaches -- not a good sign. 

The coaching staff has assured us that the headaches are not concussion-related, but they sure did a good job of playing down the severity of Michael Nylander's shoulder injury, didn't they? Everyday headaches should not last two days and a couple of aspirin should do the trick. This does not appear to be the case, but I'm working on assumptions here...so hopefully I'm getting carried away over nothing.

Another question many of us have relates to how long Bruce Boudreau will stick with Olie Kolzig. He has been given WAY more than enough of an opportunity to improve his game, but at 37 he's past his prime and his ineffectiveness is seeming less and less like a slump. 

Brent Johnson meanwhile has been up to the task as of late but his stay in Washington has showcased his inability to string good performances together. Under Boudreau he has yet to start back to back games, so if given the chance how well will he do? A better question: Will we ever know? For gosh sakes, it's about time we find out.

The Maple Leafs, whom Washington will face again tomorrow night at Verizon, are showing signs of improvement lately. After a horrendous stretch in which they won only twice in 13 games, the Leafs have gone 3-1-0 since. And don't think they forgot what happened the last time the Caps were in town -- a 7-1 loss to a Capitals team that was in the midst of a run in which they won only three times in 18 games. Seems so long ago...yet it also feels like yesterday. Very odd.

With this being the only Eastern Conference matchup of the day, and following losses by Carolina and Atlanta last night, the Capitals can overtake Atlanta for sole possesion of 2nd in the Southeast with just one point. A win will move them to within one point of 1st place Carolina -- with three games in hand. 

First place by the All-Star Break? It could happen.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Capitals Finally Shake Their Nemesis

For just the second time in 11 tries, Alex Ovechkin has beaten the Pittsburgh Penguins. It took a shootout, but the Capitals knocked off the Pens, 6-5, erasing a six game losing streak against the team that has had the Caps number dating back to several playoff setbacks in the early '90s.

Ovechkin did everything he could to keep the Capitals rolling, scoring twice in regulation to wrestle control of the league's goal scoring lead with his 37th and 38th tallies. He was physical as always, but came up on the short end of a monster collision with the consolation prize of the 2004 draft, Evgeni Malkin. Ovechkin, lined up Malkin only to bounce off him and twist through the air crashing hard into the boards while Malkin remained on his feet.

Unfazed, Ovechkin played a team high 28:48 (three minutes more than any other Cap) and fired 11 of the team's 30 shots on goal. Add four hits, an assist, and a shootout goal and you have Ovechkin's most complete performance against the reviled Penguins.

The Capitals' star got plenty of help as both Viktor Kozlov and Nicklas Backstrom matched season-high performances for the second straight game. Kozlov dented the twine twice for the second straight game. After scoring just four goals in his first 46 games this season, Kozlov has equaled that output in his last two contests. Last season, in consecutive games, he scored four and two goals  -- one of which came against these same Pittsburgh Penguins.

Nicklas Backstrom set an NHL record by notching back to back four assist performances, a feat never before accomplished by a rookie. Backstrom, who has had problems in the faceoff circle this season, won 63% of his draws on a night in which he drew within five points of  Patrick Kane's rookie scoring lead.

Tomas Fleischmann continued his improved play, setting Ovechkin up with a crisp centering pass and adding a goal of his own. Also deserving of recognition is Jeff Schultz. The scapegiraffe was superb killing off the Penguins' two-man advantage in overtime, laying his stick down to block a number of pass attempts. As the only defenseman on the ice during the kill, Schultz was brilliant and a huge reason why the Caps were able to survive the overtime period and get a second point on the night.

The Capitals -- winners of four straight, six of seven, and eight of ten -- have moved into second place in the Southeast Division and tenth place in the East. Next up are back-to-back, home-and-home series against Toronto and Montreal (quite the unusual schedule if you ask me) beginning Wednesday.

In the meantime, Bruce Boudreau needs to sort out the goaltending situation. Olie Kolzig's .667 save percentage is inexcusable. It goes without saying that an NHL goaltender MUST stop more than 10 out of 15 shots. Could this be the proverbial straw?

A FEW NOTES FROM THE GAME:

• Quintin Laing blocked three more shots, giving him 30 on the season in only 21 games played. He is averaging 1.43 blocks per game -- more than any other forward in the NHL who has appeared in even a single game this season. In fact, only one other forward is averaging over one shot block per game -- St. Louis' Ryan Johnson (1.22 per game.)
• The Capitals had only one "minus" player...uh, oh...Steve Eminger. On the bright side, Eminger had two of the team's three takeaways. PHEW!!!
• Special teams play is going in opposite directions for Washington. In the last four games the power play is 8 for 22 (36.4%) but the penalty kill is only 12 for 19 (63.2%) in the last three.
• The 15 shots the Capitals allowed are the fewest registered by Pittsburgh in over a year and a half and the fewest Washington has allowed in several years (sorry I don't have the exact number at this time but it dates back to at least 2002.)

Monday, January 21, 2008

Teams on Fire Set to Clash

Two of the hottest teams in the league face each other at the Igloo tonight. Since Thanksgiving the Pens are 19-6-1 and the Caps are 15-7-4. Both teams have been winning, but they have used very different methods.

The Penguins have been winning with superior goaltending whereas the Caps' offense has been bailing theirs out. In Pittsburgh's last ten games (in which they've gone 8-1-1,) they have allowed more than one goal only three times -- three goals twice and two goals once. The Capitals meanwhile have allowed more than one goal in 19 of their last 20 games. It's a good thing that Washington has exploded offensively, having scored at least four goals in 7 of their last 9 games.

So the Capitals are in for a challenge, and unlike what has toppled them when facing Penguins teams of the past, it may be a stingy defense and stellar goaltending that will stop the Capitals' modest three game winning streak. Without their superstar, this needs to be the Penguins bread and butter if they are to remain so successful.

It appears the Capitals will have to end their six game losing streak to the Pens without half of their top defensive pairing. Shaone Morrisonn will sit out tonight's game after getting hit in the foot with a puck. It is said his foot is bruised and nothing more. He is with the team and may be ready to play in Toronto.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Caps are Right on Pace to Take Division Lead

The Capitals' win over Florida last night moved them to .500, the same exact winning percentage of the top teams in the Southeast Division. Atlanta, Carolina, and Washington each have a point per game, but only the Caps are moving in the right direction. Check out the standings, with a particular focus on the last column:

Bruce Boudreau puts the Capitals .500 record into perspective -- the way we've come to expect from the coach who seems to know exactly how to get the most from his players: "We've officially reached mediocrity."

Looking back to day one of the season, this is unequivocally true. Looking back, however, to day one of Bruce Boudreau's arrival the Caps have gone 15-7-4, a record that places them among the NHL's elite.

The charge has seen player after player step up along the way -- last night was no exception.

Viktor Kozlov had his first multiple goal performance as a Capital, scoring twice in the opening frame.  He had two good chances later on for the hat trick, but the bouncing pucks gave him a bit of trouble.  

Assisting on both Kozlov goals, not to mention on scores by Alexander Semin and Alex Ovechkin, was Nicklas Backstrom. Backstrom tied a franchise rookie record set by Rolf Edburg (who???) some 29 years back for most assists in a game. It turns out that Edburg, another Swedish center, played three seasons in the NHL, all for the Capitals.  He totalled 45 goals and 58 assists for 103 points in 184 games from 1978-81, when the Caps (77-117-46 record) were near the peak of their lousiness.

Semin and Ovechkin have both scored in each of the last four games, a very good sign that Semin is fully healed and Ovechkin's new contract has not gone to his head.  

Ovie has 11 goals in his last 10 games giving him 36 on the season, one shy of Ilya Kovalchuk's league leading total -- with two games in hand.  Ovechkin, who was tied with Jarome Iginla for second as recently as a week ago, has pulled away from the Calgary Flame who sits in third place with 32 goals.

A FEW NOTES FROM THE GAME:

• Shaone Morrisonn left the game early after getting hit by a puck. He is said to be fine and should play against Pittsburgh on Monday.
• Mike Green picked up two more assists. Since December 29th, he has 6 goals and 8 assists for 14 points in only 9 games. For the fun of it, I'll convert that pace to an 82-game schedule. How does 55 goals and 73 assists for 128 points sound? That would shatter the goal scoring record by a defenseman by seven goals and it would give him the fourth highest point total ever, behind only Bobby Orr (2 of the top 3 totals) and Paul Coffey. 'Nuff said.
• The Caps owned the faceoff dot, going 44-28. David Steckel led the way with a 16-5 mark while Boyd Gordon went 12-7. The Capitals biggest victim was rookie Shawn Matthias, who scored his first two NHL goals in only his second big league game. On faceoffs, though Matthias did not fare as well going 4-11. I'm sure he won't remember that, however, when he thinks back to the game.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Capitals Look to Reclaim Third in the South-Least Division

The Florida Panthers overtook the Capitals' one day hold on the third spot in the division with an unlikely 2-1 win in New Jersey last night. The Caps, who hold two games in hand over Florida, are coming off a nail-biting win over Edmonton two nights back -- the same Oiler team that was obliterated last night by Carolina, 7-2.

It was an odd night all around for a Southeast Division that also saw Tampa Bay come out victorious. But the story involved the division leading Atlanta Thrashers. 

The Thrash lost 10-1 (no, not a typo...that is supposed to be a ten) to a Buffalo squad that had scored just 16 goals over a 10-game winless stretch entering the contest. In case you were wondering, that is the most goals the Thrashers have ever allowed in a game -- and they were leading our division? Good news for the Caps.

The Thrashers were also whistled for 70 penalty minutes (again, not a typo,) 39 of which came in one incident that was sparked by Eric Boulton knocking both Nolan Pratt and Jason Pominville flat with sucker punches.

Back in Washington, the Caps look to go 4-1-0 on their homestand with a win tonight. The win would move them (according to NHL numerology -- they'll be 12-11-1) over .500 at Verizon Center for the first time since October 20 -- when they lost to Pittsburgh in their third home game of the season.

Of course the news out of Pittsburgh is that Sidney Crosby is out for a month with a high ankle sprain. We as Caps fans should be more worried than happy about this. The way the hockey gods have looked out for the Penguins' fortunes when it comes to these two franchises, could they have something even more sinister in store for Alex Ovechkin? Eeeeks!

Friday, January 18, 2008

Kolzig Saves His Best for Last as Caps Move Into Third Place

The Edmonton Oilers were 11-2 in the shootout with 18 goals on 40 tries. The Washington Capitals were 0-2 and had allowed 7 goals in 14 attempts. Nothing had to give, but it did, and the Caps skated away with the victory after Olie stopped all 12 Oilers shooters and Matt Bradley scored for the first time in three career shootout tries.

The Caps' unlikely victory looked even less possible early on, but as they have done over and over again under Bruce Boudreau, they came back -- and they did it twice.

The Caps went into the first intermission down by a two spot, prompting a newly patented scolding by the Boudreau. Whatever he said worked, as the Caps came out firing in the second and, just a minute and 39 seconds in, Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin each scored to knot the game at two.

The Oilers regained the lead with a splendid, tic-tac-toe goal on the power play. But the Caps continued their second period onslaught with both Mike Green and Alexander Semin scoring to put the Caps in front for the first time. By the time the horn sounded, the Caps had peppered Oiler goalie Dwayne Roloson with 17 second period shots, with four ending up in the net.

The third period, however, belonged to the Oilers as they outshot the Caps 11-4 and tied the game up before the midway mark, eventually forcing the game into overtime.

Hopefully the NHL was watching, as this contest served a perfect example of why the league would be better off if they scrapped the shootout and opted to extend the overtime period to 10 minutes. 

The extra frame featured two clear breakaways (much faster pace, more intense versions of a shootout attempt,) eight shots on goal, and a multitude of end-to-end rushes. Any true hockey lover would much prefer high-flying 4-on-4 hockey over a practice-like series of breakaway tries. Despite all the chances, the score remained four and we were forced to endure a 12-round shootout featuring role players galore (yay, John Erskine!)

The Caps stink in shootouts, and after last night I wonder how the Oilers don't stink too. Kolzig, over the past two seasons, was 1-7, allowed more goals than saves, and ranked near the bottom in save percentage of all goaltenders to appear in a shootout. But tonight Olie was picture perfect -- he had no other choice -- as the shootout turned into a miserable waste of time for the fans who were likely having flashbacks of the uber-exciting overtime just moments before.

A FEW NOTES FROM THE GAME:

• Mike Green scored his 6th goal in 7 games, upping his league-leading total among D-men to 14 -- two more than the combined total of the two defensemen that led the Caps in scoring the past two seasons (Jamie Heward had 4 in '06-07 and Bryan Muir had 8 in '05-06.) His 14 are the most by a Cap defenseman since Sergei Gonchar scored 18 in 2002-03.
• The Capitals are now in third place in the Southeast Division. They are 4 points behind 1st place Atlanta with 2 games in hand and only 3 points behind 2nd place Carolina with 3 games in hand.
• Washington also leapfrogged both Florida and Buffalo to move into 11th place in the Eastern Conference, inspiring a new theme song for the Capitals.
• Milan Jurcina must really be in the doghouse. Boudreau chose to play Steve Eminger for all of nine minutes rather than dress Jurcina.
• Jeff Schultz had his first career multi-point game. He had three assists, only two of which made it to the scoresheet. The third was a lousy clearing attempt that doubled as a sweet pass to a wide open Robert Nilsson.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Where Are They Now? (The Recent Version)

I was thinking back to the post-lockout Caps and all the journeymen that made a pit stop in Washington. I decided to check up on a few of these familiar names and share my findings. So here we go:

• RICO FATA - The guy with the soul patch who was always flying around the ice with no particular destination in mind has moved on to Germany. Now in his second season playing in Mannheim, Fata is a teammate of another short-lived Cap, Colin Forbes, and a former draft pick of Washington, Robert Mueller. Fata, drafted by Calgary with the 6th overall pick in 1998, ranks 13th in scoring on his team with 6 goals and 10 assists in 40 games.



• JEFF FRIESEN - What a disappointment this guy turned out to be! Friesen scored 40 goals in the two seasons prior to the lockout. Then Washington acquired him and he scored only 3 goals in 33 games. He was traded to Anaheim and subsequently ended up in Calgary. Between those two teams, he scored just 7 goals in 90 games. Friesen has yet to play anywhere this season, but he just signed a contract on January 14th to play for the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL, the minor league affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche.



• JAMIE HEWARD - After being traded to the Los Angeles Kings at the deadline last year, Heward scored 2 goals and 6 assists in 19 games. Failing to receive an NHL contract, Heward opted to play in Russia. No stranger to overseas competition (Jamie played three seasons in Switzerland right before joining the Capitals,) Heward's hometown newspaper (the Regina Leader-Post) reported that he was lured to Saint Petersburg of the Russian Super League via a $1 million contract offer. Now 36, he is second among defensemen on his team (a group that includes former NHL heavy hitter Darius Kasparaitis) in scoring with 2 goals and 15 points in 41 games.



• BRYAN MUIR - Originally advertised as a power play quarterback to Caps fans, Muir managed to score 11 goals over two seasons for the Caps. At 34, he is currently the oldest player on the AHL's Toronto Marlies, the minor league affiliate of the Maple Leafs. He has scored a goal and 9 assists in 20 games this year, but has a very impressive +14 rating.



• JIRI NOVOTNY - Novotny was acquired in last year's Dainius Zubrus trade. He was supposed to be defensively sound with an offensive upside, but showed neither in his brief stay in D.C.  He signed a two year deal with Columbus this past offseason where he has scored 7 goals and added 10 assists in 38 games.



• BRIAN SUTHERBY - Sutherby was traded to Anaheim earlier this season, and has done nothing since. Receiving a second round pick in return may end up looking like a stroke of genius on George McPhee's part, though it is still somewhat early to make that assessment. Sutherby has appeared in 16 games without registering a single point. His ice time has been limited to about 5-10 minutes a game and he has been in and out of the lineup hobbled by a groin strain. As much as I like and miss the guy, he really has done nothing since he left Washington.



• BRIAN WILLSIE - Willsie will always be remembered as the guy that versed Alex Ovechkin in American culture. Ovie's rookie year roomie is in the final year of his two year deal with the Los Angeles Kings. His production has steadily declined since departing Washington having dropped from 41 points to 21 last year. Willsie has scored only 2 goals with 6 assists in 35 games this season while averaging over 11 minutes of ice time.

Gee, I wonder why we sucked all these years. At least we're headed in the right direction, and letting these guys move on was a good first step.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Semin, Capitals Finish What They Started

Alexander Semin has faced more than his fair share of struggles this season. He's been criticized for his soft play and many times appeared to be in his own little world on the ice. But tonight, he was THE reason why Washington beat Ottawa, 4-2 -- finishing a four-game sweep of the Eastern Conference leaders.

The Capitals, who have accounted for a third of the Sens' regulation losses this season, got on the scoreboard first, as Viktor Kozlov picked up the prettiest of his 22 assists on the year when he set up Mike Green for his 13th tally. Kozlov, who was used on the power play in the role vacated by Michael Nylander, made a back-door pass that would make the injured playmaker proud. Green was on the receiving end and made no mistake about one-timing the puck past Sens' goalie Ray Emery. The goal gave Green a two goal cushion atop the goal-scoring leaderboard among NHL defensemen.

But the Caps soon found themselves trailing as Ottawa scored two goals just over a minute apart to take a 2-1 lead. 

Then the Alexander Semin show began. 

Semin, who has been castigated for being out of position and over-stickhandling, scored arguably the prettiest goal netted by a Capital this season. First off, he was in perfect position as the third forechecker (the "safety" position in Boudreau's system) and picked off a cross-ice outlet pass. He deked around Wade Redden as if the defenseman was stuck in a block of concrete. Then he faked out Emery and roofed the puck, a mere 23 seconds after Redden put Ottawa ahead. Whatever momentum the Senators had generated was instantaneously gone.

Alex Ovechkin put the Caps ahead 3-2 with his 34th goal and is now just three behind Ilya Kovalchuk for the league lead in that category. It was a classic Ovechkin wristshot from the high slot that turned out to be the game winner, his 5th of the season and just one behind a tie for first in the league.

Then the Alexander Semin show resumed.

Chastised for being far too passive, Semin drove the net hard and poked a loose puck home for his second goal and third point of the game. It was only Semin's second multi-point game this season, but both were three point efforts that were registered over his past five games.

Another guy who has regularly been on critics' hitlists turned in a quietly exceptional performance. 

Tomas Fleischmann played a key role in the each of the Caps' final two goals. On Ovechkin's go ahead marker, Fleischmann (working on the second power play unit) made a nice move and pass to set up a shot by Brooks Laich, the rebound of which Ovie corralled to score. The Semin goal that finished off the scoring was the result Fleischmann's hard work. 

Fleischmann created a chance 1-on-3, stayed with the rebound to the corner, and fought off a defender to throw the puck out front off of Emery, where the puck sat for Semin to poke home. Also telling...Fleischmann had four takewaways -- no other Cap had more than one. Finally showing "flashes" that warrant his nickname, "Flash" played the best game of his young career.

While we're on the subject of nicknames, is there no bigger misnomer than Jeff Schultz being known as "Sarge?" Would a three-legged giraffe be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a Sergeant? I didn't think so. 

But at this stage of his career, the 6'6" Schultz is being manhandled physically. In a game chock full of hard hitting, Schultz was shouldered head first into the boards (even causing him to drop his stick) by Ilja Zubov, a 6 foot, 197 pounder making his NHL debut -- a player not exactly known for the rough stuff. Zubov has promptly been reassigned to the AHL, but not before sending a "statement" to The Sarge. GIVE ME A BREAK!!! Send this guy to Hershey so he can fatten up on some chocolate and give Eminger a chance.

But the good certainly outweighs the embarrassing these days, and the Capitals continue to avoid losing consecutive games in regulation. They are absolutely in the thick of things in the Southeast Division, with games in hand on everyone, as they ready themselves to face the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow night.

A FEW NOTES FROM THE GAME:

• Brent Johnson improved his career mark against Ottawa to 4-1-0. He survived a scary moment less than a minute into the game when he was knocked over by Chris Neil (no penalty was called on the play) and stayed down for a minute. But he shook off the cobwebs and proceeded to stop 26 of 28 Senators' shots. I would be surprised if he doesn't get the nod against Edmonton.
• Johnson got plenty of help from his defenders as the Caps blocked 21 shots. Milan Jurcina led the way with four while Shaone Morrisonn and (surprise, surprise) Quintin Laing blocked three apiece.
• Boyd Gordon got the start in place of Nylander on the second line centering Fleischmann and Semin. The two wingers had an excellent game, knowing they could focus on forechecking and being offensively creative with a defensively responsible center between them.

Read More From The Archive