Gameday Preview: Caps vs. Canucks

Who: Your Nation's Capitals vs. Vancouver Canucks
Where: GM Place
800 Griffiths Way
Vancouver, BC V6B 6G1 Canada
When: Friday, October 27th, 2006, 10:00 pm PDT

Media Notes:
WashingtonCaps.com
Washington Times
Canucks.com
Vancouver Sun

24 Hours Vancouver
Ovie Love 1

Ovie Love 2
Ovie Love 3
Luongo Love

2005-2006 Series: N/A

Last Game: January 31, 2004 in Washington, Caps lose 6-1
- Vancouver scored 4 power play goals on their way to a 6-1 rout the last time these two teams tangled. The special teams’ shootout was a repeat performance of their last meeting the year before, when the Canucks went 5-for-10 with the extra man in a 6-0 win.
- The Caps mustered a measly 16 shots on goal compared to the 40 shots that peppered Kolzig...okay, so nothing new there.
- Eminger was recalled from Portland to replace Jason Doig, who was serving a 2-game suspension for kneeing Carolina's Kevyn Adams. On the other side of the glass, Caps' owner Ted Leonsis was serving a suspension of his own after a brief tussle with a fan. What can I say? We're a feisty team from top to bottom!

Things to Watch For:
- Try to ignore the almost gleeful article on Canucks.com about Luongo's record against the Caps - let's just say it ain't pretty. In fact, it's downright ugly. Anyone at the 5-0 shellacking back in February knows exactly how ugly, especially considering the Caps had 44 shots on goal in that game. Water under the bridge, though...right? Right???
- All three Caps wins have come with them scoring at least 5 goals and the Caps are 2nd in the league in average goals per game, so offense doesn’t seem to be a problem. The addition of a second scoring line should help the odds against Luongo, as well. I’d like to see them fire everything at the net, with guys in front of Luongo to chip in the ugly goal here or there. I seem to recall the majority of the shots in those games last season were from the perimeter – we just made him look good.
- Special teams have been very good of late – it’s time to break the Canucks 9 for 17 power play streak over the last two seasons and get some of our own with the extra man.
- Pettinger played well Wednesday night despite being used sparingly as a precaution. I expect to see him log more minutes tonight and maybe get a goal...or two.
- Ovechkin should avoid blocking shots tonight, particularly those coming from his own teammates. I have a feeling Morrisonn had a bit of a scare Wednesday night...
- Semin’s point streak continues. Need I say more?

As It Stands:
- Alexander Semin is 4th in the league in goals with 8 and is in the top 20 in scoring with 12 points overall.
- The Caps are 14th in the league in power play, going 8 for 47 for 17% effectiveness overall (20% at home)
- When scoring first, the Caps are 3-0-2; they are tied for 3rd for the most first period goals with 12
- With a win tonight, Olie Kolzig would tie Hall of Famer Ken Dryden for 33rd overall with 258.
- The Caps rank 11th in the league in +/- with an overall team rating of +3
- Kris Beech is 6th in the league in faceoff percentage with 57.8%
- Brian Pothier is 4th among defensemen in assists and 11th in points with 8
- The Caps have played fewer games, 8, than 12 of the 15 teams in the Eastern Conference and are still only a point or two away from cracking the top 8. To put it into perspective: the Caps have played 8 games and earned 9 points; Florida has played 12 games, the most in the league, and has earned 11 points. In other words, it's early and no one knows anything.

Projected Lineups:

Washington Capitals

Forwards:

8-Alex “Shards of Glass” Ovechkin, 9-Dainius “Ansel Adams” Zubrus, 17-Chris “Luongo-Killer” Clark

28-Alex “2.0” Semin, 38-Jakub “Movin’ On Up” Klepis, 20-Richard “The Forechecker” Zednik

22-Rico “Suavé” Fata, 16-Brian “K.O.” Sutherby, 10-Matt “Empty Netter” Bradley

87-Donald “Piano Man” Brashear, 24-Kris “Life’s a” Beech, 18-Matt “Don’t Call Me Princess” Pettinger

Defensemen:

2-Brian “The Capital Capital” Pothier, 26-Shaone “Fore!” Morrisonn

27-Ben “The DC Diva” Clymer, 44-Steve “Jim” Eminger

6-Jamie “Journeyman” Heward, 52-Mike “Ovie” Green

Goaltenders:

1-Brent “Heeere’s Johnny!” Johnson, 37-Olie “The Other Captain” Kolzig

Vancouver Canucks
Forwards:

19-Markus Naslund, 7-Brendan Morrison, 38-Jan Bulis

22-Daniel Sedin, 33-Henrik Sedin, 9-Taylor Pyatt

34-Matt Cooke, 17-Ryan Kesler, 25-Josh Green

14-Alexandre Burrows, 32-Marc Chouinard, 16-Trevor Linden

Defensemen:

2-Mattias Ohlund, 3-Kevin Bieksa

5-Lukas Krajicek, 18-Rory Fitzpatrick

4-Luc Bourdon, 6-Sami Salo

Goaltenders:

1-Roberto Luongo, 35-Dany Sabourin

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Out, Out Damn Spot

Someone point me towards a cleansing bath.

I just feel so dirty.

I have just finished watching the Flyers-Thrashers game on Comcast and I fear I shall never be clean again...for I was rooting for the Flyers.

It often comes down to the lesser of two evils for me when two Eastern Conference teams meet in battle - for example, Devils over the Rangers, Rangers over anyone in the Southeast Division, anyone in the division over the Thrashers. It's not a science, but it works for me.

Except when I have to root for the Flyers. Actually, except when I have to root for the Flyers, the Rangers, the Penguins, etc. Okay, so it's definitely not a science and it usually doesn't work for me. I was actually kind of hoping they would both lose, but I guess that's wishful thinking.

The Flyers couldn't even win outright; they had to let Atlanta get a point before finally beating them in the shootout. C'est la vie, I guess. On the bright side the Thrash have lost twice in a row in the extra frame.

So thank you, Flyers.



Excuse me, I have to go disinfect my keyboard.

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Caps Roll Over Avs, 5-3

What a great way to start this road trip!

First of all, I was pleasantly surprised that I could watch the entire game without having to cover my eyes once. (Okay, maybe I had them covered a little during the 2-minute 5-on-3 in the first period. Seriously, can they stop doing that soon??) Last night’s game against the Avs was a great team performance that seemed to have everything.

A penalty shot (that was missed). A milestone point (unfortunately for the other team, but Sakic’s a good guy). Offensive production (yes! That one was in our favor.) And five goals from five different players is always a good thing.

Special teams continued to improve, as the Caps only took seven penalties in the game and allowed only one PPG – Andrew Brunette’s second of the night with less than 3 minutes remaining and the goalie pulled. They even capitalized on one of their three power play chances. Overall penalty killing was sharp and aggressive, with a few scary moments but nothing too out of control. I’d like to see more shots on goal during power plays, but at least they scored and there were only three chances. No need to be too picky, right?

I am loving the fact that I can barely single out individual performances to comment on – last night’s game was even more of a team game than the last win I witnessed over Carolina. If I was euphoric after that game, last night’s game would make me...well, whatever is better than euphoric. Elated. Overjoyed. Exhausted (I hate west coast games).

Olie Kolzig was by far the best player on the ice, making not only the standard saves but throwing in a few dazzling ones as well and turning away 45 of 48 shots. Mike Green’s goal was truly a beautiful sight. Richard Zednik had one of his best performances of the season, getting some odd-man breaks, making good passes, and (gasp!) forechecking. Kris Beech continued to impress, Donald Brashear had some very good shifts, Brian Sutherby played a strong game...can’t name them all, I’ll run out of room.

And let’s not forget our two Alexes – one with an assist to continue his point-scoring streak, the other with a goal and a broken pane of glass. All in a day’s work.

All in all, I can’t think of a better way to start this road swing. Next stop is Vancouver Friday night where we get reacquainted with our good friend Roberto Luongo, followed by a Hockey Night in Canada as the Caps take on the Edmonton Oilers.

Ah, HNIC, how I miss you - I can hear the theme music now...

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Gameday Preview: Caps vs. Avs

Who: Your Nation’s Capitals vs. Colorado Avalanche
Where: Pepsi Center
1000 Chopper Circle
Denver, CO 80204
When: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 9:00 pm EDT

Media Notes:
WashingtonCaps.com
PDF Media Notes
NHL.com
Washington Post
Washington Times
ColoradoAvalanche.com
Denver Post
Daily Camera

Rocky Mountain News

2005-2006 Season Series: N/A

Last Game: 12/8/03 at Colorado, Caps lost 4-1
- 2 familiar faces met their former team for the first time as Avalanche players that night – Steve Konowalchuk had been traded to the Avs just two months earlier and Andrei Nikolishin had arrived in Colorado after a year in Chicago. Niko would put the cap on the Avs win with a goal at 2:03 in the third period, which would be followed by an empty-netter with less than a minute remaining in the game.
- The Avs victory marked the first time they had beaten the Caps since October 17, 2000 and the first win at home against the Caps since March 26, 1999.
- The loss brought the Caps record to an abysmal 8-18-1-1 and marked their third straight loss.

Things to watch for:
- I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Semin will score or at least have an assist. With a point in tonight’s game he will tie Daniel Briere’s season-high 8 game point streak for tops in the league, as well as Ovechkin’s previously set franchise record for point streaks to start a season.
- Having said that, the Caps need to continue spreading the offense around. Semin and Ovechkin have combined for 50% of the offensive output so far (although that’s still better than last season).
- As I’ve mentioned before, special teams are all over the place. Despite the loss on Saturday, the Caps killed off 6 of 7 penalties and capitalized on 2 of only 3 power play chances. A similar record tonight, albeit with a win at the end, would be ideal.
- After giving up 8 goals against his former team on Saturday, Theodore was benched against the Kings and will likely be backing up Peter Budaj tonight as well. Since being traded to Colorado last season, Theo has posted a less than stellar record of 3-5.
- Anyone who gets excited about facing a back-up goalie only has to look at the Caps’ history in the last year or two against backups to know that it’s not an automatic win. Furthermore, anyone who thinks backup goalies aren’t talented in their own right hasn’t been watching our own Brent Johnson in his first two starts. Look for Budaj to put up a good fight tonight.
- Matt Pettinger makes his triumphant return to the Caps in his regular season debut. They’ve been careful in bringing Petty back, obviously not wanting to injure him further. Let’s hope all the cobwebs are shaken out and he’s back to his old form again.

- Joe Sakic will be looking for his 1500th point to become only the 11th player in history to reach that plateau. As much as I love and respect Sakic, tonight should not be his night...

- Milan Hejduk's face now has more goals than Richard Zednik - in their last game against the Kings, Hejduk's second goal was a rebound off his face and into the net. Zed's play has been improving of late, and I hope the addition of Klepis to his line will fuel his offensive touch. If he has to sacrifice his pretty little mug to kick start it, so be it.
- Tonight’s game will again feature two former Caps in the lineup for the Avalanche: Ken Klee and Andrew “Speedracer” Brunette.

Projected Lineup for the Caps

Forwards:
8-Alex “Ovi-Wan” Ovechkin, 9-Dainius “Phone Buddy” Zubrus, 17-Chris “The Captain” Clark

28-Alex “2.0” Semin, 38-Jakub “Movin’ On Up” Klepis, 20-Richard “No More Zed Head” Zednik

22-Rico “Suavé” Fata, 16-Brian “K.O.” Sutherby, 10-Matt “The Peacemaker” Bradley

87- Donald “Lamborghini Man” Brashear, 24- Kris “Life’s a” Beech, 18-Matt “Don’t Call Me Princess” Pettinger

Defensemen:

2-Brian “The Capital Capital” Pothier, 26-Shaone “Rising Star” Morrisonn

27-Ben “The DC Diva” Clymer, 44-Steve “Jim” Eminger (No idea...)

6-Jamie “The Journeyman” Heward, 52-Mike “Babyface” Green

Goaltenders:

1-Brent “Heeeere’s Johnny!” Johnson, 37-Olie “The Other Captain” Kolzig

Projected Lineup for the Avalanche
Forwards:

15- Brunette, 19-Sakic, 40-Svatos

8-Wolski, 26-Stastny, 23-Hejduk

53-McLean, 39-Arnason, 14-Laperriere

24-Laaksonen, 12-Richardson, 20-Rycroft

Defensemen:

3-Skrastins, 5-Clark

2-Klee, 4-Liles

27-Vaananen, 71-Brisebois

Goaltenders:

31-Budaj, 60-Theodore

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I Believe Ms. Lopez Said It Best...

We find ourselves in the middle of yet another Caps dry spell, so I had a chance to tune into the Canadiens-Sabres game last night (Habs lost, gosh darn it). As I watched my other boys lose to the streaking Sabres, all I could focus on was how loud it was inside the Bell Centre. It didn't matter what the score was - the noise was deafening from the opening faceoff to the final seconds of the game, whether it was booing or cheering.

That's what I loved about Canadiens games during my time in Montreal; the energy of the crowd made the game exciting regardless of how well the teams were playing. Fans are knowledgeable about the game and are very vocal, willing to politely share their views with the refs, opposing fans, the hot dog vendor, etc. The Canadian Phone Booth was always a fun place to see a game against any team.

That excitement from the crowd is something I hope will return to DC once the Caps start their climb to the top of the standings. I have very vivid memories from my childhood of an arena full of white-clad people waving towels or shaking pom-poms during the playoffs. People even used to get excited about regular season games - there was a fan in my dad's section who rang a cowbell, one with an air horn, and another who played the trumpet. People wore costumes, made signs, and showed their pride in their team.

I see it starting to emerge again...the '8' heads are a particular favorite of mine, and who can forget the horn guy or the guy who yells really loudly. I understand that the excitement and attendance levels are usually directly related to how well the team performs - only diehards cheer loudly when the Caps are down by 5 or 6 goals. But this team is going to get more and more exciting to watch over the next few years, and I just hope that DC fans start to recognize what we have here. So in the profound words of J-Lo, "let's get loud!"

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Lithium, Anyone?

Wow - you miss one week of hockey life and so much happens!

In the week that I've been away, the Caps have produced one lopsided win, one slightly lopsided loss, and two overtime losses to the same team. And so I find myself asking the question - which team is going to show up for the long haul? Will it be the team that goes 2 for 3 on the power play and still loses? What about the one that scores 5 goals in the first period? The team taking 17 penalties a game and killing them all off or the team taking 4 penalties and killing off only half?

That darn hockey schizophrenia strikes again.

It's hard for me to make an assessment of the last four games, so I'm not going to really try. I was on the opposite side of the country and almost completely cut off from the Caps - any analysis I could offer would be based on highlight clips from the website, the occasional article, and box scores. All I can really do is recap some of the things that have popped out at me as I look over the results from the last four games:

- Alexander Semin is on fire - 8 goals and 11 points in 7 games...yeah, not bad. What I love is that he seems to score a different way each time, which will make it harder for opposing teams' defense to shut him down. He's like a smaller, sneakier Ovie with just a little less grit. I hope it continues - it looks like he's starting to really click with Zed and Beech. It even looked like Zed is starting to forecheck a little better. Who knew?

- Special Teams??? - I have no idea what's going on here. I can't even berate them for taking too many penalties or not scoring on the power play. There's no pattern to follow, no specific area at which to point my finger. All I can hope for is that the special teams issues will slowly work themselves out as the team chemistry improves...the good news is they are around the halfway point in the standings for power play and penalty killing, which is all I can really ask for.

- Win in regulation - the Caps are 0-3 when going into extra frames and we're only through 7 games total. They need to either figure out a way to maintain a lead or stage just a slightly stronger comeback when trailing. At least they manage to pick up a point with each overtime/shooutout appearance. The good news? They only play Atlanta 6 more times... :)

I'm still a little jet-lagged so I'm going to call it a night here. It looks like we've got another little break between contests again (groan) but no worries - I'll try to scrounge something up to post here between now and Wednesday. It's good to be back!

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Bloggers Have Lives, Too...

Hey, all - I'll be out of town on business for the next week, so I'll have limited access to the internet and will be cutting way back on the blogging. I'll try to check in with some sporadic posts for those of you who may care what I think (or just like to laugh at what I think), and I'll be back and better than ever next week...or I'll just be back. Hard to tell at this point. :)

Never fear, though - there is a whole team of fellow Caps crazies that will continue to provide high quality, in depth information over the next week. If you're craving opinions, just visit any one of the "Cap-Happy People" to the right for gameday previews, postgame analysis, and general Caps-related rants.

Because I'm short on time, here's my quick gameday preview for tomorrow: the Caps beat the Thrashers in their last meeting, dashing their playoff hopes and delighting the Caps' faithful. To win, the Caps need to stay out of the penalty box, play the whole game, and score more goals than the Thrashers.

Sometimes I amaze even myself. :)

To anyone who is going to the Thrashers game, please e-mail me and let me know how the tribute for Ovie was! I also want to know if those rockin' commemorative coins are as cool as they look (and don't judge me for wanting one of my very own...)

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Wild Shootout Loss for Caps, 3-2

Last night was an emotional rollercoaster ride for me. I went from cheering to slapping my hand on my forehead in disgust to covering my eyes in fear. It's a very confusing feeling to sit there after a game is done and not be able to pinpoint my exact thoughts about how the game went. I guess it depends on which period you were watching...

So today I'm going to break down the good news/bad news just that way, by period:

Period #1 (aka pleasantly surprised):
Good News - Caps got on the board first with a nice little shot by Zubrus that caught Fernandez out of position and everyone seemed to have a little jump. I loved seeing Ovie come flying in to Zubie at top speed - Zubrus actually seemed to brace himself for impact. It made me laugh...
Bad News - Minnesota got on the board with a power play goal by Kim Johnsson
Good News (again) - recovery time was much better, as the Caps bounced back to regain the lead with a power play of their own

Good News - Johnson stood on his head, turning away 12 of the 13 shots faced in the opening frame
Bad News - No bad news here; Johnny was fantastic, definitely the best player on the ice

Period #2 (cue ominous music):
Good News - Only 3 penalties in this period (does that count as good news?)
Bad News - More dumb penalties led to a second PP strike by Johnsson with only 3 seconds remaining in the 5 on 4

Period #3 (Zzzzzzzz):
Good News - No power play goals allowed
Bad News - No one was awake to see the penalty killing at work

OT/Shootout:
Good News - We got a point on the road, which is better than nothing
Bad News - No goals in the shootout at all...oh, yeah, and they lost

Okay, so in all seriousness I didn't really think they played that badly last night. Johnson continued his shining performance from the end of last season and made some truly great saves, and there was nothing he could do about either goal. I also loved his long pass up the ice on a bad line change by Minnesota resulting in a 3 on 0 for the Caps...that was then fired over the net. Yay.

The power play looked pretty sharp at times despite registering only one goal (a gorgeous shot by Alex 2.0 - seriously, watch the replay from different angles to get the full magnitude of how good it was). They were able to position themselves well and avoid the breakout passes and odd-man rushes that make fast teams like Minnesota so dangerous. They actually did a decent job penalty killing, too - you just can't take 11 penalties against a good power play team like the Wild and expect to get out of it unscathed.

My biggest issues would be the penalties (no surprise there) and the overall energy level. Once again they failed to keep up the drive through the full 60 minutes; in fact, by the third period both teams were lulling me to sleep. I think I went a good 10 minutes without yelling at the screen.

Next up - division rivals and all-around bad guys the Atlanta Thrashers come to town. Atlanta is currently leading the division, losing only once in the shootout opening night and outscoring their opponents 13-3 in their first four games. Another performance like last night won't cut it against those guys if they come out firing...

Here's a slightly bizarre Southeast Division preview on NHL.com featuring the Caps and focusing on Muir and Gordon...go figure. At least it wasn't a doom and gloom article this time.

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Gameday Preview - Caps vs. Wild

Happy Birthday, Greenie! :)
Caps' rookie defensemen Mike Green celebrates his 21st birthday today! *Sigh* - they grow up so fast, don't they?

Who: Your Nation's Capitals vs. Minnesota Wild
Where: Xcel Energy Center
175 Kellogg Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55101
When: Thursday, October 12, 2006 8:00 pm

Media Notes:
WashingtonCaps.com
PDF Game Notes
NHL.com
Wild.com
St. Paul Pioneer Press
Minneapolis/St. Paul Star-Tribune
Profile-o-rama: Mike Green, Donald Brashear, Ovechkin
Broadcast Information: Comcast Sportsnet, WTNT-570 AM; KSTC Channel 45, WCCO-AM 830

2005-2006 Season Series: N/A
Overall Series: Washington 2-4-0-0, Minnesota 4-2-0-0

Last Game: Nov. 1, 2003 in Minnesota, Caps lost 2-1
- That's right, it's been almost 3 years since the Caps last played the Wild. In that time, both teams have undergone major transformations: 13 of the players dressed for the Caps that night, as well as the head coach, are no longer with the organization (anyone remember John Gruden?). For Minnesota, only 4 players from that game remain. In addition, both had drafted serious firepower up front, with the Caps obviously getting Ovie and the Wild obtaining sharpshooter Marian Gaborik.
- The loss to Minnesota continued the Caps winless streak on the road to start the season, bringing them to a miserable 0-6-1 away from MCI Center.
- Coach Cassidy called out his workhorses after the game, saying "[w]e're right back to where we refuse to shoot the puck...I'm talking about guys with no goals, I'm not talking about Jaromir Jagr. He's been in this league for 10 years and he knows what he's doing with the puck. You know, the Sutherbys, the Halpys, the Battaglias -- who refuse to shoot the puck and they have no goals.'' Butch was such a nice guy, wasn't he? It's too bad he was incompetent and had to leave.
- If Jaromir Jagr did know what to do with the puck, it didn't show in this game - at the time, Minnesota remained the only team he had never scored against.

Things to Watch For:
- Special Teams - always, always, always. Power play was starting to click at the end of the last game and penalty killing has been effective to this point. They just need to start getting a little consistency and momentum going at both ends. No one's asking for 100% on the pk or on the power play; I'd settle for mid-league numbers, enough to keep them in every game.
- Traffic - my one big issue with the last game and basically with every game since last season has been traffic in front of the net. The Caps consistently have opposition players in front of their own net yet are unable to reciprocate. Johnny is starting in net tonight and he had a great outing in the preseason against the Flyers, so here's hoping they give him a fair shot by clearing out the ice in front of him.
- Games are 60 Minutes - no one is questioning their work ethic and I know our boys go out there and play hard almost every night, but it needs to be maintained all the way through. A strong start or a strong finish will only get you through the beginning or end of a game; it is rarely enough to undo whatever damage is done if the other team comes out flying. I'd like to see a strong game all the way through and better recovery after a goal (meaning no more allowing two goals in less than a 5 minute span...)
- Crash and Dash - Minnesota's lineup is very flashy and can put up big numbers...we'll need some serious muscle to keep them in check. Luckily with the return of Matt Bradley, every forward line now appears to have a gritty, in your face type of player to balance out the finesse of the other two. Brashear, Sutherby and Laich earned praises from the media and the coach after their performance last game, so I'd expect another strong showing from that threesome.
-Offensive Prowess - Alex and Alex 2.0 put on quite a show last game and I'd love to see them continue to do so, but the Caps need to find offense from other sources as well. As we all know, putting the offensive eggs in one basket won't get you to the playoffs. They'll need some of the assist-getters of late to chip in a few goals, as well.

Your Projected Lineups:
Washington Capitals
(No nicknames this week...I'm being lazy)

Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 9-Zubrus, 17-Clark
28-Semin, 24-Beech, 20-Zednik
87-Brashear, 16-Sutherby, 21-Laich
22-Fata, 38-Klepis, 10-Bradley

Defensemen
2-Pothier, 26-Morrisonn
27-Clymer, 44-Eminger
6-Heward, 52-Green

Goaltenders
1-Johnson, 37-Kolzig

Minnesota Wild

Forwards
10-Gaborik, 38-Demitra, 21-Parrish
12-Rolston, 28-White, 96-Bouchard
19-Vellieux, 9-Koivu, 92-Radivojevic
24-Boogard, 37-Walz, 11-Dupuis

Defensemen
5-Johnsson, 55-Schultz
26-Foster, 41-Skoula
3-Carney, 33-Nummelin

Goaltenders
32-Backstrom, 35-Fernandez

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Just a Bunch of Characters

This long hiatus between games (which thankfully will be ending tomorrow night) has given me time to reflect a little more on my love of the game. I know what you're thinking - excellent, because we didn't get enough sappy crap last time around.

Exactly.

Actually, my reflections this time are focused more on the players themselves and grew out of a brief stop on ESPN while channel-surfing a few days ago. The ticker at the bottom of the screen was on NBA, and here’s what it said: “According to police, Pacers G/F Stephen Jackson fired 5 shots after someone punched him and tried to run him over with a car early Friday morning outside an Indianapolis strip club.”

What surprised me about this was that I wasn’t surprised. Try replacing “Pacers G/F Stephen Jackson” with “Cardinals QB Matt Leinart” or “Cowboys WR Terrell Owens”. Still sounds somewhat normal, right? Now change that name to “Capitals D Ben Clymer” or “Flames RW Jarome Iginla” and it becomes jarring.

The NFL, the NBA, and Major League Baseball are always fighting off scandals involving drugs, alcohol, weapons, violence, etc. That’s not to say that hockey players are perfect – we all remember Theo Fleury’s drug problems, Eddie Belfour beating his wife, the unfortunately nicknamed “Operation Slapshot” from this past summer, and everything that has come out of Sean Avery’s mouth. The difference is that it’s much rarer. The entire NHL gets a jolt when scandal erupts, and it is still usually “scandal-lite” compared to anything the NFL or NBA has dealt with in the past - still delicious, but half the calories and jail time...

I’m no expert, but I see the main difference between the NHL and other leagues as something that is among the NHL’s biggest issues lately – money. There’s no epiphany there; everyone knows that the NHL is a small-market league, banking on revenue largely from ticket sales alone. As a result, players’ salaries are routinely lower than the astronomical figures paid out to football, baseball, and basketball players.

Basically, it’s not that I think all football players, basketball players and baseball players are evil or driven to be troublemakers, at least not at the start. I actually enjoy baseball (love my Nats and Bo Sox!) and contrary to my frequent tirades against the NFL, I don’t hate football – I’ve even been known to watch a game or two. Money and fame really do change people, and hockey is just a sport where players are more anonymous and lower paid as a whole.

The reason I love NHL players the most, though, is that because they are so often regarded as the poor little stepsister in professional sports, they maintain that humility and accessibility that sets them apart from other athletes. They make less money, yet most of them just seem to be grateful they get paid at all for doing something they love to do – a sentiment I find to be lacking in all other sports.

Essentially everything I love about hockey players can be boiled down to what I love about the Caps - the character and down to earth quality that makes them that much easier to root for. Of course, I consider the Caps to be more entertaining and nicer than the rest of the league, but that's just me and my biased ways. For proof, check out these three articles from the last day or two as the local media's infrequent but ongoing love affair with our boys continues: Dan Steinberg’s recounting of a chance encounter at a Wizards game...Capitals Insider w/ Ben Clymer...and Dave Fay’s profile of Olie Kolzig. Enjoy!

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Reality Bites

I've been on such a high since Saturday night's game...it was so good that it carried me right through the weekend and past a "case of the Mondays".

I'm not crazy - I know that the game against the Hurricanes was not perfect and that things will need to improve. But I'm excited by the prospect of watching Ovie and Semin provide that much needed offensive one-two punch all season long. I'm pumped at the fact that over 16,000 people were in attendance to watch the season opener (although a sellout would have been better...we'll work on it). I love that they beat the defending champions.

Why do people feel the need to bring me down to reality? We've got a five day break between Caps games and I need something to carry me through. False hope always seems to do the trick. I'm not alone either - just look at Mike Vogel's ever-optimistic entry on the Capitals' website. Even eternal pessimist and all-around downer Dave Fay was looking bright-eyed this morning, featuring a nice little piece on Jakub Klepis. All seemed sunny and right with the world.

And then the rain came.

The Washington Post and the new Post blog, Capitals Insider, are both reporting tales of impending doom due to the I-word...injuries. Seriously, it's so early to be losing man-games to injury - I'm going to start wrapping up the entire team in bubble wrap if that's what it takes. You can now add Clymer to the list of players with nagging boo-boos, although he is scheduled to play Thursday night. El-Bashir was particularly pessimistic when it came to the prognosis on Matt Pettinger, who is apparently not quite ready to resume his gritty style of play.

The good news? A well-spaced schedule, while bad for diehard Caps fans needing a hockey fix, is excellent for a banged-up team like ours. Thursday's matchup with the Wild should feature a return to play for Matt Bradley, who has yet to appear in a regular season game. I also have to point out that while I share Tarik's concern with Zubrus's knee, I saw him play on Saturday - if that's not Zubie at 100%, things look good for the rest of the season.

Ah, senseless optimism...I feel better now!

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Same Score, Different Result

Wow. Talk about your 180 degree turnaround.

Last night's home opener featured a team that we all hoped existed but had yet to see in the regular season. They seemed confident, made few mistakes, and actually seemed to connect as a team. No more dress rehearsal, this was the real thing.

It's really hard to do good news/bad news today, because there was really very little wrong with how they played. It wasn't a perfect game, but it was as close as I think they can get at this point in the season, and I would expect them to only improve as the lines start to gel and people get more comfortable together. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it's going to be a very fun season to watch if Alex and Alex 2.0 can continue to light the lamp. They rarely have a boring or ugly goal between the two of them...and congrats to Semin on his first NHL hat trick!

Mr. Hat Trick Himself

Olie and Pothier earn those paychecks after Semin's 3rd goal...

Defensive coverage all around was highly improved from Thursday night and even from the preseason. The defensemen played very well overall, but I was impressed by how the whole team responded - odd-man rushes were generally shut down as the Caps gave the opposition very little room to maneuver, forechecking was strong and effective, and the penalty kill continued to be impressive despite allowing one goal. Carolina is a fast, puck-moving team and they were never really able to get their game going thanks to the positioning and awareness of the home team.

Things I Watched For:
- Discipline - The Caps followed up their 3-penalty night on Thursday with only 5 last night. They did allow one goal while shorthanded, but that's going to happen sometimes and it was a pretty good shot from the point that beat a screened Olie Kolzig. The Caps responded with 2 power play goals of their own and got a third on a delayed penalty call, so all is forgiven.
- Carolina Goaltending - Cam Ward started in net for the 'Canes, which came as a complete surprise to me and the 50 media outlets predicting that Grahame would be the starter. Despite the chants of "Ward you suck!" from the 16,622 fans in attendance, I thought he played very well last night. I have kind of an inappropriate crush on Ward and would love it if he went to a less evil team...
- Energy - The Caps did come out strong, evidently pumped by the home crowd and were able to pretty much carry that energy through the entire game, with the exception of the first half of the second period. They were hitting, shooting, and forechecking with a vigor that was definitely missing in the season opener.
- Lines - I loved the lines Hanlon threw out there. The reunion of Clark with Ovie and Zubie was a welcome move by the coach that seemed to ignite the other two, but the other three lines were also very effective. Semin, Klepis and Fata added a second offensive punch, while Brashear, Sutherby and Laich proved to be a firestarter line with their grit and several scoring chances in their own right. The fourth line of Zednik, Beech and Fleischmann also had some good opportunities and featured some pretty passing plays that given time may eventually connect. Having said that, the return of our injured threesome (Pettinger, Bradley, and Gordon) is hopefully not too far off, so we'll have to wait and see.

Now, not everything was perfect - the 'Canes came out firing in the second period, scoring two goals in a span of less than four minutes and generally wreaking havoc in front of Olie. In the future the Caps have to get better at clearing out the front of the net. During the first ten minutes of the middle frame, 'Canes were planting their bodies in front of or around Olie for the screen or the chip in shot. That's something the Caps need to learn to do themselves and I started to see it in the third period, with players getting rebounds and those important second and third shots.

I would also love to see the quick back-to-back goals stop - that's two games in a row that the Caps have fallen behind after a brief flurry of offense from the other team, and it shows how important the shift immediately following a goal is.

Everyone knows about the dynamic Russian duo and their amazing 5-goal performance last night, so I'd like to present my three stars of the night not named Alexander:

1) Chris Clark - he was the third star at Verizon Center, the third star on Caps Postgame Live, and there's a reason. He played well on Thursday, too, but he was instrumental in creating plays and moving the puck while clearing the ice for the Alex's and was rewarded with three points on the night. He also was the first one in to defend Ovie after he was kneed by Tim Gleason - Ovie went down and Clark literally came flying into the corner and jumped on Gleason's back. Luckily Ovie walked away with little more than a boo-boo on his pinky finger and Clark continued to earn the respect of his team and the fans.
2) Brian Sutherby - I'm really enjoying watching Sutherby develop as a Capital. It was only the beginning of last year when he was taking stupid penalties and making costly mistakes on the ice, but as the season went on he started to mature right before our eyes and has improved his game immensely. That continued last night, as he and his linemates created energy and scoring chances with their gritty play, particularly in the second and third periods.
3) Dainius Zubrus - Zubie was all over the ice last night, hitting people, shooting the puck and generally creating mayhem for the visiting 'Canes. He opened up the ice even more and was a physical presence all night long - guess he's feeling better.
Honorable Mention - Kris Beech, Brian Pothier, Olie Kolzig and Rico Fata for their individual performances, and the whole damn team for just a great all-around effort in their defeat of the Stanley Cup Champs (who are now 0-3 on the season...)

And now for the Jackass award, it's a tie:
1) Tim Gleason - I saw the replay, and that knee-on-knee hit was definitely intentional. Hopefully he'll have a bullseye on his back the rest of the season. Actually, let's throw the whole Carolina team in here; the end of the third period featured them at their gooniest, with cheap shots coming rapid-fire against our boys. That's just so Atlanta...
&
2) Whatever Hurricane joker snuck into the Caps dressing room and greased Clymer's skates - the guy couldn't stay on his feet all night long (although he still played pretty well).

Quotable Quotes:
Alexander Semin on a 3-goal night: "I scored three goals tonight, but I could have scored more."
Alex Ovechkin after 2 goals and 15 shots: "First period, I played awful. Terrible. Second period, I told myself: Shoot everything."
Alex Ovechkin about the kneeing incident: "I don't know what happened, but he play not fair. I just have move and he hits me."
'Canes coach Laviollete lays down the law: "We're kidding ourselves. We're taking bad penalties instead of doing the work. We're mouthing off instead of doing the work. And selfish acts are costing us games...[i]t needs to be corrected, and it will be."
Quote of the Night:
Hanlon on his Russian Superstars: "I don't rate them one and two...[a]fter I thank God at night for having a great wife, I say a quiet prayer for having those two guys on my team. Olie usually gets in on that one, as well."

For more in-depth, learned (and slightly less biased) coverage, check out the big boys:
WashingtonCaps.com
Washington Post
Washington Times
Washington Times 2
Semin #1 Star on NHL.com
TSN.ca

That's it for now...the Caps are off until Thursday, so I may not be posting as much this week, but I'll try to check in if there's any news to report or if I come up with something else to rant about.

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Season Opener - Take 2

I have decided to ignore Thursday's fiasco and focus instead on tonight, the season opener that really counts - the one at home. I'll be there with what I hope is a raucous crowd of Capitals faithful.

Opening night is always exciting, between the pomp and circumstance of whatever ceremony they decide to put on and the high expectations of the home team crowd. I'm hoping that the enthusiasm of the fans, along with some minor tweaks by Hanlon and the gang, will help to lift the good guys to victory.

Who: Your Nation's Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Where: Verizon Center
601 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
When: Saturday, October 7, 2006, 7:00 pm

Media Notes:
WashingtonCaps.com
Washington Post
Washington Times
Raleigh News & Observer


Broadcast Information: Comcast Sportsnet, Fox Sports Net South (NC), WTEM-980, WWMY-102.9 (NC), NHL Radio

Things to Watch For:
- The Caps maintained their discipline in their season opener Thursday night, getting whistled for only 3 penalties and killing all of them off. A lone highlight from that game, it would be nice to see that same discipline here tonight. There's may be a little heat between the Caps and the Canes since the end of last season, but the guys need to keep their emotions in check. As I've mentioned, the Hurricanes have had excellent penalty-killing, so they can't expect many opportunities of their own.
- Of course having said that the Canes' best penalty killer, Mr. Conn Smythe himself Cam Ward will likely be riding the bench in this second game of back to back games. As a result, John Grahame is probably making his regular season Carolina Hurricanes debut...let's give him a real nice welcome.
- Carolina is playing their third game in four nights, including last night's shutout loss to the Devils. The Caps have had a day off in between games and will have the home crowd behind them tonight. Energy will be a factor - let's hope the Caps can funnel the adrenaline on to the ice and keep the crowd in it all night.
- Lines are completely up in the air, with the exception being the reunion of Ovie, Zubie and Clark. Look for Clark to open up the ice a little more for the other two, and maybe we'll see Ovie get his first goal of the season. No word yet on whether the Caps will dress 7 defensemen or not, although it looks like Carolina will be continuing that practice.


My Prediction: Caps win, 3-2. Ovie will have a goal and an assist, Clymer will have a goal, and Beech will have an assist.

Fun Fact (per Mike Vogel): Friday night’s game against New Jersey marked the 300th career game for Carolina’s Peter Laviolette as a head coach...too bad they got shutout. :)

Here are your probable lineups for tonight's game:

Washington Capitals
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 9-Zubrus, 17-Clark
28-Semin, 24-Beech, 22-Fata
87-Brashear, 16-Sutherby, 20-Zednik
38-Klepis + 2 to be named at gametime
lines are likely not final depending on who gets called up from Hershey

Defensemen
2-Pothier, 26-Morrisonn
27-Clymer, 44-Eminger
6-Heward, 52-Green

Goaltenders
1-Johnson, 37-Kolzig


Carolina Hurricanes
Forwards
26-Cole, 12-Staal, 13-Whitney
16-Ladd, 17-Brind’Amour, 11-Williams
19-Letowski, 25-Belanger, 24-Walker
14-K.Adams, 27-C. Adams

Defense
6-Hedican, 22-Commodore
7-Wallin, 8-Gleason
2-Wesley, 48-Babchuk
45-Tanabe

Goaltenders
30-Ward, 47-Grahame

I'm kind of phoning this one in because I'm heading over to have dinner and check out fanfest, but if you want to see a real gameday preview I refer you once again to the message boards...

LET'S GO CAPS!

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U R 2 Kewl, LOL

- As is my usual Friday activity, I was unwinding from a long work week and perusing the internet when I decided to wander over to a place I haven't been in a while - the Caps message boards.

Hoo, boy.

If you've never looked at the boards before, I highly recommend it if only for the true comedy it inspires. It is Caps fandom at its best - bitter, pessimistic, often contradictory, and laugh out loud, er, LOL funny. There's a hierarchy, a language, a code of law, an unseen leader who rules with an iron fist...it's like an independent digital dictatorship right here in the district, what's not to love?

The population of this tiny community varies all over the map. You have your "true" fans; these are the diehards who bite someone's head off for daring to suggest that Bondra be brought back and who appear to hate everything about the team. Then there's the NARCFs (or the Not a Real Caps Fans for non-boardies); those people that dare to live in a different city or *gasp* do not attend all 41 home games. You have the optimists and the pessimists, the whiners, the confused ones, and the people who stick to two topics - trade player X or bring back player Y.

With such a colorful group, I knew what to expect the day after our first game and first loss of the season. So I wasn't surprised when I looked at the first thread, succinctly entitled "Beech Sucks". Nice. Now, I watched the game from start to finish last night, and of all the things that sucked, Beech was not really one of them. Okay, I remember him turning the puck over at one point, but who didn't? Anyways, the thread goes back and forth in a highly erudite and grown-up manner - Beech sucks, no he doesn't, yuh-huh, nuh-uh, etc. Then it branches out into who else sucked...Zednik, Clymer, Pothier, the list goes on. Highly entertaining if you have the time and/or the stomach to read through it.

For extra giggles look at the "Sign Bondra!" thread - at one point all Bondra posts were consolidated into one ginormous thread, which has since disappeared, but this brave soul dared to make a joke and look what happened...(by the way, ph34r apparently means fear. I had to look it up a few months ago, being a non-boardie myself.)

This doesn't really have a point...much like many of the threads on the message boards I just like to entertain myself. To be honest, I love these guys (and let's face it, they're mostly guys). The posts are always good for a smile if nothing else, and my own gameday previews are a weak attempt to replicate the great ones produced by one poster in particular. Speaking of which, check out the drinking game - you'll be wasted by the first intermission.

And so I dedicate this pointless post to you, my fellow nut jobs on the message boards - may you continue to squabble in good health and forever keep me entertained.

- Here's a little more doom and gloom to start the weekend off right for all of us here in Caps-town - apparently we've got some more injuries. Anyone else think it's a little early for the boys to dropping like flies? The Calder Cup champs haven't even started their season and it looks like we'll already be picking away at them, with Brooks Laich and Boyd Gordon likely in the press box for tomorrow's home opener.

Vogel discusses the latest injuries on WashingtonCaps.com, as does Tarik El-Bashir on his new Capitals blog (nice of the Post to give it to him then bury it...)

- I realized that I kind of crapped out on everyone on the eve of the season opener, going all soft and squishy instead of doing a real season preview. I'm still not going to do one, but I thought I would provide a service by at least linking to some of the good blogs out there who weren't as lazy.

My friend over at Random Reality Thoughts put together a nice preview and has the bases covered (pun intended, sorry) when it comes to the O's.

Japer's Rink is a good source for Caps craziness, and Bleatings from a Caps Nut does a very thorough preview of both the Caps and the entire league, division by division. Puckhead is always good for a dose of reality or as I like to call it, pessimism. There's more out there, but this post is bordering on Michener-esque so I'll let you surf for the rest on your own.

Gameday preview for the home opener coming up tomorrow...

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How Many 'R's in ARRRRGGGGHHH?

I've had a little time to unwind and reflect on the events of the Capitals season opener, and I am now ready to approach it in a calm and mature manner...the Rangers are all buttheads.

Okay, starting now.

To put it simply, tonight's game seemed like preseason - a mere dress rehearsal, like no one told the Caps that as of tonight, all games count. There were once again some individual performances that stood out but the team game was seriously lacking. There were multiple turnovers, the power play continued to be nonexistent, and the top line was on the ice for 4 of the 5 goals. Worst of all - Jagr scored. Blech.

I'll skip the long, detailed play-by-play - let's face it, if you're reading this you probably watched the game or at least caught the highlights (such as they were) on some sports wrap-up show. I'll go instead to the bad news/good news portion of our evening:

Bad News:
The Caps failed to convert on any of the 8 power-play chances tonight. Only two man-advantages featured decent passing and consistent scoring chances.
Good News:
The Caps were 100% on the penalty kill.
Better News:
The Caps took only three penalties all night, one per period. Of course, there goes my theory that taking fewer penalties will lead to a win, but it's something to build on...

Bad News:
The top line of Ovie, Zubie and Zednik combined for a total of exactly no points and each one was a -4 on the night. Ruh-roh.
Good News:
Semin got his first goal of the year - Alex 2.0 seems to be continuing his strong play from the preseason.

Bad News:
Defense was horrible. Need I say more?
Good News:
Ummm...I pass.

With that out of my system, I choose now to focus on the positive. Trust me, I too was doom and gloom as the game wound down, head in hands, let down once again by my beloved Capitals. But yes, nay-sayers and knee-jerkers, that silver lining I'm always looking for is still there. It may have taken me four hours to find it, but it's there.

First of all, the power play did seem to be coming together towards the end, which makes me think that it's really just a matter of time before it starts to click. They're learning to play together, and I still believe that this power play is going to be lethal at some point. Despite giving up four goals, Olie looked sharp - it was the defense that hung him out to dry. There were even moments of team brilliance throughout the night, flashes of what could be when they finally get their acts together and play like we know they can.

Beech and Semin had very strong games yet again, and of all people Rico Fata was very impressive tonight. (A side note - according to Off-Wing Opinion, I am crushing on Fata...but come on, who doesn't love Rrrrrico?)

So what needs to be fixed before Saturday's home opener and what needs to stay the same?
- Penalty killing was great - very aggressive and kind of fun to watch. It helps when you only have to kill off three, so that should continue.
- I think we need Clark back on the top line, at least for now. He opens up room for Ovie and Zubie to play a little bit, which Zednik just can't do. Ovie was practically invisible for most of the night because the Rangers were simply able to close him off.
- For the love of god, can I get them to stop making those crazy diagonal cross-ice passes? They got picked off about 99% of the time. Passes like that barely work on good teams...
- Traffic in front of the net would be nice to see. Scratch that, traffic in front of the opposition's net. A goalie can only stop what he can see, and Lundqvist saw almost every shot.
- I liked the hitting throughout the night, especially the tag team effort by Ovie and Zubie on some poor Ranger. It was the only stat that was consistently better than the Rangers - keep it up.
- The Caps need to carry the momentum of what amounted to a fairly strong third period into Saturday's matchup with the 'Canes, who I'm sure are still smarting from being beaten at home after unveiling their championship banner (excuse me, I have to go laugh my ass off...)

Now here's how the big boys wrap up tonight's game:
WashingtonCaps.com
Washington Post
Washington Times

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For a Change...

I know everyone is gearing up for the game - that's in 53 minutes and counting, kids.

I stumbled upon a rarity that I wanted to share to get everyone in the mood...

Are you ready?

Seriously, this has never been seen before. Wait for it...

It's...

...an article on Ovechkin! Seriously, I kid you not! I know, it's like the media just hates him, but finally the Washington Times has featured our boy Ovie in a tell-all interview.

Okay, kidding aside, do I need to keep going into why I love him so much? He's just so Ovie-like. Just read the first paragraph where they describe where he's standing and what he's wearing - I dare you not to laugh, or at least crack a smile. Anyways, it put me in a good mood for the game tonight and I hope it does the same for you.

Here's hoping Ovechkin runs over Jagr in the first shift. I promise you I would never stop laughing. Go Caps!

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Smell the Ice

This is the time of year that my fellow bloggers and the distinguished members of the press are doing their season previews - picking the final conference standings, reviewing offseason moves, grading the team based on preseason performance, etc. I'm going to skip this ritual fortune-telling, partly because I can hardly try to make a prediction based on the two preseason games and one day at training camp that I have attended and partly because everything that could be said has already been said, either here or by someone more qualified than me. Take for example the Post's Keys to the Season...it's a much more thorough and well-written recap than anything I could spew out at this point.

So instead, if I may, I'd like to get a little poetic and talk about why I love hockey...

Hockey is my relaxation, my happy place. Some people do yoga - I yell at hockey players. I love to just sit and watch the players skate; I love the sound of sharpened blades slicing through a fresh sheet of ice, the smack of the puck when it hits a stick, the muffled thud when a goalie makes a pad save. I love hearing the players bark at each other on the ice. I love watching the celebration on the bench after a goal is scored, and my heart breaks with each one of them when they lose the big game.

I take great pleasure in booing players I hate, cheering for players I love, and watching the next rookie phenom take the ice for the first time. I hold my breath during overtime, while my team is shorthanded, and when they have the lead with one minute left in a game. I mutter about how shootouts aren't really hockey and shouldn't determine the outcome of a game, yet stand in hushed anticipation as each shooter takes his turn.

My love for the game takes me to the cusp of another year, another 82 games of surprises and heartaches. We once again have a group of gritty, hard-working guys with a few flashes of brilliance thrown in - exactly the type of team we always love here in DC. I'm still not sure where they'll end up in April. They could be right in the thick of a playoff fight or they could once again be lined up for a top five draft pick. Either way, it'll be good to get back to the Phone Booth and watch it unfold, whatever "it" is. Not knowing is half the fun of being a sports fan in the first place - what excitement would be found if you knew before a single game was played that the Caps would win the Cup?

Okay, a little excitement maybe, but I'm telling you it's better this way...

We have a lot to look forward to this year. We have players looking to top career seasons, players looking to make their mark, and players trying to score "The Goal - Part 2". We have a team that, after winning 29 games last season, fully expects to contend for the postseason.

There are so many highlights to come - opening night is tomorrow night (see my gameday preview below) then we have the home opener against the Cup champs this Saturday. Jeff Halpern makes his hometown return in November when Dallas comes to town, and the Penguins will again make two appearances, bringing their new boy wonder Malkin along with our good buddy Sid the Kid for a next generation throwdown. All-Star festivities return in January, and I'm hoping they bring back the East-West format...can you imagine seeing Ovie and Crosby on a line together?

And let's not forget the handful of games on national TV. Oh, wait. That's not a highlight, that sucks. Three games? Really? The NHL schedulers can kiss my...

Ahem. Moving on.

So there you have it - the 2006-2007 preview, DCCapsChick style. It's a long season and there will be lots to talk about down the road. There's plenty of time to be pissed at players, coaches, the media; plenty of time for predictions, analysis, frustration, joy, tears.

For now, though, I encourage everyone to stop, breathe deep, and smell the ice...here we go.

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Caps Open in Big Apple

Who: Your Nation's Capitals vs. New York Rangers
Where: Madison Square Garden
7th Ave & 32nd Street
New York, NY 10001
When: Thursday, October 5, 2006, 7:00 pm

Media Notes:
WashingtonCaps.com
...once again there seems to be a lack of media coverage specific to individual games, as people are still doing their season preview articles. This should change as the season actually gets underway. I hope.

Broadcast Information: Comcast Sportsnet; WTEM 980; MSG

2005-2006 Season Series: Washington 2-1-0-1, New York 2-2-0-0

Last Game: 3/16 in New York, Caps lost 5-4
- Jagr scored the game-winning goal in the third period to snap a six-game losing streak, a season worst for the Rags. Fellow former Cap Michael Nylander had three assists on the night. Earlier in the game Jagr had yelled at his teammates to step it up after they allowed two goals to blow the lead. Ah, the irony...
- The Caps outshot the Rangers 40-27 and had a goal disallowed with less than 9 minutes remaining in the game.
- 3 of the 5 goals scored by the blueshirts came on the power play.

Things to Watch For:
- I'm running out of ways to say it - the Caps absolutely must stay out of the penalty box. Sure, penalty killing is improving (as it should, with all the practice) but the best penalty killers in the league will have a hard time when down 2 men every night.
- Hanlon is apparently tinkering with the idea of dressing 11 forwards and 7 defenseman to free up more ice time for Ovie, Semin, Ovie, Zednik, Ovie, Zubrus...you get the idea.
- Eminger scored his very first NHL goal against the Rangers, and two of his four goals total have come against the blueshirts. The other two came against the Isles and the Sabres - someone's in a NY state of mind...

Possible Lineups:

Washington Capitals

Forwards:
8-Alex "the Gr8" Ovechkin, 9-Dainius "Phone Buddy" Zubrus, 20-Richard "Boomerang" Zednik
28-Alex "the Missing Link" Semin, 24-Kris "Life's a" Beech, 17-Chris "Big C" Clark
21-Brooks "What's Not to" Laich, 16-Brian "K.O." Sutherby, 22-Rico "Suave" Fata
87-Donald "Lamborghini Man" Brashear, 15-Boyd "Flash" Gordon, 38-Jakub "Surprise! I'm Still Here!" Klepis

Defense:
2-Brian "DC>Ottawa" Pothier, 26-Shaone "Rising Star" Morrisonn
27-Ben "DC Diva" Clymer, 44-Steve "I Heart NY" Eminger
6-Jamie "the Journeyman" Heward, 52-Mike "Babyface" Green

In Net:
37-Olie "the Captain" Kolzig

New York Rangers
Forwards:
14-Brendan Shanahan, 92-Michael Nylander, 68-Jaromir "the Cheerleader" Jagr
25-Peter Prucha, 82-Martin "Jagr's Lapdog" Straka, 18-Adam Hall
10-Nigel Dawes, 5-Matt Cullen, 16-Jason Ward
44-Ryan Hollweg, 19-Blair Betts, 28-Colton Orr

Defense:
3-Michal Roszival, 8-Marek "the Showoff" Malik
4-Aaron "What the Hell Was I Doing in NC??" Ward, 51-Fedor "Rootin" Tyutin
6-Darius "A Nasty Case of" Kasparaitis, 23-Karel "No, Not Carol" Rachunek

In Net:
30-Henrik "Pretty Boy" Lundqvist

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Opening Night Roster Set

- Postgame from Sunday's loss to Carolina will not be available due to the fact that I am still pissed about it and choose to ignore this game altogether. Please see WashingtonCaps.com for more details...

...and please ignore Dave Fay's implication that Eminger is on his way out. I refuse to speculate on whether our 2002 first-round draft pick will be gone because he's had a subpar preseason and was benched for most of the 'Canes game. They know what he's capable of and I doubt they would get rid of someone with so much potential based on a meaningless two-week period. Moving on...

- The opening night roster has officially been set, with Alexandre Giroux being sent down to the AHL and Matt Pettinger being placed on the IR. Hopefully whatever is ailing Pettinger is minor and will not keep him out of the lineup for too long. As for Giroux, I did really like the little I saw from him, and I'm sure he will be back later in the season as injuries and/or performance require.

It's important to note that guys like Beech, Klepis, etc. are still not guaranteed a full-time place on the roster once Pettinger gets back, so those guys will have to continue to scrap it out. As impressed as I was with Klepis up to now, I personally would like to see Beech stick around if only because this is likely his last chance (as I and many others have mentioned ad nauseum), and I think he's earned this roster spot. Klepis is a few years younger and will probably make the team in the next year or two, but another year in Hershey won't hurt. Having said that, I don't think you could really go wrong with either one at this point - that's my wishy-washy answer and I'm sticking to it.

And so, I proudly present your 2006-2007 Washington Capitals! (For now...)

Forwards
Kris Beech, Matt Bradley, Donald Brashear, Chris Clark, Rico Fata, Boyd Gordon, Jakub Klepis, Brooks Laich, Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Brian Sutherby, Richard Zednik, Dainius Zubrus (+ Matt Pettinger)

Defensemen
Ben Clymer, Steve Eminger, John Erskine, Mike Green, Jamie Heward, Shaone Morrisonn, Bryan Muir, Brian Pothier

Goaltenders
Olie Kolzig, Brent Johnson

- Ovechkin continues his success in all sports - I don't think he's going to pull a Michael Jordan anytime soon, but I thought this was pretty funny...especially if anyone saw that clip of him swinging a golf club at the auto show.

- Speaking of Ovechkin, this article just increased my love for him...how cute is it that he used to call Zubrus four or five times a day?? (I'm sure Zubie is glad that number has decreased, but still...)

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Gameday Preview (Final Preseason Edition)

This will have to be a quick one, because the puck is set to drop in a little over an hour. I unfortunately will not be there to witness the final preseason tilt, but as usual the Hurricanes will be blowing through here yet again next Saturday and I'll be there for my first look at the Champs.

So here it is - the FINAL preseason gameday preview!! Can you feel the excitement? The drama? The laughter and the tears? :)

Who: Your Nation's Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Where: Verizon Center
601 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
When: Sunday, October 1, 2006, 1:00 pm

Media Notes:
WashingtonCaps.com
...and that's about it - sorry, folks, apparently not that much media coverage of the final preseason game from either camp.
However, check out this article or this article about the 'Canes - both are kind of doom and gloom about the obstacles our pals to the South will face in repeating their championship season (and try not to laugh out loud while you read them)

Broadcast Information: Live365 radio feed available on Caps website

2005-2006 Season Series: Washington 3-3-1-1, Carolina 5-3-0-0

Last Game: 4/7 in Washington, Caps lost 4-3
- Every single tally by the Hurricanes was a special-teams goal, including 3 shorthanded goals (a Carolina franchise record). 2 of the shorties came in a span of 19 seconds in the second period.
- This game marked the final meeting in what had been a marathon stretch - the teams played each other five times in 14 days, culminating with three straight matchups.
- The Caps trailed the 'Canes 4-1 until the last three minutes, when Shaone Morrisonn scored his first goal of the season followed by Brian Willsie's 17th, but Carolina was able to hang on for the win.
- Ovechkin scored his 99th point, an assist on Jeff Halpern's power play goal in the first period.

Things to Watch For:
- I feel like a broken record, but the bubble boys really do have just one more chance to prove they deserve a Caps jersey this season. The Caps must have their roster down to 23 by Wednesday...of course, if any of the injured players (Pettinger, Zubrus and Bradley) should go on the 7-day injured reserve, that deadline is extended. So basically the saga continues...
- The Hurricanes have yet to record a win in this preseason, getting knocked off twice by the Predators and twice by the Blue Jackets. The defending champs allowed 20 goals in the two home-and-home series. Carolina may be looking to break out of the slump as we head down the home stretch into the regular season, so I'd expect them to come out swinging today. Or maybe they just stink this year...I'd be okay with that...
- Penalties, penalties, penalties - every single preseason game has been highly influenced by special teams. Hanlon needs to keep his troops out of the box if they have a fighting chance; they can't count on getting PP goals of their own should they give one up shorthanded. Carolina's penalty killing has been one of their few bright spots this preseason - the 'Canes have allowed only 2 power play goals so far for a PK rate of 92%.
- Both the Skins and the Nats play at home today, so the crowd will likely be anemic at best. Anyone who's going today - cheer really loud!

And there you have it - we are in the home stretch, the finish line is in plain sight, we're rounding third base...okay, I'm out of sports metaphors. Basically preseason is almost over and it's time to get pumped for the opening of the 2006-2007 Capitals season! Can I get a 'Hell Yeah'? An 'Amen'? A long, drawn-out sigh of general dread and nervousness?

4 days and counting...here we go!

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