Gameday Preview: Caps vs. Devils

Who: Your Nation's Capitals vs. New Jersey Devils
Where: Continental Airlines Arena
50 Route 120
East Rutherford, NJ 07073
When: Friday, December 29, 7:30 pm

Broadcast Info: NC8, WTNT 570 AM; FSN NY, WFAN 660

Media Notes:
WashingtonCaps.com
NewJerseyDevils.com
NHL.com
Washington Post
Newark Star-Ledger

2006-07 Season Series: Caps 0-1-0, Devils 1-0-0

2006-07 Standings: Caps 16-14-7, 39 points - 3rd in division, 9th in conference; Devils 20-13-3, 43 points - 1st in division, 3rd in conference

Last Game: December 22 in Washington, Caps lost 4-1
- 'Fear the Visor' was a rousing success, but that would be the last joy for Caps fans for the rest of the night as the Devils continued their domination over the Caps.
- It actually was a pretty good game by the Caps despite the fact that only 5 defenseman were playing. But Marty made his requisite big saves and kept his satanic minions in the game long enough to create some offense.
- The Caps outshot the Devils, proving once again that only bad things happen when they follow conventional wisdom. Let's allow 45 shots on net and only take 20, who's with me?
- Not much else to say about this game except they ruined my sister's birthday. Okay, maybe they didn't ruin it, but it certainly didn't put us in a good mood.

Things to Look for:
- It doesn't seem to matter who is behind the bench or on it - the Devils always seem to play that same boring neutral trap in hopes that the other team (and their fans) will simply fall asleep. Last game the Caps did a good job of shutting that down, forcing the Devils to actually skate a bit. I'm hoping a night off after two rough losses will get them ready to do that again.
- The Devils average fewer fans per game than the Caps. I didn't think that was physically possible, but there you go. Anyways, that's good - no loud noises to startle the boys, just the peaceful silence of 10,000 people simultaneously not cheering. Ah, the comforts of home.
- Morrisonn will likely return tonight from what turned out to be mononucleosis...wow, poor Mo. It's good to have him back, but I hope they don't push him too hard in his first game.
- These days the Caps are a bit schizophrenic (but what else is new), so it's hard to predict what to look for. I'll give it a shot, though -

• Signs we're in for a rough night: Hanlon insists on piling Ovie, Zubie and Semin on the same line; Pothier turns over the puck in the first five minutes; Green takes a penalty in the first five minutes; Sutherby again finds himself with a great scoring chance...that goes right into the goalie's chest; the puck bounces over the Caps' goalie and into the net.
• Signs of a possible two points: Brooks Laich is rewarded for his hard work with a goal; Olie or Johnny makes a great save in the first two minutes; the Caps win the opening faceoff; Caps pass to other Caps and not someone in a bright red jersey; Brodeur gets frightened by Ovie's tinted visor and hides behind the net, allowing him to score easily.

One of those is obviously slightly less likely than the others...

...the Caps never win the opening faceoff.

Possible Lineup for the Caps
[Pretty please, Hanlon?]
Update: According to Vogel, these lines are not accurate. However, I choose to protest in hopes that Hanlon will see the light and go with our old standard...
Forwards:
8-Alex "Castrati" Ovechkin, 9-Dainius "Tossed" Zubrus, 17-Chris "the Shield" Clark
28-Alexander "Hold the Line" Semin, 24-Kris "Kringle" Beech, 18-Matt "Princess" Pettinger
87-Donald "Downey Dumper" Brashear, 16-Brian "Sahara Desert" Sutherby, 27-Ben "Point Shot" Clymer
21-Brooks "the Man" Laich, 15-Boyd "Killer" Gordon, 38-Jakub "Turnover" Klepis

Defensemen:
2-Brian "Slumpy" Pothier, 26-Shaone "Petri Dish" Morrisonn
??-Timo Helbling, 52-Mike "Penalty" Green
3-Lawrence "Erskine Lite" Nycholat, 44-Steve "Surprise!" Eminger

Goaltenders:
1-Brent "Olie" Johnson, 37-Olie "Bouncing Back" Kolzig

Possible Lineup for the Devils
Forwards:
23-Scott Gomez "Addams", 26-Patrick Elias "Kosh B'Gosh", 14-Brian "Golly" Gionta
9-Zach "Morris" Parise, 19-Travis "Pat" Zajac, 15-Jamie Langenbrunner
20-Jay Pandolfo, 11-John "NFL" Madden, 18-Sergei Brylin
17-Michael Rupp, 12-Jim Dowd, 25-Cam "the Enforcer" Janssen

Defensemen:
21-Brad "Salem" Lukowich, 28-Brian Rafalski
7-Paul Martin, 25-John "How" Oduya "Do"
2-"The Life and Times of" David Hale, 8-Alexander "Copycat" Brooks

Goaltenders:
30-Martin "Fear the Visor" Brodeur, 40-Scott "Ride the Bench" Clemmensen