A View from the Cheap Seats

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Woo Hoo!

As I was collecting my usual melange of articles for the gameday preview, I went to ESPN's NHL page and was shocked when I saw a huge picture of Ovechkin with the headline "Puppy Love", under which was written the following:

Last season, the Capitals had more bark then bite. But this year, the young gang of pups has matured into a feisty group of mongrels, writes Scott Burnside.

I was intrigued, so I read through the whole article, all the while being on the lookout for backhanded compliments and little digs at our lack of starpower (it is Burnside after all)...but none came. Instead I found a wonderfully gushy article about the Caps and how they've not only improved over last year but have actually learned how to win games and are quietly sneaking into the 8th seed.

I know, I was shocked too. Isn't this the same guy who claimed we'd be lucky to break out of the bottom 4 or 5 in the league? Now we're not halfway through the season yet, so it's important not to let this go to our heads and remember that the conference is very tight and...

...nah, screw it. Scott loves those Caps!

Cures What Ails You

Nothing warms the heart more after a Duck-beatdown than the sweet sound of Flyers' fans booing their team...*sigh.*

Caps fans, this was a good night.

I'm going to dive right in, because I need to save my typing strength for the upcoming battle against Crybaby & Friends Monday night.

Bad:
- Penalty killing was spotty at best, allowing 2 goals. That's the most in a game since that lovely 7-1 loss to Toronto, when they allowed 3. I'm sure the fact that they took 9 penalties overall had nothing to do with that, right? It just goes to show you that no matter how crappy the other team is with the extra man, they're still going to score if you give them enough opportunities.
- 2nd period doldrums hit once again, as the Caps blew the lead not once but twice in the middle frame. The Flyers scored all three goals in that period and the Caps continue to be unable to put together that solid 60 minute effort. This one has shades of good in it, though, as the Caps maintained their composure despite blowing leads and actually got two of their own on the board - a pretty breakaway shortie by Laich (loving him lately, by the way) and a quick response goal from Clark 13 seconds after the Flyers tied it up the first time.
- Officiating was better than the Ottawa game, but some of those calls...what was with the phantom high-sticking call on Brashear? It looked like he and the Philly player just kind of bumped into each other. Hang on, I just need to grab my white towel...

Good:
- Go Johnny Go!! Johnson once again pulled through for the Caps with some great saves, and they responded by actually (gasp!) putting up some goals in support. He finished the night with 33 saves, and continues the work of what has been a wonderful goaltending tandem.
- I think the Caps are starting to really improve on their transition game - the puck goes into their zone and a d-man is able to get it efficiently up the ice to a forward who takes it in for at least a shot on goal. It's a nice change of pace; I'm still having nightmares about those games where it would take them 5 minutes to get the puck out of their own zone...still can't sleep with the light off...
- Ovie. Oh, and Clark...Zubie, too. Pettinger. Beech. Semin, Brashear, Laich...you know what? All the forwards - I was very impressed with their play again tonight. They seemed to all be back in the groove from the winning streak, and that's a good sign. That's not to say that the D played badly tonight, either. Okay, let's just throw the whole darn team in there. Solid effort all around and if you missed it, this was the first time the Caps have won back to back games in Philly since 1994.

Did I mention how much I love hearing Philly fans boo when we come to town? Because I really do love it. It just...I just...I'm sorry, I'm getting a little choked up here and the screen is a little blurry.

For now go read the recaps in the Post and on NHL.com; I'm sure I'll have more to talk about tomorrow. Oh, and for more proof that Ovie is just the sweetest, classiest player on the face of the earth, check out Vogel's blog.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Gameday Preview: Caps vs. Flyers

Who: Your Nation's Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Where: Wachovia Center
3601 S. Broad St.
Philadelphia, PA 19148
When: Saturday, December 9, 2006, 7:00 pm

Broadcast Information: The CW, WTNT 570 AM; CSN, WPHT

Media Notes:
WashingtonCaps.com
PhiladelphiaFlyers.com
NHL.com
Washington Post
Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia Daily News

2006-07 Standings: Caps 12-10-6, 30 points - 3rd in division, 11th in conference; Flyers 8-15-4, 20 points - 5th in division, 15th in conference

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

Last Game: November 5 in Philadelphia, Caps won 5-3
- The Caps got off to a quick start in the first period, scoring 4 goals in the opening frame and chasing goalie Robert Esche on their way to a 5-3 win over former archrivals the Flyers.
- Ben Clymer's return to the CBS line proved to be successful, at least for a night, as he scored his first two goals of the season. Alex Ovechkin also added two goals, including the game winner with less than a minute remaining in the first period.
- After a scoreless second period and a 5th goal 30 seconds into the third period, the Caps eased up a little and were suddenly facing a Flyers' rally late in the third. Philadelphia cut the lead to three off of Geoff Sanderson's 3rd goal of the season, then made it interesting with just under 5 minutes left in the game by pulling within 2.
- Brent Johnson earned his first win of the season, stopping 33 shots and experiencing that odd feeling of having a big lead to work with...
- The Flyers, who up until this point had converted on just six of their 74 chances with the extra man, added one more and finished the night 1 for 6 on the power play. The Caps were given 5 opportunities and were unable to connect.
- The Caps fired only 19 shots on goal compared to the Flyers 36 and were outshot in every period - during the last period, the Flyers outshot the Caps 12-4.
- I'm sure you all remember that this game had implications beyond the two points, marking the first time the Caps had won in Philly since January of 1998 - that's 16 games for those of you keeping count at home.

Things to Look for:
- How many times have I said that the Caps need to bounce back from a disappointing loss with a good win? I'm starting to lose count, but it qualifies yet again tonight. After being outplayed in a lopsided 6-1 loss to the high-flying Ducks, the Caps travel to Philly hoping for redemption against a still struggling Flyers team.
- Just like it's important to not be intimidated by the records of the top teams (Buffalo, Anaheim, etc) it's also important not to overlook Philadelphia despite their 8 wins. Gee, how many times have we heard that said by other teams about the Caps? Still, this is not a Philly team that will just roll over, and they actually managed to beat Anaheim so they can bring it...sometimes. The Caps have to be ready.
- Philly will be without their captain, Peter Forsberg, as he continues his search for that perfect little pair of shoes. No, seriously.
- It'll be interesting to see what Hanlon does with the lineup tonight - during the Anaheim game lines were starting to be shuffled in an effort to generate offense, but I'd like to see the original line combos that started last night's game remain intact. It's too early to panic and start changing the game plan because of one loss.
- Both teams played their starters last night, so I'd bet we'll see Brent Johnson and Robert Esche in goal tonight...at least to start. :) [Update - "Swiss Cheese" Esche just had surgery, so I'm guessing odds are good he won't be in there after all...looks like Antero gets his first full-length shot at our Caps tonight. Make me proud, boys!]
- The Flyers are also coming off a loss, having been shutout 2-0 in New Jersey last night. Basically you've got two tired, pissed-off teams going at it - either we're going to see a very physical, fight-filled game or this could be a snoozer. My prediction? Bring some popcorn, I think this could be an entertaining game.

Possible Lineup for the Caps
Forwards:
8-Alex "is Sick" Ovechkin, 9-Dainius "PIM Boy" Zubrus, 17-Chris "the Cage-y Veteran" Clark
28-Alex "Pop Fly" Semin, 24-Kris "Life's a" Beech, 18-Matt "King" Pettinger
87-Donald "Piano Man" Brashear, 16-Brian "Dry Spell" Sutherby, 27-Ben "Nosebleed" Clymer
21-Brooks "What's Not to" Laich, 15-Boyd "the Secret Weapon" Gordon, 10-Matt "Top Shelf" Bradley

Defensemen:
2-Brian "Potsy" Pothier, 26-Shaone "Ralph Malph" Morrisonn
4-John "One-Punch" Erskine, 44-Steve "I Heart Erskine" Eminger
47-Bryan "Please God, No" Muir, 52-Mike "Babyface" Green

Goaltenders:
1-Brent "Ready Aim Fire" Johnson, 37-Olie "Hot Hands" Kolzig

Possible Lineup for the Flyers
[Updated per Vogel]
12-Simon Gagne, 93-Peter Nedved, 22-Mike Knuble
8-Geoff Sanderson, 27-Randy Robitaille, 20-RJ Umberger
29-Todd Fedoruk, 18-Mike Richards, 24-Sami Kapanen
55-Ben Eager, 11-Ryan Potulny, 19-Kyle Calder

Philadelphia Defensemen
44-Joni Pitkanen, 46-Kimo Timonen
2-Derian Hatcher, 34-Frederick Meyer IV (seriously?)
6-Randy Jones, 45-Alexandre Picard

Goaltenders
30-Antero Niittymaki, 35-Matt Houle

Friday, December 08, 2006

Ducks Fly Higher Than Caps

I think we all knew that the Caps' winning streak couldn't last forever, and I was about 85% sure that it would end tonight.

However, I was hoping it wouldn't end quite this way - the Ducks grabbed a hold of the game tonight from the opening faceoff and didn't let go, with the Caps mustering just one goal to snap a season-high 4 game streak.

Tonight was very frustrating, mostly because I couldn't tell if the Caps just weren't playing well or if the Ducks are just that good. I've landed on the conclusion that it's somewhere in the middle. And that's important - I don't want to take away from what is in fact a very talented Ducks team...but let's face it, the Caps did not look like the same team that had so decisively beaten 4 top clubs in the last week.

It all started with a very sloppy opening few minutes - a flat start hurt them as the Caps fell behind 1-0 before the game was a minute old. Already it was a departure from their last four games where they scored first and held the lead for the entire game.

That should have been the first signal for me to change the channel.

But like the masochist I am, I kept watching. Despite two fights in the next three minutes, the Caps failed to pick up any momentum and continued to muddle through the first period. Then came the defining moment, the moment that would prove how different tonight would be - it was when Olie misplayed the puck during a Caps power play, a rarity in itself, to give Todd Marchant the easiest shorthanded goal he will ever score.

That's all the Ducks would need - it would all be downhill from there. Up until now all the bounces had gone the Caps' way, but tonight nothing seemed to be bouncing in their favor. That's bad enough - throw in a team that can absolutely shut down your offense like the Ducks did tonight, and you're in for a looong night.

I'm too cranky and too cold (the heat's not working in our apartment and it's about 25 degrees out right now) to do good/bad, so I'll shorthand it. I thought everything was just mediocre, with the exception possibly being the play of Pettinger and Brashear - I thought they played pretty well.

There's no shame in losing to the Ducks, though, so let's try and avoid the doom and gloom that inevitably follows every Caps loss. Despite the loss, the Caps are still turning into a pretty solid hockey team, and you know what? No team wins all 82 games.

Shocking revelation, I know.

Next up: Philly, the city of brotherly love and obnoxious fans. Gameday preview to follow...

Lunchtime Musings

You have to love the unbiased coverage (yay, opposite day!) and crazy hype that is leading up to the Caps-Pens showdown Monday night, or as I'm sure Mr. Commissioner would like me to refer to it, the Ovechkin-Crosby showdown.

Take this into consideration - the Caps play two games between now and then, one of those against the best team in the league right now. The Penguins also play once more, Saturday night against the Thrashers (there's a battle between evil and evil if ever I saw one...). Of course, I'm not complaining - any coverage of Ovechkin is good even if it's hyping a game against Cry-Baby and the Evil Ones...

What bugs me is the way it's being hyped. This may seem petty and small, and it probably is - but you have to understand how ultra super sensitive I am about this. I like to see balanced coverage, and in my ultra super sensitive mind, this ain't it:

USA Today - Besides having quite possibly the least attractive pic of Ovechkin I've ever seen, this article comes across slightly pro-Crosby. Take this comparison:
Ovechkin is almost an old school player, leading his team is both goals and hits (65). Crosby has a Wayne Gretzky-like vision as a playmaker. "Ovechkin is a shoot-first kind of player. He loves to score goals," Olczyk said. "Sidney thinks pass first, but he has a (shot) release that is as quick as anyone in the league."
Basically Ovie is good, but Sid the Kid has it all...and what's with no quotes from Ovie in the entire article? I know he's not as well-spoken in English, but he's always quotable.
CBC.ca - Ah, those lovable Canadians. This one starts out better, with quotes from both sides...but that lovefest at the end with the "talented youngster rollcall" in Pittsburgh made me want to throw up a little. After all as Ovie points out, "[w]e have a couple of guys, too."
NHL.com1 and NHL.com2 - These are actually pretty balanced, well done NHL. Even I can't find something offensive and biased here, and I can do that with almost anything. For a minute I was upset because Crosby was pictured first, but...yeah, I know. It's sad.

I know to the average fan these all may seem like nice little pieces - to me, though, I see the Crosby-love and it drives me up a wall. I've got my anti-Caps radar on heightened alert at all times, and it's my job to, well, make you hate Crosby and realize he's not as good as everyone thinks.

No, that's not true. My hatred of Crosby is merely on principle because he wears that damn bird on his chest. Even I know that talent like Crosby's is rare, whining and diving aside. Besides, having someone in the league like him can only be good for Ovechkin - with Ovie's talent it would be easy to become complacent (although I don't think Ovie could ever be lazy). This way he's always going to have someone to be compared to and that will make him a better player in the end.

And don't get me wrong - should Crosby take off for greener pastures (ahem, Montreal) I would be forced to dote on him like I do with Ovie. He'd have to kick that smug, whiny thing he's got going first.

For now, though...blech. Stupid overrated whiny cry-baby captain of the Canadian Diving Team - we'll see you and your smug face at the Phone Booth, Monday night, 7:00 pm.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Gameday Preview: Caps vs. Ducks

Who: Your Nation's Capitals vs. Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Where: Verizon Center
601 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
When: Friday, December 8, 2006, 7:00 pm

Broadcast Information: NC8, WTNT 570 AM; FSW, 830 AM

Media Notes:
WashingtonCaps.com
AnaheimDucks.com
NHL.com
Washington Post
Washington Times
LA Times
Orange County Register

Olie for President!
Olie clues in the rest of the league
Let's start the hype...
Ovie's shoulders get a rest

2005-06 Season Series: Caps 1-0-0, Ducks 0-0-1

2006-07 Standings: Caps 12-9-6, 30 points - 3rd in division, 10th in conference; Ducks 21-3-6, 48 points - 1st in division, 1st in conference, 1st in league

Last Game: January 13 in Anaheim, Caps won 3-2 in OT
- There's no way to describe this game without simply calling it the Alexander Ovechkin show. Ovie scored all three goals to earn his first career hat trick in dramatic style, capping off the hat and the win with an overtime marker.
- The win snapped a 6-game losing streak for the Caps and started a 4-game winning streak (hmm...sounds familiar). Up until this game, the Caps had won only 1 of their last 9 and 3 of their last 13. That's not to mention that this game was only the Caps' 5th win on the road to that point.
- The rest of the game was, as I recall, relatively uninteresting and in the grand scheme of things unimportant...but maybe that's because the next game would be against Phoenix, and we all remember what happened that night. It figures, the only guy who could overshadow Ovechkin would be...Ovechkin.
- Famous last words from Hanlon: "He keeps on doing stuff like this," Washington coach Glen Hanlon said. "Just when I thought I've seen it all, he does something else." My thoughts exactly.
- Both teams played disciplined, tight hockey for the majority of the game - all the scoring took place in the second period, as the two teams alternated goals, and the they combined for only 5 penalties total.
- Jeff Friesen returned to the Caps lineup against his former team and proceeded to do...absolutely nothing. Attaboy, Jeff.
- Odd factoid of the night: the Ducks had lost the last four times they played on Friday the 13th, dating to a 5-4 victory over the Capitals in December 1996 at Anaheim.

Things to Look for:
- I'm not going to lie, this game has me even more scared than the Buffalo game. For one thing, the Ducks are nice and rested for tonight's game, a change of pace from the last 4 games. For another, their defense is much stronger - stalwart veterans Pronger and Niedermayer head up a very young, feisty bunch of d-men. The Caps will have to keep up the offensive pressure that they've developed during this little win streak to crack that blue line.
- The Ducks have won 3 straight and are looking for, get this, their first 4-game win streak of the season. They've won 21 games and have yet to string together 4 in a row; at least we know they're human. Update: Apparently I made this up, not sure where I saw it...disregard and see the comments from a nice, helpful Ducks fan :)
- It looks like Hanlon may have struck upon a lineup that works for almost everyone, at least for now - the Semin-Beech-Pettinger line and the newly created Laich-Gordon-Bradley line have both chipped in some offense and given teams more to worry about than just the top trio. Speaking of which, I'd put money on seeing Ovie wearing a Pronger-cape all night long - I'm going out on a limb and saying there's your matchup to watch, folks.
- I'm not even going to try and compare the numbers for each team - let's just say that the Ducks are in the top 10 in every single category recorded by the NHL, and the majority of those rankings are top 4 or 5. That's not to say that the Caps are last in the league or anything, but they're average across the board; that's an improvement, but will it be enough to stop the Ducks? (Boy, no matter how you say their name it's just not scary, is it? Except to me, but I'm afraid of ducks...)
- What gives me a bit of confidence in the Caps ability to at least make a game of it is that every game in this little streak has been better than the one before, and they're starting to do the little things well - positioning themselves well (for the most part) defensively, crashing the opponents' nets, clearing the puck more efficiently and working the transition game. All the things that separate your mediocre teams from your good teams, your good teams from your great.
- A lot of the guys on both these teams will probably remember each other well- Hershey and Portland clashed in last year's Calder Cup playoffs, and both clubs have a large presence on their parent team rosters this season.
- Barra Brava in the Phone Booth! I don't even completely understand what that means except that they're supposed to be loud, and they, like, sing and stuff. I'm not much of a soccer fan. I'll be the judge of how loud they are based on what I can hear through the TV - that's right, as much as I love a good soccer hooligan, especially at a hockey game, I'll be watching from the safety of my couch. On a Friday night. Like the super-cool person I am. But let's face it, if I had a life what would you skim over while you should be working? Anyways, If any of you out there make it to the game, drop me a comment or an e-mail to let me know just how brava those barra were...er...or how barra those brava were?

I don't know, I took French in high school.

On with the...

Projected Lineup for the Caps
Forwards:
8-Alex "the Mad Hatter" Ovechkin, 9-Dainius "On the Mend" Zubrus, 17-Chris "Alex" Clark
28-Alex "Pop Fly" Semin, 24-Kris "Life's a" Beech, 18-Matt "Prince" Pettinger
87-Donald "the Rookie-Fighter" Brashear, 16-Brian "the Snakebitten" Sutherby, 27-Ben "Heart of Gold" Clymer
21-Brooks "We Like" Laich, 15-Boyd "the Underrated" Gordon, 10-Matt "Top Shelf" Bradley

Defensemen:
2-Brian "Point Shot" Pothier, 26-Shaone "the De-Gonchared" Morrisonn
4-John "Wanna Dance?" Erskine, 44-Steve "I Heart Erskine" Eminger
47-Bryan "Shy and D" Muir, 52-Mike "Sin Bin" Green

Goaltenders
1-Brent "Heeeeere's Johnny!" Johnson, 37-Olie "the Unsurprised" Kolzig

Projected Lineup for the Ducks
Forwards:
14-Chris "Rocky Ra" Kunitz, 19-Andy "Ronald" McDonald, 8-Teemu "the Finnish Brad Pitt" Selanne
17-Dustin "the Knick-Knacks" Penner, 22-Todd "the Merchant" Marchant, 38-Ryan "Cross the River" Shannon
32-Travis "Lawn" Moen, 26-Samuel "Screech" Pahlsson, 44-Rob "the Other" Niedermayer
16-George "Ten Shots Over" Parros, 15-Ryan "My Nickname Jokes Rarely" Getzlaf, 10-Corey "the Teen Idol" Perry

Defensemen:
21-Sean "Rosie" O’Donnell, 25-Chris "Two-" Pronger "Attack"
23-Francois "Tres Chic, Tres" Beauchemin, 27-Scott "Kickin' All-Star Booty" Niedermayer
33-Joe "to the Zoo to See" DiPenta, 37-Shane "Shane! Come Back!" O’Brien

Goaltenders:
1-Dunham, 39-DiPietro...um...nope. Sorry Vogel, those are the Isles goalies.
(Everyone's allowed a mistake now and then. Just don't let it happen again.)

Let's try that again -
Goaltenders:
31-Michael "Over the" Wall, 35-Jean-Sebastian "Does a Little Irish" Giguere

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Another One Hangs 'Em Up

Forgive me for straying from my Caps-centric mindset for a moment, but I just read that Joe Nieuwendyk is retiring because of back problems. I was a little sad when I read that, I have to admit - the NHL is truly losing yet another of their classier players, a dying breed if you ask me.

You hated playing against Nieuwendyk because he was that good, but you never hated him...or at least I didn't.

3 Stanley Cups with 3 different teams, 4-time all-star, and all done with a quiet demeanor and grace that's lacking in so many players, past and present.

All the best, Joe.

4 Games, 8 Points - Life is Good

I just returned from the Caps-Sens game and I wanted to be sure to get this all down before my high wore off...

That was a hell of a fantastic game.

The momentum seemed to kind of build as the night went on, sometimes bordering on the ridiculous, sometimes on the frustrating - but most of the time it was downright exhilerating. To think, a team's winning streak came to an end tonight...and it wasn't the Caps!

First of all, I'm loving how the Caps have really come out storming against these teams playing the second of back-to-back games. The Caps completely dominated the first period, outshooting Ottawa 19-11, but Emery looked very sharp to start the game. That would all change when the Caps finally connected, first on the rare and elusive creature known as a Matt Bradley goal and then 35 seconds later from captain Chris Clark.

And the Caps never looked back - they managed to again hold the lead for the entire game, despite playing their typically sluggish second period (seriously, what are they doing in the first intermission - popping Tylenol PM? Napping? Eating turkey???). Clarkie's second goal of the game at 13:54 of the middle frame rescued them from completely falling apart and propelled them into the last twenty minutes, where they kept the gas pedal down and padded their lead nicely en route to a decisive 6-2 victory.

Bad:
- You know, I rarely ever complain about the officiating...especially when it goes in the Caps favor (as it so rarely does). But tonight's referees seemed to be watching a completely different game than I was. I'll have to watch the replay because maybe I missed it, but what were all those calls? The parade to the penalty box in the third period in particular, although great for Caps fans, seemed a little off.
- 4 shots in the second period. 4? That's it? Actually, I saw the period and I'm amazed they counted that many...and yet still no support for my petition to have the second period removed. Fascinating.
- The saga of Ovie and his sticks continues. He broke 2 in the first ten minutes, including once on a golden opportunity.

So-So:
- Ovie and Zubie - it's weird to say this on a night when these players had 3 assists apiece, but it didn't seem like either of them was playing his best...kind of reminds you what kind of night they could have when they feel great, right? Anyways, Ovie seemed (understandably) timid along the boards and wasn't hitting as much; of course, he didn't seem to have any qualms about going over or through guys in open ice, so that's good. In Zubie's case, he's just not 100% yet - whatever illness he had, and they're still not saying, it obviously threw him a bit off. He regained his feet a little as the night went on, so I think he'll be okay.

Good:
- 6 goals from 5 different players, none of them named Ovechkin. Don't get me wrong, I love when Ovie scores, but there's something warm and fuzzy about a lopsided score when the gr8 one isn't involved...aside from those 3 assists...
- Brooks Laich finally gets his first goal of the season, and it's well-deserved. His play lately has really improved in my mind, obviously factoring in to him getting the nod over Klepis tonight. He and Gordon and Bradley seemed to be clicking nicely and it showed on the scoreboard.
- Semin-Beech-Pettinger - I'm loving this line; they've really found their chemistry and are a different kind of energy line for this team. They mix grit with flair in a way that is nothing short of magical...and did everyone see Semin with his patented leaping catch/wicked shot/goal move?
- The Alex Show - Maybe it was me, but it seemed like Ovechkin and Semin were almost putting on a stick-handling clinic tonight. I lost count of how many times they were able to swivel, curl and drag around an Ottawa player before registering at least a shot toward the goal if not on net. It was like the Harlem Globetrotters on ice...there's an image for you.
- O-LIE, O-LIE - Yet another spectacular performance by Zilla, facing 37 shots and turning away all but 2. His best save had to be a flash of the right pad on Spezza (I think) late in the third period.
- Brian Sutherby - Poor guy can't buy a goal, but he played better than I've seen him play in a while, including one great scoring chance that I thought for sure was going to be a goal. Alas, Emery had the answer, but Sutsy was buzzing tonight. I'm predicting he'll connect Friday night - it's coming, I can feel it.
- And the rest...everyone to a man played a very solid game tonight. I don't think it was necessarily the best game of the season, but it was definitely up there, and the best first period I've seen them play in a long time.

So the Caps continue to fly through their scary homestand and have put together their longest winning streak at home, 3 big ones, since late Feb./early March of 2003. But of course, cautious optimism is ever present here in the cheap seats - the last game of this little stretch is likely to be the toughest, as the top team in the league flies into town Friday night.

No scheduling advantages here - the Ducks also played tonight and are off tomorrow, so the Caps will need to bring their top game. They'll have some help in the stands, though...according to the DC Sports Bog, Barra Brava of DC United fame will be in the house singing and making noise all game long. Hopefully it doesn't spook the Caps, they're used to playing in a graveyard...

Caps. Ducks. Crazy soccer fans. We got ourselves the makings.

(Of what, I'm not quite sure, but it's bound to be interesting nonetheless.) Sweet Dreams!

Recaps:
NHL.com
CBC.ca

Clymer's Act of Kindness

Someone on the message boards was talking about this article from the Star-Tribune in Minnesota and it really touched my heart. I think it deserves even more notice so I'm throwing my considerable power (reaching dozens of people a day like I do) behind it:

Ryan Remained Hopeful Even as Life Ebbed Away

It's a sad, sweet story and if nothing else it reminds us that there are still good people in professional sports. Good for Clymer for continuing to be such a good guy...I think we're all even happier that he scored a goal Saturday night.

Reveal Yourself...

This is purely for my good friends over on the message boards, so the rest of you can avert your eyes for a moment.

In response to a question about which poster I am on the boards, the answer would be none of them...sorry guys. For some reason, the message boards don't like me and I can't seem to sign on. You all will just have to bicker about stuff without me and tune in here if you want to read my (often misguided) opinions.

...and I make no apologies for the Shaone "Gonchar" Morrisonn nickname. He's in my doghouse until he starts playing like I know he can.

Until then, Mo - I dub thee Sergei.

Gameday Preview: Caps vs. Senators

Who: Your Nation's Capitals vs. Ottawa Senators
Where: Verizon Center
601 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
When: Wednesday, December 6, 2006, 7:00 pm

Broadcast Information: NC8/CSN+, WTNT 570 AM; TSN (Ah, national coverage...wrong nation, but still)

Media Notes:
WashingtonCaps.com
OttawaSenators.com
NHL.com
Washington Post
Washington Times
Ottawa Sun
Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Citizen 2

See? Having low attendance is a good thing...
Ovechkin v. Crosby, Round 5

2006-07 Standings: Caps 11-9-6, 28 points - 3rd in division, 11th in conference; Senators 14-12-1, 29 points - 4th in division, 9th in conference

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

Last Game: November 6 in Washington, Caps won 4-3 in OT
- It looked like it was going to be a loooong night for Caps fans the last time Ottawa was in town. The Sens blasted Kolzig with 3 goals on just 5 shots and sent him to the bench just over halfway through the first period. But Johnson would come in and shut down the Sens, stopping all 21 shots he faced and giving the Caps a chance to stage a dramatic rally.
- The Caps scored a goal per period, rallying back from a 3-goal deficit to win in overtime thanks to Chris Clark's 5th goal of the season.
- The Alex show was in full effect - Ovechkin netted 2 goals and Semin picked up 3 assists, including one on the game winner
- This was a very disciplined game for both teams, with the Sens taking only 4 penalties and the Caps taking just 2, their lowest total of the season. However, the Caps still made the Senators pay, scoring 2 power play goals. For you math wizards out there, that's 50% effectiveness...not half bad.
- The Caps' defensemen were very active in the play, as 4 different d-men picked up assists - Heward, Green, Pothier and Eminger
- Matt Pettinger got the Caps on the scoreboard in the waning seconds of the first period with his first goal of the season. After missing most of the preseason and the first 7 games of the season, Petty had registered only 2 points in his first 6 games. Since then, he's done a little bit better...Matt has points in 9 of his last 12 games and has 14 points (8g, 6a) overall.
- I thought it was a pretty good game, but I definitely hid it well...

Things to Look for:
- The Sens are experiencing a bit of a rebirth of late and come into Verizon Center a much different team than the last time these two teams met. The loss to the Caps a month ago was their 4th straight at the time, a streak that would finally end at 5. In their last 11 games, though, Ottawa has gone 9-2 including 2 wins against the high-flying Sabres. During that stretch they've outscored their opponents 44-23 to climb back up among the league leaders in goals per game.
- The Caps are on a bit of a tear themselves, having won three straight for the first time since the end of last season and doing so against some pretty good teams in Tampa, Dallas and of course, Buffalo.
- Although ranked 18th in both penalty killing and power play, the Caps have struggled a bit with the extra man and have gone 2-for-15 in their last 3 games for a success rate just over 13%. Of course, they scored power play goals in 7 straight before that and they lost all but one of those, so what do I know...
- Ottawa takes the 5th most shots per game and the Caps continue to anchor the league in allowing the most shots per game...my prediction? Olie's going to be facing a lot of shots.
- Apparently the Caps got in Gerber's head, because the Sens opted to put him in against the Islanders last night and Emery against Washington tonight. You can't help but be flattered...
- Emery has been extremely effective in net for Ottawa, posting a sparkling .932 save percentage and having a GAA of just over 2. He's allowed 4 goals only once in 14 starts - not bad considering that the departures of Chara and Pothier made a once potent Senators defense slightly more vulnerable.
- Sens' captain Daniel Alfredsson apparently injured his leg in the third period of last night's win over the Islanders and may miss tonight's game. I hope he heals, but not until after the game - Alfie has 42 points in 37 games against the Caps, including a goal and an assist in his last visit to our nation's capital.
- Despite their offensive prowess overall, the Caps have several guys whose point totals have seemingly dried up lately (ignoring the game Saturday night, because everyone and his mother had a point...):
- Brian Sutherby - Sutsy has only one goal this year, a marker in the 6-4 loss to Tampa back in October, and has registered only 8 points overall. He has two assists in his last three games, but prior to that he went 9 games without a point. It's not for lack of trying, though - Sutherby's game has, in my opinion, picked up dramatically since last year. It's only a matter of time before he finds his touch again.
- Dainius Zubrus - After jumping out to a red-hot start with 18 points in 18 games, Zubie had just one assist in his last five games before recently becoming ill. He is apparently ready to go for tonight, though.
- Ben Clymer - With only 7 points, Clymer's return to forward hasn't been too productive so far and he has gone long stretches without a point, although his goals tend to be well-timed. He is riding a 2-game point streak coming into tonight's game - shhh...don't make any loud noises, you might scare it away.
- It seems early to do this, but all of these conference matchups are starting to become more important in the playoff race as we head towards the halfway point of the season. As much fun as it is to root against divisional rivals, I'm not sure the Caps will be able to win the division if Atlanta and Carolina continue their success. Therefore it's likely going to be teams from the other divisions that the Caps will be fighting with for that last playoff spot. The Eastern Conference is incredibly tight right now, with 10 points separating 2nd place and 13th place; compare that with a much more wide-open Western Conference, where 1st and 9th are separated by 20 points. Things are going to start to get interesting down the stretch...

Possible Lineup for the Caps
Forwards:
8-Alex "the Goon" Ovechkin, Dainius "the Sicky" Zubrus, Chris "All I Want for Xmas is My 2 Front Teeth" Clark
28-Alex "2.0" Semin, 38-Kris "Life's a" Beech, 18-Matt "Hot Hands" Pettinger
10-Matt "Enrique" Bradley, 16-Brian "K.O." Sutherby, 27-Ben "Over the Head" Clymer
87-Donald "the Instigator" Brashear, 15-Boyd "the PKer" Gordon, 38-Jakub "Soul Patch" Klepis

Defensemen:
2-Brian "Bring It On, Ottawa" Pothier, 26-Shaone "Gonchar" Morrisonn
47-Bryan "He Shoots, He Scores!" Muir, 52-Mike "End to End" Green
4-John "Bring It On...Whoever" Erskine, 44-Steve "I Heart Erskine" Eminger

Goaltenders:
1-Brent "Heeeere's Johnny" Johnson, 37-Olie "No Mo' Mo"Kolzig

Possible Lineup for the Sens
Forwards:
11-Daniel "Alfie" Alfredsson, 20-Antoine "Holy Sh*t" Vermette, 27-Peter "Paul" Schaeffer
25-Chris "Brashear's Punching Bag" Neil, 12-Mike "the Marlin" Fisher, 44-Patrick Eaves
15-Dany "Packing" Heatley, 19-Jason "Wide Open" Spezza, 22-Chris "Machine Gun" Kelly
16-Brian "Erskine's Punching Bag" McGrattan, 17-Denis "Dorothy" Hamel, 37-Dean "of Students" McAmmond

Defensemen:
4-Chris "I Miss Chara" Phillips, 14-Andrej "I Don't" Meszaros
7-Joseph "Ivan" Corvo, 24-Anton "Chekhov" Volchenkov
5-Christoph "Franz" Schubert, 42-Tom "What's So" Preissing

Goaltenders:
1-Ray Emery "Board", 29-Martin Gerber "Baby"

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

A Few Laughs, Some Mayhem, Some Carnage

We’ve seen it happen so much over the last two seasons – there’s a hit, a scuffle, a brawl ensues, line after line goes to the penalty box or the locker room, the ice is littered with gloves and other equipment...

Suddenly fans from both towns are frantically looking at their calendars, seeking out that inevitable rematch. Dates are circled in red. Tickets are purchased in bulk. The message boards virtually explode with fans talking trash about the other team, their fans, their uniforms – anything to get the bile flowing and the adrenalin pumping. We’re all thinking that obviously after such a hate-filled, intense, boxing match-like atmosphere, the next game is going to be nuts...there won’t be a player left on the ice!

...right?

It’s something that has obviously been on a lot of Caps fans’ minds lately, I’m sure. In the next two to three weeks the Capitals will visit Atlanta and Buffalo – one team that the Caps hate, one team that hates the Caps. Common sense tells us that these two games will be filled with fighting majors and followed up with possible suspensions and fines.

And yet in recent years, the actual odds of such a thing happening in reality have diminished. Take for example the faux playoff series between the Caps and the Canes that closed out last season. They met 5 times in 2 weeks – the first two games were fairly calm, but by game 3 it looked like things were starting to ramp up. There were 4 fights spread throughout the game and lots of chippy, physical play - a natural outgrowth of seeing each other far too many times in such a close period.

We all expected game 4 to be a big one, we waited expectantly for fights to erupt, and then...nothing. Nada. Zilch. Game 5, more of the same. Close games, both one goal affairs, but nothing out of the ordinary on the penalty sheet. Clearly the NHL spoke to both teams and told them to cool it or else...makes sense, since the whole reason for the tensions can be traced back to such a weird schedule created by the NHL.

To cut back on fighting, pit the same teams against each other every night for two weeks – brilliant!

But it’s not just in the ‘new’ NHL – I’m sure you all remember that infamous game between Ottawa and Philadelphia back in ’04. A record 419 penalty minutes were handed out as every line on the ice fought, including the goalies. By the end of the game, there were maybe 4 or 5 players on each bench. Everyone was certain that the next game would be the same way, but alas, it was not to be. Maybe it was because there was a month in between games, maybe the NHL stepped in there, too...I don’t know.

It just makes me wonder if the animosity that seems to carry over from game to game isn’t felt more strongly in the stands than it is in the locker rooms. I certainly hope not – it’s not that I want to see fighting every night, especially at the extreme level that some are predicting for these upcoming games. I just want to see a little passion, a little momentum – he hit your guy, now you go hit their guy...that’s hockey. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Until then I’ll hope for the best, so get out those red pens – December 15th, Caps visit the Thrashers. December 26th, Caps in Buffalo. To quote the message boards...is it too much to ask for a little mayhem and carnage?

Monday, December 04, 2006

Cooler Heads Prevail

I have to apologize, because I know I promised I would stop talking about the whole Ovie-Briere brouhaha, but I found a very interesting article in the Buffalo News today that I thought I should share.

It's written by the same guy who wrote the recap of Saturday's game, which I found to be one of the more biased, one-sided pieces ever written. I'm all for the home team media being slightly subjective, don't get me wrong, but there was only one quote from the Caps in the entire piece and the whole thing was crafted around painting Ovie as a demon - take, for example, his description of Ovechkin after being ejected, which is clearly being used to make him seem smug:

Ovechkin stood smiling in the hallway and gave his teammates congratulatory high-fives as they left the game. He was named the second star.

So anyways, you can imagine my surprise when I read this article, which is a much nicer piece of work on Ovechkin and his impact in the league. Instead of calling him a dirty player who was trying to kill Briere as he did before, the author seems to be trying to ease the tensions a bit by basically saying it was an uncharacteristic mistake by an otherwise stellar all-around player.

Even the quotes from the players (with the exception of Ryan Miller's, which he used in the original game recap) seem to acknowledge that it was a mistake, a momentary lapse - heck, I'll agree with that. I don't think anyone, Caps fans and Ovie included, thinks that the hit was anything less than careless and deserving of some punishment. It's just nice to see a slightly more balanced look at our Ovie.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

No Suspension for Ovechkin

Per TSN.ca

The league made the right call in choosing not to hand down a suspension to Ovechkin for the hit on Briere. I won't go into the reasons that this was the right decision again - I've done that a hundred times. I'll let the clip and these comments from Caps beat writer Mike Vogel speak for themselves.

Meanwhile, someone on the message boards mentioned that Ovechkin's web page was being flooded by angry Buffalo fans, so I went and checked it out for myself - sure enough, there they are...comments calling Ovechkin every name under the sun and basically saying he's not going to get out of Buffalo alive when the Caps go their in a few weeks. Seriously, who does that? There's classless and then there's a whole new level that has no name, and that's where this falls. There are kids who look up to Ovie and probably have visited the site, and to put that kind of stuff where they can see it is beyond obnoxious.

I want to point out that I'm sure 95% of Buffalo fans are much classier than this very small, very vocal bunch of idiots who feel the need to do this kind of thing. Sabres Nation may be upset about the hit, but they can voice their opinions in constructive ways - I've said it before, but this minority of people are really giving Sabres fans a bad name. No need to start putting yourselves in a group with the likes of Philly and the Rangers...

I'm going to drop this now because I don't think I can really add anything else to the debate at this point. The league has spoken, I've given my opinion, and it's time to move on...at least until December 26th. To all you Caps fans out there - our boys pulled off a great all-around win last night against one of the top teams in the league, and that's something to be proud of. Let's all bask in the glory of those two points and get ready for the next challenge facing the Caps: the Ottawa Senators, here on Wednesday night.

Show your support and come out to the Phone Booth to cheer on the good guys to a 4th straight victory!

Impartial (Ha!) Recaps:
Washington Post
Capitals Insider
Washington Times
Buffalo News

For Your Viewing Pleasure

The video of the incident is now posted on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxMJrQhGoSg

After reviewing it for the 7 millionth time, I still think the game misconduct was and any league action would be completely over the top. Pay attention to Ovechkin right at the beginning of the clip - he's already heading for Briere. Now look at him stop striding and just as he's about to hit him, Briere turns his back. It obviously looks scarier in slow motion, but you have to remember that the whole thing happened in less than 5 seconds.

Think how quickly you would react in a similar situation and see if you could stop...

Incidentally there have been some comments out there that Briere may have embellished the fall a bit. I think people need to be very careful saying things like that - regardless of whether the hit merits suspension, that was a hell of a fall and I don't think he had to "perform" to get some help. Briere's a classy guy...we as Caps fans should not treat him with anything less than respect and I'm glad that he's okay.

I'd say I'm done commenting on this incident now because I think the clip really speaks for itself, but I'm sure there will be more layers to this situation over the next few days - I'll keep you posted.

After the Dust Settles...

I find myself awake before dawn thanks to my jackass neighbor and his loud music, so I'll use this time to bring up a few more thoughts on last night's game:

- A few people (who shall remain nameless) are giving the Caps grief for once again allowing the opposing team back in the game because Buffalo happened to score a few times. Forgive me for seeming overly sunshine-y about this win, but I don't fault the Caps for giving up some goals. I know, we were all excited when our guys jumped out to an early lead and were at one point up by 4 goals.

Thrilling, yes. Rare, absolutely. But people, come on - this is a Buffalo team that has scored more goals per game than any other team; they've scored 9 goals in a single game and have scored 7 goals 4 times, and we're only 25 games in. To think that Olie could pitch a shutout against such an offensively threatening team, even on his best night, is ridiculous. Give them a break - we should be happy that the Caps held the lead consistently. It may have expanded and shrunk at different intervals, but never were the Caps up by less than 2 goals, a feat in itself.

- I love how when the Caps beat a team, their fans automatically say things like "this game meant more to Washington than it did to Team XX"...why? If anything, I'd think that the Sabres were the ones with something to prove. When you're the best in the conference, you're supposed to beat those teams that are lower in the standings. The team sitting in 13th place is not expected to win games against teams like Buffalo - in fact, I'd be willing to guess that the Caps were hoping to just stay with the Sabres, particularly considering that they were still without some key players. And for a team that didn't care about the game, they sure did a good impression of a club trying to rally back from a 4 goal deficit...

- It's been really interesting to read the reactions to Ovechkin's hit on Briere from both sides, and I think it definitely merits further discussion.

FIrst of all, let me say this before I get attacked by Buffalo bloggers, because I know you're out there: Ovie's hit was definitely a hit from behind and was deserving of the five minute major that was issued. Hitting from behind can be so dangerous and there should automatically be a high penalty associated with it, no questions asked - players are responsible for being aware of their surroundings the same way they are responsible for keeping control of their stick. Accident or not, a hit from behind is a hit from behind.

Having said that, I don't believe that Ovechkin deserved to be ejected for the hit, nor do I believe that he should be suspended by the league. When you look at the hit, and I've done so many times since it happened, you can clearly see that Ovechkin is already in motion when Briere has the puck. Briere dumps the puck and turns to leave the ice when Ovechkin hits him, catching him with his back turned. It wasn't even a late hit, as the puck is away from Briere for only 2, maybe 3 seconds before Ovechkin arrived. What scared people and what probably led to Ovie getting ejected was more the aftermath of the hit. It was definitely a scary moment for all of us, seeing Briere go headfirst into the door before crumpling to the ice, and he's very lucky that he did hit the door because it opened absorbing some of the shock.

But let's put this into context - while it was a hit from behind, it was also a 6'2", 220-lb guy hitting someone who is 5'10", 179 pounds - that's probably a big reason that it looked worse than it was.

To all those people calling it a cheap shot, though, I'd like to know how you define that term. Because when I watch it, I see none of the signs usually present in your typical intent to injure, goonish, jackass cheap shot - Ovie didn't raise his elbows or grab Briere's jersey to propel him into the wall; in fact, his arms don't leave his side. He doesn't jump up to catch Briere up high; he doesn't crosscheck him into the boards; he doesn't take extra steps before running him. He actualy barely separates his feet, a clear sign that he was already gliding towards Briere and wasn't changing speeds. Nothing in his actions suggests to me that it was at all intentional or worthy of anything more than a major penalty.

(By the way, what was with the bizarre fighting major? Did anyone actually see him throw a punch? From where I was sitting, he just took a couple of jabs to the face...)

It's normal for Caps fans and Sabres fans to disagree about this - our natural instinct as fans is to protect and defend our teams vigorously, regardless of who is right and who is wrong. You can bet that Ovie will be expecting some kind of retribution, both from the fans and the Sabres, when he steps on the ice at HSBC Arena in a few weeks. But I think that Sabres fans should be aware that Ovie is not the type of player you want to make him out to be - he's not a goon, he'd never intentionally try to hurt someone, and he certainly wasn't smug about it. After he was ejected he looked somber, and if he smiled after the game it was his usual happiness at a Caps win, nothing more. To imply otherwise shows that you don't know anything about Ovechkin...looks like some people have been spending too much time in a division with Darcy Tucker and Chris Neil.

What I don't understand is when the difference of opinions goes beyond the realm of common decency - that's why I was so angry when I read this on the Buffalo message boards: "I hope he gets hurt in the All-Star Game [smiley]". Now that's pure class. And I should also point out that only one poster even commented on this statement, saying it "wasn't cool" (but only after calling Ovechkin something that I won't repeat here). Sabres fans, you should be irate that this person is representing your team - I know the majority of you are true hockey fans and would never wish injury on anyone. That's just so far over the line and so uncalled for - to represent yourself as a fan while actually hoping someone gets injured, even as a joke, gives hockey fans and hockey itself a bad name.

We'll wait to see what kind of penalty, if any, the league hands down. Buffalo fans want 5-10 games, which I think is so ridiculous I won't even go into it. If, and that's a big if, the league suspends Ovie I think it will be for 1 game max, maybe with a fine of some kind.

End of story, done, finito, time to move on...Sabres fans, I'll catch you all on the flip side, December 26th - Round 2.

That's Three, Baby!

Okay - everyone close your eyes and think back a week. The Caps have just dropped their 6th straight game and are staring at a stretch that has them facing teams like Tampa, Dallas, Buffalo...

Anyone out there predict the Caps would take 3 straight to kick it off?

Of course not - we're Caps fans, but we're not that crazy. All of us saw the schedule, hung our heads and resigned ourselves to squeaking by with an OT loss here and there or maybe one win, max...right?

But instead for the first time this season the Caps have put together 3 straight wins, each one coming from a more impressive performance than the last (and a more entertaining one at that). Tonight's win against Buffalo was at times joyous, at other times nothing less than bizarre - and the Caps come away with 2 points against the best team in the Eastern Conference.

So let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start considering the Caps jumped out to a two goal lead in the first three minutes. They would extend that lead after Ovechkin beat Ryan Miller and sent him packing, bringing Martin Biron into the game less than halfway through the first period. Morrisonn would then score his very first goal for the Sabres - the only problem is he plays for the Caps...that's a big oops and a little too Gonchar-esque for my liking. Luckily (for Mo) the Caps regained the 3-goal cushion on a fluky goal by Clymer that bounced up and over the goalie before trickling in to cap off the scoring for the first period, Caps shockingly up 4-1 after outworking and outshooting the Sabres for a solid 20 minutes.

And then things started to get bizarre.

Everyone's talking about this, so let's get it over with: the Ovechkin hit on Briere. I have now seen it about 17 times and I'm still torn about how it ended up being called. Less than 5 minutes in, Ovie catches Briere with his back turned and sends him flying, first into the door of the bench than off the boards. So the 5 is automatic - you board someone, you're getting a major, I'm not arguing with that. It's the way it should be and Ovie earned every minute of that, accident or not. What I'm still unsure about is whether it was worthy of 2 majors, a 10 minute misconduct and a game misconduct.

I just don't think that the intent to injure was there. Ovie didn't get the arms up, he didn't take any strides towards Briere - nothing about it looked purposeful. That's not the way Ovie plays, and anyone who has watched him play these past two seasons knows that. But the way Briere went flying, it's amazing he was able to get to the bench on his own let alone return to play later in the game - and I think that may have tempered the way it was called. The incident will be reviewed by the league but I'm hopeful that no suspensions will be handed down.

A bit of he said, he said after the game:

"He got turned around and I hit him," Ovechkin said, adding that he didn't think the infraction warrants a suspension. "I didn't want to give him some injury. It was an accident."

"He was behind me - I couldn't see it. ... The puck was going deep and I was going for a (line) change," said Briere. "It was definitely late and from behind. It's tough to say whether he deserves a suspension."

"(Briere) was defenseless. He went headfirst into the boards," Ruff said. "I think if (Washington) looked at it through their eyes and it was Ovechkin going headfirst into the wall, I think they'd feel the same way. We don't need those plays in the game."

I understand Ruff's comments to some extent - a coach has to protect his players and will always say this kind of thing after the fact. I just don't really know how I would feel had it been the other way around - I do know that several Caps players have been hit from behind this season, maybe not as badly but still clearly victims of boarding, and some of them have clearly been intentional...not once have I thought ejection was necessary. Thankfully Briere was okay, but it looks like the bad blood has started to build up in what was already a pretty physical game - these two teams meet again in a few weeks, so that is definitely worth tuning in for.

(Is it just me or are we starting to circle lots of rematches on our calendars? I guess when a team improves, their games become more intense, bitter and hard-fought...)

The hit would have consequences for both teams, as two Buffalo players were also ejected for instigating fights in retaliation. An injury to Zednik later in the period took him out of the game, too, and just like that both teams were short by two players each. It didn't slow the scoring one bit, though, as the Sabres would claw back from a 5-1 deficit to pull within 2 by the end of the middle frame. That's a dangerous lead for any team playing the Sabres, but luckily that's as close as they would get - the two teams would alternate tallies in the third period and the Caps would hang on through one last flurry in the penalty-filled final minutes of the game. An empty-netter by John Erskine on what was merely a clearing attempt would wrap up the game for the Caps in a 7-4 finish. Whew.

Seriously, an absolutely crazy game but a thrilling one. I can't even really break it down by good and bad because it was just so bizarre - good, bad, ugly and weird stuff was happening all over the ice. I was really happy with the overall game by the Caps, though - they were forechecking consistently and managed to hang on to at least a two goal lead for the entire game, despite again being slightly outplayed in the second period second period and fighting off a flurry of Sabres shots in the waning minutes. The only blemish I could see was the lack of power play goals on 7 chances, leaving them without an extra-man tally for the second straight game - of course, this matters less when you're scoring at even strength...

Random facts:
- Attendance was announced at 17,162, which if I'm not mistaken is close to if not surpassing the high for this season. Too many Buffalo fans, though - you could hear the Let's Go Buffalo chants through the TV.
- The Caps outshot Buffalo 15-7 in the first. The Sabres outshot Washington 14-6 in the second. And the two teams were fairly even in the third, with shots going 9-7 in favor of Buffalo to bring the totals to 30 for Buffalo and 28 for the Caps.
- Pettinger, Semin, Klepis, Beech and Zednik continued to have hot hands, with all 5 picking up at least a point. Meanwhile Muir, Clymer and Erskine exorcised their collective demons as each one snapped lengthy goalless droughts.
- The Caps experienced their second penalty-filled game in the last 10 days, as 117 penalty minutes were handed out between the two teams.
- Faceoffs were dominated by the Caps, winning 60% of the draws - Gordon and Laich were particularly outstanding in that area as each of them won over 70% of their faceoffs.
- Once again the Caps were able to earn a win without the presence of some of their top scorers - just more proof that they are becoming a more well-rounded, offensively potent team. Pettinger in particular has been very hot since coming back from his injury and had 2 goals tonight to continue his point-scoring streak. Add major kudos to Klepis for giving up the body on Petty's first goal...poor guy didn't even get a helper on it for his efforts.
- This marked the third straight game that the Caps have chased the opposition's goaltender early after scoring at least 3 goals - this after scoring only 9 goals total during their 6-game losing streak...

It's going to be interesting to see what happens once Zubrus and Bradley return. I'm guessing Hanlon will be reluctant to change what has been a winning formula so far, but we'll have to wait and see. And we do have a little bit of a wait; the Caps now have another nice long rest here at home as they await Ottawa's arrival for a midweek tilt back at the Phone Booth next Wednesday. Ottawa is experiencing a bit of a resurgence, going 8-2 in their last 10.

Incidentally, they were the last team to beat Buffalo in regulation - should be a good one!

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Gameday Preview: Caps vs. Sabres

Before I get to the gameday preview I first have to apologize to Olie Kolzig who I'm sure is an avid reader of my blog. In my recap of the Caps-Stars game I indicated that at least one of the Stars' final 2 tallies was a softie. After reviewing the goals it appears that in actuality Olie didn't have much of a chance on either - no one who saw the game felt the need to call me an idiot on that one?

Anyways, I admit that I was wrong and I am sorry for blemishing what was an all-around stellar game by our always solid goalie. Sorry, Olie!!

And now on to the main event...

Who: Your Nation's Capitals vs. Buffalo Sabres
Where: Verizon Center
601 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
When: Saturday, December 2, 2006, 8:00 pm

Broadcast Information: CSN, WTNT-570 AM; MSG, WGR 550-AM

Media Notes:
WashingtonCaps.com
BuffaloSabres.com
NHL.com
Washington Post (Poor Jamie)
Washington Times
Buffalo News

2005-06 Season Series: Caps 1-3-0, Sabres 3-1-0

2006-07 Standings: Caps 10-9-6, 26 points - 4th in division, 13th in conference; Buffalo 20-3-2, 42 points - 1st in division, 1st in conference

Last Game: March 14 in Washington, Caps lost 6-4
- This game produced an offensive explosion by both teams, with goals coming in bunches and leads flip-flopping. The Caps gained the lead in the last minute of each period until Buffalo finally returned the favor with a late go-ahead goal to win it.
- Both teams connected twice on the power play, but the Caps gave the Sabres far too many chances with the extra man as they went shorthanded 9 times, including twice by two men.
- Bryan Muir and Brian Willsie both served 3 minor penalties during the game, although Willsie's third trip to the sin bin came courtesy of a tripping call to Brent Johnson to once again put the Caps two men down.
- Despite the loss, a handful of Caps had big games - Zubrus earned two assists and Ovechkin snapped a two-game pointless streak with a goal, his 43rd, and two assists. Meanwhile Clymer scored two goals and added an assist on the Ovechkin tally, while Johnson made 35 saves in yet another lopsided shot total.
- The late game-winner came courtesy of deflections and bounces, as it went off of Kotalik's stick, Johnson's stick, Morrisonn's skate and into the net.
- The loss marked the end of the last long homestand for the Caps, as they emerged from 5 games at home with only 2 wins. They would finish the season with 8 of their remaining 12 games on the road.

Things to Look for:
- It's hard to look at the disparity in records, points and standings between these two teams and not get a little nervous. Buffalo has lost only 3 times in regulation this year and only 5 times total, as they sit atop both the Northeast Division and the Eastern Conference. After the performance over the last two games I definitely have more confidence in the Caps ability to at least stay in the game, but Buffalo is a scary, scary team nonetheless and it will take the Capitals' best effort to come out of this one with a win.
- For the second straight game the Caps are catching a tougher team in the second of back-to-back games after having a day off themselves. However, Dallas came in to DC from Chicago on a red-eye after a disappointing loss to a bottom tier team, their second straight; meanwhile Buffalo is just heading down from NYC after completing a season series sweep of the Rangers in a shootout. The Caps need to take advantage of whatever fatigue the Sabres may display early and take a quick lead to fend off any Buffalo momentum.
- The Sabres lead the league in average goals per game by a large margin with 4.21; they have scored 5+ goals 9 times this season, and have 7+ goals 5 times. That's just wrong.
- Semin's return to the lineup has marked the return of his scoring touch as well, with 3 points in his first 2 games back. A few other Caps are also riding a mini hot streak, as Pettinger has points in 3 straight and Clark has scored in each of the last two games. The scoring from secondary sources will be necessary to counteract the high offensive output of the Sabres.

Per Vogel, here are the lineups - the Caps' lineup is likely to change, as Zubrus's return will be a morning skate decision and Hanlon will need to decide where to place him and Bradley. Based on what Vogel has, it doesn't even look like Beech will be playing - that's a questionable call given his obvious chemistry with Semin and Pettinger as well as his performance over the last two games. However, I'm no coach so I'll defer to Hanlon's expertise this time...and hope that Vogs got it wrong.

Projected Lineup for the Caps
Forwards:
8-Alex "Splittin' Lumber" Ovechkin, 9-Dainius "Write-In" Zubrus, 17-Chris "Hot Hands" Clark
28-Alex "Welcome Back" Semin, 38-Jakub "Beech's Understudy" Klepis, 18-Matt "Breakaway" Pettinger
10-Matt "Enrique" Bradley, 16-Brian "K.O." Sutherby, 27-Ben "Slimer" Clymer
87-Donald "the Instigator" Brashear, 15-Boyd "Oh Boy" Gordon, 20-Richard "One Arm" Zednik

Defensemen:
2-Brian "Point Shot" Pothier, 26-Shaone "the Deflector" Morrisonn
47-Bryan "Get Well Soon, Heward!" Muir, 52-Mike "Babyface" Green
4-John "the No-Clear Zone" Erskine, 44-Steve "I Heart Erskine" Eminger

Goaltenders:
1-Brent "Heeeere's Johnny!" Johnson, 37-Olie "the Rock" Kolzig

Projected Lineup for the Sabres
Forwards:
20-Daniel "Pumpkin" Paille, 48-Daniel "Crackers and Baked" Briere, 29-Jason "Tartes de" Pominville
26-Tomas "Mom's Mini" Vanek, 12-Ales "Warm Winter" Kotalik, 61-Maxim "FHM" Afinogenov
55-Jochen "Macy's Nordstroms and" Hecht, 23-Chris "the Terrier" Drury, 21-Drew "Chief of" Stafford
76-Andrew "Peeeete" Peters, 28-Paul "Patrick Swayze in" Gaustad, 28-Adam "the Female Horse" Mair

Defensemen:
6-Jaroslav "Time for a Random" Spacek, 51-Brian "Glen" Campbell
27-Teppooooooo Numminen, 45-Dmitri "the Maid" Kalinin
5-Toni "Tony Tone" Lydman, 38-Nathan "the Almost-Capital" Paetsch

Goaltenders:
30-Ryan "Run of the" Miller, 43-Martin "Mathieu's Big Bro" Biron

Friday, December 01, 2006

Heward Update

Mike Vogel is reporting more information on his blog about the injury to Jamie Heward last night - guys, this one was ugly. You know those times when you see a lot of blood from what turns out to be just a small cut? This was not one of those times...and this makes the second time in two weeks that a Cap has been facially mangled. This just in - hockey players are tough.

Apparently Jamie spent three and a half hours getting stitched up, and it was so deep that it took between 100 and 200 stitches to finally close up the wound. It cut a little bit of the facial muscle, too, although the nerves impacted by the cut will probably regenerate according to the team physicians.

The team is listing his availability as week-to-week, but everything sounds good for a full recovery so that's enough for me. Now it's up to plastic surgeons to restore Jamie to his previous glory :)

I've already posted a comment on Ted's blog and I hope you all do the same but I want to again send my best wishes for Jamie's full recovery!

2 Minutes for THAT?

Last night’s penalty call for “Playing with a Broken Stick” on Erskine drew some murmurs among the Caps faithful and has inspired me to look at those infractions that, in most cases, seem downright silly. I do usually understand the theory behind the various penalties, but there are times when I think maybe allowing referees to be a little bit subjective wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Of course, allowing for a gray area can open up a whole other can of worms, but that’s something to discuss later...plus it's not like they don't already call other things subjectively. One man's slashing is another man's light tap, and so forth.

1) Puck over the glass (Delay of Game): I get it, really – teams are penalized for trying to relieve pressure by clearing the puck into the stands, thus stopping play and leading to a faceoff. The penalty is among the many additions to the ‘new’ NHL that are designed to make the game go faster. All that I understand, but that doesn’t make it any less idiotic. First of all, hockey players are not always accurate, so what was an attempt to clear the puck off the glass and out of the zone becomes a shot into the crowd. If they were always 100% accurate with their shots, goalies’ equipment would get worn out a lot faster and the goalposts and glass behind the net would look brand new.

But alas, that is not the case.

As I understood it, this season refs were supposed to use some judgment as to whether the clear was intentional or not, but I have yet to see a puck go into the stands (when not deflected) that was not immediately followed by a penalty call. Maybe I heard wrong, I don’t know. Either way, I think that if you want to speed up the game, try cutting back on those stupid TV timeouts...

2) Playing with a broken stick: The intent behind this one is clearly a safety issue – you don’t want someone (ahem, Kovalchuk) using just the jagged end of his half-stick to whack away at a puck or worse, another player. But what about what happened last night, when Erskine didn’t even realize the stick was broken? He didn’t notice because the two pieces didn’t break apart, meaning he was no more dangerous with the broken stick than with a regular stick. Had he put any more pressure on the twig it likely would have completely snapped and Erskine would have (I hope) dropped it on the ice.

3) Instigator: Ugh. I really hate this, especially now that the league has tacked on the mandatory suspension when it occurs in the final minutes of a game. Again, I get the intent – cut down on fighting, cut down on those end-of-game brawls, blah blah blah. But when you penalize people for starting a fight, you instead get these stupid setup fights – two guys look at each other and basically say, “Wanna go?” Gloves are dropped, punches are thrown, and they end it with a handshake or a subtle nod. That’s not fighting, that’s theater.

The only times fights make sense are when they grow out of a real emotion, anger or frustration, or when they’re in defense of a teammate. Take, for example, Brash’s actions last week in Atlanta – of course Vishnevski didn’t want to fight him, he’s not stupid. But Vishnevski’s a pretty big guy and a fairly physical player in his own right, he’s been known to throw the body and the fists around before. Brashear was out there for one reason and we all knew it – he was standing up for his team and sending a message. Did he go a little too far? Maybe – the blood on the ice was kind of gross, at any rate. But had he instigated something 5 minutes earlier, the penalties wouldn’t have been nearly as stiff, and that seems like a double standard.

Those are my observations...of course, I’ll go on record as saying that should any of these penalties go against the other team, I’m completely 100% in favor of them.

Anyways, I’m sure many of you disagree with me or have other infractions you think are suspect. Let me hear it!

Get Well Soon, Jamie!

I encourage everyone to visit Ted's blog and send a note to Heward wishing him a speedy recovery from what was a very scary injury last night - any get well notes posted as comments on his blog will be passed on to Jamie and his family:

Thankfully it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it still sounds pretty serious and Jamie will be out indefinitely. Here's hoping he has a quick recovery so he can get back to work!

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