A NO-Point Night -- Game 2: Sharks 5 - Capitals 0

We’ve said this before, but there are 20 games you are going to win, no matter what.  There are 20 games you are going to lose, no matter what.  It’s what you do with the rest of them that make a season a success or a failure.  The Washington Capitals never got to the third of those scenarios against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.  This was a loser from the start.

It started with Alex Ovechkin being a no-go at game time for personal reasons.  With Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom on the bench, it was like a Lethal Weapon movie without Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.  There is only so far Joe Pesci is going to carry the story line.

It didn’t get any better with the drop of the puck.  The Caps looked like they had too much Columbus Day celebration hangover in the first period.  Jay Beagle took a penalty less than five minutes in, which the Caps killed successfully.  They were not so fortunate when Brooks Orpik took a tripping call in the 11^th minute.  Joe Thornton converted the power play, redirecting a Bent Burns shot, to give the Sharks first blood.

The Caps escaped the first period with no further damage, but the Sharks added to their lead twice in the second, courtesy of Mike Brown and Tomas Hertl.  That was all the Sharks would need, but they managed a pair of empty net goals in the last two minutes for the final margin.

Other Stuff…

-- The Caps were out-attempted in the first period, 37-13.  That set the tone and emptied whatever was in the Caps’ tank.

-- Dmitry Orlov almost had his first goal in 590 days.  Almost, but for a coach’s challenge that waved off the score.  The officials found that Jay Beagle, whose foot was not in the crease, who did not deny goalie Martin Jones position, and did not prevent Jones from using his blocker to try to fend off the shot, somehow prevented the goalie from “doing his job,” in the words of referee Tim Peel.  Can we just say, it you touch the goalie, it’s an automatic “no goal?”  At least it would be a consistent standard.  What we’re going to get is a hodge-podge of calls that will vary from game-to-game, if not within a game.

-- The Caps allowed two empty net goals.  This ties them with the Boston Bruins for most empty net goals allowed this season (2).

-- If your two top shot makers are Jason Chimera (6) and Brooks Laich (5), chances are there is not going to be a lot of offense generated.

-- Score effects… the Caps had 59 shot attempts over the last two periods to the Sharks’ 22.

-- John Carlson had 11 shot attempts.  The defense had 27 shot attempts overall.

-- The shutout was Martin Jones’ second in three games.  He has stopped 77 of 78 shots in three games to date (.987 save percentage).

-- Jay Beagle was the only Capital to go over 50 percent on faceoffs in this contest (11-for-16/68.8 percent).

-- Here is an unsettling fact… the Caps have now allowed power play goals in six consecutive games in which they faced at least one shorthanded situation, going back to last season (they did not have a shorthanded situation in their game against the Boston Bruins last April 8^th).

-- What was telling about the call on the ice that preceded the disallowed goal is that when Orlov scored, goaltender Martin Jones never even looked at the referee to argue he was interfered with.  A lot of goalies would be in a referee’s face arguing interference in that instance…if they had been interfered with.

In the end…

The Caps were never in this one.  Oh sure, you could say “if Orlov’s goal had counted,” but really?  San Jose was sharper from the outset, more focused for longer stretches of time, applied pressure more consistently, and kept the Caps from getting any follow up shots.  They played a superb road game.

Meanwhile, the Caps had a top line of Evgeny Kuznetsov, T.J. Oshie, and Andre Burakovsky to start the game.  By the third period, Burakovsky was not seeing as much ice time (he skated only five shifts and had just 4:16 in ice time in the last frame).  They started with Brooks Laich on the second line with Justin Williams and Marcus Johansson.  Obviously, there were lineup issues with the Caps’ two top scorers on the shelf.

But, this is life in the NHL.  Stuff happens.  Backstrom might be a few days away from a return, and the duration of Ovechkin’s absence is an unknown at the moment.  The best one can say is that the absences provide opportunities for others to step up and, if they can’t be productive, at least they can gain some experience in more responsible roles that will help the club down the line.  That is about as much as one can take away from a game such as this.

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Game 2: Sharks at Capitals, October 13

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

One game, one win.  So far, so good.  The Washington Capitals try to make it two-in-two when the San Jose Sharks come to town on Tuesday.  The Sharks come into this game – this season, actually – as one true enigma in terms of their history.  Since the NHL went to a 30-team league in the 2000-2001 season, only one team has more wins than the San Jose Sharks (612), the Detroit Red Wings (656).  But despite that regular season success and reaching the postseason in 12 of 14 seasons since the league went to 30 teams, the Sharks have yet to reach a Stanley Cup final in their 24-season history coming into this season.

Last season, the Sharks missed the show for just the second time in 17 seasons, and it cost head coach Todd McLellan his job.  Enter Pete DeBoer, late of the New Jersey Devils and before that the Florida Panthers.  DeBoer, a low key sort, is the kind of coach who can be underrated.  However, he did bring a winning career record, based on standings points (217-200-77), into this season.

The team DeBoer inherits from last season is not radically different from last year’s edition of the Sharks.  Of the 18 skaters to dress for the team in their first two games, 15 of them skated for San Jose last season.  Two of the three additions reveal a bit about what the Sharks’ approach is this season. 

Defenseman Paul Martin signed a four-year/$19.4 million contract with the Sharks this past off-season.  Martin joined the Sharks having appeared in 697 career regular season games and another 85 postseason contests. However, he missed 65 games over the past six seasons, and at the age of 34, there are questions about his durability.  There is also the matter of declining production at the offensive end.  Once a reliable almost-half point a game performer in his years with the New Jersey Devils (0.45 points per game in his last three years with the Devils), his production dropped to 0.37 points per game in five seasons with Pittsburgh before moving on to San Jose.  He does remain a minutes-eater when he is in the lineup.  In 11 seasons entering this one he never averaged less than 20 minutes a game and has not averaged less than 22:30 per game since his rookie season.

The other veteran the Sharks signed in the off-season was former Capital Joel Ward.  He is coming off his two most productive seasons in the NHL with 43 goals recorded over those two years.  He became a quite efficient shooter with the Capitals, shooting to a 15.8 shooting percentage over his last three years in Washington.  As he prepares to return to Verizon Center to face the Caps, here is your odd Joel Ward fact.  The Caps are the only team in the league against which he has not recorded a point in his career.  Sure, it is only four games of history he has against the Caps, but still, it is the only one of 30 against which he is looking for his first career point.

In goal is where the Sharks might have made the biggest changes in the offseason. Last season, Antti Niemi took the bulk of the work, appearing in 61 games.  He was not especially impressive.  His 2.59 goals against average ranked  24^th of 30 goalies appearing in at least 41 games; his .914 save percentage ranked 20^th.  In nine of his 61 starts he had a save percentage of .850 or worse, tied for the fifth highest total of such games in the league in that group and the 10^th highest share of starts.

Niemi is in Dallas now, with the Stars, and Martin Jones appears to have the number one duties.  Jones took a bit of a roundabout path to San Jose last summer, going from the Los Angeles Kings to the Boston Bruins last June, along with a 2015 first round draft pick (13^th overall) for Milan Lucic.  The Bruins then turned around and sent Jones back to the west coast for a 2016 first round draft pick and a prospect from the Sharks.

Jones had a noteworthy first year in the NHL, going 12-6-0, 1.81, .934 with four shutouts in 2013-2014.  He slipped a bit last season, going 4-5-2, 2.25, .906 with three shutouts.  He is off to a fine start with the Sharks, though, winning both of his starts and allowing just one goal on 47 shots against the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings.  He has never faced the Caps.

Here is how the clubs fared last season…

1.  Since 2006-2007, only two teams have two players ranking in the top 20 in goals scored, all of those goals scored with just one team.  Pittsburgh is one (Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin), San Jose is the other with Patrick Marleau (7^th with 271 goals) and Joe Pavelski (20^th with 229 goals).

2.  Marleau needs just nine points to reach 1,000 for his career.  He probably will not reach this milestone against the Caps.

3.  No goalie has as many shutouts in as few career games as Martin Jones, ever.  Eight shutouts in 36 games played.

4.  Either the San Jose Sharks are a young franchise, they haven’t been very good for much of their history, or Logan Couture is one fine hockey player.  Call it “all of the above.”  Couture ranks seventh on the all-time list of Sharks goal scorers, despite being in the league for just six-plus seasons and 381 games.  He has 139 career goals.

5.  Joe Thornton reigns supreme among assist leaders since the 2004-2005 lockout.  His 641 assists are 39 more than the 602 by Henrik Sedin.

1.  The race is on.  Who will be the next and 43^rd player in NHL history to reach the 500 goal mark?  Chicago’s Marian Hossa stands at 486 (he has none in three games so far this season), while Alex Ovechkin sits at 476 with the goal he scored in the opener against the New Jersey Devils.

2.  Ovechkin is three points shy of 900 for his career.  Only seven active players have hit that milestone: Jaromir Jagr (1,804), Joe Thornton (1,261), Jarome Iginla (1,228), Marian Hossa (1,058), Patrick Marleau (991), Henrik Sedin (916), and Brad Richards (904).

3.  The last time the Caps opened the season with two games at home, the Caps won both – a 4-3 overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes and a 6-5 trick shot win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2011-2012.

4.  It was one game, but an offensive zone start share of 60.0 percent and a Corsi-for percentage of 47.1 at 5-on-5 against New Jersey qualifies as something to work on.

5. The Caps had five players record multi-point games in the opener.  That has already tied the high for players with multi-point games last season, accomplished twice -- a 5-4 win at Columbus on December 18th and a 6-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres on March 7th.

The Peerless’ Players to Ponder

San Jose: Joonas Donskoi

Joonas Donskoi is the third Shark skater new to the club this season so far.  Donskoi, a former fourth round draft pick (2010) of the Florida Panthers, is playing in his first season of pro hockey in North America after signing an entry level contract with the Sharks last May.  Until this season, the right winger has been playing in Finland, with Karpat Oulu, where he had 19 goals and 49 points in 58 regular season games and was the Finnish league playoff MVP last season.  He had a goal in his NHL debut against the Kings last Wednesday, and he is something of a gifted shootout performer (see his effort against Sergei Bobrovsky 4:30 into this clip). 

Washington: T.J. Oshie

Only two players for the St. Louis Blues since the 2004-2005 lockout have more four-point games than T.J. Oshie – David Backes (4) and Alex Steen (3).  OK, so Oshie has two, but one of those was against the San Jose Sharks, last January 3^rd.  He had a hat trick – one of two in his career – in the Blues’ 7-2 win over San Jose.  Oshie did not record a shot on goal in the Caps’ 5-3 Opening Night win over the Devils, a repeat of his opener against the New York Rangers last season.  He had a bit of a slow start last season – no points in his first six games, no goals in his first eight contests, but he did go 19-35-54 in his last 64 games.  There are some fans who might obsess about his being silent in his opener with the Caps.  Don’t.  He’ll be fine.

In the end…

The Caps will move up in weight class with their opponent for this game.  San Jose has been good through two games, a pounding of the Kings (5-1) and a whitewashing of the Ducks (2-0) to open their season.  Then again, last season the Sharks were 7-7-2 in games played in the Eastern time zone (they beat the Caps in a Gimmick at Verizon Center).  You can think of this as the Sharks moving up in weight class as well, if not in terms of the opponent, then in terms of the circumstances.

For the Caps it is a chance to test their depth against a team that is better than the Devils team they faced on Saturday.  And, there will not be the distractions that go along with an Opening Night celebration.  This game might not have the offensive fireworks that the opener had, but it should have the same result.

Capitals 3 – Sharks 2

The Peerless Prognosticator Looks At... Team Themes

And now we take up the topic of “themes.”  Sports is an odd duck.  There are so many cheesy inspirational tricks teams use to inspire and motivate.  Locker room speeches, post-game game balls, signs on the walls offering an inspiring quote.  With the Internet, we have the opportunity to see what theme a team wishes to convey to its fans for the season at hand.  The NHL is no different.  If you browse through their Web sites, you will find that not all teams go down this path, but a fair number of them do.  Some of the themes teams are promoting this season…

Buffalo Sabres: “Next Chapter.”  The Sabres have finished out of the postseason the last four years and last in their division the last two seasons.  They switched coaches, bringing Dan Bylsma in to try to recreate that old Pittsburgh Penguin magic.  Well, you can’t spell “Bylsma” without “bile”…or something like that.  The “Next Chapter” might be written by Stephen King.

Columbus Blue Jackets: “March with Us.”  Oh, we get it…”march with us.”  A Civil War thing.  They’ve even got a whole speech.  We’re wondering, though…what’s up with “literally putting pucks in the net?”  What would “figuratively putting pucks in the net" be?  Oh, the Blue Jacket offense.

Detroit Red Wings: “It’s More Than Hockey.”  Really?  You’ve got 11 Stanley Cups, four of them in the last 20 years.  You’ve made the playoffs for 24 straight seasons.  The last time you missed the postseason, Jaromir Jagr wasn’t even in the NHL.  “More than Hockey? “  Maybe it’s weekend escapes to Zug Island. 

Los Angeles Kings: “We Are All Kings.”  All of us?  Even the women in the fan base?  Seems a bit un-California-like.  Maybe y’all should should be “happy we won two Stanley Cups in the last three years.”  But that’s a bit much to put on the banner of a Web page.

Minnesota Wild: “This is the State of Hockey.”  These folks are serious.  This “State of Hockey” thing… there’s a book about it.  There is a Twitter feed.   There’s even a freakin’ anthem about it.  “State of Hockey?” More like “State of Obsession.”

New Jersey Devils: "#relentless."  If you click on the “#relentless” link on the Devils’ home page, you will be ushered to another “new chapter” thing.  Somehow, “new chapter” doesn’t capture what is going on in Jersey.  After three Stanley Cups and two other finals appearances in 17 seasons, the Devils have missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons.  New chapter?  Maybe time for a new book.

New York Rangers: “We Are Rangerstown.”  If Guy Fieri was a hockey commentator, this would be his catch phrase for the Rangers.  But really, “Rangerstown?” And don’t forget the “Rangers”…with that “S” to provide the subtle sense of team and community.  It almost sounds Norman Rockwellian, if eight gazillion people on an island can be thought of as Norman Rockwellian.

Ottawa Senators; “United in Red.”  So, who got here first, the Senators or the Albany Devils?  OK, Ottawa has been doing this for a little while, but it still has the vague ring of a B-grade horror flick that should be starring Vincent Price.

San Jose Sharks: “25 Years of Teal.”  Uh, is this a Martha Stewart thing?  Now, keep in mind, a “teal” is actually a freshwater duck.  There seems to be some confusion out there among the California teams about their identity.  Or maybe “teal” is a synonym for “underachievement.”

Vancouver Canucks: “#PlayForThis.” This one is pretty sneaky.  If you click on the “#PlayForThis” link on the Canucks home page, you are directed to the “Tickets” page.  So, apparently, “This” in “PlayForThis” is hockey revenue.

And there you have it, a sampling of team themes for 2015-2016.  It makes you wonder what the Capitals might use, were they so inclined.  Oh sure, we’re all familiar with the whole “Rock the Red” theme, but it has a bit of age on it.  Perhaps something to freshen things up…

• “#StartingOurFifthDecadeOfFrustration”
• “#It’sAllYourFault”
• “#We’reNotTheRedskins”
• “#WhatISaCapitalAnyway?”
• “#ThirdRoundOrBust”

It's a work in progress, but you get the idea.

A TWO-Point Night -- Game 1: Capitals 5 - Devils 3

The Caps made it 1-0-0 to start the 2015-2016 season, and we have a recap of the night over at Japers’ Rink.  We did have some other thoughts on the game, though...

• Two things that need to be retired, the “red carpet” gala (this isn’t Hollywood) and the “sky-cam.”  The former seemed like a distraction (knowing full well that the fans in attendance seemed to love it), a number of players making reference to it in the post-game Q-and-A.  Then there is the sky-cam.  Once upon a time I thought this might be a good idea, but unless they can use one that is the size of a deck of cards (and transparent), not to mention better imaging from the camera (it looked a bit distorted), this doesn’t seem like all that great an idea.
• Why does it seem that teams work their power play differently at 5-on-3 than on a 5-on-4 man advantage?  The Caps had the best power play in the league last year, and they still have formidable personnel on that unit.  But it looked so much different at 5-on-3 than at 5-on-4, and not in a good way.  It always seems to be a case of holding the puck for the perfect pass. 
• I will never cease to be amazed at the pure athletic skill of hockey players.  How soft do your hands have to be to skate down the wing at speed, thread the puck through a defenseman’s legs, and chip the puck over the shoulder of the goalie with a fine touch? 
• The Caps certainly started slowly, despite the two first period goals.  They had eight shots on goal in the first 29 minutes, six of them by defensemen.  Brooks Orpik and John Carlson were the only Caps with more than one shot.  That was probably not part of the game plan.  Still, they wrapped things up with 19 shots on goal in the last 31 minutes and out-attempted the Devils for the game overall, 54-51.
• Even this early in the season, back-to-back games have their price.  The Devils played last night, and on this night in Washington they took four third period penalties.  Two were of the obstruction kind – holding to David Schlemko and hooking to Adam Henrique.
• Five Caps had multi-point games: Matt Niskanen (1-1-2), Alex Ovechkin (1-1-2), Justin Williams (0-2-2), Jason Chimera (1-1-2), and John Carlson (0-2-2).
• The Caps were awful in the faceoff circle early.  They lost five of the first six draws and 12 of 22 in the first period (45.5 percent).  However, like much of their game, they did much better after the first intermission, going 28-for-46 in the last two periods (60.9 percent).
• Tom Wilson shook off the tweak he suffered in the second period to finish the game with 13:41 in ice time, a number he topped only 12 times last season.  However, he was the only forward that did not record a shot attempt for the game.
• For a game with eight goals scored, the goaltending wasn’t bad.  Keith Kinkaid made a number of big saves, including a point blank denial of a T.J. Oshie backhand when the Caps broke in with a two-on-none break.  Braden Holtby’s stop of an Adam Henrique break was arguably the turning point for the Caps.
• Giving up three goals should not be a surprise as far as Braden Holtby is concerned. This is the third time in his last four season first games that he has allowed three or more.  He allowed six in a 6-3 loss to Tampa Bay to open the abbreviated 2013 season, five in a 6-4 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks to open the 2013-2014 season.  In his last four season first games he is 1-2-1, 3.70, .866.

In the end…

It certainly was not pretty, but there are no style points here.  Two points is two points.  And all in all, you have to like that the Captain scored a goal and had a multi-point night, and that one of the new guys – Justin Williams – had a multi-point night.  Even T.J. Oshie had his chances.  Then there was Brooks Orpik doing something he had never done in a Caps uniform – score a goal.  There was almost something for everyone.  But with the Caps falling victim to the twin scourges of allowing a goal on the next shift after scoring one themselves, as well as coughing up a two-goal lead, there will be things for the coaches to work on before the Caps face San Jose on Tuesday.

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Game 1: Devils at Capitals, October 10

The Peerless Prognosticator is BACK ON THE AIR!!!

When last we were together, we were in shock at the sight of Braden Holtby lying on his back in his own crease while a clot of blue-jerseyed New York Rangers were celebrating a game-winning, series-clinching overtime goal in Game 7 of the 2015 Eastern Conference semi-finals. 

Such endings, all too often in Caps history, make for early springs and long summers.  But autumn, in the inexorable march of time, is here at last, and a new NHL season dawns.  So much has happened between that end and this new beginning…

• The Caps drafted a Russian goaltender in the first round – Ilya Samsonov.  Imagine that.  They haven’t done that since, oh, back in ought-six, when they took Semyon Varlamov.  Let’s hope it works out better this time.
• We bid adieu to Joel Ward, Troy Brouwer, Mike Green, and Eric Fehr.  Among them, they compiled a total of 1,563 regular season and 178 playoff games with the Capitals.  They will be missed.
• The team welcomed Justin Williams and T.J. Oshie to the club, the latter setting off one of the saddest reactions by a fan imaginable, and then a heartwarming reconciliation.

• The Caps held development camp, an opportunity for fans to exclaim with certainty that all these young guys will be all-stars inside of three years.
• New Horizons conducted a close fly-by of Pluto, the first spacecraft to visit that planet (ok, it’s NOT a planet, Dr. Tyson). 
• Cuba and the United States reestablished diplomatic relations, ensuring that Havana is now on the list of potential NHL expansion cities.
• Scientists announced the discovery of Homo naledi, a newly identified early human species. It was nicknamed, “Raffi Torres.”
• NASA found water on Mars, setting off speculation that Mars would be actively explored as a potential NHL expansion site.
• The Caps held rookie camp… Oh wait, they didn’t.  They took the rooks to Florida for a tournament.  They won one and lost a pair.
• Pope Francis made his first visit to the United States and, while in Washington, managed to name a saint, end gridlock on the streets by forcing everyone to telework, inspired a Speaker of the House to quit, and do the impossible, get members of Congress to behave for an hour.
• The U.S. House of Representatives had their Speaker quit in mid-session, have the presumptive replacement up and quit his campaign for the position, had a scandal bubble up over involving hanky-panky, then turn to a guy who lost an election as a Vice Presidential candidate.  He doesn’t want the job.
• Washington did NOT shutdown.
• Trevor Noah debuted as the new host of The Daily Show.  He’s got a lot of material to work with these days.
• The Nobel Prize in Medicine was split and shared jointly by two researchers who made important discoveries in the fight against parasitic infections, and another researcher for her discovery of new therapies to combat malaria.  Guess we’ll have to wait until next year for the Prize to go to the researcher who finds a cure for the scourge of “lower body injuries.”
• The Caps invited veteran Derek Roy to camp on a professional tryout contract.  He looked pretty good but was not tendered a contract by the club.  He signed with SC Bern in the Swiss National League A.  SC Bern, it is worth noting, has one of the creepiest hockey logos you’ll find…

We are not quite sure if that is a bear eating a hockey stick or something intended for adult audiences.

But here we are, Game 1 of the 2015-2016 regular season, the Capitals hosting the New Jersey Devils.  The Caps beat the Devils in four of five games last season.  It wasn’t pretty, if you were a Devils fan…

Last Season

Three wins by three or more goals, shutting out the Devils’ power play for the season.  The only Devils win was something of a fluke.  Braden Holtby looped around his net to stop a dump-in by the Devils.  He then turned to look for an outlet on the opposite side, but when he sent the puck along, he put right on the stick of Mike Cammalleri.  The results were predictable…

Absent that miscue by Holtby, he might have finished the year tied for the league lead in shutouts (he trailed by one), since this was the game’s only goal.

The History

This will be the 199th regular season meeting in this rivalry that dates back to 1974 when the Capitals and the Devils (then the Kansas City Scouts) were in their inaugural seasons in the NHL.  The Caps hold a 98-74-13-13 edge, but most of that occurred in the early days of the rivalry when the Caps went 52-20-4 against the Devils from 1980-1981 through the 1991-1992 season.

The last time the Caps opened their home season against New Jersey, they pasted the Devils, 7-2, back on October 9, 2010.  It was a game that had everything – power play goals (one for the Caps), shorthanded goals (one by each team), a penalty shot (missed by Alex Ovechkin), no fewer than four fights, including this memorable “sort of” scrap between Mike Green and Ilya Kovalchuk:

The Here and Now

Much is expected of the Capitals this season.  For the Devils, it is part of their Post-Brodeur/Post-Lamoriello rebuilding period.  It just is not a very good team.  They return only two players who recorded more than 40 points last season: Adam Henrique (43) and Mike Cammalleri (42).  Only one other returning player had more than 25 points last season, Patrik Elias (34).  It is a team that will depend, entirely too much in all likelihood, on goaltender Cory Schneider.  That he went 26-31-9 last season, despite posting a 2.26 goals against average (ninth of 30 goalies appearing in at least half of his team’s games), a .925 save percentage (fourth), and five shutouts (tied for eighth) speaks to the offensively-challenged nature of the Devils.

1. Adam Henrique’s team-leading 43 points last season tied for 127th in league scoring.  Troy Brouwer had 43 points for the Caps.  He was sixth on the team in points.

2. A total of 21 defensemen had more points than Adam Henrique last season.

3.  Cory Schneider played more than 3,900 minutes last year and recorded 26 wins.  Only one other goalie since 2005-2006 has played in at least 3,900 minutes and recorded 26 or fewer wins – Carey Price (3,944 minutes and 26 wins in 2011-2012). 

4.  The Devils had 20 players with at least 10 points last season.  Only 12 remain in the Devils organization.

5.  New Jersey was one of four teams with one 20-goal scorer last season (Cammalleri).  It was not a neighborhood in which one wanted to find oneself.  The other teams were: Arizona, Buffalo, and Carolina.

1.  Over a six-draft period (2004-2009), Caps players rank in the top-ten in points among four draft classes: Alex Ovechkin in 2004 (first), Nicklas Backstrom in 2006 (first), John Carlson in 2008 (ninth), and Marcus Johansson in 2009 (fifth).  Add to that Andre Burakovsky in 2013 (currently tenth) and that’s five Caps in ten draft classes (note: they did not have a pick until the fourth round in 2011).  Tom Wilson is just outside the top ten out of his 2012 class (11th).

2.  If Justin Williams (227 career goals) and T.J. Oshie (110) had played their entire careers with the Capitals, they would rank fourth and tied for 26th in team history in goals scored with the club.  Oshie would be tied with Craig Laughlin.

3.  Assuming Braden Holtby starts the opener, it will be his fourth straight call as the team’s goalie for the season opener.  The last time a goalie started the season opener in four straight seasons for Washington was 2003-2007 (Olaf Kolzig).

4.  The Caps and the New York Rangers were the only teams in the league last season to rank in the top-five in wins when leading after one period and when leading after two periods.

5.  While the Caps were good at holding leads, they were not so good in coming back when trailing.  The ranked in the bottom five in wins when trailing after one period (T-4th worst) and when trailing after two periods (T-3rd worst).

The Peerless’ Players to Ponder

New Jersey: Mike Cammalleri

Mike Cammalleri has seen a lot in his 12 seasons in the NHL.  Five teams, 737 regular season games, and another 32 postseason games.  Now, in his second season with the Devils, he is the oldest player on the New Jersey roster (33).  Durability has been an issue with him over much of his career.  He played in more than 70 games just once in the last eight seasons.  It has not hampered his effectiveness too much.  Over those same eight seasons he is one of 31 players to appear in at least 500 games while averaging more than 0.30 goals per game and more than 0.70 points per game.  Last year had 27 goals in just 68 games.  There isn’t much reason to think he will slip much this season, health notwithstanding, and the Devils will need that level of production just to remain respectable.

Washington: Nate Schmidt

Here you go, kid… 68 games over two seasons, and you get to start on Opening Night for a team that’s thinking big thoughts this season.  Oh, and we still don’t quite know who your partner is, yet.  If any youngster can handle the new role and the uncertainty accompanying it for the time being, Nate Schmidt might be that youngster.  He comes from a storied NCAA program at the University of Minnesota and has spent parts of two seasons with the flagship franchise in the AHL, the Hershey Bears.  He’s played in places where much is expected. 

In the end…

It is easy to make too much of one game, but this game could reveal some hints about the Capitals.  Two issues spring to mind.  The first is the obvious one, how will Oshie and Williams mesh with their new teammates?  That they don’t on Saturday is no reason for Caps fans to inch their way to the ledge, but if they do, right out of the box, it would be a shot in the arm for a team missing its top line center. 

The second issue is a bit more subtle.  What is the “script” to which the Capitals are “sticking?”  Last year, the Caps were looked at as playing a “heavy” style of hockey.  The “heavy” part had a chunk of it removed in the off-season.  Joel Ward, Troy Brouwer, and Eric Fehr play elsewhere.  Oshie and Williams, while hardly shrinking violets, do not impress as being quite as "heavy" as those players they will be replacing. This will be, in all likelihood, a different style team from the one the Caps iced last season, and we’ll get a look at what that means early.  All things considered, though, this is one the Caps should put in the win column with some room to spare.

Capitals 5 – Devils 2

The Peerless Prognosticator Presents: Your 2015-2016 NHL Postseason and Award Prognostos

Now that we have our divisional prognostos out of the way, it’s time to get right down to it.  Who is going to win the Stanley Cup?

Round 1

The Metro will send five teams to the dance, which means Columbus will get the pleasure of being pasted by Tampa Bay in the first round.  The only upset in the East is a mild one.  Detroit will end Montreal’s season.  Meanwhile, the Caps and the Islanders meet again.  This time, no seven game suspense.  The Caps advance…let’s say in six.

Over in the West, we’re picking a more robust upset.  Minnesota will defeat Chicago in the opening round.  The most entertaining series, though, might be Los Angeles and San Jose.  From 2011 through 2014, these two met in the postseason three times, the Kings winning twice.  Make it thrice.

Round 2

For seven years, NHL fans have wanted to see a rematch of the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the postseason.  In 2016 they get it.  Pittsburgh has Crosby, Malkin, and Kessel, but the Caps have a deeper roster, better defense, and better goaltending.  They will make surprisingly short work of the Pens.  In the other bracket, the Lightning methodically deconstruct the Red Wings.  If it goes five, it will be a surprise.

In the West, the upstart Wild add another year of postseason disappointment to the St. Louis Blues, who find that leaning so hard on Vladimir Tarasenko has its limits.  He can’t score all the goals.  In the other series, the Ducks and Kings meet for just the second time ever.  The first was in 2014, when Los Angeles beat Anaheim in seven games.  The Ducks return the favor this time.

Conference Finals

The two deepest, most skilled teams at both ends of the ice – Tampa Bay and Washington – will meet for the chance to go to the Finals out of the East. Tampa has been here before, just one year earlier.  The Caps have not been this far into a playoff tournament since 1998.  Washington will be the underdog here, but they are going to advance on superior goaltending and “sticking to the script.”

Meanwhile, Anaheim will get to face Minnesota in the Western Conference final.  It would be easy for the Ducks to peek past the Wild, and this will cause them problems.  This series will go further than expected, but the Ducks will paddle their way on. 

Stanley Cup Finals

This is really the series folks want to see.  Not another Chicago or Los Angeles team playing an “Original Six” team from the East.  Nope, it’s Caps-Ducks.  Bruce Boudreau coaching against the team that gave him his NHL start and for which he won a Jack Adams Award.  Alex Ovechkin wanting to silence critics who say he can’t stand up to the pressure of big games.

Anaheim has lost in progressively deeper rounds the past three years – the first round in 2013, the second round in 2014, and the conference final in 2015.  This year, they lose in the Cup final.

Washington Capitals – Stanley Cup Champions

(yeah, yeah…we’ve been here before) 

****

And now…the end-of-season awards

Calder Trophy (top rookie)

1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton
2. Jack Eichel, Buffalo
3. Sam Bennett, Calgary

James Norris Trophy (top defenseman)

1. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay
2. Erik Karlsson, Ottawa
3. P.K. Subban, Montreal

Vezina Trophy (top goaltender)

1. Braden Holtby, Washington
2. Pekka Rinne, Nashville
3. Carey Price, Montreal

Selke Trophy (top defensive forward)

1. Patrice Bergeron, Boston
2. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles
3. Jonathan Toews, Chicago

Art Ross Trophy (leading scorer)

1. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh
2. Tyler Seguin, Dallas
3. John Tavares, New York Islanders

Maurice Richard Trophy (leading goal scorer)

1. Alex Ovechkin, Washington
2. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay
3. Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis

Hart Trophy (most valuable player to his team)

1. Alex Ovechkin, Washington
2. John Tavares, New York Islanders
3. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh

Ted Lindsay Award (outstanding player)

1. Alex Ovechkin, Washington
2. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh
3. John Tavares, New York Islanders

Jack Adams Award (top coach)

1. Mike Yeo, Minnesota
2. Barry Trotz, Washington
3. Todd Richards, Columbus

Conn Smythe Trophy (most valuable player, postseason)

1. Nicklas Backstrom, Washington

And there you have it, our prognostos for the 2015-2015 season.  Just remember…don’t do this at home, kids.  And don’t wager cash money on these picks (that’s my job).

The Peerless Prognosticator Presents: Your 2015-2016 NHL Division Prognostos

The Washington Capitals have not played yet, so the season has not yet started.  That gives us barely enough time to present this year's prodigious prognostos, the only ones you'll ever need.

Eastern Conference

Metropolitan Division

1. Washington Capitals. What, you were expecting us to pick someone else? We’re picking them to win the division, win the Stanley Cup, and Barry Trotz to be elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. This could be the best chance ever for the Caps to win a Stanley Cup. It is the most balanced and stylistically varied team in its history.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins. Breaking…the Penguins signed Phil Kessel to play alongside Sidney Crosby. Oh, you knew? Well, isn’t that good for you. Only one thing matters to this team this year: health. If they have it, they can win the Cup. If they don’t, making the playoffs is iffy.

3. New York Rangers. We were torn here about which borough would finish higher, Manhattan or Brooklyn. In the end, the difference is Henrik Lundqvist. But don’t mistake this team for last year’s; it’s not as good.

4. New York Islanders. There is something about this team we just don’t like, and it’s not just because, well…they’re unlikable (which they are). John Tavares is a beast, but are there enough teammates to join him for the ride? And their goaltending…that’s going to be an issue. Write it down.

5. Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets lost more man games to injury last season than General Lee lost at Gettysburg (there is our Columbus/Civil War reference for the day). Even if some guys (read: Nick Foligno) don’t quite finish with the numbers they had last year, Columbus will be better, if healthy.

6. Philadelphia Flyers. It’s going to be a long, long winter in Philadelphia. They have two too many Schenns, not a lot of forward depth, and a defense that will have goalie Steve Mason throwing his blocker at them before the season is 30 games old.

7. New Jersey Devils.  The Devils used to like to play a lot of 2-1 and 1-0 games. This year there will be a lot of -1 and -0 games, and they’ll be on the wrong side of them. The only reason they get the nod over Carolina is Cory Schneider in goal.

8. Carolina Hurricanes. The only excitement this season in Raleigh is going to be all the speculation on where Eric Staal will be traded. Brother Jordan will be heard to whimper, “can’t you take me with you, bro?”

Atlantic Division

1. Tampa Bay Lightning. Maybe the best one-two punch in the league. That would be general manager Steve Yzerman and head coach Jon Cooper. The Lightning are skilled and deep. About the only thing that might cause concern is if goaltender Ben Bishop is average…or worse.

2. Montreal Canadiens. Last year, Carey Price was just about the only thing separating the Canadiens from the playoffs and early tee times. He will have to be just about as good this year. “Just about” still makes the Habs a playoff team, but they are second best in a weak division outside of the Lightning.

3. Detroit Red Wings. The last time the Red Wings missed the postseason, “The Simpsons” was just ending its first season on television. Someday, that consecutive-years streak of playoff appearances is going to end (24 years and counting). It won’t be this year, but don’t mistake this team for your Daddy’s Red Wings.

4. Ottawa Senators. It is so easy to overlook this team. They took advantage of that to finish with 99 points last season. They could do it again.

5. Florida Panthers. There is a future for this team (maybe not in Florida, but that’s another matter). It just won’t be this year. At least we’ll have Jaromir’s Mullet , which we are surprised is not yet a Twitter name.

6. Boston Bruins. This is the NHL’s version of a vintage car that is rusting on the side of the road. Zdeno Chara is not “older” as much as he has become “old.” They lack scoring depth, and they have similar depth problems on defense. Tuukka Rask might the only thing saving this club from perhaps being a lottery contestant.

7. Toronto Maple Leafs. Looks like this year’s theme is “Be Patient.” Yeah, that’s going to be a winning slogan. Only once in 12 seasons as an NHL coach has Mike Babcock coached a team that lost 35 or more games. This year will make two.

8.  Buffalo Sabres.  Having Jack Eichel is nice.  Adding Evander Kane and Ryan O'Reilly...ditto.  It won't be nearly enough this year, though.  Talk to us next year.

Western Conference

Central Division

1. St. Louis Blues. These are regular season standings, right? The Blues are a great regular season team. Besides, they have Troy Brouwer.

2. Chicago Blackhawks. You do remember that the Blackhawks finished third in the division last year, right? Well, they’re still at least that good. Losing Brandon Saad will hurt, but not a lot. The only question here is how much that Patrick Kane thing might be a distraction.

3. Minnesota Wild. If the Capitals are the trendy Eastern Conference pick to do good things this season, the Wild might be that team in the West. The only question here is whether Devan Dubnyk was a one-hit (ok, four-month) wonder in goal.

4. Nashville Predators. The Predators have a lot of good pieces, but there are two questions on defense that merit examination. First, was last season merely a hiccup for Shea Weber (his performance numbers – goals, assists, points – dropped last season)? Second, is Sean Jones ready to take a big step upward?

5. Dallas Stars. If the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to be the “fun-to-watch” team in the East this season, the Stars will claim that title in the West. Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, and new addition Patrick Sharp. They should be able to score. It’s the rest that will be the problem.

6. Winnipeg Jets. The Jets were a nice story last season, reaching the playoffs in their fourth season in Winnipeg. This year, cold reality sets in. They are not that strong in goal, and while Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien are playing for contracts, they might be doing it somewhere else in March.

7. Colorado Avalanche. When Patrick Roy took over as head coach for the Avalanche in 2013-2014 and led them to 112 points and their first playoff appearance since 2010, he was “fiery.” Last year, the Avs finished with just 90 points, last in the division and out of the playoffs. Roy was just “loud.” If Colorado doesn’t improve this season, whispers might be heard about Roy being “on the hot seat.”

Pacific Division

1. Anaheim Ducks.  Bruce Boudreau has had an interesting progression in his almost-four years in Anaheim.  Missed playoffs, lose in first round, lose in second round, lose in conference final.  Guess that means losing in this year’s Cup final.

2. Los Angeles Kings.  Missing the playoffs altogether after winning the Cup in two of the three previous years has a way of making players and coaches cranky.  That will be taken out on Kings’ opponents this year.

3. San Jose Sharks. Team Disappointment (Western Conference edition) finally gave up the ghost last season, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2003.  It cost Todd McLellan his job behind the bench.  Peter DeBoer will do better, but not all that much.  Key will be how Martin Jones copes with a bigger workload in goal, not that he’s out of Los Angeles.

4. Calgary Flames.  The Flames went deeper into the postseason last year than at any time since losing in the Cup final in 2004.  This could be a breakout year for Sam Bennett, just as last year was for Johnny Gaudreau.

5. Vamcouver Canucks.  After the Year of Tortorella, the Canucks returned to the postseason last year.  Their 48 wins was something of a surprise.  There will be no surprises this year.  The Sedins and Ryan Miller are all on the wrong side of 35 years old.

6. Edmonton Oilers.  You would think that someday, with as many top-five draft picks as this team has had over the last six years (five, four of them first overall) that they would be on their way to Oiler Dynasty 2.0.  Even with Connor McDavid, “The Best Prospect Since Sidney Crosby,” they are at least a year away from the postseason.

7. Arizona Coyotes.  Their whole season is based on two words: “Auston Matthews.” Woof.

Later…the postseason and awards.

Washington Capitals: Five Questions for 2015-2016, Part V

We come to our last of five questions to address as the season gets underway for the Washington Capitals, and for that we turn to the scientific disciplines.

With us to help get a handle on this last question is an old friend of ours, Dr. Vynot Schootdepuck, Director of Advanced Applications at the Bettman Institute of Technology and Competitive Hockey (BITCH).  It’s been a long time, old friend…

Dr. V.: Ja, it hast been a long time, und I zee de Kepitals haff made many changes.

Peerless:  That’s what we wanted to ask you about, Dr. V.  There have been a lot of changes this summer.  Joel Ward, Troy Brouwer, and Eric Fehr are gone.  T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams arrived this past summer.  The Caps’ third defensive pair from their last game – Mike Green and Tim Gleason – is gone, while Nate Schmidt and Dmitry Orlov fill in.  Can the Capitals find the right chemistry with so much change?

Dr. V.:  Let’s review zum basic chemistry, okay?  In ze first class, you learn zat “acid plus base yields salt und water.”  In hockey, you can zay “forwards plus defensemen yield spice on ice.”  AH-hahahaha… zat one alvays cracks zem up at ze Institute.

Peerless:  Good one…but, in terms of chemistry, are there too many new elements to make a stable compound?

Dr. V.: I think zat ze forwards are likely to be more stable sooner und over a longer period zen ze defensemen.  You have two new forwards – Oshie and Williams – one in his early prime years, ze other in his late prime, if you will.  Sort of like izotopes mit stable half-lives.  You know what you have, and you can expect to get it on a game-to-game basis.

Peerless:  But what of their chemical reaction, if you will, with four high-end skill players – Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom on the top line, perhaps Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky on the second line?

Dr. V.: Two potentially different kinds of results.  I know zat today people look at ze fancystats and talk about ze Corsi and ze Fenwick, but let’s put ze slide rule down for a moment, ja?  I vatched Oshie and Williams in ze preseason games, and you could zee where zey really could play two different roles on ze two lines.  Oshie is a pretty creative player. He seems to be able to find ways out of danger in the way he moves mit ze puck or moves ze puck along.  Zat could complement Alex Ovechkin’s energy and Nicklas Backstrom’s steadiness.  He provides a little different look.  On ze other hand, Williams has to be ze steady guy mit two young guys.  His game might be all about timing – when to get involved in a play and when to let ze kiddies do what they do.

Peerless: So, each of the top two lines presents a different look, even with “the script” that the Caps are “sticking to” this season?

Dr. V.: Abzolutely!  Zink of it as a different kind of reaction…in chemistry ve call zem “precipitate reactions.”  Zat is when you combine one substance mit another, und zen you get an inzoluble precipitate.  In ziss instance, you have one player plus another player combining to get a result from a third player…Backstrom and Oshie mit assists for an inzane goal by Ovechkin from ze wing.  Or, you have Williams und Burakovsky creating space zo Kuznetsov can do zat dipzy-doo stuff he does mit de puck.

Peerless:  But not all reactions are so tidy and neat, are they?

Dr. V.: Of course not.  You haff any gummy bears?

Peerless: Gummy bears?

Dr. V.: Ja…gummy bears.

Peerless:  I just happen to have an unfinished bag of them.

Dr. V.:  Now…don’t do ziss at home, kids.  But if you put a gummy bear in a solution of potassium chlorate, you get a great big BOOM!  And you don’t want a great big BOOM!

Peerless: Just like you don’t want to see the Caps’ season go BOOM! because the chemistry is wrong.

Dr. V.:  Eggggg-zactly.

Peerless:  Now, about the defense.  You’ve got a couple of guys there who are really still very young.  Nate Schmidt and Dmitry Orlov have a combined 187 games of NHL experience, and it will have been almost 18 months to the day since Orlov last dressed for an NHL game when he takes the ice on Opening Night.  What sort of chemistry can we expect from two guys with so little experience and who have played in the same game together only four times (all in Hershey)?

Dr. V.:  Zum reactions are fast, others are zlow.  Ziss one might be one of ze zlow kinds, not much to zee early, but wonderful stuff later on.

Peerless:  An example of which might be…

Dr. V.:  You know what “photosynthesis” is? 

Peerless:  Sure…that’s how plants get energy.

Dr. V.:  Ja… green plants take ze CO2 out of ze air, it combines mit water in ze presence of light, and you get oxygen und sugar, which de plants use for energy.  It is very slow, though, mit a bunch of steps in ze middle.  No big BOOM! at ze end. 

Peerless: So, you’re saying that Schmidt and Orlov might take a while and a lot of steps to mesh as a pair?

Dr. V.:  Ve heff a zaying in chemistry…”you can’t rush ze Calvin cycle.” 

Peerless:  So let’s get to the bottom line here, Dr. V.  The Caps have made big changes on their two top lines, have a new third defensive pair.  Then there are the little changes that might not be so little, like giving Tom Wilson a bigger role to play.  Is that going to be too much for the Caps to manage and still contend for a Stanley Cup.

Dr. V.:  Ah!  Zat is a gut question, and I need to introduce ze idea of a “catalyst.”  You know what zat is, right?

Peerless: A substance that changes the rate of a reaction without undergoing any permanent changes of its own.

Dr. V.:  Eggggzellent!!  You should come to ze Institute!

Peerless: Thanks, Doc, but I haven’t taken a chemistry class in a long time.  Now, about the catalyst?

Dr. V.:  Look it is ziss vay.  Ziss ist ze first time zince 2011 zat ze Kepitals have had ze same head coach in a normal training camp two years in a row.

Peerless: Bruce Boudreau

Dr. V.: Correct.  Now, mit one year of Barry Trotz and how he wants to coach a team, mit all the strategies and ze drills and ze philosophy under ze players’ belts, you would think things would go more smoothly and more quickly ze second time around, ja?  And ze players, you would think they would be more comfortable mit ze stability of having a coach and ze zystems in place two full years in a row, no?  And, the Kepitals made ze player changes in ze summer, when zey heff ze time to work zem into ze schemes in ze lab….uh, training camp.  Not on ze fly during ze season at trading deadline.  Zat hasn’t gone zo good for ze Caps lately, has it?

Peerless: I think I see your point.  I guess what I am hearing is that you think the Capitals have taken their actions this summer in such a way as to improve the chemistry, or at least give it an opportunity to complete all the necessary reactions.

Dr. V.: Zat ist correct.  It ist like working through an experiment.  You can’t skip ze steps or rush zem.  You heff to haff a plan and be careful and rigorous in eggsecuting it.  Ze Kepitals haff done zat very well…so far.

Peerless: So far?

Dr. V.: Ja…you don’t play these games in ze lab.  You play zem on ze ice, and who knows for sure vut vill happen out there.  But I vill say, ze 2015-2016 team looks like ze club’s best chance ever to finally win a Stanley Cup.

Peerless:  Really?

Dr. V.: Hey, vood I lie to you?  I’m a zcientist!

Washington Capitals: Five Questions for 2015-2016, Part IV

The fourth of the questions we are looking at is one that the Washington Capitals did not have to address often last season, or at least as often as some teams. 

The 2014-2015 season was a relatively healthy one for the Washington Capitals.  The team dressed a total of 29 skaters over the course of the season, well below the average across the league of 32 skaters employed over the course of the season.  Only six teams used fewer skaters in 2014-2015.  The following chart illustrates the range of skaters employed across the league in 2014-2015 (ranked by number of skaters; note: total is greater than the number of skaters participating in league play due to players skating for two or more teams as a result of trades/other transactions):

What is more, the Capitals were able to ice a consistent lineup.  Only two teams had more players appearing in 70 or more games than the 13 who skated for Washington (the New York Islanders and Los Angeles Kings, with 14 apiece), and no team had more skaters appear in all 82 games than the Caps (seven).

Already, though, health is an issue for the team.  Every team gets nicked up along the way through a season, and some clubs go into the postseason with players that are playing through injuries that would otherwise put them on the bench.  What that means is that an off-season is often time for those issues to be addressed, for players to undergo treatment or surgery, and to rehabilitate themselves.  Sometimes, the issues carry over into the next season.

That is the case for the Capitals as they prepare for the season opener on Saturday.  When they take the ice, two important parts of the team could be on the bench with injuries that were dealt with over the summer.  Nicklas Backstrom is still rehabilitating his surgically repaired hip, which could keep him out of at least four games to open the season, and Brooks Orpik had wrist surgery last July that might or might not render him unavailable for the opening of the new season.  On top of that, Jay Beagle sustained what was called a “slight lower body injury (no doubt a new NHL injury category)” in the Caps’ last preseason game that Beagle might have played through had it been a regular season game,  but given this team’s history with “lower body injuries” of any sort, slight or otherwise (see: Mike Green, Brooks Laich, Tom Poti), those three words are always a bit ominous.

Health and success do seem to go hand in hand, to a point.  Looking at the last ten Stanley Cup champions, there seems to be no magic bullet as far as number of skaters employed is concerned.  The ten clubs averaged 30 skaters in their respective championship years, ranging from 25 (the Los Angeles Kings in 2013-2014) to 36 (the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008-2009).

Having a significant number of skaters dress for all 82 games appears helpful.  Six of the ten champions had four or more skaters appear in all 82 games, the Anaheim Ducks of 2006-2007 having eight such skaters.

However, there does seem to be something to the idea of dressing at the very least a consistent lineup.  In no instance did any of the Cup winners have fewer than 11 skaters dress for at least 70 games, averaging 12.2 per club (a range of 11, by five winners, to the 14 that Chicago had in 2009-2010 and Los Angeles had in 2013-2014).

Note: Chicago in 2012-2013 prorated to 41 games as proportional to 70 game threshold, 48 games for full season

It is hard not to think of things like injuries snowballing.  It is as if bad luck takes over a team and chokes the life out of it.  The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Pittsburgh Penguins were two clubs that were hit by an avalanche last season, and we don’t mean the hockey team from Denver.  One club was able to deal with it and reach the postseason, but it was a somewhat damaged team that could not advance past the first round.  The other club – one that reached the postseason the previous year for just the second time in franchise history – did not have the depth to overcome the plague of injuries. 

Capitals fans might remember the 1998-1999 season, the one immediately following their Stanley Cup final year, when the club lost 511 man games to injury.  We will be rubbing a rabbit’s foot, knocking on wood, and keeping a four-leaf clover in our wallet to guard against the Caps or their fans having to endure a season such as that.  Because, if the Caps are healthy, the rest will take care of itself.