From "The Best of The Peerless" collection . . . something to get ready for Saturday night, a vignette from 2004 . . .
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLET’S GET READY TO PROGNOSTICA-A-A-A-A-TE! We’re here at Madison Square Garden, the mecca of sport, for tonight’s fight card between the Washington Capitals, led by Ted “The Big Blogger” Leonsis and the New York Rangers, with their new acquisition, Jaromir “The Contract” Jagr.
These foes are evenly matched, bringing a stunning lack of defense and shaky goaltending to the fray, hoping that somehow, they can land enough haymakers into their opponent’s net to negate the distinct lack of defensical fortitude one needs to wear the champion’s belt . . . uh, hoist the Cup.
In the tale of the tape, the Rangers have the advantage in size, scoring, defense, payroll, and offensive fans. The Caps have the advantage in . . . uh . . . hmmm . . .
The teams and their principals are coming out . . . here’s Jagr, coming out last, wearing a blue jersey, red pants, and skates with yellow tasseled laces. He looks determined, his face a mask of stone (which must really, really be heavy). And here is Leonsis . . . adorned with a dark pin-stripe suit, white shirt, yellow tie, and tasseled loafers. What is the deal these days with fighters and tassels?
Leonsis and Jagr glare at one another across the ice. And the fans are getting into it, too. One fan is holding up a sign . . . “Hey, Ted . . . You Fight Better Than Your Team.” Well, at least he didn’t have anything referring to AOL on the sign (opening at 18.34 a share today, up 85 percent over its 52-week low).
The referee smooths his hair and brings the teams together at center ice . . . let’s listen in . . . “OK, boys, you know the rules . . . no punching on the break, no rabbit punches, keep your wallets in your pockets, and when the linesmen come in, immediately go to a neutral corner . . . now shake hands and put your sticks in.”
A comely lass skates out to hold up the round card, and we’re ready for the bout to begin . . . DING! Round One! . . . and the Rangers come out swinging . . . Eric Lindros wins the draw back to Brian Leetch, who sends the puck up to Jagr . . . Jagr curls into the zone and spies Martin Rucinsky on his left . . . Jagr sends a pass across to Rucinsky, who skates in and fires a jab at Olaf Kolzig . . . Kolzig blocks the jab, and the Caps head the other way . . . Brendan Witt starts the play up to Peter Bondra . . . Bondra skates through the center of the ring . . . uh, rink . . . he moves past Tom Poti and is cruising toward Mike Dunham . . . Bondra tries a hook around the net and score on a wrap-around, but Dunham fends off the blow . . . it’s up-and-down, rock-‘em, sock-‘em hockey . . . Kovalev on a drive . . . Lang with a wrister . . . Holik in front . . . Carter from the circle . . . oh, the haymakers being thrown . . . the crowd is in a frenzy . . . DING! . . . and we’re at the end of Round One!
First Intermission . . . Joining us in the prognosti-booth is former heavyweight champion George Foreman with his take . . . Champ, what did you think of Leonsis’ bout the other night . . .
“Well, Ted has great footwork for a man of his size . . . as a guy who enjoys cheeseburgers as much as Ted looks like he does, I know that’s something you don’t learn easily. But, I think he should have softened up the midsection with some body shots before going for the choke-and-throw move . . . that will come with experience, though. It wasn’t bad for his first bout of the season.”
DING! . . . Round Two . . . In contrast to the fast pace of the second period, the teams come out sizing each other up, looking for the counterpunch. It’s more like the undercard as Matthew Barnaby and Chris Simon are on the ice with Stephen Peat and Darcy Verot. The quartet circle one another with sneers on their faces and malice in their hearts (or else they must have had too many Nathan’s Famous with chili before the game). They eye each other warily . . . looking for an opportunity to drop the gloves . . . to send a mess- . . . wait! While that’s going on, Alexander Semin skates by and in alone on Mike Dunham . . . “alone,” you ask? But where is the Ranger defense? . . . they’re at the bench, arguing with Sather that “hey, if I don’t play defense, and I skate pretty, I should be getting at least six . . . seven million a year.” Dunham can only look like those poor befuddled fans at intermission playing that spin-around-the-stick game as Semin dekes, pulls it back, and wraps the puck around the dizzy, fallen goaltender . . .
Meanwhile, Simon, Peat, Verot, and Barnaby are striking John L. Sullivan poses . . . seeing as how this is going on with new quintets ready to take the ensuing faceoff, both teams are whistled for too-many-men-on-the-ice . . . off the ice, The Big Blogger is enduring the chants of Ranger fans . . . “Let’s Go M-S-N clap clap clap-clap-clap . . . Let’s Go M-S-N clap clap clap-clap-clap” . . . seems to be a reference to certain business interests. Finally, when a Ranger fan wearing a home jersey and sporting MSN butterfly wings taunts TBB (The Big Blogger), he goes off, hurling AOL 9.0 Optimized CDs at him. The fan retaliates by beating TBB with his wings. They’re at it, tooth and nail . . . even the players on the ice are struck dumb by the spectacle. Finally, security pulls them apart, and TBB is in distress . . . “mah eye, Mick . . . mah eye . . . cut me, Mick.” Someone answering to the name of “Mick” picks up a CD and cuts the swollen eye. DING! . . . and we’re at the end of a very eventful Round Two.
Second Intermission . . . It looks like the Caps are ahead on the judges’ cards, Champ . . . what do you think so far?
“Well, as sure as I’m fat, old, slow, and bald, thing can change in the blink of an eye. You can’t tell what the outcome is going to be until it’s over. It’s like a cheeseburger . . . you wouldn’t decide whether it was good or not if you just had the meat . . . you need the bun, the tomatoes, the onions, the cheese, the pickles, the lettuce, the jalapenos, the mushrooms, the . . .
Thanks, Champ . .
“bacon, the ketchup, the mustard, the hot sauce, the zucchini, the raspberry jam, the spinach, the calamari, the almond paste, the truffles, the . . .
DING! . . . Round Three . . . The principals come out for the last round. It’s been a titanic struggle, on the ice and in the stands. The referee takes one last look at his coif in the reflection from the glass and heads to center ice for the faceoff to start the round. . . . The period starts in bizarre form as a stick flies out of a Ranger’s hands and whacks him in the teeth. While the chiclets are being collected, a penalty is called . . . Caps, four minutes for high sticking. WHAT?! Brendan Witt, Mike Grier, and Peter Bondra are all following the referee to the scorer’s table to plead that the Ranger whacked himself . . . all to no avail. TBB is restless in his seat . . . and then, a second penalty is shown on the board . . . unsportsmanlike conduct . . . a 5-on-3 advantage, and TBB is on the edge of his seat.
The Rangers start throwing head shots . . . a drive by Leetch . . . a deflection try by Lindros . . . a curl-and-drag to the net by Jagr . . . all stymied by Olaf Kolzig . . . until the whistle is blown, and . . . delay of game? The Caps’ bench is incensed . . . Glen Hanlon is standing on the bench, screaming at the ref . . . and another penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct is whistled. The fans are going crazy . . . it’s taking a squad of out-of-work Arthur Andersen accountants to tally up the damage in penalties for the Caps . . . the Rangers are putting all of their skillful wares on display . . . Lindros’ ruggedness . . . Leetch’s skating . . . Jagr’s stickhandling . . . Messier’s Cro Magnon orbital ridge . . . raining a hail of punches . . . uh, pucks down on Olaf Kolzig. A shot is turned into the corner . . . Jagr picks it up and throws a cross-ice pass in the direction of Petr Nedved, except Nedved is on the Rangers’ bench . . . the puck is picked up by Peter Bondra, and as one, the Rangers exclaim, “ACK, WE HAVE TO PLAY DEFENSE!” Bondra skates in on a clean break, not a Ranger in the same borough . . . Dunham can only sigh as the puck flies by (“oh gee, another night at the Garden . . . no defense”), and the Caps have a 2 goal lead.
Amidst the celebrating, the Caps are whistled for another delay-of-game penalty, and TBB is out of his seat. The Rangers are looking to land a combination to take advantage of what seems this forever 5-on-3. Jagr is at the right wing boards . . . he looks over the situation . . . he skates into the seam between Trent Whitfield and Brendan Witt and flicks his wrists . . . where’s the puck? He forgot to bring it with him! (must be in a New York state of mind). Mike Grier is heading the other way on another breakaway . . . Dunham is contemplating life as a color analyst for TSN Canada when Grier slides the puck into the twine . . . the Ranger fans, so thrilled a few moments ago, are booing loudly enough for people at LaGuardia Airport not to be able to hear planes taking off. The slapstick plays out as the clock winds down, and the blueshirts skulk off after being upset by the Caps, 3 - 0. The team skates off, pleased with its feisty performance, one mirrored by a certain owner, who still unhappy, confronts a referee outside the locker room . . .
. . . we can’t know what really went on, but I’d swear that I heard a legendary sportscaster’s voice exclaiming . . .
DOWN GOES FRASER . . . DOWN GOES FRASER . . . DOWN GOES FRASER.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Kings, February 8th
Hate playin’ the Flyers
They’re big and they’re dumb
And all the players play like donkeys
Let’s leave the Oilers to the eskimos
That town’s a little too far away
For you and me, you Caps fans
Rollin’ down . . . I-95
Headin’ to Verizon and we just can’t be late
Noreaster’ wind blowin’ cold from the north
And we was born to skate
Roll down the window, put down the top
Crank up Steve Kolbe, baby
Don’t let the goal scorin’ stop
We’re gonna skate until we just can’t skate anymore
From the parkway to the Beltway
From the west side to the east side
Everybody’s very happy
’cause the Caps are gonna win this time
Looks like another perfect day
We play L.A. (we love it)
We play L.A. (we love it)
Look at that statue
Looks like Willsie
Look at that bum over there, man
It’s Mike Cammalleri
Look at these goobers
These guys ain’t goin’ nowhere
Lead after one period (we love it)
Lead after two periods (we love it)
Lead after three periods (we love it)
Fun street! (we love it, we love it)
We’ll beat L.A.
We’ll beat L.A.
(we love it!)
Well, the Caps oughtta love it, but that’s what The Peerless said about Boston, too. The Kings are 2-8-2 in their last 12 games, and but for the grace of the Flyers would have the worst record in the NHL. They’ve been outscored in their last 12 games, 41-31, but even that is deceptive. That number includes a 7-0 pounding of Florida (a club the Caps can’t seem to beat . . . please take note) for one of their two wins.
Special teams have been a particular problem for the Kings. The power play has been anemic – 5-for-52 (9.6 percent). Given the Caps recent woes (2-for-25 in their last five games), power plays could be truly painful to watch. The Kings also have had problems keeping up for 60 minutes. They’ve held their own in the first period, outscored by only 13-12. But as the game wears on (10 goals for/14 against in the second period, 8 goals for/13 against in the third), they wilt. If there is one silver lining for the Kings in this woeful dozen games, it is that both wins have been on the road.
The Kings have scored first in seven of these last 12 games, and the first goal in six of them was scored by either Alexander Frolov or Mike Cammalleri. In fact, Frolov is 7-3-10, +3, in the last 12 games, while Cammalleri is 7-8-15, +5. Think those two should get some attention? The rest of the club combined has 17 goals in 12 games.
If the Kings have a “secret weapon” to use here, it is Sean Burke. The veteran goalie joined the club and started his season with a solid 43 minutes against Phoenix on January 20th (23 saves on 24 shots, no decision). Since then, Burke is 2-2-2 and has occasionally been outstanding in his performance. Overall, he has a 2.34 GAA and .930 save percentage.
Again, the Kings are a club the Caps – if they show up – should handle, well, handily. But that’s been the problem, hasn’t it? The Caps can scare up enough of an effort to slash the Sabres or blow over the Hurricanes, then they go toes up against teams with animal mascots (Panthers, Bruins, Coyotes).
Maybe that’s it! The Caps have some weird allergy to fur, metaphorically speaking. This being an club with an inanimate mascot, the win is all but assured . . . we think.
Caps 5 – Kings 3.
They’re big and they’re dumb
And all the players play like donkeys
Let’s leave the Oilers to the eskimos
That town’s a little too far away
For you and me, you Caps fans
Rollin’ down . . . I-95
Headin’ to Verizon and we just can’t be late
Noreaster’ wind blowin’ cold from the north
And we was born to skate
Roll down the window, put down the top
Crank up Steve Kolbe, baby
Don’t let the goal scorin’ stop
We’re gonna skate until we just can’t skate anymore
From the parkway to the Beltway
From the west side to the east side
Everybody’s very happy
’cause the Caps are gonna win this time
Looks like another perfect day
We play L.A. (we love it)
We play L.A. (we love it)
Look at that statue
Looks like Willsie
Look at that bum over there, man
It’s Mike Cammalleri
Look at these goobers
These guys ain’t goin’ nowhere
Lead after one period (we love it)
Lead after two periods (we love it)
Lead after three periods (we love it)
Fun street! (we love it, we love it)
We’ll beat L.A.
We’ll beat L.A.
(we love it!)
Well, the Caps oughtta love it, but that’s what The Peerless said about Boston, too. The Kings are 2-8-2 in their last 12 games, and but for the grace of the Flyers would have the worst record in the NHL. They’ve been outscored in their last 12 games, 41-31, but even that is deceptive. That number includes a 7-0 pounding of Florida (a club the Caps can’t seem to beat . . . please take note) for one of their two wins.
Special teams have been a particular problem for the Kings. The power play has been anemic – 5-for-52 (9.6 percent). Given the Caps recent woes (2-for-25 in their last five games), power plays could be truly painful to watch. The Kings also have had problems keeping up for 60 minutes. They’ve held their own in the first period, outscored by only 13-12. But as the game wears on (10 goals for/14 against in the second period, 8 goals for/13 against in the third), they wilt. If there is one silver lining for the Kings in this woeful dozen games, it is that both wins have been on the road.
The Kings have scored first in seven of these last 12 games, and the first goal in six of them was scored by either Alexander Frolov or Mike Cammalleri. In fact, Frolov is 7-3-10, +3, in the last 12 games, while Cammalleri is 7-8-15, +5. Think those two should get some attention? The rest of the club combined has 17 goals in 12 games.
If the Kings have a “secret weapon” to use here, it is Sean Burke. The veteran goalie joined the club and started his season with a solid 43 minutes against Phoenix on January 20th (23 saves on 24 shots, no decision). Since then, Burke is 2-2-2 and has occasionally been outstanding in his performance. Overall, he has a 2.34 GAA and .930 save percentage.
Again, the Kings are a club the Caps – if they show up – should handle, well, handily. But that’s been the problem, hasn’t it? The Caps can scare up enough of an effort to slash the Sabres or blow over the Hurricanes, then they go toes up against teams with animal mascots (Panthers, Bruins, Coyotes).
Maybe that’s it! The Caps have some weird allergy to fur, metaphorically speaking. This being an club with an inanimate mascot, the win is all but assured . . . we think.
Caps 5 – Kings 3.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
The Morning After -- Caps vs. Bruins
A one point night . . .
Blpblpblpblpblpblptht…..
The Peerless has no idea what to make of this team. Yesterday, we wrote:
Well the Caps didn’t exactly just throw their sticks on the ice, but it wasn’t exactly an inspired effort, either. There are those who forgot more about hockey over this morning’s coffee than The Peerless is ever going to know, but frankly, to say the club has “made a solid turnaround since the Ottawa game [on defense]” is really overstating the case in terms of the numbers, especially regarding last night’s game. Boston came into the game having scored a measly 31 goals in their last 16 games, only 13 in their last eight road games in which they went 1-7-0. This is a team that, for the moment at least, is supposed to get shut down. And the Caps give up one goal off a lost faceoff in their own end (the Caps lost 38 of 67 draws) and another to Patrice Bergeron, who couldn’t hit the water with the puck if he shot it off the poop deck of a cruise ship the last 16 games.
Then there was the offense. Again, here is a team – Boston – coming into this game ripe for the plucking. 72 goals allowed in their last 16 games, 37 in their last eight road games. And the Bruins end up giving up fewer goals in a road game than they’ve managed in almost two months. The Peerless believes that shots on goal matter over the long run of the season. Some argue to the contrary that if you keep the shots to the outside and don’t allow them in bunches, the shot total doesn’t matter. We think that over a season, you can’t count on that. But it sure looked to be the case last night. The Caps didn’t appear to be sticking their collective noses in tight to win loose pucks and bang them in.
But there were a few good performances. One deserves a special bag o’ chips . . .
The Peerless has no idea what to make of this team. Yesterday, we wrote:
If there was a team served up on a platter for what ails the Caps, it would be these Bruins. And that is precisely the kind of opponent the Caps have saved some of their ugliest games of the year for (see the combined work against the Florida Panthers in the last three meetings).
If the Caps show up and do something more than merely toss their sticks on the ice, they should win this game, and it shouldn’t be close.
Well the Caps didn’t exactly just throw their sticks on the ice, but it wasn’t exactly an inspired effort, either. There are those who forgot more about hockey over this morning’s coffee than The Peerless is ever going to know, but frankly, to say the club has “made a solid turnaround since the Ottawa game [on defense]” is really overstating the case in terms of the numbers, especially regarding last night’s game. Boston came into the game having scored a measly 31 goals in their last 16 games, only 13 in their last eight road games in which they went 1-7-0. This is a team that, for the moment at least, is supposed to get shut down. And the Caps give up one goal off a lost faceoff in their own end (the Caps lost 38 of 67 draws) and another to Patrice Bergeron, who couldn’t hit the water with the puck if he shot it off the poop deck of a cruise ship the last 16 games.
Then there was the offense. Again, here is a team – Boston – coming into this game ripe for the plucking. 72 goals allowed in their last 16 games, 37 in their last eight road games. And the Bruins end up giving up fewer goals in a road game than they’ve managed in almost two months. The Peerless believes that shots on goal matter over the long run of the season. Some argue to the contrary that if you keep the shots to the outside and don’t allow them in bunches, the shot total doesn’t matter. We think that over a season, you can’t count on that. But it sure looked to be the case last night. The Caps didn’t appear to be sticking their collective noses in tight to win loose pucks and bang them in.
But there were a few good performances. One deserves a special bag o’ chips . . .
Richard Zednik might have a “TRADE ME” sign on the back of his jersey, but it hasn’t seemed to hamper his effort. He had the best original chances to score last night and skated hard throughout. Brooks Laich played one of his better games with the club, and that would be true absent his goal. He played hard at both ends and was the only center who seemed to have a clue on faceoffs (winner of eight of 13 draws). Olaf Kolzig probably deserved better than to take the loss. The first goal, from Brandon Bochenski, he might like to have back, but he made a number of key stops down the stretch and really didn’t have a chance on a wide-open one-timer from Bergeron. And Eric Fehr had one of the few “paying attention” moments when he swept in a rebound for his second NHL goal. His taking five shots in the third period (almost half the club’s entire total for the period) suggests he’s starting to assert himself in the offense.
Which brings us to Alex Ovechkin. Every player has their worst game (even Wayne Gretzky, even Sidney Crosby…honest), and last night was, if not Ovechkin’s worst with the club, comes close. One got the feeling sitting in the stands that Zdeno Chara is really in this kid’s head. You can almost see Ovechkin trying to reason it out when he’s skating with the puck and Chara closing . . . “ok, now if I do this . . .” and by that time, his chance has passed. And last night was the extraordinarily rare game when Ovechkin skated without an obvious energy to him. We sat there thinking, “is he coming down with something?” He ended up with 17:38 in ice time last night, his lowest ice time total in a game he didn’t get thrown out of since November 28th. His two shots on goal ties his low mark for the season. And, he’s pointless in three straight games for the first time in his career (he hadn’t been held pointless in consecutive games this season until this stretch). He is in a slump. It happens. But it is odd, even in his brief career to date, to actually see it playing out on the ice.
Oh, and for all you folks longing for a return to the days of yesteryear, well, you saw it last night in the referee stylings of Don Koharski (whose mind might have been on other things, given the new concessions at Verizon) and Wes McCauley. They called 12 penalties in all, but that is very deceptive. Many were of the “non-discretionary” sort – coincidental fighting majors, coincidental roughing minors, a double minor for a high stick that drew blood, and a delay of game for shooting the puck over the glass. Only three “obstruction” fouls were called in the game, and it appeared as if they could have called three times that many. What, they left their whistles at the hotel? It was old time (1990’s) hockey.
But in the end, it was another point squandered, and there have been a lot of them over the past two months. Add them up, and the sum of it is – 13th place.
Which brings us to Alex Ovechkin. Every player has their worst game (even Wayne Gretzky, even Sidney Crosby…honest), and last night was, if not Ovechkin’s worst with the club, comes close. One got the feeling sitting in the stands that Zdeno Chara is really in this kid’s head. You can almost see Ovechkin trying to reason it out when he’s skating with the puck and Chara closing . . . “ok, now if I do this . . .” and by that time, his chance has passed. And last night was the extraordinarily rare game when Ovechkin skated without an obvious energy to him. We sat there thinking, “is he coming down with something?” He ended up with 17:38 in ice time last night, his lowest ice time total in a game he didn’t get thrown out of since November 28th. His two shots on goal ties his low mark for the season. And, he’s pointless in three straight games for the first time in his career (he hadn’t been held pointless in consecutive games this season until this stretch). He is in a slump. It happens. But it is odd, even in his brief career to date, to actually see it playing out on the ice.
Oh, and for all you folks longing for a return to the days of yesteryear, well, you saw it last night in the referee stylings of Don Koharski (whose mind might have been on other things, given the new concessions at Verizon) and Wes McCauley. They called 12 penalties in all, but that is very deceptive. Many were of the “non-discretionary” sort – coincidental fighting majors, coincidental roughing minors, a double minor for a high stick that drew blood, and a delay of game for shooting the puck over the glass. Only three “obstruction” fouls were called in the game, and it appeared as if they could have called three times that many. What, they left their whistles at the hotel? It was old time (1990’s) hockey.
But in the end, it was another point squandered, and there have been a lot of them over the past two months. Add them up, and the sum of it is – 13th place.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Bruins, February 6th
The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!
Once upon a time, there was a hockey team. They had a difficult 2005-2006 season, but when the 2006-2007 dawned, they exceeded expectations and got off to a surprising start. They were well over .500, and their fans were dreaming playoff dreams. All was going well. But then the December holidays came and the Grinch visited, leaving a foul stench around the team. The team went into a funk and couldn’t keep anyone from putting the puck into their net. Goals were allowed in bunches . . . game after game after game. The team fell through the conference standings . . . eighth . . . ninth . . . tenth . . . eleventh . . . the fans were in a sour mood, and things were getting worse and worse. Playoff dreams became winter nightmares, and the cold, dark truth was revealed that perhaps this wasn't the year the team would return to the playoffs.
The Caps?
Nope, the Boston Bruins.
On December 29th the Bruins stood at 19-13-3, and all was well in Beantown. Since then, the B’s are 4-11-1 and sinking in the Eastern Conference. And it isn’t as if the Bruins have been losing games close . . . 10-2 to Toronto . . . 6-1 to the Rangers . . . 7-1 to Buffalo. The defense and goaltending have been horrible, matched only by an offense that has been anemic. In their last 16 games, the Bruins:
The Bruins have had their expressions of joy reduced to vacant stares . . .
Individually, the Bruins really have been reduced to a two-man show in the last 16 games. Marc Savard is 6-13-19, and Glen Murray is 7-5-12, but between the two of them, they are -16 over those last 16 games. From there, it just gets worse for the Bruins. For no one more so, perhaps, than Patrice Bergeron. The third-year player started the year 13-29-42 in his first 35 games. But in the last 16 he is 3-3-6, -16. That last number is not a misprint. He hasn’t been on the plus side of the ledger since December 19th. The minus stats for the Bruins over the last 16 games are of the sort from which Bruin fans would avert their eyes. P.J. Axelsson – generally thought to be among the better defensive forwards in the league – is a -12. Phil Kessel is -7 in 12 games since returning to the Bruin lineup after cancer surgery. Brad Boyes, -16 (again, not a misprint) . . . Marco Sturm, -12 . . . Paul Mara, -10 . . . Brad Stuart, -18 . . . minus 18??? Zdeno Chara’s -4 looks positively “Norrisesque” by comparison. The Bruins are getting pasted at even-strength.
The goaltending hasn’t exactly been top-notch over the last 16 games, either. Tim Thomas is 3-8, 3.96, .885, while Hannu Toivonen is 1-3-1, 4.49, .859.
On the other side of the ice, the Caps are coming off a 2-1 shootout win against the Islanders, which followed a 2-0 loss to Pittsburgh. The good part of that is that the Caps seem to have become reacquainted with team defense. The bad part is, they have one actual hockey goal in the last 128 minutes of play.
If there was a team served up on a platter for what ails the Caps, it would be these Bruins. And that is precisely the kind of opponent the Caps have saved some of their ugliest games of the year for (see the combined work against the Florida Panthers in the last three meetings).
If the Caps show up and do something more than merely toss their sticks on the ice, they should win this game, and it shouldn’t be close.
The Peerless being nothing if not consistent, he sees the Caps actually showing up tonight and taking out a measure of frustration against the struggling B’s. Alex Ovechkin is likely to be wearing a Chara Parka for much of the evening, but it could be a big night for someone like Alexander Semin. Shoot, even the third line could get off the schneid, tonight.
Caps 6 – Bruins 2
photos: (AP/Karl B. DeBlaker)
Once upon a time, there was a hockey team. They had a difficult 2005-2006 season, but when the 2006-2007 dawned, they exceeded expectations and got off to a surprising start. They were well over .500, and their fans were dreaming playoff dreams. All was going well. But then the December holidays came and the Grinch visited, leaving a foul stench around the team. The team went into a funk and couldn’t keep anyone from putting the puck into their net. Goals were allowed in bunches . . . game after game after game. The team fell through the conference standings . . . eighth . . . ninth . . . tenth . . . eleventh . . . the fans were in a sour mood, and things were getting worse and worse. Playoff dreams became winter nightmares, and the cold, dark truth was revealed that perhaps this wasn't the year the team would return to the playoffs.
The Caps?
Nope, the Boston Bruins.
On December 29th the Bruins stood at 19-13-3, and all was well in Beantown. Since then, the B’s are 4-11-1 and sinking in the Eastern Conference. And it isn’t as if the Bruins have been losing games close . . . 10-2 to Toronto . . . 6-1 to the Rangers . . . 7-1 to Buffalo. The defense and goaltending have been horrible, matched only by an offense that has been anemic. In their last 16 games, the Bruins:
- have been outscored 72-31 (4.5 - 1.9 per game)
- converted 12 of 75 power play opportunities (16.0 percent)
- killed 73 of 87 shorthanded situations (83.9 percent)
- allowed 34.2 shots per game – 11 times they have yielded at least 35 shots
- scored one or no goals eight times
- allowed five or more goals seven times
- lost eight times by at least three goals
- have been shorthanded ten times in a game twice
- lost a home-and-home to Toronto by a score of 15-3
- started fast in games (18 of 31 goals scored in the first period), then fizzled (outscored 22-5 in the second period, 29-8 in the third period)
The Bruins have had their expressions of joy reduced to vacant stares . . .
Individually, the Bruins really have been reduced to a two-man show in the last 16 games. Marc Savard is 6-13-19, and Glen Murray is 7-5-12, but between the two of them, they are -16 over those last 16 games. From there, it just gets worse for the Bruins. For no one more so, perhaps, than Patrice Bergeron. The third-year player started the year 13-29-42 in his first 35 games. But in the last 16 he is 3-3-6, -16. That last number is not a misprint. He hasn’t been on the plus side of the ledger since December 19th. The minus stats for the Bruins over the last 16 games are of the sort from which Bruin fans would avert their eyes. P.J. Axelsson – generally thought to be among the better defensive forwards in the league – is a -12. Phil Kessel is -7 in 12 games since returning to the Bruin lineup after cancer surgery. Brad Boyes, -16 (again, not a misprint) . . . Marco Sturm, -12 . . . Paul Mara, -10 . . . Brad Stuart, -18 . . . minus 18??? Zdeno Chara’s -4 looks positively “Norrisesque” by comparison. The Bruins are getting pasted at even-strength.
The goaltending hasn’t exactly been top-notch over the last 16 games, either. Tim Thomas is 3-8, 3.96, .885, while Hannu Toivonen is 1-3-1, 4.49, .859.
On the other side of the ice, the Caps are coming off a 2-1 shootout win against the Islanders, which followed a 2-0 loss to Pittsburgh. The good part of that is that the Caps seem to have become reacquainted with team defense. The bad part is, they have one actual hockey goal in the last 128 minutes of play.
If there was a team served up on a platter for what ails the Caps, it would be these Bruins. And that is precisely the kind of opponent the Caps have saved some of their ugliest games of the year for (see the combined work against the Florida Panthers in the last three meetings).
If the Caps show up and do something more than merely toss their sticks on the ice, they should win this game, and it shouldn’t be close.
The Peerless being nothing if not consistent, he sees the Caps actually showing up tonight and taking out a measure of frustration against the struggling B’s. Alex Ovechkin is likely to be wearing a Chara Parka for much of the evening, but it could be a big night for someone like Alexander Semin. Shoot, even the third line could get off the schneid, tonight.
Caps 6 – Bruins 2
photos: (AP/Karl B. DeBlaker)
Sunday, February 04, 2007
The Morning After -- Caps vs. Islanders
Two points, today, thank you very much.
photo: Getty Images
Well, that was . . . oops, hold on, gotta fix the glass . . . as we were saying, that was nice. The Caps . . . oops, there goes the glass again. The Caps might have won ugly, but the operative word there is “won.” When Matt Pettinger scored less than three . . . damn, there goes that glass again! When Pettinger scored less than three minutes into the . . . ARGHHHH!! Will somebody fix the #@%&ing glass?
OK . . . when Pettinger scored less than three minutes in, it looked as if the Caps might have one of those games when things click, and the opponent goes scurrying for cover as the good guys unleash a goal scoring onslaught. Well, that didn’t happen. But Olaf Kolzig almost made the singleton stand up. He did allow a shorthanded goal as the Caps played goofy with the man advantage, and Kolzig seemed to lack an awareness about who was lurking around his crease as Mike Sillinger pounded home the tying tally 27 seconds into the second period.
But that was it. No more soup for you. Take your fey little striped sleeve jerseys and go away. The Islanders tried to make an ugly game of it, and for the most part they succeeded. Between the Islanders’ painful approach to the game, the interminable stoppages for glass repair, the Caps’ own ability to take the most basic of plays – the pass from teammate to teammate – and turn it into an Indiana Jones adventure moment, this game would make the short list of ugliest NHL games of the year. You didn’t need a watch to time this game, you needed a calendar. The mites at the first intermission displayed more flow and cohesiveness.
But in the end, Alexander Semin scored a shootout goal – where else – over the goalie’s glove to give the Caps the 2-1 win and put to an end the three game losing streak.
If there were numbers of note in this game, they were those that reflectedwhat looked like a “short bench” strategy by Glen Hanlon:
- Brian Sutherby: 7:41 of ice time and only one shift in the last 27 minutes of regulation and overtime
- Donald Brashear: 4:40 of ice time and none in the last 31 minutes of regulation and overtime.
- Matt Bradley: 7:56 of ice time and one shift in the last 27 minutes.
Maybe they had Super Bowl party hors d’oeuvres in the oven . . .
On the other hand, the new kid got the most ice time again. Milan Jurcina had 25:47 and displayed a talent that Caps defensemen have not often displayed this year – the ability to actually get the puck to the net. He was credited with five shots on goal.
Richard Zednik did well in his audition for other clubs, almost stuffing the puck on a wrap-around in the first period (which led directly to Pettinger’s goal on the follow-up) and skating with energy in his 17 minutes.
The top line of Alex Ovechkin, Dainius Zubrus, and Chris Clark was held with out a shot for the first 41 minutes of the game. Hard to score that way.
Steve Eminger might have played his best game of the season. In almost 25 minutes, he was as steady and sound as perhaps in any game of his young career. He and Jeff Schultz made a good pair (Schultz chipped in with five blocked shots and used his reach to foil Islanders trying to maneuver the puck along the boards all afternoon).
This was not a game for the video highlight vault, unless you’re thing is watching guys repair dislodged panes of glass. But a win is a win is a win. And the Caps, not to mention their fans, will accept the two points gladly. It was a good start to a four game homestand. All of the games this week are winnable, and for the Caps to maintain even a glimmer of playoff hope, it is likely that all have to be won. But it’s one at a time, and this one was good for two points. Nicely done, guys.
A Crying Shame or a Joke . . . Take Your Pick
We depart from hockey for a moment to point out that one of the great travesties of sport was perpetrated yesterday when one of these players was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the other was not. Let’s go to the “tale o’ the tape.”
Not to mention, Monk was an exemplary character, both on and off the field. That Monk is still on the outside looking in for the seventh time after today's inductees were announced, and Irvin in on his third try is one of the true injustices of the sport. It diminishes the Hall and the NFL. It is only perhaps exceeded by the mind-boggling snub of former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue for induction. Following onto the legendary tenure of Pete Rozelle, Tagliabue was the overseer of the NFL into a marketing colossus.
The Hall's board of selectors should be replaced in its entirety and banned from any further participation in the annual selection.
| Regular Season: | Art | Michael Irvin |
| Games | 224 | 159 |
| Rec. | 940 | 750 |
| Yds. | 12,721 | 11,904 |
| Avg. | 13.5 | 15.9 |
| TDs | 68 | 65 |
| Top-10 finishes: | | |
| Rec. | 4 | 4 |
| Yds. | 3 | 6 |
| TDs | 1 | 4 |
| All Time: | | |
| Rec. | 6 | T20 |
| Yds | 11 | 14 |
| TDs | T30 | T37 |
| Playoffs: | | |
| Games | 15 | 16 |
| Rec. | 69 | 87 |
| Yds. | 1,042 | 1,314 |
| Avg. | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| TDs | 7 | 8 |
| Super Bowl Wins | 2 | 3 |
Not to mention, Monk was an exemplary character, both on and off the field. That Monk is still on the outside looking in for the seventh time after today's inductees were announced, and Irvin in on his third try is one of the true injustices of the sport. It diminishes the Hall and the NFL. It is only perhaps exceeded by the mind-boggling snub of former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue for induction. Following onto the legendary tenure of Pete Rozelle, Tagliabue was the overseer of the NFL into a marketing colossus.
The Hall's board of selectors should be replaced in its entirety and banned from any further participation in the annual selection.
The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Islanders, February 4th
Caps fans . . . this is for you . . .
And it doesn’t get any easier.
It isn’t bad enough that the Caps are mired in that 6-15-0 funk, or that they lost a hard-fought 2-0 game to
The Islanders over these last six games have . . .
- outscored the opposition 25-20
- converted four of 24 power plays (16.7 percent)
- killed 27 of 31 shorthanded situations (87.1 percent)
- been led by Trent Hunter with five goals, followed by Miroslav Satan and Jason Blake with four apiece
- gotten competent, if not outstanding goaltending from the Rick DiPietro (3.38, .893) / Mike Dunham (1-0-1, 2.04, .933) team – since DiPietro played against
The Islanders have gotten good production from Trent Hunter (5-3-8, +3), Miroslav Satan (4-4-8, +1), and Jason Blake (4-1-5, -1), but what seems to characterize the Islanders in their last six games is a willingness to shoot it out with their opponents. They’ve scored at least four goals in five of the six games; they’ve given up at least four goals twice.
For the Caps, an arena full of Dutch boys wouldn’t be enough to plug the holes in the dike. Once among the better 5-on-5 clubs this season, they’ve slipped to 25th in 5-on-5 play . . . they are allowing an astonishing 3.48 goals-per-game (27th) . . . they are still last in the league in shots-per-game allowed at 34.8 . . . 28th in the league when trailing first . . . 25th when outshot by opponents (a really bad sign when you’re giving up those 34.8 shots a game) . . . 24th in faceoffs . . . 25th in goal differential . . . 30th in shot differential . . . 4th most penalized team in the league. The Caps’ collapse from their high-point in mid-December has been across the board.
On the good side, the Caps are 5-4-2 in the second half of back-to-back games this year, 2-1-0 on home ice.
Olaf Kolzig has had excellent career success against the Islanders with a 24-9-2, 2.31, .910 record. And, although his won-loss mark stands at 2-4-0 in his last six games, he’s been something of a victim of bad luck (and bad play in front of him), too. His 3.03 GAA is better than his season average, and his .903 save percentage is comparable to his season mark (.908).
A long time ago, the Islanders owned the Caps. They were the “Penguins” breaking Caps fans’ hearts long before the Penguins got around to it. Then, for a time, the Caps owned the Islanders. But the Caps have lost six of their last seven games to this club by a combined score of 29-16, including a 4-1 thumping on November 25th.
Once more, the matter of fast starts comes into play. The Islanders have the fifth best record in the league when leading after one period. The Caps are 28th in the league when trailing after one period. If the Islanders have a lead after one, you might think about an early start to those Super Bowl parties.
The Peerless thinks the Caps are long past the point at which they should be angry over the turn of events the last seven weeks. It’s time to play with equal parts anger and disgust, because . . .
Saturday, February 03, 2007
The Evening after the Afternoon -- Caps vs. Penguins
Nope . . . no points today.
It was all about the goaltending. One flinch was the difference – a hesitation by a shooter, followed by an innocent looking flick at the net. That was the sliver of difference between the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins, the latter skating off Mellon Arena ice with a 2-0 win this afternoon. An empty net goal at the end provided the final margin, but less than ten seconds in the second period was just enough to sink the Caps – long enough for Ronald Petrovicky to collect the puck in his own end, skate down the right wing, fake a pass, and send the puck to the net and past goaltender Olaf Kolzig, who appeared to be expecting something smarter fired at the net.
At the other end, Marc-Andre Fleury continued his run of fine performances with a 30 save shutout. It was good enough to send Alex Ovechkin into a stick-snapping fit of frustration after the game.
There really isn’t anything else to offer in terms of difference. It is not as if the Caps played a bad game. They didn’t. They had chances. Eric Fehr, especially, had two golden opportunities – one on a partial breakaway – that Fleury turned aside. Fleury was, as he has been for the Penguins the last five weeks, the difference. For the Caps, this loss looked a lot better than the confounding and sloppy losses to Florida. Offense is, by its nature, often streaky. But defense is a product of effort – something that can be brought every night (or close to it). The Caps had that effort this afternoon.
If there was one very subtle number in this game it was this . . .
20:23. That was the ice time for the newest Cap, Milan Jurcina, more than any other defenseman. The Peerless wonders, if the club was in the thick of the playoff hunt, would a brand spanking new player be given top minutes on the blue line?
There is much caterwauling on the official boards about the play of Olaf Kolzig and the Caps in general. Going 6-15-0 over what amounts to more than a quarter of the season will do that. But let’s step back and look at the hand the Caps are playing on the blue line . . .
Shaone Morrisonn (18:26 in ice time today) – 173 games experience
Steve Eminger (16:36) – 173 games
Mike Green (17:04) – 72 games
Jeff Schultz (18:26) – 11 games
Milan Jurcina (20:23) – 92 games
Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin noted the Penguins’ youth in this afternoon’s broadcast (second youngest team in the league), but it would be hard to find a greener defense than the one Washington is putting on the ice. These are guys who someday will fit the roles they are now being asked to play, but it is unfair to expect these guys to flourish in those roles right now. Today, they did themselves proud against what is one of the hottest teams in the league (now 11-2-2 in their last 15 games).
The standard argument among a lot of Caps fans – that the club should have gone out and procured a veteran defenseman sooner – is largely irrelevant. The problem is not talent . . . when healthy. The club did manage to compile a 15-10-7 record when the blue line was vertical. The problem is depth and experience. Jeff Schultz is as good an example as any to point to. He is a first round pick of whom much is expected . . . down the road. He was ticketed to spend a full year in Hershey. Although he has played well, for the most part, in his 11-game stint with the big club, he is not equipped in terms of either his experience or his current skill level to be a cornerstone defenseman on this club. Two or three years from now? Maybe. But some Caps fans would rather sacrifice his development in the here and now to have the club procure (at what cost usually remains a bit of a mystery) a veteran defenseman.
We keep coming back to this point in a variety of ways, and we return to it again. There will come a time when the addition of a veteran – either a forward or a defenseman – will not just be recommended, it will be required. But that has to be done to complement the development of youngsters, not to replace it. Schultz, Green, Eminger, Morrison, and the newcomer Jurcina are getting that battle experience now. It could have the benefit of accelerating their development curve and to sort out just who among them can really play this game, if that needs to be done.
Here is another way to look at it. Pittsburgh is, at the moment, the most improved club in the NHL – 26 points better than they were at a comparable point last year. Most of that is a recent development (that 11-2-2 record they’re currently on). In a sense, the light has gone on as their top picks garnered as a result of their 2002-2006 run of suck have gotten some games under their belt. For the Caps, the light-going-on moment is (and The Peerless expects to be) next year. The experience the kids – especially on the blue line, where development is slower – are getting right now, and the lumps they are taking in getting it, will only help bring that day closer.
It was all about the goaltending. One flinch was the difference – a hesitation by a shooter, followed by an innocent looking flick at the net. That was the sliver of difference between the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins, the latter skating off Mellon Arena ice with a 2-0 win this afternoon. An empty net goal at the end provided the final margin, but less than ten seconds in the second period was just enough to sink the Caps – long enough for Ronald Petrovicky to collect the puck in his own end, skate down the right wing, fake a pass, and send the puck to the net and past goaltender Olaf Kolzig, who appeared to be expecting something smarter fired at the net.
At the other end, Marc-Andre Fleury continued his run of fine performances with a 30 save shutout. It was good enough to send Alex Ovechkin into a stick-snapping fit of frustration after the game.
There really isn’t anything else to offer in terms of difference. It is not as if the Caps played a bad game. They didn’t. They had chances. Eric Fehr, especially, had two golden opportunities – one on a partial breakaway – that Fleury turned aside. Fleury was, as he has been for the Penguins the last five weeks, the difference. For the Caps, this loss looked a lot better than the confounding and sloppy losses to Florida. Offense is, by its nature, often streaky. But defense is a product of effort – something that can be brought every night (or close to it). The Caps had that effort this afternoon.
If there was one very subtle number in this game it was this . . .
20:23. That was the ice time for the newest Cap, Milan Jurcina, more than any other defenseman. The Peerless wonders, if the club was in the thick of the playoff hunt, would a brand spanking new player be given top minutes on the blue line?
There is much caterwauling on the official boards about the play of Olaf Kolzig and the Caps in general. Going 6-15-0 over what amounts to more than a quarter of the season will do that. But let’s step back and look at the hand the Caps are playing on the blue line . . .
Shaone Morrisonn (18:26 in ice time today) – 173 games experience
Steve Eminger (16:36) – 173 games
Mike Green (17:04) – 72 games
Jeff Schultz (18:26) – 11 games
Milan Jurcina (20:23) – 92 games
Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin noted the Penguins’ youth in this afternoon’s broadcast (second youngest team in the league), but it would be hard to find a greener defense than the one Washington is putting on the ice. These are guys who someday will fit the roles they are now being asked to play, but it is unfair to expect these guys to flourish in those roles right now. Today, they did themselves proud against what is one of the hottest teams in the league (now 11-2-2 in their last 15 games).
The standard argument among a lot of Caps fans – that the club should have gone out and procured a veteran defenseman sooner – is largely irrelevant. The problem is not talent . . . when healthy. The club did manage to compile a 15-10-7 record when the blue line was vertical. The problem is depth and experience. Jeff Schultz is as good an example as any to point to. He is a first round pick of whom much is expected . . . down the road. He was ticketed to spend a full year in Hershey. Although he has played well, for the most part, in his 11-game stint with the big club, he is not equipped in terms of either his experience or his current skill level to be a cornerstone defenseman on this club. Two or three years from now? Maybe. But some Caps fans would rather sacrifice his development in the here and now to have the club procure (at what cost usually remains a bit of a mystery) a veteran defenseman.
We keep coming back to this point in a variety of ways, and we return to it again. There will come a time when the addition of a veteran – either a forward or a defenseman – will not just be recommended, it will be required. But that has to be done to complement the development of youngsters, not to replace it. Schultz, Green, Eminger, Morrison, and the newcomer Jurcina are getting that battle experience now. It could have the benefit of accelerating their development curve and to sort out just who among them can really play this game, if that needs to be done.
Here is another way to look at it. Pittsburgh is, at the moment, the most improved club in the NHL – 26 points better than they were at a comparable point last year. Most of that is a recent development (that 11-2-2 record they’re currently on). In a sense, the light has gone on as their top picks garnered as a result of their 2002-2006 run of suck have gotten some games under their belt. For the Caps, the light-going-on moment is (and The Peerless expects to be) next year. The experience the kids – especially on the blue line, where development is slower – are getting right now, and the lumps they are taking in getting it, will only help bring that day closer.
The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!! -- Caps vs. Penguins, February 3
The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!
OK, kids . . . here’s the rule for today . . .
The Caps – 6-14-0 in their last 20 games – visit the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are 10-2-2 in their last 14 games, 7-0-1 in their last eight. The Penguins have done just about every thing right over the last five weeks. The basics:
- Record: 10-2-2
- Goals for/against: 56 / 33 (4.00 / 2.36)
- Power Play: 25 / 70 (35.7 percent)
- Penalty Kill: 58 / 68 (85.3 percent)
- 14 skaters share in the 56 goals scored
- In four of their last eight games, they have scored five or more goals
- The big guns are roaring: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Mark Recchi each have eight goals in the last 14 games
- The Penguins start strong. In 14 games they’ve outscored the opposition 15-7 in the first period.
- The finish strong, too. In the third period, they’ve outscored opponents 22-10.
- The third period has been among the more noteworthy things in their run – only twice in 14 games were they held off the scoreboard (they won one and lost the other in a shootout).
- Scoring first seems not to matter much. In eight of the 14 games the Penguins scored first. They were 6-1-1 in those games. In games where the opponent scored first, the Penguins were 4-1-1 . . .
. . . but leading after one does. The Penguins carried a lead into the first intermission nine times. They were 8-0-1.
The Penguins have been a finely-tuned six-cylinder engine over the last 14 games:
- Sidney Crosby: 8-19-27, -4
- Evgeni Malkin: 8-13-21, +5
- Mark Recchi: 8-9-17, even
- Jordan Staal: 6-4-10, +10
- Ryan Whitney: 4-11-15, +4
- Sergei Gonchar: 4-10-14, even
Although The Peerless wonders . . . how can one score 27 points in 14 games, and still be -4? Answer – don’t let the Penguins get the man advantage.
But for all those gaudy numbers among the skaters, the difference in the last 14 for the Penguins is this . . .
9-1-2, 2.11, .932
Those are the numbers for goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who over this stretch is giving the Penguins the results they expect from a number one overall pick. To the extent the Penguins can keep this up, it will be the extent to which Fleury can maintain this, or close to this level of play.
Mellon Arena has been
for the Caps for more than a decade. The Caps lost in an embarrassing fashion in the teams’ first meeting this year, giving up a 4-0 lead on their own ice in a 5-4 shootout loss. The Caps, who have been plagued by poor starts in games in their seven week slide and poor overall defense, are looked at in many quarters as being the guests of honor for a ritual sacrifice. It has all the makings of a rout.
The Peerless doesn’t do routs for the other club. The Caps have managed to conjure up excellent efforts against good teams all year. The Caps have to consider the Penguins a good team, or at the very least a decent team playing excellent hockey.
The keys are these:
- Avoid the slow start; play the Penguins at least even for the first 20 minutes – conservative hockey
- Bring the packing materials. No, not to help the Penguins move to
- Do not get into a special teams fight. Five-on-five to stay alive.
- No lead is safe. If the December 11th game doesn’t drive that point home, the Penguins’ 22 goals in the third period in their last 14 games had better.
The over-under here is seven. If the total goals in this game is seven or more, chances are the Caps are on the short side of that number. So . . .
Caps 3 – Penguins 2.
Friday, February 02, 2007
The New Kid in Town
photo: Getty Images
There’s a new kid in town, and his name is Milan Jurcina.
Yesterday, the Caps acquired young (23 years old) Mr. Jurcina to join a nucleus of defensemen of that age or younger who are with, or who are otherwise playing substantial minutes with the Caps this year:
Steve Eminger
Shaone Morrisonn (ok, he just turned 24 in December)
Mike Green
Jeff Schultz
And that does not include other first round blueliners Joe Finley and Sasha Pokulok. Nor does it include the Caps’ last blue line signing, Brian Pothier (although The Peerless certainly agrees with JP over at Japers’ Rink that this deal signals what is likely to be a lengthy absence for Pothier).
This deal has no downside that The Peerless can divine:
1) The Caps gave up a fourth rounder. Well, gee . . . let’s look at the sort the Caps have picked in that round in recent years . . . Ryan Van Buskirk (2000), Jeff Lucky (2001), Jevon Desautels (2002), Petr Dvorak (2002), Andreas Valdix (2003), Andrew Thomas (2005), Patrick McNeill (2005), Oskar Osala (2006), Luke Lynes (2006). The Peerless will concede that the jury is out on the 2005 and 2006 picks, but are any Caps fans waiting in eager anticipation for the Capitals’ debut of anyone else on that list? If so, you’ll be disappointed. Getting Jurcina for a fourth is a “happy birthday to me” moment.
2) One can never have too many defensemen. The Caps lost Bryan Muir and John Erskine, then Brian Pothier, and their season went into the toilet faster than last night’s chili. This is not a “this year” move, but it could set up some spirited competition on the blue line next fall.
3) OK, so Jurcina fell out of favor in Boston. He was identified here as having 3-4 potential not so long ago. Sometimes, a change of scenery is just what the doctor ordered to jump start a youngster’s career.
4) He’s certainly cap-friendly. $500K this year, and he’s a restricted free agent after this year. Based on his performance to date, we suspect he’ll remain and continue to be cap-friendly in his next deal.
5) History. He skated alongside Shaone Morrisonn once upon a time (in Providence). Perhaps that can have a beneficial effect on both players (well, then again, maybe they couldn’t stand each other up there…you never know about such things).
6) Jerseys. The Peerless is of a mind that there are a lot of ‘68’ jerseys around. It was Jurcina’s number in Boston. The Caps can save on uniforms.
The (yeesh) Morning After -- Caps vs. Panthers
You know what? . . . So what?
Alex Ovechkin is perfect for 2007. 13 games, points scored in every one. 8-12-20 over that time.
And the Caps are 5-8-0.
So . . . so what? The object of the exercise is not a Ross Trophy, it’s the playoffs and a Stanley Cup. Any further thoughts of either should be put in a box and placed in the closet for the remainder of the season. Players can’t think that way – that’s the nature of competition. But for fans? Let’s shed the cold light of truth on what’s happening. The Caps have lost 14 of their last 20 games, including three to the Florida Panthers by a combined score of 17-7. Last night’s indignity just served to slam the point home with a pile driver.
It was like watching a movie replayed over and over once more. The Peerless feels like this guy . . .
Once more, the Caps got out of the box poorly, giving up a goal 77 seconds into the game. They trailed at the intermission (2-1). They played an awful second period (outscored 3-0). They were outhit (29-22). They couldn’t kill penalties (3-for-6 on the penalty kill). They've made Josef Stumpel seem like the second coming of Phil Esposito (4-3-7 in five games against Washington; 11-23-34 in 47 games against the rest of the league) and Martin Gelinas the next Mike Bossy (four goals in five games against the Caps, four goals in 48 games against everyone else). They’ve permitted the Panthers to score at a 4.00 goals per game clip in five games this year – Florida is averaging 2.77 goals per game against everyone else. And now, the Caps find themselves at the bottom of the Southeast Division, 13th in the Eastern Conference, 24th in the league.
And here is an inconvenient truth . . . Since the Caps defeated Philadelphia on December 16, they are 6-14-0. In that time, the top line of Alex Ovechkin, Dainius Zubrus, and Chris Clark is a combined 26-33-59. Doesn’t sound half bad; they’re averaging more than a goal a game out of that line. But they are also a combined -25. What they’re scoring, they’re playing a part in giving back and then some.
That the Caps have 49 points in 52 games is not surprising. Even the manner of how they got here isn’t surprising; we felt the club would show the glimmer of a contender early before succumbing to the grind of the season that would expose their lack of depth and experience. But the stark and utter collapse of the last 20 games, including lopsided losses to clubs the Caps should be leaving it their rear-view mirror, has been disheartening to fans, certainly. Giving up 78 goals in 20 games (3.90) has been the problem that screams off the page. That, and getting no points in games against Florida and Phoenix – eight points left on the table that if earned would have the Caps a point behind Carolina for eighth place with two games in hand – have washed away what good feelings surrounded the club in mid-December.
This is a reality check. The Caps are not a good team. They are a young team, a green team, a team with potential but one with a lot of holes, especially on defense. Time and experience will help solve these problems, and the Caps now have much of the former to obtain a lot of the latter. That’s what they’re playing for now.
Alex Ovechkin is perfect for 2007. 13 games, points scored in every one. 8-12-20 over that time.
And the Caps are 5-8-0.
So . . . so what? The object of the exercise is not a Ross Trophy, it’s the playoffs and a Stanley Cup. Any further thoughts of either should be put in a box and placed in the closet for the remainder of the season. Players can’t think that way – that’s the nature of competition. But for fans? Let’s shed the cold light of truth on what’s happening. The Caps have lost 14 of their last 20 games, including three to the Florida Panthers by a combined score of 17-7. Last night’s indignity just served to slam the point home with a pile driver.
It was like watching a movie replayed over and over once more. The Peerless feels like this guy . . .
Once more, the Caps got out of the box poorly, giving up a goal 77 seconds into the game. They trailed at the intermission (2-1). They played an awful second period (outscored 3-0). They were outhit (29-22). They couldn’t kill penalties (3-for-6 on the penalty kill). They've made Josef Stumpel seem like the second coming of Phil Esposito (4-3-7 in five games against Washington; 11-23-34 in 47 games against the rest of the league) and Martin Gelinas the next Mike Bossy (four goals in five games against the Caps, four goals in 48 games against everyone else). They’ve permitted the Panthers to score at a 4.00 goals per game clip in five games this year – Florida is averaging 2.77 goals per game against everyone else. And now, the Caps find themselves at the bottom of the Southeast Division, 13th in the Eastern Conference, 24th in the league.
And here is an inconvenient truth . . . Since the Caps defeated Philadelphia on December 16, they are 6-14-0. In that time, the top line of Alex Ovechkin, Dainius Zubrus, and Chris Clark is a combined 26-33-59. Doesn’t sound half bad; they’re averaging more than a goal a game out of that line. But they are also a combined -25. What they’re scoring, they’re playing a part in giving back and then some.
That the Caps have 49 points in 52 games is not surprising. Even the manner of how they got here isn’t surprising; we felt the club would show the glimmer of a contender early before succumbing to the grind of the season that would expose their lack of depth and experience. But the stark and utter collapse of the last 20 games, including lopsided losses to clubs the Caps should be leaving it their rear-view mirror, has been disheartening to fans, certainly. Giving up 78 goals in 20 games (3.90) has been the problem that screams off the page. That, and getting no points in games against Florida and Phoenix – eight points left on the table that if earned would have the Caps a point behind Carolina for eighth place with two games in hand – have washed away what good feelings surrounded the club in mid-December.
This is a reality check. The Caps are not a good team. They are a young team, a green team, a team with potential but one with a lot of holes, especially on defense. Time and experience will help solve these problems, and the Caps now have much of the former to obtain a lot of the latter. That’s what they’re playing for now.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!! -- Caps vs. Panthers, February 1
The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!
OK, I give up. The Caps have lost 13 of their last 19, they can’t get out of their own way when playing this evening’s opponent, the Florida Panthers. Shakespeare once wrote:
“Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
Yeah, sez him. Maybe we should look to the stars . . . what do they say about our hometown heroes tonight?
Kris Beech, Aquarius . . . traits: shy, sensitive, gentle and patient. Life will be so sweet for you today you will need to avoid the rain to keep from melting. You’ll actually have double digit ice time.
Donald Brashear, Capricorn . . . traits: independent, confident, strong willed, hardworking, rocklike character. This can be a confusing day for you and you’ll tend to be forgetful. Stay ahead of the game and make notes where you are sure to see them. In other words, pick out a dance partner before the game starts.
Chris Clark, Pisces . . . traits: friendly, good natured, kind, sensitive to the feelings of those around them, popular with all kinds of people. Today you will wake up with a nasty crick in your neck, combined with a periodic twinge in your back. Everyone who sees you will be left with the impression that you are being either aloof or spastic (or both). Also, you will spill soup on your best shirt. That suggests two words, “hat trick.”
Ben Clymer, Aries . . . traits: adventurous, ambitious, impulsive, enthusiastic and full of energy. You will be followed by an evil-looking man in a red and yellow shirt. Surprisingly, it will turn out that following people is just his hobby, and you have nothing to worry about. Nathan Horton is another matter. The stars anticipate much glass rattling in your evening.
Steve Eminger, Scorpio . . . traits: harnessed aggression, immense forcefulness, magnetic intensity, and often strangely hypnotic personality. A person wearing a frilly pink tutu will appear, uninvited, in your personal space. He will become quite ornery, when you ask him to leave. His name is “Olli.” Just smack him; he’ll go away.
Eric Fehr, Virgo . . . traits: precise, refined, fastidious love of cleanliness, hygiene and good order, conventionality and aristocratic attitude of reserve. Son, ask around if you really were born in September. You could use a different sign.
Boyd Gordon, Libra . . . traits: elegance, charm and good taste, naturally kind, very gentle, and lovers of beauty and harmony. This might be a good time to recontextualize your imponderables. I think that has something to do with getting Alexander Semin the puck.
Mike Green, Libra . . . traits: easygoing, peaceable, indecisive, easily influenced. Your inner peace will be tested tonight after you shock yourself with the violence used to kill a fly or bug or panther which has annoyed you; you will be reminded of that moment in the Karate Kid movie when the old guy gracefully catches a fly with his chopsticks and how that was the exact opposite of the way you did it, which was simply to smash it against the glass.
Jamie Heward, Aries . . . traits: adventurous, energetic, enthusiastic, confident, quick-witted, impulsive. You may be better off taking charge of your own laundry today for reasons that the stars do not make clear. The number of times you walk into a door will today cause you to seek out new ways of thinking. Try hopping over the boards, instead, and avoid sharp objects attached to feet.
Olaf Kolzig, Aries . . . traits: pioneering, courageous, enthusiastic, confident, dynamic, quick-tempered, impatient. It’s time to start giving people the benefit of the doubt and being more accepting of those who aren’t as skilled as you. So the next time someone in your vicinity coughs up the puck, try to convince yourself that they are not an unoriginal, brain dead, goober with the hockey sense of a six year old.
Brooks Laich, Cancer . . . traits: emotional, intuitive, imaginative, shrewd, moody. An explosive argument with your linemate results in both of you questioning your future together. If you want to save the relationship then consider the possibility that you may just have been wrong. Pass the puck, ya goober.
Shaone Morrisonn, Capricorn . . . traits: prudent, disciplined, patient, reserved, grudging. Beware of arguments in the locker room boiling over and dividing the house. Make sure you give your all to the tasks and rewards will come your way, and to those around you. Always keep your pants on when showering and don’t let Laughlin’s ridiculous catchphrases enter your vocabulary.
Lawrence Nycholat, Taurus . . . traits: patient, reliable, persistent, determined. Try and keep some perspective on the situation then when your partner comes back from an ill-timed rush while you are fishing the puck from behind the net. Don’t give in to the temptation to smear atomic balm in his cup.
Alex Ovechkin, Virgo . . . traits: judicious, patient, practical supporters of the status quo, conservative in outlook. Lemme guess . . . someone in Moscow screwed up your birth certificate and put you down as a September baby. Cram in as much time as possible with your elderly relatives (Zubrus, Clark), watch your partners like a hawk and be extra vigilant when checking your sticks - and take some comfort from the fact that astrologers are wrong two thirds of the time.
Matt Pettinger, Libra . . . traits: charming, easygoing, self-indulgent. You love messing with your teammates’ heads by hatching from lemons instead of eggs. Breakfast can be an important time of the day for you. Maybe it’s time to think about a new routine. Pouring goat's milk over yourself and jibbering like a gibbon in front of your locker could be a start.
Jeff Schultz, Pisces . . . traits: selfless, intuitive, idealistic, secretive. Lately you've been looking for a good way of hiccupping without skating backwards at 100mph and screaming. The answer may lie in rocket powered stilettos. Hey, it can’t hurt, and you’ll be called “eccentric” if it works (a “daft loon” if it doesn't).
Alexander Semin, Pisces . . . what’s with all the fish on this team? Mrs. Paul doesn’t have this much going through her plant every day. Your thought process may be more than occupied in finding stability and security. Try to keep your cool and the solution may be found when you seek within. In other words, fake the deke and go high glove. No one’s figured that one out yet.
Brian Sutherby, Pisces . . . geez, this is worse than Sea World. You are the eternal optimist, seeing the best of any situation. You have no grasp of reality and live in a dream world. Most people consider you to be the greatest living moron. A three-point night might put that to rest.
Dainius Zubrus, Gemini . . . traits: adaptable, versatile, inconsistent. There is no point in wondering if what you are about to attempt will end in success or failure - the only way you will know for sure is by doing it. Mercury, your ruler, on good terms with power planet Pluto means there is precious little that you cannot do today - and a great deal that you can. That’s a lot of words to say you’ll be 1-2-3, +2 tonight.
Caps 5 – Panthers 2.
OK, I give up. The Caps have lost 13 of their last 19, they can’t get out of their own way when playing this evening’s opponent, the Florida Panthers. Shakespeare once wrote:
“Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
Yeah, sez him. Maybe we should look to the stars . . . what do they say about our hometown heroes tonight?
Kris Beech, Aquarius . . . traits: shy, sensitive, gentle and patient. Life will be so sweet for you today you will need to avoid the rain to keep from melting. You’ll actually have double digit ice time.
Donald Brashear, Capricorn . . . traits: independent, confident, strong willed, hardworking, rocklike character. This can be a confusing day for you and you’ll tend to be forgetful. Stay ahead of the game and make notes where you are sure to see them. In other words, pick out a dance partner before the game starts.
Chris Clark, Pisces . . . traits: friendly, good natured, kind, sensitive to the feelings of those around them, popular with all kinds of people. Today you will wake up with a nasty crick in your neck, combined with a periodic twinge in your back. Everyone who sees you will be left with the impression that you are being either aloof or spastic (or both). Also, you will spill soup on your best shirt. That suggests two words, “hat trick.”
Ben Clymer, Aries . . . traits: adventurous, ambitious, impulsive, enthusiastic and full of energy. You will be followed by an evil-looking man in a red and yellow shirt. Surprisingly, it will turn out that following people is just his hobby, and you have nothing to worry about. Nathan Horton is another matter. The stars anticipate much glass rattling in your evening.
Steve Eminger, Scorpio . . . traits: harnessed aggression, immense forcefulness, magnetic intensity, and often strangely hypnotic personality. A person wearing a frilly pink tutu will appear, uninvited, in your personal space. He will become quite ornery, when you ask him to leave. His name is “Olli.” Just smack him; he’ll go away.
Eric Fehr, Virgo . . . traits: precise, refined, fastidious love of cleanliness, hygiene and good order, conventionality and aristocratic attitude of reserve. Son, ask around if you really were born in September. You could use a different sign.
Boyd Gordon, Libra . . . traits: elegance, charm and good taste, naturally kind, very gentle, and lovers of beauty and harmony. This might be a good time to recontextualize your imponderables. I think that has something to do with getting Alexander Semin the puck.
Mike Green, Libra . . . traits: easygoing, peaceable, indecisive, easily influenced. Your inner peace will be tested tonight after you shock yourself with the violence used to kill a fly or bug or panther which has annoyed you; you will be reminded of that moment in the Karate Kid movie when the old guy gracefully catches a fly with his chopsticks and how that was the exact opposite of the way you did it, which was simply to smash it against the glass.
Jamie Heward, Aries . . . traits: adventurous, energetic, enthusiastic, confident, quick-witted, impulsive. You may be better off taking charge of your own laundry today for reasons that the stars do not make clear. The number of times you walk into a door will today cause you to seek out new ways of thinking. Try hopping over the boards, instead, and avoid sharp objects attached to feet.
Olaf Kolzig, Aries . . . traits: pioneering, courageous, enthusiastic, confident, dynamic, quick-tempered, impatient. It’s time to start giving people the benefit of the doubt and being more accepting of those who aren’t as skilled as you. So the next time someone in your vicinity coughs up the puck, try to convince yourself that they are not an unoriginal, brain dead, goober with the hockey sense of a six year old.
Brooks Laich, Cancer . . . traits: emotional, intuitive, imaginative, shrewd, moody. An explosive argument with your linemate results in both of you questioning your future together. If you want to save the relationship then consider the possibility that you may just have been wrong. Pass the puck, ya goober.
Shaone Morrisonn, Capricorn . . . traits: prudent, disciplined, patient, reserved, grudging. Beware of arguments in the locker room boiling over and dividing the house. Make sure you give your all to the tasks and rewards will come your way, and to those around you. Always keep your pants on when showering and don’t let Laughlin’s ridiculous catchphrases enter your vocabulary.
Lawrence Nycholat, Taurus . . . traits: patient, reliable, persistent, determined. Try and keep some perspective on the situation then when your partner comes back from an ill-timed rush while you are fishing the puck from behind the net. Don’t give in to the temptation to smear atomic balm in his cup.
Alex Ovechkin, Virgo . . . traits: judicious, patient, practical supporters of the status quo, conservative in outlook. Lemme guess . . . someone in Moscow screwed up your birth certificate and put you down as a September baby. Cram in as much time as possible with your elderly relatives (Zubrus, Clark), watch your partners like a hawk and be extra vigilant when checking your sticks - and take some comfort from the fact that astrologers are wrong two thirds of the time.
Matt Pettinger, Libra . . . traits: charming, easygoing, self-indulgent. You love messing with your teammates’ heads by hatching from lemons instead of eggs. Breakfast can be an important time of the day for you. Maybe it’s time to think about a new routine. Pouring goat's milk over yourself and jibbering like a gibbon in front of your locker could be a start.
Jeff Schultz, Pisces . . . traits: selfless, intuitive, idealistic, secretive. Lately you've been looking for a good way of hiccupping without skating backwards at 100mph and screaming. The answer may lie in rocket powered stilettos. Hey, it can’t hurt, and you’ll be called “eccentric” if it works (a “daft loon” if it doesn't).
Alexander Semin, Pisces . . . what’s with all the fish on this team? Mrs. Paul doesn’t have this much going through her plant every day. Your thought process may be more than occupied in finding stability and security. Try to keep your cool and the solution may be found when you seek within. In other words, fake the deke and go high glove. No one’s figured that one out yet.
Brian Sutherby, Pisces . . . geez, this is worse than Sea World. You are the eternal optimist, seeing the best of any situation. You have no grasp of reality and live in a dream world. Most people consider you to be the greatest living moron. A three-point night might put that to rest.
Dainius Zubrus, Gemini . . . traits: adaptable, versatile, inconsistent. There is no point in wondering if what you are about to attempt will end in success or failure - the only way you will know for sure is by doing it. Mercury, your ruler, on good terms with power planet Pluto means there is precious little that you cannot do today - and a great deal that you can. That’s a lot of words to say you’ll be 1-2-3, +2 tonight.
Caps 5 – Panthers 2.
Meme Time -- If I Was a Hockey Player
This topic is circulating among the fellow wizards of this medium, and The Peerless couldn't let this opportunity slip by without a contribution. The Peerless encourages you to check out the links over there on the right to see what others' thoughts might be on the subject. In the meantime, ahem . . .
If I Was a Hockey Player:
Team: Washington Capitals
Uniform Number: 33
Position: Goaltender
Nickname: "Zeke"
Dream Linemates: we don’t have those at my position, but I want Rod Langway and Scott Stevens in front of me
Rounding out the PP: I don’t care, just keep the damn puck at the other end
Job: Breaking hearts of those who have dreams of Wayne Gretzky swimming in their addled little minds.
Signature Move: glove, covering the top corner
Strengths: quickness, anticipation
Weaknesses: handling the puck
Injury Problems? Left knee
Equipment: The same beat up funky old pads I’ve been wearing forever
Nemesis: None – I am their nemesis.
Scandal Involvement: 11.5 inch pads, the female cast of "Desperate Housewives"
Who I'd face in the Stanley Cup Finals: Detroit Red Wings . . . going back to my roots to steal their dreams.
What I'd do with the Stanley Cup after our victory: Take it home, hook it up to my DirecTV receiver and invite all the kids over to watch classic NHL games.
Would the media love me or hate me? They’d adore me – I can pound a subject and a verb together without it sounding like a coma-inducing cliché.
If I Was a Hockey Player:
Team: Washington Capitals
Uniform Number: 33
Position: Goaltender
Nickname: "Zeke"
Dream Linemates: we don’t have those at my position, but I want Rod Langway and Scott Stevens in front of me
Rounding out the PP: I don’t care, just keep the damn puck at the other end
Job: Breaking hearts of those who have dreams of Wayne Gretzky swimming in their addled little minds.
Signature Move: glove, covering the top corner
Strengths: quickness, anticipation
Weaknesses: handling the puck
Injury Problems? Left knee
Equipment: The same beat up funky old pads I’ve been wearing forever
Nemesis: None – I am their nemesis.
Scandal Involvement: 11.5 inch pads, the female cast of "Desperate Housewives"
Who I'd face in the Stanley Cup Finals: Detroit Red Wings . . . going back to my roots to steal their dreams.
What I'd do with the Stanley Cup after our victory: Take it home, hook it up to my DirecTV receiver and invite all the kids over to watch classic NHL games.
Would the media love me or hate me? They’d adore me – I can pound a subject and a verb together without it sounding like a coma-inducing cliché.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The Morning After
No points tonight . . .
What’r ya gonna do?
If you look at the Caps’ 3-2 loss last night to the Ottawa Senators in the context of what’s been going on lately, one might be tempted to say, “same old, same old.” The 13th loss in the last 19 games, playoff chances bleeding away.
But look at the game on its own merits. The Caps certainly didn’t play badly in the first period; they just didn’t play as well as they needed to out of the gate. Ottawa scored on a screen and an odd play off an errant shot in the first period, creating the hole (again) that the Caps found themselves needing to dig free of. It wasn’t as if the Senators dominated a clearly inferior team. And, the Caps did outplay Ottawa over the last 40 minutes. Alex Ovechkin summed up the overall 60 minutes – “"I thought we played very well today. We had lots of chances. We played hard, we skated fast and we checked, but we didn't score. That was the key."
Unfortunately, the Caps didn’t have as many chances, didn’t play quite as hard, didn’t skate as fast or checked as enthusiastically, and certainly didn’t score in the first period. Getting outscored 2-0 in the first period last night brings the first period scoring over this 6-13-0 skid to 31-16, the Caps on the short end. No club can spend its energy, night after night after night, crawling out from under the pile of goals they’re giving up early. The NHL is really a front-runner’s game. Clubs that get an early lead or take one into the first intermission are likely to be the winner. Only two clubs in the entire league have a winning percentage below .500 when scoring first, and no club – none – has a below-.500 winning percentage when leading after one period. The Caps are being bludgeoned into an early off season by this truth.
Looking at the numbers . . .
13:42 – that was the ice time Mike Green got last night, coming on the heels of only 8:22 in his last game. And again, his ice time late suffered – two shifts in the last eight minutes of the second period, three in the last 12 minutes of the game (all of them in the last seven minutes when the Caps were looking for the equalizer). But even this wasn’t quite like the . . .
8:36 . . . the time Kris Beech got. Five shifts in the last 39 minutes of the game after taking a holding penalty at the end of the first period.
55 . . . Jeff Schultz had another pretty solid game. 17 minutes and change, two hits, two blocked shots, and he wasn’t on the ice for any Ottawa goals. He wasn’t being matched against the Heatley line, but still a pretty decent effort.
32 . . . that’s how many times Glen Hanlon tapped Boyd Gordon’s shoulder to take a shift. No Cap player had more. Maybe it had something to do with winning 10 of 17 draws. And here is the odd part about those numbers – he took no draws in the offensive end; he was the designated faceoff guy in the defensive end (winning 7 of 12). Folks are going to be calling him, “Yanic,” before too long.
Stealing a point in a game like this could have been a huge lift, especially coming on the heels of the big win against Carolina on Saturday. But now the momentum has been halted, and the Caps get to face those pesky Panthers tomorrow. And on top of that, there is the temptation to peek ahead at the game Saturday against Pittsburgh. This is an even harder week than it looks to be on paper.
Monday, January 29, 2007
The Peerless Prognsoticator is ON THE AIR!! -- Caps vs. Senators, January 30th
The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!
It doesn’t exactly get easier. The Caps head up to Scotiabank Place a couple of weeks after enduring a 5-2 loss to take on the Ottawa Senators, 12-2-1 in their last 15 games.* What is odd about that is that the Senators have suffered both regulation losses and the overtime loss at home. Of course, when the club has played 11 of those last 15 games at home, perhaps it’s not so unusual. Some fun facts from those 15 games:
- Ottawa outscored its opposition 59 - 29
- Power Play: 13/68 (19.1%)
- Penalty Kill: 55/60 (91.7%)
- 17 different skaters share the 59 goals scored
- Seven times the Senators have scored five or more goals
- More than a third of the goal production has come from two players: Dany Heatley (10-14-27, +17) and Daniel Alfredsson (10-13-23, +16)
- Ottawa scored first in 11 of the 15 games and went 10-0-1 in those games.
- Ottawa finished strong in games; their scoring by period was 14-21-23-1. By comparison, goals allowed by period were 7-9-12-1.
The Caps are a mirror image of the Senators over their own last 15 games . . .
- The Caps are 5-10-0
- Washington was outscored by its opposition 58 - 48
- Power Play: 14/80 (17.5%)
- Penalty Kill: 66/79 (83.5%)
- 14 different skaters share the 48 goals scored
- Four times the Caps have scored five or more goals
- Almost half of the goal production has come from two players: Alexander Semin (14-5-19, -3) and . . . Chris Clark (8-3-11, -5)
- Washington scored first in five of the 15 games and went 3-2-0 in those games.
- Washington started poorly in games, getting outscored 26-15 in the first period over the last 15 games.
And here is your big number – well, two actually . . . 18 and -20. That would be the number of goals the first line (Alex Ovechkin, Dainius Zubrus, and Chris Clark) has scored and their combined plus-minus over the last 15 games.
Gosh . . . you’d think it might not even be a good idea to make the trip.
Balderdash!
The Caps are 13-9-0 against teams that had at least 100 standings points last year. OK, so 4-0-0 of that is against Philadelphia, who are exploring new vistas in suck. The Caps are 2-1-0 against Ottawa this year, outscoring the Senators 12-10. The Caps have shown an ability to compete with talented clubs. The obvious key here is in who scores first. It has been Ottawa’s defining winning ingredient over the last 15 games, and it has been the Caps’ downfall over the same stretch. And what gets folded into that is keeping Alfredsson and Heatley quiet while getting the top line off on the plus side – it can’t be just about scoring for those guys. For all that, the player to watch is goaltender Olaf Kolzig. This is a club against which he has struggled – 8-13-3 lifetime, 3.46 GAA, .886 SV. But the last time he faced this club – 35 saves on 37 shots in a 6-2 win on December 6. If he can help keep Alfredsson and Heatley quiet until the Caps get their legs under them, this could be a good night.
Caps 4 – Senators 3
* Note: this was written before the Senators' 3-1 loss to Montreal last evening...
It doesn’t exactly get easier. The Caps head up to Scotiabank Place a couple of weeks after enduring a 5-2 loss to take on the Ottawa Senators, 12-2-1 in their last 15 games.* What is odd about that is that the Senators have suffered both regulation losses and the overtime loss at home. Of course, when the club has played 11 of those last 15 games at home, perhaps it’s not so unusual. Some fun facts from those 15 games:
- Ottawa outscored its opposition 59 - 29
- Power Play: 13/68 (19.1%)
- Penalty Kill: 55/60 (91.7%)
- 17 different skaters share the 59 goals scored
- Seven times the Senators have scored five or more goals
- More than a third of the goal production has come from two players: Dany Heatley (10-14-27, +17) and Daniel Alfredsson (10-13-23, +16)
- Ottawa scored first in 11 of the 15 games and went 10-0-1 in those games.
- Ottawa finished strong in games; their scoring by period was 14-21-23-1. By comparison, goals allowed by period were 7-9-12-1.
The Caps are a mirror image of the Senators over their own last 15 games . . .
- The Caps are 5-10-0
- Washington was outscored by its opposition 58 - 48
- Power Play: 14/80 (17.5%)
- Penalty Kill: 66/79 (83.5%)
- 14 different skaters share the 48 goals scored
- Four times the Caps have scored five or more goals
- Almost half of the goal production has come from two players: Alexander Semin (14-5-19, -3) and . . . Chris Clark (8-3-11, -5)
- Washington scored first in five of the 15 games and went 3-2-0 in those games.
- Washington started poorly in games, getting outscored 26-15 in the first period over the last 15 games.
And here is your big number – well, two actually . . . 18 and -20. That would be the number of goals the first line (Alex Ovechkin, Dainius Zubrus, and Chris Clark) has scored and their combined plus-minus over the last 15 games.
Gosh . . . you’d think it might not even be a good idea to make the trip.
Balderdash!
The Caps are 13-9-0 against teams that had at least 100 standings points last year. OK, so 4-0-0 of that is against Philadelphia, who are exploring new vistas in suck. The Caps are 2-1-0 against Ottawa this year, outscoring the Senators 12-10. The Caps have shown an ability to compete with talented clubs. The obvious key here is in who scores first. It has been Ottawa’s defining winning ingredient over the last 15 games, and it has been the Caps’ downfall over the same stretch. And what gets folded into that is keeping Alfredsson and Heatley quiet while getting the top line off on the plus side – it can’t be just about scoring for those guys. For all that, the player to watch is goaltender Olaf Kolzig. This is a club against which he has struggled – 8-13-3 lifetime, 3.46 GAA, .886 SV. But the last time he faced this club – 35 saves on 37 shots in a 6-2 win on December 6. If he can help keep Alfredsson and Heatley quiet until the Caps get their legs under them, this could be a good night.
Caps 4 – Senators 3
* Note: this was written before the Senators' 3-1 loss to Montreal last evening...
You want to be this goalie?
That was the unfortunate Jeff Frazee, goaltender of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, failing to contend with the bouncing puck off the stick of Robbie Bina of the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux (insert politically acceptable name here) last Saturday night.
Jeff? . . . meet Sebastien Caron.
The tough row to hoe
The Caps have completed 50 games -- 32 remain on the regular season schedule. In those 32 games they have to find a way to climb past four teams to makeup a five point deficit between themselves and eighth place. Here is the challenge . . .
The 32 games remaining involve opponents against whom the Caps have a combined record of 14-18-5. The Caps have been outscored 132-114, not including shootout losses. If one weights these numbers for the number of times the Caps have yet to play each of these opponents, the task appears even more daunting.
It is in this context that the Caps have to win, in The Peerless' estimation, at least 43 points in the 32 remaining games. That would give them 92, the number of the eighth-place finisher last year.
Is it doable? Yes. But what it means is that there are no longer teams on the schedule that the Caps should beat. Those teams are now in the "must beat" category. Given last year's results, there are probably no more than 10 regulation losses in the Caps' remaining schedule that can be sustained (and this assumes no more than one more shootout/overtime loss -- points cannot be left on the table at this point).
A tough row, indeed.
The 32 games remaining involve opponents against whom the Caps have a combined record of 14-18-5. The Caps have been outscored 132-114, not including shootout losses. If one weights these numbers for the number of times the Caps have yet to play each of these opponents, the task appears even more daunting.
It is in this context that the Caps have to win, in The Peerless' estimation, at least 43 points in the 32 remaining games. That would give them 92, the number of the eighth-place finisher last year.
Is it doable? Yes. But what it means is that there are no longer teams on the schedule that the Caps should beat. Those teams are now in the "must beat" category. Given last year's results, there are probably no more than 10 regulation losses in the Caps' remaining schedule that can be sustained (and this assumes no more than one more shootout/overtime loss -- points cannot be left on the table at this point).
A tough row, indeed.
What do the following have in common?
HGTV's "Design on a Dime"
Discovery Channel's "Mythbusters"
Bravo's "Top Chef"
Food Network's "Ace of Cakes"
TV Land's "The Andy Griffith Show"
More people watched them than the NHL All-Star Game last Wednesday night.
Hey, The Peerless thinks that there are worse things in life than gazing at Padma Lakshmi talking about food, but this is past ridiculous, it's embarrassing.
The league got cost certainty in its collective bargaining agreement. It got it at the expense of anyone actually watching the game. Praise the Commissioner for one, if you wish, but what does one do about the television situation?
Draw your own conclusions, dear reader.
Discovery Channel's "Mythbusters"
Bravo's "Top Chef"
Food Network's "Ace of Cakes"
TV Land's "The Andy Griffith Show"
More people watched them than the NHL All-Star Game last Wednesday night.
Hey, The Peerless thinks that there are worse things in life than gazing at Padma Lakshmi talking about food, but this is past ridiculous, it's embarrassing.
The league got cost certainty in its collective bargaining agreement. It got it at the expense of anyone actually watching the game. Praise the Commissioner for one, if you wish, but what does one do about the television situation?
Draw your own conclusions, dear reader.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)