The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!
They’re playing today
They want to be a part of it
New York, New York
This old power play
It’s longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it
New York, New York
They’re gonna shake up that old city
That doesn't sleep
Tryin’ to be king of the hill
Top of the heap
Those ol’ Southeast blues
They are melting away
They’re gonna make a brand new start of it
At M.S.G.
If they can make it there
They’ll make it everywhere
It's time to beat
New York, New York
New York, New York
They’re gonna shake up that old city
That doesn't sleep
To find they’re king of the hill
Top of the list
Head of the heap
King of the hill
These ol’ Southeast blues
They have all melted away
They are ‘bout to make a brand new start of it
Right there in old New York
And you bet baby
If they can make it there
You know, they’re gonna make it just about everywhere
Come on, come through
In old New York, New York
And here they are in what Frank Sinatra called "The City that Doesn't Sleep." The Washington Capitals have earned for
themselves an opportunity. They play the
New York Rangers on Sunday evening with the chance, if other things fall into
place by midnight, of finding themselves in ninth place, one point out of the
top-eight in the Eastern Conference and only three points out of the Southeast
Division lead. That is what a 4-2-0
record over their last six games – three of those wins coming on the road – has
done.
The team they face this evening is the mirror image of the Caps over
their own last six games. With a 2-4-0
record in those contests, the Rangers have been unable to get a toehold on a
playoff spot. They currently sit in
ninth place, one place below Carolina by virtue of having fewer wins in
regulation and overtime (the clubs have identical 15-13-2 records).
Defense has not been the problem for the Blueshirts. While allowing what might seem a decent, if
not extraordinary 15 goals in those six games (2.50 per game), two of those
goals allowed were of the empty-net variety.
Take those out of the mix and the Rangers allowed a meager 2.17 goals
per game.
On the other hand, offense has deserted the Rangers over those last six
games. They have scored only seven
goals, and failed to add an eighth when Marian Gaborik failed on a penalty shot
attempt in a 3-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets (a game that featured one of the
empty net goals against) on March 14th. They have been shutout once and were held to
one goal (apart from the skills competition) in four other games. The only time they managed more than one goal
scored in this stretch, they did so against backup goaltender Johan Hedberg in
a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils.
Derek Stepan might not have been the Ranger you would have guessed to
do so, but yes, he is the only Ranger with multiple goals scored in the last
six games. Not Rick Nash…he has one goal
in this six-game run (his only goal over his last seven contests). Not Marian Gaborik, who has but one goal in
the Rangers 2-4-0 run (his only goal over his last eight games). Not Ryan Callahan – one goal over his last
six games. Callahan has, however, been
doing what he can to contribute on offense.
He is the Rangers’ leading scorer over their last six games (1-3-4).
Here is how the two teams match up, numbers-wise...
1. The Rangers are skating in rare
company. With only one player in double
digits in goals scored (Nash: 10), they join only Tampa Bay (1) and Ottawa (0)
having so few double-digit goal scorers.
2. With as few goals as the
Rangers score, it should not be surprising that only three teams have more
one-goal wins. What is surprising is
that the Rangers have five wins by three or more goals, as many as Boston and
more than Ottawa and New Jersey (four apiece).
3. No team has scored fewer power
play goals overall than the Rangers (13, tied with three other teams), and no
team at all has scored as few at 5-on-4 (10).
If they are going to score one, though, home is where they will do it –
nine of their 13 power play goals have come at Madison Square Garden
4. For a team with as feisty a
reputation as the Rangers have (fourth in the league in hits, for example), they are
well-behaved in this respect – only two teams (Anaheim and Calgary) have had
fewer minor penalties called on them this season.
5. The Rangers have allowed the
fourth fewest number of 5-on-5 goals this season. Only Chicago, Ottawa, and Montreal have
allowed fewer.
1. The 4-2-0 record for the Caps
over their last six games has, in fact, been a relatively difficult part of the
schedule for the Caps. It represents the
first six games of an 11-game stretch in which the Caps have nine road games.
2. With the sweep of the
back-to-back games in Winnipeg, the Caps are on a two-game road winning
streak. Modest as that sounds, it is the
first time this season that the Caps won consecutive road games in regulation
time.
3. Only two teams – Tampa Bay (46)
and Pittsburgh (43) – have scored more third period goals than the Caps (35) this
season.
4. With 69 shorthanded
situations faced on the road, the Caps are topped only by Philadelphia (70),
Pittsburgh (71), and Buffalo (79).
5. Only one Capital has an even
strength goal, a power play goal, a shorthanded goal, a game-winning goal, and
an overtime goal (OK, some of that came on the same goal, but still)… Eric
Fehr.
The Peerless’ Players to Ponder
New York: Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist has been something of hockey’s version of The Iron
Horse in New York (look up “Lou Gehrig,” hockey fans), having recorded five
straight years of more than 4,000 minutes of ice time before finishing with
just under 3,800 minutes last season. He
is among the league leaders in minutes played this season (seventh with 1,539
minutes). Here is the thing about big
minute goalies, though. Those top-seven
goalies in ice time, including Lundqvist, have a combined record of
87-80-21. Not necessarily what one might
expect from goalies who are being leaned on heavily by their respective teams. And with the Rangers’ playoff hopes hanging
precariously, Lundqvist is going to be leaned on that much more down the
stretch. Lundqvist has a career record
against the Caps of 14-7-2, 2.70, .904, with three shutouts. That includes a 27-save effort in a 2-1
Rangers win in Washington on February 17th.
Washington: Marcus Johansson
Do you know who leads the Caps in points over the last five games? Well, yeah… Alex Ovechkin. But do you know who is tied with
Ovechkin? Marcus Johansson. After going 1-1-2 over his first dozen games
this season, Johansson is 3-4-7 over his last five contests. It is the most prolific five-game stretch of
games in Johansson’s brief career. It
could not have come at a better time. After
recording 46 points in his sophomore season last year, much was expected of
Johansson this season. A late start to
this season and then a 12-game absence due to an “upper-body injury” put the
kibosh on any hot start for Johansson.
But now, he is providing that second level of scoring the Caps are going
to need going into the home stretch. The
trick will be to see if he can continue to provide it. He is 1-4-5, minus-3, in eight career games
against the Rangers.
Keys:
1. Fight fire with fire. The Rangers no doubt will treat this as a
statement game, evidence of taking seriously the desperate nature of their
situation. Feeding off the home crowd,
they will no doubt be in a hitting mood.
The Caps cannot be timid and accepting of that attitude, or else the
whole game will be played in their end of the ice, and that will not end
well. Hit back…just do it in the rules.
2. Don’t make it easy. If a team happens to be good in one area, you
don’t want to make it easier for them be being sloppy where they aren’t so
good. The Rangers are rather challenged
on the power play (23rd in home power play efficiency). The Caps are 19-for-22 on the penalty kill over
their last seven games. Don’t make it
easy for the Rangers by going soft on the penalty kill now.
3. Finishing kick. The Caps have that third-ranked third period
scoring total. Only three teams have
allowed fewer third period goals than the Rangers. Win the period, win the game.
In the end, the Caps put themselves in position to contend for a
playoff spot with their sweep in Winnipeg.
But a loss here could undo much of that work. The Caps could find themselves a point out of
eighth place by night’s end, or they could be five points out with 16 games to
play and right where they have been finishing weeks for the last month. By winning the two games in Winnipeg, the
Caps do not have a “must win” label attached to this contest. However, it could set the table for them for
the last third of the season. Win, and
they are in it. Lose, and well… what
ground will they have made up this week?
Capitals 3 – Rangers 2
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