Friday, February 15, 2008

Not So Special Teams

The Washington Capitals look for their first win against a Southeast Division opponent since beating Florida nearly a month ago. In the time since, they are 0-2-1 against division opponents and have been unable to string two wins in a row since January 21st, 11 games ago.

In the Capitals last 10 games, they are 5-4-1, not a terrible record, but no team in the Southeast has played worse than that in their last 10 games. In each team's last 10 games, Tampa Bay has 13 points, Carolina and Florida have 12, and Atlanta and the Caps have 11. The most glaring cause of the Capitals inability to take control of the division is their power play ineptitude.

Just how bad has the Capitals power play been? They scored a PP goal in only two of these ten games. Worse yet, on their 29 power play opportunities, the Capitals have scored three goals, but allowed two. To me, that says their power play effectiveness is 1-for-29 or 3.4 percent.

It has been well documented that the Capitals are abysmal when in control of a two-man advantage, but just how bad are they? Using statistics compiled at behindthenet.ca, I have done some numerical research. And the results are not good.

For starters, the Capitals are one of only two teams to ALLOW a goal when up 5-on-3 (in fact, only 12 teams have even allowed a shot.) But it doesn't stop there. The Capitals rank dead last in the league in Goals per 60 minutes of 5-on-3 time (referenced as "/60" from now on) and are next to last in Shots/60. The Capitals are in fact taking FEWER shots when on a 5-on-3 advantage (43.6/60) than when on a 5-on-4 PP (48.2/60), not to mention scoring less (4.0 Goals/60 when 5-on-3), (6.3 Goals/60 when 5-on-4).  

Just 43.6 Shots/60 when up 5-on-3? Not good when ten teams average over 100 Shots/60 in the same situation. Only 4.0 Goals/60 when up 5-on-3? Again, not good when half the league averages over 23 Goals/60 in the exact same situation.

But Washington's struggles don't begin and end with their power play. Their penalty killing not only ranks in the bottom ten in the NHL, but they haven't been creating scoring chances on the PK all year long. They are content with getting the puck out of the zone without any giddy-up and go. When the Capitals are on a 5-on-4 power play, opponents average 18.8 shorthanded shots/60 minutes against the Caps. In contrast, when the Capitals are playing shorthanded 4-on-5, they average only 7.4 shorthanded shots/60 minutes, fourth fewest in the league. 

Only three Washington players have scored shorthanded: Matt Bradley (on 10/29), Brooks Laich (11/19), and Boyd Gordon (11/24) have each netted one goal apiece.  No shorthanded goals in nearly three months. Only one since Bruce Boudreau took over, and it was his second game behind the bench. 

The Capitals have always been a team that creates chances when down a man, all the way back to the days of Kelly Miller, Mike Ridley, and Dale Hunter. In 2005-06, the Capitals were fourth in the league in SHG. Last year they tied for seventh and were led by Chris Clark who had four shorties and Matt Pettinger with three. Those two have combined for the same seven goals this year, total. 

As the statistics have illustrated, the Capitals are unable to create shorthanded chances, but their opposition is having no trouble whatsoever. And it's affecting the Caps' power play. So why can't Washington cause problems on their opponents' power play by creating their own shorthanded chances?

After all, Montreal, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Pittsburgh have the league's top four power plays.  And they seem to have no problem winning.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

One is Better than None

That's about as "glass half full" a statement one can make when losing another game against a team the Capitals absolutely have to beat. With 41 shots on Kari Lehtonen, you'd think they might get it done, but these Southeast goaltenders have risen to the challenge against this revitalized Caps team.

Since January 31st, the Capitals are 4-0-0 against non-division opponents and 0-2-1 against their division rivals. But just how much has the divisional goaltending factored into the equation? Outside the division during this stretch, the Caps have shot 12.7%; against the Southeast they're at 2.7% (yes, the "one" is supposed to be missing.) Of course, converting these shooting percentages to the opposing netminders' save percentages and you'll come up with .873 and .973 -- you think the goalies are coming ready?

Sure Lehtonen had a chance to see just about every shot, but even when the puck was trickling by, it was as if there was some sort of magnetic force field along the goal line that kept anything from creeping over the stripe. Call it luck. I call it damn good goaltending. And just when you've realized that you can't get one by Lehtonen, he pulls off his best Ron Hextall impression with a beautiful feed up the gut and through traffic to Marian Hossa who converted on the breakaway.

Olie Kolzig did his share of providing sparkling saves that were enough to give the Caps one point in the standings. But he was made to look a fool in the shootout and wasn't even close to stopping either try. This leads me to my questioning of Boudreau's decision to send Boyd Gordon out on a shootout. He already had his breakaway try on Lehtonen, and failed. Why give him another go? Because he had a season-high five shots? Well, he tied a season-low with zero goals. Besides, wasn't this why the Caps acquired Viktor Kozlov?

Defensively, Milan Jurcina made an ugly turnover resulting in the Thrashers' lone scoring chance of the first period. The other big slow guy, John Erskine, was beaten in the corner by Marian Hossa who fed Eric Perrin for the goal that did count (he had one disallowed a short time before.)

While on the subject of defensemen, Tom Poti looked to be slumped over a bit in his own zone. Once the puck exited the zone and he went off the ice, he did not return. Could this mean that Sami Lepisto may get another shot at a callup? If so, refer to my earlier article.

Next up, another shot at a Southeast team whose goaltender is Tomas Vokoun.  Vokoun is 4-1-0 this month with a 2.56 GAA and .927 save percentage.  Against Washington, he is 3-2-0 with a 2.37 GAA and .939 save percentage.  He's next in line to do his damage to Ovechkin and the Caps.  Any guess to goals and saves in this game?

A FEW NOTES FROM THE GAME:

• Some guys celebrate a new contract by creating scoring chances, some by finding the back of the net, yet others by stepping up their physical play. (In Ovie's case, he did all three)  Tomas Fleischmann's method: One penalty, one missed shot, one faceoff win, one faceoff loss, and a -1 rating in over 15 minutes. SWEET!
• Hey, Ovechkin scored. Kovalchuk didn't. Ovie leads by nine. His two points give him 78, four more than Vinny and Evgeni.
• Nicklas Backstrom had two assists and has pulled into a tie for the rookie scoring lead for the first time. He and Chicago's Patrick Kane have 47 points apiece, but we all know how quickly Backstrom caught up.
• The Caps failed to score on the power play for the 7th time in eight games. More on that to come soon.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Well, That Was a Waste of Time

According, to Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post, Sami Lepisto has been returned to Hershey. As it turns out, the first reason stated below was correct -- but Erskine's ready to go on the trip. It is a bit of a disappointment, as I was excited to see a younger, quicker defenseman out there rather than the lumbering likes of Erskine and Jurcina. But we'll have to wait another day.

Lepisto Gets the Call

The Washington Capitals have called up Sami Lepisto from the AHL Hershey Bears today. The move to bring up the 23 year old, former third round pick from the same draft that produced Alex Ovechkin, Jeff Schultz, Mike Green, and Chris Bourque, signals one of three things -- and perhaps all three.

First, John Erskine has not played since being involved in a fight with Carolina's Wade Brookbank two games ago. The injury would leave the Capitals with only six healthy defensemen: Green, Morrisonn, Poti, Schultz, Jurcina, and Eminger. With Disney On Ice in town at the Verizon Center for the next week, the Capitals are on the road for the next three games and need someone with the team ready to suit to up in case of injury. That player will most likely be Steve Eminger, so Lepisto will have his shot at the big time.

Alternatively, the move could just be performance based. Lepisto has been the best defenseman in Hershey all season long and one of the best in the entire AHL. He has led the Hershey Bears in plus/minus all season long and is second best in the league with a +25 rating (ten higher than Andrew Gordon who is second on the Bears.) His 27 assists are seven more than anyone else on Hershey and is fourth among all AHL defensemen despite playing at least eight fewer games than any of the top three. (His assists per game ratio would have him leading the league had he played as much as the leaders.) Most of all, the guy is simply on a roll. He has an eight game point scoring streak during which he has a goal and 12 assists along with a +12 rating. He has seven assists in his last three games alone. Performance based callup? Why the heck wouldn't it be?

Lastly, with the trade deadline looming two weeks away, might the Capitals be looking to see if Lepisto is ready to fit into their long term plans? If so, it would give the Capitals more maneuverability at the deadline. Lepisto is the type of offensive minded, puck moving defenseman that Eminger was touted to become. With Emmy due to become a RFA at the end of the season, he could certainly be on the way out. Even more interestingly, the Capitals might be setting themselves up for a blockbuster deal. Sure George McPhee says he'll stand pat, but just about every GM in this league would say that, then pull off a move the next day. If Lepisto is ready, could a guy like Jeff Schultz be packaged with one of our goaltending prospects and a high draft pick or two (the Caps have a first and three second-round picks in the upcoming draft) for a big name like Marian Hossa or Mats Sundin? Both the Trashers and Maple Leafs are thin in prospects on the blue line and in goal, so why wouldn't they be interested in such a deal?

The call up of Lepisto might be for any mixture of the above thoughts, but regardless of the why, the Capitals will potentially be witnessing the emergence of a defenseman who may be starring on the blue line for years to come.  Washington has used some combination of the same eight defenseman (counting Brian Pothier, of course) for all 57 games this season.  Only a handful of teams have used so few.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Green Ends Slump, Lifts Caps Back to the Top

On a day when Olie Kolzig celebrated his 700th game in a Capitals uniform, Mike Green scored his third overtime game winner of the season to lift the Capitals back to the top of the Southeast Division.

Green would never have had the chance to win it had it not been for spectacular goaltending from Kolzig, who moved into a tie with Ron Hextall for 23rd on the all-time wins list with 296. Olie was busy all game long, making 18 stops through two periods, but saved his best for the third. Thirteen saves (a few of the spectacular variety) later, the 2-2 tie was carried over to the extra period, where the Capitals won their eighth overtime game -- now tied for third most in the league.

Alex Ovechkin had a goal and two assists, keeping himself perched atop the NHL points lead with three more than both Daniel Alfredsson and (ugh) Evgeni Malkin. That name sure came out of nowhere.  Five straight multi-point games in which he totaled four goals and 15 points will do it. Who would have thought it might be good for Sidney Crosby to get back into the lineup to help Ovechkin secure the points lead?

The most enjoyable thing of the day for the Capitals and their fans? Jaromir Jagr was utterly useless...again. Jagr, now seven games without a single point, sits 29 points behind Ovechkin on the season. The best news of all for Ted Leonsis and the Capitals is they may finally be done paying for Jagr after the season.  With 15 goals and 47 points through 59 games, Jagr is on pace for only 21 goals and 65 points -- a far cry from the 40 goals or 84 points (along with a Rangers' playoff round win) needed for him to trigger an option year.

The Capitals enter a two day break with a one-point edge over Carolina and Atlanta in the Southeast with a game in hand over every division rival aside from Tampa Bay, who by the way is the hottest team in the division and are quickly re-joining the pack.

Washington plays each Southeast team on the road over the next 12 days.  Now is the time for the Capitals to separate themselves from the pack just a little bit.  If they don't, we're in for a long stretch run.  If they do...well, we're also in for a long stretch run.  Either way, it should be fun to watch.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Hey, What's That Smell?

Oh, it's just another stinker from the Washington Capitals against a Southeast opponent at home when they are trying to stake their claim to the division lead.

Six days after allowing Atlanta to skate away with two points at the Verizon Center, the Capitals let the Hurricanes regain control of the division in a game eerily similar to that Thrashers loss. The Capitals handily outshot their rival in each contest, combining for a 70-36 edge. Yet, the Capitals were outscored 4-1. Youch! This sets me up for yet another save percentage comparison: 88.9% for the Caps, 98.6% for the other guys.

Without question, the most critical problem for Washington has been their power play. Now six games without an extra-man tally, the Capitals were an abysmal 0 for 7 against the league's WORST penalty killing unit. The most sickening stat of all? The Capitals were nearly outshot when up a man (including a prolonged two man advantage during which they almost gave up another goal.) On the seven power plays, the Caps had a frighteningly slim edge in shots, 8-6. Again, this was against the NHL's worst penalty killing unit! (Sorry, but it bears repeating.)

Washington could not take advantage of Carolina's Ray Whitney who was doing his best Alexander Semin impersonation. The veteran, who had only six minor penalties all season (53 games,) was sent to the sin bin four times -- each one a Semin-like stick foul. Two hooks, a slash, and a trip. The quiet Russian, however, was not to be outdone.

Can someone please explain what the heck is Semin's deal? He had more moves than a Chubby Checker album (highlighted by as pretty a spin-o-rama as you'll ever see) but he does the stupidest things. His goal was a wondrous blend of skill, finesse, and grit. But why in the world would he blatantly slash the back of a Hurricane defenseman's legs with only seconds remaining and trying to score the tying goal? That kind of bush league play reminds me of the dumb stuff I used to do playing goal in youth hockey. (My apologies to all those whose calves I bruised.)

The game had the feel of a playoff matchup. Unfortunately, the result did too. The Southeast Division, home to the league's worst goaltending, will be gearing up for the Capitals more than just about any team they will face the remainder of the season. Though the Caps have played well the last two outings, that aforementioned terrible goaltending has had the Capitals number. Just how bad is the goaltending you ask?  Of the six NHL teams that have allowed the most goals this season, four reside in the Southeast. (Atlanta - 185, Tampa Bay - 183, Carolina - 179, Washington - 174) 

The Capitals are going to have to figure out how to score against these otherwise beatable goaltenders. Four of their next six games are against Southeast foes, as are 12 of the 26 games that remain.

A FEW NOTES FROM THE GAME:

• Mike Green saw over 32 minutes of action as the Capitals were playing with only five defensemen after John Erskine left the game with only two shifts under his belt. All that ice time didn't allow Green to hit the scoresheet, his tenth straight game without a goal.
• Semin, who watched the final 28 seconds from the penalty box, played a season high 22:55 -- much of which was opposite Alex Ovechkin on the first line.
• Coach Boudreau pushed Eric Fehr back to the second line (and eventually the third line) as the game wore on. Fehr's ice time has decreased by two minutes each game since his season debut.
• Though he was held pointless for only the fourth time in 13 games, Viktor Kozlov played another very good game. He's continuing to create scoring opportunities for himself as well as his teammates -- and finishing them for a change.
• What a difference a division loss can make. The Capitals dropped from third in the East to tenth just like that.

Friday, February 8, 2008

In The Driver's Seat

The Washington Capitals enter probably the biggest game of the season thus far with their fate in their own hands for the first time. It is more than a bit early to be talking magic numbers (which is 52 points by the way,) but the Capitals are alone in first and have played fewer games than the teams that are chasing them.

The Caps got some help last night from Vancouver (who scored twice in the third to beat Atlanta) and Ottawa (who used two Dany Heatley goals in his return after missing a month to defeat Florida.) Those divisional losses have opened up the opportunity for the Capitals to take a three point lead in the Southeast with a win over second place Carolina tonight. Plus the Caps would still have the games in hand advantage.

While the Capitals and Hurricanes have split the season series so far, the teams are headed in opposite directions at the moment. The proof: Washington has won 8 of 10 home games; the 'Canes have dropped 7 of 10 on the road. Overall, Carolina has won 6 of their last 17 while the Caps have won 12 of their last 17. Hey, they had to take over the lead somehow -- and that'll do it.

It won't be as easy as it may appear.  Remember, the Capitals were in a similar situation on Saturday night when they laid an egg against Atlanta at the Verizon Center. 

Now that Washington is the team to catch, the Southeast will be gunning for them and no longer just trying to stave them off. But with the resiliency this team has shown us over the past two and a half months, it would be quite a surprise if they are not up to the task.  We'll begin to find out tonight.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Feeling the Love

Check out this FRONT PAGE snapshot from ESPN.com. The shot was taken at 10:00 PM on the site's front page, NOT the hockey front page. The entire sports nation is becoming enraptured with the Capitals and the astonishing turnaround that has been led by our lovable Bruce Boudreau. Note that ALL FOUR sub-headlines are also Washington related. Below the snapshot, I have linked to all five stories. Enjoy!

THE LINKS:

• Capitals Gains
• Melrose: Boudreau Fits    Ain't that the truth!
• Burnside: Will Kolzig be odd man out?    Just as some of us have been speculating
• Alex Ovechkin: Facing Off    Talks about Cindy Crosby, Cup hopes, and his new deal
• Can Ovechkin take Caps to Playoffs?    Their answer is affirmative!

Can You Say First?

First place in the Southeast Division. Sure seemed like a pipe dream less than three months ago, but here we are, three weeeks before the trading deadline and the Washington Capitals have gained sole possession of first place in the division.

This is what it looks like folks:

In what is turning out to be one of the greatest turnarounds in National Hockey League history, the Capitals are well on their way to doing the unthinkable. And this is a heck of a step to accomplish.

Beginning with their win in Philadelphia on November 23rd (Bruce Boudreau's first game as the bench boss,) the Capitals have gone 20-10-4 to explode from last place to first in spite of continued injury problems and inconsistent goaltending. Tonight, however, Olie Kolzig was as good as he had to be, stopping 31 shots and keeping the Caps in the game until they were able to pull away from Philadelphia in third period.

The scoring got off to a slow start: no goals in the first and a trading of tallies in the second to start the third period tied at one. That's when Matt Bradley, Viktor Kozlov, and Alex Ovechkin all scored less than eight minutes into the final period to move Washington into a commanding 4-1 lead. Little did we know at the time that Ovechkin's 46th goal would also turn out to be his league leading eighth game winner. While on the topic of Ovie's NHL ranks, his 73 points bests Vinny Lecavalier's total by three, and his team leading +12 rating has moved him into a tie for 23rd among NHL forwards -- a far cry from his career mark of -17.

Washington wouldn't be where they are without Ovechkin, yet at the same time, they wouldn't be where they are without the 19 other guys who have been contributing. The night's recent life donors include Brooks Laich (who started off the scoring on a nifty top-shelf backhand,) Matt Bradley (whose hard work tends to go unnoticed until he deflects an insurance goal into the hated Flyers' cage,) and Viktor Kozlov (who went AWOL the first 46 games but has scored seven goals and added four assists in nine games since.) Kozlov currently ranks second on the team with a +9 rating and in shots with 141. Time to take him off the hit-list.

Tom Poti continues to contribute from the blue line as we've been expecting him to do all year. Another well-timed pinch at the point gave him credit for an assist on Kozlov's goal. He now has points in three of his last four games after going nine straight and 13 of 14 without a single point.

After last night's McCreary debacle, I've been trying to tell myself that it was a fluke and they have nothing against the Capitals. I was, however, becoming a bit skeptical as this game progressed. A couple lame penalty kills on Washington put the ridiculously potent Flyer power play on the ice a couple times too many. An earlier highsticking call on Donald Brashear proved fruitless for the Flyer PP, but the most absurd of all calls was the interference call on Quintin Laing. He barely made incidental contact with Martin Biron's stick and was called for interference. The Flyers used the poor call to get on the board for the first time late in the second period. The McCreary thing I can write off as terrible positioning and a brain freeze, but the latest string of events was particularly dumbfounding.

The officials finally gave the Caps a break when they went upstairs to review the goal on Kolzig that would have pushed the score to 4-2. The puck appeared in before the net was dislodged, but the goal was disallowed. Hey, maybe the zebras were beginning to feel bad for us. Or maybe they just really suck lately. I'm just glad they didn't decide to call a couple tight ones on Philly and give the Caps two-man advantage.  We all know what happens on those.

Regardless of the unusual events over the past couple games, Washington could not have predicted their current first place position unless every other team went on strike and the Capitals failed to get the memo. It's been that type of a miraculous reversal -- the stuff that legends are made of (at least if they do something in the playoffs.)

The Capitals have a well deserved day off where they will sit back and watch Vancouver try to beat Atlanta (in regulation, hopefully.) We'll be looking for Florida to fall short in Ottawa and a Tampa Bay loss in Nashville would make for a great nightcap. Then it's on like popcorn as the Capitals host Carolina on Friday night in a Southeast Division battle in every sense of the word.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Bad Luck, No Problem

Somewhere, veteran referee Bill McCreary is resting comfortably. The 24 year veteran who has called nearly 1700 games in his career committed an officiating blunder the equivalent of scoring on your own goal or Jim Marshall's wrong way touchdown. Much like these scenarios, McCreary's takedown of Cap defenseman Shaone Morrisonn won't soon be forgotten.

With the score tied at two in the third period, Rick Nash gained speed down the right wing. Morrisonn had excellent position as he began skating backwards to thwart the scoring opportunity. It was then that the 52 year old ref skated right into Morrisonn, knocking him down and allowing Nash a clean shot on Brent Johnson. The first overall pick in 2002 found the net, putting the Blue Jackets back on top after the Capitals had rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game at two.

The play, a rarity that I'm a bit surprised we don't see more often, was allowed to continue. My perusal of the official record book does not suggest that the whistle must be blown in this type of interference, however the play could have been blown dead citing a possible injury to the official. The whistle was not blown, and I'm not so sure that it should have been. Pucks are always bouncing off the officials and on more than one occasion such caroms have directly resulted in goals. Of course the whistle could be blown in these instances citing that the official was injured by the puck, but that's just ridiculous. The game is so fast and officials are looking at so many things that situations like these are inevitable.

Fortunately for all parties involved, the play did not decide the outcome of the game (though it may have given the Blue Jackets an extra point in the standings.) The league can thank the Washington Capitals and their non-stop effort night in and night out.

The Capitals controlled the first 17 minutes of the game -- up until Rick Nash scored on a breakaway while killing a 5-on-3 power play. Less than a minute later, the discombobulated Capitals fell behind 2-0. The score would remain that way beyond the midway point of the contest.

Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin traded markers less than five minutes apart to tie the game at two going into the final period. The McCreary blunder allowed the Jackets to regain a one goal lead four minutes into the third, a lead that lasted until Tom Poti FINALLY scored his first goal as a Capital, sending the game to overtime.

Ovechkin, who now has four goals in two career games against Columbus, scored his second overtime game winner in three games to cap the comeback and give the Capitals two crucial points. His two goals give him 45 on the campaign, a half dozen more than Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk and a full dozen more than Calgary's Jarome Iginla.

All five Southeast Division teams were in action: Carolina and Atlanta lost while Florida and Tampa Bay were victorious. The Capitals and Panthers each have 55 points, one behind the Hurricanes and Thrashers for the division lead. A heck of a race appears to be shaping up, with only one (two at the most) of the top four teams likely to capture a playoff spot.

A FEW NOTES FROM THE GAME:

• Eric Fehr played nearly 17 minutes in his season debut, toppling his previous career high of 13:32. He was Fehrly (sorry, I had to do it) active firing 6 shots, two of which made it on goal. He had pretty good positioning on a couple loose pucks in the slot but was overpowered and couldn't manage to get his stick on the rubber. All in all, it was a good start for him but he needs to get much more involved to warrant his placement on the #1 line and to substantiate his first round draft selection.
• While Ovechkin continues to solidify his goal scoring lead, Mike Green is hanging on to his by a thread. Green has now gone eight games without a goal and leads Michal Rozsival by one and Andrei Markov by two for most goals by a defenseman.
• Tom Poti played perhaps his best game of the season. Not only did he score the tying goal in the third period, he made a very nice play to set up Ovechkin for the game winner. In the defensive zone he blocked five shots, three more than any other Capital.
• Brent Johnson has improved to 6-2-0 under Bruce Boudreau. Does this mean he may finally have the reigns handed to him? Probably not yet, but a couple more poor outings from Olie may indeed relegate the aging vet to the backup role for the stretch run.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Long-Awaited Season Debut

Eric Fehr, the 6'4" 215 pound right wing who is 10 days older than Alex Ovechkin, makes his return to the Washington Capitals for the first time in nearly a year. Having scored just 2 goals and 1 assist in 25 career games, Fehr last played in the NHL on February 21, 2007.

In Hershey, Fehr scored twice and added four helpers in 10 games since returning to the ice from lingering back problems that kept him out of the lineup since before training camp began. Fehr, whom Hockey's Future rates as the Capitals third best prospect behind only Nicklas Backstrom and Karl Alzner, will start out as Ovechkin's opposite side winger on the line centered by Backstrom. His placement on the top line moves Viktor Kozlov to the second line where he will center Tomas Fleischmann and Alexander Semin. To make room for Fehr, Matt Pettinger will be watching in a suit.

Fehr has been projected as a high scoring power forward in the mold of a Keith Tkachuk, but his injury problems have begun to close the window on his potential. His third chance at forging a permanent roster spot with Washington begins tonight and he is going to have to prove to the organization and the fans that he will not be remembered as a draft day dud.

The 18th pick of the 2003 Entry Draft has played fewer games and scored fewer points than all but three first round picks of that year. Heck, even the goalie selected in that round (Marc-Andre Fleury) has two more points than Fehr does. The time is now for Fehr, who is already older than four other everyday Caps: Ovechkin, Backstrom, Mike Green, and Jeff Schultz.

The last time Washington faced the Columbus Blue Jackets was Alex Ovechkin's first ever NHL game, a debut that saw him score two goals and register a huge hit on his very first shift (see the beginning of the YouTube video below,) foreshadowing the brilliance we would soon become enamored with.

Since losing the first ever meeting with the Blue Jackets, the Capitals have gone 5-0-1 against the first Ohio franchise since the Cleveland Barons left the NHL in 1978 after two unsuccesful seasons. The Blue Jackets, who began the season 7-3-1, have lost their last three and five of their last seven. Their top goal scorer, Rick Nash, was all over the highlight reel a couple weeks ago with what has been touted as the goal of the year. Since that game, however, Rick Nash has scored just one goal and one assist with a -6 rating in seven games. Despite being outscored 20-12 over that same span, penalty killing has not been their problem as they have killed off 28 of their last 30 (93.3%) penalties and are ranked 3rd best in the league for the season.

The Capitals know the importance of a victory tonight against the slumping Jackets. They have fallen into a tie with the Florida Panthers and are three points behind both Carolina and Atlanta in the Southeast Division. The Caps have also dropped six points out of the 8th seed in the East. At the All-Star break they were only three back and can not afford to lose their games in hand advantage with a loss this evening.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Worst...Pain...Ever

I ended up in the hospital yesterday for some pretty bad chest pains that I thought may have been gall stones. Well, it's not and they don't know what it is at the moment. Add the result of the Capitals game last night and it just hasn't been a fun few days. I will keep my analysis brief so I can get back to resting (and quite frankly there's not a whole to say anyways.)

Offensively, Washington looked nearly identical to the team we saw up in Montreal three games ago. They got shots on goal, but they were distant chances that Kari Lehtonen saw all the way. Defensively, the Caps were much better than the game I am referring to, holding Atlanta to 13 shots (27 fewer than the Habs registered in Montreal on Tuesday.) The Capitals, meanwhile, had 36 shots on goal with 18 coming in the final frame. But again, Lehtonen did not have to make any tough saves.

This is the type of game that the Capitals have to win if they are going to make some noise in the playoffs. There are plenty of games to go, but to lose out on four points at home in the division standings is something the Caps have to limit the rest of the way.

I'm signing off for now so I can get back to resting in my recliner and enjoy my Super Bowl party (which involves just my wife and kids.)

Friday, February 1, 2008

Another Career Night for Ovechkin

Alexander Ovechkin was held in check by the Montreal Canadiens a mere two evenings ago. It was not to happen two games in a row as Ovechkin turned in his second four goal, five point performance of the season, vaulting himself to the top of the NHL leaderboards.

Ovechkin increased his league-leading goal total to 43, just three shy of his 82 game total last season. He's now on a pace to reach 68 goals, which would be the most the NHL has seen since Mario Lemieux netted 69 in 1995-96. Not only is Ovie five goals ahead of Ilya Kovalchuk in the race for the Richard, he has moved into the point scoring lead as well. Now with 70 points, Ovie sits two points ahead of both Daniel Alfredsson and Vinny Lecavalier.

After being a relative non-factor a couple nights ago, Ovechkin came out of the gate throwing his weight all over the ice, breaking his nose and necessitating stitches along the way. With much more help from his linemates than he received in Montreal, the unfazed Ovechkin was able to power his way into prime scoring real estate time and time again -- and did not miss his opportunities. Just how much help did his linemates provide? The trio of Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov combined for 5 goals, 4 assists, a +11 rating, 15 shots (plus only one that was blocked,) and 8 takeaways (more than the entire Habs team had.)

Ovechkin's overtime game winner was created by a nifty little play from Jeff Schultz, who in rarified air pinched down on the play. A Mike Green slapshot caromed off Cristobal Huet into the shins of Schultz, who deftly kicked the puck to his stick and centered the bouncing biscuit to Ovechkin who tapped home the winning goal. The play by Schultz, who saw his workload increase over the 20 minute mark for the first time since sitting out against Toronto, was unlike any I've ever seen from him. His extra playing time came at the expense of the Steve Eminger-John Erskine pairing who combined for barely 20 minutes themselves.

The greatness of Ovechkin bailed out his netminder, Olie Kolzig. Although Kolzig made a couple fine stops, his .810 save percentage on the night cannot be overlooked. Not to mention the timeliness of a couple of the goals allowed. With less than half a second to play in the second period, Kolzig let one slip by him to give Montreal momentum entering the final stanza. While trying to maintain a one goal in the last minute of the game, Olie failed to cover a puck in the crease and gave up the tying goal with only 33 seconds to play. 

Of course this performance is anything but an anomaly for Kolzig of late, as we've seen him turn in a number of atrocious performances. But, for some reason, the Capitals are scoring for him and he's posting wins. In fact, his record since Thanksgiving when stopping less than 86% of shots faced is 5-2-0 (featuring five performances below 79%), including wins in four straight. Go figure.

The Capitals finally worked over Huet, peppering him with high quality shots and creating a ton of traffic in front of him. The 38 shots by Washington are only three more than they registered two nights prior, but it's the quality of their chances that tells the story:

With Carolina and the New York Rangers winning, the Capitals kept pace in the standings, still trailing both teams by three points. They did, however, move ahead of Buffalo and Atlanta into 10th place in the Eastern Conference and are just one point shy of the New York Islanders for 9th.

A FEW NOTES FROM THE GAME:

• Mike Green played his best game since Shaone Morrisonn hurt his foot. His two assists put an end to his four game pointless streak and his +1 rating on the night was his first plus performance in eight games.
• Viktor Kozlov has suddenly come to life, and it may not be a fluke. After adding a goal and two assists, he now has six goals and three assists along with a +6 rating in his last six games.
• After lighting up the scoreboard prior to the All Star break, Alexander Semin appears to have regressed. He has followed up back-to-back shaky performances with another stinker, highlighted by a ridiculous hooking penalty just 11 seconds into a Caps' power play.
• Joe Beninati alluded to an article written in the Montreal Gazette by columnist Red Fisher during the broadcast. Fisher discusses how Ovechkin is one guy he would pay to see play.

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