It's been great to see the growing friendship over the past few years between the Caps and other local sports teams like the Washington Nationals, and tonight Mike Green and Cristobal Huet became the fourth and fifth members of the Caps to make their way out to the mound to throw out the opening pitch. Here are a few captured moments from the evening: Green and Huet make their way out to the mound. Yes, even at baseball games I'm bringing you a view from the cheap seats... A little love from the Nats for the postseason run. Okay, so when do we get to see Felipe Lopez and Ryan Zimmerman out on the ice? 
Green after his pitch - looked pretty good to me!
Huet getting ready for his turn
Getting critiqued by Jason Bergmann
Huet's second job of the evening was the delivery of the line-up cards...
...and apparently chatting up the umpires. "Hey, guys, help out the Nats and I'll get you Caps playoff tickets!" (It didn't work, sorry, Cris.)
Green's second task was to get the game underway with the traditional "Let's Play Ball!"
Poor Mike's mic didn't work, though, so they got him another...which also didn't work. He took it in stride, though!
Monday, April 07, 2008
Let's Go Caps...er, Nats!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Two Points and a Million Heart Attacks
Congratulations to #8 for #100 and #300...and thank you, Cristobal.Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Ten is Enough
"We heard them. [Matt Bradley] was like, 'The fans wanted it, and I am a fan favorite, so I had to give them what they wanted." - Brooks Laich, on the fans chanting "we want 10" with the Caps up 9-2
There are a number of ways to look at this game - feel free to pick your favorite.
One way would be to write it off as yet another chapter of the Caps' ongoing inconsistencies, off one night and on the next. Just one more reason why a postseason berth is not only out of reach but also not advisable. They can't keep it together for any length of time, they don't know how to get a lead/hold a lead/put together a string of wins.
Another would be to look at this recent stretch and point to it as the third dominant performance in the last four games, the third time in four games the Caps scored four or more goals against a hot goaltender, and the second time in three games the Caps ended another team's winning streak.
Or you could just look at it as a simply thrilling, amazing, incredible performance, built on a foundation of Ovechkin's talent, by a team that is starting to find its way. Whether that way is on the road to the playoffs is not yet known, but the way the Caps came out last night - came out and didn't let up - was enough to give even the most jaded fan hope for the future.
First things first, though: in case you haven't heard, Alex Ovechkin is a beast. Three goals (numbers 50, 51 and 52 which ties a career high), two assists, and step aside Mr. Malkin - there's a new sheriff in town. It was the kind of performance that not only had you believing once more that he could reach the 60-goal mark, you started to think he could do it by the final horn.
Everything he touched seemed to turn to gold; it was the Ovechkin of January, not the one recently mired in a 7-game slump. He was everywhere, doing everything, and we were all treated to that familiar gap-toothed smile once more.
But he wasn't the only one grinning tonight. When all was said and done fifteen different players had registered a point in the definition of a team win. Only Semin, Laich and Fedorov were in the minus column (all -1), and only Morrisonn and Green were even. Seven different players registered multi-point games; three different players had multi-goal games. Donald Brashear even had a multi-fight game...sort of.
Everyone, from wide-eyed rookie to seasoned vet to longtime Cap to brand new face had a role. Matt Cooke made his presence known early with his first goal as a Cap just over thirty seconds in, then followed it up with a bruising four hit performance and two assists.
Fedorov may have been held off the scoresheet pointswise but he won eleven of his sixteen draws, made some nice passes and certainly wasn't invisible. And before leaving the game after the second period (a purely precautionary move after experiencing some back spasms), Huet had turned away 20 of the 22 shots he faced.
Even better is the fact that the Caps, old and new, did it all in front of a huge audience - the fans continue to fill the seats and let their cheers ring from the rafters as the Caps continue their winning ways. Official attendance figures put tonight's game at 17,189...for a Monday night game. Unheard of in recent years when a different gold and black clad team isn't in town, that's for sure. Add in those of us watching on Versus and on TSN up in Canada, and you've got hundreds of thousands of people checking out the Caps and being treated to a phenomenal game. Nothing sells the rest of the hockey world on this team better than showing them firsthand.
We always like to say that a game like this is the elusive 60-minute game this team always looks for yet rarely finds. After all, there were little moments of confusion and the Bruins did get on the board twice, but there was never a sense that the game was in jeopardy, never a sense the Caps would let up. As the horn sounds we ready ourselves for the inevitable feeling of landing back on earth, always waiting for the other shoe to drop and the team to revert back to their bad habits the next time out.
But is such a game so elusive anymore? Does that blasted shoe really have to drop?
Go back and look at the last four games again. In the last four games only once did this team look outclassed and outworked for any stretch of time, and then it wasn't a case of taking off a period or two so much as it was not showing up at all. They took on three elite teams to get their three wins in this most recent stretch, outscoring their defensive-minded opponents 18-3. Two of their last four were of the coveted "game in hand" variety, and they won both - decisively. They're still very much alive in both the race for Southeast Division champ and the race for 8th in the conference, sitting three and four points out respectively. Inconsistencies? Or growing pains? You decide.
Regardless, it can't be denied that this team has been given a jolt. Maybe it's the new players adding a bit of life to the lineup. Maybe it's the young guys finally recognizing what the playoff push looks and feels like, what it takes to win against the league's best. Maybe it's just time for this team.
What matters now is that, like the team, we don't get too high with the highs. A win is a win is a win, two points no matter how many goals you score.
Translation? This game means more only if the next game is a win...fifteen games left, buckle up.
All photos courtesy of WashingtonCaps.com
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Working the Three Goalie System
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Looking at this move from both a GM standpoint and a hockey fan standpoint, bringing Huet in for a song was absolutely the right thing to do. You get a proven number one goalie with experience but also with lots of good years left, someone who can bridge the gap between the old guard and the new - and all for a second round pick in two years. You also shore up a position that, while solid recently, has had peaks and valleys this season and could be a weak spot heading into the postseason.
And, if they can work it right, this move gives the Caps a lot of options. If one guys falters there's someone else to pick up the slack, and if that guy falters there's still someone else in the wings to come in and clean up. It's a luxury a lot of teams don't have - actually it's one that no teams have, and you have to think that it will push all three goalies to play at their best. We've already seen how Olie responded on Tuesday, stopping 34 of 35 shots in a stellar performance that coupled with Laich's offensive explosion gave the Caps a huge two points. If that's how he responds the rest of the way, things could be very promising for this team down the stretch.
But while both Olie and Johnny remain just as classy as ever, there are rumblings. Johnson is frustrated (and understandably so), coming in just at the end of practice today for a bit of ice time and conceivably manning the stands for at least the near future. Kolzig's agent is reportedly unhappy that the Caps brought in another number one goalie. The coach doesn't seem to be completely on board with the idea of a three-man rotation, although like the others he's being professional in airing his concern.
It is confusing why McPhee would choose not to move one of the other two guys, particularly Johnson. If he's not going to play here there had to be another team in need of a solid backup who is having his best season in quite a few years - and keeping him here isn't going to do Johnson any favors. He's not going to get to play much if at all, no matter how much McPhee and others may assure fans and the media that three goalies is a workable situation.
There's no question that Kolzig and Johnson will both handle this with professionalism. Neither is going to snub Huet; after all, it's not his fault he's here and that's not their way even if it was. Neither is going to pout and complain. Olie has said he would do everything he could to make Huet comfortable and Johnson made a point of saying that he would continue to be a positive presence in the locker room.
But what about the psychological impact, the confidence level? Whether the Caps were looking for a new number one goalie or not (and I don't believe they were), you have to think that both Johnson and Kolzig are feeling like the team has no confidence in them to take this team to the next level. It's something the team, the coaches and the management will have to work with down the stretch to avoid this becoming a poisonous situation.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
New Troops in Town
So the deadline has passed, the dust is slowly settling, and it's time to take stock of what we've got, what we lost, and where we're going.
Let's start with the first deal of the day for the Caps. GMGM snatches up Cristobal Huet from Montreal for a second round pick in 2009, the pick received in exchange for Brian Sutherby. Talk about maximizing your assets - in Huet the Caps get a 32-year-old goalie who is a proven starter, a goalie capable of stealing games for his team despite his recent slump, a goalie familiar with our coach and his systems, and someone who down the road could carry the work between the pipes while we wait for our baby goalies to develop.
Drawbacks? He doesn't bring a lot of playoff experience, with just six games under his belt (although his 2.33 GAA and .929 save % are pretty numbers for that stretch). He has the tendency to be a bit inconsistent and even admitted himself that he didn't work hard enough to keep his spot in the Habs lineup. Still, it's hard to be too upset with a guy who comes to us for little more than a pick. Now the question becomes, with the deadline come and gone, what happens in net? We have three goaltenders...only two can stay. You do the math.
Moving on to the second "holy hell, where did that come from" trade - Sergei Fedorov, acquired from the Blue Jackets in exchange for prospect and 2007 draftee Ted Ruth. This is another one of those potentially low risk, high reward moves for the Caps, and Fedorov brings a few things to the table that could be key.
He provides another veteran Russian presence for our two young Russians, which is going to be key down the stretch. He's also got experience (as we all remember) with winning a Stanley Cup, and he fills Nylander's center spot - something that the Caps have needed since losing Michael for the season. As for downsides, again, low risk, potentially high reward here; if he doesn't work out we have him for about a month and then set him free, and if he does, we might see ourselves doing more in April than we have in many years.
And the final piece in the puzzle, Matt Cooke coming to DC from Vancouver in return for Matt Pettinger. We've talked about Pettinger around here already and it really looked like his days were numbered; he just wasn't getting it done for the Caps anymore and you have to like that he'll get a second chance to prove himself on a team he grew up rooting for. In Cooke the Caps add some grit to the third or fourth line, a similar player to Pettinger but more of an agitator. It's something that has been lacking a bit in the lineup and all in all it looks like another good deal.
Oh, and welcome back to Alexandre Giroux, who returns to the Caps in exchange for Joe Motzko. I think I speak for all of us when I say...woo.
So the dust slowly settles and it looks like we can throw that whole "standing pat" thing out the window for sure. But this was a good day for GMGM and the Caps. Some key moves shoring up some key positions while not giving away the farm, and a definite message that this team is serious about making the playoffs.
A few things of note - the Caps, as I mentioned, did not move Olie or Johnson, so there is a bit of an issue in net and we'll have to see how that plays out. Also, Steve Eminger remains a Cap even after saying he hoped something would happen...and the mystery of Eminger's lost season continues. More on that later. And no solid defensemen were added, although it didn't really look like the pool was that great to begin with so you can't really blame McPhee for that.
Twenty games left (including one tonight, don't forget) and the Caps sit five points out of the playoffs with a couple of fresh faces in for the stretch run. Hard not to get excited, isn't it?
