I just saved you dozens and dozens of hours of research
by compiling perhaps the most comprehensive report that exists on 28
Capitals prospects. Heck, even after all this time, I haven't found
anything like it.
Inside you'll find photos, stats, scouting reports,
future projections, newspaper articles from around the globe, assorted
tidbits on the season that was, and a whole lot more. Unless you have
an infomercial where you sell a speed-reading program, there is enough
here to last you until the puck drops on the new season.
Now you'll truly feel as though you are In Ahead Of The Play!
With the NHL Entry Draft rapidly approaching, it only
makes
sense to catch up on all those young guys George McPhee has stockpiled
during the Capitals' rebuilding effort.
Similar to my Roster
Review,
I will be putting together profiles on over two dozen of the Capitals'
top prospects. Included will be photos, stats, scouting reports, links,
and projections for each one. Sound like a lot? Well, it is.
The Prospect Report will assuredly take a bit of time.
But the
end result is certain to please and after acquainting yourselves with
each profile, you're bound to feel as if you just watched them all
season long. I know I will. Once again, your patience will be rewarded.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Ovechkin vs. Milbury
In case you missed it:
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
THE ROSTER REVIEW
After long last (and a promotion, lots of family stuff,
and a whole bunch of other things) the 2007-08 player-by-player review
is here.
From Backstrom to Steckel, Ovechkin to Erskine; every
player is viewed, reviewed, and previewed -- all in a tidy little drop
down list. Just select a player and, as they say in the biz, "Read all
about him." Hope you enjoy.
Friday, April 25, 2008
In The Works...
There will be a temporary decrease in posts while I work
on a comprehensive review and outlook of each Capitals player. Thanks
for being so patient -- I promise it will be well worth the wait.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Thanks
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Ovechkin Forces Game 7 With Breakout Performance
Bottled up and contained through his first five playoff
games, Alex Ovechkin
was due to break out. It took over two periods into his sixth game, but
a pair of goals led the Washington Capitals to victory and forces Game
7 back in Washington.
The Capitals have had a less than impressive history in
Game 7's, going just 1-4 all-time. The one win of course was Dale Hunter's
overtime winner to knock off the Flyers back in 1988. Interestingly,
the Caps came back from a 3-1 series deficit as well that year. Hmmmm...
A FEW NOTES FROM THE GAME:
Cristobal
Huet has officially regained his form that has gone MIA
since the end of the regular season. In the last three games, he's had
105 saves and .929 SV%. Welcome back.
Alexander
Semin continues to be the most consistent offensive
producer for the Capitals. Goals in three straight and points in five
of six have Semin in a tie for third in NHL playoff scoring.
After posting a minus rating in 24 of his first 57
games this season, Semin has done so just once in his last 12. His game
has been rounding itself out steadily in recent weeks, a wonderful sign
for a player who frequently look lost early on.
The Capitals outshot the Flyers 31-23 and outscored
them 3-0 while playing even strength.
The "You'll never guess the answer" question of the
day: Which defensive pairing led the Capitals in plus/minus with each
player at +3? Answer: Steve
Eminger and John
Erskine.
Ovechkin made a statistical trade off every Caps fan
can tolerate. After consistently leading the team in hits all series
long, he wasn't credited with a single one. But his nine shots and two
goals more than make up for it.
The Flyers have apparently resorted to helmet
yanking, the hockey equivalent of little girls pulling hair. Caps who
lost their lids on the night: Ovechkin, Erskine, Mike Green, Boyd
Gordon, Viktor
Kozlov, and Tom
Poti. I guess not all of them were
intentional, but still.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Still Alive
A win is a win is a win. But the second half of
Washington's 3-2
win in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Series is more
than a bit worrisome.
The Washington Capitals outshot the Flyers 14-5 in the
first 30 minutes while setting the tone physically by more than
doubling up Philly in hits. But the Caps finished the game on their
heels and were lucky to outlast the Flyers' 21 shot barrage in the
third period alone.
For a desperate team faced with a "win or go home"
scenario, the Caps sure played like it -- for just half the game. Then
they looked a bit tired while the Flyers made all the right adjustments
(just as they've done all series long) to take control of the game.
However they came up short and this loss puts the pressure on Philly as
Monday's game will be
treated as a Game 7 in the Flyer camp. They certainly don't want the
series coming back to a frenzied Verizon Center whose fans will be
raucously behind their comeback Caps.
A FEW NOTES FROM THE GAME:
Philly's Derian
Hatcher had some of the best chances
the entire game, including that late third period marker. The Capitals
should be happy about that since familiar nemeses Daniel Briere, Jeff
Carter, Mike
Richards, et al were generally held in check. But at the
same time, why the heck is Hatcher getting so many chances?
I know Alexander
Semin has been Washington's most
consistent scoring threat this postseason, but why in the world was he
on
the ice for the last minute and a half of the game. We've seen him cost
the Caps more than once this season in the game's final minute with
terrible penalties and poor defensive coverage. I was cringing in
horror when he sprawled to block a shot in the last 10 seconds and
ended
up practically at neutral ice while the Flyers were setting up a
scoring chance.
Viktor
Kozlov and John
Erskine combined for as many
giveaways (8) as the entire Flyers team.
Mike
Green added two assists and now leads all
playoff defensemen with 7 points, though his plus/minus is tied for
second worst among the top 20 scorers.
In his last three games, David Steckel is
now 6 for
29 (20.7%) at the faceoff dot.
Kudos to Alex
Ovechkin, Brooks
Laich, and Green for drawing two Flyers D-men with them in
front of Martin Biron
on Semin's
goal. I'm surprised Biron, who never moved, even caught a glimpse of
the puck as it went past him. That's what having bodies in front of the
net does -- it leads to game-winning goals.
How 'bout Matt
Bradley looking like Sergei
Fedorov of
15 years ago turning on the jets to draw a Flyers penalty.
Stat of the day: Donald
Brashear 7 hits in less than
7 minutes.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Better Effort, Same Result
The Capitals' backs are officially up against the
wall.
But at least getting there wasn't as embarrassing as it was in Games 2
and 3.
This one could have gone either way, and that's
exactly
why it
required a pair of extra frames. Both teams had their share of chances
and both received spectacular goaltending (featuring two of the best
saves you'll ever see by Cristobal
Huet.)
Let's check out the good, the bad, and the ugly:
THE
GOOD
Huet, despite being touched up for four more goals,
was
spectacular at times and very solid otherwise en route to making 42
saves. But the question remains, should Olie Kolzig
get the start in Game 5? I'm guessing he will, if no other reason than
to light a fire under this team. A better reason is to terrify these
Flyers forwards who continually crash the crease.
Nicklas
Backstrom, invisible in the first three games, led the
Capitals in shots with 6 while putting up a goal and an assist with a
+1 rating.
Steve
Eminger got the start in place of Jeff Schultz
and scored his first ever playoff goal. He also finished second among
all players on both teams in hits with 5 (Ovechkin was first with a
whopping 10, but I'd trade one goal for those 10 hits any day.) Eminger
also broke the 20 minute mark in ice time for the first time this
season, but still had the least among Caps defensemen (gotta love
double OT.)
The Capitals did a much better job of keeping the
front of
the net clear, which isn't saying a whole lot considering how dreadful
they've been the rest of this series.
THE
BAD
Nearly 87 minutes of action, only one shot on goal
for Alexander Ovechkin.
He also missed a wide open net that would have given the Caps a 4-2
lead in the third -- one of his game high 6 missed shots.
Viktor
Kozlov, who
along with Ovechkin led the Caps during the regular season with a +28
rating (good for 7th in the league,) is a team (and league) worst -5 in
the playoffs.
The Capitals are still having trouble at even
strength. Exhibit
A: Despite losing by just one goal, the Capitals had a -10
rating as a team while the Flyers were +10. Exhibit B:
Shaone
Morrisonn
was -3 while Kozlov,
Sergei Fedorov, and Mike
Green each finished a -2. The Flyers, meanwhile had two
guys at +3 and a couple more at +2.
THE
UGLY
Martin
Biron had a game-high 5 giveaways. What's even uglier is
that the Capitals failed to make him pay.
David
Steckel, who
ranked 6th best in the NHL during the regular season in faceoffs, is
5th worst in the playoffs after going just 3 for 12 in Game 4.
The Caps are down three games to one. The only
thing
uglier
will be losing one of the last three. On the bright side, the Capitals
had to win 7 straight just to make the playoffs, so (to borrow the '89
Baltimore Orioles motto) Why Not?
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Time for a New Plan, And Fast
A regular season ending that has created so much
optimism has taken a turn for the worse. Not only have the Washington
Capitals lost two straight, they didn't even have a chance.
Where to begin? We'll start with the most glaring stat
-- shots on goal. A game after being outshot 41-24, the Capitals showed
up flat again, this time registering just 19 shots while allowing 33.
As for the percentage of shot attempts that actually hit the mark, the
Flyers connected on 58% (33 shots, 11 blocked, 13 missed) while the
Capitals were just 31% (19 shots, 25 blocked, 18 missed).
Check out the shot charts from both games superimposed on each other:
Now that the most obvious factor is out of the way,
it's
time to take a look at everything else. And, unfortunately, it's A LOT
of everything else.
First off, there is a TON of contact on Cristobal
Huet...and some crummy calls to boot. Why Daniel Briere was not given
an additional penalty for interference on those conincidental minors is
beyond me. Had the Capitals been given the man advantage, Tom Poti
likely would not have been whistled for hooking on the 4-on-4. Poti's
penalty late in the second allowed Briere to score on the power play
with less than 10 seconds in the period, giving the Flyers a 4-2 lead.
It's become clear that the Flyers have gotten into
Huet's head. He is not making those critical saves that he's made look
routine in recent weeks. Sure he can't see some of them with all the
screens the Flyers are expertly setting up, but he needed to stop that
penalty shot by Mike Richards -- and didn't. And rebound
control...don't get me started on rebound control. Is it just me or did
he absorb just one shot for a cover all game long? One out of 33.
Everything else was left in play, some of a quite juicy nature.
Now a big, big question. Is it time to consider
starting
Olie Kolzig? He's a much more imposing physical presence than
the Frenchy, possibly preventing the Flyers from consistently crashing
the crease. Not to mention a mean streak that puts all but Ron Hextall
and Billy Smith to shame. Perhaps Huet is a bit fatigued from starting
10 in a row and Kolzig could provide a storybook finish. Or perhaps I'm
talking out of my behind. But I don't think so.
Gotta start with that top line, and may as well
look
straight up the middle. Nicklas Backstrom looks like a rookie, and not
a rookie of the year candidate. He's getting outmuscled and is unable
to create anything offensively. His ineptitude is allowing the Flyers
to key on Alex Ovechkin, preventing Ovie from getting any space
whatsoever.
Viktor Kozlov hit the crossbar. That's the best
thing
he did all night. He did play a little keep away down low on one shift,
but when you can't get the puck to Ovechkin who was lurking in the slot
with good inside position, there's no
point other than wasting energy.
The top line's stats over the past two games: 0
Goals, 1 Assist, -8 Rating, 9 Giveaways, 3 Takeaways. Need I go on?
As for the second line, Sergei Fedorov spent quite
a
bit of time on defense with Jeff Schultz logging just 2:23 of ice time.
Hence, Brooks Laich was forced into the second line center role. That
didn't work so well either. Between Fedorov, Laich, Alexander Semin,
and Matt Cooke, the line was a combined -6.
By the way, the NHL should institute a new stat.
They
already have Missed Shots. To appease Semin, they need to add Whiffed
Shots. I
counted three in this game alone.
The best player of the
night for Washington (and this
is why they lost) was Eric Fehr. He played just 8 minutes but scored a
goal, blocked a shot, made a takeaway, and was a team high +2. But for
a guy projected as a power forward, he goes down far too easily.
Honorable mention goes to Donald Brashear who set
Fehr up for his goal with some good, tough work down low. Maybe he
should have been rewarded with more than 5:31 of ice time, especially
in a physically grueling playoff series.
Just by the way, Derian Hatcher (who the Capitals
passed over years ago in the draft when they chose John Slaney...oops)
had a wonderful return to the lineup after missing a month with a
broken leg. My how the Capitals could have used his +3, 3 hit, 4
blocked shot performance.
The Capitals need to make some drastic changes in
their
gameplan. They are being schooled and are fruitlessly reacting to
everything
the Flyers are doing, not controlling the play as they have
successfully done since Thanksgiving. One poor performance is
excusable, two in a row signifies something much more maligned.
Monday, April 14, 2008
In the Way
It's been a hectic couple days for me, what with all
the
wincing from that lethargic performance in Game 2. Though Washington
has been outplayed in 5 of 6 playoff periods and they were caught
standing around more than Suresh
Joachim on Saturday afternoon, they come away quite lucky to
be even at one game apiece.
While the Capitals and Cristobal Huet, who
has seen his
share of physical contact so far this series, are headed back to
Philadelphia having lost home-ice advantage, news comes from Toronto
regarding a never-before-seen type of goaltender interference --
what will forever be known as
The Sean
Avery Rule. In case you've missed it, here you go:
Despite this being a 5-on-3 disadvantage for the
Devils,
why wouldn't Paul Martin,
the Devils D-man, obliterate Avery in front
of the net? I don't see how a ref in his right mind (other than Chris
Rooney perhaps) would call a penalty on the Devils.
Although the Devils defense had nothing to say about
it,
it didn't take long for the NHL to provide a swift crackdown.
"National
Hockey League Senior Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey
Operations Colin Campbell
today issued the following advisory on the
interpretation of Rule 75 - Unsportsmanlike Conduct: 'An
unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty (Rule 75) will be interpreted and
applied, effective immediately, to a situation when an offensive player
positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and engages in
actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender's
face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting
the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a
play.'"
Now if only the Capitals defense would act as sternly
toward the Philly players who continue run Huet.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Comeback, Playoff Style
It started with the fourth line guys and finished with
the
MVP. In between was an extremely unsettling four minute stretch that
saw the Philadelphia Flyers take complete control of the game -- or so
it seemed.
After Donald
Brashear and David
Steckel (both with help from Matt Bradley) each
gave the Capitals a lead, the Danny and Vinny Show took over. Philly's Daniel Briere and Vinny Prospal
each scored twice and added an assist to move the Flyers in front 4-2.
But most notably, the Capitals' big guns were held at bay for the first
two frames.
Down by two at the start of the third period, there
was
a feel
that the Capitals would need to make some major readjustments for Game
2 just to gain a split at home. But Mike
Green,
whose on again, off again play of late nearly cost him the scoring
title among blueliners, broke through -- not once, but twice. And both
goals came on brilliant shots.
Green, whose 18 regular season goals were one more
than
Calgary's Dion Phaneuf
and Boston's Zdeno Chara
racked up, giving him the goal scoring title, beat Flyers netminder Martin Biron twice
to the roof to pull the Caps even with plenty of time to play.
Then with under five minutes to play in the third,
enter Alex Ovechkin.
Ovie was bottled up all night and held without a shot for the first 52+
minutes of the game. But his clean swipe of the puck gave him his only
good scoring chance of the whole game, and in MVP-style he buried it.
He actually managed to strip two Flyers on the play -- first was Jaroslav Modry
(whose -4 on the night tells the story of his ineffectiveness) and then
Lasse Kukkonen
became his next victim, with Biron last in line.
After scoring what turned out to be the game-winner,
Ovechkin
picked up his physical game to an even higher level. Having registered
five hits before the goal, Ovie had three more in the last four minutes
of the game. The biggest of which was when he
decked Mike Richards,
allowing the Caps to clear in the final seconds icing the victory for
the home team -- the first time the home team has won in the season
series thus far.
SOME NOTES FROM THE GAME:
In true Flyers/Capitals playoff fashion, the game
was
extremely hard-hitting. A total of 76 hits were doled out with the Caps
making 40 of them. Leading the way were Ovechkin (8), Matt Bradley (7), Matt Cooke (6), and Milan Jurcina (5).
All had more than Philly's top guys, Jeff Carter and Braydon Coburn (4
each).
Three of the four goals Cristobal Huet allowed
were shots he has stopped in the last couple weeks. But he
came up huge on Scott
Hartnell to keep the game tied at 4 in the third
to redeem himself.
The refs let the players decide the outcome as they
had the
whistle away for the most part. A few plays that would normally be
called were not, but for the most part both teams played a pretty
disciplined game. I will be very surprised if Game 2 is as businesslike.
So that's one game down and 15...er, 3 to go. Sorry. I
was
getting ahead of myself just a bit. But with this type of comeback
victory coupled with the fact that the Capitals are the hottest team in
the league right now and have the 4th best record in the NHL since Bruce Boudreau came
aboard, why not think big?
Friday, July 11, 2008
