A ONE-point night: Maple Leafs 2 - Caps 1 (OT/Gimmick)

Well, didn't they lay an egg?

There is no explanation to do justice to losing to a team that had one win on its own ice in nine tries, whose wins coming into this game came against teams with a combined 22-28-12 record. But the Caps found a way to lose to such a team tonight, dropping a 2-1 Gimmick loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto.

It isn’t even as if Toronto played an especially inspired game. They didn’t. The Caps just didn’t seem to have what it took to pay a price to stomp the Leafs flat, especially at the top of the lineup. Here is an example. Here is how the shots on goal started for the Caps in this game:

1:13 – Tomas Fleischmann, 48 feet
2:57 – Jay Beagle, 22 feet
6:29 – Jeff Schultz, 54 feet
7:39 – Brendan Morrison, 163 feet
9:33 – Eric Fehr, 30 feet
12:57 – Brooks Laich, 22 feet

Let’s leave out the fact that the Caps registered only six shots on goal in 13 minutes against a weak defensive team. It took the Caps almost 13 minutes to get a shot on goal from inside of 30 feet from a top-six forward. Start a game like that, and all it does is invite a team to hang around and gain some confidence that, if only for tonight, they can skate with the big boys.

And that’s just what Toronto did. They stuck around. Even after Alex Ovechkin wired a puck past Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala to give the Caps another first goal of the game, the Caps skated as if they thought it would be easy after that, or convinced themselves that since it was the second of a back to back, they should be tired. Toronto, in the mean time, stuck around.

And when a team lets their opponent stick around, they not only have to rely on their goaltender to keep the back of the net clean, they have to rely on the hockey gods to turn the other way on the matter of bounces. The gods didn’t. Toronto managed to tie things up late in the second period when Niklas Hagman was in the right place at the right time, when a shot by Mikhail Grabovsky pinballed up and off Hagman’s right arm and behind Semyon Varlamov.

After that, it was the 11th commandment that “thou shalt have a Gimmick.” And so it was, and one wonders, was Mark Henderson driving the Zamboni to scrape the ice? It was a weird, not to mention drawn out production to prepare the ice for the Gimmick, and the Caps weren’t exactly pleased with the manner in which it was done, a process that required the referee to squeegee away snow that was left along the runway.

Having tidied up, it was left once more to the hockey gods to point a finger, and they pointed their collective fingers at the Caps shooters. It’s really quite hard to win a Gimmick without getting a shot on goal, but that’s what happened. OK, Eric Fehr will go into the hockey record books as having recorded a shot on Vesa Toskala, but by the time the puck left his stick, he was holding his stick in both hands… half in his left, and half in his right, after the twig broke in half. Note to Coach Boudreau, when it comes to the Gimmick, IT’S NOT FEHR!

When Alex Ovechkin launched his try high and wide right (Bobby Bowden is going to be visiting to see if he wants to kick field goals for Florida State), it was all but over. Nicklas Hagman lifted a backhand over Semyon Varlamov, and with the earlier trick shot success by Phil Kessel, the grisly spectacle was complete.

Other stuff…

- Can’t really fault the power play in this one, despite going 0-for-4. They did get 10 shots on goal in four power plays from an average of 15 feet and only one outside of 25 feet. They had their chances.

- Semyon Varlamov might have a bit of the barracuda in him. It was something Joe Beninati alluded to in the telecast, that (to paraphrase) Varlamov might sense that the number one goalie job is there for the taking. He was sharp, to say the least (38 saves on 38 shots that weren’t off a body part, 0-for-1 on shots off of arms). He has stopped 112 of the last 117 shots he has faced (.957), dating back to the third period of a 3-2 loss to New Jersey on November 4th. Since that loss, he is 3-0-1, 1.30.

- Bad number #1: The Caps were dinged by the official scorer with 18 giveaways tonight. 12 of them were by defensemen. That’s the kind of thing that can make a goaltender’s hair fall out (or his coach’s).

- Bad number #2: Toronto had 39 shots on goal. That doesn’t tell the half of it, literally. The Maple Leafs had 86 shot attempts in 65 minutes. That’s one every 45 seconds, or pretty much one for every single shift, generally speaking. The Caps, on the other hand 57 attempts in 65 minutes (one every 1:08).

- Bad number #3: The score sheet will show that the faceoff battle was almost split between the teams (Leafs 31 – Caps 28). But the Caps were 7-for-17 in the offensive zone, 9-for-21 in the defensive zone.

- The Caps got off lucky to get to the trick shot competition. They could have been whistled for boarding and tripping early in the overtime.

- Various reasons already tied to trial balloons as to why the Caps lost – tired from last night, the building was hot. If the Caps had lost to San Jose in this fashion, one could buy this. If the Caps lost to Tampa Bay in this fashion (Tampa has played in nine extra time games this year, including six that ended in Gimmicks), one could buy this. Not against the Maple Leafs.

- It wasn’t all bad. Chris Clark had five shots on goal, a couple of hits, and a blocked shot in 12:36. Brooks Laich had six shots on goal (tied for the team lead with Ovechkin), a couple of hits, and a blocked shot. Brian Pothier had three blocked shots and none of those dozen giveaways by Caps defensemen.

- Bad number #4: Jeff Schultz wears jersey number “55.” That’s a high number by NHL standards. It’s a high number for any team sport except football. Numbers higher than that are generally the sort you see in training camp, spring training, or… injury call ups. Five skaters wore numbers greater than “55” for the Caps tonight. Four of them started the year in Hershey – Andrew Gordon (63), John Carlson (74), Jay Beagle (83), and Mathieu Perreault (85); and Tyler Sloan (89) dressed for only his 12th game this year.

- Bad number #5: David Steckel won only five of 11 draws. That might not sound so bad, except it is only the second time this season Steckel has finished a game south of 50 percent, the other time being October 24th, when he won only four of 11 draws against the Islanders.

- Bad number #6: In the “he taketh, and he giveth away” category, we have John Erskine. He taketh four hits, and he giveth away the puck four times.

- Bad number #7: With Alexander Semin out, three young guns skated tonight. Two of them – Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green – did not register a shot on goal.

- Odd number #1: Six of the 18 skaters for the Caps averaged at least one minute per shift tonight (the best thing for guys skating on consecutive nights?). No Maple Leaf skated an average shift more than 55 seconds.

- Odd number #2. Of the 18 skaters for Toronto, 17 registered shots on goal. Jeff Finger took the bagel.

- Odd number #3: If under “Team Lead, Hits” you had “Mike Green,” you win. He had five for the Caps.

Bruce Boudreau was quite upbeat for a coach who was on the wrong side of the result. Look, he’s the expert in this sort of thing, so the fan here has to defer to his judgment. Still, we didn’t think the Caps were very much in this game from the get-go. And frankly, despite having devoted 1,367 words to this point, there really isn’t a good explanation for losing this game to that team.

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Maple Leafs, November 21st

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

It’s Saturday in Washington… Toronto, too. And that’s where the Caps find themselves this morning as they prepare to take on the Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. The Caps will be anxious to get the taste of a 3-2 loss to the Canadiens out of their mouths tonight, and…

“beep, oot, blat-blat… ooooooooooooooooooh”

What the…

“Oh, don’t mind him. He can’t wait for the ‘Star Wars: In Concert' show at the Air Canada Centre on Thursday.”

And you are…

"I am C-3PO, Human-Cyborg relations. And this is my counterpart, R2-D2."

I’m, uh… sure. And you’re here for a hockey game?

“Oh, yes. We find the action quite exciting. Much like the dogfights Master Luke fought when he defeated Lord Vader. This is our first such game in person.”

And you picked a Toronto Maple Leafs game to see…

“We seem to be made to suffer. It's our lot in life.”

And your little friend here… looks a little like Martin St. Louis.

“Sir, San Loo’ee is the Lord High Commissioner of the forest moon of Endor.”

Well, all I know is that he’s a forward for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“Tampa Bay Lightning, sir?....that sounds like the storms we encountered on Kamino.”

Whatever. At least you get to see the Caps for your first game in person.

“Oh, yes sir. And we’ve read so much about this ‘Alex Ovechkin,’ haven’t we R2?”

“beep-beep-beep….chirp…hoooooooo….blat-blat.”

“He’s quite excited, sir. He was just remarking on our way over here that Ovechkin has more power than the Death Star.”

Well, I hope you two enjoy the game.

“We do have one question before you go, sir.”

Ask away.

“Do you know of any ‘Star Trek’ conventions in town? We just love to trash talk those pointy-eared twerps.”

While those two are going where no robot has gone before, we have a game tonight. You could not find a more dangerous opponent to face than the Toronto Maple Leafs. Not good, mind you, just dangerous. Why? Let’s look at the record. The Leafs started the season 0-7-1. In doing so, they scored a grand total of 15 goals. They allowed 35. Then, they gave indications of having a heartbeat. Not a strong one, mind you, but at least a pulse. They went 3-0-4, including a 5-1 whomping of Detroit, and Leafs fans were probably thinking about vantage points on the parade route in June.

That Detroit win was the Leafs’ last one, on November 7th. Since then, they are 0-4-1, scoring more than two goals only once (against Carolina, which is without the services of their top two goaltenders, so that one shouldn’t count). And then there are the numbers…


Yes, this game is dangerous because Toronto is so bad, a loss to them would be nothing short of embarrassing. OK, so… can the Maple Leafs embarrass the Caps? Yes. It wouldn’t be the way to bet (unless handing your money over to the fellow at the betting window, never to see it again, is a fetish of yours), but there are possibilities.

For one, Phil Kessel is back on the ice. He has goals in four of the eight games he’s played since coming back from shoulder surgery. He hasn’t had a lot of success against the Caps in his brief career (2-2-4 in ten games), but coming into this one 5-2-7 in his last six games, he’s coming in hot.

Tomas Kaberle – of the famous Rakovnik Kaberle’s – comes into this game tied with Mike Green atop the scoring rankings among defensemen. This is his 11th season of being the good soldier in Toronto playing for some mediocre (and some other ghastly) teams. He’s mentioned a lot in the usual spaces that talk about trade rumors, but there he is, still wearing the blue and white. He is 5-13-18 in 34 career games against Washington, and he has an assist in the team’s only meeting this year (a 6-4 Caps win in the home opener for Washington). He had quite a run in late October with a five game run in which he was 2-11-13. Since then, he’s gotten into a pattern, alternating games in which he records a point with those in which he does not. He had an assist for the Leafs in the 6-5 Gimmick loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday, so the pattern seems to bode well for the Caps.

After that, you have to wonder where the results are going to come from at either end of the ice for Toronto. After Kaberle, the Leafs do not have a player with more than 13 points (the Caps have seven players with more than 13 points, five of whom should dress tonight). They have only two players with more than five goals (Alexei Ponikarovsky and Niklas Hagman), and even if you put Kessel in this group of scorers, the Caps have five players with more than five goals, four of whom should dress tonight.

At the other end, Mike Komisarek has a torn quadriceps muscle (what, not a "lower body injury?”) and is on injured reserve. Filling the breach is Carl Gunnarsson, a 23-year old seventh round draft pick (2007) for whom this is his first year of professional North American hockey. However well thought of he is (and he is), he has 12 games with the Marlies and three with the Leafs on his North American resume. He’s averaged a few ticks under 20 minutes of ice time, and if he gets that many tonight, he is going to be matched against some formidable firepower. Perhaps not the Ovechkin-Backstrom line, but he will see minutes against the Morrison line.

In goal, things are a mess for the Leafs. Jonas Gustavsson has allowed three, four, and five goals in his last three appearances. Carolina – yes, Carolina – scored three goals in the last 12 minutes to take the game on Thursday into overtime, after which they won in the Gimmick phase. How bad is that? Carolina had scored three goals in 60 minutes of regulation in only five of 20 games leading up to the contest with Toronto.

That would leave Vesa Toskala, who is probably 2,324,567th on the Leaf fan’s holiday card mailing list these days. He is so adored by Leafs fans that he has not started a game on Toronto ice since October 10th (he lost, 5-2, to the Penguins). A knee injury contributed to his absence on the ACC ice, but it’s not as if coach Ron Wilson was taking extraordinary measures to get him home ice time in any case. Oh, but the way, Toskala hasn’t won a game this season. He is 0-4-2, 4.26, .854. He has one game this season (in eight appearances) in which he has saved at least 90 percent of the shots he faced. He lost that game, too.

There are no excuses here, not playing back to back, not playing on the road, not playing with injuries, not sunspots. The Caps can, should, must, had better win this game. Losing to a team this bad can only be accomplished as a product of effort, as in “giving none.” And that is why this game is so dangerous. As Caps fans know, a night of iffy effort is not something that has been expunged from the Caps operating manual. Recall the first meeting between the teams in the home opener, when the Caps scored three goals in the game’s first 14 minutes. They allowed things to get entirely too interesting in a 6-4 final score, as Toronto scored three times in the third period.

But if they give the effort tonight that they are capable of – and with a national television audience in Canada watching, that should be motivation enough – this could end ugly for the Maple Leafs.







Caps 6 - Maple Leafs 2

A NO-point night: Canadiens 3 - Caps 2

Sometimes, you lose a game.

Give Montreal credit. They played hard, and they played smart. It wasn’t the jaw-droppingly boring sort of “playing hard” that you might see by the plucky Islanders or the robotic Devils. Montreal played a game tailored to their own skill and that of the Capitals in a 3-2 Canadiens win last night. They took away the middle of the ice, they took away time and space from Alex Ovechkin to deny him shooting lanes and angles, they played an error-free game, and they got a solid game from goaltender Carey Price to get the win. Montreal coach Jacques Martin described the game in a nutshell in the postgame: ''The last 3 1/2 minutes were kind of hectic But up to that point I felt we were managing the game well.'' Yes, they managed the game well.

Make no mistake, even with that the Caps win that game absent two somewhat fluky goals that ricocheted of bodies and bounced oddly past goalie Michal Neuvirth. The Caps did not lack for effort as much as results.

Other stuff…

- OK, let’s get this one out of the way. The home town fans are always going to think they got hosed by the referees when they come out on the short end of a close game. But there was one sequence in a 2:28 span of the third period that fairly dripped with irony. At 3:21 of the period, Mathieu Perreault was whistled for hooking off Guillaume Latendresse from the puck, a man who outweighs Perreault by almost 60 pounds. It was a close call, but OK. 2:28 later Latendresse was whistled for hooking off Brendan Morrison, a man Latendresse outweighs by 45 pounds. And Morrison was sent off coincidentally for… diving? Are you bleeping kidding me?

- John Carlson didn’t get the fairy tale finish to his NHL debut – the Caps lost, and his best chance at a goal didn’t go in (even though it sure looked from our seat that it did – chalk that up to our sitting at the other end of the rink and wishful thinking). But he was solid in all three zones – he managed his own end well (finished the night even), used his body effectively (five hits), and was not shy in the offensive zone (five shot attempts). One thing we watched more of in this game – we kept tabs on Carlson a lot in the second period. It’s the long change for a defenseman, and since he plays on the right side, it’s the longest change. He played the period well in that respect, not getting burned on changes or staying past his time. Sure, he’s done this since he was a kid (Peerless, he’s still a kid), but playing one’s first NHL game might be something of a different experience. It was one game against a somewhat offensively challenged team, but there is so much upside to this fellow.

- Ovechkin had 14 shot attempts (five on goal), but really precious few good ones, and never any that Price didn’t get a good look at. Credit Montreal’s team defense, despite the high (or for Ovechkin, average) shot attempts total.

- Mike Green wakes up this morning as the leading scorer among defensemen (ok, tied with Tomas Kaberle). He’s doing it a lot differently than last year, when it seemed every game offered him at least one opportunity to pinch in and roof a puck over the goalie’s glove. That’s not there this year, but Green has assists in 14 of 21 games in which he’s played. He had two more last night. Give him credit for adjusting his game to take what the opposition gives, or more accurately, to take advantage of what the opposition takes – his space to take open shots – to find the open teammate.

- For one brief, blinding moment, you saw why Eric Fehr was a first round draft choice. That wrist shot that Carey Price could only wave at was a rocket. The trouble has been that such brief, blinding moments have been something else… too infrequent. But Fehr had a solid game last night in all aspects in 14 minutes of ice time.

- This game is why the Caps miss Mike Knuble. There were opportunities for cashing in rebounds lying in and around the crease last night, but no Cap was able to get a stick on the puck before Price calmly covered it up.

- Speaking of Price, that was the goalie was saw a few years back in the Calder Cup final against Hershey. He played “quietly,” with an economy of movement and good position. No swimming, no flapping, no happy feet. He was as still as a quiet lake for most of the game, even when, as coach Martin put it, things “were king of hectic” late in the game. If a team lets him get in a happy zone, he’s hard to beat.

- Carlson’s five hits led the team.

- Michal Neuvirth deserved better. The first two goals pinballed in front of him and caught him in position where he had no chance to keep them from bouncing in to the net. The third one was a nice deflection by Mike Cammalleri. If you look at his saving “only” 19 of 22 shots, you’d think he had a pretty mediocre night. He was better than that.

- Give John Erskine credit for guts and smarts. He had the guts to go with Georges Laraque (even if it was Laraque’s first game back from injury), and he had the smarts to get inside early and wrestle Laraque to the ice. Didn’t seem smart to let that think go on for long and allow Big Georges to find his timing.

- Tom Poti missed the last 35 minutes with what is an “upper body injury.” Hershey’s area code is 717.

Like we said, sometimes you lose a game. Losing this one was not a product of bad effort. The only complaint we have is that when Montreal went up 3-1 in the third, the Caps reverted to the individual style, each man trying to do too much himself. They got the goal late and put on a lot of pressure in the last minute. They just couldn’t solve Price one more time. It happens.

The trick is to make sure it doesn’t happen in consecutive games. They likely face a goalie tonight in Toronto who has struggled lately (Jonas Gustavsson has allowed three, four, and five goals in his last three appearances). The “results” need to match the effort.

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Canadiens, November 20th

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

Homecoming. The Caps return home after a visit to the Big Apple for games against the Devils and the Rangers. Tonight, it’s the Montreal Canadiens, and the Caps will be playing host with a thinner lineup. Alexander Semin is out with a wrist injury, Jose Theodore is out tending to personal matters, Boyd Gordon’ balky back will keep him on the shelf, Mike Knuble is waiting on his finger to mend, Quintin Laing is contemplating which body part he will sacrifice next to the gods of hockey while his jaw mends, Milan Jurcina is nursing a lower body injury, and Shaone Morrisonn is suffering a case of “knocked-into-next-week-itis.”

What that means is that some guys will have to step up and fill the bill, and none is more greatly anticipated than John Carlson, defenseman late of the Hershey Bears, who makes his NHL debut this evening.

“Gonna be a real player…”

Why, it’s The Big Guy, himself. Arthur Carlson, the old station manager at WKRP in Cincinnati. Are you guys related?

“All of us Carlsons are related in some way and…. Well, no.”

And you came all the way from Cincinnati to see the youngster’s debut. How are things in the radio business these days? Still doing rock-and-roll?

“Oh, yeah… the gang is still there… Andy, Fever, Venus, Bailey, Jennifer, and of course, Les.”

What about Herb?

“Oh, he got out of radio. He’s selling men’s wear on QVC.”

You’re kidding!

“Absolutely. But they only let him on during the midnight shift. Something about the way he dresses scaring small children...”

You much of a hockey fan, Art?

“Oh, yeah. Used to have tickets to see Pittsburgh.”

Used to?

“Yeah, well… I went to a playoff game a couple of years ago, when the Penguins were playing the Red Wings?”

Uh-huh?

“I thought I could start a tradition, you know, like that thing with the octopus the fans in Detroit are famous for.”

And?

“Well, things didn’t go so well.”

How do you mean?

“As God is my witness, I thought penguins could fly.”

While we try to get that image out of our heads, this is the beginning of Canada Weekend for the Caps – tonight’s game against Montreal, a visit to Toronto tomorrow night, and a hop over to Ottawa against the Senators on Monday. The Canadiens have been wallowing in mediocrity over the last eight games, going 4-4-0 over that span. It is a microcosm of their season, which at the moment has them sitting at 10-11-0. Their numbers (going into last night's action) don’t improve on the image of their record…



Montreal has 48 goals scored this season (not including the ones they award in the standings for winning a Gimmick). Tomas Plekanec has had a hand in 19 of them (39.6 percent). He is tied for the team lead in even strength scoring (6-9-12) and leads the Canadiens in power play scoring (1-6-7). You’d have to think, if the Canadiens are to do anything on the ice, he’s going to be involved. He has certainly made life hard for the Capitals. In 16 career games, he is 6-8-14, plus-7. And, he’s coming into this game with five assists in his last three games.

Mike Cammalleri is tied for the team lead in goals, with eight. After potting 39 with Calgary last season, he’s a bit behind that pace. It might be worse than that. After starting the season without a goal in his first six games, he went on to notch seven in his next nine games, including a hat trick topped off with the game-winning goal in a 5-4 overtime win against the Rangers. Since then, though, he has one goal in his last six games. If streaky has been his M.O. this year, let the one he’s on continue another game. He doesn’t have much in the way of history against the Caps, going 2-2-4 in four career games.

Plekanec and Cammalleri will have to be on top of their games, because the player with whom Cammalleri is tied in goals – Brian Gionta – is out with a broken foot. That’s one-sixth of the team’s goal scoring on the bench for a team that is already mired in 26th place in scoring. After Cammalleri and Gionta, no other Canadien has more than four goals.

With offense at a premium for Montreal, the defense would be expected to have a bright light shined upon it, but the problem here – even more than at forward – has been injuries. Andrei Markov is, and will be out for several months with an ankle tendon injury that required surgery. Hal Gill is on injured reserve for the next couple of weeks, at least, with a foot injury. Ryan O’Byrne has been on the shelf with a knee injury, but has been cleared to play tonight against the Caps.

Montreal will, however, have the benefit of dressing a trio of defensemen long in experience. Roman Hamrlik, Jaroslav Spacek, and Paul Mara have a total of 2,559 games of NHL regular season experience among them. All of them are averaging more than 20 minutes a game, Hamrlik sitting in the league’s top-ten in ice time (25:26/game). None of them individually – well, even combined, will make up for the loss of Markov’s offense from the blue line. Hamrlik has no points in his last seven games, Spacek has one (an assist) in his last eight, and Mara has one (an assist) in his last dozen games. They’ll have to be pulling their share of the load in the defensive end against the highest scoring team in the league.

The Canadiens' offensive troubles will mean an added burden on goaltender Carey Price. And hasn’t he had a change in fortune over the past two-plus seasons? After joining the Hamilton Bulldogs late in the 2006-2007 season and backstopping them to a Calder Cup championship, beating the Hershey Bears in the finals, great things were more than expected for Price, they were assumed as the natural arc of his career.

Things haven’t worked out that way, at least not yet. He won 24 games in 41 appearances in 2007-2008 with a respectable GAA (2.56) and save percentage (.920). He was given the keys to the Montreal nets when Cristobal Huet was traded to Washington late that season. But last year he slipped to 23-16-10, 2.83, .905, and he was on the wrong end of a first round playoff sweep. His struggles have continued and been magnified this year. He comes into this game with a 5-8-0 record, 2.99, .906, and only won his first home game of the season last Wednesday, a 3-2 shootout win over woeful Carolina.

Keys:

1. It’s only blue, white, and red. If the Caps can forget the whole “bleu, blanc, et rouge” thing, they should dispose of the Canadiens in short order. Montreal hasn’t posted wins in regulation in consecutive games this season. They only have one win in regulation in their last 12 games, and that was against Phoenix.

2. Lend a helping hand. It’s the kids’ weekend in goal, with the streaking Semyon Varlamov (8-1-0) and the call up, Michal Neuvirth. You would like to keep the young guys from facing a ton of shots. The Caps have done a good job of limiting shots lately, allowing an average of 29.4 a game over their last eight games since allowing more than 40 in consecutive outings against Philadelphia and Atlanta. They haven’t allowed more than 32 in any of those nine games and allowed only a total of 43 shots in their last two games, against New Jersey and the Rangers.

3. BGP. It stands for “Big Game Player.” And any game against Montreal can probably be considered “big.” In his last six games against Montreal at Verizon Center, Alex Ovechkin is 6-6-12, and among those games he includes a four-goal performance and a goal that if it was on anyone else’s resume, would be their career highlight. The bank-it-off-the-boards-backwards, outrace-the-defenseman, get-hauled-down, and still-poke-the-puck-in goal he scored on Carey Price last year is merely second on the Ovechkin top-ten.

Do you see any problems with this one, Big Guy?

“Oh… only if Mama is on her way.”

She isn’t…

Caps 5 – Canadiens 2

Finding Your Inner Bradley

Caps Nation is awash in Matt Bradley-love as this week comes to an end. Being a guy who will get bloody, then take it out on the other goaltender for the game-winning goal will do that. But Matt Bradley is something of a complex sort for a grind-liner. There is so much depth to plumb to find your own "inner Bradley"...

There is the "intellectual Bradley," at home in a lab coat and lighting bunsen burners, expounding on the physics of reaction times for goaltenders.




There is "shot and a beer Bradley," who can regale crowds with stories of his hockey prowess and travels around the league.








There is "dramatic Bradley," who can thrill throngs of Caps fans with the timely goal on a breakaway.

There is "joyful Bradley," who can share big moments with Caps Nation as goalies flutter in despair in their crease.







There is "punishing Bradley," who is always game to get down and dirty with a hated rival.










There is "relentless Bradley," who despite having taken a few blows himself, will be only to happy to return the favor.









There is "greasy Bradley" who goes into all the dark and nasty spaces to get the job done.








There is "heart throb Bradley," who can cause a whole segment of Caps Nation -- the one colored scarlet -- to swoon.

There is "M*A*S*H Bradley," who needs just a shift to tidy up after a scrape, and he's back for more.







So, when you think you might discover your own "inner Bradley," you have so much from which to choose.

Kids Half-Off-Weekend

Semyon Varlamov... 21 years old, 16 regular season games, 13 playoff games.

Michal Neuvirth... 21 years old, five regular season games experience.

And now...


John Carlson... 19 years old, no NHL experience.

This should be an interesting weekend.

Twitterizations

A few of those Twitternet things with Caps stuff...

- "Syracuse Crunch sign Bates Battaglia."

- Vladislav Tretiak said he will attend the WAS-MTL game on Nov 28.

- Coach Bruce Boudreau said Sean Avery talked trash to him for the entire warmup last night at MSG. The comments were mostly about BB's book. (we're sure Avery was just offering some heartfelt tips to the coach on how he could spruce up his wardrobe)

Someday, I'll understand this Twitterweb thing.

Ouch!

Quintin Laing took one for the team last night. In fact, he probably banked about 500 for the team with the puck he took to the jaw last night that will keep him on the shelf for several weeks. We've never experienced the technicolor pain of a broken jaw (although we do remember cringing when Michael Corleone took one to the teeth and had his jaw wired shut in "The Godfather"). We wondered, what do people suffering such injuries do after the injury and, if necessary, the surgery they need to repair the damage?

Well, thank heavens for Google. We found a few sites that describe the "blenderized" culinary world the patient inhabits and some of the precautions that the recuperating patient needs to take. For instance...

The Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center recommends...

- Instead of 3 meals each day, try to eat 6 to 8 times a day.

- Avoid foods that are very hot or very cold. Your teeth can be extra sensitive to the temperature extremes.

- Avoid large amounts of water, diet sodas, coffee, and tea, as these drinks have few calories.

We're going to guess that the DHMC doesn't recommend jaw fractures as a weight loss strategy. The meals they describe are the sorts of things you haven't sampled since you were about, oh... six (months old, that is). Here is a sample lunch:

- 1 jar strained chicken (blend with milk or chicken broth)
- 1 jar strained peas (blend with milk or chicken broth)
- ½ cup mashed potatoes (blend with milk or chicken broth)
- 1 cup juice
- 1 cup milk

And how might you partake of the liquids without getting them all over yourself or resorting to the use of a bib? Well, that's where the fine folks at "Zip-n-Squeze Products" come in...

"These squeezable bags make hydration and nutrition a simple task not an overwhelming event... In the past the only other options for consuming a liquid diet were a syringe & catheter, turkey basters or sipee cups. This product is fun and easy to use greatly reducing anxiety at mealtime."

Catheters? Turkey basters? Sipee cups?!?!? Well, at least these things look cool, like something astronauts might use in space flight.

The people at the Loudoun Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery firm suggest that "a liquid diet does not always meet all the essential requirements, so it will be necessary to supplement each meal with one serving of any one of the following Sustagen, Meritene, Nutrament, Ovaltine or Carnation Instant Breakfast." Hey, just throw it all in the blender you have to buy and whip some up.

Here is how one person copes with the injury, and adds these helpful tips...

- Keep things that you use at waist height or higher to avoid having to do a lot of bending down. Bending down can cause nose bleeds.

- Try not to sneeze if avoidable. Sneezing when you have a broken jaw can be very painful.

- Use cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol to clean your nose. No nose blowing while your jaw is wired.

Oh, and don't partake of anything that makes you nauseous. That's a whole other conversation. We'll spare you the details.

A TWO-point night: Caps 4 - Rangers 2

Now that’s what a 60-minute effort looks like.

The Caps did not wilt when the New York Rangers scored 1:16 into the game; they didn’t wilt after they took a lead, only to see the Rangers tie the game in the third period. It wasn’t a perfect game, but it was 60 minutes of honest effort, and the Caps were rewarded for it with a 4-2 win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

It was the return of Alex Ovechkin to the lineup, and he didn’t disappoint, scoring a goal on a power play in the first period. But as much as he will be the story in most of the recaps of the game, the guts of the game was what the Capitals did on defense, both to neutralize the Rangers and to take the crowd out of the game for long stretches, and what guys like Quintin Laing, Matt Bradley, and Brooks Laich contributed to this win.

The Caps held the Rangers to 20 shots on goal, only five in the first period. What’s more, the Rangers only managed 13 shots on goal by forwards. If not for the wizardry of Marian Gaborik, who scored one goal when he popped out in front of goalie Semyon Varlamov to sneak a puck into the net before either of defensemen Shaone Morrisonn or Jeff Schultz could react, then another when he flicked one in from a severe angle on a power play, the Rangers really weren’t much of an offensive threat on this night.

At the other end it was special teams – two power play goals (Brooks Laich getting the other one) and an empty netter with the Rangers skating the extra attacker in the last minute.

Other stuff…

- If anything, the early Ranger goal woke the Capitals up more than it provided a lift to the Rangers. The Rangers steered three shots on goal in the first 1:16, the last of that group being the first goal by Gaborik. The Caps proceeded to outshoot the Rangers 15-2 over the rest of the period.

- The defense numbers looked like this – 10 hits, eight blocked shots, a takeaway, and only one giveaway. As a group, they were 1-2-3, +1. They acquitted themselves well.

- Speaking of defensemen, John Erskine… six shot attempts (three shots on goal). He might not get that many attempts in a month.

- Another game, another point for Tomas Fleischmann. That’s nine games in a row in which he has a point.

- “Heart in throat” moment… Semyon Varlamov stepping out from the post with a Ranger looking to shoot from the circle. He left a couple of feet available on the short side, but the Rangers could not take advantage.

- Even though he had two goals in last spring’s playoff series win over the Rangers, Matt Bradley’s goal tonight was the first time he’s potted one against the Rangers in the regular season as a Capital. He hadn’t registered a goal against the Blueshirts since December 28, 2000, while skating for the Sharks.

- The retaliation always gets called – always, even if you’re retaliating on behalf of a teammate. That was John Erskine’s fate as he decked Sean Avery after the uber-pest punched Semyon Varlamov in the side of the head as he skated through the crease after a whistle. With guys like that, one might pick their spots better.

- Admirable as it was, we’re not keen on the idea of Alex Ovechkin stepping in to defend a teammate (in this case Nicklas Backstrom). Other Caps need to step up there.

- Speaking of Ovechkin… one shot on goal, one shot in goal. But seven hits to lead all players for either team (tied with Chris Higgins for the Rangers). He was feeling pretty good.

- 15 skaters had hits for the Caps. Seven had at least three.

- Jay Beagle, just called up from Hershey, sampled the score sheet buffet with gusto… one shot, one shot blocked, one shot missed, three hits, a giveaway, a takeaway, and 5-for-9 on faceoffs. All in barely 10 minutes of ice time.

- Quintin Laing… what can you say. The guy pays a price, but geez. Last year, he ends up with a lacerated spleen in his only game with the Caps. Tonight he takes a puck to the jaw that will keep him in New York overnight for observation.

- And to round out the “lunch pail” boys, Brooks Laich makes things happen by driving to the net and cleaning up the trash. Laing, Bradley, Laich. These are the kinds of guys who might have a bigger say in how far the Caps go this year than guys who get the ink.

- Wade Redden is probably going to take some heat in tomorrow’s New York press for not being able to keep the puck from squirting behind him where Bradley picked it up and scored on a break. But the other half of that was how Bradley was able to fend off the rookie, Matt Gilroy, as he was closing on Henrik Lundqvist.

- There was David Steckel again… eight defensive zone faceoffs taken, seven of them won.

- Mathieu Perreault had but one shift in the third period, none in the last 16:55. That might not be so unexpected, given Perreault’s lack of experience and the Caps in a tight one. Eric Fehr didn’t play in the last 16:55. That seemed a bit odd given that he had more than 15 minutes in the game against New Jersey (he finished with 9:19 tonight). But Shaone Morrisonn didn’t play in the last 16:55, either. That bears watching.

- Bradley again… The Matt Bradley hat trick – a goal, a fight, and a hit (actually, four hits).

- Bruce Boudreau wasn’t stuck on 99 wins for long. He is the fastest coach to 100 wins in Caps history and fourth fastest all time in the NHL.

Again, Ovechkin got the goal – he’ll be the highlight in the game wraps – but this was a night for the blood-and-guts guys. Bradley gets in a scrap (and wins, if the early returns at hockeyfights.com are a reliable indicator). Quintin Laing takes one off the jaw for the team in an effort that Brooks Laich said afterward was “humbling.” Laich gets a greasy goal by driving to the net.

If the NHL Network broadcast a show that was the equivalent of “Dirty Jobs” on the Discovery Channel, Matt Bradley and Quintin Laing could be credible hosts. They might not get a lot of ink, but if statements like those of Brooks Laich are representative, they don’t lack for respect from their teammates. This was their night.

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Rangers, November 17th

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

We’re here to help the Caps take another bite of the apple as the boys head across the river to Manhattan to take on their second New York City area team in the past few days, the New York Rangers. It is the Caps’ first visit to Madison Square Garden this year. It is a place that has not been especially hospitable…

“henh-henh-henh-henh…”

What?

“You said “spit”…”

Let me guess… you must be…

"Hello. How are ya? I'm Arnold Horsha-a-ck"

Obviously. And where you are, there would be…

“Hi there…”

“Boom-Boom” Washington.

Well guys, you’re in for a treat. The Caps are in town to meet the Rangers, and it looks as though Alex Ovechkin is going to be returning to the lineup after missing a few games to injury.

“Uh, Mr. Peerless… Ovie has a note.”

I’m sure he does, Epstein. Hand it over.

“Dear Coach… Please excuse Alex from hockey games signed… ‘Ovie’s Mother.’”

That’s good Epstein. By the way, the ink is still wet on this note.

“Up yer nose with a rubber hose.”

Oh, Barbarino… I was wondering when you’d show up.

“What?...”

Well, the “what” is the Caps visiting the Rangers, where the home team has been a grouchy host in this decade. Since the 2000-2001 season, the Caps are 4-9-3 skating on the MSG ice in the regular season. Much like last year, the Rangers got out to a fast start to the season (7-1-0 in their first eight games this year, 10-2-1 in October last year). But since their fast start, the Rangers are 4-7-1 for an 11-8-1 overall record. And after winning their first three games of the season on home ice, the Rangers are 2-3-0 in their last five games at the Garden. The other numbers look like this (going into last night's action)…


So far, the signing of winger Marian Gaborik in the off season is looking like a great deal for the Rangers. Gaborik has goals in 11 of the 18 games he’s played in this year and points in 16 of those 18 games. Add in the six power play goals he has (tied for second in the league), and it is clear that he is the player to watch at the offensive end of the ice for the Blueshirts. In eight career games against the Caps, Gaborik is 2-1-3, minus-2. Both of those goals were scored in the Rangers’ 4-3 win over Washington on October 8th.

Gaborik has seven goals in his last nine games out of the 24 that the Rangers have scored. As far as the other scoring is concerned, the Rangers have gotten it from some odd places. And there are none, perhaps, odder than off the sticks of P.A. Parenteau and Dane Byers. Both players notched their first NHL goal in their respective first games with the Rangers – Parenteau in a 3-1 loss to the Islanders on October 28th and Byers in a 3-2 loss to Minnesota on October 31st. Byers has been since reassigned to Hartford in the AHL.

One guy who hasn’t been scoring is everyone’s Mr. Congeniality, Sean Avery. The Ranger winger is without a point in his last eight games, leaving him stuck at 2-4-6 in 15 games this year. He’s been very productive against the Caps, though. In seven career regular season games he is 5-2-7. Given that this is likely to be the game in which Alex Ovechkin returns, it would be of no surprise if Avery tries to engage in his own brand of mischief if he is matched against Ovechkin’s line.

When the Rangers got off to their hot start for the season, no Ranger was hotter than their 2008 first round draft pick, Michael Del Zotto. The defenseman started the year 4-8-12, plus-4 in his first dozen games. Well, he’s cooled off some since that start, going 0-3-3, minus-5 in his last eight games. Part of the problem at the offensive end is that he is not getting pucks to the net. In his first nine games he had 13 shots on goal. Since then, he has six shots on goal in 11 games, four of them coming in a single game (a 3-1 loss to Calgary in which he did not record a point).

One player who has made some improvements from last year is defenseman Wade Redden. One of the favorite targets of Ranger fans last year when he finished with his lowest point total in a decade and the lowest plus-minus of his career, he has morphed into more of a reliable (compared to last year) defenseman who can keep opponents off the board and contribute the occasional point. He is not now, and perhaps won’t be again, the solid top-pair two-way defenseman who will give a club 22-24 minutes a night and 40-50 points. He is on a pace to finish with the lowest average ice time in a decade (he is averaging 19:22 a game) and his lowest point total of his career (a pace of 4-16-20). But he is also on a pace to finish plus-16, which would be quite an improvement over last year’s finish of minus-5.

This will be an opportunity for the Capitals to renew acquaintances with Henrik Lundqvist, who in his last ten games has had “the little girl with the curl” about him. When he’s been good, he’s been very good – a shutout of the Bruins, 35 saves on 36 shots against Ottawa. But when he hasn’t been very good, he’s been bad more often than we’ve come to expect – five goals on 31 shots against Montreal, four in 26 against Atlanta. Overall in his last ten, he is 3-5-1 (one no-decision), 2.77, .908, and a shutout. Against the Caps he is 9-3-3 in regular season games for his career, 2.80, .904, and a shutout.

Oh, and we would be remiss if we didn’t provide this public service announcement in honor of Ranger coach John “Splash” Tortorella. Good Housekeeping offers this rating of BPA-free reusable water bottles that can take dozens of tosses, yet remain “green-friendly.” Think about one of them when you’re in the mood to plunk the odd fan that gets on your nerves, or your significant other.

Keys:

1. Good Streak, Bad Streak. The Caps haven’t lost consecutive games in regulation since losing on October 8th and 12th. The Caps, starting with this game, will be playing three of four on the road, but they are against beatable teams (Rangers, Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Senators).

2. “Kill-kill-kill!” The Rangers had three power play goals in seven opportunities against Edmonton on November 5th. Pretty impressive. But in nine other games in their last ten, the Rangers are 3-for-30 on the power play. They do, however, have the second best home power play in the league (30.6 percent). The Caps need to keep the Rangers from making this a special teams game.

3. “Play your game… Play your game.” That was the mantra repeated over and over by USA coach Herb Brooks in the dying moments of the 1980 Olympic Games semi-final against the Soviet Union. Well, it applies here to Alex Ovechkin, who might be inclined to bolt like a colt out of the barn in his first game back from injury, and on a big stage to boot. If he just plays his game, without resorting to the too-cute play or the too-big hit that is outside his normal sort of play, he’ll be fine.

Say, Vinnie… you got a pick in this one?

“What?...”

Right…

Caps 4 – Rangers 3

Second and Tens -- The Second Ten-Game Segment: The Forwards

Twenty games in, it’s time to take a look at how the forwards fared in their second ten games compared to their first ten…

Alex Ovechkin

The amazing part about Ovechkin’s first twenty games is that despite missing six of them he is still only two points out of second place in the league scoring race. He bolted out of the gate with a 9-8-17 start, then followed it up with a 5-1-6 effort in five games (those five goals coming in the three games prior to his getting injured against Columbus) to finish up the 20 games prematurely at 14-9-23.


His goal scoring has been streaky thus far – five in three games to start the year, four in two games in mid-October, those five in three games before getting hurt. Missing six games (assuming he returns against the Ranger on Tuesday) perhaps prevents him from setting career highs in goals and points this year, but consider this. In 2007-2008, he was 13-9-22 after 20 games (all of which he played) and finished with 65 goals and 112 points. Perhaps the thing to watch is his plus-minus (yes, we know, it’s a useless statistic). At plus-10 for 14 games he was on a pace to surpass his career best (plus-28). It isn’t a signal that he is an emerging Selke candidate, but there seem to be fewer whispers this year about Ovechkin not hustling in his own end.


Brendan Morrison

Morrison has been as consistent in his way as the club has been in its. Two ten-game segments, both of which he finished 3-5-8, one power play goal, one game-winning goal for 6-10-16 after 20 games.


Add in that he has chipped in a pair of power play goals and a pair of game-winners (tied with Ovechkin for the team lead), and he has been a solid number two center. What he does is, as you might expect from a veteran, pick his spots. Among Caps’ forwards having taken at least ten shots this year, he is second in shooting percentage. He averages only 1.4 shots per game, but he makes them count, popping them in at a 21.4 percent clip. And here is another reflection of his consistency. Only once so far this season has he gone consecutive games without a point (he is on a five-game points streak). And, as you might expect from a veteran, he does the little things well – second on the team in faceoff winning percentage (ten games minimum) and he leads all forwards for the Caps in takeaways.


Matt Bradley

“The Professor” is on a pace to top his career best in scoring (9-13-22 in 54 games with the Sharks in 2001-2002) – 12-21-33. He cooled off some in goal scoring in the second 10 games (none, compared to three in his first ten games), but he had three assists – one better than what he posted in the first ten. This might not be a big deal in the larger scoring standings, but for a 3rd-4th liner, Bradley has been about as productive as you could ask for.


He is shooting the puck a bit more – a pace of 106 shots, which would be just short of his career high of 111 in 2007-2008 – but he is another Cap who has found the net with more frequency among the shots he has taken (an 11.5 percent shooting percentage would be his best since the 2001-2002 season with the Sharks). What he has done perhaps less frequently is get into scraps. He has two fights so far this year, while he had nine last year. Then again, he had only two in the first 20 games last year, too. Maybe he’s just getting warmed up. One thing to watch with Bradley; good things seem to happen when he’s down in what we call ‘The Bradley Corner” (at the bottom of Section 103, in the end where the Caps shoot twice). Whether he throws the puck at the net or finds a teammate, something is bound to happen when he is down in that corner with the puck.


Tomas Fleischmann

At the rate he is scoring since his return from illness, Tomas Flesichmann will match his career high in points in Game 44 of the season, against Atlanta on January 9th. Did we mention he’s only played in nine games so far?


In those nine games Fleischmann has points in eight of them (those would be his last eight) and has goals in three of his last four games. He has three power play goals and a game winner on his 2009-2010 season resume. But before we get too carried away, he is minus-6 in his last three games. He has been on the ice for six of the last eight even strength goals scored against the Caps over those three games. Yes, Fleischmann has lit up the scoreboard since his return. He’s been an impact player on just about every shift he takes lately. He is giving indications that he can be a consistent contributor at this level, justifying the faith that Coach Bruce Boudreau has had in him. But there is still work to be done.


Boyd Gordon

There is really nothing to see here, at least in the context of 10-game segments. He has 5:55 of ice time since Columbus Day, all of it in last Saturday’s 5-2 loss to New Jersey in which he was reinjured (back). It is turning out to be a lost season – so far – for Gordon, who has played in seven games and has one assist to show for it.


Eric Fehr

In an odd way, Fehr is a bookend to Gordon in terms of injuries. He missed the first four games of the first ten-game segment – still recuperating from off-season shoulder surgery – and he missed the first six of the second segment with a rib injury. It has depressed his numbers:


But while Gordon languishes in a sort of limbo as to his availability, Fehr has come back to show a glimmer of light. In the four games since he returned from the rib injury to post a goal, two assists, and a plus-2. Fehr had been something of an intermittent tease in his all-too-brief stretches of games with the Caps. He puts forth an honest effort in a third or fourth line role that requires him to forecheck. He has become stronger in fights along the boards, and he has from time to time offered a hint of the goal-scoring prowess he had in juniors and the AHL. But for Fehr, the issue is staying upright. If he can do that for more than a few games at a time, the Caps might have someone to provide reliable secondary scoring.


Chris Clark

In the first ten games, one might have wondered if Clark was going to come as far back as he needed to come from injuries suffered over the previous two years. One goal, one assist, a minus-4. It wasn’t the way the Captain would have wanted to come back. But in the second ten, there has been progress:


Five assists in ten games, doubling his shots on goal, bumping up his hits total. That bad start found him with his ice time being cut, playing less than ten minutes in four of the first five games in this second ten-game stretch. But his performance (not to mention injuries elsewhere on the roster) has led to his ice time being bumped up to more than 14 minutes in each of the last two games.


Nicklas Backstrom

Backstrom has centered just about everyone on the team, it seems, and the effect this has had on his scoring is something of an odd departure from his norm.


He is putting up points, but he’s doing it in bunches – 10 in his first four games, six games with one point, seven points in his next four. He seems to be settling back into a more consistent pattern, though. Those seven points in the first four games of this second ten-game segment is part of a 11 points in eight games run. He is without a point in his last two, but that came against teams that have played very good defense lately (Minnesota and New Jersey). The one thing that still needs work is faceoffs. Only twice in his first ten games did Backstrom win a majority of his draws. That improved to five games in the second ten-game segment, but he remains a work in progress. Yeah, we’re being picky with Nicky.


Keith Aucoin

Aucoin managed to get in four games in his second ten-game segment before being returned to Hershey, during which he doubled his point total and had a couple of power play points for his trouble – his getting time on that squad a reward for a hard working style that provided needed energy.




Brooks Laich

Here is another example of consistent performance.


4-5-9, even, in the first ten; 4-6-10, even, in the second ten. Two power play goals in the first ten; two in the second ten. What he’s done in the second ten is get more shots on goal, perhaps a product of more ice time (three times over 20 minutes in the first ten; six times in the second ten). When Laich imporved from 18 to 37 to 53 points over the past three seasons, one might have thought that being a 50-60 points scorer was where Laich would settle on this club. However, he is on a pace to go 33-45-78, which would be a pretty consistent rate of improvement with that of the last three years. If Laich is that player – a 70-80 point player – he really would merit the Chuck Norris comparisons.


Mike Knuble

How do we know there is an injury epidemic in the NHL? Knuble is out. This is a guy who played 82 games in four of the previous five years. Now, he’s out 3-4 weeks with a broken finger (four weeks from the Minnesota game in which he was hurt will have him out for 12 games and a return on December 11th against Carolina). Until that injury, he had the look of another consistent performer.


Consider that he played in all ten games of the first segment and eight (plus 4:47 against Minnesota) in the second segment, the point totals are pretty consistent. What fell off, though, were the shots on goal, which were almost halved in the second segment (even though he scored more goals). It seemed to be a reflection of Knuble settling into the role for which he was signed. Of the three goals he had in this segment, one was from 12 feet, another was a tip in. Even his injury was a reflection of that, coming as it did when he crashed the Minnesota net, tumbled in over goalie Niklas Backstrom, and broke his finger.


Alexander Semin

What Jeff Schultz has been for the defensemen, Semin is becoming for the forwards – the vessel into which is poured all of Caps fans’ displeasure. Semin did see his offensive production drop off a bit in the second ten game segment…


…but he is still on a pace for a 37-33-70 season. However, the problem might be hinted at in the plus-minus numbers. Semin was plus-25 in 62 games last year. He is plus-1 in 18 games this year and is on a pace to be plus-4. It is not that he is a poor defensive player. When given the opportunity and responsibility – on penalty killing, for example – he is adept and focused. It isn’t his propensity for turnovers – his 15 giveaways in 18 games is a lower giveaway rate than he had last year (66 in 62 games). It isn’t penalties – he has eight minor infractions in 18 games compared to 31 in 62 games last year. It just seems that every time Semin does make a mistake, it is of the head-snapping, eye-rolling variety that leads to either a scoring chance at the other end or a particularly ill-timed penalty. Part of it is that the light is shining more brightly on him after the injury to Alex Ovechkin and the fact that this is a contract year for Semin. He hasn’t done the most with the opportunity presented.


Alexandre Giroux

Giroux played in only one game in the second ten-game segment before returning to Hershey. In his case the relevant comparison – the one that get one scratching their head – is that while he was 1-0-1, plus-1 in three games with the Caps, he is currently 8-13-21, plus-11 in 13 games with Hershey.


David Steckel

Steckel has been consistent, but from an offensive perspective not the sort of consistency that was hoped for…


No goals, one assist in each segment. True, offense is not how he earns his paycheck, but he has one goal in his last 44 regular season games. That qualifies as a slump, even for a “checking” forward. Of course, that goal would be against Tampa Bay, a team he has six of his 13 career goals against. The Caps haven’t played the Lightning yet this year. What Steckel does well – arguably as well as anyone in the league – is take faceoffs. The standard for him isn’t 50 percent, but rather 60 percent. In his first ten games, he won at least 60 percent of his draws seven times; in his second ten games he did so six times. With Boyd Gordon on the shelf, it’s hard to see how anyone else takes an important defensive zone draw other than Steckel.


Quintin Laing

A monument to perseverance, Laing gets a sweater every night as a product of effort. On a team that has more than its share of skill, what he brings should be inspiring. Laing has already matched his career high in goals in the NHL, both of them scored in this ten-game segment.


Perhaps oddly, Laing has not put up large totals in that area in which he is most renowned – blocked shots. His 11 in 17 games has him ranked in a tie for 56th among forwards, but for a guy who suffered a lacerated spleen in his only game with the Caps last year, we’ll not complain. We just like watching him putting forth that effort on every shift to keep other teams from scoring.


Mathieu Perreault

Sixth round draft pick makes good. Perreault has played in only six games, and he is already 12th on the team in scoring (2-3-5). That shouldn’t be too surprising for a kid who had seasons of 119 and 114 points in Canadian juniors, but his ability to survive in what is listed generously as a 5’10”, 174 pound body among the redwoods of the NHL is something to behold. He hasn’t been shy about sticking his nose into situations that call for fighting for the puck, and he has been adept in keeping his nose out of trouble when he has the puck and defenders are trying (and failing) to splatter him into the glass. His has been, so far, the classic example of a player who takes advantage of the opportunity created when other players get injured. It’s called “stepping up,” and Perreault has certainly done that.

Second and Tens -- The Second Ten-Game Segment: The Team

We’re just about to the quarter pole for the season, having passed the 20-game mark. So, it’s time for a look at the first two ten-game installments for the Caps. The Capitals are a team that can cause more than a bit of head scratching. Fans who have observed the team closely over the first 20 games would say that they are an inconsistent team, given to superior performances on some nights (games against San Jose, Boston, and Philadelphia come to mind). On other nights, they win by just getting by (games against Atlanta, Florida, the Islanders). Then there are those nights when you’d like to swap out the Caps for Hershey even up (losses to the Islanders, the Flyers, and Columbus).

But when all is said and done, the Caps have been a pretty consistent team over ten-game stretches so far. They went 6-2-2 in their first ten games, 6-2-2 in their second ten. They scored 36 goals in their first ten games, 37 in their second ten. They outshot their opponents by 20 shots over their first ten games, they outshot them by 21 in their second ten.


If there is an important difference in the ten-game splits for the Caps, it is special teams. In the first ten games the Caps connected on eight of 48 power play opportunities – 16.7 percent. But while they have had many fewer chances on the man advantage in the second ten games, they have been much more efficient, connecting on 12 of 34 chances – 35.3 percent.

The improvement on the power play has, however, been largely given away by virtue of a poorer penalty kill. Again, the Caps benefitted from allowing fewer power plays to the opposition (49 in the first ten, 34 in the second ten), but they allowed more goals in the second ten games (10) than they did in the first ten (8). The result was that the Caps’ penalty killing percentage dropped from a respectable 83.7 percent in the first ten games to 70.6 percent in the second ten.

Looking at their first 20 games this year compared to last year, the Caps are a more formidable offensive team – more goals, more efficient power play. But what is disturbing is the lack of improvement on defense over this time last year. The Caps are marginally better in terms of allowing goals (down a tenth of a goal a game), but their penalty killing is down from what was a mark below the penalty killing equivalent of the “Mendoza Line” after last year’s first 20 games. On the good side, though, the Caps are allowing more than a full shorthanded chance fewer per game this year over last.

On a team-wide basis, you might say the Caps are who we thought they were – an offensively gifted team that has defensive issues, specifically with respect to playing with fewer than five skaters. Of the 61 goals surrendered by the Caps, 23 of them have come with the Caps playing with fewer than five skaters (the Caps have allowed the most 4-on-4 goals in the league – five).

We came at the defensive issues from another direction in another post. But however you slice it, the Caps cannot be called, by any measure, a good defensive team. The numbers simply do not bear that out. But it isn’t as if they can’t be. Holding Boston and San Jose to a goal apiece, the Flyers to a pair, and the Red Wings to three in their own building show that the Caps can play defense when properly motivated. But waiting on the spring for proper motivation on a more consistent basis is playing with fire. It’s one thing to muster up a defensive effort for a game every week or two. It is quite another to do it every other night for two months in the spring. Whether the Caps can find that motivation on a more regular basis will be something that bears watching as the season moves into its third ten-game segment.

We'll look at the players later.

OK... We Give, We've Had Enough

I like Michael Nylander. I think he's a solid professional on the ice and (he said, biting his lip) equally so off the ice in the midst of this "Whither Nylander" mini-series. I sympathized with his predicament, he being merely a party to a contract who chose to implement rights under that contract to have a say in where he plied his trade. We even had a nice long entry all ready to go pretty much telling those Caps fans who would begrudge Nylander his right to invoke contract language to shut up and deal with it.

But you know? Enough is enough. Beginning last Tuesday, after Nylander cleared waivers, the stories started coming out that a deal with a team in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia was imminent. Dinamo Minsk... Salavat Yulaev Ufa... "it's a done deal"... "the move is imminent"...

Well, here we are -- five days since the stories started leaking and in the seventh day since he cleared waivers -- and the stories have dried up, the potential landing places aren't being mentioned, and that roster spot still belongs to Number 92.

After the first speculation that a move was on the horizon and the move failed to materialize, other stories emerged that he wanted a provision that would allow him to move to another team and that he was waiting on a potential move to another NHL team.

We just want it to be over. So, as a therapeutic alternative to spewing screed about who is at fault for what in this nightmare, we'll introduce a new feature over there on the right. You'll probably have no trouble finding it.

The Problem With Being The Irresistable Force... and the Moveable Object

This morning, the Washington Capitals and the New Jersey Devils are tied in standings points in the Eastern Conference. They have virtually identical goal differential numbers for the season – the Caps are plus-12 (not including Gimmicks), the Devils are plus-11.

But the teams have gone about it in very different ways. The Caps have done it with a high-risk/high-reward philosophy. They are averaging 3.65 goals a game, best in the NHL. They have scored four goals or more in 11 of their 20 games played to date. Their record of 9-0-2 in such games makes them, obviously, a reliable winner in high-scoring games. But that also leaves them 3-4-2 in games where they don’t score at least four goals.

Why? Because with that 3.65 goals scored for per game, the Caps are allowing 3.05 goals a game – 24th in the league. Of the six teams ranked below the Caps in goals-per-game allowed, only one – Columbus – is currently among the top eight in either conference, and of the other five teams none is ranked higher than 12th in their conference.

As long as the Caps are scoring, all is well, but when the goals aren’t there, the Caps do not have the defense to be able to win games.

Which brings us to the New Jersey Devils and their plus-11 goal differential. They do it with a “wait until the other team makes a mistake, then pound them for it” approach. They are averaging 2.06 goals allowed per game, best in the NHL. They have allowed two or fewer goals in 13 of their 18 games. Their record in such games is 13-0-0. Let that sink in for a moment. And lest you think that they have a lot of wins among those 13 of the blowout variety, well, in nine of them they scored only two goals themselves (two Gimmick wins) or only three. The Devils are 1-3-0 in which they allow more than two goals (which makes not getting that third one when the Caps had a 2-0 lead last night so unfortunate).

Looking at the two teams and their odd outcomes, the Caps are more likely not to score four or more goals (nine instances) than the Devils are to allow three or more (four instances). There are factors that influence the result – quality of opposition, absence of certain players, etc. – but this just reinforces our view that offense is skill, defense is will. If Jersey plays its game, it is more likely to achieve its “normal” outcome (allowing two or fewer goals) than the Caps would playing their game. There are too many other random events in the execution of mundane plays in hockey that offense will be as constant (watch the tape of the Minnesota game, when the Caps had chances a-plenty in front of the Wild net and couldn’t swat one in).

Of course, it helps to have a Martin Brodeur, and there is only one of those. He plays for the team that doesn’t allow goals. We think the two are related. But that does not excuse the Caps for allowing more than three goals a game (they’ve allowed four or more nine times with a record of 4-2-3). And when the irresistible force meets the immovable object, chances are the immovable object is going to come out on top more times than not.

Last season six of the 16 teams making the playoffs allowed three or more goals a game in the post season. Five of them were eliminated in the first round. Three of those teams were ranked in the top-ten in goals scored per game in the regular season. That offense wasn’t there in enough volume in the playoffs to prevent the first round exit.

The Capitals do not need to be the Devils. They do not have a system that will support that style, nor do they have the personnel to play it. They don’t have Brodeur, obviously, but their squad of skaters isn’t constructed for that sort of philosophy, either. However, they have to be better.

Why? In the last dozen seasons, three teams that finished with the best overall goals allowed-per-game rank won the Stanley Cup. No team that led the league in goals scored-per-game won the Cup. Only one team in the last 11 years won the Stanley Cup with a goals allowed-per-game number higher than 3.00. Carolina, with 3.15 in 2006, achieved the feat, and that happened to be the first season after the lockout and the first year of liberalized rules to increase scoring. Only two teams in the lower half of the goals allowed-per-game rankings in the regular season won the Cup in the past 11 years – Carolina in 2006, which finished 19th, and Pittsburgh last year, which finished 17th. The Caps, as we noted, are ranked 24th.

It isn’t just the goalies, although both Jose Theodore and Semyon Varlamov have had their struggles at times this year. It isn’t just the defensemen, a squad that lacks a number-one shutdown defender to be sure. It isn’t just the forwards, who tilt a bit too often to the offensive end more than one might like. Defense is a team effort; it is a matter of will. In the playoffs, defense will matter – a lot. And New Jersey is already in playoff mode, because that is the system and the style they play all the time.

And it isn’t just defense for that matter. There is “risk,” and there is “what in heaven’s name were you thinking?” This isn’t an excuse to bash Alexander Semin, who had an especially noteworthy turnover last night. There are other Caps who play with the puck from time to time in a manner than might have fans (not to mention, coaches) asking, “what in heaven’s name were you thinking?” A pressure offense is going to leave goaltenders out on an island from time to time. It goes with the territory. But that need not be compounded by plays that reflect a lack of focus or attention to the situation on the ice. Knowledge of when those risks can and should be taken is something that mature teams have. And they tighten up when they need to. Tampa Bay was such a team in 2004 (11th in the regular season in goals allowed-per-game, but second in the playoffs). Carolina was such a team in 2006 (those 3.15 goals allowed in the regular season, 2.40 allowed in the playoffs – third best among playoff teams). And Pittsburgh was such a team last year (17th in the regular season in goals allowed-per-game, fifth in the playoffs).

The Capitals don’t need to be the Devils, but they could use a bit more of the Devil in them. They’ll need it.