Monday, October 30, 2006

Gameday Preview: Caps vs. Flames

Who: Your Nation's Capitals vs. Calgary Flames
Where: Pengrowth Saddledome
555 Saddledome Rise SE
Calgary, AB, Canada T2G 2W1
When: Monday, October 30, 2006, 9:00 PM EST

Media Notes:
WashingtonCaps.com

Washington Post

TSN.ca

Calgary Sun

Calgary Sun Gameday Preview

CalgaryFlames.com

NHL.com


Broadcast Information: Comcast SportsNet, WTEM-980 AM; Sportsnet, The Fan 960

2005-2006 Series: N/A

Last Game: January 14, 2004 in Washington, 3-3 tie
- This crazy game featured no offense until the last 6 minutes of play, when both teams exploded for 3 goals apiece. The first three goals came within a minute and a half, and goals 4, 5, and 6 came in the last minute. The scoring was capped off with a goal from Jaromir Jagr with 0.8 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.
- The offensive downpour at the end of the game ended Olie Kolzig’s shutout streak at 169 minutes, 20 seconds.
- Trent Whitfield scored his first goal of the season, then followed up with a fighting major in the extra frame.
- The Caps were outshot 44 to 25 in the game – they were outshot 17-6 in the first period and 7-2 in overtime.
- The low-scoring affair was accented by being a low penalty affair; the Caps were whistled for 5 infractions, the Flames for only 2. Neither team converted with the extra man.
- Defensemen Joel Kwiatkowski and Jason Doig led all players in ice time, with each player logging over 27 minutes for the Caps. Go figure.
- Glen Hanlon on the game: “It felt like a Pee-Wee game at the end -- in all due respect to Pee-Wee’s...[i]t was happening so quick. It was really quite confusing.''
- Jarome Iginla, resident psychic: “We need a shootout now...[w]e needed a shootout to get the result at the end there.''

Things to Watch For:
- In the last three games the Caps have been outshot 44-11 and outscored 4-1 in the first period alone. With a record of 0-3-2 when trailing after 1, this should probably change...soon.
- The Caps are finishing up their longest road trip of the season, inching closer to their own time zone. The extra hour of sleep on Saturday and the day off yesterday were hopefully enough to give them back their legs in time to meet a slumping but still dangerous Flames team.
- Calgary hasn’t beaten the Caps since 1999 (which is only 6 games total, so take that with a grain of salt). - Flames’ Captain Jarome Iginla once again leads his team in points (9), goals (5) and shots (37).
- The Flames are ranked 26th in the league in goals scored, producing only 23 in their first 9 games. They were also ranked 24th in the league on the power play, connecting for 12.3%; however, in their last four games they have gone 6 for 24 for a 25% effectiveness rate.
- Calgary features two defensemen on their roster with the last name of Regehr, no relation. Nothing to watch for there, I just thought it was interesting. :)

Projected Lineups for the Caps
Forwards:
8-Alex “Shards of Glass” Ovechkin, 9-Dainius “Ansel Adams” Zubrus, 17-Chris “The Captain” Clark
28-Alex “2.0” Semin, 16-Brian “K.O.” Sutherby, 10-Matt “Empty Netter” Bradley
18-Matt “Don’t Call Me Princess” Pettinger, Brooks “What’s Not to” Laich, 20-Richard “The Forechecker” Zednik
87-Donald “Piano Man” Brashear, 15-Boyd “Flash” Gordon , 22-Rico “SuavĂ©” Fata

Defensemen:
2-Brian “The Capital Capital” Pothier, 26-Shaone “Ovie, Duck!” Morrisonn
27-Ben “The DC Diva” Clymer, 44-Steve “Jim” Eminger
6-Bryan “Healthy Scratch” Muir, 52-Mike “Fauxhawk” Green

Goaltenders:
1-Brent “Heeere’s Johnny!” Johnson, 37-Olie “The Other Captain” Kolzig

Projected Lineups for the Flames
Forwards:
40-Alex Tanguay, 22-Daymond Langkow, 12-Jarome Iginla
16-Jeff Friesen, 18-Matthew Lombardi, 19-Chuck Kobasew
20-Kristian Huselius, 24-Jamie Lundmark, 10-Tony Amonte
26-Marcus Nilson, 15-Byron Ritchie, 25-Darren McCarty

Defensemen:
3-Dion Phaneuf, 28-Robyn Regehr
4-Roman Hamrlik, 7-Andrei Zyuzin
21-Andrew Ference, 44-Rhett Warrener

Goaltenders:
29-Jamie McLennan, 34-Miikka Kiprusoff

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