The Washington Capitals did exactly what they needed to do last night, win a divisional game in regulation. This was the Caps 6th straight victory and they have propelled themselves to the top of the Southeast Division, and the NHL with a 12-4-0 record, and now lead the Southeast division by 6 points, and the NHL by just 2.
As usual, the Capitals came out with a somewhat off first period, appearing to yield the edge in play to the Lightning, and once again allowing the opposing team to score first. It is becoming such a regular occurrence, that it almost appears to be built into their game plan: come out flat, give up the first goal or two, let the other team get a little comfortable, then lower the boom. I'm still not sold on this though, especially against such a potent team as the Tampa Bay Lightning with Rocket Richard winning, and current NHL goal scoring leader Steven Stamkos. Last night, this game could have easily been been two or 3-0 in the Bolts favor in the first period had it not been for Michael Neuvirth's best friends, the goal posts. Neuvirth did have a hand in it as well though, stopping 38 shots last night. This was the first of 6 games between the two teams this season, in what is sure to become a heated battle for the division title this year, and for years to come as both clubs are continuing to improve while the rest of the division remains average or below.
The big story from Verizon Center last night however was not Stamkos, or even Alex Ovechkin, it was once again Alexander Semin who turned in his 5th career hat trick, 2nd in 9 games, and scored 5 points on the night, good for earning the NHL's #1 star for the night. 4 of his 5 hat tricks have come against Southeast Division teams. Semin is scoring at a torrid pace and is now with 7 goals, 6 assists in his last 6 games, and is in second place for the Richard trophy so far this season behind only Stamkos with 12 goals, 9 assists, for 21 points. Stamkos has 14 goals, and 26 points. Here are all 3 of Semin's goals.
photo: Nick Wass /AP
However the show was not to begin for the Caps until the second period, as Washington was shut out for the first 20 minutes of play last night. The Caps came out in the second with what appeared to be quite a bit more energy, and finally started to push back, get some chances, and dominate the play in stretches. As has been often the case the Caps also got some offence from the defence last night as well. Defencemen Tom Poti in his first game back from a long 11 game injury hiatus opened the scoring with nice backhand shot on a rebound from a shot Alex Semin from the opposite side. Mike Knuble got the Caps second tally with a great effort while standing virtually BEHIND the Bolts net. The Caps came down the ice on a 2 on 4, and somehow Brooks Laich ended up in front of the Tampa net almost alone. Steven Stamkos bothered Laich enough that he did not get a full shot off and it slithered just wide of a half empty net, but somehow, Knuble while moving from side to side behind the the goal line, and net, AND, being bothered by Pavel Kubina, got his stick on it and got it to go in the net.
photo: Nick Wass /AP
However it was the big 3 that really racked up the points last night combining for 12 total, with Semin's 5 points, Backstorm's 4, and Ovechkin's 3.The third period was the Caps, and Alexander Semins show. Semin got all 3 of his goals in the final frame, and it was 3/4ths of the Caps output for the period. To the Lightning's credit, they never fully folded, coming back to tie the game twice. The caps were also good on the special teams again last night allowing only 1 power play goal in 5 Lightning chances, while scoring 1 power play goal themselves in the two chances they were given. The Caps improved power play is now ranked 7th in the NHL, while the PK has moved up to 12th. Also of note last night was Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier, who did not return to the game for the third period and was a non factor in last nights game. It was announced after the game that Lecavalier had suffered a non displaced fracture in his right hand, and will be sidelined for 3-4 weeks. As usual, here is Bruce Boudreau's post game presser:
Hopefully all of this can continue for the Caps over what is going to be a busy weekend for them when they come up against two lesser teams. First up is the struggling Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo on Saturday night who have not won a game on their home ice yet this season, then its back home to Verizon Center for another Southeast Division tilt against the third place Atlanta Thrashers Sunday afternoon. The Caps play the Sabres twice in the next 5 days. With the way the Caps are playing of late, there really is no reason this winning streak cannot extend to 9 games, however the Caps must be ready, especially for Buffalo as they are likely going to be hungry to give the hometown crowd its first taste of victory at HSBC Arena.
In spite of the Capitals making a regular habit of giving up the first goal to the opposition, the Caps keep on rolling, this time beating the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden to take the NHL standings lead with 22 points. The Caps once again played a very solid game, but the nagging sloppy defencive play continues. Lately it always seems like its going to be a long night for the Caps, as they have given up the first goal 11 of the first 15 games played so far this season. Fortunately for the Caps it has not really mattered to much when it comes to wins vs losses. You almost get the feeling now that when the Caps give up the first goal, the "ahhh, we got em right where we want em!" I would almost even say that at times the Caps appear to play better, late in the game when they are down, or the game is tied. It certainly has appeared that way more often than not. While it doesn't necessarily feel as good as getting a lead in a game and keeping it for good, perhaps there is something to be said for being able to handle adversity and overcome it. I'm definitely liking that aspect.
photo credit - Nick Laham - Getty Images
Tonight the Caps relinquished the lead to the Rangers 3 different times in the game, finally pulling level for good mid way through the second period. The first period was a penalty filled affair with each team getting a power play tally and the Caps killing off an extended 5 on 3. There were a total of 28 minutes in penalties handed out to both teams, including a fighting major each to unlikely combatants Mike Green and Brandon Dubinsky for this nifty little bout, which we're going to call basically even, maybe the slight edge to Green:
Tonight the Caps got goals from where they have not been getting them of late, with Brooks Laich getting two, along with 1 each from Mike Knuble, who scored his first goal since Opening night, John Erskine, and Matt Hendricks. Both Alexander Semin and Green's 4 game goal scoring streaks came to and end tonight, but they were not held off the score sheet as Semin logged an assist and Green got 2 helpers. Alex Ovechkin also got on the scoring docket with an assist as well.
photo credit - Nick Laham - Getty Images
Somehow, even with the glaring defencive lapses, the Capitals are managing to find the offence they need night after night to keep putting 2 points on the board in the standings. Michael Neuvirth made his first appearance since being yanked 2 games ago in the Caps 5-3 win at home Vs Boston after yielding 3 goals in just under 7 minutes, two of them less than 1 minute apart. Neuvirth once again got the W for the Caps, stopping 25 of 28 Rangers shots tonight. Next up is another MUST WIN game when division rival, and the team you, the readers here voted as the biggest threat to the Caps in the southeast division this season, the Tampa Bay Lightning visits Verizon Center on Thursday night.
For the most part the Washington Capitals played a very solid game last night. Outplaying the Boston Bruins in the first period, but coming away with nothing to show for it. It seemed like it was going to be another night of frustration for the Caps as they just could not solve Boston goaltender Tim Thomas, even with a two man advantage and outshooting Boston 8-3. The period would come to an end scoreless. The second period would prove to be much the same. Washington had the decided edge in play, and in shots, and finally would break the game open, not only scoring first, but scoring 3 goals while keeping Boston off the board all together to take a 3 to 0 lead into the second intermission. The Caps opened the scoring early in the period, scoring just 59 seconds in and would keep the pressure on for the remainder of the period getting goals from Tyler Sloan, Mike Green, and Alexander Semin. Semin's goal was a particularly brilliant play catching the Boston defence off guard while they were on the power play by breaking up a pass at the Washington line and springing himself and Mike Green for a 2 on 1 break. The two had a nifty give and go exchange deep in the Boston zone and Semin whipped the return pass from Green past Tim Thomas for the shorthanded goal to make the lead 3-0.
The Caps and their fans were feeling good going into the third period having chased Boston's top man between the pipes in favor of backup goaltender Tuuka Rask. However the 3-0 lead the Caps had built going into the third period would soon disappear and it looked like Washington was on its way to another monumental meltdown. This was the 2nd straight game the Caps would blow a multiple goal lead allowing Boston to score twice on the power play in less than a minute. Caps coach Bruce Boudreau had seen enough and used his time out to attempt to settle things down, but it appeared it was not going to do any good. though as just under 6 minutes later Boston come back to tie the game at 3 all, and chase the Caps NHL Rookie of the month goaltender Michael Neuvirth. This the second straight game that the Caps would allow the opposition to score 3 straight however The Caps 3 goals in the 2nd proved to be enough, where as the previous game against Toronto the lead was only two. Only this time the Caps would have the answer in regulation. Enter defencemen John Carlson who at 13:25 of the final period would put the Caps back in the lead for good, scoring what would become the game winner with a blast past the Boston backup. Boston decided to lift their goaltender for the final minute and a half or so of the game but could not get much going. Boston became trapped in their own end with defencemen ending up playing goalie but that could not keep the Caps from scoring as Alex Ovechkin would eventually find the empty net at 19:-08, putting the game away for good. The Caps outshot the Bruins a whopping 39 to 18 for the game. All I have to say is *PHEW*! A great two first periods all but completely undone in the third by some lazy penalties and possibly some overconfidence, but the Caps were able to pull this one out. The Caps are now 6-1 on home ice, and have finally solved Tim Thomas and beaten the Bruins for the first time in 3 tries. Here are Bruce Boudreau's thoughts after the near meltdown turned win:
The inconsistency that has haunted the Washington Capitals of late again made an appearance at Verizon Center last night. This time however, the Capitals found a way to over come that and came away from their game with the Toronto Maple Leafs with the full 2 standings points. This pulls the Capitals into a tie for the Southeast Division lead with Tampa Bay, and a 3 way tie for the league lead in points in the NHL with Tampa and the Los Angeles Kings of the Western Conference. The Caps could not put together a solid 60 minutes of good hockey again last night, allowing the opposition to score first for the 9th time in 12 games. They also allowed Toronto to come back from a two goal deficit in the third period to take the lead. The Capitals played fairly well in the first in spite of allowing the early goal, and had a great second period, outscoring their visitors 3-0 and looking like they had this one in hand. The penalty killing also held off 4 Leafs power plays, and the Caps were outshooting the Leafs 20-12 until about the 18:00 mark of the 2nd. But, there was the problem; it was only the second period. The Capitals came out flat in the third, and Toronto took advantage, exploding for 3 goals in just a 3:03 span to come from down 3-1 at the start of the frame to take a 4-3 lead by the 7:17 mark.
photo credit: Susan Walsh - AP
It looked the another Capitals let down was going to cost them another game, and another 2 points. However the Capitals power play has begun to improve, and that continued last night scoring twice in 3 chances getting two timely goals. The first was Washington's first goal of the game from Mike Green, and the second was just as timely by Alexander Semin at 4:14 of the third period to tie the game up, and ultimately for overtime. At least this time the Caps did not give away a point to a divisional rival. It is worth noting that after being absent for much of the season, the Caps power play seems to have finally found its grove and has now converted on 5 of 8 chances in the last 2 games. We hope that trend continues as the Caps are going to need it to come away from games like tonight's game with the full 2 points. In spite of having the man advantage for 2 of the 5 minutes of the over time period, the Caps could not finish off the Leafs in the extra stanza. What they could not get done in the over time period however, the Caps finished off in the shootout. Michael Neuvirth held off both Toronto shooters, while both Alex Ovechkin and Semin found the twin behind Maple Leafs net minder Jonas Gustavsson to give the Caps the shootout win in front of another sellout crowd at the Phone Booth. The Capitals also got goals from Jason Chimera and Tomas Fleischmann. While victory is sweet, it will be short lived as the Capitals play host to the Boston Bruins on Friday night. As always, Caps bench boss Bruce Boudreau had plenty of thoughts on last nights performance, so here is his post game presser:
A win that was not pretty, and a point given away to a southeast division rival, made for a nail biting night at Verizon Center on Saturday as the Capitals beat the Atlanta Thrashers 4-3 in overtime. While the game did have its bright spots it was still the exact same kind of "win" I had mentioned in this previous post. While they did get the "W", the devil is in the details.
Once again the Caps came out flat in the 1st period. They were out shot 13-4 in the first frame, and gave up their 4th straight power play goal, allowed the opposition to gain the lead first for the 5th straight game, 6th over all, and were shut out in the first period for the 5th time this season. So it seems so far, the Caps are having major problems getting going in the first period. Fortunately for them (and us their fans) they have, thus far, been able to climb out of those holes to win more often than not. However it still is a fairly unsettling. If this trend continues, it is going to cost them some games, probably more than last season. Games that were won last year that were close, may end up either being losses, or at least going to overtime, giving away more points. Something to watch going forward I think.
The Caps are also still hurting. Out with injuries (or still resting from one) for this game were:
Semyon Varlamov - unsure if this was a 1 game rest or he is out on IR.
Today the Caps announced that they have called up 29 year old veteran AHL blue liner Brian Fahey, (pictured left) presumably to take Poti's place on at least part of the upcoming road trip. Fahey played in his first NHL game on October 16th, when the Caps beat the Nashville Predators in Overtime 3-2 in Nashville. Just joining the Hershey Bears this season, he so far has 1 goal, 1 assist and 10 penalty minutes in 4 games played.
Now, on to the bright spots, since there were a few. The Caps won, and are now 3-0 in overtime games so far this season. Alexander Semin saved the Caps this game with his 4th career hat trick. Matthieu Perreault, who was called up from the AHLHershey Bears for this game, along with Jay Beagle, had a direct hand in two of Semin's 3 goals, and ended up being a +3 for the game. Michael Neuvirth was back between the pipes for DC and had another solid game for his 5th win of the season. Injured defecemen Mike Green came back and did play, albeit for only 5:39, and all of that was on the power play. Even though he did not factor into the scoring at least he was back, even if not at 100%. Hopefully this 3 day break will give him the chance to get back to top form.
Hats fly as Semin completes his hat trick aginst the Thrashers.
The hero of the night turned out to be Tomas Fleischmann who scored the game winner at 1:37 of over time, collecting a rebound from Eric Fehr's shot while seemingly tied up.
While the two standings points and the victory are great, the Capitals are still seeming to do things the hard way, all the while giving up valuable standings points to their opponents. This time to a division rival. Hopefully a few more bodies will be healthy and things will get even better for the next divisional game which is Wednesday night Raleigh. That game also starts a 3 game road trip which sees the Caps travel out west to visit the Minnesota Wild and Calgary Flames to close out the month of October. Something tells me they are going to have to perform a little better if they want to come away with all 6 of those possible standings points.
Last year at this juncture of the young NHL season, the Washington Capitals were 3-2-2 after 7 games. This year they are slightly better after 7, at 4-3-0. Ah, but simple wins and losses do not tell the full story, as they rarely do. Belying these better numbers, are some rather troubling statistics if you dig a bit deeper. This year, after 7 games, the Capitals have:
Two regulation wins
Scored first once
Scored more than two goals in regulation once
No leads after one period
One lead going into the third period
Have scored a paltry 4 power play goals in 30 opportunities (13.3%) good for pedestrian 17th in the NHL.
So, if it seems like the Capitals have struggled, even when they have won games, you are not alone in noticing this. These seemingly small little facts, coupled with some rather visible on ice struggles have caught the eye of not only us the fans, but the Capitals biggest, most important fan, owner Ted Leonsis, as well.
Today on his blog, Ted's Take, the Caps top boss called out the team, and deservedly so. Simply put, he has said what many of us have been thinking for most of this week.
"It isn't them, its us. We aren’t a very good team right now. We have a lot of work to do in practice. We have to heal up as we seem to lose a player in every game to injury that jumbles up the lines. We are what our record says we are and right now, we are just an average NHL team."
These are just a few of the very candid thoughts Leonsis had on the current state of our beloved Caps today. You can click the link to his blog above to read the rest. The Caps are missing the services of several key players, not the least of which is top defenceman Mike Green. However for a team with the supposed depth the Caps are touted to have, this should not be too big of a hurdle to overcome. Suffice it to say, that all eyes will be watching very closely when the Atlanta Thrashers, the team that handed Washington its first loss of the season and an 0-1-0 start, come calling to Verizon Center on Saturday night.
After handing 2 straight wins and 4 standings points over to the Boston Bruins it will be interesting to see if the Capitals can get things together and will have revenge on their minds. You can find the box score for the debacle in bean town here, as well as the Washington Post and Capitals own postmortems here, and here respectively, and here is Bruce Boudreau's post game presser:
It should be noted that there has been one very bright spot thus far this season, and that is the Capitals penalty killing. At least it was until last night. Going into last nights game the Capitals were a perfect 24 for 24 (100%) on the PK. That all came crashing down last night, allowing goals on all 3 Bruins power play chances. Let's hope that was just a fluke because if the PK starts to struggle, the Caps are in some real trouble.
That said, this bad stretch is not the end of the world, but could it be an indication of things to come? Perhaps the Caps are not as strong as they were last season? What do you think? Can we handle the injuries and still play like the 2010 presidents trophy winners? Or should they possibly look into bolstering the blue line, or perhaps add a slightly less soft scorer? Or, are the Caps just simply snake bitten right now? Unable to find virtually open nets or capitalize on rather glaring mistakes of the opposing teams goaltender or defence? Let me know what YOU think. The comments are open. Let the fun begin.
The Washington Capitals return home finding themselves once again in a MUST WIN situation. After being up 2-0 in the NHL's Eastern Conference Semifinal series vs the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Capitals have played poorly, and dropped both road games at the Igloo in Pittsburgh. Hopefully the Caps will have learned some valuable lessons from the past two games, and also once again use the home ice, and loud, red rockin Capitals faithful that pack Verizon Center, to their advantage. If the history of this series is to dictate anything, so far the home team as one all games, which puts the Capitals at a slight advantage for this game. However, it is going to take more than just a little luck this time. Defencemen Mike Green will need to come out of hiding, as will forwards Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin. The Caps will also need to see Simeon Varlamov once again take control of the game, as he had done for 5 staright games until game 3 in Pittsburgh. Varlamov had his first "bad" game of the playoffs last night in steel town, surrendering 5 goals on 28 shots, and allowing two goals which were pretty soft. Our offence needs to step it up once again, and our defence needs to clamp down in our own zone in order to give Varlamov a chance to do just that.
Also of note, it appears the NHL is NOT going to fine and / or suspend Alexander Ovechkin for his unfortunate knee on knee hit with Pens defencemen Sergei Gonchar. The hit appeared to be accidental and there was no evidence of Ovechkin intentionally moving his leg to hit Gonchar's leg. Gonchar left the game and did not return, and is doubtful for tonights game 5 in D.C. I posted a video of the hit in m previous post, for you to be the judge. It can be found here in this post.
Your's truly is now heading out to Verizon Center for tonights game, and I will be back later on tonight or tomrrow morning with my post game thoughts and write up. Until then...
The very much hyped NHL Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, and thier respective Stars Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, thus far has lived up to all the hype, and then some. Replete with complaints from both sides, raging from accusations / allegations of cheating, to complaints about officiating, to whining from Penguins fans about the ticket sales tactics used by the Washington Capitals to limit sales as much as possible to Caps fans only, right down to a death threat against Washington's superstar winger, Alexander Ovechkin. The threat was discovered on the Penguins official message boards, and was reported to authorities in PA, as well as to both clubs, and to the NHL, all of which took the threat seriously, sparking more drama, which now includes police involvement, in this already dramatic series. The death threat, which as now been highly publicized on both the internet, and on local television news outlets in both cities, was apparently made by a 17 year old male from Chambersburg, PA. I will not post this persons name since he is a minor, but it has been posted on several news outlets websites. Police were investigating the thread, and have questioned the person, and confiscated the computer used to post the message. The threat, (pictured at left) which was posted was simply this:
"I'm killing Ovechkin. I'll go to jail. I don't care anymore."
The subsequent media frenzy has now sparked what could be dubbed an internet messagboard war between Caps and Pens fans. The Pens fans are apparently firing back by attempting to invade the Capitals Official Message Boards and look for questionable posts to report to authorities. There are multiple threads on both the Caps and Pens message boards regarding the subject. This has prompted the administrators of the Caps boards to close the boards to any new registrations until after the current playoff series is over. It has almost gotten comical at this point. Never a dull moment in this series thus far.
Now, onto the game. The Capitals will be looking to regain a 2 game lead in this best of 7 series once again tonight in Pittsburgh. The Caps who did not play very well in game 4, with the exception of goaltender Simeon Varlamov, will be looking to rebound and once again take control of this series. The Capitals, who have faced a spate of injuries, are once again making some lineup ajustments. The biggest news of the day was the Washington Capitals star forward Alexander Semin (pictured left) did not skate in this mornings practice. It is possible that he is nursing an injury, but there have been no outward signs of anything too serious. He was seen leaving Mellon Areana this morning, and appared to move just fine. Alexander Ovechkin seems to think he will be ok to play in tonights game. The Caps also made another lineup adjustmet today, returning defencemen Karl Alzner, and recalling forward Jay Beagle (pictured lower left) from thier AHL affiliate, Hershey Bears. It is unclear who Beagle will replace, but it appears there will be shakes ups throughout the Caps 4 foward lines. Capitals Coach Bruce Boudreau is known for his willingness to change things up in the lineup if things do not go as planed for the Capitals. It will be interesting to see who gets in and who sits, and who is placed on what lines. The Capitals are already without the services of defencemen John Erskine, who did skate this morning but its still questionable for tonights game, and forward Eric Fehr. Erskine has not played since taking a hard shot to the leg in game one of this series. Eric Fehr has missed games 2 and 3 with an undisclosed upper body injury, and is likely to be out again tonight. It is unclear if Boudreau will use Beagle in tonights game, or if he will once again go with veteran forward Micael Nylander. Tyler Sloan has replaced Erskine in both games he has missed thus far, and presumably will be in the lineup again this evening. Here is Caps Washington Post beat writer, and author of the blog Capitals Insider, Tarik El-Basir in his video update from Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh:
If the Capitals hope to regain thier 2 game lead in this series, and afford themselves the opportunity to close things out on home ice Saturday night at Verizon Center, theyw ill need to play a much different game than they did in game three. The Caps will need to pick up thier speed, and have much more control of the puck. They will also need to keep themselved out of the pentalty box. In the last game, the Capitals recieved only two power plays to Pittsburgh's 7. Personally I feel confident the Capitals will rebound tonight, and once again regain a commanding 2 game lead in this series. Off to prepare for watching tonights game!
No apologies here, you are being fore warned now that this write up is going to be weak. Once again, the Capitals found themselves up 2 games to 0 going into tonight's game 3 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Palyoff, Eastern Conference Semi Final series VS the Pittsburgh Penguins. Once again, the Capitals allowed the opposition to get right back into the series, and find themselves asking the same old questions that dogged the Caps of playoffs long gone by. The ringing echos of those old ghosts of "choking dogs" past, suddenly, and once again, have some creedence, and some life yet still, here. However, there are some differences between those times, and now. First and foremost, this still, in spite of the result, is a diffferent team than those of "choking dogs" past. This team has something special, something no one can put a finger on. Yes they have that "Superstar Player" they were always lacking in the past, but this time, there is just something different.
The Capitals did not play that great of a game tonight. the Penguins did. Both teams played like their lives were on the line at times, and for the Capitals, that very well may have been the case, if the past is to live up to hits own history. But it was ultimately the Penguins who played with more desperation, and got the goal when it counted most. It should also be noted the the Capitals were given only 2 power place, the the Pens 7, 1 of which was in over time. Suffice it to say, the officiating could have been more even, but that is still no excuse.
Somehow, I personally feel that it wont. When the Pittsburgh Penguins scored in overtime to send the Caps to their first defeat this series, and unlike those series past where the Caps were up by 2 only to ultimately surrender the series, a sudden calm came over me. As the Pens fans roared and cheered their team, I slowly bowed my head and thought..." this is ok... this is fine, this is right this time". I can not explain this difference in my personal reaction this time, but there is just something there. Some gut feeling that this team, this time, is just somehow different. The Caps, in spite of this defeat, somehow, will just find the way. I wish I had some answer for you as to why this feeling came over me, and why I feel this is just different this time, but I dont. I just have this gut feeling, it just is. The other thing that almost immediately came to mind tonight as the Pens were celebrating their glorious, come from behind, over time victory, was that little song I mentioned in the previous post. You know the one, the one that has the line... "Don't Stop.. Believein"...
So, with that I will let sleeping dogs lie tonight. There will be no game write up, no links, no photos, no names mentioned, no blame, no exulation. In stead, I will follow my heart, and my gut, and believe what, I somehow, STILL believe... and that is... that the Caps will find a way. Somehow, some way, the Caps will overcome this. The Caps will come back, and.. the Caps will ultimately use this experience to propel them on to win this series. Maybe I am living in a fantasy world, but I have seen this same thing unfold time and time again. However, as I said before, this time, it is different. With that, I congratulate the Pens on their win, and I bid you all good night, and as I lay my head down to sleep this all off there is still that one little line stuck deep in the recesses of my mind. Yet, somehow, I can still here it clear as day...
So I wake up this morning and start my reading and what do I find? Tarik El-Bashir, of Washington Post fame, is reporting on his blog, Capitals Insider, that two top Capitals prospects with the Caps AHL affilate, the Hershey Bears had been held out from last nights Bears playoff game vs the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate, due to an "illness". Hmmm... Flu? Worse... swine Flue? Oddly enough the two players in question are defencemen Karl Alzner (left top) and Tyler Sloan. (lower left) They just also happen to be the Bears top D paring. At the same time, we also learned that the Caps had recalled them both to the big club. It gets more interesting by the minute. Something was definitely amiss here. Why would the Caps recall two sick defencemen, and risk getting thier entire roster infected with the secret "illness" that was plaguing the two baby caps? was it worth the risk? Something was definately not right here. As we would later learn, it was all a big cover up. A ploy to throw off both the Bears and the Caps enemies. The baby Caps were never in fact "sick" with anything, and were on the ice practicing this morning at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington. Tyler Sloan told Bashir...
"I don't know anything right now. We've just been told that it's precautionary in case anything happens. I was going to rink for meetings, then went home for some rest and a nap and got a phone call saying, 'Stay home, you're sick. And your partner caught the flu."
The more menacing thing behind all of this was, why they were called up. As it turns out, they were called up largely as a precautionary measure. However, it is also now clear that John Erskine is "questionable" for tonights game 2 of the Caps Eastern Conference Semifinal series VS the Pittsburgh Penguins. Erskin did take a hard shot to the leg and limpped back to the bench during game one on Saturday. It is being reported that Erskin has some type of leg injury, and may need to rest for a game. The Caps are already without the services of defencemen Jeff Schultz, which has them with 6 healthy defencemen currently available. Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau told Tarik...
"We've only had six healthy defensemen up here and I think we were playing with fire if someone would go down in warm-up. We've got John banged up a little bit. He's going to try it and see if he can go. But we figured we take precautionary measures and call up a couple of guys just in case. If we had to go to one, they both know our systems as well as anyone."
So at least one of the baby Caps may likely get a shot at thier first NHL playoff game tonight against the Penguins. My guess, and hope, is that it will likely be Alzner. Alzner is a highly touted, big, speedy, and agile defencemen, and is considered by many to be the Capitals top prospect at the position. Alzner was drafted by the Caps in the 2007 NHL entry draft, 5th over all, and has had a great career thus far for Hershey. He has also gotten some NHL time under his belt with the Caps as well, appearing in 30 games for them over this past season, scoring 1 goal, getting 4 assists, and taking one penalty. His plus / minus rating was -1.
So that brings us to game 2. The series, and the matchup the whole world has uber hyped up and had been hoping for, Ovechkin vs Crosby, Caps vs Pens, resumes tonight @ 7PM on the Verizon Center ice. The Washington Capitals are looking to take full advantage of thier home ice and extend thier series lead to 2-0. If that is to happen, the Capitals MUST play a better game than they did in game one, where they were outshot, and were often out skated, out hustled, and also made many bad mistakes and givaways. David Steckel was quoted as saying regarding his goal, and the game...
"I think it was a wake-up call. We were getting our [butts] handed to us, pretty much. It was a joke. I don't know if it was because it was an afternoon, [but] we didn't come ready to play."
Pittsburgh is a dangerous team for sure, and it will only be a matter of time before a team that good takes advantage of the Capitals mistakes. Hopefully the Caps have identified where they could have improved from game one, and will take that to heart tonight and get on top of this game early, to stay. If they can do that, and Simeon Varlamov can continue his goaltending heroics, with the Caps getting scoring from all available sources, they should be just fine, and should once again come out on top.
According to NHL.com, Anaheim Ducks forward Mike Brown will not face a suspension for his hit on Detroit Red Wings forward Jiri Hudler in game 1 of the NHL's Western Conference Semifinal series between the two teams. Just last week, the NHL suspended Washington Capitals forward Donald Brashear for a hit on the New York Rangers Blair Betts during game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series, which Washington won 4 games to 3. Brashear's hit was almost identical in nature to the hit doled out by Mike Brown. I stated it was my opinion that the NHL needed to show consistency here, and suspend Brown, and that it should be the same length of time as the suspension handed down to Brashear. That said, It is also my opinon that the NHL's suspension of Brashear was a mistake. Both hits appeared to be clean, and the NHL should have left well enough alone on this to begin with, and there would be no question. The problem that myself, and many others have with the league, is the inconsistency shown by the league in both its officiating, and its discipline. Brashear recieved no penalty on his play, however, Mike Brown recieved a 5 minute major penalty for "interferance", and a game misconduct. (ejection). The one big difference between the two hits was the injuries sustained by the players who were hit. Blair Betts was left out of the series with a broken orbital bone, while Jiri Hudler only suffered a nasty cut to his face, requiring 10 stitches. Hudler would return to the game.
Colin Campbell the NHL's Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, and disciplinarian was quoted saying the following regarding Brashear's hit:
"Brashear delivered a shoulder hit to an unsuspecting player. It is also my opinion that the hit was delivered late and targeted the head of his opponent, causing significant injury."
Take a look at the hits for yourself, they are shown here side by side in this post. There really was no difference between the two. Both were high, both were late, yet the NHL decides that one is worthy of a hefty 6 game suspension, while the other was worth only the calls made on the play by the game official. This inconsistency by the NHL and its officials is one reason why I personally feel the NHL has significant problems appealing to a wider audience. I would personally ask the NHL what the reason for this inconsistency is. Was it the fact that the Caps / Rangers game was nationally televised and had more viewers so the NHL felt compelled to show "the world" something? If that is the case, then why would the NHL not discipline another player on another team for an almost identical action? This is just one of the problems I have with the Gary Bettman era of the NHL. The NHL is making itself look indecisive and inconsistent in front of EVERYONE. Long time fans of hockey and the NHL mostly agree. I will not list them here, but there are numerous websites and blogs out there calling for Bettman to leave the NHL. I can not say that I fully disagree with them. Sure, Bettman has done some good, but so far it seems to me that he has done more harm than anything else. Is it any wonder why Bettmen is heckeled and boooo'ed every time he addresses any venue full of hockey fans? The man is hated by hockey fans about as much as the United States last president was hated by Democrats, and the rest of the planet earth.
When I first became a Washington Capitals fan, the Pittsburgh Penguins were hardly on my radar as a hated Rival. In fact for most of the time period up until the late 1980's, I thought of the Penguins as one of the lesser franchises in the NHL. The Penguins were consistently bad, and out of the playoffs for most of the 1980's, and were often finishing near the bottom of the pack in the league. That slowly began to change after the Penguins drafted two men who would be come bona-fide NHL superstars in the 1990's, by the names of Mario Lemieux, and Jaromir Jagr. It really was not until 1987 when I started to really feel a rivalry between Pittsburgh and Washington, and I can remember the exact game where those feelings were solidified and my disdain for the Penguins grew into hatred. It was a game at the Capital Centre back in March of 1987 when the Pens were in town playing the Caps. Things got ugly that game, and Mario Lemieux took a cheap shot after the whistle and went after the Caps Bobby Gould. Bobby Gould was no super star for sure. He was known has a hard working mucker and grinder, a blue collar, lunch pail kinda of player in the NHL, but he also did not take shit from anyone, burgeoning superstar or not. Gould was having none of it and pounded Lemieux, and knocked him out. Needless to say it got ugly from there, and it has been pretty ugly ever since, especially for Capitals fans. Here is the video of that fight back in 1987:
Bobby Gould Knocks Out Mario Lemieux:
Things very well may get ugly once again this series. There have been a few "dust ups" both on the ice between star players, and in the media between these two teams. The Rivalry is back on with the fans as well, as there is some rather nasty banter going on back and forth on both the Capitals message boards, and Penguins message boards. The most agregious I have seen to date have been from some Penguins fans. There have even been sub plots involving the Capitals handling of remaining ticket sales, and of some Capitals season ticket holders giving away ticket purchasing passwords to Pens fans for them to attempt to get tickets to games here in Washington. Even Washington's owner Ted Leonsis has attempted to make it even harder for Pens fans to get tickets by requiring a password for the "presale", and has also made it next to impossible to purchase tickets unless you have a Washington metropolitan area mailing / billing address. There are even rumblings that some season ticket holders who were outed for giving away or selling the password, are facing some action from the Capitals from not being able to purchase presale tickets to playoff games any longer, to outright season ticket revocation. If that is in fact that case, then I say good for Ted! Verizon Center has at times in the past been filled with black and gold, and the Caps and thier fans have finally had enough. Based on how few New York Rangers fans were able to make it in for round 1, I would bet there wont be much black and gold amongst the legions of red rockers at Verizon Center this series.
Well, most if not all of the faces have changed, and the teams have changed logos and / or colors a couple times since then, but the old rivalry that has heavily favored the Penguins and their faitful is once again front and center for both the Pens and the Caps, and their legions of fans. However, this time, this the rivalry that is on display in this Eastern Conference Semifinal series is also on display for the entire NHL, and in deed, the entire outside sports world in general. The NHL's wildest dreams have finally come true, and everyone will get to see the most coveted playoff battle of this generation. Alexander Ovechkin VS Sydney Crosby.
I mentioned previously that there have been some "dust ups" on the ice between these two clubs star players. The photo to the left is from one such incident at a game this past February here at Verizon Centre. Suffice it to say, if this is any indication, then I am certain this will rivalry will dramatically intensivy both on, and off the ice during this series, and probably for years afterwards. For those intersted, here is the video from the altercation in the photo to the left:
Alexander Ovechkin VS Sydney Crosby:
Both clubs have gone through good times, and bad since then, and both have been though a rebuild, and are once again each on the rise to the top. The difference this time is that the Washington Capitals have something they have not had in most series past when they have faced the Penguins in the post season. The Capitals have, a bona-fide superstar player. In fact, they have two. Alexander Semin, and now, Alexander Ovechkin. The Penguins once again have two bona-fide superstars as well, however they are not exactly the caliber that Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux were, at least not just yet. The Penguins have Sydney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin. While both are star caliber for sure, I personally would put them up there with the Pens two prior superstars, again, just yet. The only one that comes close in my mind, is the Caps Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin has taken the spotlight from the NHL's media darling in Sydney Crosby where it counts the most, with his on ice skills and heroics. Ovechkin is winning every individual award that Crosby and his fans wanted Sid the Kid to win, and is doing so with all the flair of a star the likes of which the NHL has not seen in decades, if ever.
Things have dramatically changed in the past two years for the Capitals. With the rebuild all but complete in Washington, the Capitals now find themselves in a position they have never been in... a serious contender for the Stanley Cup. Some believe they are just that, now. Some belive, that they are still a couple steps away from that. This series should go a long way to showing us all which mind set is the correct one at this juncture. A Caps win of this series, could go a long way towards propelling them deep into the post season, perhaps as deep as they went in 1998, and perhaps, just perhaps, all the way to Lord Stanley's Cup. But that my friends is a very big IF. The Penguins are a formidable opponent, and like the Caps are loaded with young talent that is just as hungry for a return trip for a second consecutive season, to the Stanley Cup finals.
There are plenty of "IFs" in this series . . . here are a couple of them to get you thinking:
If we thought Henrik Lundqvist was good in round one, then we should be very afraid of Marc-Andre Fleury. If Simeon Varlamov plays as good as he did against the Rangers, then the Pens should also be very afraid.
Could things finally be swinging in the Capitals favor after having lost 6 of 7 playoff series all time against a high powered Pittsburgh Penguins? Or, could the Penguins, who are once again high powered, and made another appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals last season be just too much for the Capitals? Could the Capitals finally be high powered enough to finally overcome thier nemisis? The last and only time the Caps beat the Pens in the playoffs was in the first round in the 1994 playoffs. The Capitals won that series 4 games to 2, and the Caps did not have home ice advantage that series. It all begins tomrrow at Verizon Center at 1PM EDT. Am I nervous about this series, you bet I am. That is partly why I am up at 5am writing this. However I also feel good. Our time, the Caps time, is coming, and hopefully it will start today at Verizon Center. I will be rocking my red, and humming a little tune by Journey that has kept me going the past couple of seasons. . . Dont stop... believin. . .
In tonights game one of the Anaheim Ducks / Detroit Red WingsNHLStanley Cup Playoffs, Western Conference semi final, Mike Brown of the Ducks leveled a crushing hit up high to the Red Wings Jiri Hudler at 11:29 of the 1st period. Brown was assessed a 5 minute major for interferance, and a game misconduct.(ejection) Brown came in late, well after Hudler at passed the puck away. Hudler suffered severe cuts to his head, which appeared to be caused by his helmet, and bled profusely. Hudler did however return to the game after recieving 10 stiches.
Last week in game 6 of the Washington Capitals / New York Rangers NHL Eastern Conference quater final series the Caps Donald Brashear leveled a hit on the Rangers Blair Betts that was almost identical in nature to the hit in tonights Ducks / Wings game. The NHL suspended Brashear for 5 games for the hit. Betts suffered a broken orbital bone, and did not return for the series.
I am posting video footage of both hits, and you can decide for yourself. It is my opinion that the hit Brown leveled tonight was almost no different than the one Brashear leveled last week. It is also my opinon that the NHL should suspend Brown for 5 games as well. While the injuries sustained were different, and the players leveling the hits may have somewhat different reputations, the NHL needs to show consistency here if they are going to attempt to take these kinds of hits out of the game of hockey. I should also qualify here, that it is also my opinion, that both hits were not "dirty" in nature. They may have been somewhat late, but neither were inherently "dirty".
S, you be the judge. Should the NHL suspend Brown as well, and if so, for how long? Here are the videos of each hit. Leave your comments with what you think.
Ovechkin is attempting to become the first repeat Hart winner since Dominik Hasek led the Detroit Red Wings to the Stanley Cup in 1997-98, and is also hoping to become the first forward to repeat as the Hart winner since Wayne Gretzky led the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup in 1984-85. Gretzky won the Hart Trophy eight times in a row and nine times total, tops in both categories. No left winger had won the Hart since Bobby Hull in 1966. Ovechkin already captured his second straight Rocket Richard Trophy for 08/09 season by leading the league in goals scored with 56. He finished second in the NHL in total points with 110 (he had 54 assists) to the Pittsburgh Penguins Evgeni Malkin who led the league with 113 total points. (35 goals and 78 assists).
For the first time in NHL history, all three finalists for the Hart are Russians. Ovechkin is nominated for this award along side his fellow countrymen Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings.
Who do YOU think should win the Heart this season? Feel free to leave a comment!
Welcome! I have been an avid Washington Capitals fan since 1977, when I attended my first game at Capital Centre, in Landover, MD, just 5 minutes from where I grew up in Bowie. I held season tickets from 81-92 there, in section 126, L. I then held season tickets from 99, until 07 at Verizon Center, first in 410 H, then in 408 E, then 408 A. This blog gets its name from where my seats have always been..."Behind The Goal Line". Being born and raised here in Washington, D.C. I also am an ardent & lifelong D.C. United, Nationals, and Redskins fan. This blog is not intended to be a "news" source, or anything of that nature, rather, it is just one lifelong fan and supporter's musings, opinions, thoughts, rants, perspectives, and observations on all things Caps, from on the ice, in the stands, to the front office, and around the NHL too. I will attempt to keep this updated as often as I can, so check back often as this is a work in progress. Click here for my profile.
