This team is so fun.
No, really. It would be boring if they insisted on playing one way the entire season, consistently well or consistently badly, let alone within one game. Playoff race shmayoff race, it's much more fun this way - keeps us on our toes, we never really know what we're going to get.
Except when it comes to the great #8. With him, what you see is what you get night in and night out. Passion. Exuberance. Skill. Magic. The ability to put an entire team on his back and carry them out of the doldrums to a sparkling comeback win...all while notching his 60th goal of the year.
This game was three games in one, a three act play consisting of drama and tragedy and comdey and ultimate redemption. If you watched it all the way through and didn't feel winded by the end, well...you clearly weren't watching it right.
Act One:
Our heroes take the ice, purported favorites in a battle against those hapless underdogs, the Atlanta Thrashers. The two teams circle one another, the heroes tentative, unsure, gunshy...they are after all still reeling from two nights before and in an effort to avoid a repeat they move slowly. Carefully. Don't make a mistake, don't get too flashy. A few good chances either way but a slow period, a boring one.
#8 takes center stage. He loops with his young upstart centerman, criss-crosses the ice as calmly as if he is walking across a street, and fires a shot between the gaping pads of a stunned Kari Lehtonen. 1-0 for the heroes. There is much rejoicing, high fives and songs of praise.
Act Two:
A plot twist - the heroes' alter egos take their places, true doppelgangers in every aspect except talent and drive. The scrappy 
underdogs aren't about to let the heroes slip away with a one goal lead. They pounce on a power play chance, the young Swede from the cagey veterans making it a tie game.
Then it happens. A bad bounce, a bad pass, a bad look and a power play for the heroes turns into a nightmare. A man who has never scored on our heroes is suddenly on the board with the go-ahead goal, one that seems to deflate the team and the fans.
Nine minutes later...the nightmare continues. The lights darken, fog filters out onto the ice, the men in white are on the ropes and looking as though they're about to fall. The underdogs will have their day and it will be against our heroes, another defeat with just twenty minutes of bad work and twenty minutes left to right the wrong. It doesn't seem possible.
Act Three:
Enter the great #8.
He takes the ice along with his linemates and sets the new game in motion, whirling and twirling around a stunned group of underdogs with a renewed passion and vigor. The rest follow. It is a brand new day, the heroes have reemerged, vanquished their doppelgangers to reclaim their rightful place atop the throne.
Shot after shot is fired, turned away with increasing difficulty by the mighty Lehtonen. It's only a matter of time now, only a matter of time until...
3-2. 60. In the moment it is a goal that cuts the deficit in half; in the eyes of history it is a marker that continues to cement the Gr8 One as truly among the greats.
And then the burden of getting the win at all costs falls to our young Swede, baby-faced and unassuming, the setup man, rarely the hero. He does something he never does - he shoots the puck. It goes in. The team explodes. The tide is turning, you can feel it, and the score is even at 3. Suddenly the energy is flowing through everyone, the team, the fans...something is happening here.
32 seconds later it's the young Swede again, a blistering top corner shot that gives our heroes the lead. The young Swede is chased by the great #8 and all five players on the ice congregate in the corner, bouncing and screaming with unbridled exuberance. It is a moment of pure joy amid the stunned Atlanta faithful, shared by the fans at home and the lucky few who made the journey to see it live.
An undefended net yields a fifth tally...and the curtain falls on a thrilling end.
Okay, maybe it wasn't as dramatic as that - but watching it at home you could almost hear the sweeping strains of the orchestra in the background, see the stage lighting and the suspense-creating cuts and flashes. It was a night when the dramatic was what was needed and the Caps delivered, a spectacular win to end a stretch of playing not-so-spectacular.
And in the end what it comes down to is two points sorely needed by the Caps. With the Flyers pulling ahead of Boston and Buffalo falling to the Leafs the Caps amazingly close the gap for eighth to just one point. The 8th place Bruins hold two games in hand on the Caps, one of which will disappear tonight - against the Habs, a team that has beaten them ten consecutive times.
For tonight, at least, we're all Canadiens fans.
The Caps get a little breather now before facing the mighty Hurricanes of Carolina - and we get a little breather to recover from a night that was truly a showcase of the worst and the best this team has to offer. And when the best wins out...that's a great night.
All photos courtesy of AP
Saturday, March 22, 2008
What a Thrill
Friday, March 21, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Shooting Gallery
Courtesy of ESPN, check out the shot breakdown from last night...those are some beautiful little x's to the left, aren't they?
Keeping Hope Alive
Dominant.
That's one word you could use to describe the Caps' 4-1 victory over the Thrashers last night. Simply dominant.
Despite falling behind 1-0 in the first and appearing a little sluggish to start the game, the Caps still managed to outshoot, outdraw, outhit and outscore a weary Atlanta team en route to a crucial two points. It was a truly great team win and continues a long stretch of games in which the Caps have simply outplayed their opponent, including the two heartbreakers last weekend. Wins like this are what make you believe in the unbelievable, expect the unexpected and keep hope alive.
But back to the game itself.
First of all...Brooks Laich. Is there anything you can say about this guy that hasn't been said in recent weeks? He's clutch, becoming a player who can play in any situation at any position and still rack up points. He now has three multiple goal games in his last nine, racking up 10 goals and 12 points in his last 12 games - those are Ovechkin-esque numbers for sure, and he now sits just one goal shy of his first 20 goal season. Brooks was truly the star of the game last night and you could feel the whole crowd pulling for him to get the hat trick by the end. It'll happen eventually.
But he was but one star among many last night. The entire team absolutely shut down any hope of a Thrashers attack, stifling them to allow only 11 shots - a low mark even for a team like Atlanta that is routinely outshot.
It was textbook defensive positioning all night long, with Olie making the necessary saves but not really facing any sort of sustained attack from anywhere in close. The one goal against was a perfectly placed, wobbling shot from the point that came just as a penalty to the Caps was expiring - the only offense provided by an Atlanta team that barely sniffed the offensive zone.
Watching the second period alone was like watching poetry in motion. It was shift after shift of puck possession, from the top line down to the gritty fourth-liners and everyone in between. They ran the Atlanta defense around until they were dizzy and peppered Lehtonen constantly, who basically prevented this game from getting any uglier than it already was with some sparkling saves to keep it close.
And it wasn't that close.
Ovechkin was dominant, scoring his 57th of the year and putting him one point shy of his second 100-point season (and 3 shy of 300 for his career) - but he didn't have to be. The beauty of the team win is that the rest of the team was right there to back him up and his goal was nothing more than icing on the cake.
Mike Green was flying all over the place and seems poised to break out of his recent goal-scoring slump in the coming days. The line of Bradley, Gordon and Brashear was entertaining and dominant all night, arguably the best line through 60 minutes with some great chances that just didn't cash in. Matt Cooke gave the Caps a breather with a perfectly timed, perfectly placed and joyously celebrated shorthanded goal.
And congratulations to Sami Lepisto, whose assist on Laich's second goal gives him his first NHL point!
Now for the usual scoreboard watching, looking around the league to see who helped us and who goes on the "useless" list. The one most concerning Caps fans was last night's Buffalo-Carolina game, a tricky one as the Caps could have leapt over the Sabres with a Carolina win but would have fallen further behind in the Southeast division.
With the fresh eyes of morning it appears that the result, a 7-1 drubbing by Buffalo, worked out just fine for the Caps. They now sit 3 points behind Philly for the 8th seed and remain one point behind Buffalo; they've pulled to within 5 of the Southeast lead once more and still have two games against the Canes plus a game in hand.
Meanwhile the Rangers pick an inopportune time (shocking) to end their point streak, falling to Florida 3-2 and allowing the Panthers to stay neck in neck with the Caps. You know, it just wouldn't be a regular NHL season if Florida didn't make one last run at the playoffs in the dying days of the season, would it? All we can hope is that this year turns out like all the others...and they fall just short once again.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Gameday Preview: Caps vs Thrashers
Who: Washington Capitals vs. Atlanta Thrashers
Where: Philips Arena
When: Wednesday, February 13, 7:30 pm
Broadcast Info: CSN, 3WT Radio;
Media Notes:
Caps' Site
NHL.com
Washington Post
Washington Times
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Carolina may have pulled out a win last night, but by the end of this one there will be at least one new division leader. Again. It's gotten to the point where you can get whiplash just watching the standings from day to day, and while that's loads of fun you can bet the Caps and their fans will breathe easier if they can start to open up some sort of lead in the division standings.
They get their next chance to do just that when the travel to Atlanta to kick off a three game road trip through the division - one that, and stop me if you've heard this one, could prove to be a turning point for their playoff quest.
The Caps haven't been to Atlanta since early November, sandwiching that game and this most recent visit around three straight meetings here in DC. Atlanta has taken two of those three games, so the Caps will be looking to return some of that Southern hospitality and open up a three point lead on their friendly foes.
Like everything else in the Southeast Division, these two teams are fairly even matched. Separated by only one point in the standings, the Caps and Thrashers have both experienced a renaissance of sorts (albeit an inconsistent one at times) after firing their coaches. A pair of Russian sharpshooters lead the way in goals and points for each team; a pair of Swedish rookies in assists. The Caps are 18th in power play effectiveness, the Thrashers 16th. Penalty killers are ranked 21st for the Caps, 26th for Atlanta. Each team has 27 wins.
But the reality is the Caps have been the hotter team of late - and again, stop me if you've heard this one, they should be able to win this game. Atlanta's offensive firepower is potent and their goalie can keep them in a lot of games, but when one of your top defensive pairings is Ken Klee and Alexei Zhitnik, you're weak on the blue line...and the Caps need to exploit that. Throw in the fact that the Caps have recently gotten their specialty teams back on track with a clinic in both just three days ago, and this team is ready to go.
Oh, and they need to watch out for that Hossa guy - he scores a mean empty-netter.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Empty Cheap Seats
If you haven't noticed already, posting has been sporadic (read: nonexistent) around here lately, due to some out of town visitors in the Cheap Seats who require full attention. We'll resume our regularly scheduled programming Sunday - until then, here's a quick rundown of what's new in CapsWorld:
- The Caps blow a three goal lead Thursday night and still manage to win it in a nailbiter of an overtime. If nothing else, they make it interesting...
- That Ovechkin kid's got a real future in hockey.
- Alex + broken nose = a 5 point night??
- Dozens of kids attended practice yesterday and could be seen cheering and screaming excitedly as a few of the Caps graciously signed autograph after autograph. I give you the next generation of Caps fans, folks!
- Atlanta comes to town tonight but Mr. Potato Head rules the day.
(By the way...I want one. Seriously, if anyone wants to send me one I would love it. Otherwise I have to go track down a kid of some sort and that could get messy.)
The resemblance is striking...
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Gameday Preview: Caps vs Thrashers
Who: Washington Capitals vs. Atlanta Thrashers
Where: Verizon Center
When: Wednesday, November 20, 7 pm
Broadcast Info: CSN, 3WT Radio; SportSouth, 680 the Fan
Media Notes:
Caps' Website
NHL.com
Washington Post
Washington Times
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Quote of the day, courtesy of Olie Kolzig: "The grass has gotten greener, but it hasn't turned into wins."
Indeed.
The boys have apparently gotten mad, studied plenty of game tape, had an intense practice, changed up the lines and gone back to basics. That's exactly what I've been waiting to hear. Let's get that, er, grassy win, shall we?
In this corner, weighing in at 224 pounds...the one...the only...Viktor...KOZLOV!
Viktor: 1st round, 6th overall
Slava: 3rd round, 45th overall
Slava: The Professor, the Other Kozlov
Viktor: 0
Slava: 2
Tiebreaker: Head-to-Head
Caps vs. Thrashers, 2007-08
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
A Loser Point: Better Than Nothing
There are few things more frustrating than not being able to watch a Caps game - having them lose said game to the Thrashers, a team that until last night held the distinctive position of last in the conference, is just that.
I'm kind of speechless at this point - a rarity, I know. If you want a good breakdown of the numbers you can check out Japers' Rink, and for a really nice review of the game (and a humorous review of seeing a game in the deep south) from a Caps fan in Atlanta, go to Caps Blue Line. And just for funsies, you can read the NHL.com story on Chris Bourque - a story I would have preferred to see yesterday, but what can you do...
Is it April yet?
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Blackouts Stink
- There were some strange doings around the league last night. On a night when Pascal Leclaire wasn't even playing, there were 5 shutouts among the 8 games - three of those by a final score of 5-0.
- Yahoo! Sports has put out a list of underrated players for each team, and I don't think it's any surprise that Boyd Gordon is the Capitals' representative. Even less of a surprise? The fact that 85% of them are guys I enjoy watching. What can I say, I love the underrated underdog.
- Kolzig and Ovechkin both will appear on this year's All-Star ballot - again, no surprises there, although it's nice to see Olie get on there. People, I beg of you, let's avoid the whole embarrassment we had last year. Vote early, vote often to get them both in there. It may be a meaningless, badly played game but it shows the league that Caps' fans have passion for a change. I know we can do it. Voting opens November 15...
- And finally, Chris Bourque gets the call tonight for his long-awaited NHL debut. Of course, none of us will get to see it (thank you, Versus) but I think this could be a spark for the Caps. Frankly it has to - something has to.
- So Brent Johnson will probably get the nod tonight against Atlanta given his numbers against them and the fact that Olie was chased in last night's game (although you can't really blame him for any of those goals). The Caps on the other hand will be facing Lehtonen's backup's backup, Ondrej Pavelec, who will be appearing in just his fourth NHL game.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Hartley Gone, Problems Still Abound
The web is buzzing today with the news that Bob Hartley, our very bestest friend, has become the first casualty of Atlanta's dubious 0-6-0 start. Caps fans in particular seem both overjoyed and unsurprised by the move and I'd count myself among them as we bid adieu to Smilin' Bob.
Being winless and in fact pointless to start the season isn't good. To score only 9 goals and be shutout twice with the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk, Slava Kozlov and Marian Hossa on your team is even worse. Throw in a painful four-game sweep at the hand of the Rangers back in April and it's no wonder that Hartley got the axe.
What's happening in Atlanta, though, is not as great a fall as people seem to think and that is because, and I mean this with all due respect, they weren't that great a team last year. They were average, maybe even good. They started out hot and at times seemed poised to run away with the division. But this was a division that frankly was a pretty easy division to win - and they barely did that, holding off Tampa with a whip and a chair as the season drew to a close.
Oh, and save the talk about two of the last three Cup champs being from the Southeast. Our division has, in the past, done plenty to remove the moniker of "SouthLeast" and the Carolina and Tampa teams that won were great teams; the ones we saw last year were not.
Atlanta finished with 97 points last year. 43 of those came from division play. That's almost 45% of their point total for the year. Compare that with the seven other postseason teams in the East:
Buffalo - 113 points, 39 from division rivals (34.5%)
New Jersey - 107 points, 47 from division rivals (43%)
Ottawa - 105 points, 41 from division (39%)
Pittsburgh - 105 points, 43 from division (41%)
NY Rangers - 94 points, 35 from division (37%)
Tampa Bay - 93 points, 40 from division (43%)
NY Islanders - 92 points, 38 from division (41%)
Look who comes the closest - NJ and Pittsburgh, who had the Flyers to kick around but also managed 100+ point seasons (while also playing each other 8x), and Tampa...another Southeast Division alum.
But let's not stop there; look at the most telling total from the Thrashers "glorious" season - overtime and shootout losses. Atlanta picked up 7 points (5 OT, 2 SO) from losses in the extra frame against division foes, more than any other postseason team. Even the Islanders, who squeaked into the playoffs by way of a shootout win, earned only four points by essentially losing to their Atlantic rivals.
I'm not going to rally against the point system right now because I have neither the will nor the energy - but take away those 7 loser points and the Thrashers were on the outside looking in.
That's not to say that Atlanta didn't have a decent team last year. When I say they weren't that good I don't mean they were worthy of a last place finish. They've got considerable talent and youth (neither of which is found in their current captain, but again, another discussion for another day) and they did a fair job of taking out the Caps on more than one occasion last year.
But they were for large stretches of the season inconsistent - and I don't mean that mildly. I mean blatantly, glaringly inconsistent, winning 5 or 6 in a row and then losing 5 or 6 in a row. Even when the season started and they picked up points in 11 of their first 12 games, four of their wins came in the extra frame, three of those were OT or shootout losses - and 9 of those games were against the Southeast.
So here's where they stand right now. Going into this season they've lost their big free agent rental Tkachuk, Caps-killer Jon Sim, Andy Sutton, JP Vigier, Greg De Vries, Vitali Vishnevsky, Niko Kapanen and Shane Hnidy, all of whom were part of getting them to the postseason for the first time in franchise history.
They picked up Ken Klee.
And they're placing their hopes on a 23 year old goaltender who will probably be a great goalie someday, you know, when he grows up.
...and they're 0-6 why now? Puzzler.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Taking Out the Thrash
Puck possession is a phrase that was tossed around a lot during training camp. We're going to be a puck possession team. It's easier to defend when you have the puck. These are guys who will keep the puck for long stretches of time.
Tonight we got to see it - and it's real.
Watching the first period tonight it was clear that so many things have changed since last year. Whether it's the fact that the Caps can now consistently maintain control of the offensive zone or the fact that the Thrashers' defense is just as good (ahem) as advertised, as a Caps fan you couldn't help but be in awe of the spectacular dominance the boys displayed in that opening frame.
Even the usual second period dropoff, which reminds us that the more things change, the more they stay the same, wasn't as catastrophic as it could have been. One goal, a softie that spoiled an otherwise stellar game by Brent Johnson, and that was it. They didn't fall apart. They weren't outplayed. They maintained pressure. It was a tougher period, for sure, since Atlanta decided to come out and play for 20 minutes, but the Caps held their ground and weathered the storm en route to win #1 of the year.
Good/bad time, let's break it down.
Good
- Puck possession. Hello. The new scoresheets don't seem to show this kind of stat but by my count the Caps spent the majority of the first period and in fact the majority of the game itself in the Thrashers' zone.
- The power play was steadily improving with each preseason game and although they only connected for one tonight, the Caps looked pretty scary with the extra man. And for once I mean scary in a good way.
- Kozlov is slowly but surely winning me over and at times he was more visible out there than Ovie, putting together another great game and getting a hard-working deflection goal for his efforts.
- I really thought Brent Johnson looked incredibly sharp despite the one bizarre puckhandling moment that gave everyone a heart attack and the one soft goal he let in during the second. He came up big against guys like Kovalchuk and Hossa, neither of whom is exactly a slouch in the goal-scoring department.
- Penalty killing was good but the Caps also only took 5 penalties all night...and a few of those were questionable in my mind. I'll have to watch the replay but at first glance the refs were making some weird calls.
Bad
- What is with the second period siesta the Caps always, always take? There's no reason to let up like that, especially not with a two-goal lead...in case they forgot, they blew a few two-goal leads during preseason.
- No hitting. I'm a little concerned that this team has gotten soft, and it's what happens when you don't have guys like Sutherby and Clymer out there every night. Skill is good but when you've got big bodies like Poti and Kozlov not using their size, that's a problem.
Wow. I can't remember the last time good stuff outweighed the bad. Hell of a way to kick off the season, wasn't it? And it just keeps getting better, as tomorrow the Caps play host to the Carolina Hurricanes for the home opener. Don't forget to come out to Verizon and welcome the boys back - wear red and cheer loud, the Caps are back!
Gameday Preview: Caps vs. Thrashers
Here we go - the start of another fabulous season of Washington Capitals hockey, and with it the return of the ever popular yet new and improved GAMEDAY PREVIEW!
Who: Your Nation's Capitals vs. Atlanta Thrashers
Where: Philips Arena
1 Philips Drive
Atlanta, GA 30303
When: Friday, October 5, 7:30 pm
Broadcast Info: CSN, 3WT 1500AM; SPSO, SportsRadio 680AM
Media Notes:
WashingtonCaps.com
Washington Times
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NHL.com
2006-07 Standings: Caps 28-40-14, 5th in Southeast; Thrashers 43-28-11, 1st in Southeast
2006-07 Season Series: Caps 3-3-2, Thrashers 5-1-2
Last Game: April 4, Caps win 3-2
- The Caps finished off a very tight season series in typical nailbiting fashion, weathering the storm of an Atlanta 6-on-3 power play opportunity to pull out the win
- Alex Ovechkin had two goals and Boyd Gordon added one as well, with all three goals coming in the second period.
- Kovalchuk scored his 40th goal of the season and the 200th of his career in the first minute of the game
- With his two-goal performance, Ovechin finished the season with nine goals and five assists in eight games against the Thrashers.
- Brent Johnson had 30 saves, allowing only the early Kovalchuk goal and a late goal to Andy Sutton to propel the Caps to a win.
Tonight's Game:
With the start of this season series there are still a lot of unknowns between the Caps and the Thrashers. A rivalry that was already becoming interesting last year now has the potential to be even more intense. The Southeast Division is befuddling pundits and analysts, and no one seems to be able to agree who will come out on top - so naturally, every point is going to matter.
Both teams feature potent offense and a young defense, so this game may come down to the little things. Penalty killing, faceoffs, power plays, positioning, deflections, all could be a factor tonight and down the line between the Caps and the Thrashers.
For the Thrashers, they come into tonight's game with a lot of pressure on them to prove that last year was not a fluke - something they'll be reminded of as they raise their Southeast Division Championship banner. As for the Caps, there is an equal amount of pressure to show that the rebuild is, as we've been told many times this summer, over. Taking the next step begins with the beating division rivals, with 64 points up for grabs throughout the season.
Something to think about - Alex Ovechkin sits at 98 goals for his career, Alexander Semin at 48. Between the two of them last year they had 26 goals and 13 assists against their next two opponents, Atlanta and Carolina. Anyone think, even with Semin out tomorrow night, that they can't hit those milestone numbers sometime this weekend?
Now on to a new feature here in the Cheap Seats, one of several we'll be unveiling as the season progresses:
Johan Hedberg - Hates the nickname "Moose"
Kari Lehtonen - Is actually a 43 year old mechanic from Long Island, but says that he started the Finn thing because "chicks dig accents...fuhgeddaboutit."
Ken Klee - Listens to "It's Not Easy Being Green" before games, saying "there's just something about Kermit's voice that soothes me..."
Bobby Holik - Waxes his eyebrows once a week
Eric Perrin - Used to mow John Tortorella's lawn in exchange for ice time
Alexei Zhitnik - Turned down a lucrative career as a local weatherman in his native Ukraine to play hockey
