Sunday, December 31, 2006

It was a pretty good year . . .

2006 . . . What a year . . .

In the space of four days in January, Alexander Ovechkin registered his first hat trick in the NHL and then managed to score a goal while sliding on his back away from the net at which he was . . . uh, shooting. It was a memorable January – the Caps finished 5-8-2.

In February, the Caps played an abbreviated schedule due to the Olympics. But, Mike Green scored his first goal as a Capital, in a 4-1 win against Toronto. Alexander Ovechkin scored a goal by somersaulting into the rafters and banking a wrist shot off of Don Cherry’s tie knot. The Caps finished 2-4-0

March . . . the Caps saw a return to a full slate of games, although what a metamorphic rock derived out of sedimentary materials has to do with schedules for a professional sports team is a mystery. The Caps secured their only win of the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins, highlighted by a goofy goal from the stick of Ivan Majesky, who fired (“blooped” would be a more apt description) the puck from the boards near the Caps’ bench in an effort to clear the zone while killing a penalty. The puck landed near the Penguins' blue line – in full sight of Penguin goaltender Sebastien Caron – upon which Alexander Ovechkin gave the puck the evil eye, willing it to bounce out of the reach of Caron and into the net, leaving Caron embarrassed and Penguin fans wailing about how this will cost them a new arena. Brendan Witt was traded to the Nashville Predators for a boxed set of Loretta Lynn classics. Kris Beech was added as a throw-in. The Caps finished 4-6-5.

April . . . the Caps played 328 games against Carolina. Well, not that many, but it seemed like it. Alexander Ovechkin scored a goal by levitating above the ice and casting the puck into the net on a lightning bolt emitted from his eyes. Olaf Kolzig and Brent Johnson split ten decisions – Johnson won three, Kolzig won two. Caps fans immediately called for Johnson to be installed as the next season’s starter and Kolzig banished to collecting parking passes at FedEx Field. The Caps played the role of spoiler, ending Atlanta’s bid for a playoff spot in the next-to-last game of the year. Thirty eight people saw it at MCI Center. The Caps finished 5-3-2.

May . . . Caps fans huddled around their TV screens and computers to follow the latest progress. Redskins rookie camp was said to have gone well. No one killed Gregg Williams.

June . . . Alexander Ovechkin announced the Capitals’ first pick in the NHL entry draft – Nicklas Backstrom of Brynas in the Swedish Elite League. He did such a great job, he was given the responsibility of announcing the meal choice of the guys at the Caps’ draft table – Kung Pao Chicken and Polish sausage sandwiches.

July . . . The free agent signing period began, and the Caps were active – unfortunately, no one thought to charge their cell phones, and Zdeno Chara ended up in Boston. The Caps made up for lost time by signing Richard Zednik. Trevor Linden could not be reached for comment.

August . . . the club, acknowledging that the new skating facility in Ballston would not be ready for training camp, announced that camp would open in the frozen food section of the Wegman’s on Route 28 in Loudoun County. Fans attending on the first day of camp would receive coupons for Mrs. Paul’s fish sticks.

September . . . The Redskins opened camp, the Nationals’ season was winding down, the Terps were opening their ACC football season, DC United was trying to hang onto the top spot in the East in the MLS. That constituted sports news on the local front for . . . oh, yeah . . . the Caps opened camp (Wegman’s did not run out of fish sticks).

October . . . The National Hockey League season opened with a thud as the Caps served as useful props for the Rangers’ opening night win. Dozens of Caps fans attended the home opener a couple of nights later. Alexander had a hat trick. No, not that one, the other one. The Caps finished 4-3-4. Fans were planning parade routes for the Stanley Cup celebration.

November . . . was a month of firsts . . . the Caps did something in Philadelphia they hadn’t done since January 1998 – they took a team wizz on the Rocky statue. It must have worked, since the Caps also won their first game in Philly in all that time. Then, Olaf Kolzig did something he hadn’t done in his entire career. He beat the Dallas Stars . . . then he celebrated by almost losing his lunch when Jamie Heward had a new set of nostrils carved into his face by a Mike Modano skate blade. The Caps finished 6-6-2.

December . . . Alexander Ovechkin started off the month scoring a goal by stuffing the puck in Daniel Briere’s mouth and shooting him into the Buffalo Sabre net. Briere spent the next month complaining of neck pain and . . . cramps with bloating. Then, the Caps did two things they hadn’t done in more than a decade – they swept Philadelphia, and they horked up a four goal lead to the Penguins. The next night, Ovechkin scored the tying goal in the last minute of regulation against Atlanta, then won it six seconds into overtime. Then they beat the Flyers again and celebrated by driving to Philly and wizzing on the Rocky statue. Then they gave up six goals in 37 seconds (ok, it only seemed that way) to Buffalo. It was a helluva month for a club that finished 6-7-1.

And it was a helluva year for a club that is making small, but sure steps back to respectability. Alexander Ovechkin is everything he was said to be and more. Olaf Kolzig remains the cornerstone of the franchise, in and out of the locker room. Alexander Semin dazzles with his stick work, and if you blink, you’ll miss that wrister heading to the back of the net. Mike Green plays with a veteran’s sense of patience. Shaone Morrisonn is growing into the stopper that the Caps need. Matt Pettinger has given indications that his breakout year last year wasn’t a fluke. John Erskine has been a pleasant surprise. The boys in Hershey are taking up right where they left off in June with their Calder Cup win.

The future looks a lot brighter in these parts than it has in some time. 2006 was a year of progress. Here’s to 2007 being one of achievement. And pretty soon, all of us can celebrate by heading to Philly and wizzing on the Rocky statue.



Happy New Year, hockey fans.

The Morning After -- Caps vs. Rangers

It’s one thing to fall to a club that is experienced in the ways of winning, as the Caps did on Friday night to the Devils. It is quite another to go toes up against a club that has played horrible hockey for the better part of the last month. But that’s what happened last night when the Caps went quietly – in the hockey way of things – to the New York Rangers, 4-1 (at least The Peerless got the score right).

It was brutal.

Petr Prucha, who last year was a darling in Manhattan, but who now seems to be more the topic of trade rumors, netted two goals. Well, gee…until last night, he’d had one goal since Veterans Day.

Darius Kasparaitis, who was given up for dead a month ago, coming off groin and shoulder injuries, and crowded out of a defensive lineup that wouldn’t scare small children, gets a goal and was a plus-three. Kasparaitis hadn’t had a plus-three game since October 13, 2005.

Karel Rachunek, who isn’t on anyone’s Norris short list, had a pair of assists and was a plus-two.

It wasn’t as if the Caps succumbed to an all-star lineup. It wasn’t as if the Rangers played particularly well. This was a game the Caps should have won.

Moral victories should be getting to be a thing of the past. The club has to find a way to steal a couple of points here and there when they aren’t fielding their best lineup. Instead, the Caps find themselves at the end of the year marching in place, a .500 team. Don’t get me wrong, that’s an improvement over where they were on December 31, 2005 (13-20-3, for those of you scoring at home), but closing 2006 on a 1-6-0 run wasn’t in the game plan. Here is what “stealing” two points here and there could have meant. If they’d stolen two games (a 3-4-0 record instead of 1-6-0), they would be 18-14-7 and tied for sixth with Ottawa. This morning, they are 11th.

What’s the problem? Well, giving up 29 goals in seven games – only one in which fewer than four goals were allowed (not coincidentally, the only win in this stretch) – points to a problem. In spite of injuries, that just suggests a team-wide loss of focus. That seemed always to be the danger here with a young team. Between the holidays and the start of the long march through the winter, focus was something that could wander. Add to that the spate of injuries and illness, and it was a recipe for trouble. An explanation, maybe, but that should be used by no one as an excuse. If this team has designs on the playoffs, it has to find a way to weather such storms.

2006 ends with a record of 32-37-16. In 2007, fans – not to mention the club -- will be expecting better.

Saturday, December 30, 2006

The Remarkable Consistency of Alexander Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin has now played 337 games in the NHL. Looking at his ten-game segments, what is striking is his remarkable scoring consistency. The breakdown, from his first ten-game segment to his most recent:


337 games (through October 31, 2009) games -- 233 goals, 210 assists, 443 points . . . Through 130 games, he was a metronome -- 13 points every ten games, like clockwork. There was a 40-game spell during which he "slumped" a bit (20-12-32). But in his next seven full ten-game segments, he was never been below 10 points. He is currently on a nine-segment streak in which he scored at least ten points.

Oh, and Alex was named a first-team all-star for the fourth time on the heels of his 2008-2009 season. He is the only player in NHL history to be named a first team all star in each of his first four seasons in the league.

updated: November 1, 2009

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!! -- Caps vs. Rangers, December 30th





The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

This is a special medical edition of The Prognosto, featuring a panel of esteemed medicos – Dr. Marcus Welby, Dr. James Kildare, Dr. Victor Ehrlich, and Dr. Ben Casey.

(They’re all dead, Peerless)

Uh, no their not, Kildare is still around somewhere, and Ehrlich it tooling around in his hybrid car.

(ok…whatever you say)

So, doctors…we have a number of Caps on the shelf with illness and injury. What do you prescribe to get them back on the ice?

Dr. Welby: “Leech”

Dr. Casey: “Welby, you always say ‘leech’”

Welby: “No, you idiot, ‘Leetch.’ The defenseman? Don’t you follow hockey, Casey?”

Dr. Kildare: “Or?”

Welby: “Or what, sonny?”

Kildare: “No, Doctor…’Orr.’ He was great when I was an intern.”

Dr. Ehrlich: “They have medicine when you were an intern?”

Kildare: “That’s not very professional…”

Casey: “Could they use a ‘pronger?’”

Welby: “you surgeons, always wanting to use fancy instruments…”

Casey: --rolls eyes—

Kildare: “maybe the problem is no Klemm”

Welby: “phlegm?”

Kildare: “No, you ossified fart, ‘Klemm’ . . . plays for the Stars”

Ehrlich: “Phaneuf”

Everyone: “gesundheit”

Well, so much for the masters of medicine, how about the game? . . . The Washington Bearitals come into the back half of yet another back-to-back on a 1-5-0 run and slipping through the standings. They dropped to tenth in the conference last evening, but could – with a win against the Rangers tonight and losses by Ottawa, the Islanders, and the Bruins – climb all the way into a tie for sixth in points in the East. Such is the crowded situation these days.

The Bearitals come into this game with the possibility of having to fill multiple slots with call-ups from Hershey. Matt Pettinger, Brian Sutherby, and Steve Eminger missed last night’s game with the Devils due to stomach flu. Chris Clark, Mike Green, and Brian Pothier played under the influence of that bug. John Erskine remains out, as do Bryan Muir and Matt Bradley with injuries. Begs the question, who does Hershey ice in a first-place showdown against Norfolk tonight?

However, the story here is the Rangers. If you haven’t been paying attention, they’ve lost seven in a row. That isn’t the half of it. In that streak, the Rangers were shutout in their last two games (2-0 to the Islanders, 1-0 last night to Ottawa), Michael Nylander was benched for the entire third period of the game against the Islanders, Jaromir Jagr has only two goals and is a -4 in the losing streak, they are 4-for-37 (10.8 percent) on the power play in their last seven, 22-for 33 (66.7 percent) in penalty killing, Brendan Shanahan has only one goal in his last ten games. If there is a light at the end of the Rangers’ tunnel, it is that goalie Henrik Lundqvist has been excellent in the two shutout losses, stopping 63 of 66 shots (95.5 percent). But even that has a down side. Since Lundqvist has played in the last three Ranger games, the second half of their own back-to-back might call for Kevin Weekes to get a start. Weekes has had some problems in this stretch of Ranger futility – 0-3-0, 4.24, .857 in four appearances.

These are two teams fumbling for a way out of recent misery. They have different problems, though. The Rangers haven’t been able to score much – 11 goals in seven games. The Bearitals haven’t been able to stop anyone – 25 goals allowed in their last six contests. So, it’s the resistible force against the moveable object tonight. Who blinks first? Well, the difference could be the level of effort and the crowd. The Caps haven’t lacked for effort in this slide, and the Ranger crowd could be in the mood for red meat – wearing blue jerseys. A fast start would do wonders for the Bearitals’ chances here, and Alexander Ovechkin likes a big stage. It could be ugly for the blueshirts, especially given that wounded Washington is served up as a remedy for their own recent woes. 2006 ends on a good note for the good guys . . .

Caps 4 – Rangers 1.

The Morning After -- Caps vs. Devils

Well, The Peerless called that one, didn’t he . . . whoever scores first wins? It’s a sign of where the Caps are at the moment that scoring first would have no meaning; that a club having difficulty coming back in such situations should not only do so, but carry a two-goal lead into the final minute.

And as for the guys who were going to be the bricks and mortar of a win? They were laid up in a hotel room battling a stomach virus, according to Tarik El-Bashir’s column in this morning’s Post. Matt Pettinger, Brian Sutherby, and Steve Eminger – all of whom have been struggling lately – ended up on the shelf. Three more players -- Chris Clark, Mike Green, and Brian Pothier – were ill, but dressed. Pothier’s minutes were reduced by eight from his average for the season; Clark and Green played slightly less than normal.

All in all, it would be hard to find much fault with the Caps last night, especially with the lineup they iced:

Forwards:

Alexander Ovechkin
Dainius Zubrus
Chris Clark
Alexander Semin
Boyd Gordon
Brooks Laich
Kris Beech
Ben Clymer
Jakub Klepis
Donald Brashear
Brian Sutherby Dave Steckel
Matt Pettinger


Defense:


Brian Pothier
John Erskine Lawrence Nycholat
Bryan Muir Jamie Hunt
Steve Eminger Timo Helbling
Jamie Heward
Shaone Morrisonn
Mike Green


Goalie:

Olaf Kolzig

If there was one line that reflected the evening and had The Peerless scratching his head, it was this one . . . Brook Laich, from Lawrence Nycholat and Kris Beech. That could have been a scoring line from last spring’s Calder playoffs. And here’s one for you . . . Lawrence Nycholat registered the first two point game (1-1-2) by a defenseman in almost a month (John Erskine . . . John Erskine?? . . . December 2, vs. Buffalo). The last one before Erskine’s was October 30th (Shaone Morrisonn vs. Calgary). Whodathunkit, eh?

But here is the nub of the matter . . . New Jersey really hasn’t played like that much a better team than the Caps this year (they came in with 43 points, the Caps 39). But they know how to win games, and they know how to take advantage of an opponent’s weaknesses, especially when that opponent has holes in its lineup. For the Caps, the effort was there – Herculean in fact -- but not the ability to finish. That comes with experience – another lesson on the road to competitiveness.

Friday, December 29, 2006

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Devils, December 29th

First to score wins…

If there is one statistic that matters in the game this evening between the Caps and the New Jersey Devils, that’s the one. Why? Because both teams suck at coming from behind. Washington is 28th in the league in winning percentage when scored upon first, New Jersey 24th. If you’re worried about missing the next exciting episode of “Shark” this evening at 8:00 on CBS, don’t be. This game could be settled in the first ten minutes, thus leaving you free for an evening of exciting prime time viewing entertainment, brought to you by the same folks who made “CSI” a four-letter word.

Here’s another nugget to chew on . . . The Caps have six shorthanded goals this year (tied for 8th in the league); the Devils have given up eight shorties (tied for second most). Paging Chris Clark . . . Paging Brooks Laich . . .

And one thing you’re not likely to see . . . a Caps power play goal. First, the Devils have the fewest shorthanded situations in the league this year by a wide margin (more than 12 percent fewer than second place Tampa Bay). Second, they’re killing off 88.2 percent of those situations . . . 16 power play goals allowed this year.

The Caps are in a plum-pudding addled funk at the moment, following up a 7-1-1 run with a 1-4-0 skid. Part of the five game slide is health (Richard Zednik, Shaone Morrisonn, John Erskine, Matt Bradley, Bryan Muir), part of it is just a lack of results (Matt Pettinger: 0-0-0, -3; Brian Sutherby: 0-1-1, -2, 30.3 percent on faceoffs; Jakub Klepis: 0-0-0, -4; Brian Pothier: 0-0-0, -4; and even with a 3-3-6 line, Alex Ovechkin is -3).

More odd numbers . . .

In this five game slide, the Caps – heretofore thought of as a decent even strength team – have only five even strength goals (six power play and a shorthanded goal make up the rest of the total of 12 goals). They’ve given up 14 goals at even strength.

They’ve give up at least four goals in four of the five games.

Of the 12 goals they’ve scored, eight have come off the sticks of the top line of Ovechkin, Dainius Zubrus, and Clark; two others from Alexander Semin – the usual suspects. But the Caps have gotten scoring from virtually no one else (four goals – two from Kris Beech, one each from Bryan Muir and Jamie Heward . . . please note the utter lack of contributions from the third or fourth lines there).

Chalk things up to injuries if you like, but what the injuries have done is expose the Caps lack of depth. And, they’re just not playing well . . . for example, Matt Pettinger hasn’t scored a point in his last eight games and is -5 over that span; Jakub Klepis has no points in his last nine and is -4; Brian Sutherby hasn’t scored a goal in more than two months.

The Caps get fairly consistent production from the top line; Alexander Semin has the scorer’s streakiness but has good numbers as well. However, the Caps live and die by the contributions the other guys make at both ends of the ice. No one is expecting Brian Sutherby to become Jason Spezza, or Matt Pettinger to become Jarome Iginla, but to the extent the Caps aren’t getting consistent production from players such as these (and they’re not the only examples), they’re not getting consistent results. For the Caps to win tonight, it is as likely going to be a product of what these guys do as it is what Alexander Ovechkin or Alexander Semin – guys with bulls eyes on their backs – do.

Those are the guys to watch and the guys who will come through tonight . . .

Caps 3 – Devils 2.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

A Tale of Two Decembers...

Player 1:

0-2-2, even
12:50 average ice time
3 of 12 games with >50 percent faceoff wins
15 total shots on goal in 12 games

Player 2:

0-3-3, +6 (no "minus" games)
15:30 average ice time
6 of 12 games with 50 percent or better faceoff percentage
25 total shots on goal in 12 games

Player 1...Brian Sutherby
Player 2...Boyd Gordon

The Morning After -- Caps vs. Montreal

Bad habits . . .

They kind of creep up on you, and if you don’t notice them, they can be so much harder to change. In this case, eight goals against in the first period in the past two games . . . one goal for. Last night it was two for the visiting Montreal Canadiens and none for the home team. Having to claw out of a hole – a deep hole – starting early in games is not a consistent formula for success, and this is especially so with the Caps nursing a variety of illnesses and injuries.

The first period was good, bad, and unlucky. The good was the fact that the Caps got 14 shots on goal. The bad was that only three of them came from the reconstituted first line of Alexander Ovechkin, Dainius Zubrus, and Alexander Semin (more on that to come). The unlucky was the path of the puck on the first goal for the Habs, which managed not to hit any feet or skates from the left wing boards and the stick of Guillaume Latendresse to the far side of the crease and the stick of Mathieu Dandenault for a tap-in.

The Caps experimented with a super-line of Ovechkin and Semin, centered by Zubrus last night. That is the all-eggs-in-one-basket school of offense. Trouble is, it puts so much pressure on that line to score that there is a temptation to press even harder in the offensive end at the expense of defense. The line did get a late power play goal, but they were on the ice for two goals (one being the shorthanded empty netter by Sheldon Souray in the last minute). Was the experiment a failure? No, not necessarily . . . but no other line registered a point – that’s the other side of the experiment.

There is another number here that bears noting . . . 43.7. That is the Caps’ faceoff winning percentage over the last four games (1-3-0). They’ve been on the short end of the faceoff ledger in each of those games. The Caps have been outscored 16-8 in those four games. Coincidence? Perhaps, but puck possession is a critical element in the way the game is played these days. Lose a lot of faceoffs, and you spend a lot of time chasing the puck around. And, given the Caps health problems on defense these days, that’s not a good thing.

The Caps are half-way through their eight game holiday stretch outside the Southeast Division and have two points to show for the four games they’ve played. While they are ninth in the conference (tied with Boston in points for eighth, but with fewer wins) and two points out of sixth, they also are only four points ahead of 14th place Florida. This is a critical part of the schedule, coming as it does against fellow travelers in the Eastern Conference. A back-to-back road set against the Devils and Rangers, and back home to face Phoenix and Montreal could go a long way toward determining whether the Caps are contenders in the last half of the season, or pretenders.

And answering that question might start with the matter of those first period bad habits.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

The Peerless Prognosticator is BACK...ON THE AIR!!! Caps vs. Canadiens, December 27th

The Peerless Prognosticator is BACK ON THE AIR!!!

Ok, so we took a few days off to give the fat man directions, whip up some Peerless Nog, and make rather merry, as Bob Crachit put it. We returned just in time to see Brent Johnson do his bit for the waste lumber industry. Enough column inches have been expended in recounting that effort.

But tonight, it’s Le Club de Hockey Canadien. Montreal, perhaps more than even Buffalo, is the epitome of the kind of club that will succeed in the new NHL. Five-on-five, they are an ordinary team at best (25th in 5-on-5 goals for/goals against ratio). But special teams? First on the power play, second in penalty killing. This is a bigger factor than the goaltending of Cristobal Huet (which is the name of a high-end glassware set, not a hockey player), who is ninth in the league in goals against average and first in save percentage. He’s 5-1-1 in his seven decisions in December. But, Montreal splits time between their goalies than most other teams. Huet has played about two-thirds of the available minutes this year, while David Aebischer gets the rest. The Peerless is inclined to think that Huet’s performance this year is surprising, but his numbers this year (2.36, .931) are not appreciably different than his statistics last year (2.20, .929).

Among the skaters, Saku Koivu remains the Hab to watch. Six goals in his last eight games, and he’s winning almost 56 percent of the draws he’s taken this year. The Chris Higgins-Koivu-Michael Ryder line has 11 goals in those last eight games, more than a third of the Montreal total. But while that group is especially dangerous, the Canadiens have scoring from 14 different skaters in the last eight games. Goals can come from unexpected places (although not from Maxim Lapierre, who despite three goals in four games, was returned to Hamilton of the NHL). Given Montreal’s special production on the power play, the man to watch here will be Sheldon Souray – third in total scoring among defensemen, first in power play goals, first in total power play scoring, tied among defenseman for game winning goals (including an overtime winner). You'd think his name was Sheldon Gonchar...

The Caps suffered what looked to be a monstrous nog-over in the first ten minutes of the game last night. But, they are 4-2-2 in the back half of back-to-backs so far this year and have won their last three of such games. Alex Ovechkin, as if he needed more attention, took over the league lead in goals last night with his 25th (in fewer games than any of his four closest pursuers) and has climbed to a tie for fourth in total scoring. In December, he is 9-12-21, +4 in 11 games (by way of inevitable comparison, Sidney Crosby is 7-16-23, +2 in 12 games). Alexander Semin is 3-5-8, +5 in his last five games. On the other side of the coin, Matt Pettinger is scoreless in his last seven games and -4 . . . Ben Clymer has had one plus game since November 4th (the day he moved back to forward) . . . in the callup category, Jeff Schultz has acquitted himself well in his three games since being called up from Hershey – more than 18 minutes of ice time a game and -1 overall.

Montreal is 7-1-1 in their last nine. In that time their power play converted 32.5 percent of its chances (13 of 40) and killed 83.3 percent of it shorthanded situations (35 of 42) with four shorthanded goals (they lead the NHL with 11). Outscoring the opposition 17-7 in special teams situations – more than a goal a game – clearly points to the importance of special teams tonight (Montreal outscored opponents 14-13 otherwise over these nine games). More so, given that the Caps’ special teams haven’t been particularly special in their last nine games – 19.2 percent on the power play (10-of 52), 78.1 percent in penalty-killing (32 of 41). If this is a tightly called game, it favors Montreal. If the refs “let ‘em play,” the Caps would appear to have the advantage. Hey, the gift giving season is over . . .

Caps 4 – Canadiens 2.

The Morning After . . . Too Much Egg Nog, Boys? Caps vs. Sabres

Team record…most goals allowed, first period

League record…third fastest six goals allowed to start a game

And still, in spite of Brent Johnson allowing four goals on six shots, in spite of Olaf Kolzig allowing goals on two of the first three shots he faced, the club did not yield.

There is much to complain about in the Caps’ 6-3 loss to Buffalo last night, and that will be chronicled elsewhere. But for the last 49 minutes of the game, the Caps gave at least as well as they got. Alex Ovechkin dealt with perhaps the first sustained angry booing of his career – not the garden variety opposing player sort – and came out of things with a goal, a couple of hits, and a more manly response to his being speared by Daniel Briere than the latter’s incessant whining about the hit he took almost four weeks ago at the hands of Ovechkin. The Peerless wouldn’t be surprised if Briere finds his wallet a bit lighter for his effort, although no suspension is merited (remember, Ryan Whitney got $1,500 and no suspension for a spear that netted him five(spearing)-five(fighting, when Brian Willsie jumped in)-game).

Clearly, the Caps weren’t ready from the drop of the puck, but there were some decent efforts in the game . . .

- Lawrence Nycholat assisted on Ovechkin’s goal and was a +1 for the night in 18+ minutes of ice time.

- Alexander Semin continued to skate as if on a mission – he had seven shots and was a +1 himself.

- Chris Clark making it interesting with 17 minutes still left in the third with a shorthanded goal

If there is a problem here, it is in the goaltender rotation being messed up. That Brent Johnson lasted less than eight minutes meant that Kolzig got more than two periods last night when he otherwise would have been rested for a contest against the wholly underappreciated (third in points in the East) Montreal Canadiesn this evening. There is merit, perhaps, in putting Johnson right back on the horse, but if Kolzig gets the nod, then one would have to think Johnson gets the start against the Devils on Friday with Kolzig starting on Saturday in Madison Square Garden against the Rangers. It isn’t bad enough that the skating lineup is a patchwork, but the goalie situation isn’t exactly where the coaching staff might have liked it.

But again, that’s not a problem, it’s an opportunity. Lawrence Nycholat and Jeff Schultz are getting valuable ice time that could pay dividends in Hershey later in the year (or in Washington, for that matter). Schultz, in fact, logged more than six shorthanded minutes last night. He was on the ice for four Sabre goals, but that’s part of the learning process, too.

As bad as the Caps played (and as unlucky as they were), it’s only one loss. They don’t get negative points for allowing six goals in a period. The key is how they respond tonight. They just need to remember that the puck drops at 7:35 (note the unusual time), not 8:30.

Saturday, December 23, 2006

ENOUGH ALREADY!!!

Thanks to a poster over on the Caps official discussion boards, The Peerless came across these musings from the Toronto Star.

All The Peerless can say is, ENOUGH ALREADY!!!"

Here's the money quote:

"Imagine, for example, if [Sidney] Crosby was a Chicago Blackhawk and [Alex] Ovechkin a member of the Los Angeles Kings.

"Or if Ovechkin was in Philly and Crosby was a Ranger.

"Now you'd have something cooking."

OK, Mr. Cox, here's what I'd imagine . . .

If Crosby was a Blackhawk, he'd be playing for the worst franchise in the league, and no amount of '87' jersey sales would change that fact. The Blackhawks would never seriously compete for a Stanley Cup. They might make the playoffs from time to time, but Bill Wirtz would never make the last investments he would have to make to get a Cup for the Windy City. Crosby would be sentenced to a career that would be haunted by the title, "best player never to win a Cup."

If Ovechkin was a King, he's be dressed in the worst uniform in the league playing for a club at least as boring, by its own historical standard, as the Caps. A club with no particular history of its own to speak of (sorry, Wayne Gretzky wrote his history in Edmonton), it has the personality of the Clippers of the NBA, which is to say, none. This is a club that tried a personality infusion through the signing of Jeremy Roenick, for heaven's sake.

If Ovechkin was a Flyer . . . well, so what? Since the 1974-75 season -- the last time the Flyers won the Cup -- what Flyer has been a poster boy for the league? Eric Lindros? Ron Hextall? please... The Flyers draw well -- they will do so without Ovechkin -- but do they make fans across North America think, "hockey?" Not lately, and Ovechkin doesn't make them a playoff team in the next couple of years, either, even if you dropped him smack in the middle of their current lineup.

If Crosby was a Ranger . . . he'd compete with Derek Jeter and the Jints and the soap opera that is the New York Knicks . . . not to mention the possibility of the Brooklyn Nets . . . for space on the back page of the tabloids. Would he make a bigger impact than Jaromir Jagr? Perhaps, in time, but . . . so? And, does he make the Rangers a bona fide contender? In this case, he probably does (providing Jagr is still there...if not, no).

But let's get to the bottom line....would these imaginings improve the NHL's television ratings? National TV lineups are a product of reputation, and not generally that of players. Winning, either by tradition or recently, means something. Buffalo has eight appearances on Versus this year . . . Detroit, the Rangers, and Colorado have seven (so does Pittsburgh -- the Crosby Effect -- but then again, so does Boston, which I can't figure out). Washington, with one of those players noted in this article, have two (one against Crosby). That's not a product of love -- real or perceived -- but wins and losses, which have been a problem in these parts recently.

There is nothing particularly special about Colorado as a hockey hotbed. They've had good college teams, but no one is going to confuse Denver with Minneapolis as a hockey haven. The Avalanche have done it with sustained excellence (of course, now we'll see what happens that they've taken a step backward on the ice -- they're 13th in attendance at the moment). The team sucked in Quebec, but the addition of Patrick Roy and the development of Joe Sakic were crucial to the success they finally achieved. And, attendance (not to mention TV attention) followed suit. The same might yet hold true for Ovechkin in Washington and Crosby in (one hopes) Pittsburgh. As for the cities mentioned, I'm not seeing exactly what the benefit of having either player displaying their skills in those cities means overall to those cities or the league.

Frankly, this "Ovechkin and Crosby in unloving cities" nonsense has grown past tiresome. It's reached into the realm of silly envy, which reveals itself in Cox' own comment at the end of his article . . .


"The [Toronto] Maple Leafs will get a close look at both players over the next six days, Ovechkin tonight and then Crosby and the Pens next Friday.

"That'll give Leaf fans their chance to daydream what it would be like to have either in a blue-and-white uniform."


Enough already...

The Morning After -- Caps vs. Devils

Well, now we’re going to see why it is that the Caps aren’t at all a sure thing to make the playoffs this year . . .

Depth.

The Caps lost a game last night to a good, if not great Devils team – the product of the play of a great, not just good goaltender, Martin Brodeur. But that was incidental to the bigger picture – as Tarik El-Bashir reports in this morning’s Post, the Caps are without the services of Matt Bradley (broken finger), Richard Zednik (abdominal surgery), Bryan Muir (broken foot), John Erskine (broken foot), and Shaone Morrisonn (flu). All except perhaps Morrisonn will be out for a stretch of games.

A young team that loses almost a third of its starting skaters might not be expected to maintain for any significant length of time the performance level they’ve enjoyed (in this case, the Caps are still the 8-seed in the Eastern Conference this morning). Holes get filled by the likes of Alexandre Giroux (three NHL games of experience) and Jeff Schultz (first NHL game last night). Another call-up from Hershey is expected before the Caps take the ice against Toronto tonight. One can speak of this as an opportunity for others to step up (it is) and a chance to see a couple of kids playing well at Hershey on the bigger stage (it is), but it makes a young team younger and an inexperienced team in the ways of winning at this level more so.

The Caps’ problems were evident last night. The Devils executed their game plan – take advantage of the power play (2-for-4), shot down the Caps’ power play (0-for-4), make things tough for Alex Ovechkin (five shots, but not a large factor for most of the game).

On the other hand, the Caps put forth a credible effort and had some chances, especially early in the contest, but it was a case of having too few bullets in the gun to compete at the same level with a veteran team such as the Devils.

This is a dangerous part of the schedule for the Caps coming up. From now until their next division game (Atlanta, January 9), the Caps have only one game against a team not competing for a playoff spot (Phoenix). They start in Toronto tonight, then face off with Buffalo, Montreal, the Devils once more, the Rangers, that Phoenix game on New Year’s Day, and Montreal again, before returning to division play. Doing it with a somewhat depleted team makes the task just that much harder. The Caps have 37 points in 34 games. If they take the ice against Atlanta on January 9th with, say, 44 points in 41 games, they might be said to have weathered a storm . . .

. . . provided they incur no other major injuries.

That’ll do it for The Peerless until next week. Here’s hoping you and yours enjoy a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a joyous Kwanzaa, and many hours of happy hockey thoughts . . .

“He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him.

“He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon the Total Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!”

-- Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol,” December 1843

Friday, December 22, 2006

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Devils, December 22nd


















Well, here we are – the last home game before that jolly old elf . . . no, not Ted Leonsis . . . makes his way around the globe bestowing presents and good cheer among all the peoples of the Earth. But before St. Nick fires up the sleigh and Rudolph flips on the high beams, it’s “Shades Night” in DC. For the uninformed, this is a tribute to the fashion sense of Martin Brodeur, who deems it inappropriate for young men on skates to be wearing visors of the mirrored sort, an opinion he seems to have prevailed upon the league to adopt. So, Capitals fans are being invited by enterprising members of the official discussion boards to don their own brand of shades . . . be they the practical sort, the intimidating sort, or just an effort to adopt that “Percussionist, Foster Grant” look that makes ladies swoon.

But it’s the holiday season, and it puts The Peerless in mind of a poem . . .

Twas the night before Christmas, when all ‘round the rink
Not a creature was stirring, you could hear yourself think.
The stockings were hung by the lockers with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The Cappies were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of Stanley Cups danced in their heads.
And Glen in some warmups, and wearing a cap,
Had just settled their brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the ice there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the tunnel I flew like a flash,
Knocked over some sticks and fell with a crash.

The lights on the ice of the new sheet of ice
Gave the lustre of mid-day, it was oh, so nice.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dainius! now, Bryan! now, Jakub and Olie!
On, Alex! On, Greenie! on, Clarkie and Johnnie!
To the top of the glass! to the top of the stands!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As players that before the wild Hurricanes fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the slate
The prancing and pawing of each little skate.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the stairs St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the stairs he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Tonight, the Caps face an old and familiar foe. The names change, but the Devils are what they are – a club that will score enough to win but win by choking the life out of any opponent with the aim of making the evening a 60-minutes snooze fest. New Jersey is 26th in scoring (the Caps 4th), sixth in defense (the Caps 23rd). You could call this a contest of the irresistible force and the immovable object. What New Jersey is, is opportunistic. In The Peerless Index of Specialty Skill, the Devils – ranked fourth in penalty killing and seventh in power play efficiency, for a score of 11 – are outranked only by Montreal (1st and 2nd, for a score of 3) among the thirty NHL teams. The Caps – with a score of 32 – would prefer to keep this a 5-on-5 game, where the Devils are rather ordinary. Actually, ordinary doesn’t really describe it. Uncharacteristically, the Devils have only two players on the plus side of the plus-minus ledger – Zach Parise and Travis Zajac. Patrik Elias might lead the club in scoring (30 points), but he’s also a -14 in doing it. Paul Martin is a -10, Brian Rafalski is a -8. And, while the Devils do hold a two-point lead on the Caps, it hasn’t been because of their stellar road play . . . they are 7-9-1 when playing the role of visitor. Trouble is, the Caps haven’t been an especially good home team at 8-7-3, either. The rock – literally – upon which this club is built is goalie Martin Brodeur. His 2.19 and .920 numbers, not to mention his having played in 31 of Jersey’s 33 games this year, are slightly better than his career averages (2.21, .912). His 28-10-4 record against Washington for his career testifies to his consistent high level of play.

The Caps come off a disappointing loss to Tampa Bay, but encouraging in one respect. Despite playing the first 40 minutes as if the game had no more importance than a beer league skate around, they made things very difficult for the Lightning in the last 20 minutes, almost overcoming a three-goal deficit in the last ten minutes. If the lesson was learned that you just can’t throw your sticks out there and hope to win – especially against a club with a Stanley Cup pedigree – then it will have been a useful exercise. But one of the difficulties at this time of year is focus. Players are people, too, with their own give and take, and push and pull away from the rink. Add to that the fact that the Caps are starting a run against non-divisional opponents, and the potential exists for the boys to lose some focus. That would be deadly against this team, which is as disciplined (well, usually) as any in the league.

Oddly, the Caps might be the club of superior skill, specifically with respect to offense. They have scored 20 more goals than has New Jersey. But the Devils have yielded 30 fewer goals than have the Caps, and they have usually found a way to score the odd goal at the opportune time against the Caps (witness Olaf Kolzig – 2.40, .925 career against New Jersey, but only 14-14-3). Not tonight . . . The Caps give their fans a nice little present with which to head into the holiday . . .

Caps 3 – Devils 1.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Just a thought . . .

Jaromir Jagr . . . average ice time per game . . . 22:38
Straka . . . 21:04
Shanahan . . . 20:48
Nylander . . . 20:47

Average age . . . 35 years, three months.

Rangers . . . dead team walkin'

The Morning After -- Caps vs. Lightning

Well, The Peerless didn't get to see much of last night's 5-4 loss to the Lightning, but we do have some thoughts on what transpired . . .

- Alexander Ovechkin extended his scoring streak to eight games. That's not the half of it. He's registered points in 11 of his last 12 games, and 26 of 33 games overall. While he doesn't have the splashy six-point game anywhere on his resume, he is 7-11-18 in this latest scoring streak (compared to 6-13-19 over a comparable stretch by Mr. Media Darling in Pittsburgh).

- When I saw the first half dozen minutes of the game, I was reminded by a quote attributed to Herb Brooks . . . "you guys don't have enough talent to win on talent alone." The Caps win through hard work, and there wasn't a lot of it early.

- Dainius Zubrus...almost 21 minutes...no shots. I'm guessing he's still under the weather.

- Some losses are bad...the Pittsburgh loss was "bad." Some losses are not so bad. This one was not so bad...the Caps came back to almost steal a point (or two), and they got a lesson in humility. Respect your opponent (hey, that Stanley Cup is not that far in the Lightning's past) and respect what got you on that 7-1-1 run.

- This is the start of the dead zone of the schedule; eight games coming up against non-divisional opponents snaking through the holiday calendar. The next lesson for the boys -- maintaining focus.

- Last year after 33 games: 12-19-2 (26 points). This year: 15-11-7 (37 points). The Caps didn't get their 15th win last year until their 44th game, January 16th, in Phoenix (something about a "goal" in that game).

- Odd number of the night: 0:00. That's how much specialty teams time Mike Green got, both power play and penalty kill. He was the only defenseman to get no time killing penalties.

- Odd number of the night II: 4. That's how many hits led the Caps last night, registered by...Kris Beech? (ok, Ovechkin had four, too, but he got his in seven additional minutes of play).

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR! -- December 19th, Caps vs. Lightning

All right you Chipmunks! Ready to sing your song?
I'll say we are!
Yeah!
Let's sing it now!
Okay, Dainius?
Okay!
Okay, Chris?
Okay!
Okay, Alex? Alex? ALEX!
OKAY!!!

Christmas, Christmas time is near,
Time for toys and time for cheer,
We've been good, but we can't last
Hurry Christmas, hurry fast,
Want a plane or just a truck,
Me, I want to shoot the puck,
We can hardly stand the wait,
Please Christmas, don't be late.

Okay fellas, get ready.
That was very good, Dainius.
Naturally.
Very good Chris.
Ahkhkhkh.
Ah, Alex, you were a little flat, watch it.
Ah, Alex? Alex. ALEX!
OKAY!!!

Want a plane or just a truck,
I still want to shoot the puck,
We can hardly stand the wait,
Please Christmas, don't be late.
We can hardly stand the wait,
Please Christmas, don't be late.

Very good, boys.
Let's sing it again!
Yeah, let's sing it again!
No, That's enough, let's not overdo it.
What do you mean not overdo it?
Overdo it?
We want to sing it again!
Now wait a minute, boys ...
Why can't we sing it again?
Alex, cut that out...Chris, just a minute.
Dainius will you cut that out? Boys...

As for the game . . .

Tampa Bay visits Verizon Center in the midst of a hideous 1-7-1 stretch in their last nine games – starting with a 5-2 loss to the Caps—getting outscored 33-27. The “27” in there is somewhat deceptive, since eight of those goals were scored in their only win in this run, an 8-0 whitewash of Atlanta. One might think special teams are a problem here, and they are in an odd sort of way. Tampa Bay is 6-for-53 on the power play over these nine games (11.3 percent), which is not the stuff of a team playing well. The penalty kill has been comparatively average – 24-of-29 shorthanded situations killed off (82.8 percent). But for Tampa Bay, it is a story of opportunities squandered; having had 24 more opportunities than their opponents over the last nine games and tallying only one more power play goal.

Over the last nine games, the Lightning have received the usual production from the usual suspects, if not more – Vincent Lecavalier is 8-7-15, Martin St. Louis is 5-8-13, and Brad Richards is 4-7-11. That’s 17-22-39 for the big three. But here is the telling number. For all that production on offense, those three are a combined -9.

Goaltending remains an issue for this club. Johan Holmqvist was given an opportunity and won eight of his first 11 decisions. Then, he woke up and discovered that this was the National Hockey League and starting with the last game against Washington, has since gone 0-3-0, 6.41, .756. Most goalies could put up those kinds of stats wearing their mask backwards on their heads. Marc Denis has hardly been better. He’s 1-4-1 in his last seven games (including mop-up duty in the Washington game), 2.80, .878. Even this is deceptive – throw out his shutout win over Atlanta, and those numbers are 0-4-1, 3.32, .858

Overall, these are two similar teams. Washington is seventh in scoring, Tampa Bay eighth. Tampa Bay is 22nd in goals-per-game allowed, Washington 23rd. Washington is 19th on the power play, Tampa Bay 21st. If there is a major difference, it is in penalty killing. The Caps are not among the best in this regard – 13th overall – but Tampa Bay is dead last in this statistic, killing barely three of every four this season (75.7 percent).

But the Caps are headed in the other direction. They are 7-1-1 in their last nine (starting with the win over the Lightning, a nice mirror image of Tampa’s recent experience), outscoring their opponents 39-27. The Caps have been led in scoring by Alexander Ovechkin (7-11-18), Alexander Semin (6-4-10), and Chris Clark (7-3-10) in these nine games. But the difference here is that this “big three” is a combined +7 over this stretch.

The Caps’ goaltending, while not spectacular over this stretch, has certainly looked inspired compared to the Lighting. Olaf Kolzig is 5-1-1 in this stretch, 3.11, .911. Brent Johnson is 2-0-0, 2.51, .924 in a relief role.

What is remarkable about this stretch of games is the Pittsburgh game. What could have been a devastating blow to a young team – losing after posting a four-goal lead – looks more an more like just a speed bump, a galvanizing sort of experience. It might be soon to call the Caps a “good” team, but it’s getting harder and harder to resist that description.

At the start of the year, this would be the kind of game of which it could be said that the Caps could win. Right now, the “could” must be changed to “should.” The opponent is in the midst of a desperate stretch of poor luck, the kind the Caps need to put down early and keep down. Tampa is always a dangerous club offensively. But their defensive and goaltending problems play to the Caps’ recent strengths. That points to a Caps win . . .

Caps 5 – Lightning 2.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

When it counts...

Points on game-winning goals (through last night):

Alex Ovechkin: 5-3-8 (2nd in the league in GWG)
Sidney Crosby: 2-4-6

The Peerless' Two Fer -- A Morning After Before The Night ... Thrashers, Flyers, and Stuff

Just when you thought things were darkest, when the Caps would lose their third in four games, when they would drop a fifth straight game to the Florida Panth . . . oops, Atlanta Thrashers, when they would sink further into the abyss of the also rans of the conference . . . along comes, Ovechkin!

Boy has a certain flair for the dramatic, doesn’t he?

Camp in the left wing circle for a nice pass from Dainius Zubrus . . . one-time . . . goal!

Worms his way into the slot among several Thrashers, waits for another sweet feed from Zubrus . . . snap . . . goal!

Bides his (short) time on the wing at the start of overtime . . . doesn’t watch two Thrashers “Alphonse-and-Gaston” the puck (I got it…you take it) . . . takes advantage of the opening . . . jumps between the Thrashers . . . puck squirts free toward Atlanta line . . . he picks it up . . . skates in . . . wrister . . . GOAL! Game over, man, game O-ver!

Two goals in 37 seconds to end the game. That’s a good definition of “taking over.” But it wasn’t as if it was just “The Alex Ovechkin Show.” That was a gritty performance by the Caps up and down the bench. The temptation was powerful after Monday night’s game to feel a bit sorry for oneself and let down in an opponent’s building. But the Caps came out hard against an opponent they hadn’t beaten since eliminating them from the playoffs last year. Donald Brashear set a tone early by getting after Jim Slater, who tripped him in front of the Atlanta net. Brashear took a roughing penalty to even things up that could have set the Caps behind the eight-ball early, but the boys skated off the 4-on-4.

Jamie Heward returned in full (well, three-quarter) visor to contribute almost 18 minutes of solid hockey . . . Matt Pettinger took a leveling hit from Ilya Kovalchuk and got back up to register three hits of his own . . . don’t forget who was on the front end of the first two of those goals Ovechkin scored – both came from superb feeds from Dainius Zubrus, one a cross ice feed to Ovechkin alone in the circle, the other a soft pass threaded through Thrashers to Ovechkin easing into the slot . . . Brent Johnson played a solid game (even with the Vigier goal that he might want back), stopping 28 of 30 shots. It was a fine night all around where few numbers stand out (Ovechkin’s 12 shots, the Caps losing 41 of 63 draws), and that’s a measure of the result – it was a team effort all over the ice.

But that’s in the past, now, and the Flyers are waiting at Verizon Center. Last night was an object lesson – don’t take a club lightly that you haven’t lost to this year and that is playing in your building. The Caps have beaten the Flyers by identical 5-3 scores this year. Ovechkin is 3-2-5 against Philadelphia – not Sidney Crosby numbers against the Flyers, but impressive nonetheless. The Caps have spread the wealth around to some unlikely sources, too – Bryan Muir, Shaone Morrisonn, Brooks Laich, Chris Clark, Matt Pettinger, and two for Ben Clymer rounding out the goal scoring. Brent Johnson has provided solid, if unspectacular results in the two games against the Flyers, but Olaf Kolzig will get the nod tonight after Johnson’s fine performance last night.

Philly comes in 0-4-1 in their last five games, outscored 21-11 and shutout once for good measure. Mike Knuble and Simon Gagne have about half the Flyer goal production (three and two, respectively), but also with two . . . Todd Fedoruk? Fedoruk is also the Flyers’ only “plus” player (+3). No other player who has played at least 15 games is better than a -4. Just as we suggested in the notes preceding the last time these clubs met, Philly doesn’t come upon its record – 8-19-4, good for 29th in the league -- accidentally.

This is a game the Caps should, need, ought to, had better win. It’s time to put opponents like these, playing in the Caps' building, away early and convincingly. Last time, the Caps let the Flyers hang around too long for comfort (the game was tied, 3-3, 12 minutes into the third period). The boys are coming off the lowest of lows (blowing a four goal lead) and the highest of highs (turning a one goal loss into an overtime win in the space of 37 seconds). They just need to go out and do as Joe Gould barked at James Braddock in “Cinderella Man,” . . . “All right. Stop talking…Get in there!...And bury him!!”

Caps 5 – Flyers 2

Friday, December 15, 2006

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!! -- Caps vs. Thrashers, December 15th

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!

L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-adies and GEN-tlemen . . . welcome to the main event. This is a heavyweight match for the championship belt of the Southeast Division Pugilism Association . . . in the white cornah . . . weighing in at 13-10-7 with a record of 19 fighting majors in 30 games . . . from the most powerful city on the planet . . . the WASHINGTONNNNNNNNN CAPITALSSSSSSSSSSSSS . . . and in the baby blue cornah . . . weighing in at 18-9-5 with a record of 13 fighting majors in 32 games . . . representing the most powerful city in Fulton County, Georgia . . . the ATLANTA-A-A-A-A-A THRRRRRRRRRASHERS . . . .

Yes, fans of the squared circle, we bring you “Friday Night Fights” . . . after the November 22nd 4-2 Thrashers win that saw 176 combined penalty minutes, $40,000 in fines, a total of five games worth of suspensions, and lots of ill will, the clubs renew acquaintances in the holiday spirit of giving (jabs, hooks, uppercuts). Joining The Peerless for a take on tonight's tilt is the puncher, preacher, and purveyor of counter-top grilling devices, Big George himself, George Foreman . . .

Champ, welcome to the bouts.

“Thanks, Peerless. This promises to be an exciting night for everyone.”

Let’s get right to it . . . what’s the headliner bout tonight?

Well, with Andy Sutton and Brad Larsen out for the Thrashers, you might think it would be Donald Brashear against Eric Boulton, but I’ve got my eye on another contest.”

Who would that be?

“I think that by the end of the night, we’re going to see a middleweight fight of heavyweight proportions between Glen ‘The Mask’ Hanlon and Bob 'Gutless Wonder' Hartley.”

Really, you see the coaches going at it?

“Oh, absolutely, Peerless. After the snarling they did at one another on the bench and the shouting in the hallway after the game, the stars are aligned for an epic bout.”

Who gets the nod?

“Well, these guys have different styles, and that’s what would make this a great bout. Hanlon is a modern day heavyweight in a 1980’s goalie body. Yap-for-yap, punch-for-punch, he might be the most dangerous coach in the National Hockey League. On the other hand, Hartley is sneaky. He’s always whining that he doesn’t understand how the other team could act that way and that there is no need for that sort of thing, and still he sends his goons out to take runs at smaller players.”

In other words . . .

“Yeah, ‘gutless wonder.’”

Well, that seems to me to give the edge to Hanlon.

“Absolutely . . . unless Hartley sends Boulton out to fight for him.”

Could that happen?

“Does the George Foreman ‘Next Grilleration’ grill make great burgers?”

Well, between fights there will be a hockey game played, and this is an important one for both teams. For Atlanta it is an opportunity to cement further a big lead in the Southeast division (currently seven points over Carolina). For the Caps it is a chance to make a dent in the season series (Atlanta has won all four games thus far) and leap-frog a couple of teams – the Caps could finish the night tied for sixth in points in the East.

But, Atlanta is a formidable team just where the Caps are weak. The Thrashers are 5th in offense (3.22 goals-per-game) while the Caps are 25th in defense (3.33 goals per game). They are solid at even strength (9th in 5-on-5 play) and on the power play (10th at 18.2 percent). And, they are a team that an opponent needs to grab by the throat and choke the life out of them – the Thrashers are 7th in the league in winning percentage when scored upon first.

After going on a 6-0-1 stretch, the Thrashers are 0-2-1 in their last three for a 6-2-2 run in their last ten. As one would expect, Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk lead the Thrashers in goal scoring over these past ten (five and four, respectively), but the Thrashers have gotten goals from 13 players over this stretch, so they had some others – Bobby Holik and (gasp!) Glen Metropolit with three apiece, most notably -- chip in as well.

But here is the eye-popping number – 107. That’s how many special teams situations in which the Thrashers have found themselves, converting 9-of-56 power play chances (16.1 percent) and killing 39-of-51 penalties. They’ve given up at least two power play goals in four of these last ten games. If you’re looking for an opportunity for the Caps tonight, there it is.

But the Caps haven’t been as selfish in taking advantage of the opportunities presented as Caps fans might hope. The club is 5-4-1 in their last ten, including a once-in-a-decade-and-a-half occurrence of gagging on a four-goal lead last Monday against Pittsburgh. The club hasn’t lacked for offense, scoring 36 goals in these past ten games. Then again, it’s been feast-or-famine, too. Four times the Caps scored at least five goals, three times a single goal. Alex Ovechkin – surprisingly – does not lead the club in goals scored in the last ten. He’s not second, either. Chris Clark leads with seven tallies, Matt Pettinger has chipped in with six (Ovechkin has five). Dainius Zubrus doesn’t have a goal, but he did contribute seven assists in the eight games he played (missing two to injury). Unfortunately for Zubrus, he’s also -7 in those eight games.

The Thrashers have 41 points in 32 games, the Caps 33 in 30. The difference in their seasons is the head-to-head. Atlanta has earned eight points in four games, the Caps two. Had their fortunes been reversed, the Caps would have 39 points and a third-seed (adding the six points they didn’t earn), the Thrashers 35 and a sixth seed (subtracting the six points they wouldn’t have earned). That’s what the emphasis on intra-divisional play means these days. An added bonus would be that the Penguins would be on the outside looking in, even with that Monday night win.

Washington is a decent road team (6-4-4), while the Thrashers have a worse record at home (8-5-2) than on the road (10-4-3). That, the settling of scores, the desire to get the bad taste of Monday out of their mouths, and the greater urgency of their standings position combines to align the stars in the Caps’ favor tonight.

Caps 5 – Atlanta 4.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Statistics are for losers....

How many times have you heard that? I'll wager a lot. And, I'll also wager by people who think numbers are merely characters sewn onto the backs of jerseys.

Statistics are the revealed performance of individuals and teams. There isn't anything inherently "winning" or "losing" about statistics, they are merely "data." The trick is in knowing which of them serve to illuminate, and more important, which of them can be used to distort.

Today's lesson . . . plus/minus. Some folks look at that number and think that the player with a high "plus/minus" is a fine defensive player. Others might look at the same number and think that he plays in a good "team" scheme. Personally, I think both people are missing a bigger question . . . "how was that number arrived at?"

Let's take two players. Player "A" has a plus-minus rating of +14. You might think this player is a top scorer (he is). You might think he is an excellent defensive player (he's not...not bad, mind you; it's just not the strength of his game). You might think his club plays a successful system efficiently (well, no, the club is in the middle of the standings pack). It pays to ask oneself, "how was that number arrived at?" Well, this player is a +14, but he's accumulated +12 of that against one club. He is +2 against the rest of the league in 22 games played. Some guys are "killers" against a particular team, and this guy (in this instance) certainly is. Here we have one form of statistical bias, a tendency toward uncommon (by his own standards) success against a specific team.

Let's look at Player "B." He has a plus-minus rating of -2. You might think of him as an indifferent defender (he's no Selke candidate, but he isn't incompetent, either). You might not think of him as a top-flight scorer (you'd be wrong). You might think his club is an average-at-best defensive team (actually, they don't rise to the level of "average" -- they are in the lowest third of the league in goals against). So, what's his deal? Why the minus number? Well, he is a -2 for the year, but he had two especially awful games, both a -4. Against the rest of the league, he is +6 in 28 games played. Another form of bias -- outlying data.

Two guys . . . very different in their official numbers, but not so when one looks more closely at what makes up those different results. And, these guys play for teams that are tied in standings points this year.

Meet Player "A" . . . Sidney Crosby
Meet Player "B" . . . Alexander Ovechkin

When you look at numbers, ask yourself how the player might have arrived at them. And when you hear someone claim that "statistics are for losers," remember that all of those "statistics" are the bricks and mortar from which wins and losses are built.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

The Morning After -- Caps vs. Penguins

There are some games you just don’t lose. Games where a national television audience is tuning in. Games against a long-hated rival in your own building. Games where your star is outplaying their star for long stretches of the game. Games against an inferior opponent. Games where you roar out of the gate, score the first four goals, and hold a three-goal lead with 22 minutes left in the game.

There is no sugar-coating this one. The Caps gave three points away – the extra one they should have earned for the regulation win and the two they yielded when Pittsburgh came all the way back to win last night’s contest, 5-4 in a shootout. Instead of a five point standings lead and the Penguins squarely in the conference rear-view mirror, the Caps are two points in front of the Penguins this morning, with the Penguins holding a game in hand. As early as it might be to think about a stretch run, this team is one that will compete with the Caps for the last spot or two in the playoff eight. Giving points away to such clubs isn’t part of the business plan for the 2006-2007 season.

The good . . .

Chris Clark. Although the hype was – understandably – focused on Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin, Clark was the best player on the ice for either team last night. Playing in every situation, he scored, he fought along the boards -- he was the most complete player at either end.

Alex Ovechkin. The hockey gods did not smile on Ovechkin last night, despite his two assists. Although he dominated the offensive end whenever he was on the ice, the puck just didn’t cooperate. A two-point night could have been a five-point night with a few friendlier bounces. But even with that, he gave the fans quite a show.

Shaone Morrisonn. Seven hits, three takeaways, three blocked shots, and he was not on the ice for any Penguin goal. If this wasn’t his best defensive game as a Cap, it is on the short list.

The not so good . . .

The second line. Brutal. The worst game they’ve had in at least a month. Offensively, three shots – none after the first period. Defensively, exploited remorselessly by the Penguins in the last half of the game (they were a combined -5).

The rest of the defensemen. It’d be hard to find a highlight among Bryan Muir, Steve Eminger, John Erskine, Mike Green, or Brian Pothier in that game. The Penguins have a number of skilled forwards – Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Mark Recchi. But geez . . . Maxime Talbot and Eric Christensen scoring on pretty much the same play from the right wing boards, being allowed to step in and fire what amounted to uncontested wrist shots?

The unlucky . . .

Even with all of that wreckage that was the last 22 minutes of regulation, it would never have come to that had a nine-second sequence gone a bit differently late in the second. With the clock ticking toward three minutes to go in the second, Brian Sutherby took a wrist shot that Marc-Andre Fleury couldn't control. Alexander Semin poked the puck to the right of Fleury, and Sutherby had a yawning net with Fleury down. Sutherby couldn’t get good wood (or composite or fiberglass or whatever his stick is made of) on the puck and sent it wide. If he pots that goal, the score is 5-1, and the competitive portion of the game is over. It might have been the end of the night for Fleury. But the Penguins scored a goal of their own 1:15 later, then another 35 seconds after that, and it was a game again.



Penguin fans are in a gloating mood this morning, and truth be told, they have a right to do so. The Penguins deserve full marks for not quitting on the game when it was 4-0. Although neither Sidney Crosby nor Evgeni Malkin had an especially noteworthy game, they were extremely opportunistic. If one finds Crosby alone in the high slot with the puck, one is going to be seeing a celebration soon after. If one leaves a puck lying around the crease with Malkin and his Lemieux-esque reach lurking, one will find the puck in the back of the net in short order. Except for those two plays, both players were relatively quiet. But, those two plays tied the game. That’s what elite players do.

Versus got everything they could have asked for in terms of television drama, and more, out of this game. Two young teams on the rise, the featured players getting on the scoresheet. A rock-em, sock-em start, a frantic finish, some adventures in overtime, and of course, Bettman’s Folly . . . the shootout. And it is this last item that leaves The Peerless not especially down this morning. Shootouts are a gimmick, not hockey. In the hockey portion of the game, these clubs found themselves where most folks would put them – just about even. As far as the television goes, if Versus and the league can’t sell the sport on the basis of this (despite its comparatively unaesthetic feel for much of the night), then hockey truly is in deep, deep trouble.

As gimmicky as it is, though, Bettman’s Folly is a part of the game when it comes to standings, and leaving that point on the ice as a result of the Caps’ inability to convert shootout chances (one-for-the-season) could be a problem.

Monday, December 11, 2006




* layout courtesy of the fine folks at despair.com...just about the best site around.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR -- Caps vs. Penguins, December 11th

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!! . . . The Special “Death to Penguins” edition . . .

For tonight’s game The Peerless brings you “What they said, what they meant.” Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin sat down for a teleconference with the NHL in advance of this game, and the kids displayed their growing comfort with krapola when asked questions about the rivalry. The Peerless, in his never-ending search for truth, ferrets out what was really said (actual Q and A courtesy of Kukla's Korner; "what they meant" is a product of this author's alcohol-addled fantasy) . . .

Q. I’d like to ask both players. How much do you guys get up when you face one another in a game? Do you guys consider that like a prime game for both of you just to show what you can do, or show each other what you can do?

What Sidney said . . . “I don’t know. I think it’s always a little bit more motivating. You know, from my side I think that it’s built up so much that, in a way you want to respond and make sure you have a good game. But at the end of the night the win is most important. That’s the way I looked at it. But there’s no doubt there seems to be more emotion and intensity when we play each other.”

What Sidney meant . . . “pfft . . . what a tool.”

What Alex said . . . “I think Sidney is right. It’s important for us, for our team, to win the game. Of course, Sidney and me want to score goals and have some points, but it’s important for us to win the game.”

What Alex meant . . . “yup, a real tool.”

Q. Just wanted to know, for the both of you, how different is life in your second year now that you’re not rookies anymore?

What Sidney said . . . It’s not a whole lot different. I think there are more familiar faces, which is nice, and not as many new buildings. So I think that’s just nice part about not being a rookie. You’re not surprised by as many things. Just a little bit more comfortable and you know, other than that I don’t think there’s been a lot that’s changes.

What Sidney meant . . . “the same puckbunnies show up after every game.”

What Alex said . . . Yeah. I just feel for comfortable right now. We know the league and we know the rules and we now how good team—you know, we know how to play against some teams. Just I think right now we know the league better than first year. For me right now I know the league and the team and I feel more comfortable.

What Alex meant . . . “except for those damn sticks…”

Q. For Alex, how do you feel about your friend Malkin being involved in this rivalry now, too?

What Alex said . . . I’m really happy for him, because he is a great player and he’s a great guy. He’s a very good person and he’s unbelievable player. His team is lucky team to have Sidney, Malkin. They were drafted and they are good players and probably will be best team in the league. But we have couple guys, too.

What Alex meant . . . “f*** him.”

Q. This goes to Sidney. Talk about the hype coming into last season, your rookie year, and all the, I guess, advice you got. What kind of advice do you pass on to Malkin this season?

What Sidney said . . . “To be honest, I think the main thing for me coming into last year was just to worry about playing hockey. I didn’t really—to be honest with you, I didn’t really pass any advice to him. I think everyone has their own way of handling things and dealing with it mentally. And for him he had been through so much just to get here, so I think hockey was the relaxing part for him. That’s the way I looked at it. You’d have to ask him how he handled it, but I think it was just important for him to come here and play hockey.

What Sidney meant . . . “run!...save yourself!!”

Q. Alex, what do you feel has been your biggest—I guess your biggest thing you’ve had to get used to with the new rules and everything this season? . . . What have you had to adjust to the most this year?

What Alex said . . . Playing hockey, enjoy. You know, because I think me and Sidney, lots of young guys who play, should enjoy the time, because it was our dream. It doesn’t matter what rules. If it’s old or new rules, we just want to play hockey and do best what we can.

What Alex meant . . . “lame questions like this.”

Q. One question for Sidney and one for Alex. Sidney, first of all, I’m just wondering with you and Malkin, obviously the two of you are the face of hockey or the future in Pittsburgh, if not for the whole league. How have the two of you meshed together? And how has it been being with him so far this year?

What Sidney said . . . It’s been great to be able to play with someone that’s that creative and has that much fun out there on the ice. It’s a lot of fun. I think that myself I’m improving just from playing with him. He’s a fun guy to play with and even just to be on the ice practicing with every day. He’s still learning English so it’s hard to communicate, but we’re doing our best. And I think he’s coming along as the season goes on, which is good. It’s just been fine. I think that myself and him we’re lucky we have guys like Staal and Fleury. It’s been a lot of fun so far.

What Sidney meant . . . “I thought this was about me.”

Q. Alex, the hit on Daniel Briere, you said that it was an accident. I’ve only seen the replays, but I’m puzzled by that. When you say that it was an accident, do you mean that you didn’t mean to push him as hard as you did, or it just—the whole contact completely was an accident?

What Alex said . . . Well, my contact was not accident. I wanted to hit him. But if you see replay, I don’t hit him, you know, hard. I just saw his back and I just hit him. I don’t want give him injury or do some injury to him. I’m not the player that—we’re both are players, and I know we both want to play hockey. I don’t want to do some injury to him. Doesn’t matter Briere or some different player.

What Alex meant . . . “after all this crap, I wish I’d sent him into the next time zone.”

Q. This question is for Alex. There’s been a lot of talk in town about your hit on Daniel Briere on Saturday night. First, why did you do it? And second, if that happened to you, how would you have liked your teammates to react? And how would you react?

What Alex said . . . Well, because it was a game, I tell you right it was last question. I don’t want to hit him bad. I just want to hit him—but he turned and I don’t have time to do something. I think the guys, Buffalo teammates, when I hit Briere all the guys come to me and try fight or try to do something with me. But I think my teammates do the same. I know it was not a good hit, but I tell you I don’t want to do that. It was just game.

What Alex meant . . . “who are you, Ken Starr?”

Q. He had just dumped the puck into the zone, and it was a good split second before you hit him. Did that cross your mind at all? Why do you hit a guy that doesn’t have the puck that’s going to leave the ice after his shift?

What Alex said . . . I can’t answer this question, because it was a game. You know, I don’t know.

What Alex meant . . . “you’re about this far from me shoving a stick up your ass and breaking it off at the blade.”

Q. You guys have been linked ever since last year started. Do you have any sort of a friendship away from the rink? Do you guys talk or compare notes at all away from the arena at all?

What Sidney said . . . We don’t really keep really keep in touch other than when we see each other when we play each other. We’ve done a few things off the ice and ran into each other. But I think outside of that it’s just a relationship where we see each other when we play.

What Sidney meant . . . “we send perfumed notes to one another and talk about clothes and other stuff . . . geez, get a grip, azzhole.”

Q. Alex, have you played golf since the hole-in-one?

What Alex said . . . No.

What Alex meant . . . “No.”

Q. Calling it quits there?

What Alex said . . . Yeah.

What Alex meant . . . “Yeah”

Q. Can you turn back the calendar to this time last year. Compare the player you were then to the player you are now. And how much more improving can you do? That’s for both of them.

What Sidney said . . . I think for me, I think experience is something that, you know, I can look back and say that I’m more experienced a lot more knowledgeable about everything that has to do about playing the game. So I think I have a lot to learning and a long ways to go, but I think I can definitely bring that from last year. I’m just more aware. I think I’ve tried to become a guy that’s going to shoot the puck more often when I get the chance just to keep guys honest. I’m always learning, always trying. Those are the a couple things I’ve tried to improve on this year.

What Sidney meant . . . “I was king of all hockey then, I am king of all hockey now…”

What Alex said . . . For me, this year, I try to play more defensively. I have talk with my coach a lot and he tell me, “I don’t care about how we play offensively. I care about how he play defensively.” I know I play right now better defensively. I think all my teammates and all my coaches, they my fans, see it and they know I try to play more defensively like last year.

What Alex meant . . . “Glen’s a funny guy.”

Q. For Sidney, today they announced the roster for the Canadian World Junior Team, and amazingly you were still eligible for that. How distant does that seem to you now a few years into the NHL? What did the experience of playing for the national team do for you as a player?

What Sidney said . . . It’s an amazing experience. I think it is for anyone. I think for me I was lucky enough to play on the team I did my second year. We were just so deep and so good. And I think I improved over three weeks or a month just from playing with those guys. They were NHL caliber guys. If you look at the guys on that team there’s an awful lot that are in the NHL already. That was a special group, and having Coach Sutter coach our team was great as well. The on-ice part was an experience in itself, and I became a better player for it. And being part of the whole experience as far as having Canadian fans follow that it was so big and something I grew up watching. I wanted to be a part of it. It was a special experience, and no doubt it helped me a lot.

What Sidney meant . . . “more endorsements!”

Q. Sidney, if you could tell me one thing you admire most about Alex’s game, and Alex I’m going ask you the same question about Sid.

What Sidney said . . . I’d say his goal-scoring ability. I don’t think you can really teach anyone that. It’s just a knack. It’s an ability. You know, he definitely has that. So it’s exciting to watch when someone can score goals like that.

What Sidney meant . . . “those yellow skatelaces”

What Alex said . . . Well, I think how he control the puck. How he find his partners. It’s unbelievable.

What Alex meant . . . “hey, I’m the one with the Calder Trophy”

As for the game . . .

The Penguins and the Caps are two teams joined at the hip by history and experience. The Penguins’ dominance of the Caps in playoffs is well-documented (and sure won’t be recited here); the clubs had similar needs in terms of having to jettison payroll in recent years; each conducted a “fire sale” of high-priced personnel; one of the all time great Pens ended up in Washington (although one year of Frantisek Kucera never gave fans a true picture of his sublime talent), both are in the midst of a rebuild with a promising core of prospects. The Penguins are probably one-up on the Caps – a product of an impartial (wink wink) lottery – in that they won the rights to Sidney Crosby. But the Caps might have a deeper prospect pool, thanks to some astute (no, really) horse-trading by general manager George McPhee.

What all this means are that these are two teams in similar circumstances, being within three points of one another (the Penguins having a game in hand). The Penguins, for all their vaunted offensive potential, are in the middle of the pack offensively – they are 13th in goals-per-game, 14th in 5-on-5 goals for/goals against ratio, 14th on the power play. They have 26 goals in their last ten games, nine of them by Sidney Crosby (4-7-11, +2) or Evgeni Malkin (5-7-12, -1). One might expect that kind of production from the precocious pair, but there are two other Penguins who bear watching. Colby Armstrong is 4-2-6, +5 in the last ten games, and Eric Christensen (recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on November 22nd) is 3-1-4, -1 in his last five.

Defensively, the Penguins are better than they have been in the past couple of years, but that isn’t to say they are in an elite class. They are 21st in goals-against per game, 22nd in penalty killing. Marc-Andre Fleury is giving some indications that the club wasn’t completely out of its mind in selecting him with the first pick in the 2003 entry draft. Fleury is 16th among goaltenders playing more than 15 games in goals-against-average, 17th in save percentage. He is 5-2-3 in his last ten games, 2.77, .895. Ominously for the Penguins, though, he is 1-2-1 in his last four (including an abbreviated appearance against New Jersey, where he was credited with the loss), 3.86, .841. Couple this with the Penguins struggling recently in killing penalties (38-for-51 in their last ten games -- 74.5 percent), and this is perhaps their most vulnerable area.

The Caps come into this game winner of five of their last six games, outscoring their opponents 28-20. In that run, the Caps have rediscovered penalty killing . . . 32 of 36 (88.9 percent) has gone a long way to alleviating the pressure from goalies Olaf Kolzig (4-1-0, 3.40, .910 in this six game run) and Brent Johnson (1-0-0, 3.00, .917). The Caps have been dominating offensively. In their five wins, only one was of the one-goal variety, and in only one of those wins did they score fewer than five goals (four, against Dallas).

But all of this is window dressing . . . the “story” is the matchup. Here is the “tale of the tape” . . .

Alex Ovechkin:

Goals: 18 (T-3rd)
Assists: 17 (T-38th)
Points: 35 (T-12th)
PP goals: 7 (T-12th)
GWG: 4 (T-2nd)
PIMs: 34 (T-82nd)
Hits: 63 (T-26th)
Ice time: 20:48/game (21st among forwards)
Takeaway/Giveaway ratio: 31/38
Gear: CCM Sports
Websites: http://www.aimpages.com/alexovechkin/profile.html, http://en.ccmsports.com/community/players/ovechkin/

Sidney Crosby:

Goals: 13 (T-27th)
Assists: 26 (T-3rd)
Points: 39 (T-4th)
PP goals: 4 (T-53rd)
GWG: 2 (T-37th)
PIMs: 24 (T-172nd)
Hits: 16 (T-372nd)
Ice time: 20:34/game (T-24th among forwards)
Takeaway/Giveaway ratio:11/20
Gear: Reebok
Websites: http://crosby87.com/ (coming soon), http://en.rbkhockey.com/sidney360/

“Story,” my pasty white ass . . . the story is the game and who wins . . .

Caps 5 – Penguins 3.