The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!
It’s Sunday morning here in
Peerless…
LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA…I can’t hear you. Ovechkin didn’t sign any contract…he’s gonna be a Ranger. LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA.
Signed,
Larry in the Apple
Larry:
That’s OK…there’s always Dion.
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Dear Peerless…
Do the Caps have a shot? Can they make the playoffs?
Signed,
Caps Fans
Caps fans:
This morning, the Caps are in 13th place in the East, six points behind the eighth-place Islanders for a playoff spot. The points are not the problem as much as that 13th place and what it means. The Caps have five teams to climb over to get to that eighth spot. The “good news” here is that the East is so tightly bunched at this point (eight points separating third and 14th place, although that third place is really the seventh best point total in the conference) that if a team can get hot, if they can get on a ten game run where they win 16-18 points, they can either pass some clubs or get some separation. The Caps are 5-2-3 in their last ten games with four more left in this home stand. Getting at least six points over the rest of the home stand is critical. Even if they get them, they will not be enough to get into the top eight, but they will position the Caps to compete over the last 35 games. To answer your question, they can, but it remains a longshot.
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Dear Peerless:
Can Alex represent me when my next contract comes up?
Signed,
Sid in Pee-Ay
Dear Sid:
We’ll ask his mom…
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Dear Peerless,
Now that Ovechkin has signed, will anyone come to watch this team?
Signed,
Anonymous
Dear Anonymous:
If the last two years are an indication, the Caps will do better in the second half of the year. In 2005-2006, the first year after the lockout, the Caps drew at least 15,000 five times before January 1st, 10 times after the new year. In 2006-2007, the numbers were four and 12. This year, the Caps drew at least 15,000 five times leading up to the new year. Ovechkin’s contract and the buzz it creates might generate some curiosity (although winning would be a better remedy), but the Caps would be expected to draw better in the second half in any case.
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Dear Peerless,
What is the Caps best chance to make the playoffs, finishing in the top-eight or winning the Southeast?
Signed,
Stormy in
Dear Pig:
Collar getting tight down there? Actually, the situation has the look of “six of one, half a dozen of the other.” The Caps are six points behind the Islanders for eighth in the East, seven behind the Hurricanes for the lead in the Southeast. The key might be the schedule. The Caps have 15 games remaining against Southeast teams (four against each of
Three points separate top and bottom in the intra-divisional records, and the Caps have at least a game in hand on everyone in the division. No one has shown an ability to break away. Here is the thing, though. Since getting pasted, 5-1 by
But before we do all of that, there are the Philadelphia Flyers to contend with this afternoon in a 1:00 pm start. And the Flyers are coming in on a roll. After going 0-4-2 in a six game stretch from December 13-22, they are visiting
Record: 6-1-1
Goals for/against: 25-15
Power play: 9/36 (25.0 percent)
Penalty killing: 35/41 (85.4 percent)
25 years…$193 million. Mike Richards…Alex Ovechkin. Just thought we’d mention that.
OK, as for the Flyers, it might not be surprising that Richards isn’t the leading scorer in the 6-1-1 run (he’s 1-4-5, +4), but it is that Scott Hartnell is. Hartnell is 6-3-9, +6, including a hat trick against the Rangers in a 6-2 win last Thursday. The other big contract player for the Flyers, and object of Caps fans’ affection Daniel Briere – is 2-5-7, +1 in these last eight games, but he remains a -9 on the year, despite scoring at about a point-per-game (17-26-43 in 42 games). The Flyers, though, are missing Joffrey Lupul, injured with a bruised spinal cord and concussion. When he went down, he had been on a 10-8-18, +2 run in his previous 12 games, with a couple of hat tricks for good measure.
Antero Niittymaki has been the man in goal for the orange and black. He’s earned the decision in five of the last six games, going 4-0-1 in the process (1.80 GAA, .954 SV, one shutout). He did, however, give up four goals in taking the overtime loss against the Bruins (4-3) yesterday, in
Niittymaki has not played both ends of a back-to-back in his 14 appearances this year, so the task today might fall to Martin Biron. Biron has the other two wins in the recent eight-game run for the Flyers, and his only loss was in a shutout pitched by Martin Brodeur on January 4th. Biron has had a fair amount of success against the Caps, going 9-6-1-1, 2.54, .911 in 17 career games. He is 0-1-1 in his last two decisions against the Caps.
The Caps are on a roll of their own, going 5-1-1 in their last seven, their only regulation loss also coming in a shutout (against
This will be another in a series of challenges this week – one of the former Patrick Division rivals coming to town with a few wins under their belt. But the Caps have been up to the challenge lately, and this will be no different…
Caps 3 – Flyers 2
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