Your Peerless Prognostos for Round Two -- Boston (1) vs. Carolina (4)

Time to look at the third pairing in round two – Boston and Carolina…

Why Boston can’t lose…

Statistically, the Bruins hold an overwhelming edge over Carolina. In fact, statistically the Bruins are the most dominating team in the league… second in total standings points, second in scoring, first in defense, first in five-on-five play, fourth on the power play, seventh in winning percentage when scoring first, first in winning percentage when trailing first. They swallowed the Montreal Canadiens whole in the first round, not so much as playing a single one-goal game in their four game sweep. They can beat you with incredible offensive balance (10 players with at least ten goals, 21 players with at least ten points in the regular seasons) or with stifling defense (Norris Trophy finalist Zdeno Chara and his underrated sidekick Dennis Wideman on the blue line, Tim Thomas and his 2.10 GAA and .933 save percentage – both league bests – in goal).

Why Boston can’t win…

Because they didn’t, at least not with the regularity down the stretch that they displayed early in the year. Their record, by month, was as follows: 5-3-3, 11-1-1, 12-1-0, 8-3-2, 6-4-3, 7-5-1, 4-2-0. Part of that might have been a bit of coasting – they finished 23 points ahead of Montreal in the Northeast Division – but that still isn’t a happy trend.

The Peerless’ Player to Ponder

Zdeno Chara

Of all the teams remaining in this tournament, Carolina might have the most team speed, top to bottom. It is going to test the defensive skills of the Bruins, none more so than the big guy on the blue line. He acquitted himself quite well in the regular season against the Hurricanes. His plus-7 against Carolina was his best such mark against any team in the league he faced this season.


Why Carolina can’t lose…

On February 17th, the Hurricanes lost a 5-1 decision to Boston in an especially ugly fashion. Playing at home, they scored first, then watched as the Bruins stormed back for five unanswered goals, three of them in the third period, all of them in the last four minutes of play. Since then, the Hurricanes went 17-5-2 to close the regular season, then they vanquished the New Jersey Devils in the opening round with a pair of lightning bolts in the last 90 seconds of Game 7 against Martin Brodeur in Newark. They have played like and have had the look of a team of destiny the last two months.

Why Carolina can’t win…

Few teams will match Boston’s work ethic, and the Bruins will not give up on plays, even as the Hurricanes are trying to use their speed advantage over Boston. If that scenario plays out, Boston wins just about every match-up, by position, in this series.

The Peerless’ Player to Ponder

Cam Ward

After backup goaltender Michael Leighton lost a 6-5 shootout against Philadelphia on December 11th, in Carolina’s 29th game of the year, Ward was the goalie of record in 50 of the Hurricanes’ last 53 games. That’s a lot of work. After a grueling seven-game series against the Devils, one might reasonably wonder how much gas is left in Ward’s tank, especially against a team as deep, balanced, and talented as Boston.

In the end…

Since that February 17th lost to Boston, the Hurricanes have won 21 games. And they haven’t just been beating opponents, they have been running wild over them. Ten times, they won games by at least three goals. On seven occasions, they scored at least five goals, and twice they scored nine. In winning three of the last four games in the first round series over New Jersey, they scored four goals in each game against a hall of fame goaltender in waiting. Boston has the numbers, Carolina has the momentum. We like Big Mo’.


Carolina in 6

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Game 5: Caps vs. Rangers

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

OK, Caps fans, with the boys down three games to one, it’s time to break out all the good luck charms you have lying around or any you find, for that matter. So, if you’re out and about today, enjoying the fine spring weather, look out for…

Acorns. For those of you familiar with Norse folklore, the acorn brings good fortune. A lone acorn is also thought to ward off lightning when placed in a windowsill. OK…save that one for next year when the Caps play Tampa Bay.

Stray Eyelash. As the story goes, if a stray eyelash should fall upon your cheek, place it on your finger and make a wish. Then blow the eyelash away. Your wish will come back to you. No word on if plucking eyelashes works…we might see hundreds of “lashless” Caps fans tonight.

Coins. If you see one lying on the sidewalk, look at it before you pick it up. If it’s “heads” up, pick it up – it’s a sign of good luck to come. If it’s “tails” up, leave it be – that’s a bad luck sign.

Crows. One is bad, two are a sign of luck, three signifies health, four – wealth, five means illness, six is death. No word on seven, maybe a hat trick.

Wood. Know where that whole “knock on wood” thing comes from? Seems there is a long history of believing that spirits live in trees, and knocking on them or touching them would bring good fortune, or (in the case of Celtic tradition) thank spirits for a bit of luck. Go forth and find a tree, Caps fans.

As for the game, we have that 3-1 deficit thing to think about. The last time a team down three games to one came back and won a series was in 2004. Montreal turned the trick against the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. In game five of that series, Montreal was faced, not only with having to crawl out of a deep hole, but they had to do so after an especially bitter game four.

In that game four, Montreal gagged on a 3-1 lead that they took not two minutes into the second period. Mike Knuble scored a goal in the last minute of regulation for the Bruins to send the game into overtime, and the Bruins won in a second overtime when Sheldon Souray and Alex Kovalev collided in the neutral zone, allowing Glen Murray to skate in alone on – gulp! – Jose Theodore for the game winning goal.

Forward to game five. Beaten, beat down, and having to go on the road to Boston, Montreal got a masterful performance from, that’s right – Theodore – in holding off the Bruins while building a 1-0 lead after one period and a 2-0 lead after two. The Bruins cracked, and Montreal poured in three goals in the third on their way to a 5-1 win that featured 43 saves by Theodore.

Montreal won game six at Bell Centre, 5-2, then traveled back to Boston to close out the Bruins in shocking fashion – a 2-0 shutout by Theodore.

The point of all of this is that, as the great Senator John Blutarsky famously put it, “Nothing is over until we decide it is!”

But deciding it’s not over and making it so are two different things. To achieve that, some things are going to have to change. So far, the “young guns” have been good. Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mike Green have a combined four goals and 16 points in four games -- four points a game. But each member of this foursome averaged more than a point a game this year in the regular season. The Alexes have averaged more than a point a game in this series (five points apiece), but all four must be better than good. In game three – a 4-0 win – they combined for eight points. Split the difference – the Caps need six points out of this group.

The Caps have received almost nothing from anyone else in this series. Outside of the “young guns,” no Cap has more than one point. Tomas Fleischmann, Viktor Kozlov, Brooks Laich, Sergei Fedorov…you guys have one point apiece. That simply isn’t going to do.

Mike Green has had a difficult series. He just doesn’t seem himself, frankly. He’s been on the ice for four of the seven goals scored by the Rangers and has only two assists at the offensive end in compiling a team-worst minus-3 rating (tied with Eric Fehr). If Green doesn’t snap out of it, this isn’t likely to end well for the Caps.

If that Montreal-Boston series from 2004 is instructive, the best players need to step up in a big way. Montreal scored 12 goals in the last three games of that series. Richard Zednik had three; Alex Kovalev, Yanic Perrault, and Saku Koivu had two apiece. Koivu led the scoring with seven total points in those games. Zednik had five points. Perreault and Kovalev had four apiece.

But there were also the chip-ins. Darren Langdon and Jan Bulis had goals. Sheldon Souray and Andrei Markov contributed a pair of assists apiece from the blue line. And there was the goaltending.

That series provides an eerie echo to what is going on in the Caps-Rangers series. Montreal could not solve Bruin goalie Andrew Raycroft in the first four games, beating him only seven times in 134 shots (a .948 save percentage for Raycroft). Goaltending (yes, by Theodore) was not the problem, having allowed Boston only 11 goals in those four games, two of which went to overtime – Theodore had a .912 save percentage in those first four games.

But in the last three games, the Habs found their stroke, beating Raycoft on 12 of 79 shots (.848), while Theodore bettered his early series numbers in the last three games (97 saves on 100 shots faced). And here's the thing...it was the first time in the storied history of the Montreal Canadiens that they recovered from a 3-1 series deficit.

This isn’t, as they say, “rocket science.” The Caps need to get more out of their best, get something – anything – out of the next wave of players, and keep stuffing the Rangers’ offensive chances. Do that three times, and there is hockey in May in Washington, after all.

229 teams have faced a 3-1 deficit in Stanley Cup playoff series. 20 of them have come back to win those series. If the Caps are to be the 21st, they have to win one before they can win another, and that starts tonight…

Caps 4 – Rangers 1

A TWO-point afternoon: Caps 4 - Bruins 3 (OT)

Two heavyweights slug it out for 15 rounds – like Balboa and Creed trading haymakers – and the fight ends on a knockout coming on a jab to the shoulder.

That’s what it was like at TD Banknorth Garden, as Alexander Semin ended an extra-session contest between the Capitals and the Boston Bruins with a 70-foot slap shot that somehow snuck past Bruin goalie Tim Thomas. The shot that came 22 seconds into overtime gave the Caps a 4-3 overtime win and allowed the Capitals to win the season series against the B’s, 3-0-1.

It was a game that had something for everyone (ok, except a fight – there were no bouts). It had goals, outstanding saves, big hits, big performances by big players, and the weird ending…

-- Need the big players to come up big? Well, Marc Savard wasn’t even supposed to play in this game for the B’s, but he ended up getting three assists and winning a majority of the faceoffs he took. Zdeno Chara got the Bruins even in the third period with a goal coming off a bad angle shot that Caps goalie Jose Theodore frankly should have turned aside. Semin had two points for the Caps, Mike Green had a pair, and Alex Ovechkin had another goal from his left wing faceoff circle office.

-- Theodore did, however, have a number of big saves – a robbery on Patrice Bergeron by skittering from one post to the other as Bergeron was taking aim for a one timer on the short side, a stop of a Shawn Thornton attempt off a rebound. Thomas had his share, too – twice making saves on Semin as the Caps forward broke in alone after sprinting past Bruin defenders and denying breakaways by Brooks Laich and Eric Fehr.

-- Theodore didn’t get an assist on the first goal – a power play goal by Nicklas Backstrom – but it was his having the presence of mind not to freeze the puck after a David Krejci shot at the other end, moving the puck to the side boards for Alex Ovechkin to start the play the other way, that ultimately led to the goal.

-- Tomas Fleischmann ended a seven-game streak without a goal (one in his previous 17 games coming into this contest), banking one off defenseman Dennis Wideman and past Thomas. Hey, you have to stop a slump somehow. Usually, it’s an ugly goal that does it.

-- Ovechkin’s goal (his 45th for the season) makes 18 in 19 games since January 14th.

-- Semin had an assist to go with his game-winning goal. That makes 58 points in 44 games, and he has gone as many as two games consecutively without a point only once this season (February 18, 20 – against Colorado and Montreal).

-- Speaking of Semin, here is your fun Alexander Semin stat. With a goal and an assist, Semin is now at 58 points, good for 21st in the league. That might sound nice, but when you consider that his 44 games played is fewer than those played by the top 135 scorers in the league, it is amazing.

-- Backstrom’s goal gave him points in nine straight games (4-8-12), tying a career best.

-- At the other end of the spectrum, Matt Bradley had an assist – his first point since January 10th against Montreal.

-- Two-for-five on the power play gives the Caps eight for their last 23 (34.5 percent) over their last four games and an 18-for-53 mark (34.0 percent) for February.

-- This was the Caps 40th win, making this the fastest-to-40 team in franchise history, achieving the feat in 63 games. The 1985-1986 team won its 40th game in game 64 of the schedule.

-- Perhaps the oddest line on the entire scoresheet belongs to the Bruins’ Michael Ryder. He allegedly played 13:40 in this game, and other than a minor penalty, what he had to show for it was…nothing. No shots attempted, no hits, no takeaways, no giveaways, no blocked shots. Nothing.

-- The Caps lost the faceoff battle by a close 29-31 margin. But within that, the Caps were only 5-for-17 in the offensive zone and only 8-for-19 in the defensive zone. Nicklas Backstrom and Sergei Fedeorov were a combined 4-for-19 in the offensive/defensive zone draws.

-- The teams combined for only 18 turnovers (takeaways plus giveaways)

-- The good and the bad about penalty killing…the Caps took only four minors, but three of them came in a less than eight-minute span of the third period. The Bruins scored the tying goal on the last of them.

We’ve now completed the regular season body of work for these teams, and since it is a good possibility that they will meet in the playoffs, that body of work merits a look…

The teams have played evenly, with three games settled by one goal and the other virtually a one-goal game, the Caps securing a two-goal win with an empty netter late in the first game played between the clubs. There are perhaps 30 or so games to be played before these teams might meet in a conference final, but you get the feeling that if they do meet, it will be one helluva series. In the meantime, nicely done boys.

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Bruins, February 28th

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

It’s a two-fer weekend as the Caps head to Boston to take on the Bruins in the front half of the back-to-back weekend fun. It is the last chance for the Caps to take a pound of flesh out of the Bruin hide, for the regular season anyway, and shave a couple of points off the nine-point lead Boston holds over Washington. To get some perspective on the mind of the Bruin and how an opponent might find an advantage, we’ve asked one of the most famous bears around to join us and offer us some insights…

Smokey Bear, you’ve been an icon in American culture for more than 60 years. You’ve seen a lot of bears come and go, and you might know better than anyone what we should look for. So, what do the Caps need to beware of this afternoon?


“Well, you can’t play with fire around the Bruins. They are fourth in the league on the power play overall and second in home power play conversions. They are six-for-20 in their last five games, three–for-six in their last two games, both played in front of the home fans.”

It is an impressive record. How do you address that if you are the visitors?

“The obvious thing is to stay out of the penalty box. The Caps have had trouble doing that, I see. In February, they have been shorthanded 66 times in 12 games – 5.5 times a game. If they do that against Boston, they’re going to get torched.”

Does Boston have a weakness?

“If you look at their team numbers, you’d have to say ‘no.’ They are top-five in everything except winning when they score first, but they still win more than 70 percent of the time in that situation…”



You sure do keep up with this stuff. But if the Caps win, they will achieve their second-highest number of wins in a month this year (nine), not bad for a short month. This is a big test, though. Is there any one thing the Caps can do to give themselves an advantage in this one, Smokey?

“I’m glad you asked…Have you read my ‘Wildfire Pledge?’”

Not since I was a cub.

“Cute…I get it…bear joke. Have I shown you my claws?”

Sorry…

“OK, well…we also have a ‘penalty killing pledge…”

I pledge to be smart whenever I go on the ice:

* To use caution and common sense before I might commit a penalty.
* To understand that any penalty I or my teammates take could result in a goal.
* To understand and practice proper guidelines of our system whenever I or my teammates take the ice to kill a penalty.
* To never, ever leave an opponent in the defensive zone unattended.
* To make sure any penalty that I or my teammates commit is properly and completely extinguished before moving on.
* To properly clear the puck on the penalty kill and not shoot it over the glass.
* To be aware of my surroundings and careful when playing defense during periods of penalty killing so I don’t put my team at a 5-on-3 disadvantage.
* To step in and defend my teammates when I see someone taking liberties with them.

Not bad, but let’s hope no one has to recite the pledge too often this afternoon. The Caps have had a problem staying out of the box in February, but they have been slightly less inclined to do the perp walk in road games – 21 times in four games (5.25 shorthanded situations per game). Here is the kicker, though – they are 19-for-21 on the PK in those road games (90.5 percent). The difficulty for the Caps is of the four opponents they faced in those road games, the highest ranked power play at home was that of New Jersey (16th). Tampa Bay (23rd), the Rangers (28th), and Florida (29th) are among the league’s bottom feeders in the measure. This will be different.

Another problem for the Caps in this one is the second intermission. Only Chicago (33) has taken a lead into the second intermission more times this year than have the Bruins (32). No team has more wins (29). Conversely, only two teams have trailed at the second intermission fewer times than have the Caps (San Jose, and Boston). But while the Caps are ninth in winning percentage in such situations, winning 18.8 percent of the time is not generally a reason for optimism.

Boston has assembled an impressive record on the basis of talent, sure. But they have also accomplished this as a product of health and balance. As to the former, the Bruins have dressed only 26 skaters this year. Seven players have dressed for every game (by way of comparison, the numbers for the Caps are 33 and 2, respectively). But the Bruins might be missing top scorer Marc Savard (who is one of those who has played in all 62 games this year) and top hitter Milan Lucic. Both have “upper body” injuries. Blake Wheeler, another player with 62 games under his belt, will likely be skating with a sore foot, thanks to a shot taken off the stick of Chris Pronger.

As for balance, try 18 players with at least ten points, 11 with at least 20. They have nine with at least a dozen goals and 16 players with at least one game-winning goal. They have 13 players with at least one power play goal and 11 players at plus-ten or better.

But it is a team that has struggled to score against Washington. In three games they have a total of five goals. Perhaps ominously for Boston, two of them were by Savard and one by Lucic – Shawn Thornton and David Krejci getting the others, Krejci’s actually being a deflection off of the skate of Shaone Morrison to give Boston a 3-2 overtime win the last time the teams met.

If one looks at the Bruins individually, there aren’t many players there who can be said to have had successful careers against the Capitals, assuming Savard is out (he is 9-35-44 in 34 career games against Washington). If there is one player to think about in that regard, it might be Michael Ryder. He is 9-6-15 in 17 games against the Caps, but the odd thing about that is that all of his scoring was done as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. He has been held without a point in the two games he’s played against Washington as a Bruin. In fact, the leading career scorer against the Caps for the Bruins dressing for this game (again, assuming Savard is out) will be defenseman Zdeno Chara – 5-14-19 in 39 career games.

Boston comes into the game having had a somewhat indifferent February. The Bruins are “only” 6-4-2 for the month, but they put up a half dozen goals in each of their last two games – a 6-1 win over Florida and a 6-0 whitewashing of Anaheim. It is worth noting that both of those teams are in the lower half of the goals-per-game rankings, so for the Bruins this will be a step up in weight class, too. That 11-goal differential in the last two games is the difference for the month as the Bruins have outscored opponents by 36-25 in 12 games. The 25 goals allowed is evidence that defense and goaltending has not been a problem for Boston. Time Thomas is 6-3-0 for the month and six times has allowed one or no goals (1.55 GAA, .943 save percentage). Manny Fernandez is 0-2-1 for the month, 3.22, .855.

The Peerless’ Players to Ponder

Boston: Phil Kessel

Kessel has played in only one of the three games against the Caps this season, assisting on the only goal in a 3-1 loss in Washington in December. He hasn’t had a lot of success against the Caps (1-1-2 in nine career games), and he has been in a prolonged slump otherwise lately (2-4-6, -1 in 19 games in the 2009 portion in the season). He also is part of a rumor concerning a trade for Anaheim defenseman Chris Pronger. An awful lot of stuff going on for a 21-year old.

Washington: Jose Theodore

This is more or less “game one” of a playoff series against the Bruins, and in the playoffs, success starts with the goaltender. Unfortunately, Theodore does not have an especially noteworthy record of accomplishment against the Bruins – 9-12-2-1, 2.53, .917. But here is the odd part of that record – since the lockout, Theodore is 3-0-1, 2.00, .924 against Boston. What he hasn’t had is a good February, or at least not a consistent one. Theodore is 5-3-1 for the month, 2.95, .904. He’s allowed more than three goals four times in 12 games and has done so against teams who shouldn’t have that kind of success – Colorado, the Rangers, and the Kings.

One would have to think this is going to be a low-scoring game and closely fought. Since the lockout, the teams have met 15 times. The Caps have a 5-4-6 record in those games. Including Gimmicks, 12 of them have been one-goal affairs (the Caps are 3-3-6 in those games), and only one of them has been settled by more than two goals (the 10-2 win over Boston last March). In only three of the 12 have there been more than a total of five goals scored. This year, none of the first three games in this series had more than five goals scored, and in that one it took an overtime to do it. We suspect this one won’t be any different. Any last words, Smokey?

“Uh, only YOU can prevent penalties.”

Caps 2 – Bruins 1

A ONE-point night: Bruins 3 - Caps 2 (OT)

Boston 3 – Washington 2, overtime….

We do not think of this as a one-point game on a January night against the Bruins, but as Game 3 in a playoff series (the first two won by the Caps). These are teams that seem as likely as not to meet in the playoffs come the spring, and it’s as good a time as any to think in those terms.

That said, and after all the knashing of teeth about a “lucky bounce” (we think it might not have been so “lucky,” but we’ll get to that), the Caps lost game three because they couldn’t – yet again – kill penalties. Boston scored two of their three goals with the man advantage (on five opportunities). The Caps… 0-for-6. Game.

Let’s return to the first Bruin power play score at 14:12 of the second period. The Caps got to running around a bit (in the end, too much) in their own end. It starts with Patrice Bergeron diving to poke the puck and keep it in the offensive zone, but while he’s doing that, the Caps had their two forwards pointed – headed, it seemed – in the wrong direction… to exit the defensive zone.

Then, three Caps are pinned to the left side of the ice as Bergeron passes the puck across to Marc Savard at the edge of the right wing circle…


The Caps are left with two defenders – Boyd Gordon trying to get back into the play and Karl Alzner – in a nether land with Savard alone to shoot and Milan Lucic camped in front of Jose Theodore...


The result was predictable...


This makes nine consecutive games having allowed at least one power play goal. In that span, the Caps are 35-for-49 on the penalty kill – 71.4 percent. Just as alarming, that is seven times in the last eight games that the Caps have had at least five power plays to kill. The Caps are bad at penalty killing at the moment, and they’re getting lots of chances to demonstrate that lack of skill.

Almost lost in this was the pair of scares that the Caps got from the Alexes. Ovechkin suffered what was described as a “stinger” when he was checked by Zdeno Chara and fell awkwardly into the boards. Semin took a stick in the neck early in the third period from Chuck Kobasew but did return to play almost six minutes in the third period.

Way back in training camp, Michael Nylander, Tomas Fleischmann, and Chris Clark were matched on a line. There was some reason to think this could be a productive scoring line. Last night was the first time this season (49 games) the three combined on a scoring play, Nylander from Fleischmann and Clark.

Ovechkin suffering a stinger didn’t keep him from finishing with 16 shot attempts – or seven hits for that matter.

The Caps were credited with no giveaways… none. Every city seems to have its quirky scoring aspects. This must be Boston’s.

Nicklas Backstrom won seven of nine draws. Was somebody practicing over the break? Trouble is, that was his hooking penalty in the extra period that led to the final goal, and he otherwise had a pretty quiet game.

We’ve looked at that winning goal on replay a few times now, and we can’t help but think that when Shaone Morrisonn went down, David Krejci edged in with the purpose of trying to shoot the puck off of the defender. Sure, he might have been trying to thread a pass through to Marc Savard on the other side, but it sure had the look of Krejci gingerly shooting the puck with Morrisonn’s leg in mind.

Stop us if you’ve heard this before… outshoot the opponent 14-8 in the first period… other goalie plays well enough to keep his team in it… Caps can’t put the game away, carry only a one-goal lead into the intermission (and that coming on a goal with 21 seconds left). Outplaying a team as much as the Caps did (and have done with some regularity) early, and failing to put them away, only leads to bad results.

Michael Nylander played 16 minutes. That might not seem especially noteworthy, but it is only the second time since Christmas that he’s played more than 15 minutes (and no, he didn’t get any ice time in overtime).

The good news is that the Caps have earned five of a possible six points against the Bruins this season and have “won” the season series (The Bruins can earn only four points). But in the larger scheme of things, the series is now 2-1. But this was the first game in a treacherous 16-day span of seven games. Detroit comes to town on Saturday. That game is followed by contests against team that individually pose their own unique problems for the Caps. Relatively poor teams such as Ottawa or Los Angeles already have beaten the Caps this year, the Devils are hot, Florida has a very good defense, and the Rangers have Lundqvist.

And what makes this especially dangerous is that the Caps are depending on things that they probably can't sustain, things that in fact have shown some cracks -- winning every game at home (they've lost two of their last three) and keeping the other team from scoring any even strength goals (Boston scored one last night). The Caps simply have to find ways to kill penalties and to win on the road. If they don't...


Screen shots from NHL.com video.

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Bruins, January 27th

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

We’re back to start the second half of the season, figuratively speaking, and it gets off with a bang as the Capitals head to Beantown to take on the Boston Bruins.

“It’s a little known fact that the term ‘Beantown’ comes from the fact that back in the Revolutionary War, there were more people in Boston than in any other town in the Colonies, so ‘people’… ’human beings’… ’beans’… ’Beantown.’”

Cliff Claven…it’s been awhile since we saw you… and by the way, isn’t Boston called “Beantown” because back in the early days, a lot of folks in Boston baked beans soaked in molasses?

“Well, yeah, there was that too… but hey, how ‘bout those ‘B’s?..."

As you folks might say up here, “wicked good.”

“Hey, you hear the one about the fella who died, went to the pearly gates? St. Peter let him in. Sees a guy in a suit making a closing argument. Says, "Who's that?" St. Peter says, "Oh, that's God. Thinks he's Denny Crane."

Denny Crane…

“Denny Crane… cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs… boffo for Bruins.”

So, counselor, what do you think of the Bruins chances this year?

"Denny Crane thinks the Bruins are the class of the East… just look at the numbers…"

Very impressive, to say the least.

“Denny Crane is nothing if not impressive.”

“Uh, you know, it’s a little known fact that the last time the Bruins beat a team by 11 goals was against the Caps… it’s true, on December 14, 1974, the Bruins beat the Caps 12-1.”

Yeah, and the last time the Bruins gave up ten goals in a game was against the Caps – a 10-2 loss last March 3rd.

“Ah, but did you know that the last time an opponent had a four-goal game against the Bruins was back in 1999?”

“I suppose you’re going to tell me it was Michael Nylander…”

“Well, Denny…”

“Denny Crane!”

“Well, Denny Crane, you’d be right – December 4, 1999, when Nylander was with the Blackhawks.”

Uh, guys…this is all well and good, but could we move it along?

“Denny Crane needs a beer…”

Are you sure that’s a good idea?

“Well ya see, Peerless, it's like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers.”

“You should have been a lawyer, Cliff…”

“What, and give up the U.S. Postal Service?”

Well, while these two debate the medicinal benefits of beer, there is a game to be played. And the Caps take a 2-0 season series record into their first visit to Boston this year. It seems like just yesterday that these teams went at it. In fact, it was just ten days ago, so there really isn’t much to update in terms of what to look for from the Bruins from what we wrote on that gameday. But now the contest moves to Boston, where the Caps haven’t won a game in regulation since defeating the Bruins, 2-0, on December 2, 2000. Since then Washington is 1-6-3, plus two ties (they won an overtime 2-1 decision on April 10, 2006).

The Bruins come out of the All-Star break holding a ten-point advantage over the Caps and a game in hand. But perhaps the one thing to note about the Bruins is that they had something of a bad finish – in the context of their season overall – to the pre-All-Star Game portion of the season. The Bruins lost to Washington (a 2-1 decision on January 17th), then dropped a 5-4 Gimmick decision at home to the decimated St. Louis Blues two nights later. The Bruins finished up before the break with a 4-3 Gimmick win at Toronto. What that means is that since beating Pittsburgh on New Years Day, 4-1, Boston is a somewhat mortal 5-3-1 in January.

One wonders what’s up with Boston’s goaltending as the second half starts. Tim Thomas is the number one netminder, but the Bruins have recalled Tuukka Rask on an “emergency” basis. The word in Boston is that backup goaltender Manny Fernandez has “general soreness,” perhaps related to back issues he had earlier in the season. Of course, at this time of year, any roster change, especially when accompanied by the usual cryptic description of injury, gets the rumor juices flowing with respect to a possible trade.

Then there is the matter of Thomas. We thought Thomas should have been the All-Star Game MVP for his shutting the door on the Western Conference stars, holding them to one goal in the last 17:28 of regulation play and five minutes of overtime, then denying both attempts in the Gimmick portion of the show. But going into the break, Thomas allowed seven goals on 65 shots in his last two games. He took the ice in the last six games played by the Bruins going into the break (4-1-1, 1.95, .940). Given that he’s shouldered the load lately and spent the weekend in the All-Star hoopla, one wonders if Rask will get the start.

The Peerless’ Players to Ponder

Boston: Michael Ryder

With Phil Kessel likely to be out for this one, Ryder will be the Bruins’ leading goal-scorer taking the ice (18). He had a nice little run going earlier in the month, going 3-2-5 in wins over Ottawa, Carolina, and Montreal. It is probably no coincidence that in those games the Bruins scored 14 of the 30 goals they’ve scored in ten games in January. Ryder has had success against the Caps in the past, especially on the power play – a consideration given the Caps’ unremarkable penalty killing. Ryder is 9-6-15, plus-2, in 17 career games against the Caps (five of the goals coming on the power play).

Washington: Michael Nylander

Nylander is currently 18th on the team in average ice time – 14:34 – a number that is about four and a half minutes lower than last year’s injury-abbreviated season and almost six minutes fewer than his last year with the Rangers. His 6.7 percent shooting percentage (four goals on 60 shots) is the worst of his career for seasons in which he’s played at least 20 games. We’re in the window of the calendar where a lot of discussion is going to focus on trades, and Nylander’s name will be mentioned often. He’s had a measure of success against Boston – 14-18-32, plus-18 in 36 career games. The Caps aren’t in a position to “showcase” a player the way a team falling out of contention might, but how he performs over the next month will determine interest and return. Having a good game against Boston would be a good place to start. Who knows, it could be the start of his playing himself back into major minutes on the team.

With 34 games left to play and ten points to make up, it seems unlikely that the Caps can catch Boston for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. But if they’re going to do it, they have to beat the Bruins in what amounts to a four-point game. The Caps are 9-3-1 against Northeast teams this year, 2-0 against Boston. We think it will go to 10-3-1 and 3-0…

Caps 3 – Boston 2

A TWO-point night: Caps 2 - Bruins 1

Yes we can.

It was a campaign slogan last fall, but it’s a phrase that bears saying over and over to Caps fans. Pessimistic by their nature, having endured a lot of years of disappointment and plain old bad teams, it’s time for Caps fans to look at this team and say, “yes we can.”

That’s what a hard-fought, playoff-like 2-1 win over the league leading Boston Bruins will do, a game where the Caps played solid in each zone and scratched out one more goal on a great individual effort to get the win.

For those of you keeping track, this was the 29th win for the Caps, the earliest the club has hit that mark in franchise history (46th game), besting the effort in 1985-86 when the Caps won their 29th victory in their 47th game.

It didn’t come easily. It wasn’t a fluke, either. In fact, if there was a flukish moment, it came on the Bruin goal in the second period when a shot by Chuck Kobasew on a Boston power play pinballed in front of Jose Theodore and squirted out to the right wing faceoff circle. Theodore looked to have lost sight of the puck and before he could find where it went, Marc Savard was winding up to fire a slap shot into the vacant side of the net for the game’s first goal.

That would be it for the Bruins as the Caps played a remarkably efficient defensive game. How? Here is your interesting number for the night – two. Of the 17 shots on net that Boston would have after the Savard goal, two would be the number that were launched from inside of 30 feet, none in the last five minutes with the game in the balance.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ice, the Caps got goals the way they get goals. Mike Green got lost on the right side of the ice on a Caps power play as all four Bruin penalty killers bunched up on the left side watching Michael Nylander hold onto the puck. Nylander eased down the left wing boards until he had a passing lane, then fired the puck past a Boston defender trying to kick it away. Green picked it up, took a stride toward the Boston net, then roofed a shot over goalie Tim Thomas’ glove to tie the game 70 seconds after the Savard goal.

The winner was scored as a product of a “holy crap, I’d better make up for that bonehead play” sort of effort. Milan Jucina had the puck at the Capitals’ blue line, but in an effort to move the puck across to Jeff Schultz he fanned on the attempt. The Bruins ended up with a 2-on-1 after Schultz couldn’t move the puck out of the zone, with Vladimir Sobotka feeding Martin St. Pierre and Jurcina back. Jurcina dove to stick check the puck off of St. Pierre’s stick into the corner and out of harm’s way. As so often happens on such a play – a chance that went for naught for the Bruins – the puck ended up going the other way with unfortunate results for Boston. Alexander Semin did a fine job of poking the puck past Mark Stuart and collecting it in front of the Capitals’ bench. Semin carried the puck into the Boston zone, and before Shane Hnidy could close the distance, Semin let fly with a slap shot in full stride that sailed over Thomas’ glove and under the crossbar to give the Caps the final lead.

Some other stuff…

If the season ended today, Zdeno Chara should win the Norris Trophy. When he’s out there, the left side of the ice is a no-fly zone for opponents. He was a warrior out there, skating the last 2:29 (with his running mate, Dennis Wideman) in an effort to get the equalizer. And the job he did on Alex Ovechkin, who rarely was allowed to skate into areas he wanted to go, was key in keeping the Caps to two goals.

The loss was the Bruins’ first on the road in their last eight tries. The last road loss?... Yup, here in Washington.

In the “defense-first” theme, the Caps won 10 of 16 draws in the defensive zone. David Steckel and Sergei Fedorov were a combined 10-for-13 (Nicklas Backstrom losing all three of his defensive zone draws).

Another “defense-first” note…the Bruins only had three shots on four power plays – all of them by Savard.

Neither Fedorov nor Nylander registered a shot on goal. Between them, they had only two attempts (both by Nylander).

We noted that Zdeno Chara and Dennis Wideman skated the last 2:29 for the Bruins. That doesn’t get the gold star for longest shift. Alex Ovechkin skated a 3:13 shift in the third period. In fact, on consecutive shifts in the third, Ovechkin skated 3:31, 1:16, and 1:59.

John Erskine got the second star of the game and deserved it (that elbowing penalty in the last two minutes was a pretty cheesy call). Almost 20 minutes, three hits, a blocked shot, and a big role in the Bruins not getting any shots from in close in the third period.

David Steckel got the hard hat – he won 10 of 16 draws, had three hits, a blocked shot, and a couple of shots of his own.

Boston gets a lot of scoring balance (though not tonight). They get balance in other areas, too… they had ten skaters with blocked shots (five of them forwards), they had eight skaters with takeaways, they had 13 skaters with hits. Boston is not a team that beats itself for lack of effort.

Washington matched the Bruins for effort in this one. You’d have to spend some time looking to find a bad effort (although that 4-for-12 effort on faceoffs by Backstrom is troublesome; that’s 17 straight games in which he’s failed to go over 50 percent on draws… the last time he did was against Boston).

Tonight was the eighth sellout in the last nine games for the Caps. The smallest crowd of the season to date is 16,792, against Florida on December 2nd. By this time last year, the Caps had only four nights when they exceeded that number and only one sellout.

The win puts the Caps at 5-3-0 for the month, and the team appears to have put that three-game losing streak behind them. And, defense is what does it. In the four wins in January coming into this one, the Caps allowed a total of nine goals (four of them on New Years Day to Tampa Bay). In the three losses they allowed 13 goals. As if a preview of what to expect in the playoffs, defense was the order of the evening, and the Caps played it well, even with Boston nursing some injuries. Pretty won’t do it in the spring, and the Caps showed tonight that they can win in gritty fashion. It was the kind of game to prove that when it comes to these kinds of nail-biters, “yes we can.”

Super job, boys.

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Bruins, January 17th

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

It’s Inauguration Weekend here in Fortress Washington, and tonight, there is a 100 percent chance that the Caps will be hosting the only team in front of them in the East, the Boston Bruins. Since the last time these teams met – a 3-1 Caps win on December 10th – both teams have been rocketing forward in the Eastern Conference. The Caps are 12-4-0 since that meeting, the Bruins 14-2-0. But which team is better? For that, we bring in the pair in despair, the twins of spin, two in the zoo…Mr. Tony and Mr. Mike…

Guys, the numbers look like this for these two teams:

Which team do you think is better at this stage of the season? Mr. Tony?



The Bruins are 100 percent better. More goals, fewer allowed, higher in the standings. Case closed.




What do you mean, case closed? The Caps are 35 percent better. Why? Ovechkin, 100 percent the best player in hockey.


Mike, look at the numbers. The Bruins have 14 – fourteen! – players in double digits in points, nine of them with more than 20. A dozen players have at least one power play goal and 16 – sixteen! – with at least one power play point. They have Chara, they have Savard – who has learned the joys of playing in his own end for a change, I might add – they have Kessel…and who is this Wideman kid?... leads the team in power play scoring. They don’t have a single player – not one! – who has played 30 games and is a minus player…not one!

Tony, don’t get lost in the numbers. Let’s leave the sorry, no-account Southeast Division out of this for a moment. Do you know that the Caps have a better record than the Bruins against other Eastern Conference teams? The Caps are 17-3-3 against Atlantic and Northeast teams, the Bruins are 15-3-4. And look at that 14-2 record the Bruins have since they lost to the Capitals. Who’d they beat? The beat Atlanta three times. You and I and three production guys could beat Atlanta. Toronto… Carolina… St. Louis… Ottawa. You see any playoff teams in there, Tony? The Caps went to Montreal and won with a goalie who hasn’t finished his first cup of coffee in North America yet – in his first game in the NHL! They’ve won 12 games with mostly a defense that had been playing in Hershey, for heaven’s sake.

OK…OK. Let’s look at them individually. Coming into this year, Marc Savard was minus-74 in 659 games. He’s plus-30 this year…plus-30! And he’s still on a pace for a career year in scoring with 99 points. And he’s 7-35-42, +10 in 32 games against the Caps in his career.

He only has four points in his last five games, Tony, and three of those came against the decrepit Senators. And he hasn’t had any of those points against the Caps this year, either.

I have two words for you…Zdeno Chara. Ovechkin is going to wear that guy like an overcoat. Yeah, Ovechkin might be the second strongest guy in the league for all I know, but Chara tops that list.

Tony, Ovechkin is 7-8-15 in 13 career games against Boston. He had a goal and an assist in the first meeting this year. Chara’s great… Ovechkin’s something more.

OK, Ovechkin’s a beast, even though Crosby’s better. But Boston has this secret weapon – David Krejci. Is that how you say his name? Might as well be “criminee.” As in, “criminee, where did this guy come from?” 48 points, second in both goals and assists on the team.

I’ll see you your David Krejci and raise you a Nicklas Backstrom. He’s got 48 points, too, and he’s jumpstarted Ovechkin’s game. The Caps were always wondering, what could Ovechkin do with a center who could get him the puck? Well, a Hart, Pearson, Ross, and Richard Trophy later, I think we’ve found out.

We can’t overlook Phil Kessel, here. Leads the team in goals with 24. Seven on the power play, four game winners, and he’s only got ten penalty minutes this year – scoring and discipline like that in a 21-year old?

OK, Kessel is a nice story, Tony, with his comeback from cancer to put up numbers like that. But let’s look at the guy drafted in that same slot – fifth overall – a year later…Karl Alzner. The Caps had him ticketed for a year in Hershey, this being his first year as a pro. But with all the injuries the Caps have had, he was called up into service and played his way into staying. He’s second among Caps defensemen who will play tonight in ice time. He’s plus-3, and he only earned his first penalty in the NHL this past week against Edmonton. He has two penalties this year, combined in Hershey and Washington, both for delay of game. Talk about discipline, this kid has it in buckets, and he’s only 20.

But Boston is doing it with guys hurt – Kessel, Andrew Ference, Patrice Bergeron, Marco Sturm…all out for this game. Aaron Ward and Milan Lucic are day to day. And they’re still winning.

You want to talk about injuries? Look at who the Caps have had to dress on the blue line… Bryan Helmer, Tyler Sloan, Sami Lepisto, Sean Collins, Alzner for heaven’s sake – all guys who have been or should be getting the bulk of their playing time in Hershey. The Caps have had to put Sergei Fedorov and even Brook Laich back there because of injuries. They have only one defenseman who has played in every game – Milan Jurcina. They only have one forward from either of their top two lines who has played in every game – Nicklas Backstrom.

Well, I don’t know that we’ve settled anything here. Let’s go to the big finish…Stat Boy?



The Peerless’ Players to Ponder:

Boston: Tim Thomas

Manny Fernandez got the start in the December 10th contest, taking the decision in a 3-1 loss. Thomas figures to get the start here – he’s been in goal for the last three games, all wins and all games in which he’s allowed only one goal. He’s had a superb record against the Caps in his career – 8-1-1, 2.42., .922. But the last time he visited Washington, he gave up seven goals on 24 shots in a 10-2 Capitals win. The Caps are averaging 3.41 goals-per-game at home. Thomas will need to be sharp.

Washington: Jose Theodore

He of the new mask didn’t play in the first game of this season series, either. His experience against the Bruins has been one of misfortune, given his statistics. Despite a respectable 2.59 GAA and .917 save percentage, his record against the B’s is only 8-12-2. Two of those wins were shutouts. He hasn’t faced Boston since October 2005, a 34-save 4-3 win when Theodore was wearing the bleu, blanc, et rouge of the Canadiens. After winning six straight decisions, he dropped a pair – to Columbus and to Edmonton – before righting himself somewhat in a 6-3 win over Pittsburgh. He’ll need to move his play to a higher level in this one.

So, who won between our “oddsmakers?” Pfft…who cares? You know how this comes out…


Caps 3 – Bruins 2

Do you realize...

...that Boston has lost only one game since Thanksgiving (15-1-0)?

To Washington, 3-1.

A TWO-point night: Caps 3 - Bruins 1

Sometimes, it takes a Bear to beat a Bruin.

Alexandre Giroux, who is leading the AHL in goals for the Hershey Bears this season, had the game-winner in the Caps’ 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins. Giroux’ goal, sandwiched by markers from Nicklas Backstrom and an empty-netter from Alex Ovechkin, was enough margin for goalie Brent Johnson to work with in the win.

Johnson earned the game’s first star – deservedly so – for stopping 33 of 34 shots, many of those shots being of the highlight reel variety. His stops on a Chuck Kobesew shot from the top of the crease after nullifying an attempt from Patrice Bergeron, and his sweeping stick save on a breakaway by Blake Wheeler were among the best saves by a Capital goaltender this year. His 8-4-2 record (2.47, .918) threatens to move him past the “goalie controversy” phase and squarely into the number one position. In 13 appearances this year, he’s allowed more than three goals only once (seven, to San Jose). He’s saved at least 90 percent of the shots he’s faced in 11 of those 13 appearances. He hasn’t been a fluke; he’s been very consistent.

As for Giroux, his goal was the product of soft hands at the doorstep as he converted a short rebound off a shot by Viktor Kozlov. Giroux was patient enough to back off a half step as Boston goalie Manny Fernandez was flopping to the ice, then calmly lifted the puck over him for the score. Giroux also had a penalty shot opportunity less than 90 seconds in to the third period that might have salted the game away right there, but his attempt to Fernandez’ blocker side went astray. But three shots, three hits, and a goal in ten minutes of work was a pretty efficient night.

Speaking of the Hershey contingent, Oskar Osala made his Capitals and NHL debut – he leads AHL rookies in goal scoring at Hershey. The youngster looked rather nervous in the first, but looked like a player who might be contributing sooner (as in next year) rather than later. He held his own in his battles along the boards, for the most part, and showed an eagerness to get the puck to the net in the second and third period

Osala made it an even ten – the number of players called up from Hershey so far this year (Osala, Giroux, Karl Alzner, Tyler Sloan, Sami Lepisto, Sean Collins, Chris Bourque, Keith Aucoin, Graham Mink, and Bryan Helmer). None of them could be said to have been a bust. Green they might be, but all of them managed to contribute to the effort to hold the fort while the injured heal, or otherwise showed that they have the potential to contribute in more meaningful ways as their skills develop.

As for the regulars, what’s gotten into Nicklas Backstrom? He’s attacking the net, shooting more (or so it seems), scoring all nine of his goals this season – including the first Caps score tonight – in the last 15 games. His redirect of an Alex Ovechkin drive was the kind of goal he probably wouldn’t have had last year.

Alexander Semin returned to the lineup tonight, and the time off showed. He had enough energy, but there were those moments when he’d make a few nifty moves to create some space, only to see the puck dribble away. He did have the primary assist on the Ovechkin goal, however, and added to his league leading plus-minus total (he was +1 tonight).

As for Ovechkin, a goal, an assist, five shots (11 attempts), four hits, and a blocked shot. We thought we saw him selling cotton candy in the 400’s at the intermission, too. It was a full night, and that with his wearing a Zdeno Chara jersey for most of the night.

Speaking of Chara, the Bruins didn’t even pretend to play anything but man-to-man, Chara on Ovechkin. Once Ovechkin was over the blue line, Chara was there. And Chara had a pretty good game. The one thing we noted about him is how “gentle” his game is. And by that, we don’t mean that he avoids physical play – far from it. It’s that when he gets the puck, he doesn’t spin and fire willy-nilly. He has become very adept at just chipping the puck out of danger. He isn’t the most adept puck handler – his size and that telephone pole he uses for a stick work against him as far as that goes. But he really has mastered taking advantage of the skills he has, and he put them to good use for the Bruins tonight. He tied for the team lead in shots (five), led the Bruins in total attempts (nine), had a couple of hits, a takeaway, a blocked shot, led the Bruins in ice time, and had an assist on the Bruin goal. And he was very effective on Ovechkin.

Back to the Hershey boys, Karl Alzner put on a show of not being showy. It was an object lesson in the kind of defenseman he’ll be down the road. You won’t notice him for anything in particular, but when the game is over, there he’ll be with a plus-two, a couple of hits, a takeaway, three blocked shots, all in 20-plus minutes of work…like he had tonight.

Tom Poti played the Mike Green role on defense about as well as one might expect. He was credited with an assist, but he was often the guy pushing the puck up the ice and getting it deep, carrying the play below the Bruin goal line. He even had a couple of hits and a couple of takeaways.

Viktor Kozlov did a lot of the dirty work maneuvering the puck in the offensive zone. It didn’t keep him from getting four shots of his own, which tied his season high. He also had a couple of assists .

As a group, the Caps owned the face-off circle. No Bruin other than Petteri Nokelainen was better than .500 in the circle (and Nokelainen took only two draws). Boyd Gordon and Brooks Laich were a combined 22 to the good, nine to the bad (71 percent).

It was also Milan Jurcina’s best game of the year. His Johnny (so to speak) on the spot stop of a Phil Kessel spin from behind the net – after which Jurcina flattened him – might have been the defensive biggest play of the night not authored by Johnson.

It was one of those games that the Caps dominated, although the final score suggested something closer. The problem for the Caps was missed shots. While they only had a total of 12 recorded, it seemed that every one was a scoring opportunity. Ovechkin alone had at least two such opportunities sail just past the post, and Boyd Gordon had one that he really should have buried.

The Caps might be getting healthier, if not quite healthy, as Alexander Semin returned to the lineup and a couple others might be close. When those players return to the lineup, some other players will be heading north on Route 15. But their contributions over these last couple of weeks shouldn’t be forgotten. They’ve represented Hershey quite well. Nice job, boys.

An eerie coincidence?

The Boston Bruins -- tonight's opponent for the Caps -- is 19-4-4, their best such record after 27 games since they were 19-4-3-1 after 27 games in the 2002-2003 season.

In their 28th game, also played on a December 10th evening, they lost to another team clad in red, white, and blue (the Montreal Canadiens on that occasion), 4-2.

After that blistering start in their first 27 games in the 2002-2003 season, the Bruins would finish the season 17-27-8-3 for a record of 36-31-11-4. They would then fall to New Jersey, four games to one, in the first round of the playoffs.

Just something to think about.

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Bruins, December 10th

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

It’s back home for the boys of winter as the Caps host the Boston Bruins. And what a challenge it will be as the numbers suggest…

What is apparent from these numbers is that the Caps have been pretty good, the Bruins have been sick. Boston comes into this game having gone 14-1-1 since November 1st, taking them from 5-3-3 to 19-4-4. Thankfully, this game is not in Boston, where the Bruins are 10-1-1. But they aren’t slouches on the road, either, with a record of 9-3-3…

“Not only that, but they are 5-1-1 on the road in this 14-1-1 streak.”

Well, it’s crack sports betting high-roller, Dwayne Allan Boot…Dwayne, welcome to the show.

“Thanks, Peerless…and did you know that the Big Bad Bruins have only given up 11 goals in seven road games since starting that streak on November 1st?”

Well, I didn’t, but it’s good to know…

“You bet, and if they give up more than two in this one, I’ll give you and all of your readers free picks from my service for the entire season, and as you know, I am more than 90 percent correct in Wednesday night games in the Eastern time zone this year…documented.”

Documented?...really? Who does this documenting?

“Well, I do, but that’s beside the point…”

Well, Dwayne, how about that Bruin power play…humming along at more than 23 percent so far…

“True, Peerless, but here’s what separates the pros from the amateurs in this business…Boston is only 2-for-21 on the power play on the road in this streak, and if they get a power play goal tonight, I’ll give you and your readers free picks from my service, where I am over 85 percent right on goals scored in the second period in games shown on Hockey Night in Canada this year…documented!”

Well, that’s quite an offer. But what about that penalty kill…Boston is in the top third in the league in that stat, too.

“Bingo, big guy, but not only that, but they have killed 28-of-29 shorthanded situations on the road since November 1st, and the last 28 in a row. If the Caps get a power play goal, I will personally guarantee – documented – the winning pick in the Winter Classic between the Lake Erie Monsters and the San Antonio Rampage.”

I thought the Winter Classic was pitting the Detroit Red Wings against the Chicago Blackhawks.

“You have your winter classics, oh wordy one, and I have mine, and if the Wings and Blackhawks score more goals than the Monsters and the Rampage, I will personally strip down to my skivvies and sing ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ at center ice of the Verizon Center.”

Documented?

“You bet!”

What about the matter of scoring first or trailing first?

“The Bruins might not having quite the record the Caps have when scoring first, but they’ve shown they can play from behind – they’ve only lost one game in regulation when allowing the first goal, and if they have a lead after two periods, it’s lights out. Only San Jose has more wins when leading at the second intermission, and the Bruins have not lost such a game in regulation yet.”

That’s pretty impressive…

“Not as impressive as this offer, Peerless…if the Bruins lead after two periods and lose, I will offer each of your readers a Platinum Pass to watch me kiss Gary Bettman on the mouth.”

With tongue?

“Documented!”

What about the players…is it as impressive a group as the team stats suggest?

“Oh, absolutely, oh peerless one…12, count’ em, 12 players in double digits for points, ten with at least five goals, ten with at least one game-winning goal, ten with at least one power play goal.”

And I’m guessing no one is calling for the Bruins to be trading Phil Kessel anymore.

“Not a chance, Peerless…not when he’s 17-8-25, +12, with four power play goals, and two game winners.”

Is there a partridge in a pear tree in there, too?

“We don’t do birds, Peerless, but we do have a guarantee…if Kessel is held off the score sheet, I will submit to a cage match with Slapshot the Mascot and pay the fees for the pay-per-view orders for each of your readers…”

Any surprises in there?

“Well, folks might look at the stats and think, ‘Where did David Krejci come from?’ with those eight goals and 24 points, not to mention his being plus-15. But I’ve known all along, Peerless, he came from Sternberk, Czech Republic.”

You have to bow to the master knowing details like that…

"That’s why they call me the Baron of Bullsh—uh, the best in the business, Peerless.”

We took a peek at the Bruins a little while back as the team unlike any other. Actually, what they look like is the San Jose Sharks in their ability to score and keep opponents from scoring (both are top-five in goals scored and fewest goals allowed), in their ability to achieve success on special teams (both are top-ten in power play and penalty killing), and in their balance (both have at least ten players in double digit scoring and in game-winning goals). And we know what the Sharks did to the Caps.

It is also a team getting contributions from some unexpected places...

Dennis Wideman, not Zdeno Chara, leads the Boston blueliners in scoring (6-10-16)

Matt Hunwick (we'll wait while you look him up in "The NHL Guide to Players You've Never Heard Of") has played 15 games and has ten points while going +13 from the blueline.

Chuck Kobasew seems finally to have found a niche after a somewhat disappointing career start on the heels of his being picked 14th overall by Calgary in 2001. He's 5-9-14, +9 in 15 games.

If anything, the mystery on this team is how a guy like Petteri Nokelainen can have failed to register a single point this season in 19 games getting more than ten minutes a night...he'll probably get a hat trick tonight.

As if the Bruins aren't impressive enough among their skaters, in goal Tim Thomas tops the league leader board in goals against (1.90) and is second in save percentage (.940). Consistent? He hasn't allowed more than three goals in a game since opening night. Only twice in 17 appearances has he allowed as many as three even strength goals. He's had a lot of success against the Caps, too -- 8-1-1 in ten appearances, 2.42, .922, and a shutout. And that includes a game in which he gave up seven goals (the 10-2 loss to Washington last March 3rd).


The Peerless’ Players to Ponder

Boston: Marc Savard

It's easy to look at someone like Zdeno Chara (who could miss him?) and his ability to drape himself all over Alex Ovechkin, or look at the gaudy numbers of a Tim Thomas in goal, or ponder the sledgehammer that is Milan Lucic. But Savard is the guy who makes things go for the Bruins, and he has assembled quite a resume against the Caps. In 31 career games against Washington, he is 7-35-42, +10, with four power play goals and two game-winners. He has 12 assists in his last eight games against Washington.

Washington: Michael Nylander

Nylander has the reputation of being a playmaker (some might argue too much of one). But against Boston in his career, he has 14 goals in 34 career games -- a 34-goal pace over a full season's worth of games. The Caps are likely to need a full spread of offense across their scoring lines for this one, and Nylander, who hasn't had a goal since October 16th -- a stretch of 23 games -- really needs to get off the schneid.

The Caps are likely to get a bit healthier for this one, and it couldn't come at a better time. Boston is at the top of their game right now at both ends of the ice. That only means the Caps have them exactly where they want them...


Caps 4 - Bruins 3