A TWO point night: Caps 4 - Blue Jackets 3 (OT)

We said this before…there are 20 games in a season you’re going to win, and there are 20 you’re going to lose. It’s what you do with the other 40 that will make or break your season.

Well, this one was one of the 20 that the Caps should have lost. And they didn’t.

Snatching a 4-3 overtime win from the Columbus Blue Jackets was a product of persistence and talent…and a Columbus team that really had no offensive threat other than Rick Nash and Bill McUnseld (we’ll get to that in a moment).

For a while, it looked as if the game’s goals would all be scored into the same net – the one Columbus shoots at twice. Two for Columbus in the first, two for the Caps when they changed ends for the second, and another for Columbus in the third.

About that Columbus goal in the third. What in heaven’s name was referee Bill McUnseld…uh, McCreary thinking? How many times in a game do you see a referee in the middle of the ice, and then skating into a player. It was McUnseld’s….uh, McCreary’s pick on Shaone Morrisonn that sprung Elvin Nash…uh, Rick Nash free for a breakaway (his second of the game) and a goal on netminder Brent Johnson.

Nash’s first breakaway was not a product of luck but some boneheaded rookieness by Nicklas Backstrom, who (on a 5-on-3 power play) did not lift an attempted pass over Nash’s stick. Nash intercepted the pass and hot-footed it the other way, staying a step ahead of Alex Ovechkin long enough to fire the puck through Johnson’s pads and the first 3-on-5 scored against the Caps since 1991.

When Jason Chimera scored less than a minute later to give Columbus a 2-0 lead, Caps fans had to think things pointed to the big “L.”

Then the clubs changed ends…Alex Ovechkin skated down the left side, and using defenseman Adam Foote as a screen rifled the puck past Blue Jackets goalie Pascal Leclaire. We’re tempted to say that no one uses a defenseman as an offensive tool better than Ovechkin, who has a singular knack for shooting through their legs or just past their hips for goals that surprise goalies.

As the period was winding down, the Great Experiment in breaking up the top line paid dividends as Viktor Kozlov found Alexander Semin all alone at the far side of the Columbus net, and it was just left to Semin to roof a backhand over Frederick Norrena.

“Norrena,” you say? What happened to Leclaire? Well, he lost in a weird game of chicken, where each team ended up running the other’s goalie. Johnson had, by this time, been plowed into a few times, but had bounced back. On this occasion, Quintin Laing barreled down the middle and with a Blue Jacket defender piled onto Leclaire in his crease. Leclaire apparently took a stick in the neck, and his night was done. It was probably the biggest play of the game, or at least the one that made the rest possible, since the Caps were having a lot of trouble solving Leclaire.

Until Tom Poti finally got off the schneid…44 games with the Caps without a goal, 45 in a row in all dating back to last year. And it came on the most innocent of shots, just throwing it at the net and having it sneak under the bar where it rolled around the frame of the goal and came out, giving the impression that it hit the crossbar. After a brief review, the goal was confirmed, and the Caps tied the game.

Where Ovechkin won it with a goal that was largely a product of the open ice a 4-on-4 in overtime produces. He sent the puck cros-ice to Tom Poti, who returned it to him at the top of the right circle, and then it was a matter of picking a hole to shoot for. He found it, and the Caps had two points where none appeared to be forthcoming tonight.

If you look at the numbers, you’d think the Caps won this game by at least a couple of goals. They “out-attempted” (shots, shots blocked, missed shots) Columbus 71-54. Ovechkin had 18 attempts by himself (ten of them recorded as shots on goal). They held their own in hits (22-21 for the Blue Jackets) and in blocked shots (18 apiece). However, Columbus did two things very well. First, they dominated the faceoff circle, especially Mike Peca and Manny Malhotra, who won a combined 21 of 32 draws (Viktor Kozlov took it in the teeth on this one…he won one of 11 draws). Second, they really collapsed on the crease whenever the Caps shot the puck. That made for a lot of ricochets, blocked shots, and few rebounds…at least it seemed that way as the Caps spent a lot of the early going (like that 5-on-3 power play) trying to be cute, rather than gritty. Columbus looked like the Ken Hitchcock team it is – aesthetically challenged, but responsible and effective in the little things. They just don’t have enough talent past Nash or Nikolai Zherdev to pose a consistent offensive threat.

Tom Poti might have had his best game as a Cap, and that was not because of his goal…or his assist…but of his “save.” With Brent Johnson prone at the top of his crease, Poti covered the near post to block a shot that prevented a sure goal, then flicked the puck out of danger with his hand. He had five blocked shots overall.

Eric Fehr did not have his minutes rationed as one might have expected. He skated 16:46 and spent a lot of time aggressively forechecking. He had a couple of decent chances and looked as if he could be a shot in the arm on the top line. And the move of Kozlov to the second line paid immediate dividends, highlighting something about Alexander Semin’s effectiveness. Semin is a deft puckhandler, but often times of late, the longer he held the puck and dangled with it, so the probability that something bad would happen – he’d lose and edge, he’s whiff on a shot, he’d make a bad pass, or he’d just turn it over – increased. Tonight, he got the puck from Kozlov in a scoring area and immediately buried his opportunity. That will be something to watch for as this goes forward – is Semin handling the puck less and being more effective as a result?

It was a welcome two points, and now the theme might be, “make one, two…”

The Caps have that opportunity tomorrow in Philadelphia.

Kid Chemistry

So…will breaking up the first line to insert Eric Fehr and move Viktor Kozlov to the second line play havoc with that top line?

The Caps, of course, are hoping it will not. And frankly, the recent statistics suggest the hope is well-founded.

Let’s do two things…let’s assume that as Alex Ovechkin goes, so goes the top line. He’s the finisher, he’s the engine that makes that line hum. Next, let’s look at the 14-game stretch that began with Ovechkin’s first four-goal game against Ottawa and that ended with his second four-goal game, against Montreal.

In those games, Ovechkin scored 17 goals. Now…who assisted. Here they are, in their entirety (principal linemates Nicklas Backstrom and Viktor Kozlov in bold):

Goal 1: Mike Green, Alexander Semin
Goal 2: Tom Poti, Nicklas Backstrom
Goal 3: Jeff Schultz
Goal 4: unassisted
Goal 5: Michael Nylander
Goal 6: John Erskine
Goal 7: Viktor Kozlov, Mike Green
Goal 8: Brooks Laich, Tomas Fleischmann
Goal 9: Boyd Gordon, Jeff Schultz
Goal 10: Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom
Goal 11: Tomas Fleischmann, Nicklas Backstrom
Goal 12: Nicklas Backstrom, Milan Jurcina
Goal 13: Viktor Kozlov, Steve Eminger
Goal 14: Milan Jurcina
Goal 15: Viktor Kozlov, Nicklas Backstrom
Goal 16: Viktor Kozlov, Mike Green
Goal 17: Jeff Schultz, Mike Green

There are 28 assists that breakdown as follows (primary/secondary/total):

Mike Green: 2-3-5
Nicklas Backstrom: 1-4-5
Viktor Kozlov: 4-0-4
Jeff Schultz: 2-1-3
Tomas Fleischmann: 1-1-2
Milan Jurcina: 1-1-2
Tom Poti: 1-0-1
Michael Nylander: 1-0-1
John Erskine: 1-0-1
Brooks Laich: 1-0-1
Boyd Gordon: 1-0-1
Alexander Semin: 0-1-1
Steve Eminger: 0-1-1

The usual suspects are at the top of the list – Backstrom, Kozlov, and Green

But look a little closer…that’s 13 different players providing at least one assist on an Ovechkin goal (he is an equal opportunity finisher). Kozlov has the lion’s share of primary assists, but defensemen have seven of those primary assists, too.

Then there are power play goals. Ovechkin has five power play goals in this group. Neither Kozlov nor Backstrom has a primary assist on any of them (Backstrom has two secondary assists).

It hardly seems to matter who gets the puck to Ovechkin; he’s finding a way to deposit it in the back of the net, regardless.

Now, let’s set those first two assumptions aside and look at the Kozlov-Backstrom pairing. Over the last seven games, Viktor Kozlov has six goals, and the assists on them break down like this:

Goal 1: Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom
Goal 2: Nicklas Backstrom
Goal 3: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom
Goal 4: Matt Pettinger, Nicklas Backstrom
Goal 5: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom
Goal 6: Alex Ovechkin, Tom Poti

Backstrom has five assists, a product of consistent pairing with Kozlov, no doubt (there are two power play and three even strength assists in there). But whatever the reason, Kozlov and Backstrom have been showing up on the same line on the goal scoring record.

Hopefully, Fehr will be able to replace some of, if not all of the recent goal scoring that came from Kozlov, who might now be trying to resurrect the second line. If this is to be the case, it means he’s going to need to develop a working chemistry with Nicklas Backstrom in pretty short order. Quite a task for a couple of kids with a combined 78 games of NHL experience between them. But that could be the key to whether the top line continues to produce, or if teams start to load up defenses on the left side to slow Ovechkin down.

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Blue Jackets, February 5th

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

And today’s question is, what do the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers have in common?

Columbus, Ohio. That’s right, the Olentangy and the Scioto join downtown, just about where Washington Capitals will be taking on the Columbus Blue Jackets this evening in a rare contest against a Western Conference opponent. It is part of the Caps’ journey of discovery, as they try to navigate the rocks and shoals ahead of them on their adventure that will lead them to the playoffs. And who better to ask about the perils of such a journey than the man himself – he for whom this city by the Olentangy and Scioto is named…Christopher Columbus. Captain, welcome…it’s somewhat surprising to find you a hockey fan…

CC: “Well, it’s just water they play on, and any man of the sea will always find his way to water.”

Tonight the Jackets and their fans get a rare in-person look at Alex Ovechkin, who recently signed a big contract extension with the Caps. Any thoughts on that?

CC: “He who has gold makes and accomplishes whatever he wishes in the world and finally uses it to send souls to paradise.”

So, you think the Caps and their fans will see a Stanley Cup in their near future…but on the other hand, I understand you sided with the league during the lockout. You had some kind words regarding league commissioner Gary Bettman, encouraging the league to stand fast…

CC: “No one should fear to undertake any task in the name of our Saviour, if it is just and if the intention is purely for His holy service.”

Let’s talk about the Jackets for a moment...they had a four game winning streak in mid-January, but other than that they’ve been spending the last couple of months treading water. What seems to be the problem?

CC: “These people are very unskilled in arms ... with 50 men they could all be subjected and made to do all that one wished.”

Well, being 27^th in the league in goals-per-game suggests they’re not exactly doing what they wish, anyway. Meanwhile, the Caps have hit a bit of a rough patch in their last ten games, going 2-3-0 in their last five games after a four game winning streak. The Jackets are 2-5-0 in their last seven. What do you say to a pair of struggling teams?

CC: “By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination.”

That’s pretty good advice for any situation. This is only the second road game the Caps have played against a Western Conference opponent since Bruce Boudreau took over. Any thoughts on his performance behind the bench?...When you see him back there, what comes to mind?

CC: “I will command your fleet and discover for you new realms.”

Regarding the Caps, they’re out on the road for a short two-game road trip, but they’re important games. As something of a “road warrior” yourself, what advice can you give the boys as they skate on foreign ice tonight?

CC: “And the ice shall grant all men new hope, as sleep brings dreams of home.”

Well, thanks to Christopher Columbus for those words of wisdom…for the Caps, it’s the front end of a two-game road trip, and they’ll be taking on a team in the Blue Jackets, the Caps will be facing a team in similar circumstances to their own. A tale of the tape:

Record:

Caps: 24-24-5 (53 points)
Jackets: 25-23-6 (56 points)

Conference Ranking:

Caps: 12^th
Jackets: 11^th

Points out of playoff position:

Caps: three
Jackets: three

Record, last ten games:

Caps: 6-4-0
Jackets: 5-5-0

Goals for/against:

Caps: 31/34
Jackets: 20/22

Power Play:

Caps: 9/40 (22.5%)
Jackets: 8/36 (22.2%)

Penalty killing:

Caps: 31/42 (73.8%)
Jackets: 39/44 (88.6%)

Twenty goals in ten games isn’t a recipe for success in the NHL, but the Blue Jackets have avoided a collapse because of sturdy defensive play, led by the NHL’s version of “Agent Zero” – goaltender Pascal Leclaire. The Blue Jacket netminder has eight shutouts this year in 37 games – a bad sign for the Caps, a team that has been shutout in two of their last three games. Leclaire has had eight decisions over the last ten games, going 5-3-0 in the process. He’s also put up a 2.34 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage in the process. And yes, there is a shutout in there, a 1-0 decision over Chicago on January 24^th.

What offense the Blue Jackets have been able to muster (get it?...”Blue Jackets?” …”muster?” …ok, it’s a Civil War thing) has been spread out. Twenty goals over the last ten games have been scored by 11 different players, four of them by Nikolai Zherdev. While Zherdev is 4-6-10 in these last ten games, he’s also a -7. Rick Nash has three of those goals (3-2-5, -4).

On the blue line, Rostaslav Klesla might be showing – finally – the considerable talent he has on defense. He has not put up big numbers on the offensive side of the ledger, but he is one of only four players with more than 40 games played on the plus side of the ledger. Those “games played” are as important as any statistic. Klesla has never played in more than 75 games in any season, but has dressed for all 54 Columbus contests this year. Coming into this season he missed 90 games over five full seasons due in large part to a variety of injuries – hip, foot, groin, hand, leg. His history is reminiscent of another physical defenseman who had hard time staying in the lineup – Mark Tinordi, who missed 112 games over five seasons with the Caps from 1994-95 to 1998-99.

For the Caps, it’s been alternating wins and losses over the last six games. Hopefully, that is merely a pause as the club re-energizes. The call-up of Eric Fehr yesterday is recognition that the Caps are at the moment too top-heavy a team in scoring. In those six games, during which the Caps have been shutout twice, Washington has 14 goals. Seven of them are from Alex Ovechkin, four from Viktor Kozlov. The new-found scoring from Kozlov is welcome, especially since the Caps have a total of three goals from other players – Tomas Fleischmann, Alexander Semin, and Brooks Laich with one apiece.

The Caps are getting little from the second line and nothing from the third or fourth lines in terms of scoring. Hence, stop the top line, the Caps don’t score. Fehr, who if nothing else has been a goal-scorer at every stop in his young career, will apparently man the right side of the top line, while Kozlov will move to the second line to perhaps provide a jolt of offense – or at least a reliable center who can take advantage of his wingers in ways neither Boyd Gordon nor Brooks Laich could accomplish.

This is probably as good a game as any for the Caps to try this experiment, or at least allow Fehr to get his skating legs under him at this level. Games later in the week against Philadelphia, Carolina, and the Rangers will provide stiffer, or at least more important tests.

It’s feast or famine with the Caps. Six times in the last ten they have scored at least five goals; twice they have been shut out. We think the jostling of the lines will be a shot in the arm, and the Caps will have a successful start to this short road trip…

Caps 3 – Blue Jackets 2

Eric Fehr Recalled from Hershey

Breaking, from the Bears' site...


...click the story for link.

Looking Ahead...2008 Draft Rankings

As we contemplate the week ahead for the Caps, we might take a moment to look a little further ahead. Although you've probably seen them in other venues already, below you will find Central Scouting's midterm rankings for 2008 draft eligibles:

NA skaters:


International skaters:


NA goalies:



International goalies:

And McKeen's Top-30:


If the draft were to be held today, the Caps (should they not win the Stanley Cup) appear to be in the seventh overall position in the first round.

A no point night -- Thrashers 2 - Caps 0

Hockey is a strange game is a lot of respects. Not the least of such features is that despite the best effort, the lion’s share of the opportunities, and just plain luck (or lack of it), one player is the difference for the other guys.

That guy was Kari Lehtonen, the Atlanta Thrasher goaltender who pitched a 2-0 shutout gem last night at Verizon Center against the Caps.

Lehtonen stopped all 36 shots he faced, including a whopping 17 from the top line of Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Viktor Kozlov in blanking the Caps for his third shutout of the year.

The Caps did not lack for chances, it was just a case of Lehtonen playing the sort of game that Thrasher fans would like to see more often. He was brilliant. On numerous occasions, he had Caps gazing into the rafters after making tough saves, generally with no rebounds.

The Caps show a video clip on the big screen at the start of the third period. In it, Al Pacino, playing football coach Tony D’Amato in “Any Given Sunday,” gives an over-the-top soliloquy on the matter of “inches.” Well, it came down to that last night – perhaps as little as one inch. That inch was the product of a shot by Todd White late in the third period. An inch further to the far side, and the puck White shot probably rings iron and skitters into the far corner. But White took a feed from Mark Recchi, beat a weak backcheck from Backstrom into the high slot, and fired on goaltendter Olaf Kolzig. The puck rang the iron (you could probably hear it in Bethesda), and instead of ricocheting away, found its way into the net to break what was then a scoreless tie. An empty net goal from Marian Hossa was a last minute insurance tally.

The loss came at the expense of some fine efforts by the Caps…

Ovechkin launched 17 shots at Lehtonen – seven found the mark, ten were either blocked or missed. He also had a pair of hits, a blocked shot, and a takeaway. His minus-two was pretty much as a bystander – White beating Backstrom to get a shot away, and being on the ice in the last minute when Hossa scored the empty netter. He might have been credited with a save (the blocked shot) when Atlanta had an empty net opportunity moments earlier.

Backstrom was showing that the one significant weakness of his game – faceoffs – was improving. He was 13-for-21 on the night. And he had six shots on goal, himself.

Donald Brashear does not appear much in the final score sheet, but he had a lot of jump and was doing a passable (well, faintly passable) imitation of Ovechkin or Alexander Semin in handling the puck.

Olaf Kolzig did not get much work, but he was solid in what he faced. There is probably a “Goldilocks” volume of shots that a goaltender needs to stay in a rhythm, but not to the point of being the target in a shooting gallery. Last night, Kolzig probably faced less than that optimal amount – he turned away 11 of only 12 shots (Marian Hossa had four of those; no other Thrasher had more than one) – and that can play with one’s focus. Kolzig was there when the Caps needed a save, and only when a puck found the pipe on the far side was he beaten on this night.

Shaone Morrisonn gutted out an 18:34 performance with a pad affixed to his injured foot. He even managed four shots on goal, doubling his previous high for the year.

Alexander Semin looks lost out there. We don’t know if it’s the lack of a reliable playmaking center (Boyd Gordon got the call to center that line last night) or he’s just making poor decisions, but between a lot of falling down, whiffing on shots, and turning the puck over, he’s struggling out there. Having such a high-risk, high-reward sort of game, such things might be the price to pay for when he’s on his game. But the Caps need more of the latter, and less of the former.

Give Atlanta credit. Coming in with their top goal-scorer on the shelf, they played a smart road game – making sure the Caps could build no momentum, that they had little space to make plays, and ultimately putting the game in Lehtonen’s hands. They deserved the win.

The second shutout in the last three games qualifies as storm clouds gathering. It is indicative of the cumulative effect injuries have had, and are having on this club. When the first line is on and is scoring, the Caps are a formidable club. But right now, when they don’t, then Washington struggles to score. It is a return to the problem that plagued their early games – a lack of supplemental scoring:

-- After six goals in six games, Semin is now four games and counting without one.

-- Fleischmann – the nominal second line right wing – is 1-2-3 in his last seven games.

-- Boyd Gordon and Brooks Laich – each of whom has taken a turn centering the second line – are a combined 1-1-2 in their last seven games.

-- Mike Green is without a goal in his last seven games and is minus-5.

-- Tom Poti still is without a goal this year and has but a single assist in his last 11 games.

-- Matt Pettinger – perhaps the biggest mystery this year – has three points since November 1st.

The injuries to Chris Clark, Michael Nylander, and Brian Pothier are perhaps starting to take their toll. Tom Poti looks as if he is still trying to grit his teeth though some physical problems. And this is not a team that is deep enough in talent or experience to easily deal with injuries (there is no Mark Recchi or even a Bobby Holik on this team to provide the veteran support that might be able to help the Caps weather their physical problems).

But it is what it is, and the Caps are going to do some more growing up in short order. One game is not the end of the world here, and the idea of “don’t let one become two” once more is the theme…but having alternated wins and losses over the last five games (2-3-0), we seem to be recalling that more often these days.

It's About Time...

We leave the rink for a moment to express congratulations to Art Monk...

That would be, "Hall of Famer" Art Monk, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame today. He will be inducted with Darrell Green, another deserving Redskin.

Monk's induction is perhaps the most emotional for Redskin fans, not to mention for Monk himself, after years of being denied his rightful place in the Hall in favor of players who might have been more media-savvy, or who might have had more of an media-friendly edge to their personalities.

But none surpassed Monk in their talent, production, or professionalism.

The years he had to endure being named as a finalist, only to meet roadblocks to final election in the form of such as Paul Zimmerman or Peter King is an embarrassment to sports journalism. It was no more than slavish devotion to "more" in statistics of the sort that put possession receivers such as Monk at a disadvantage to the "home run hitter" deep threats. There was even the non sequitur passed around by these "experts" that Monk wasn't even the best reciever on his team, the argument being that Gary Clark -- a fine receiver in his own right -- was the one "feared" by opponents more than Monk.

What utter nonsense. If any defensive coordinator of the period had been asked what receiver on the Redskins you would absolutely have to keep track of in a game-deciding situation, I'd bet a shiny nickel that they'd have said, "Monk."

Monk played in an era when you could actually defend pass receivers, unlike the current pinball-machine version of the passing game in the NFL. And he still managed to set records (since surpassed) for consecutive games with a reception and total career catches. His statistical profile compares favorably with players such as hall-of-famer Michael Irvin in terms of total career receiving yards, catches, and touchdowns.

It is an honor long past due.


Along with Monk and Green, New England linebacker Andre Tippett, San Diego/San Francisco defensive end Fred Dean, and Minnesota/Denver tackle Gary Zimmerman were elected, and Kansas City cornerback Emmitt Thomas was elected as the senior committee choice.

Hey, Lew...We Had it First!

Seems the venerable New York Times has discovered hockey...but they're a little late with the "hat trick."

And Chicken Parm says, "I would pay money to watch Alex Ovechkin in a public skate..."

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Thrashers, February 2nd

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

And welcome to Christmas Day for those of us of the prognosticatory realm, for today is…

GROUNDHOG DAY!

That’s right, wood-chuck chuckers, it’s the day we all bow to the master – Punxsutawney Phil – and await the moment when he does – or does not – see his shadow to herald the coming of spring. But before the rat with an agent repairs to his digs on Gobbler’s Knob for the day’s festivities, we scored a rare interview with the master…Phil, welcome.

“A pleasure, as always…”

Phil, you’ve been prognosticating for more years than you probably care to admit…what’s your secret?

“Thermal underwear.”

Really?

“Absolutely…that tool who yanks me out of the fake tree stump?...those gloves he wears are cold, let me tell ya, and the toasty thermals save me a lot of aggravation.”

Interesting…Phil, let me take you outside of the meteorological and delve into the hockeylogical for a moment…have you been following the NHL this year?

“How could I not?...being less than a hundred miles from Pittsburgh, it’d be hard not to…Crosby this, and Crosby that…but he looks a little like a groundhog with those teeth, so I have a bit of a soft spot for him.”

What’s been your take on the season so far?

“The amazing parity…it’d test even my profound prognostication skills to figure out who has the advantage going into the home stretch…”

Well, let’s test those skills…first, the question on the minds of all of our Caps fans out there…will the Caps make the playoffs?

“Well, Peerless, I see another six weeks of hockey after the regular season ends for the Caps.”

Wow…that would get them to the conference final, by my calculations.

“OK, maybe not six weeks…it’s sort of a habit with me. Let’s just say that you’ll be prognosticating after fan appreciation day.”

Caps fans will be pleased to hear that…what about the trophies. Alex Ovechkin is on a pace right now to win the Ross and the Richard Trophies for top scorer and top goal scorer. What about the voting trophies…the Hart and the Pearson?

“I think it’s a bit too early to say…there’s nine more weeks of hockey left, and a lot can happen. Shoot, Crosby could come back and score 50 points in the last month.”

He could?

“No, not really, but if he comes back and puts up any numbers at all, he might become the favorite."

OK, the big one…who is going to skate off with the Stanley Cup?

“That’s a hard one…the only constant so far this year is the Red Wings. Detroit has lost consecutive games in regulation only twice this year – a two gamer last month and a three game streak in November. After that, it’s a crap shoot – even Ottawa has stumbled, going 3-6-0 in their last nine games. It isn’t the team that is going to have the gaudy numbers, but the one that closes strong. That’s what makes prognosticating hard, since there are nine weeks left…”

But that’s why they pay you the big bucks…

“Big bucks?!...they pay me in clover and the occasional cricket…maybe I need to have Alex Ovechkin negotiate my next deal, eh?”

We'll ask him…but about that Stanley Cup winner…

“Well, when we get to the playoffs, the game becomes more of a goaltender’s game, so you want to look at a team that gets some consistently high end play in the nets. And a team that is not dealing with health issues – that’s also something that can be a problem to predict with nine weeks to go. But in the end, I’d have to say that the team that will hoist the Cup at the end is – “

“PHIL!...you’re limo’s here…we have to get to Gobbler’s Knob!”

“oops, gotta go…it’s been a pleasure…”

Well, we’ll just have to catch up with the master another time. Meanwhile, it’s Kid’s Night at the Phone Booth, complete with a Keith Jones likeness for the kiddies,

and the Atlanta Thrashers are in town for a game that is dripping with playoff implications – yes, even with nine weeks to go.

The Thrashers beat the Buffalo Sabres in a shootout last night, 5-4, so one would think they would be a bit drained from the 65 minute effort. The odd part of that game was not so much the result, but how it occurred. Slava Kozlov…nope. Mark Recchi…nope. Marian Hossa…nope. It was Eric Perrin who scored the only goal in Bettman’s Gimmick for the extra standings point. It was Perrin’s first such goal in the NHL. And while we’re at it, there seem to be (or maybe it’s just The Peerless’ medication kicking in) a lot of “three-point” games these days in the East…that could have an effect on the final results, too. But as long as the Caps take care of their own business, three-point games shouldn’t matter in the end.

And taking care of business starts with a contest against a team with which it has been trading standings places the last couple of weeks (the Thrashers currently have the upper hand). And the theme for Atlanta seems to be these days, “time and a half.” Half of the Thrashers last ten games have gone to extra time, all of them to The Gimmick. In those last ten games, the Thrashers are 4-3-3 (2-3 in games decided in regulation, 2-0-3 in The Gimmick). The particulars:

Record: 4-3-3
Goals for/against: 23/31
Power Play: 9/41 (22.0 percent)
Penalty Killing: 38/44 (86.4 percent)
Shootout goals/shots: 3/15 (20.0 percent)
Shootout saves/shots: 10/15 (.667 sv)

Atlanta has actually played rather well in this 10-game stretch…if you discount that 10-1 thwapping the Sabres laid on them on January 18^th. Take that game out, and Atlanta has given up 21 goals in their last nine games. And that brings up Atlanta’s goaltending. The Southeast has been much-maligned for its collective goaltending, but Kari Lehtonen, despite a 3-2-2 record over these last ten games (including the Buffalo debacle), has a 2.47 GAA and .927 save percentage. One would expect Lehtonen to get the nod this evening, seeing as this is a divisional game of importance, and Johan Hedberg has had his troubles lately (1-1-1, 4.44, .872 in the last ten game stretch for Atlanta)…but Hedberg was the winner last night.

Among the skaters, the Thrashers will no doubt miss Ilya Kovalchuk, who had his knee Ruutu’ed in a game against Pittsburgh last week. The second-leading goal scorer in the league (with 38) was 3-1-4 in this ten-game stretch before his injury. In the meantime, Marian Hossa has been picking up the offensive slack…6-3-9 in the last ten games, including a hat trick against Detroit on January 15^th. And the Thrashers have received some unexpected offensive help in the form of Bobby Holik, who is 4-1-5 in the last ten games. Hossa and Holik bear watching – in 124 total games played against Washington in their careers, they are a combined 43-50-93.

But there is that word, “slack”…and it has meaning with respect to these big three. Despite the 13 total goals and 18 total points, they are a combined -18 over the last ten games (all of them -6).

The Caps are 2-1-1 against Atlanta this year, splitting two decisions in regulation at home so far. It was the regulation loss at home – a 5-1 spanking – that triggered the change behind the bench for Washington. The Caps also are 6-1-1 against the Southeast under Bruce Boudreau, so success in this area is not a rare event. Washington is on a nice run of its own, going 11-4-1 in their last 16 games (two of the regulation losses were via shutout). And while Lehtonen has a fine win-loss record against the Caps (6-3-2), he can be scored on (2.86 GAA), and he’s lost both of his decisions to Washington this year.

All that points to a good night for the home team, provided they just take care of business…

Caps 5 – Thrashers 3

Move Over "Gordie Howe Hat Trick"

Thanks to this quote from Alex Ovechkin, in a column penned by Mike Wise in the Washington Post, we now have a new "hat trick" to think about...

"I broke my nose, I have stitches, I score four goals."

Do not try this at home, kids.

Believe it?...or Not!

True of false...of the "bottom five" goaltenders in save percentage in the NHL, three have winning records.

...false. Four of them do...

"Hart"-y Numbers?

For those of you keeping score at home, Alexander Ovechkin is currently on a pace for 68-43-111, +22, with 25 power play goals.

Maybe...

If you factor in his pace since the change in coaches, here is what his numbers project to:

71-44-115, +28, with 26 power play goals

Now, you tell me...is that Hart-worthy?...considering where this club might be without his performance over the last 30-plus games?

Until lately, I would have had Jarome Iginla in the top spot. But the Caps find themselves three points out of a playoff position this morning (either for eighth in the conference or for first in the Southeast Division), largely on the basis of what Ovechkin has done over the last 30 games. I think the two are close, and they are very similar players in style, but Ovechkin has to carry somewhat more of the burden. If the Caps make the playoffs, it could tip the voting scales.

A TWO point night...Caps 5 - Canadiens 4 (OT)

Two points…it doesn’t matter how you get them, just get them. And the Caps got two in a 5-4 overtime win after giving up a three-goal lead. Read the running commentary in the previous entry for the details. But let’s take a look at the final numbers…

- Alex Ovechkin: 4-1-5, +4, six shots, five hits, no giveaways...and a broken nose
- Nicklas Backstrom: 0-1-1, +4, and six takeaways…Montreal as a team had only seven
- Viktor Kozlov: 1-2-3, +3
- Matt Bradley: five hits in less than 13 minutes, and he created a few chances for himself
- Milan Jurcina: +2, four hits, three blocked shots
- Matt Pettinger did not take the ice for the last 11:33 of regulation and all of overtime
- Ditto for Steve Eminger…
- And Donald Brashear…

Other numbers of note…

Ovechkin is 29-18-47, +14 in his last 31 games
Backstrom is 8-25-33, +9 in his last 31 games
Kozlov is 7-9-16, +10 in his last 17 games

The guys who have to step it up in the absence of Nylander and Clark are doing just that...but the Caps need Shaone Morrisonn back to give Mike Green balance. The sooner, the better.

Sitting at the keyboard...a live blog

OK, well...since we can't attend the game in person tonight, we'll try this live blogging thing for the Caps-Habs contest...we apologize in advance for an utter lack of readability...

7:09...geez, van Massenhoeven?...we're doomed.

7:11...Ovechkin down...and was that a pin dropping I heard?...nice swipe, Alexei...

...and Morrisonn didn't make it out of the pre-game skate?...what's the over-under, President's Day?

7:14...Ovechkin lays out Begin...guess he's ok.

7:16...looks like the Caps want to pay the price a little more in crowding Huet...first Pettinger, then Steckel. Much shoving ensues...

7:19...shots -- Caps 6/Habs 0...Eminger got the seventh jumping into the hole on the weak side...nice save by Huet

7:22...ya think that was a pretty amazingly dumb roughing penalty Donald Brashear took?...

...nice kill...to chance to string together chances in the Caps' end.

7:33...Begin needs to take acting lessons. That was a half-hearted appeal on the delay-of-game.

...and so much for that...a pretty weak stick call on Semin

7:35....Ovechkin on a one-timer...you can't stop it, you can only hope he whiffs...1-0 Caps.

...and wasn't that a nice cross-ice feed from Jurcina

7:42...the Caps are almost playing this like a road game...denying the Canadiens much in terms of flow, playing very deliberately on offense...


-- end of the first...Caps denied Montreal the transition game that killed them on Tuesday, and when Montreal generated a little downhill momentum, Olaf Kolzig was there...after one, the leaders:

goals: Ovechkin (1)
assists: Jurcina (1)
shots: Steckel (2)
hits: Ovechkin (2)
blocked shots: Poti (2)
takeaways: Backstrom (3)
faceoffs: Gordon (5-2)

7:53...I'm going to go out on a limb and say Milan Jurcina really "caffeine's up" for games...geez, his interview with Al Koken needs to be stepped down a couple of speeds so I can figure out what he said...something about "blue lines," I think.

...Backstrom is oh-for-five in the circle so far...

8:07...one gets the feeling that the game is quietly moving toward Montreal..they're in that "lull a team to sleep" mode...

...uh, so much for that lull. Nice quick-hands tap-in by Kozlov from right in front of Huet. 2-0 Caps


8:12...Caps back to the power play...Koivu to the box...to no benefit...

...and Ovechkin has a bloody beak, courtesy of Francois Bouillion.

8:26....this time it was Montreal caught napping...Ovechkin stepped past Andrei Markov to collect a nice chip pass from Kozlov and swat it past Huet...3-0 Caps

...and Montreal gets it right back on a weird ricochet off Alexander Semin's stick and onto Sergei Kastistsyn's blade who whipped the puck into a virtually empty net...3-1 Caps

8:30...Ovechkin's 2-1-3 tonight now has him tied with Daniel Alfredsson for the league scoring lead.

8:37...goal or no-goal. Montreal had a lot of chances, and this one will count, if the replays mean anything. Rebounds rear their ugly head once more in the Caps' end... 3-2 Caps.

8:40...OK, so now both Kastsitsyn's have scored. Hopefully, there isn't a third one lurking in the tunnel waiting to take the ice. And the way the Canadiens got those two goals -- the first less than a minute after the second Ovechkin (and third Caps') goal...the second with mere tenths of a second in the period. The third will be gut-check time for the home team.

8:45...the leaders after two...

goals: Ovechkin (2)
assists: five tied with one
shots: Green (5)
hits: Ovechkin (4)
blocked shots: Steckel (3)
takeaways: Backstrom (4)
faceoffs: Steckel (6-1)

9:00...Ovechkin is the only Cap playing with intensity at the moment...a whale of a hit and some back-and-forth with Mike Komisarek...

9:06...chess match going on...Canadiens trying to spring guys coming down the middle...

9:10...Montreal is starting to win the territorial game...too much time in the Caps' end...

9:17...Bradley with a nice accelerator to get in deep, but couldn't lift the puck over Huet's right pad.

9:18....HAT TRICK!!!...finally...Ovechkin's first home hatter, rifling the puck through the defenseman's legs and past a barely-flinching Huet...4-2 Caps

9:22...and the Caps give it right back by being lazy getting back...Kastsitsyn (one of them, anyway) slides the puck to Latendresse who stuffs it into an empty net. Green and Schultz just weren't in position to defend... 4-3 Caps

9:28....how can a guy 6'3" look like he comes out of nowhere for a save?...Kolzig saved the bacon for the moment on Plekanec.

9:30...and once more, they can't get the puck out of their own end...Kolzig loses track of the puck...Latendresse pokes the puck in from inside the crease with 32.6 seconds left...4-4

...overtime...a three-goal lead blown...goals scored by Montreal in the last minute of the period, twice...and but for Ovechkin, this really isn't a pleasant night for the Caps. As it is, they have one point, looking for the second one. But Montreal has the momentum...

9:36....bad offsides there...Fleischmann could see the play in front of him and didn't need to go in early...

9:40...FOURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!...Ovechkin gets his second four-goal game and ends it, taking two whacks from the top of the crease with not a Montreal defenseman in sight...Green the drive from the top of the zone, ricochet to Jeff Schultz, who sent it in front, where Ovechkin -- eventually -- hit the back of the net.

Caps 5 - Canadiens 4

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Canadiens, January 31st

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!...

And today’s subject, dear readers, is…”running up the score.”

It seems some folks in Caps Nation are a bit peeved at the behavior of the Montreal Canadiens at the conclusion of Tuesday?s 4-0 whitewash of the Caps. To wit, they believe that the home team was looking to pad their stats at the end by sending out their top line in the last minute when the score was 3-0, and the matter had been settled.

Well, the notion of “running it up” inspired us to ask some of the more famous “runner uppers” about their motivation in engaging in such behavior. We begin with George Halas, who didn’t “run” up the score…he sprinted up and down the field with it as his Chicago Bears drubbed the Washington Redskins, 73-0, in the NFL championship game of 1940. Coach, welcome…

“Yeah, glad to be here…”

Coach, 73-0…did you think of that as “running up the score?”

“Hell, yeah, it was running up the score. If we played a fifth quarter, I’d have made sure we scored a hundred…”

You still seem perturbed.

“Look, thesaurus boy, that idiot of an owner the Redskins had thought he’d be brave and all by calling us crybabies and quitters when we lost to them, 7-3, a few weeks before the championship game. Well, we got the last laugh…it was so bad, they even ran out of footballs for us to kick extra points…made us run for conversions on the last two touchdowns. Haven’t heard much out of ol’ George Preston Marshall lately…”

Uh, Coach…he died in ’69. OK, so what about a different kind of “running up the score?”…For that, we have to ask Crazy Horse about the Battle of the Little Big Horn…uh, shouldn’t we be talking to Sitting Bull?

“Huh…’Sitting Bull’ is right. He just sat around in camp spreadin' the 'bull' around while Red Horse and I did all the dirty work in battle.”

About the battle…you really laid a whuppin’ on George Armstrong Custer didn’t you? (why are all these guys named, “George?”)…

“Yeah, thought we were just a bunch who wouldn’t put up a fight…even split up his forces. It’s about respect. You have to respect your opponent. And when he doesn’t, you just think enough is enough, and running up the score is the thing to do.”

Well, it’s an interesting take on “running up the score,” but it even shows itself in college football. Coach Barry Switzer, you were often accused of “running up the score” on much weaker opponents when you were at Oklahoma to boost your rankings in the polls. Did you pass late in games to pad your score?

“Ha-ha…they should know better…at Oklahoma we’d throw the ball to keep the score down.”

Speaking of football, what about you, Bill Belichick?...Your New England Patriots not only went 16-0 in the regular season this year, but you set an NFL record of scoring 589 points. More than a few coaches have suggested that you ran up the score in games…care to comment?

“…mumble-mumble-mumble…”

Well, that adds some needed and welcome clarity to the matter, and it is left to the Capitals to ponder whether the Canadiens did, in fact, look to pile up some garbage-time goals. What they will do about it tonight will be interesting to watch unfold.

Of relevance here is the fact that the Caps have lost nine games in regulation since Bruce Boudreau took over behind the bench. In the previous eight, the Caps record in games following those losses is 6-0-2, outscoring opponents 25-16. But here is the statistic that might have the greatest bearing on this game tonight. In games following regulation losses, the Caps have tightened the screws in penalty killing, skating off 25 of 27 shorthanded situations (92.6 percent). Given Montreal’s potent power play, this is the fault line upon which the game will be decided.

If you’re looking for more trends, you can look at the prognosto for Tuesday’s game…the same keys still apply. But tonight will have a happier result…

Caps 5 – Canadiens 3.

A no-point night...Canadiens 4 - Caps 0

tran·si·tion (trān-zĭsh'ən) n. Passage from one form, state, style, or place to another.

Tonight was an affirmation of the concept of transition, and the ability of the Montreal Canadiens to pass from one form (defense, short-handedness), state (generally passive), style (clogging the Caps’ passing lanes), or place (their own zone, the neutral zone) to another (stuffing the puck down the Caps’ throats on odd-man rushes) killed the Caps in a 4-0 loss for the visitors.

Plainly put, Montreal came ready to play, the Caps looked more like they were trying to iron out the kinks in training camp.

Statistically, the numbers of the game didn’t weigh heavily toward one club or the other, except where it mattered – on the scoreboard. The Caps fell victim to the very things they couldn’t afford…an inability to stay out of the box when in mattered (John Erskine’s first delay of game penalty led to the Canadiens’ first goal), an inability to keep Montreal from a fast start (down 3-0 after one period), and a failure to generate anything in the second period to keep things close going into the third period. The result was a game played on and settled in Montreal’s terms, and instead of a close Caps win, it was a four-goal Canadiens win.

It’d be hard to fault the goalie for this one, as Brent Johnson didn’t get much help on Montreal’s goals – two power play, a shorthanded, and an even-strength goal…the game wasn’t close enough for the empty netter, and there weren’t any penalty shots so the Canadiens couldn’t register a Lemieux.

Mark Streit one-timed a pass from Andrei Markov through a Chris Higgins screen of Johnson for goal number one (power play)…

Tomas Plekanec intercepted a pass from Tomas Fleischmann in the Montreal end as a Caps 5-on-3 was expiring (can we just decline those and be done with it?), split Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin to join Sergei Kastsitsyn coming out of the box for a two-on-none break on Johnson. Kastsitsyn finished off a pass from Plekanec for goal number two (shorthanded)…

Steve Begin collected a puck behind the Caps net after it managed to elude Brent Johnson (who if he played it might have earned a minor penalty for playing the puck outside the trapezoid of despair) and rifled in to an onrushing Saku Koivu, who no Cap saw or marked as he stormed down the slot, for goal number three (even-strength).

Goal number four – a power play goal in the last minute of the contest by Alexei Kovalev – was window dressing. The competitive portion of the game essentially ended with the Kastsitsyn goal, with the nail driven into this coffin by Koivu late in the first period.

The Caps were flat. Montreal simply left the white jerseys bobbing like white-caps on a lake while they sped by, around, and through the Caps in transition. The shorthanded and even-strength goals were nothing more than a product of transition – the Canadiens rocketing out of their zone and down the ice while the Caps lagged behind.

Since the lockout, the Caps are 4-6-1 against Montreal. Of those six losses, four of them have come by at least three goals. One gets the feeling this just is not a team the Caps match up well against. Montreal has an unsettling ability to lull a team to sleep by just skating around (sort of like the dark shape of a shark beneath the waves), then taking advantage of what opportunity presents itself to use its transition game to attack in numbers. The Caps had no answer for that last night. They’d better have one tomorrow night.

That sort of problem doesn’t show up in the numbers. None stick out as being especially bad (well, there being no “plus” numbers does), but rather there was a team-wide problem. No player was worse than -1 (except Mike Green, who might need to re-think the idea of what position he plays…”defenseman”). 14 of 18 skaters registered shots on goal (the Caps had a total of 35; Tom Poti led with five); 13 of 18 skaters had hits (Alex Ovechkin had five). Ever Cap who took more than one draw won the majority of them or broke even (they were 32-of-55 overall).

The more impressive numbers, and those indicative of the superior effort, are on the Montreal side of the ledger. Mike Komisarek (who didn’t ear a star, but should have) had five hits and five blocked shots, most of it while going to war with Alex Ovechkin. Chris Higgins was credited with four hits and distracted Johnson on the Habs’ first goal. Alexei Kovalev had six shots to lead the Canadiens, but he was credited with four hits, too.

This wasn’t a fluke; Montreal was better. And it served as a wake-up call. The long hard slog from November through the all-star break is over. The intensity gets ramped up, and if it’s too early to think of this as the start of the playoff push, it isn’t too early to recognize it as potentially a make-or-break segment of the schedule. The Caps have fought long and hard, to their credit, to put themselves back in the hunt, and it is folly to think that they won’t lose games along the way as we head toward April. But once again, the idea now is, “don’t let one become two.”

Get Well, Soon, Knucklehead!

Washington Post columnist and ESPN sports show host Michael Wilbon is reported to have suffered what is characterized as a "minor heart attack."

We don't subscribe to the idea of "minor" being attached to such an occurrence, and we wish Mike Wilbon well. As one of the best pure writers of his generation of sports journalists, in our opinion, we're sure he'll have a lot to say about this in his own entertaining style, and will be back on the column beat and daily PTI in short order.

Get well, soon, ya knucklehead.

The weird, the wacky, and the WTF?...

These were the top-linked stories at espn.com at noon today...At least the hockey story looks ike fun...

Twins push for last, best trade offers for Santana

T-Owe? Arbitrator reportedly rules for Eagles

Webber says returning to Warriors a 'done deal'

Kidd says it is time to 'move on' from Nets

Brady practices for Patriots Flu bug bites Giants

Source: Angelos yet to greenlight Bedard trade

Paul nearly triples up in big victory Melo still out

Barbaro's ashes to be interred at Churchill Downs

Selanne chooses return to Ducks over retirement

ECHL team to host 'Shred Rich Rodriguez' night


Santana hasn't been traded? Next thing you'll tell me, Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead!

The Eagles get their revenge on Terrell "We'll be opening an 'Abs-R-Us' in a driveway near you" Owens?

Brady's getting well, and the Giants are getting sick?...smells like another Belichick conspiracy to me...

Peter Angelos is screwing up the Orioles again (next big story..."Sun Rises in East!"...film at 11)

A horse's ashes are gong to be buried at a race track (there is a "horse's ash" line in here somewhere)

At least the Wheeling Nailers are giving their fans an "experience," even if it involves pictures of a coach in a different sport and an industrial-sized piece of office equipment (maybe they could have fans whack a Rich Rodriguez likeness with a hockey stick?)

Meanwhile, elsewhere in hockey, games will be played this evening. Check one out.

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Canadiens, January 29th

The Peerless Prognosticator is BACK ON THE AIR!!!

Tonight, the business of the "second half" begins (only in sports could 32 games of an 82-game season be described as a "half"), and the Caps open it with another home-and-home, back-to-back pair of games, this time against the Montreal Canadiens. The most accomplished professional sports franchise in North American sports history….

“Yo, wait a minute, pal. Are youse forgettin’ the New York Frickin’ Yankees?”

And you are…

“Mickey, from Queens…and hey, whaddabout the 26 World Series titles and the 39 American League pennants?”

Well, you have a point…

“Point, me arse…what about the Boston Celtics, eh boy? 16 world championships …eight of them in a row. Beat that, Yankee boy.”

And you are?

“Mikey, from South Boston.”

Well, that was quite a string of titles…

“Oh, doncha know…the Green Bay Packers are the best pro team ever…nine NFL champsionships, three Super Bowl titles…and you fellas don’t have a championship trophy named for your head coach.”

Let me guess…you’re from Wisconsin.

“Pulaski…woodja like a sassage an’ some cheese ta go wit dat?”

Maybe later…now, about this “best sports team…”

“Sacre bleu!...why are we even having dis conversation? De Canadiens, dey are de best hockey team, de best sports team, from de best city in Nort America, eh?”

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that you’re from Montreal…

“Of course, you piece of limburger…and Les Canadiens, dey have de greatest history in all of sports…24 Stanley Cups, including one when dere wasn’t even a National Hockey League. Les Glorieux, with de bleu, blanc, et rouge and Guy LaFleur wit his ‘air flying behind him and Rocket Richard scoring goals and hitting every player…Henri, Howie, Serge, Larry…wearers of La Sainte-Flanelle, the greatest team ever.”

And don’t forget Ken…

“OK, even if he come from Toronto.”

Well, we’re not going to settle this, I can see, but we do have a game tonight…and Thursday is another of these home-and-home two-fers. Montreal comes out of the break as having been one of the hot teams going into it. The particulars:

Record: 9-2-2 in their last 13 games
Goals for/against: 50-34
Power Play: 15/59 (25.4 percent)
Penalty killing: 35/41 (85.4 percent)
Wins by 3+ goals: five
Losses by 3+ goals: one

The Canadiens are one of those teams that fly under the radar, which seems more than a bit odd for the most storied franchise in the history of the NHL. But the Canadiens – a team with the second-highest point total in the Eastern Conference – aren’t often mentioned with Ottawa or the Atlantic Division team of the moment as the cream of the Eastern Conference elite.

Montreal’s success has been largely a product of its potent power play. The Canadiens are a rather average five-on-five team (18th in the league in five-on-five goal ratio), but their power play ranks second in the league (23.9 percent) and has only been more lethal in the 9-2-2 run up to the all-star break. In fact, the Canadiens don’t exactly provide an extraordinary scare in most other statistical rankings this year…

Penalty killing: 21st
Winning percentage:
- when scoring first: 12th
- when trailing first: 23rd
- when leading after one period: 8th
- when leading after two periods: 28th
- when outshooting opponents: 5th
- when outshot by opponents: 10th
- in one-goal games: 23rd
- in two-goal games: T-20th

The Canadiens are, however, third in the league in winning percentage in games decided by three or more goals. And, they are second in the league in scoring in the first period of games. Add to this that Montreal is 16-7-4 in games where they benefit from at least five power play opportunities and the keys to the game become clearer.

- Don’t let the Canadiens get off fast
- Stay out of the box
- At least keep the game close for the first two periods

This isn’t really a unique recipe, but Montreal relies on the power play and the offense it generates to bury opponents by large margins. Close games settled deep in the contest are another matter. And to date, the Caps lost the one multi-goal decision (5-2 on December 20th) and won the one-goal decision (5-4, in overtime, on January 5th).

For the Caps, a fast start out of the gate would be nice…don’t let Carolina breathe in that top spot…maybe take over the top spot by midnight tonight. The Caps are riding high of late with their own 10-3-1 record in their last 14 games to claw within a point of the division-leading Hurricanes. They haven’t blown many teams away in this run, but they are 5-1 in one-goal games in this stretch (including a pair of shootout wins, and an overtime win in Montreal). Eight times in these 14 games the Caps have scored more than three goals (7-1-0 in such games).

Here is your goofy stat for this game…more than half the goals scored by the Caps over the last 14 games have been scored by the Russian trio of Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, and Viktor Kozlov (27 of 53 goals). The trio has 22 goals in 52 combined career games against Montreal.

We’re thinking it’s going to be a high-scoring game with both teams looking to inch up on the teams above them in their respective divisions. But in the end – well, you know how this goes…

Caps 6 – Canadiens 4

It's a Small World, After All

The Peerless doesn't know why, but that song just oozed into his head after seeing this pic...

Looks like some attendees from Pixar Animation Studios at some convention we don't want to think about.