Thursday, February 28, 2008

Coming Together

The preliminary line combos have been set, according to Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post. They break down as follows:

• Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov
• Semin-Fedorov-Laich
• Fleischmann-Gordon-Fehr
• Brashear-Steckel-Bradley/Laing

If these triumvirates hold up for Friday night's contest against the New Jersey Devils, there are a few things to take note of. 

First, reuniting Kozlov with Ovechkin and Backstrom is a no-brainer. Good to see Bruce Boudreau agree. In the last six games, Ovechkin has no goals and four assists with a -5 rating. Backstrom has no goals and three assists with a -4 rating. Talk about a decrease in production! Kozlov, meanwhile, has one goal and one assist in eight games. In the nine games previous, he had seven goals and four assists. Yet another disappearing act from a guy the Caps sorely need offense from.

It's no surprise to see Semin paired with Fedorov on the second line, but the addition of Laich on the opposite wing is a bit of an enigma. Sure his two goal, two assist performance against Minnesota has earned him a spot on a scoring line, but I'm a little befuddled about the breakup of the Laich-Fleischmann-Fehr line that was a +12 combined in their first game together. Fleishcmann and Fehr have done next to nothing all season long -- until being grouped with Laich (who just so happened to have a career night of his own.) Although the Capitals' roster lacks a true second line right winger, I'd prefer to see someone else step alongside Semin and Fedorov in order to keep that third line together, at least for a couple more games. You find something that works spectacularly, and you immediately break it up?

A look at the fourth line (which does not include newly added Matt Cooke, who is expected to join the team in New Jersey but may not play,) exhibits more than a bit of overcrowding. Once Cooke, an agitator the Capitals certainly are in need of, is in the lineup, I would look for Bradley, Brashear, and (sadly) even Laing to be scratched a bit more than in the past. Cooke is a similar type of player, but he gets under the skin the way a Matthew Barnaby or Sean Avery does. And the Caps haven't had that since Dale Hunter retired.

With no moves made to the defensive corps, the same rotation can be expected. John Erskine sat out against the Wild, but it's anybody's guess who will be wearing a suit upstairs on Friday -- as will be the case for the remainder of the season.

It is in goal where all eyes are focused right now. Cristobal Huet's first practice saw Olie Kolzig on the ice and Brent Johnson on the bench. The odd man out (Johnson for now) takes shots after practice, and you can be sure that it's an unsettling situation around KCI these days. As for the game against the Devils on Friday, Huet will start with Kolzig expected to get the nod on Saturday.

One thing that Kolzig and even Johnson can take some solice in is the fact that Huet (Montreal's top goaltender the past three seasons) has always played about every other game. He's certainly no Marty Brodeur. The chart below shows a statistical comparison with his teammates each of the past three seasons:

Each year Huet has outplayed his partner, but split playing time quite evenly. Having never been an every day guy, Huet is used to getting breathers so he should be right at home in Washington watching Kolzig and even Johnson get frequent starts.

All in all, a very intriguing and exciting time is about to begin for the Washington Capitals. George McPhee has clearly stated that he is intent on making the playoffs THIS year, and anything less would be a big disappointment. The Capitals youngsters need the playoff experience as early as possible. 

Look at the Pittsburgh Penguins who, despite being knocked out in the first round last year, have come back strong -- even without their superstar. (Could the Capitals do that without Ovechkin?) They know what a playoff run is and are having no problems making a second go of it this year. With their previous playoff experience in hand, they just might cause some havoc this postseason, something the Capitals expect to do come next year. 

But first, they need to get their feet wet right now.

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