Gameday Preview: Caps vs. Sabres

Pop Quiz: What is the scariest sabre?

Nope, not really. Actually kind of cute.

Scarier with our current president, but no.

Any owner of the exact replica is much scarier.


It would be scary if it still existed.
Extinction tends to take the edge off.

That pesky beheading potential lends a certain amount of scariness to this. But that's not it...

Brace yourselves...

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
It's Z-ZUBIE THE BUFFASLUG!

Now that's terrifying. *Shudders*

Anyways.

So I have a sneaking suspicion that, back when I actually used to put work into these previews, no one read anything but the nicknames. That may be because I don’t say much worth reading...but who knows. Still, since there are no nicknames (give me a break, I’ve done about 60 of these – how many times can I make the same tired Daniel “Crackers and” Briere joke??) I’m thinking I need some incentive to get people to keep reading.

Whether it’s true or not, it gave me an idea – this is a little game called “how perceptive are you?” In the following preview I’ve hidden the name of a Washington Capital. Find it, e-mail me, and win a fabulous prize.

Actually no, I’m broke. You’ll win a cookie.

Okay, a picture of a cookie.

Er, an e-mail with the word ‘cookie’ in the body.

You know what, you greedy people? Your prize will be pride. There we go. Be like the Caps and play for pride alone. It’s fun!

Here we go...

- Buffalo comes into this game with a tenuous hold on first place in the Eastern Conference, leading the Devils by just 5 points. They’ve also dropped five of their last seven games, including three straight at home.

- Even without Ovechkin scoring in the last two games, the Caps’ offense has been clicking like crazy, outscoring their opponents 12-2 overall. Not only that but they’ve jumped out to the lead in their last three games, outscoring their opponents 6-0 in just the first twenty minutes. Their record over those three? 2-0-1. Now that's just craziness. You mean taking a lead early gives you a better chance of winning?? Do all the teams know about this?

- No offense to Zubie, but I’d love to see someone just knock him on his rear early on in the game. It’s really for my own therapeutic needs (and god knows I need as much therapy as possible) because in my crazy, twisted mind it will solidify him as the enemy and I won't weep everytime I see him. Grrr.

- Creaming Toronto 5-1 was a good start. A 7-1 win over Tampa was also good. But taking on a Buffalo team that remains very tough despite their recent struggles is a whole different challenge. Save for one bad period against the Sabres, though, the Caps have really held their own against high-flying Buffalo, so this should be a good one.

- Look for Semin and Fleischmann to remain on the same line, centered by a slightly improved Kris Beech. It’s hard to argue with the performance those two put on Sunday afternoon, isn’t it?

- You may remember this little incident between Ovechkin and Briere that has marred the last two meetings. It got a few headlines, nothing too major. Anyways the two guys at the center of the storm have had to play together at the All-Star Game since and appear to have buried the hatchet; still, I doubt the fans in Buffalo are about to forgive Ovie quite so quickly. I’d expect a few boos for our little Alex – he seems to thrive on it, though, so maybe he’ll snap his mini-drought.

- Martin Biron was shipped off to bottom-feeding Philly at the deadline and Conklin already got his token game during the final stretch, so I’d expect to see Miller between the pipes. As for the Caps – it’s gotta be Olie. You don’t mess with a hot goalie, and he’s been phenomenal since coming back from injury.

- Each team has scored ten goals against the other over the last two games between the Caps and Sabres. However...that was before the Age of Jurcina. Bring on Le Petit Briere. (I am, however, picturing 2 shots on goal by Zubie. And 15 missed shots.)

- Road wins have proven to be hard to get for the Caps lately, whose woes away from Verizon Center suddenly ramped up after a surprisingly good start to the season. They come into Buffalo seeking just their 11th road win, their 10 so far putting them one ahead of last place buddies Florida and Calgary and even with LA.

Did you find it?

Here’s a hint...have you submitted your nickname yet? Just 12 hours to go before the deadline, get to brainstorming!