A TWO-point, three-goalie night: Caps 5 - Senators 1

It was a full day.

First, the goalie with the hip problem has to start because the other goalie suffered a hip problem of his own (they don’t have this many hip problems at Sunset Pines Retirement Home). Then, the guy who works in web production – who conveniently enough actually played goaltender in Division III hockey – was signed to an amateur tryout contract after the team received special permission. He skated out for warm-ups, in what has to be the bar story to trump all others when he’s knocking a few brews back with friends 30 years from now, and didn’t look half bad out there. Then, the star kid goalie (Simeon Varlamov), who was called back while his team was on a bus in – wait for it – Gonzales, Texas, flies back to DC and gets to the bench mid-way through the first period.

The question we have is, “is this the first time two goalies dressed for their first NHL game since…the first NHL game?”

That the Caps then went out and pasted the Ottawa Senators, 5-1, was almost an afterthought. Certainly the Senators looked as if they considered the game an afterthought. To be fair, Ottawa did play with some energy in the first three-and-a-half minutes or so, when they registered the first four shots of the game. Then, Nicklas Backstrom, who is a lot stronger on the puck than he was last year, fended off a Senator defender, and swept a pass to Alexander Semin easing down the wing, inside of Backstrom. Semin deked a little here, dipsy-doo’ed a little there, and as soon as you could say, “game over, man…game O-ver,” the puck was slipped just inside the far post under goalie Alex Auld.

After that, Ottawa just didn’t look as if they had a lot of energy. Then they did something stoopid. You knew, you just knew that given the tender hip Johnson was lugging around, Jarkko Ruutu was going to take a run at him. He did – at 13:33, well after Johnson froze the puck on a Ruutu shot, but Ruutu skated right up to him and all but ran him over, prompting a response from Shaone Morrisonn that got both sent off for roughing.

Ruutu’s effort did not have the intended effect. Johnson didn’t miss a beat, and the Caps stepped their tempo up a notch, scoring the four goals in the next 40 minutes of clock time. By the time Jesse Winchester got a garbage time goal with 2:23 to go in the game, the Senators – Alex Auld in particular -- had the look of a team that wanted to find the bus to the airport.

Some observations…

Speaking of Auld, he took one right off the coconut that had him shaking his head to try and get his bearings, and the Caps missed a chance to make it six goals on the night as Auld was doing his best imitation of Rocky trying to get off the canvas at the end of Rocky II.

He wasn’t the only one to take abuse from a puck. Anton Volchenkov – the shot-blocking machine – took one in the leg that left him limping for the bench. He did not play in the third period. The Caps had 16 of their 34 shots in the third period. We do not see this as a coincidence.

The Caps were guilty once more of some creative ways of giving the puck back, but for the most part used the opportunity of some improved health to so their “red swarm” thing. When they have nights like this, one wonders how they ever lose a game. Having seen some of the ways they’ve lost games, we don’t wonder too long.

Mike Green…1-2-3. Sergei Fedorov…0-3-3. Think they weren’t missed?

I don’t know about the hard hat, but Donald Brashear deserves something for his effort tonight. He was flying out there and looked from time to time as if he’s spent some of practice trying to duplicate moves that Alexander Semin uses. One sequence where he lugged the puck from center ice through the offensive zone, around the back of the net, and fed a centering pass…we were wondering where the crap that came from.

Viktor Kozlov had one shot on goal and no points, but his contribution in lugging the puck into the zone under control so that the Caps could set up an offense shouldn’t be diminished.

Much will be made about the Senators getting 33 shots on Johnson. Well, the line of Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, and Daniel Alfredsson had a total of four (and didn’t register a point). We’ll take that.

Alex Ovechkin had two goals…and no hits. Don't see much of that.

Coming into this game, Karl Alzner had five straight games with more than 20 minutes of ice time. Tonight, 15:45. And half a minute of that was some power play time to end the game. That’s what Mike Green coming back will do (Green had 21:56).

Good things happen to those who shoot. Just ask Brooks Laich, whose turn-and-fire from the blue line looked like it might have nicked the shaft of a Senator stick just enough to distract Auld trying to snare it with his glove.

The Caps were 3-for-7 on the power play tonight. That makes a neat 20-for-60 in their last 15 games.

Nicklas Backstrom had three assists tonight… that’s 9-17-26 in his last 18 games.

The mystery man we looked at in the pre-game – Antoine Vermette – looked really, really good skating with the puck and creating chances. Finishing those chances?...not so much. He was actually the best player on the ice for the Senators tonight.

The five goals the Caps netted represent the high-water mark against Ottawa this year, although they did allow four in two of their previous five games.

It was an entertaining hockey game, to be sure. But nothing is going to beat the guy in the cubicle -- Brett Leonhardt -- who was told by George McPhee, “Make sure your gear is down at Verizon and be ready to go at five." As a fan, we couldn’t take our eyes off him in warm-ups. What a thrill it must have been.

Only in hockey.

Great job, boys…and nicely done, Brett.

You Can't Make This Up

OK, so we know Brent Johnson is nursing a hip injury that was aggravated in the Boston game. But now, as Tarik El-Bashir reports, Jose Theodore has a hip flexor issue, too.

So...

Meet your new (if temporary) backup goalie...

I hope they make a movie of this...

Some Locker Room Bulletin Board Stuff for the Next Carolina Game?

Q: Who is the best player in the game today?

A: Right now I would say [Evgeni] Malkin. I think he's playing the game with so much confidence. He's making plays that not a lot of guys can make. They have a great 1-2 combo with [Sidney] Crosby and Malkin. On the power play they're lethal, and I think overall Malkin is playing the best in the league right now.

So said Eric Staal (he of the Southeast Division opponent Carolina Hurricanes), in an interview with ESPN. Although to be fair, it seems to us the difference between the player who is playing the best right now (Malkin) and the best player (and Malkin might not be the best player on his own team, let alone the league).

Still... in 27 career games against the Hurricanes, Alex Ovechkin is 18-18-36, +4. We're betting he'll add to it, even if the teams don't play again until March 3.



A tip of the hat to The Sweater Ted for the link.

All good things...

...must come to an end.

If you had Josh Tordjman pitching a shutout to end the Hershey Bears' franchise-best 11 game winning streak, you win the prize.

The undrafted Montreal native stopped all 41 shots he faced last night as the San Antonio Rampage defeated the Bears, 3-0, at AT&T Center in San Antonio.

It was the first time the Bears have tasted defeat since losing at Bridgeport, 4-1, on November 9th. It was the first time the Bears were shut out since Marc Denis turned the trick in a 6-0 Hamilton win on October 29th. Clearly, their top-two goal scorers -- Alexandre Giroux and Oskar Osala, who are with the Capitals -- were missed.

Still, Hershey's 20-6-1 record is the best in the AHL, their 41 standings points being four points better than their East Division rival Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Their 114 goals scored (4.22/game) is a whopping 18 better than next best Hamilton (3.69). Only one team in the Eastern Conference (Manchester) has allowed fewer goals than the 69 allowed by the Bears.

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Ottawa, December 12th

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

It’s Friday Night on Fun Street… Singles Night… Toys for Tots Night… and the Ottawa Senators are visiting. What’s not to love? Well, the Senators, if you’re an Ottawa fan. The Senators come into this one having struggled all year. They’re 10-11-5 overall – last in the Northeast. The picture hasn’t been pretty…


It puts us in mind of a song…

“O” is for the offense of their first line…

Dany Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson, and Jason Spezza rank 1-2-3 on the club in goals scored, having accounted for 33 of Ottawa’s 62 goals scored this year. That is a pace for about 104 goals. Last year, they totaled 115, but the trio also missed a combined 29 games. Right now, they are the top line, but not necessarily a “top” line…at least not to the degree to which we’ve become accustomed over the last several years.

“T” is for the third line that can’t score.

Frankly, no one outside of the top line can score. 29 goals are spread over 22 other skaters not on that top line who have dressed for the Senators this year. None of that group has more than four, and the pair that has that total – Nick Foligno and Shean Donovan – are not generally on the tip of the tongue when reciting top goal scorers.

“T” is for the trying times this year.

Ottawa has not won more than two games in succession this year. On the other side, they have streaks of 0-4-0 and 0-4-2. Their record of 3-2-1 over their last dozen ranks with their most sustained run of success this year over any similar stretch of games. For a club with a reputation for offense in this decade, they clearly struggle, especially on the road. They have the second fewest goals scored on the road this year (11) and the worst goals-per-game average (1.82). And while they do not have an awful road power play (they rank 20th at 15.9%), they don’t get many opportunities – 26th in total road power play opportunities (in 11 games).

“A” is for the absence of an offense

Only five times in 26 games have the Senators scored more than three goals. Seven times, they have scored one or none. They are 6-for-51 in on the power play in their last dozen games (11.8 percent).

“W” is for the wins rare on the road

Ottawa is 3-6-2 on the road. They are 0-5-2 in their last seven road contests, scoring a total of eight goals in the process (and suffering two shutouts).

“A” is for Antoine Vermette, where’s he?

What happened to this guy? After three years since the lockout that saw his point total increase from 33 to 29 to 53 last year, he was signed to a two-year contract to re-up with the Senators. And he’s fallen with a thud – 2-3-5, -8 in 26 games. He’s on a pace to finish with barely half as many points (15) as he had goals last year (24). He hasn’t had a goal since November 1st and has only one point since then in 15 games (going minus-7 in the process).

Put them all together they spell “Ottawa”…a team that’s just a myst’ry to me.

That would be an understatement. The Senators have to be on a short list for most disappointing team in the first third of the season.

The Peerless’ Players to Ponder

Ottawa: Alex Auld

Strange though it might be, the Senators are what they are, and that is an offense-challenged team, especially once one gets past that first line. That puts more emphasis on defense and goaltending, where in fact Ottawa has had some fine results. Alex Auld is said to be the likely nominee to defend the Ottawa goal tonight, and he’s had a nice run of success. Auld has lost only one game in regulation in his last eight appearances (4-1-3, 1.80, .925). He is 3-2-1, 2.27, .924 in seven career appearances against Washington.

Washington: Alex Ovechkin

Last year, Ovechkin was 6-4-10, +5 in four games against Ottawa, and he has ten goals in 13 career games against the Senators. He’s sputtered a bit on the last half dozen games, goal-scoring wise (two goals, despite 47 shots on goal) after recording five goals in three games over the Thanksgiving holiday week. He might also have an opportunity to respond to the two players immediately ahead of him in the scoring rnakings – Sidney Crosby had three assists, and Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist in a 9-2 win over the Islanders last night.

Ottawa might have their offensive problems, but their reputation suggests that one should not take them lightly in that regard. Brent Johnson’s hip makes for some mystery as to who will start in goal for the Caps tonight, and that means something – Johnson is 4-1-1, 1.89, .944 with a shutout in seven career appearances versus Ottawa, while Jose Theodore has struggled (7-12-2-1, 3.20, .898 in 23 career appearances). Still, Washington come in getting healthier, the Senators come in frustrated.

Washington 4 – Ottawa 2

The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend

"We will not go quietly into the night. We will not let fans who have a unrealistic sense of entitlement have their way. We're going to live on. We're going to watch the Malkin-Crosby-Ovechkin line."

So preaches The Pensblog. I would not have believed it, had I not seen it with my own eyes. Sometimes, you just have to set aside your differences for the good of the game. This time, Caps fans, take the advice of some Pens fans...

TEXT "OVIE" TO 81812

A TWO-point night: Caps 3 - Bruins 1

Sometimes, it takes a Bear to beat a Bruin.

Alexandre Giroux, who is leading the AHL in goals for the Hershey Bears this season, had the game-winner in the Caps’ 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins. Giroux’ goal, sandwiched by markers from Nicklas Backstrom and an empty-netter from Alex Ovechkin, was enough margin for goalie Brent Johnson to work with in the win.

Johnson earned the game’s first star – deservedly so – for stopping 33 of 34 shots, many of those shots being of the highlight reel variety. His stops on a Chuck Kobesew shot from the top of the crease after nullifying an attempt from Patrice Bergeron, and his sweeping stick save on a breakaway by Blake Wheeler were among the best saves by a Capital goaltender this year. His 8-4-2 record (2.47, .918) threatens to move him past the “goalie controversy” phase and squarely into the number one position. In 13 appearances this year, he’s allowed more than three goals only once (seven, to San Jose). He’s saved at least 90 percent of the shots he’s faced in 11 of those 13 appearances. He hasn’t been a fluke; he’s been very consistent.

As for Giroux, his goal was the product of soft hands at the doorstep as he converted a short rebound off a shot by Viktor Kozlov. Giroux was patient enough to back off a half step as Boston goalie Manny Fernandez was flopping to the ice, then calmly lifted the puck over him for the score. Giroux also had a penalty shot opportunity less than 90 seconds in to the third period that might have salted the game away right there, but his attempt to Fernandez’ blocker side went astray. But three shots, three hits, and a goal in ten minutes of work was a pretty efficient night.

Speaking of the Hershey contingent, Oskar Osala made his Capitals and NHL debut – he leads AHL rookies in goal scoring at Hershey. The youngster looked rather nervous in the first, but looked like a player who might be contributing sooner (as in next year) rather than later. He held his own in his battles along the boards, for the most part, and showed an eagerness to get the puck to the net in the second and third period

Osala made it an even ten – the number of players called up from Hershey so far this year (Osala, Giroux, Karl Alzner, Tyler Sloan, Sami Lepisto, Sean Collins, Chris Bourque, Keith Aucoin, Graham Mink, and Bryan Helmer). None of them could be said to have been a bust. Green they might be, but all of them managed to contribute to the effort to hold the fort while the injured heal, or otherwise showed that they have the potential to contribute in more meaningful ways as their skills develop.

As for the regulars, what’s gotten into Nicklas Backstrom? He’s attacking the net, shooting more (or so it seems), scoring all nine of his goals this season – including the first Caps score tonight – in the last 15 games. His redirect of an Alex Ovechkin drive was the kind of goal he probably wouldn’t have had last year.

Alexander Semin returned to the lineup tonight, and the time off showed. He had enough energy, but there were those moments when he’d make a few nifty moves to create some space, only to see the puck dribble away. He did have the primary assist on the Ovechkin goal, however, and added to his league leading plus-minus total (he was +1 tonight).

As for Ovechkin, a goal, an assist, five shots (11 attempts), four hits, and a blocked shot. We thought we saw him selling cotton candy in the 400’s at the intermission, too. It was a full night, and that with his wearing a Zdeno Chara jersey for most of the night.

Speaking of Chara, the Bruins didn’t even pretend to play anything but man-to-man, Chara on Ovechkin. Once Ovechkin was over the blue line, Chara was there. And Chara had a pretty good game. The one thing we noted about him is how “gentle” his game is. And by that, we don’t mean that he avoids physical play – far from it. It’s that when he gets the puck, he doesn’t spin and fire willy-nilly. He has become very adept at just chipping the puck out of danger. He isn’t the most adept puck handler – his size and that telephone pole he uses for a stick work against him as far as that goes. But he really has mastered taking advantage of the skills he has, and he put them to good use for the Bruins tonight. He tied for the team lead in shots (five), led the Bruins in total attempts (nine), had a couple of hits, a takeaway, a blocked shot, led the Bruins in ice time, and had an assist on the Bruin goal. And he was very effective on Ovechkin.

Back to the Hershey boys, Karl Alzner put on a show of not being showy. It was an object lesson in the kind of defenseman he’ll be down the road. You won’t notice him for anything in particular, but when the game is over, there he’ll be with a plus-two, a couple of hits, a takeaway, three blocked shots, all in 20-plus minutes of work…like he had tonight.

Tom Poti played the Mike Green role on defense about as well as one might expect. He was credited with an assist, but he was often the guy pushing the puck up the ice and getting it deep, carrying the play below the Bruin goal line. He even had a couple of hits and a couple of takeaways.

Viktor Kozlov did a lot of the dirty work maneuvering the puck in the offensive zone. It didn’t keep him from getting four shots of his own, which tied his season high. He also had a couple of assists .

As a group, the Caps owned the face-off circle. No Bruin other than Petteri Nokelainen was better than .500 in the circle (and Nokelainen took only two draws). Boyd Gordon and Brooks Laich were a combined 22 to the good, nine to the bad (71 percent).

It was also Milan Jurcina’s best game of the year. His Johnny (so to speak) on the spot stop of a Phil Kessel spin from behind the net – after which Jurcina flattened him – might have been the defensive biggest play of the night not authored by Johnson.

It was one of those games that the Caps dominated, although the final score suggested something closer. The problem for the Caps was missed shots. While they only had a total of 12 recorded, it seemed that every one was a scoring opportunity. Ovechkin alone had at least two such opportunities sail just past the post, and Boyd Gordon had one that he really should have buried.

The Caps might be getting healthier, if not quite healthy, as Alexander Semin returned to the lineup and a couple others might be close. When those players return to the lineup, some other players will be heading north on Route 15. But their contributions over these last couple of weeks shouldn’t be forgotten. They’ve represented Hershey quite well. Nice job, boys.

Hey, kids...do you like contests?

Because if you do, and you're a hockey fan...well, this should be right up your alley, courtesy of Tic Tac Toe Hockey:

So have at it, you creative writers...a suite might be in your future.

And now...Fleischmann?

According to Tarik El-Bashir on the Capital Insider, Tomas Fleischmann was absent from this morning's skate, but Oskar Osala (late of the Hershey Bears, where he was tearing up the league) was present. This is getting way, way out of hand...

An eerie coincidence?

The Boston Bruins -- tonight's opponent for the Caps -- is 19-4-4, their best such record after 27 games since they were 19-4-3-1 after 27 games in the 2002-2003 season.

In their 28th game, also played on a December 10th evening, they lost to another team clad in red, white, and blue (the Montreal Canadiens on that occasion), 4-2.

After that blistering start in their first 27 games in the 2002-2003 season, the Bruins would finish the season 17-27-8-3 for a record of 36-31-11-4. They would then fall to New Jersey, four games to one, in the first round of the playoffs.

Just something to think about.

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Bruins, December 10th

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

It’s back home for the boys of winter as the Caps host the Boston Bruins. And what a challenge it will be as the numbers suggest…

What is apparent from these numbers is that the Caps have been pretty good, the Bruins have been sick. Boston comes into this game having gone 14-1-1 since November 1st, taking them from 5-3-3 to 19-4-4. Thankfully, this game is not in Boston, where the Bruins are 10-1-1. But they aren’t slouches on the road, either, with a record of 9-3-3…

“Not only that, but they are 5-1-1 on the road in this 14-1-1 streak.”

Well, it’s crack sports betting high-roller, Dwayne Allan Boot…Dwayne, welcome to the show.

“Thanks, Peerless…and did you know that the Big Bad Bruins have only given up 11 goals in seven road games since starting that streak on November 1st?”

Well, I didn’t, but it’s good to know…

“You bet, and if they give up more than two in this one, I’ll give you and all of your readers free picks from my service for the entire season, and as you know, I am more than 90 percent correct in Wednesday night games in the Eastern time zone this year…documented.”

Documented?...really? Who does this documenting?

“Well, I do, but that’s beside the point…”

Well, Dwayne, how about that Bruin power play…humming along at more than 23 percent so far…

“True, Peerless, but here’s what separates the pros from the amateurs in this business…Boston is only 2-for-21 on the power play on the road in this streak, and if they get a power play goal tonight, I’ll give you and your readers free picks from my service, where I am over 85 percent right on goals scored in the second period in games shown on Hockey Night in Canada this year…documented!”

Well, that’s quite an offer. But what about that penalty kill…Boston is in the top third in the league in that stat, too.

“Bingo, big guy, but not only that, but they have killed 28-of-29 shorthanded situations on the road since November 1st, and the last 28 in a row. If the Caps get a power play goal, I will personally guarantee – documented – the winning pick in the Winter Classic between the Lake Erie Monsters and the San Antonio Rampage.”

I thought the Winter Classic was pitting the Detroit Red Wings against the Chicago Blackhawks.

“You have your winter classics, oh wordy one, and I have mine, and if the Wings and Blackhawks score more goals than the Monsters and the Rampage, I will personally strip down to my skivvies and sing ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ at center ice of the Verizon Center.”

Documented?

“You bet!”

What about the matter of scoring first or trailing first?

“The Bruins might not having quite the record the Caps have when scoring first, but they’ve shown they can play from behind – they’ve only lost one game in regulation when allowing the first goal, and if they have a lead after two periods, it’s lights out. Only San Jose has more wins when leading at the second intermission, and the Bruins have not lost such a game in regulation yet.”

That’s pretty impressive…

“Not as impressive as this offer, Peerless…if the Bruins lead after two periods and lose, I will offer each of your readers a Platinum Pass to watch me kiss Gary Bettman on the mouth.”

With tongue?

“Documented!”

What about the players…is it as impressive a group as the team stats suggest?

“Oh, absolutely, oh peerless one…12, count’ em, 12 players in double digits for points, ten with at least five goals, ten with at least one game-winning goal, ten with at least one power play goal.”

And I’m guessing no one is calling for the Bruins to be trading Phil Kessel anymore.

“Not a chance, Peerless…not when he’s 17-8-25, +12, with four power play goals, and two game winners.”

Is there a partridge in a pear tree in there, too?

“We don’t do birds, Peerless, but we do have a guarantee…if Kessel is held off the score sheet, I will submit to a cage match with Slapshot the Mascot and pay the fees for the pay-per-view orders for each of your readers…”

Any surprises in there?

“Well, folks might look at the stats and think, ‘Where did David Krejci come from?’ with those eight goals and 24 points, not to mention his being plus-15. But I’ve known all along, Peerless, he came from Sternberk, Czech Republic.”

You have to bow to the master knowing details like that…

"That’s why they call me the Baron of Bullsh—uh, the best in the business, Peerless.”

We took a peek at the Bruins a little while back as the team unlike any other. Actually, what they look like is the San Jose Sharks in their ability to score and keep opponents from scoring (both are top-five in goals scored and fewest goals allowed), in their ability to achieve success on special teams (both are top-ten in power play and penalty killing), and in their balance (both have at least ten players in double digit scoring and in game-winning goals). And we know what the Sharks did to the Caps.

It is also a team getting contributions from some unexpected places...

Dennis Wideman, not Zdeno Chara, leads the Boston blueliners in scoring (6-10-16)

Matt Hunwick (we'll wait while you look him up in "The NHL Guide to Players You've Never Heard Of") has played 15 games and has ten points while going +13 from the blueline.

Chuck Kobasew seems finally to have found a niche after a somewhat disappointing career start on the heels of his being picked 14th overall by Calgary in 2001. He's 5-9-14, +9 in 15 games.

If anything, the mystery on this team is how a guy like Petteri Nokelainen can have failed to register a single point this season in 19 games getting more than ten minutes a night...he'll probably get a hat trick tonight.

As if the Bruins aren't impressive enough among their skaters, in goal Tim Thomas tops the league leader board in goals against (1.90) and is second in save percentage (.940). Consistent? He hasn't allowed more than three goals in a game since opening night. Only twice in 17 appearances has he allowed as many as three even strength goals. He's had a lot of success against the Caps, too -- 8-1-1 in ten appearances, 2.42, .922, and a shutout. And that includes a game in which he gave up seven goals (the 10-2 loss to Washington last March 3rd).


The Peerless’ Players to Ponder

Boston: Marc Savard

It's easy to look at someone like Zdeno Chara (who could miss him?) and his ability to drape himself all over Alex Ovechkin, or look at the gaudy numbers of a Tim Thomas in goal, or ponder the sledgehammer that is Milan Lucic. But Savard is the guy who makes things go for the Bruins, and he has assembled quite a resume against the Caps. In 31 career games against Washington, he is 7-35-42, +10, with four power play goals and two game-winners. He has 12 assists in his last eight games against Washington.

Washington: Michael Nylander

Nylander has the reputation of being a playmaker (some might argue too much of one). But against Boston in his career, he has 14 goals in 34 career games -- a 34-goal pace over a full season's worth of games. The Caps are likely to need a full spread of offense across their scoring lines for this one, and Nylander, who hasn't had a goal since October 16th -- a stretch of 23 games -- really needs to get off the schneid.

The Caps are likely to get a bit healthier for this one, and it couldn't come at a better time. Boston is at the top of their game right now at both ends of the ice. That only means the Caps have them exactly where they want them...


Caps 4 - Bruins 3

Sneaking a Peek

With the Caps off today, we were wondering ahead at what a roster might look like a couple or so years down the road, populating it with youngsters on the roster and prospects in the system with their stats so far this year (in case of some callups, their combined Washington and Hershey numbers)...

It's not a bad looking roster, although you might wish to substitute here and there (especially you Daren Machesney fans)...feel free to add your two cents.

How?

How is it that a team that since 2003 has seen its average attendance increase by almost 45 percent to finish second in the league last year...a team that is still averaging 99.3 percent of capacity this year in official attendance...a team that only two years ago stood atop the Eastern Conference in the regular season and reached the Conference finals...

...end up being the subject of a rumored sale?

A Quirk of Scheduling II

Yesterday's 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes was the fifth "back-half" of back-to-back games played thus far by the Caps this season. So far, they are 1-3-1 in those games, winless since the first of them, which was the home opener against Chicago. All four losses -- three in regulation and one in extra time -- were suffered on the road.

The Caps have eight more of those "back-half" games to play. Six of them are on the road, meaning that of the 13 back-to-back games to be played this season, ten of the "back-half" games will be road games.

Is there someone we can talk to about this?

A NO-point night: Hurricanes 3 - Caps 1

Well…one in a row will have to do.

The Caps couldn’t make it two straight on the road as they fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh this evening, 3-1. It was one of those games that was close, and then again, it wasn’t. Although the Caps played with the sort of uneven energy that the second of back-to-back road games would suggest, the game really turned on two plays.

In the first, the Caps were in the midst of killing a penalty late in the second period when Joni Pitkanen whiffed on a shot attempt from near the Caps’ blue line. Alex Ovechkin collected the loose puck and was off on a breakaway. He was hauled down by Pitkanen, resulting in a penalty shot. Ovechkin’s attempt had all the look of someone who changed his mind on what to do as he was approaching goalie Michael Leighton, and he ended up firing the puck into Leighton’s left pad. Coming as it did with 1.8 seconds to go in the period, a goal there – which would have tied the game – could have been a huge momentum changer as the clubs went to the locker room.

The second play came with under five minutes to play in regulation. Nicklas Backstrom won a faceoff in the Caps’ end of the ice, the puck ending up with Sami Lepisto in the corner. Sergei Samsonov (not Ray Whitney, as we thought, until we looked at the video again) made a bee-line for Lepisto to harass him behind the Caps’ net. Eric Staal joined in the play, and Lepisto was unable to move the puck. Staal ended up with it, circled out from behind goalie Jose Theodore, and stuffed a backhand under Theodore to give the Hurricanes the lead once and for all.

The rest of it was equal parts boring and frustrating. It wasn’t as if Carolina played a game that will go into the Hurricane video highlights of the season. The Caps outshot Carolina (39-25) and had fewer turnovers (14-5, including having been credited with only two giveaways…must be a local scoring thing), but the Hurricanes dominated the faceoff circle (34-20), blocked more shots (14-6) and held their own physically (29-28 in hits).

If there was a difference, it was in goal. Michael Leighton made all the saves he had to, and a few he had no business stopping, including a one timer from Ovechkin in the game’s first 90 seconds, a door-step rebound try from Brooks Laich mid-way through the second, and another sliding stop of an Ovechkin one-timer in the game’s last 90 seconds. At the other end, Theodore didn’t play badly by any stretch, but the first goal was a rebound that might have gotten away, and the Staal goal is one that should not have been scored.

If there is something that is creeping into the Caps’ game of late, it isn’t entirely unexpected (given the injury situation) but it is nonetheless a problem that harkens back to last year. The Caps got a goal from Nicklas Backstrom on a nice cross-ice feed from Ovechkin. But the second line, such as it is, was silent. Michael Nylander, Brooks Laich, and Tomas Fleischmann, who started the game as a forward line for the Caps, did have seven shots on goal as a group, but nothing to show for it. Even those seven shots are a bit deceptive. That number represented the entire number of attempts for that trio. Compare that to Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Viktor Kozlov, who combined for 16 shots and 23 attempts.

It was a game when having four comparatively inexperienced defensemen bit the Caps in the backside. In their case, as with Theodore, it was not that they played badly. But a moment’s indecision, a brief mental error, a touch of frantic play behind one’s own net led to three Carolina goals scored from within a dozen feet. It was just enough. And that seems to be the lot of the Caps for the moment. There will be times, like last night in Toronto, when the defense makes things a lot easier for the goaltender. Then there will be days like today when one mistake or two creeps in and ends up in the back of the net. The Caps lack enough depth and consistency in scoring these days to make up for that. It’s the recipe for a .500 kind of performance until the team gets healthy…or at least healthier.

This was an important game for the Caps, one for which giving up two points could ripple through the week. Boston comes to town on Wednesday, followed by a visit by the Senators on Friday before the Caps head to Montreal on Saturday to finish up another back-to-back set of games. The three Northeast Division opponents are a combined 17-7-6 in their last ten games, apiece, while the injury-plagued Caps are 4-6-0 in their last ten. This week will be a challenge.

For the Record Books

With their 3-0 whitewashing of the Norfolk Admirals tonight, the Hershey Bears set a franchise record for consecutive regular season wins – 11.

It isn’t as if the Bears have eked out many those wins. Over the course of the streak, five of the Bears’ wins were of the three-plus goal variety, including two nine-goal wins. In fact, their average winning margin over this streak is over three and a half goals a game. To say that they have been utterly dominating is to damn with faint praise…


It is indicative of the talent of this team from top to bottom that in the 71-year history of this storied franchise, this should be the team that sets this record. The accomplishment is even more remarkable in light of the roster upheaval that has seen 26 different players skate for the Bears during the streak, in addition to goalies Daren Machesney and Simeon Varlamov.

Congratulations to coaches Bob Woods and Mark French, president and general manager Doug Yingst, the players, the staff, and the fans of the Bears. It isn’t over yet, but it is already a team for the record books.

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Hurricanes, December 7th

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

Ok, shower, dress, get on the bus fellas, because the plane’s leaving for Carolina…Such is the life of the NHLer, in Toronto one night, in Raleigh the next. If it’s Sunday, it must be…hockey. It must be hard on players to play 60 minutes, hop on a plane, and then play another road game less than 24 hours later. Surely, there has to be a way to fight the jet lag that such travel leaves with the players. Maybe the good perfesser has some answers…


Perfesser, is there some scientific equation or process that can reenergize the players for the second of back-to-back games on the road they’ll be playing in Carolina?

"Vee heff performed many eggschperiments in adding time to ze 24-hour day."

Have you had any success?

"Vell…vee aggtually heff some very successful attempts at time travel…zere vuss zat vellow in Inkland a long time ago…had three zpirits come und transport him back sroo time to his childhood… "

You’re talking about Ebeneezer Scrooge.

"Ya…zat’s ze vellow. "

You realize he was a fictional character…

"Ah…zats vutt zey vant you to believe, ya?"

OK, Perfesser…you said there were many successful attempts…

"Ya, zere vuss ze two vellows in Inkland…vy is it alvays Inkland?...who built ziss model of a time machine and vent off into ze future."

That’s an H.G. Wells book.

"Ya… zo?"

Look, Mr. Scientist…is there any proof of being able to stretch time? Something our boys can use to get a few more hours of rest before the game?

"OK, let me draw you a piggture…"



Wait…that’s an equation for time travel?

"No, schtoopit…it’s mein pr-r-r-r-r-r-ognostication on how many goals the Caps vill get."

Great…well, the Caps will have to cope with travel in the usual way and take on a Carolina Hurricanes team that played its own game last night – at home – against the Flyers, losing in overtime 2-1. The Hurricanes are gasping for air at the moment, having gone 1-4-1 in their last dozen games and replacing their coach, Peter Laviolette, with their old coach, Paul Maurice. They’ve scored only 12 goals in that stretch, giving up 24. Overall, the differences between the teams’ numbers are rather stark in many respects…


It isn’t in the usual course of events that the Hurricanes would struggle so much to score goals, but this is a team that has seen its go-to guys up and gone from the score sheet. The Hurricanes’ leading scorer, Ray Whitney (7-12-19) is 0-2-2, -6 in his last seven games. Eric Staal (8-7-15 overall) is 0-2-2 in his last seven. Rod Brind’Amour is 0-2-2, -9 in his last nine games and is on a pace to finish -67. The Hurricanes don’t have a single player on a pace to top 60 points or 40 assists. They do not have a player in double digits in goals or a player on a pace to top 30.

The Hurricanes have had peculiar difficulties scoring at home, where their 2.33 goals-per-game ranks tied for 27th in the league. Since beating Toronto, 6-4, on November 2nd, the Hurricanes have topped two goals in regulation on their own ice once in 11 home games. Part of the problem is that their power play is 5-for-50 over those 11 home games.

Defensively, the Hurricanes have not been bad as much as they’ve been overwhelmed by their lack of offense. They’ve been just bad enough to lose with regularity. In those last 11 home games (in which they are 4-6-1), they’ve allowed 35 goals and have allowed at least one power play goal in eight of them.

Perhaps the odd part in this is that the Hurricanes have outshot their opponents in nine of those last 11 home games and have topped 30 shots eight times. They seem to look like the Hurricanes, without the results one might expect from them.

The Peerless Players to Ponder

Carolina: Justin Williams

His return after suffering an Achilles tendon injury is quite remarkable. An injury that was expected to cost him four months caused him to miss only 25 games. He returned to action against the Penguins last Thursday. In two games since his return, he has not scored and is being eased, as one might expect, back into the lineup (less than 15 minutes of ice time in both games). However, he is 13-17-30, +10 in 36 career games against the Caps. He might be the tonic the anemic Carolina offense needs in this one.

Washington: Tomas Fleischmann

Fleischmann has a half dozen goals in his last dozen games (6-4-10). Although he didn’t score against Toronto on Saturday night, he has seven attempts (three shots registered). He has never lighted the lamp against the Hurricanes in 14 career games. But he is now the second leading goal scorer on the team. Getting some output from him could give the Caps some breathing room.

This will be the third meeting of the season between the two clubs, Washington having won in Verizon Center (3-2) and at RBC Center (5-1). Carolina has been a good team playing poorly enough to bleed points, now trailing the Caps by six in the Southeast Division and to find themselves on the outside of the top-eight looking in. Making things worse, they will likely be missing three defensemen (is this a league epidemic, or what?)…Frantisek Kaberle, Tim Gleason, and Dennis Seidenberg. And, Cam Ward is expected to be out with a groin injury, leaving the netminding duties to Michael Leighton, who was lit up for five goals in 48 minutes in a 5-1 loss to the Caps on November 12th.

Storm warnings are out…the Caps are blowing into town to take on a nicked up Hurricanes team in a slump. Like the Perfesser scribbled…Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Laich (we’ll leave it to you, dear reader, to figure out the assists).

Caps 3 – Hurricanes 1

A TWO-point night: Caps 2 -- Maple Leafs 1

Just like we said…a defensive struggle.

Yeah, right. The Caps played with what looked like at times five defensemen on the ice as the squeezed the life out of the Maple Leafs and just enough offense (from their defense, appropriately enough) to edge the Maple Leafs, 2-1 at Air Canada Centre.

It wouldn’t have been a Caps game, though, without another injury as Eric Fehr left the game mid-way through the second period with a shoulder injury. Having finished a check and then hitting the glass near the Caps bench, Fehr went to the bench where he was in obvious pain in a manner that suggested a rather significant injury. He’s reported as day-to-day…of course, he’s hardly alone on that list.

With the short bench and the thin defense, the Caps went to all-hands-on-deck mode in their own zone. It showed…

- The Leafs were limited to 20 shots, only three in the final 12:48 after the Caps took the final 2-1 lead in the third period.

- The Caps blocked 17 shots, eight of them by Hershey call-ups Bryan Helmer and Karl Alzner.

- The Caps led the turnover battle (takeaways plus Toronto giveaways), 31-19.

- Washington won 10-of-15 defensive zone faceoffs.

At the other end, the defense did the damage with Karl Alzner netting his first NHL goal on an innocent enough looking shot from the top of the offensive zone through a screen set by Alex Ovechkin. After Toronto tied the game on a power play goal from Nik Antropov, Milan Jurcina let loose a cannon shot from the right point that beat Vesa Toskala over his left pad. That was it for the scoring…sorta. Brooks Laich had a goal waved off for making a distinct kicking motion on a puck in the Maple Leafs’ crease. If it was a kick, it was one that wouldn’t tear a tissue. And it denied Sean Collins – yet another call-up on the blue line – from getting his first NHL point. Alex Ovechkin rang the post past Toskala, too, but he looked good celebrating it.

The game also saw the almost “The Goal II.” Getting hauled down at the Toronto blue line by Jeff Finger after taking a long lead pass from Michael Nylander, Ovechkin scrambled to his knees with the puck sliding in front of him. As he was going down again, he laid out, got good wood (or composite) on the puck, and flicked it at the Toronto net. If not for a fine save by Toskala, that would have been on the short list for the goal of the year.

The first star of the game was awarded to Alex Ovechkin, no doubt for his seven shots (on 17 attempts), six hits, and that almost amozing goal. But there was a bit of boneheadedness in there, too. Having taken an iffy hooking call three minutes into the third period, he no sooner skated back on after serving that sentence than he took a holding penalty in his own end. That penalty led to the Toronto goal and made things more interesting than then had to be.

That they did not become more interesting was a product of the team-defense and some fine goaltending from Brent Johnson, who saved 19 of 20 shots to see his save percentage rise to .913 (better than the likes of Ryan Miller, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Evgeni Nabokov) and his GAA drop to 2.59 (better than Miikka Kiprusoff, Chris Osgood…oh, and Cristobal Huet).

What the Caps – and coach Bruce Boudreau – are doing balancing a make-shift line-up is nothing short of amazing. Here is an indicator…defensemen Karl Alzner: 23:06 in ice time tonight, Sami Lepisto: 20:37, Bryan Helmer: 20:05. All of them were in Hershey a couple of weeks ago. Sean Collins was in Hershey last week. Keeping the team playing within a system and playing within themselves has been part of a fine coaching job by Boudreau through this injury run.

Keith Aucoin might be the leading scorer in the AHL, but he’s been doing the little things in his stint with the Caps. A couple of shots, a couple of takeaways, a blocked shot, and he won five of nine draws. Not spectacular, just pretty solid. He almost had a goal when Vesa Toskala bollixed up a shot from a bad angle, allowing it to go through his legs and roll along the goal line and out the other side.

Speaking of quiet…Nicklas Backstrom – four shots, four takeaways, and he won 10 of 16 draws in almost 21 minutes. Not all well-played games involved goals or assists. Frankly, that could be said for a lot of Capitals tonight.

The hard hat for this one might be going to Boyd Gordon, who had a fine game for someone who barely made a ripple on the score sheet. He had an excellent game in his own end, serving almost as a roving defenseman during his shifts. From lugging the puck clear to getting in the way of shots (we’re thinking that one blocked shot is a little light in credit) to winning three of four defensive draws (seven of 13 overall), he was solid in the defense-first aspects of the game.

We’re wondering…are Ron Wilson, Tim Hunter and Rob Zettler joined at the hip?

Chris Bourque had seven shots on goal for Hershey tonight…hope he’s still limber, seeing as he might be joining the Caps in Carolina tomorrow.

If the Islander game on Thursday was a “business game,” according to Coach Boudreau, this one was a “stick to business” game. It wasn’t pretty, but is was among the more satisfying wins of the year, given the circumstances of a poor road record coming in and an injury list that got longer by one during the course of the game. Nicely done, boys.

Anybody got a rabbit's foot?

As reported on Capital Insider...

Tyler Sloan is nursing a bruised foot, which means that Sean Collins was called up from Hershey in the event Sloan can't go. Alexander Semin was put on LTIR (eligible to come off on Tuesday...we're not holding our breath). John Erskine was put on IR (no "LT," apparently, although his return doesn't seem imminent).

If you want a graphical representation of how bad this is, here is the list of Caps who have played at least some time this year on the blue line...

Collins would make 13. If one only counts defensemen, Collins seeing ice time would break a tie the Caps are in with Florida, the Islanders, and Tampa Bay for most defensemen dressed this year (10). At the other end of the spectrum, the Rangers have played all 29 games with the same six defensemen.

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Maple Leafs, December 6th

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

It’s back on the road again as the Caps head to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs and former Caps coach Ron Wilson. The Maple Leafs are Team Frustration, having failed to win their birthright – the Stanley Cup – since May 2, 1967. To give you an idea of just how long ago that is, here are a few highlights from 1967…

The NFL had only played Super Bowl I to that point

The Doors released “The Doors”

The American Basketball Association was formed

Aretha Franklin released “RESPECT”

New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison claimed we would solve the Kennedy assassination, and would show it was planned in New Orleans. The body of the late President was moved to its permanent resting place in Arlington National Cemetery in that year.

Jimmy Hoffa, who was still alive, was sentenced to eight years in prison for bribery

Expo67, a world’s fair coinciding with the centennial celebration of Canadian Confederation, opened in Montreal

Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu were married

The “monkey law” (the basis for the “Scopes trial”) was repealed in Tennessee

The Beatles released “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”… “The Soundtrack of the Summer of Love”

400 million viewers watched “Our World,” the first live, international, satellite television production. It featured the live debut of The Beatles' song "All You Need is Love"

The first automatic cash machine was installed, in the office of Barclay’s Bank in Enfield, England

“The Jungle Book” – the last animated film personally supervised by Walt Disney – was released

John McCain, who would later run for President of the United States, was shot down over North Vietnam and made a prisoner of war

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting was established

Christian Barnard performed the first human heart transplant procedure

Dave Matthews was born (January 9th)

So was Kurt Cobain (February 20th)

And Curtis Joseph (April 29th), in keeping with a hockey theme

And…Tony Siragusa, John Smoltz, Paul Giamatti, Nicole Kidman, Pamela Anderson, Will Ferrell, Vin Diesel, Deion Sanders, Carrie-Anne Moss, Harry Connick, Jr., Faith Hill, Mira Sorvino, Toni Braxton, Carlos Mencia, Julia Roberts, Jimmy Kimmel, Anna Nicole Smith, and Jamie Foxx.

It’s been a while…

But tonight, the Maple Leafs can try to take a small step toward changing history in hosting the Caps. For teams on opposite ends of the playoff divide (the Caps 3rd, the Leafs 11th), they have a fair number of similarities…


One would think, given those goals scored and goals allowed numbers, that this is going to be something of a free for all, more so when you consider these teams' abilities to score at home (Toronto: 3.33/game) and on the road (Washington: 2.86). The problem for the Caps, again, is that they are dead last in the NHL in total goals allowed on the road (55 total, 3.93/game), a point magnified by the fact that they are 28th in power play goals allowed (17 in 14 games).

It’s not that Toronto is without its own problems on defense. Being in the lower half of the league in 5-on-5 play and in the bottom five in penalty killing is a recipe for, well…being 11th in the Conference. If they do have a distinct advantage over the Caps for this one though, it is in that the Leafs are among the leaders in fewest minor penalties taken (3rd fewest, compared to 26th fewest for the Caps). Toronto has been shorthanded a whopping 33 fewer times this year than have the Caps. Washington has been shorthanded 81 times in 14 road games, making this a big factor to watch as the game unfolds.

Unlike the Caps, though, who will skate once more without seven starters, the Leafs are comparatively healthy. None of their top scorers will sit out, which means Matt Stajan – the Leafs’ leading scorer – gets to try and break the log jam at 46th in the league in scoring (7-14-21). Mikhail Grabovski (he of the Potsdam Grabovski’s) will try to add to his ten goals (tied for 36th with, among others, Evgeni Malkin…although Malkin has 31 assists while Grabovski has eight).

Toronto is one of those clubs that has tried to assemble spare parts in hopes of building a Maserati, but pretty much has a 1962 Rambler for its trouble. A look at the top dozen scorers on this team reveals shipments of parts built – or drafted – from Montreal (Grabovski), Florida (Niklas Hagman), New York (Dominic Moore), Tampa (Pavel Kubina), St. Louis (Lee Stempniak), New Jersey (Mike Van Ryn, who is out for this one), and a spare part who started as a free agent in the Los Angeles system (Jason Blake).

If there is a plan here, it isn’t immediately evident. Toronto fans hope that the Saviour of Providence (the city, if not the word meaning, “divine guidance”) -- Brian Burke -- can right the ship and return the Leafs to the glory that was theirs when bell bottoms were all the rage.

But for now, the Leafs have to skate with a team with a defenseman squad that is a combined -23 (although two of them, Van Ryn and Jonas Frogren, won’t be playing tonight). But it is a team with a fair amount of scoring balance. 11 players have registered double digits in points (eight for the Caps, two of whom – Mike Green and Alexander Semin – won’t be dressing). They have eight players with at least five goals (seven for Washington, the same two of whom are not playing tonight) and eleven with at least a power play goal. The Leafs might lack for a high-end scorer, but they do have players who can sit up and bite a team in the bee-hind.

Nowhere, though, it there a clearer picture of where the Leafs have been and where they can go than on the blue line. In one of the biggest head-scratchers of the free-agency signing period, the Leafs showered Jeff Finger with $14 million over four years…this for a player who had a total of 94 games of NHL experience coming into this season. He might be worth the money, and Toronto certainly has enough of it, but what there was about his performance or potential to merit such a contract remains one of nature’s darkest mysteries. He is 2-5-7, +1 in 19 games this year, so in some respects (and this might be a low bar to clear) he is pulling more than his fair share for this defensive group.

On the other side is Luke Schenn, picked fifth overall in last June’s draft. After struggling a bit early (0-0-0, -4 in his first nine games), he has appeared to become more comfortable lately (even in his last eight games…no small feat on this club). He is one of only nine players (Finger is not among them) to have played in all 26 games for the Leafs so far and looks like the sort of player a club could build a defense around.

In goal…well, it ain’t good. Vesa Toskala is the nominal number one here, but the term is relative. His GAA of 3.24 is ranked 40th in the league, his save percentage of .883 ranked 41st. And no, neither Jose Theodore nor Brent Johnson is ranked lower in either category. Should the leafs choose to go with Curtis Joseph (the same one born three days before the Leafs won their last Cup), his numbers – 3.95 and .851 would, if he had enough appearances, be ranked last in the league in both categories.Neither have been especially successful against the Caps, Toskala with a 2-2-0 record (3.13, .892), and Joseph with a 12-10-3 record (3.08, .897).

The Peerless’ Players to Ponder

Toronto: Tomas Kaberle

OK, so he looks a little too much like Rowan Atkinson for comfort, but he leads the team in ice time (23:40), and he is the Leafs’ top scorer on the power play (1-10-11). He is a respectable 5-11-16, +1 in 31 career games against the Caps. On the other side, he is -10 in 26 games (worst on the club among players who will dress tonight), has only four points at even strength, and tied for the eighth highest number of giveaways among defensemen in the league. Which Kaberle appears – the one who leads the power play or the one who can be taken advantage of at even strength – could be the key for the Leafs.

Washington: Alex Ovechkin

Is he hurt? He gave that impression in the Islander game on Thursday (although his skating off and to the locker room was attributed to a “skate problem”). It would be nice to have him at full-strength, or something approaching it for this one. As much as to compensate for the absence of those seven starters, Ovechkin has dined on Maple Leafs in his brief career – 11-5-16 in 12 career games with seven power play goals. Given the prodigious performance of the power play recently (16-for-49 in the Caps’ last dozen games – 32.7 percent), having Ovechkin out there could be important.

The Caps have lost four straight road games, scoring seven goals and allowing 19. Goals should not be as difficult to come by for the Caps in this one, given Toronto’s defense and goaltending. However, the Caps are also having considerable difficulty keeping the home team from scoring when they visit. It points to a high scoring affair…

Caps 6 – Toronto 4

OK, Which is the Hockey Player...

...and which is the bug?

A team unlike any other

A lot of attention is being paid to the San Jose Sharks and their 22-3-1 start (14-0-1 at home), deservedly so. But there is another team out there that is quite suprising in its own right.

The Boston Bruins sit atop the Eastern Conference (tied in points with the Rangers), we think because they are unlike other teams. For instance...

The Bruins, like the Capitals, have lost only one game in regulation at home (9-1-1), but unlike the Caps, they win on the road (8-3-3 versus 4-8-2 for Washington).

The Bruins are the best 5-on-5 club in the league, but unlike the second place Devils, the Bruins also have a very effective power play (22.7 percent versus 13.4 percent for New Jersey).

Boston is fourth in the league in scoring (3.32 goals/game), just ahead of the Flyers. But unlike Philadelphia, the Bruins keep pucks out of the net (2.08 goals/game allowed versus 3.00 for Philadelphia).

Boston is, oddly enough, not particularly successful when scoring first, winning 68.8 percent of the time...same as the Flyers. But unlike those same Flyers, the Bruins can come from behind (winning 66.7 percent of the time when trailing first versus 11.1 percent for Philadelphia).

The Bruins are undefeated in three-plus goal games, having blown out six opponents while not suffering the same fate themselves. Chicago, is close-by, having won six of seven such games. But unlike the Blackhawks, the Bruins are competitive on one-goal games, too (7-3-4 versus 3-3-6 for Chicago).

We're just about at the one-third mark for the season, and to date you couldn't say that the Bruins are a fluke. They've done a lot of things well (they have only one more loss in regulation than the Sharks). It isn't that they're like anyone else, it's more that they are a team unlike any other that has pushed them to the top of the Eastern heap.

A Quirk of Scheduling

You might have noted, or perhaps you have not...as of this morning, no Eastern Conference team has played fewer games against Eastern Conference teams than have the Caps. That means the Caps will have a larger share of games against Eastern Conference teams over their last 56 games.

Having said that, it's worth noting that while the Caps are 5-6-0 against Western Conference clubs, they are 9-3-3 against the East. And, they have a 4-0-2 record against what some think is the toughest division in the league, the Atlantic.

Just a thought...

A TWO-point night: Caps 5 - Islanders 2

Now that’s more like it.

It was Don VanMassenhoeven, uh…hot dog night at Verizon Center, and the Caps applied the hot mustard in a 5-2 win to get back to the normal course of events – winning – at the Phone Booth.

DVM apparently got a great deal on a whistle, because he certainly blew it enough (he and his partner – Kyle Rehman – called 15 minor penalties, nine of them on the Caps). But is was merely a speed bump as the Caps played the python to the Islanders gazelle, wrapping their coils around the Islanders and crushing the life out of them before the final horn (thus ends our nature walk metaphor for the morning).

Viktor Kozlov (our pick as the Caps’ “player to ponder”) was the first star of this contest, but he was hardly alone. Frankly, we were taken by the play of Sami Lepisto, who after having a rather grisly game against Florida on Tuesday, gave a clearer indication of what his contributions might be when his game develops some more. Lepisto attempted 11 shots (three of them getting to the net) and showed what we think European defensemen probably do better than many of their American counterparts – find shooting lanes. With the bigger ice sheet in Europe, defensemen might have the luxury of space to find better angles, and the bigger space might afford them some more time to move into that space. Since the lockout, when the dimensions of the NHL rink changed to provide a larger offensive zone area, the defensemen have a little more room to operate, and Europeans – who might have more experience in this area – seem to be able to take advantage of it. Hey, it’s a theory, but Lepisto certainly was finding room to get shots off from a variety of angles (ok, it isn’t a perfect theory…Lepisto also had five attempts blocked).

We thought, given the Islanders’ gruesome even-strength results this year, that the Caps would have a distinct 5-on-5 advantage. But it was the power play that got the Caps off early, converting on two of their first three opportunities to take a 2-0 lead. Alex Ovechkin netted the first when left all alone on the left side to walk in and snap a wrist shot under goaltender Joey MacDonald’s left arm. The ensuing goal celebration left one with the impression that Ovechkin wasn’t feeling right. Usually one to leap into the boards upon scoring, he barely nudged the glass. He then left Caps fans with their hearts in their throats when he later took what looked like a glancing blow from an Islander at the blue line and left the ice to walk directly to the locker room.

After a Kozlov goal, the Caps got a bit sloppy, giving up yet another first/last minute goal (Mark Streit, on the power play, with 36 seconds left in the first period) and a bang-bang pass-and-a-goal from Andy Sutton to Trent Hunter when Lepisto tried to swat the puck out of the air with his hand, but failed to control it, then lost his footing.

The most interesting play of the night, though, came on the game-winning goal. Karl Alzner wasn’t able to find a shooting lane from the left point. With an Islander in his line of sight, he just shot the puck wide to goaltender Joey MacDonald’s right and off the end boards, where it came back to a clot of players at the right post. Donald Brashear used his reach to push the puck past MacDonald’s left pad, and the Caps had their lead back. It was a creative way for Alzner to get his first point in the NHL. As for Brashear, he described the puck appearing at his feet…”It looked like a big piece of cheese to me.”

Do we now call Brashear, "The Big Cheddar?"

After that, Eric Fehr swooped in and cleaned up the trash by flipping a backhand like a burger at McDonald’s (get it?... McDonald’s?... MacDonald?... I kill me) into the open net for the Caps’ fourth goal. Nicklas Backstrom closed out the scoring by taking a feed from Alex Ovechkin, who passed up a shot of his own for the assist, for an empty-netter.

Some observations…

OK, it was a student discount night, and there were dollar hot dogs. But 18,130 on a Thursday night against a team that isn’t naturally a big draw is pretty good.

Was there a special at Modell’s on fishing equipment? Six hooking penalties were called (three for each club).

If the Caps were, as a team, displeased with their effort on Tuesday, they took things more seriously in terms of effort in this one. Here is your fun number – 20. That was the longest distance a puck traveled off of a Washington stick for a goal...and that was Backstrom’s empty netter. Ovechkin – 11 feet. Kozlov – 14 feet. Brashear – eight feet. Fehr – 13 feet. It might have been the Caps’ best game this year for going to the net.

Only Bryan Helmer and Milan Jurcina failed to register a shot on goal.

Much might be made of Ovechkin’s steady march up the scoring rankings, but Nicklas Backstrom is 7-13-20 in his last 14 games.

Oh, Ovechkin is 12-17-29 in his last 15 games.

It was a shooting gallery out there. How do we know this? Matt Bradley had five shots in less than 11 minutes. The best Islander on the ice was, in fact, their goaltender. If not for MacDonald’s play, that could have been really ugly for the Islanders.

Shouldn’t a team get more than five hits by accident? Just by skating into someone when they’re not looking? The Caps had five hits…two after the first period. Ovechkin didn’t have any of them (something ain’t right here).

An example of putting faith in youth…your leading defenseman in ice time on the penalty kill – Alzner, with 5:31. And Tyler Sloan was right behind him with 5:22. Alzner and Bryan Helmer took the most shifts of anyone with 32 apiece. Tell us you saw that coming a month ago.

Ovechkin’s shot total was interesting…11 shots in all, but six of them came in the third period. As clear an image as one might need of a player who was not shy about trying to put the team on his back.

In their last dozen games, the Caps are 16-for-49 on the power play (32.7 percent). They have at least one power play goal in ten of those games.

All in all it was, as Coach Boudreau put it afterward, “a business game.” The Caps stuck to what they do well – skate hard and pound goalies with shots – and did not wilt when the Islanders made a game of it in the second period. It’s a good way to head off to Toronto to start a short (two game) road trip. Nicely done, guys.

Canadiens' Stranglehold on All-Star Slots Broken

Well, it finally happened. The Canadiens' stranglehold on the top three spots among Eastern Conference forwards in the All-Star Game voting has been broken...you've probably guessed by whom, without looking at the graphic. But we wonder...how? Could it have been...

Penguin fans?

Or perhaps some sinister mastermind...

We may never know...

A tremor in the force...

"Alex Ovechkin was given the day off to recover from an undisclosed nagging injury. Boudreau said there's a 99 percent chance he'll suit up tonight."

Given that there are seven other guys who almost certainly won't dress for tonight's game against the Islanders who did dress for opening night, even a one percent chance Ovechkin won't suit up is cause for skipped heartbeats in Caps Nation. Why? Well, if Ovechkin were to sit out, your top goal scorer heading into tonight's game would be...

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Islanders, December 4th

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

We’re live at Peerless Central to bring you the best that the prognosticatorial arts can provide as the Caps host the New York Islanders at Verizon Center. The guests tonight being the Islanders, with their long tradition of goofy logos depicting a variety of piscatorial scenes, we have a special guest with us to give us some insight into how those who labor in and by the sea follow the sport of hockey. Welcome…uh…

“Call me ‘Ishmael.’”

Welcome, Ishmael. I imagine that being at sea on whaling voyages, you don’t have much occasion to see hockey games live. How is it you came to be a fan of the sport?

“These are the times of dreamy quietude, when beholding the tranquil beauty and brilliancy of the hockey rink’s ice, one forgets the tiger heart that pants upon it; and would not willingly remember, that this velvet paw but conceals a remorseless fang.”

Ah, so you’re a fan of the fisticuffs…

“It smells like the left wing of the day of judgment.”

We thought the left wing of the day of judgment would be someone like Alex Ovechkin…

“There is a Capital ‘weagle’ in some souls that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges, and soar out of them again and become invisible in the sunny spaces. And even if he for ever flies within the gorge, that gorge is in the mountains; so that even in his lowest swoop the Capital ‘weagle’ is still higher than other birds upon the plain, even though they soar."

Sort of sets him apart from the run of the mill hockey player. What is it about the sport that draws you to it?

“Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off--then, I account it high time to get to a hockey rink as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ice.”

What’s your take on the latest player in the news, Sean Avery?

“Is he mad? Anyway there's something on his mind, as sure as there must be something on a deck when it cracks.”

What makes you say that?

"I began to be sensible of strange feelings. I felt a melting in me. No more my splintered heart and maddened hand were turned against the wolfish world. This soothing savage had redeemed it."

Avery? A “soothing savage?” Well, that’s a new one on me…as for the Islanders, what’s your take on their prospects this year?

“Give me a condor’s quill! Give me Vesuvius’ crater for an inkstand! Friends, hold my arms! For in the mere act of penning my thoughts of this Leviathan, they weary me, and make me faint with their outreaching comprehensiveness of sweep, as if to include the whole circle of the sciences, and all the generations of whales, and men, and mastodons, past, present, and to come, with all the revolving panoramas of empire on earth, and throughout the whole universe, not excluding its suburbs. Such, and so magnifying, is the virtue of a large and liberal theme! We expand to its bulk. To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme. No great and enduring volume can ever be written on the flea, though many there be who have tried it.”

So you’re saying we don’t know?

“Pretty much…”

It’s been tough on Islander followers the last few years. Can you describe what it’s been like for your typical fan?

“He piled upon the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum’s white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart's shell upon it.”

So, is there any hope for the Islanders?...Do they have a chance this year? Or will the whole team need an overhaul? Is there anyone the Islanders can count on in the years ahead to lead them back to a championship?

“The drama's done. Why then here does any one step forth? --Because one did survive the wreck.”

Ah…with his contract, that must mean Rick DiPietro.

As for the game, here is your fun Islander number…34.

That would be the number of even strength goals the Islanders have scored this year, 29th in the league (ahead of only Ottawa). That speaks to an advantage for the team that has the deeper offense (even with the injuries). Add to that the fact that the Caps are 6th in the league in power play goals scored at home, and this should not be a game that lacks for offense, at least from the home club.

But hold on, Skippy…the Islanders are not a club that plays in many blowouts, either. Only two teams in the league have played in fewer three-plus goal games (Minnesota, which should surprise no one, and Detroit, which should inspire a “whaaaaaa?”). The Isles are 1-3 in those games decided by at least three goals. Conversely, they are a respectable team in one-goal contests, going 6-4-2, good for a tie for 17th in winning percentage (the Caps are 4-3-3, tied for 21st). Here are some of the other numbers to note...




Individually, New York is coming into this game with an injury list that rivals the Caps. DiPietro, Bruno Gervais, Radek Martinek, Mike Comrie, Mike Sillinger, Kyle Okposo -- all are banged up. The heavy lifting with respect to the offense will be left to leading overall scorer Doug Weight (5-17-22) and top goal-getter Trent Hunter (ten). Weight hasn’t had any particular success against the Caps in the goal scoring are (three in 29 career games), but has 21 assists against Washington. Hunter can claim an even-strength, a power play, and a shorthanded goal to account for the three he’s scored against the Caps in 17 career games.

However, the Cap-killer here is Jon Sim. He might have skated for eight NHL teams in his career, but the constant seems to be an ability to score against Washington. In 21 career games, he is 11-8-19, with four power play and two game-winning goals.

That team-wide even strength problem shows up in the plus-minus numbers, where only two players are on the positive side of the ledger – defensemen Andy Sutton and Brent Skinner. On the other side, Jeff Tambellini and Bruno Gervais (the latter being out for this one) are on a pace to top -30.

In goal, with DiPietro out recouperating from a knee injury, the chores are likely to fall to Joey McDonald, a fellow who has an unsettling resemblance to Jerry "The Beaver" Mathers. One might be forgiven if they hadn’t heard of McDonald, seeing as how he had a grand total of 17 games of NHL experience over two seasons coming into this year. He's had a respectable run as DiPietro's replacement thus far, though -- 10-9-2, 2.89, .907. If there is a number that is key for McDonald in this one, it is this...three. Over his last nine games, in those in which he's allowed three or fewer goals, he won. More than three?...loss. He is 6-3-0 over that stretch. He was also the NHL's third star of November.


The Peerless' Players to Ponder

New York: Brendan Witt

Mark Streit might have signed the big free agent contract and has posted the best offensive numbers from the blue line (5-12-17), but part of the trick in allowing three or fewer goals is to get some solid play out of the blue line in the defensive zone, and Witt could be the one to set the tone there. Witt missed a dozen games with the dreaded "lower body injury," and he has struggled some in his return (0-1-1, -4 in six games). He is no longer a minutes eater, and Andy Sutton might be the more physical defenseman at this point in their respective careers, but it is an opportunity to make a point against his former team.

Washington: Viktor Kozlov

Continuing the theme of "former team," Kozlov is in a position to return the favor to the Islanders, a team for which he had his highest goal-scoring season (25, in 2006-2007). Since sitting out against Tampa Bay on November 10th, Kozlov is 3-7-10 in 11 games. If the Caps are going to make McDonald's night in goal difficult, Kozlov needs to be involved.

The recipe for this one is to jump on the Islanders early at even strength and keep pushing. If the Islanders hang around, keeping the game close into the third period, they've found ways to win (six of their ten wins being of the one-goal margin variety). The Caps having a third of their lineup out, and the biggest impact perhaps on the blue line, they're going to have to score and score often against a goalie who has never faced the Caps. It'll be a struggle, but we think they will...


Caps 5 - Islanders 4