"Simply Sensational!" Washington Capitals Hockey Blog

Pack yer bags

2009-12-19T00:34:00.002-05:00

"Simply Sensational!" has moved to new digs.

Check out our new home at CapitalsGains.com.

The quantity of posts will start up back up again, Exam Week did not kill me, it only killed the quantity of posts on the site.

I hate to leave the Simply Sensational name, but I think it's for the best. In one year, you guys help make this site relevant in the Capitals blogosphere. Now, let's do it for Capitals Gains.

See ya on the other side!

Finals Week...

2009-12-08T12:38:00.000-05:00

As many of you have noticed, this site has not been updated as much as it used to be. I attribute that to a change of schools (Penn State-Harrisburg to James Madison University), where JMU's workload dwarf's that of PSH. Gone are the days of sitting in my apartment in the middle of Pennsylvania with a notepad and 34 firefox tabs open, desperately trying to find a relevant statistic.

Now with Exam Week upon us (college kids), it's now time to study more than you sleep, procrastinate more than ever, and live off Adderall and Red Bull (kidding, everyone knows you shouldn't take addy and Rd Bull).

I've knocked out two exams and have two to go. Meaning, that the site will remain quite for a few more days. But, it's like that saying, "It's always calmest before the storm."

I have great news and there are going to be some pretty big changes coming about. These changes should take place within the next two weeks (fingers crossed). You will love the changes. I will love the changes. And I cannot wait. See you then!

Sports Jobs with Junior Seau - Caps Edition

2009-12-07T19:32:00.002-05:00

From VERSUS-

VERSUS Sports Jobs with Junior Seau visits the Washington
Capitals, where Junior tries his luck as equipment manager. In this scene,
Junior practices with Alexander Ovechkin and the team and hand delivers box
seat tickets to owner, Ted Leonsis. Junior even receives his own
personalized Washington Capitals jersey!
Catch this episode December 9th at 11:30PM ET.
For more information, please visit us at http://www.versus.com/sportsjobs

Sorry about the lack of posts fellas (and ladies). Explanation tomorrow (with video).

Capitals-Canadiens Winners & Losers

2009-11-28T23:00:00.000-05:00

Winners:

Eric Fehr. This is the year guys. This is it. It's been six (going on seven) years since we drafted him, but this is what we've been waiting for. Six goals in the past 12 games. We just have to thank god Gabby didn't put him in on the shootout. That could have been bad (well, not as bad as his last attempt).

Semyon Varlamov. 14-1-3 in the NHL. Nuff said. Good luck getting your job back Theo.

Alex Ovechkin. Injury? What injury? Ovi dangled (thanks for saying that 4256459 times Locker) all night long and finished with a goal and an assist. Although I've come to assume that he'll score on every time he gets a breakaway so props to CP for shutting down Alex twice. He also added on ~~six~~ zero hits.

Nicklas Backstrom. Did have one giveaway (one more than he's usually good for)...Made up for it by winning the game. 47% from the dot isn't terrible. Let's see more shots on net, though.

Brian Pothier. He has become a (very) poor man's Mike Green. Gotta love the fact that he's willing to drive the net and pay the price late in the game. Why was he ever a healthy scratch?

Alexandre Giroux. Just kidding!

Medium:

Mathieu Perreault. Keeps creating = keeps playing with the Caps.

Karl Alzner. Picks up his first assist of his career in 20+ minutes. More King Karl plz.

Jay Beagle. Almost knocked in Ovechkin's rebound. Shoulda, woulda, coulda Jay. Next time.

Losers:

The Rooster. Boo! Hiss! Dude, seriously go away. Who died and promoted him to the first line? Okay maybe that last one was a little harsh, but I digress. Giroux did not have a good game. Two stupid #$%@ing penalties. The first interference call was kinda bogus, but as he was leaving the box (for a second time) in the third, Travis Moen was celebrating Montreal's third goal. He is indeed a 'tweener' (no, not this). Good in the AHL, not so much in the NHL ('Inbetween' the AHL/NHL...get it?). Words spoken by Locker. Yes Craig, I make up words too.

10 Stats - Buffalo Sabres at Washington Capitals

2009-11-25T05:32:00.000-05:00

All four of Nicklas Backstrom's goals have come at home.

Mike Green was penalized seven times in Washington's first eight games. In the 15 games since then, he's been sent to the sin bin just once.

Brendan Morrison has scored more goals (seven) against Buffalo than against any other Eastern Conference team.

On Saturday against Toronto (23rd game of the season), Brooks Laich registered his sixth five-shot game. Last year, Laich's sixth game with five or more shots came on February 3rd (52nd game).

Jose Theodore is 8-3-1 against the Northwest Division as a member of the Capitals.

Buffalo is 5-1 in when Thomas Vanek scores a goal.

Jason Pominville has two goals and three assists in the past four games played between these teams at the Verizon Center.

The Sabres are 7-2 this year when Tim Connolly gets three or more shots on net.

Henrik Tallinder has four goals in the last 193 games (including the 2007 Playoffs).

Ryan Miller is 5-1 in his career playing in the nation's capital.

10 Facts - Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals

2009-11-20T02:27:00.001-05:00

Tomas Plekanec has 10 points (4+6) in his last 10 games against the Caps.

Glen Metropolit has more Power Play goals in 15 games this year with Montreal than he did in 101 games with Washington in 1999-2002 (then again from 2002-2003).

Max Pacioretty was three years old when Roman Hamirlik played his first NHL game. If you were curious, Pacioretty celebrates his birthday on the 20th day of the 11th month.

Washington has four players with 20+ points. The Canadiens have zero.

Carey Price is 0-3-1 in his last four games on Fridays.

The Caps are 4-0-1 at home this season when Alex Ovechkin has a multi-point game.

In his last 14 games against Northeast Divisional teams, Eric Fehr has just one goal and one assist.

Through 21 games, Brooks Laich is on pace for 35 goals and 78 points. Up last year from 23 and 53, respectively.

Washington is 2-7-1 in their last 10 home games that Mike Green has not registered a point in.

Semyon Varlamov has a career record of 6-0-1 with a 2.22 GAA on home ice.

Capitals-Wild Winners & Losers

2009-11-13T21:54:00.000-05:00

Winners:

Mathieu Perreault. Sure it was Pothier who got the game-winner, but Perry has been money since he got here. Mathieu has an impressive four points in five games. It should be noted that he's out there for nine minutes, not 19 like the top six forwards.

Semyon Varlamov. Yes, he should have stopped Cal Clutterbuck's 'flutter-dipper' (as the Minny announcers call it), but since that's the only mistake, we'll take it. Me thinks he's earned another start, but seeing how the Caps travel tomorrow to play in New Jersey, the smart move is to throw Theo back in net.

Shots. Two straight games with 40+ shots. The Caps won't lose many games doing this.

Special Teams. The Penalty-killers did not allow a goal in three chances and the Caps converted once in three chances on the extra man. A beauty of a pass from Flash to Green. It's nice to know things don't fall apart with Ovi out of commission.

David Steckel. 15/18 in the face-off circle including a perfect 11/11 in the neutral zone.

Medium:

Nicklas Backstrom. Questionable call but a stupid penalty none-the-less. Backstrom knows better.

Mike Knuble. Got injured...doing what he does best. So I guess that's okay. Get better ~~soon~~ now.

Eric Fehr and Tomas Fleischmann. Combined, they had two assists. Combined, they also had as many shots on net as Steckel. With Ovechkin out, it's okay to shoot it once in a while.

Losers:

The Caps. Here me out... None of them have mustaches! If Green rocks the hawk, someone, anyone needs to rock the 'stache. It's a great cause and you'll look ~~like a porn star~~ as manly as Kyle Brodziak:

Capitals-Islanders Winners & Losers

2009-11-11T23:26:00.000-05:00

Winners:

Alexander Semin. Despite most fans doing this (above) after the Islanders' third goal, your ~~two~~ three goals made up for it. Semin "could have easily scored five goals", but two and a shootout goal will have to suffice. His 11 shots were the most since...ever.

Semyon Varlamov. Tonight we saw the same Semyon Varlamov that we saw in the playoffs last season. Varly was bombarded in the final period and stood up to the challenge. A brick wall couldn't have stopped that Trent Hunter goal. Talk about earning a start.

Tomas Fleischmann. His sixth goal in seven games puts him on pace for over 60 goals this year. Realistically? Let's go for 30. Still somehow -2. Huh.

Mike Green. Two assists in 25:26. He's probably still banged up, but that shouldn't be his excuse for not passing it once in a while when he does these full-ice rushes into the offensive zone.

Nicklas Backstrom. When you have a share of the league-lead in assists, even when you lose the puck, it turns into an assist.

Medium:

Eric Fehr. Ugly shootout attempt, ugly goal. Whatevs. Take em as they come.

Special Teams. 2/3 with the extra man. Ovechkin who? (Kidding, please come back soon). Allowing a power play goal late in the third is never fun. Especially when it forces Overtime.

Losers:

Jose Theodore. There's the Jose Theodore that we ~~all love and~~ remember. Maybe the three goals weren't his fault? Maybe you're in the dog house if you give up three goals in a six minute stretch?

Chris Cooley. Do I think Cooley is a loser? No (but the people on Twitter tonight do...you know who you are). Do I think that the Redskins are losers? Yes. So stay away from our (non-injured) hockey players. Or just keep the interviews to less than the time of a whole freakin period.

10 Facts - New York Islanders vs Washington Capitals

2009-11-11T04:23:00.000-05:00

The Islanders are led by players drafted in the 9th round. Do they even have a 9th round anymore?

Richard Park's 6 goals against the Caps (21 GP) in his career is tied with Philadelphia (29 GP) and Calgary (28 GP) for the most against any team.

New York is 5-0 in the past five games that John Tavares has picked up a point.

Kyle Okposo has swine flue. Sucks.

Radek Martinek is out for the season. Sucks.

Andy Sutton has scored eight times (35 GP) against Washington, the most against any team. Florida (30 GP) and Buffalo (21 GP) are tied for second on that list with three goals against by Mr. Sutton.

Brendan Witt scored two goals in his final 108 games with the Capitals back in 2003-2004 and into 2005-2006...He already has two goals in 17 games this year for the Islanders...and they came in the same game.

Frans Nielson's six points (six GP) against Washington is more than any other team.

Nate Thompson has 11 PIM this year. If he doesn't have at least 16 by the end of tonight's game, part of Washington's game-plan was flawed.

In his last four starts, Dwayne Roloson is 4-0 with a GAA under 2.00 and a .939% save percentage.

Mike Green Interview

2009-11-06T16:39:00.003-05:00

If you haven't already, you should head over to The Hockey Writers to check out my interview with Mike Green. VERSUS did a great job putting the Podcast together and I was able to ask all the questions I had prepared.

Green was the third person I interviewed since I started the blog last October, with the other two being Brian Engblom and Brett Flemming.

On some housekeeping notes, I'm trying my best to post after every game, if not more. The loss to New Jersey was so boring I actually fell asleep during the 2nd period and missed the finish. That was most likely a combination of New Jersey's style and the fact that I almost saw the sun rise while studying the night before for an Accounting exam.

Caps play the Panthers tonight... Washington has lost three straight while Florida has won three straight. Something's gotta give, right? Right?

Capitals-Blue Jackets Winners & Losers

2009-11-02T00:53:00.004-05:00

Winners:

Brooks Laich. With Ovechkin out, Laich's two goals in 128 seconds put the Caps in the lead (for a measly three minutes and 13 seconds). On the first goal, Laich was where he should have been, and he was rewarded. His second goal was a gift. Whatevs. Take em as they come.

Quintin Laing. How's that for secondary scoring? The Q-Man's second NHL goal was sandwiched between two Raffi Torres goals in the third period. Laing also had at least one dandy of a blocked shot.

Rick Nash. So good. So underrated.

Medium:

Alexander Semin. Four shots in the first five minutes are nice. Too bad he totaled two in the 55 minutes after that. Okay he did have two assists, but stop doing those stupid toe drag/curl-and-drag moves (hey, at least Brian Pothier is taking notes, right?).

Mike Knuble. That 30-second span of fore-checking sparked a somewhat exhausted Verizon Center crowd. We could do without the two slashing infractions (one of which, Columbus scored a Power Play goal on).

Losers:

Tom Poti. Quintin Laing threw up a little when you tried to block Rick Nash's eventually assist to the GWG in OT. Actually Laing was too busy not rotating down toward the crease to help out... your fault too Quintin!

Jason Chimera. Ever just watch someone play and decide you hate everything about his game? Me ~~neither~~ too. Nate the Great puts it best here.

Guy wearing a Jaromir Jagr jersey behind the Capitals' bench. For a three-month period in 2001, wearing this jersey might have been respectable. Now it's just pathetic. No word on whether the person next to him was wearing a Sergei Berezin jersey.

Other comments:

I don't understand what constitutes goalie interference, and I don't think I ever will.
If you've ever played goalie at any level, when you lose your goalie stick, you feel naked. So take it easy on Theo while watching the replay of that "soft" goal that squeaked through the 5-hole.
Antoine Vermette and David Steckel took 26 and 25 face-offs, respectively. That just seems like a lot.
Finally, there is no ***king way Bruce ***king Boudreau is fatter than this mother ****king fat ***k. (Note: Sean Avery's words have been changed/altered, this was not sic'd)

Capitals-Islanders Winners & Losers

2009-10-24T22:23:00.001-04:00

Winners

Jose Theodore. Theodore looks really, really good. He also had a great game. Counting the San Jose game where he was taken out with back spasms after the first period, he's allowed two or less goals in four of his six starts. If Theo remains healthy, the Theolamov combo is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Mike Green. He could have taken a shot on the final play instead, he chipped it at a streaking Brooks Laich who re-directed it behind Dwayne Roloson (who just might have made it to the the locker room before the Capitals emptied their bench to celebrate). MGGO also scored his second of the season with a laser beam in the second period. Not too bad for a guy who was on the receiving end of a vicious knee-to-knee hit earlier in the game.

Keith Aucoin. When he wasn't trying to stick handle with his bum on the ice, Aucoin had a solid game. Tons of energy and throwing pucks on net defined tonight's performance. Keith now has three goals in his past 10 games for Washington dating back to last season (two have come against the Islanders).

John Tavares. This kid is freakin good.

Caps Fans. The Road Crew was there, the Fan Club was there, and the guy with the red cape was there. Awesome.

Medium

Craig Laughlin. I'm happy that little Timmy scored for his soccer team. I'm less happy that it took you five minutes to explain what happened while Smokin' Al was trying to call the game.

Losers

Power Play. Another 'O'fer on the night. Tisk, tisk. It's nice to see guys like Giroux and Aucoin 'earn' time, but it's also nice to see a power play goal once in a while. Someone needs to figure out two units and stick with them. Gabby can mess with the 5-on-5 lines all he wants, but I think line consistency with the extra man is the key.

Face-offs. Yahoo! says 20/66, NHL says 17/50. Not sure what's going on here. Not to single anyone out or anything, but David Steckel didn't win a draw in the third period (0/4) and was 4/15 overall.

Eric Fehr. Please learn how to take a hit and hold on to the puck. Please?

Other Thoughts

We all knew Nate Thompson is a fighter. Now we all know that he's a dirty player.
Brendan Morrison ~~just might be~~ is the most underrated free agent pickup of the year. There, I said what everyone's thinking.
Capitals shots: 24. Capitals shots that were blocked: 21. Good defense or bad shot selection?
The Caps were outplayed and probably didn't deserve to win. Washington is going to get blown out of the water if they play like this in their next game (Tuesday vs. Philadelphia).
We'll end things on a photo of Alex Giroux's best chance. Com'on Rooster, eyes on the puck!

Happy Birthday..

2009-10-20T05:34:00.001-04:00

...to us!

It's been one crazy first year on the blogging scene, but if you're new to this site, here's what you missed since October 20, 2008:

[October 20, 2008] Apparently I did not revise posts back then to correct grammar mistakes.

[October 30, 2008] Believe it or not, Alexander Semin and Thomas Vanek are, in fact, the same people.

[November 10, 2008] I erroneously report Chris Cooley attends his first hockey game. Yahoo! Sports links..AOL Fanhouse links... Japers' links... and my credibility drops from 0 to -837656.

[November 11, 2008] I almost make up for it by finding a helluva stat about the fourth line.

[November 18, 2008] Don't let Ryan Getzlaf get a multi-point game.

[November 29, 2008] I find out that this is not 2005 anymore and that I can't quit life and make a steady income off Google Ad Sense. Damn Joel Comm, you were so convincing!

[December 6, 2008] Waaaay too many (former) Ohio State players playing for the Caps. Must. Sign. Wolverines.

[December 7, 2008] In Hershey to watch the Bears play against guys like Anisimov, Del Zotto, and Bobby Sanguinetti. The prospect analysis could not be ~~further from~~ more true.

[January 17, 2009] I accept a position with The Hockey Writers. Now I can quit life and make a steady income blogging.

[February 21, 2009] After hours of mindlessly shooting up Liberty City in GTA IV, I seriously found someone who looks exactly like Alex Ovechkin. Go look right now, that's him. Seriously.

[February 22, 2009] If you ice the puck when you are up one goal with five seconds left in the game, you probably won't lose. Probably. Go Bears.

[April 16, 2009] Jeff Schultz does not appreciate being selected to be punched in the face.

[June 24, 2009] Uncle Ted likes the blog.

[July 17, 2009] Brett Flemming is selected as the first hockey player to ever be interviewed by myself. Congrats Brett!

[July 23, 2009] First of many awesome Caps license plates.

Thank you for all for visiting the site, I really appreciate it. Here's hoping 2010 will be as fun as 2009 was.

Capitals-Rangers Winners & Losers

2009-10-08T21:33:00.003-04:00

Winners:

Nicklas Backstrom. It took Backstrom 17 games last year to get two goals. This season, he beat that record by just a few games. One goal was nice (above), and one goal was a gift (below). Either, or, we'll take 'em as they come.

Tyler Sloan. I was a little iffy on how he would do tonight, but he came out with great energy and played a vital role on the forecheck. He finished with one assist and he is my nomination for getting a jersey for next game.

Brian Pothier. Helluva pass. That cross-ice assist was Backstrom-esque on Semin's first period goal.

Medium:

Alexander Semin. Another goal scored, but even more opportunities. Semin stayed out of the box and is now tied with Ovechkin (and Mike Richards) for league-lead in goals.

Alex Ovechkin. He put nine shots on net but there was at least one instance where he should have been more selfish. Opting to pass to Chris Clark instead of shooting on Lundqvist from point-blank range was a mistake. Ovechkin knows this, and it should not happen again.

Losers:

Jose Theodore. It's like night and day for Caps' goalies this season. Maybe Theo was screened a few times, maybe not, but the point is that if the puck is trickling by the goalie and slides across the goal line, it's most likely the goaltender's fault. Let's not start the Neuvirth conversations just yet because there is no point in hitting the panic switch just four games into the season.

Power Play. Nine opportunities with this squad should translate into at least two or three goals and throw in a 5-on-3 advantage and the outcome of this game should have been much different. There is too much talent on the ice for the Capitals to convert only once.

They have a day to re-couperate then it's game time at Joe Louis to face the Wings. The Caps now know where their problems are and it is up to them to fix it before other teams exploit them.

5 Burning Questions: Rangers at Capitals

2009-10-08T05:17:00.000-04:00

5 Burning Questions (Winners & Losers is the new format for post-game, we'll try this one out for pre-game)

1.How will Varlamov respond?/How will Theodore play in front of the home crowd?

Boudreau has not made an announcement for tonight's game as I'm writing this, so we'll look at both possibilities.

Varlamov is a very good goaltender. But, in the past few outings, his play has been very enigmatic. If Bruce gives him the nod, what does that say about Theodore? Varly lets in a few softies, gets pulled, but is back in the lineup the next game? So if Varly is named starter and he lets in a goal he should have stopped early on, do the home fans boo him for a lackluster start to the game? Probably not, unless he played for that other D.C. sports franchise up in Landover.

Coach may be pushing the kid too much, which is why I think he'll revert to Theodore for tonight's game. If Theo was in fact named 'starter' at the start of season, then he should hold that position until he is out-performed. Boudreau will eventually go with the hot hand, and right now it's Theo. Go with Theo.

2. Is a good defense a good offense?

No, it's not. So while it might seem like all fun and games, goals-against are quickly becoming a major problem. Be it a rough start for Varly, or questionable defensive pairings, something needs to be done. The next few opponents look like: NYR, @DET, NJ, and SJ...all playoff teams from one year ago. Four goals should win a hockey game, if we need to score six goals to defeat an opponent, we're doing something wrong.

3. How will Sloan play ~~on defense~~ as a forward?

I have to imagine he will be skipping on some shifts and helping out the D-men. A 7-man rotation is risky (what if a forward goes down?), but it has its benefits. If a pairing is not working out like Boudreau envisioned, changing partners will be a sinche. Sure Sloan will play forward, and as long as he does not take any unnecessary penalties or have any glaring mistakes, keep him in there until Fehr returns.

4. Who will be the referees?

Not really. My only gripe is if a player (Example: Chris Clark, last game) is pushed from behind into the goalie, is that really a penalty? Like in football, the refs might let a roughing-the-passer penalty go if the player has no control and is forced into contact. Apparently in hockey, if you have no control and you are forced into contact, it is still your fault. Ba humbug.

5. How many goals will the Alexs' score?

We already know Ovechkin will score two goals, the real question is how many will Alex Semin score? If it's also assumed that Brooks Laich/Mike Knuble gets a tip-in and Nicklas Backstrom records at least three assists, that leaves an extra goal for either Brendan Morrison or Mike Green. Green has yet to score, let's give it to him. /knock on wood

Capitals-Flyers Winners & Losers

2009-10-07T00:51:00.001-04:00

Winners:

Alex Ovechkin. Holy crap. We are all witnesses, people. Enough with this "Ovechkin is on track for ___ goals", because there are no signs he will slow down. So yes, he will end up with 136.94 goals.

Nicklas Backstrom. A wise man once said that Nicklas would finish among the top five in points this year. Eight points in three games and he's well on his way. Now about those face-offs Nicky... 4/13 (31%) is boarder line- "So how can we get this guy ice time without letting him take draws?"

Alexander Semin. Another two goal game for Alex ~~and he didn't even take a hooking penalty~~!

Medium:

Jose Theodore. I thought he should have started, but he did excellent after filling in for Varlamov. He stopped everything he should have in a valiant effort inside the hostile Wachovia Center.

Brendan Morrison. He scored 10 times in 62 games last year with Anaheim (not including those 19 games in Dallas) and he's now got two goals in three games. B-Mo is just an all-around good, hard-working athlete...probably grew up playing soccer, too.

Matt Bradley. Two assists and a fight is a very productive night. Questions surrounded how the Capitals would react to Philly's toughness, and Bradley answered the bell. Matt also recorded his fourth career two-assist game... three of those games have come against the Flyers.

~~Quintin Laing~~ Jeff Schultz. Four blocked shots. Cha-ching.

Losers:

Semyon Varlamov. Maybe all the goals scored on him were not his fault (Erskine, get out of the way!), but that last goal definitely was. Boudreau said this would be a 'test' to see if Varly could play in this environment. Test = failed. Chin up, kid.

Boyd Kane. 4:53 TOI, 2 PIM. Go awayyyy.

John Erskine. He was on the ice for five of the six Philly goals. Johnny also picked up two penalties to boot. Someone just nominated them self for the position Tyler Sloan played tonight.

Penalties. 10 Power Plays! And the Capitals took five penalties in the second period alone. You know you've got a problem when Boyd Gordon is getting sent to the sin bin.

Capitals-Maple Leafs Winners & Losers

2009-10-03T22:36:00.002-04:00

Thankfully, we only play three periods in hockey as T-Dot came storming back from an early deficit. Either way, another check in the 'W' column comes with a 6-4 victory:

Winners:

Alexander Semin. Five points in two games is foreshadowing big things for the Sascha. The top line of this Capitals' team is going to put up big numbers (as it should). Which begs the question, which line is the best in the NHL? He also won both draws he took.

Alex Ovechkin. For scoring less than two minutes into action. If you're a D-man and you get Ovechkin 1-on-1, it sucks to be you. He was also credited with four hits, including a dandy on Jason Blake. He is on pace for 123 goals... But he's also on pace for 164 PIM.

New Editions. Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison both made a great first impression on the ~~bandwagon~~ fans at Verzion tonight. Knuble comes as advertised and B-Mo's goal was a thing of beauty. Keep it up newbies.

Medium:

Brooks Laich. Highlight of the night goes to Brooksie's killer deke that pretty much finished Vesa Toskala's night. He was also awarded the third star of the night. Probably a toss up as to which is more important to him.

Semyon Varlamov. Maybe he gave up a bad rebound on one goal, but he was solid the rest of the night. He stopped all the shots he was supposed to and that's all you can ask for. So who starts Tuesday in Philadelphia? Jose Theodore? Varlamov? Neuvirth?? I'd go with Theo.

Losers:

The 3rd period. Had there been a fourth in hockey, this might have changed the outcome of the game. Six shots against and three goals allowed is not fun. It is a bit less nerve-racking if you are spotted a five-goal lead, but unacceptable either way. Lack of focus could be a problem this year.

Additional Thoughts:

Should Jeff Schultz be playing? If so, who would he replace? Pothier played well, Erskine played well..at times (and avoided a pointless fight in the first period). No Cap defender has played their way out of a spot thus far so it will be interesting as to who will be scratched when Shultzie is in the lineup. For what it's worth, the Caps are 11-6 dating back to last year in games Schultz has not suited up for.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...It's all you're fault!!" is brilliant. Keep it up guy in the lower level who starts the chant directed at the opposing goalie.
If he's not already, Mike Knuble will become a fan favorite in no time.
Quintin Laing on the Power Play? Might as well put Boyd Kane on the PK while you're at it... (Okay it was only 23 seconds for Quintin, but still).
Speaking of the PP, the Caps don't mess around like they did last year. A shot from the point immediately follows a face-off win. None of this 'too cute' stuff (yet). This year's unit should finish in the top five assuming this continues (3/7, 43%).

Capitals-Bruins Winners & Losers

2009-10-01T23:56:00.003-04:00

First off, realize that this post-game format is a cheap imitation of Mr.Irrelevant's Winners & Losers.

Dap given, now let's get on to the Capitals' impressive 4-1 win:

Winners:

Jose Theodore. Theo circa 2002 showed up for tonight's game and displayed tremendous poise throughout the game. In some games last year, Jose looked rattled and uncomfortable between the pipes. But tonight, his composure was where it should be... at an NHL level. It's like the cliché goes, 'Competition makes everyone better'.

Brooks Laich. Dating back to March 27th last season, Laich has picked up 18 points (8+10) over the span of 21 games. Laich notched his sixth career two-goal game with both goals coming on the doorstep with the man advantage.

Alex Ovechkin. In four of his first five seasons, Ovechkin has picked up a two-goal game in either the first game or second game of the season. Two goals isn't too shabby for just five shots on goal. The Backstrom-to-Semin-to-Ovechkin passing exhibition that set-up Alex's first goal was a thing of beauty. If only every team gave Ovechkin a 10-foot buffer zone to pick his corner.

Nicklas Backstrom. Nicky B. is going to make a killing by feeding Ovechkin and company. It took Backstrom eight games last season to reach three assists, something he did for the 10th time in his short career. Offense aside, 3/8 (38%) on face-offs is unacceptable.

Special Teams. 2/4 with the extra man is great, but killing off all five Boston power plays is even more impressive. Boston was ranked 5th last year in PP efficiency and we should be thankful to have guys like David Steckel and Quintin Laing on the PK.

Face-Offs. 61% (30/49) will work every night. Backstrom was the only Capital with a sub-60% efficiency. Other than Nicklas, here's how the other guys fared:

Brendan Morrison - 8/11 (73%)

Boyd Gordon - 5/7 (71%)

David Steckel - 11/18 (61%)

Brooks Laich - 3/5 (60%)

Medium:

John Erskine. He dropped the mitts when he had to and got in some good jabs in a fight that ultimately ended in a draw.

Boyd Kane. Earlier, Bruce Boudreau said of Kane: "You're asking a guy to play the best nine minutes he can." Well, Kane finished with 9:12 of TOI and was completely unnoticeable...Meaning he had a fantastic game. Somewhat of a pleasant surprise for the 48th most valuable Cap.

New Additions. Even though they were the only two forwards on the first two lines not to pick up a point, Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison both had solid games. I did not see Knuble as much as I thought I would, but when I did see him, he was right in Tim Thomas' grill. B-Mo also played a sound offensive game, and only lost three draws the whole night.

Possession. It might have been me, but there were times when it looked like Boston controlled the tempo and play in the Caps' zone. Most noticeably during the first five minutes of the game and right after Patrice Bergeron scored. The Caps were playing good defense and were not allowing many quality shots during these short segments, but the more time spent chasing the puck, the more likely something bad will come of it. Other than this, I could not really find anything to include below...

Losers:

VERSUS. For not being a part of my cable package and for not showing more Junior Seau, the Capitals new equipment manager. It's actually for his new TV show, but ya'll knew that.

Notable Stats:

In the third period alone, Mike Green and Ovechkin doubled Boston's shot total.
The Capitals had zero giveaways the whole game. No, seriously.
The Caps' 4-1 win in Boston was their first in regulation in 15 games here, dating back to Dec. 2 2000.

Caps on Cars - You Love It

2009-09-28T05:28:00.000-04:00

So I was kind of hoping the poll I put up last week would be close, and it was... except for the license plate coming in first place. No point in having another round if one contender was doubling the competition.

Here's how the top five finished up:

1. LAICH IT - 43.8%
2. G-OLIE37 - 21.9%
3. ALEXDG8 - 17.8%
4. OVI 4MVP - 16.4%
5. 8VCHKN - 15.8%

Thanks again for all who participated. I continue to receive Caps license plates and if you have one of your own, or stumble upon one, send it my way, I'll run this feature sporadically throughout the season.

And I did not plan it this way where my license plate would win, but if you do see me or my brother driving around Arlington in our silver Saturn sedan, give us a wave or a honk. My brother might think you're crazy, but if I remember in the moment that I openly invited strangers to honk at me, I will happily wave back.

Caps on Cars - Best License Plates Round 1

2009-09-21T05:56:00.001-04:00

Here's an update on some of the smaller bumper stickers: 'That's a Baltimore Clippers decal (1960's) to the right of the O's magnet. Also, a Baltimore Bandits decal at bottom left of bumper. There's a Baltimore Blades decal (1975), but it is mostly peeled off, ditto for a Chesapeake Icebreakers at far bottom right'. -T.C.

HONORABLE MENTION

A special thanks goes out to the following people for sending in their pictures: Keith, Raina K, Bob B. (x3), JW, T.C., Anna, Toni, Katie, and Paul.

You can also check out all the individual Capitals license plate posts here.

Happy voting!

Online Surveys & Market Research

Caps on Cars - Take 13

2009-09-18T06:39:00.002-04:00

Ed Note: This ~~new~~ segment will put a spotlight on those who devote their car to the Caps. Be it with a vanity plate or extreme bumper sticker usage, Caps on Cars will showcase it weekly. I've got some pictures waiting in the wings, but if you want to help me out, send your Caps on Cars picture(s) my way. Plan on voting in an epic poll at the end of summer to choose the best plate/bumper stickers.

Make/Model -Toyota Tacoma
Color - Brown
Location - Annandale, VA
Description - Self-explanatory

Well this wraps up this feature that was much more popular that I first imagined. Voting will start on Monday with the winner receiving his/her name displayed on the computer screen.

If you have a plate that you would still like to send in, go ahead, I'm sure I can work it in sometime during the season.

Thanks to everyone who sent me a picture, I could not have done this feature without you!

Seriously though, thank you.

Caps on Cars - Take 12

2009-09-16T05:26:00.000-04:00

Caps on Cars - Take 11

2009-09-14T05:21:00.001-04:00

Caps on Cars - Take 10

2009-09-11T05:01:00.000-04:00

A site that made my day, even if they have a Red Wings bumper sticker, too.

Simply stated, this person is confused. No, they are not rivals, but they did meet in the Stanley Cup and they do play against each other, so make a choice.

Further examination shows what looks to be a University of Michigan sticker above the Wings magnet. Definitely a displaced Michigan fan. Make up your mind.

I see one Detroit team that's missing!

Thanks Anna!

Caps on Cars - Take 9

2009-09-09T10:00:00.001-04:00

Non-hockey fans must know it stands for something cool because 'Latch it' just sounds dumb.
Brooks Laich is the man.
The phrase is taking over.
It's only a matter of time until he becomes a household name and dons the 'C' for the Capitals (In my opinion, of course).

Hint about Friday's plate: The Detroit Capitals?

Caps on Cars - Take 8

2009-09-08T05:30:00.000-04:00

Caps on Cars - Take 7

2009-09-02T05:25:00.002-04:00

Ed Note: This new segment will put a spotlight on those who devote their car to the Caps. Be it with a vanity plate or extreme bumper sticker usage, Caps on Cars will showcase it weekly. I've got some pictures waiting in the wings, but if you want to help me out, send your Caps on Cars picture(s) my way. Plan on voting in an epic poll at the end of summer to choose the best plate/bumper stickers.

Make/Model -Cadillac Deville
Color - White
Location - Annandale, VA
Description - Happy and classy

With September upon us, it's time to vamp up the countdown until hockey season. The opener against Boston is now officially less than a month away on VS (but not on DirecTV!). Season previews are around the corner and bold predictions will dominate the hockey blogging community for the next month.

Meanwhile in our neck of the woods, the new crop of talent is here. The Young Guns have established themselves in the upper echelon of the league's talent pool and the next wave of prospects are not that far behind. The Laichs, Backstroms, Greens, and Ovechkins (okay, there's only one Ovi, but still) of the league are often times caught goofing around (two links) during their downtime.

They are doing what they love and having fun at the same time. Some players could just go through the motions and ignore or even disrespect the media. But these guys don't. They could be jerks, but they aren't. They even embrace the extra media attention .

This license plate epitomizes that... Drivers of hot cars are often times given the connotation of a rich d-bag without a care in the world. This car breaks that negative association and the driver becomes instantly personable because of his happy-go-lucky tag that will put a smile on any Caps' fan.

The new wave of Capitals' players are here. And so is the new wave of Capitals' fans. Happy and classy... the way it should be. To all other Caps fans: take notes.

Thanks again Bob B.!

Caps on Cars - Take 6

2009-08-31T05:20:00.000-04:00

Does NOT include a member of the Young Guns (still waiting on a pro-Semin plate).
The expired tags in the upper right (which are a bitch to get pulled over for) subtly symbolize Kolzig's time here has done the same...Actually no, that's a complete coincidence.
It's slightly punny.

Thanks Bob B.!

Programming Note: The plates are piling up so expect a two to three plate week here at Simply Sensational!. Yup, exciting news!

Caps on Cars - Take 5

2009-08-24T04:50:00.001-04:00

Ed Note: This new segment will put a spotlight on those who devote their car to the Caps. Be it with a vanity plate or extreme bumper sticker usage, Caps on Cars will showcase it weekly. I've got some pictures waiting in the wings, but if you want to help me out, send your Caps on Cars picture(s) my way. Plan on voting in an epic poll at the end of summer to choose the best plate/bumper stickers.

Make/Model -Honda Accord
Color - Gray
Location - Aldie, VA (I don't know where that is either)...But this car will most likely be spotted in the Vienna Metro parking garage.
Description - B-e-a-utiful.

Whether it was done intentionally or not, the touches of red on the cardinal, the license plate, and plate holder really give some aesthetic cred to a seemingly straight-forward tag.

It might not be the most original or creative tag, but... so what.

You don't need to go into your room, lock the door, and stay there until you have thought of a seven-letter Capitals license plate masterpiece.

Ovie love is always great and so is this plate.

On a side note, we all have fan favorites who don't score 60 goals a year, but enough to dedicate your license plate?

We've seen Ovechkin (x2), Varlamov, some bumper stickers, and a general fan, so what's in store for the next few tags?

Think: fan favorite from the '90s and a fan favorite currently with the team.

Thanks Raina K!

Caps on Cars - Take 4

2009-08-17T02:05:00.005-04:00

Caps on Cars - Take 3

2009-08-13T00:04:00.005-04:00

Model -Hundai Elantra GT
Color - Blue
Location - Springfield, VA
Description - Creative yet esoteric

The Capitals only need a few hundred more applications for their decal to be on Virginia license plates and my guess is that this guy is on the list. This one is my favorite so far based on pure creativity and use of the allotted number of letters and numbers.

Some casual fans might not completely understand what's going on here, but (starting?) goalie Semyon Varlamov is out to prove he really is the ruler of the Capitals. But what if Jose Theodore wins the starting job (and hell freezes over)? In that case, this plate will look really silly. He might have to revert back to his "H8TE SYD" plate he had before the playoffs.

Thanks Keith!

Roller Hockey on VERSUS? You Betcha!

2009-08-04T17:33:00.003-04:00

From MLRH.com

Major League Roller Hockey (MLRH) has announced an agreement with the VERSUS Network to broadcast an MLRH Roller Hockey Special featuring the MLRH Pro Tour Championship game and the CO-ED Slamm Hockey Championships. The program is set to air Saturday, August 29 at 3:00 PM EST. The telecast marks the first time in over ten years that roller hockey will be seen on Network TV.

The Championships were played at the Pepsi Center in Buffalo and will be packaged into a one hour special. The games were produced with an experienced crew that works the Buffalo Sabres NHL games and Don Stevens, the long time announcer of the AHL Rochester Americans, will handle the play by play. Buffalo's Steve Wright adds the color commentary alongside Stevens for the broadcast.

Brock Konkle and Laura Weintraub will host the Studio broadcast. Konkle covered the MLRH games on the Roller Hockey NET. Weintraub, a model and actress, is a former player in the league. The content mix is 25% Slamm Hockey and 75% pro championships with both leagues playing full contact hockey. "We look at this show as a way of reintroducing the sport to a larger audience and we wanted to showcase these highly skilled women players. It can only be a plus for the game," said MLRH President Bill Raue.

The Slamm Hockey final features the Quebec Mistral and the New York Flash while the Buffalo Wings and the Florida Fusion meet for the Pro Tour title.

"This is a big deal for roller hockey," said Raue. "While the sport has continued to grow at the grassroots level, we need TV exposure if we are going to establish our game as a spectator sport. That is why we added the studio show. A first time hockey viewer is going to be seriously confused by a game with no blue lines played in four quarters."

Now in more than 74 million homes, the VERSUS Network is the national cable home of the National Hockey league (NHL) and the Stanley Cup Playoffs as well as best-in-class events such as the Tour de France, Davis Cup tennis, the Indy Racing League and collegiate sports featuring nationally ranked teams from the Pac-10, Big 12, Mountain West and the Ivy League.

Roller hockey may be down 15% in the last year, but I encourage all to tune in and support Major League Roller Hockey and Bill Raue.

I've had the pleasure of knowing Bill for over five years and he has always had a positive attitude and great outlook on his labor of love.

In addition to being the President of MLRH, he also runs recreational leagues in Alexandria, VA (Go Misconduct!).

Caps on Cars - Take 2

2009-07-31T01:55:00.003-04:00

Caps Love at the Country Concert

2009-07-27T04:35:00.004-04:00

While attending the Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley concert at Nissan Pavilion this weekend, I searched far and wide for concert-goers supporting the Capitals. So while it rained and took forever to get out of the parking lot (I mentioned it was at Nissan, right?), I had my camera cocked and was on the hunt for those who ditched their Stetson for the Weagle (someone needs to update that word's Urban Dictionary entry stat).

It was a long-shot, but if Wale is rapping about the Caps and introducing rap fans to Ovechkin and company, why shouldn't a concert in suburbia Northern Virginia...make that the boondocks of Northern Virginia attract Capitals fans?

Although the venue is about 30 minutes from the Verizon Center, a majority of the constituents of the event were most certainly not from the hockey-loving community of the DMV.

That last sentence should win an award for being so obvious, but through the excess of beer-bellies and Confederate flags in sight at all times, two gentleman emerged as true Capitals fans. (You're going to have to work with me on the photos, picture quality isn't one of my strong points).

A few things of note:

YES, that IS a Capitals hat in the first picture...And NO, that is not the same person in both pictures.

There was a third picture, but I have no explanation as to how/why it was deleted.

Now three Capitals hats at a country concert in the middle of summer may seem a little trivial, but that's three more Washington Capitals supporters than I would have ever imagined.

Caps on Cars - Take 1

2009-07-23T22:18:00.002-04:00

Perreault Scores, Dubuc Holds Back His Inner Chris Simon

2009-07-16T22:29:00.002-04:00

First a vicious cross-check to the ribs, then he has to restrain himself from taking a whack at Perry's jugular...Anything to get the attention of the coaches, eh Michael Dubuc?

Welcome Mr. Marcus

2009-06-26T23:04:00.002-04:00

Ted Leonsis watching the Nats game...Jake Gyllenhaal...eh, somewhat distracted

2009-06-24T21:13:00.004-04:00

Caps affiliates win both AHL and ECHL titles

2009-06-19T13:30:00.001-04:00

From Hockey's Future:

This season was one of the most successful years that the Capitals have had within their minor-league system. The Hershey Bears won the AHL Calder Cup while the South Carolina Stingrays won the ECHL Kelly Cup. This was the Bears 10th Calder Cup victory, making them the most successful franchise ever in the AHL.

While both rosters were stocked with seasoned veterans, the Capitals were able to have 20 prospects play in the ECHL, AHL, or both during the course of the season. Below is a review of all of their seasons, in alphabetical order .

Stalking Ben Boudreau's Facebook Page

2009-06-16T01:58:00.003-04:00

So Bruce Boudreau and his son Ben went to Congressional for a round of golf on June 11th and Ben was kind enough to post it on Facebook, and therefore on my mini feed, so here we go:

'Sand trap' written all over it. /lame joke

"Give it a rest Bruce. I could care less what shade it is, red is red."

Baller $tatus

Action ShotSubtitle verbatim: "mike tyson's old house...its not that big."
I'm no real estate expert, but that house (that can't be a house, can it?) is friggin huge Ben.

MUST.........CONCENTRATE

Unfortunately, no Bruce mid-swing pictures have been posted...yet. For some reason, the name 'Charles Barkley' comes to mind.

Cool.

Bruce Boudreau was on Comcast Sports Net tonight and I missed the segment. I'm sure that feature would help me right about here. If there is something glaring missing from this post (i.e. pictures of pops Boudreau, the scorecard, or a link to some vid)... please do share.

Planning a trip to the Caps training facility this summer?

2009-06-12T01:39:00.003-04:00

Well friend, welcome to Arlington!

At 3:37, that would be Ballston Common Mall, home of Kettler Capitals Ice Rink.

And if Remy looks familiar to Caps fans, it's because he did this in 2007:

The Caps had a pretty good 2004 draft...

2009-06-11T14:12:00.002-04:00

From Hockey's Future:

The 2004 NHL Entry Draft was a turning point for the Capitals organization. After gaining the first overall pick in the lottery, the Capitals selected franchise winger Alex Ovechkin to build their young team around. But the draft wasn't just top heavy for the Caps, as there are two more players with significant game experience and three beyond that with cups of coffee at the NHL level.

The Capitals had the second highest game-per-pick yield from their 2004 class, at 59 games.

Future Plans...

2009-06-09T14:25:00.003-04:00

Okay guys, this summer has been A LOT busier than I expected and I apologize for the lack of content on the blog.

BUT, with that being said, I want to let you guys know what you can expect from Simply Sensational in the future.

I will continue to post links and videos to interesting stories I run across regarding the Washington Capitals stories à la Kukla's Korner.

I'm pretty sure most of the readers on this site also read (or should be reading) Japers', OFB, Capitals Kremlin, and Storming the Crease (among others), so if they've got a breaking story, I'll let you read it there.

I'm still trying to find my niche among Washington Capitals blogs, so I might try a few new things starting this summer and next season.

I'll do my best to put out some original work on this site, but in the meantime, you can stop by The Hockey Writers every now and then to check out some cool posts including interviews, videos, and my ~~weekly~~ monthly post.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the Stanley Cup Finals and the Calder Cup Finals... I know I will!

Manny Burriss: Once a D.C. Fan, Always a D.C. Fan

2009-06-05T12:40:00.003-04:00

Check out an interview from Steinz and San Fransisco Giant shortstop and D.C. native Manny Burriss:

You don't do hockey?

Love hockey. Love hockey. Matter of fact, Randy Winn hates the fact that I love hockey, because he doesn't think I'm for real. But I always loved hockey, though. Growing up, when I was younger and I first got into hockey, I didn't really watch the Capitals. The reason I actually started liking it was because of Jaromir Jagr with the Penguins. So I was loving hockey, and just recently, I'd say about five or six years ago, was when I really started getting into D.C. hockey, because I started to figure I've got to root for the D.C. team. Luckily I did that beforehand, so I'm not like a bandwagon guy.

(I asked Winn about all this. "He doesn't know hockey," Winn said. "Has he fooled you, too? I don't buy it."

"The only thing he knows about hockey is that Ovechkin plays for the Capitals," Rich Aurilia added. "And he probably knows what they serve at the arena.")

What do you think about Ovechkin?

He's amazing. He's amazing. We have debates about him, me and Randy Winn. He's always getting on me, because he thinks Sidney Crosby's better. He just does it to get under my skin.

Reasons to Love D.C. - The Caps

2009-05-29T12:28:00.002-04:00

Per the Washingtonian (In their segment, 26 Reasons to Love Washington)-

Reason 9: The Caps Are Regular Joes

Five reasons to embrace our hottest team

These guys are fun. ESPN magazine writer Sarah Turcotte spent a few weeks with the Caps and fell in love. They’re a rarity in pro sports, she says—guys who have a good time together and work hard for the team, not for individual glory. “There’s not a sense of hierarchy,” Turcotte says. “It’s really refreshing and fun.”

VIDEO - How not to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals

2009-05-26T23:59:00.003-04:00

Apparently, Cam Ward borrowed Semyon Varlamov's glove on that play. Makes sense.

Evgeni Malkin: Great hockey player, not so great parker.

2009-05-22T06:42:00.004-04:00

(H/T PensBlog, click link if picture isn't appearing)

VIDEO - Remembering the season through other people's photos and music only liked by those 25 years old or younger

2009-05-21T17:27:00.005-04:00

You'll notice Alexandre Giroux was given the least amount of face-time. This was not a coincidence.

What Alex Ovechkin Does

2009-05-19T13:27:00.005-04:00

Not mine, but true.

UPDATE: It was first seen at Japers' Rink (where else?). Thanks Amanda.

Caps Salary Cap Rundown

2009-05-18T16:07:00.004-04:00

Cory has a great piece over at TWT that answers every salary cap-related question you might have had:

The Washington Capitals spent this entire season very close to the ceiling of the NHL's $56.7 million salary cap. There is no official word on what that number is going to be for next season, but it is safe to say there isn't likely to be another huge jump like the previous three offseasons.

Given that the Caps were one win from the NHL's final four, it does make some sense that players on the team were lobbying for GM George McPhee to bring everyone back for another go round. But that's just not likely to be financially possible, and if McPhee wants to make any out-of-house improvements, he's going to have to shed some high-priced guys.

If anyone didn't think the Caps need to unload a player or two (i.e. Jose Theodore or Michael Nylander), here's what the Caps' roster looks like right now (cap figures are for next season, or last season if said player is UFA/RFA):

Capitals 2008-2009 Rookie Review

2009-05-17T17:32:00.001-04:00

Per Hockey's Future:

Even though the Capitals are out of rebuilding mode, they still own a plethora of young talent. While only a few rookies played more than a cup of coffee, there were nine Capitals players who fit the NHL’s rookie criteria this season.

Post-Game: Capitals vs Penguins Game 7

2009-05-14T00:21:00.003-04:00

Check out the latest from THW:

Out of all the possible headlines following Game 7, “Varlamov yanked after allowing 4 Goals” was probably not very high on that list. Yet Simeon Varlamov– the star rookie who saved the Capitals’ season in Round 1 and played brilliant in Round 2– lasted just 22:13, and was replaced by former starter, Jose Theodore.

In addition to that, I would like to thank everyone out there who has read the blog. I plan on doing some fun things in the off-season so be sure to check back often!

But really, thanks again.

Game 7 LiveBlog

2009-05-13T18:40:00.002-04:00

Game 7

Pre-Game: Capitals vs Penguins Game 7 Drinking Game

2009-05-13T07:20:00.000-04:00

Tonight I will be doing a liveblog of Game 7, so please join me why don't you? In anticipation for tonight's game, keep these drinking rules in tact while you're at the Phone Booth, The Greene Turtle, or watching from the friendly confines of your own home while participating in the liveblog:

DRINK

...every time Mike Green breaks his stick (you're drunk already aren't you?).

...every time Alex Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby is interviewed (aka you're trashed by the 1st intermission)

...every time Matt Cooke does something to piss off his former teammates.

...every time Joe Beninati says "finagle" or "dipsy-doo".

...every time the announcers (CSN/VERSUS/CBC/FSN-P, they're all going to do it) mention how young Simeon Varlamov is.

FINISH YOUR DRINK IF

...Crosby scores from more than 10 feet away from the net.

...Ovechkin scores from less than 10 feet from the net.

...Alexander Semin takes a hooking/tripping/slashing/retaliatory penalty.

...the game goes into Overtime.

...David Steckel scores.

Nicklas Backstrom Misses Home

2009-05-12T14:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks DaGreatOvechkin

Caps Practice May 12th

2009-05-12T12:39:00.006-04:00

Capitals Top Prospects

2009-05-12T12:35:00.000-04:00

Check out the updated list of Capitals Top Prospects over at Hockey's Future:

The Capitals have a bit of everything in their organization: a couple of second-generation players, a couple of potentially elite goaltenders, a couple of NHL-ready players (including one who is already keying a playoff run), and -- most importantly -- a whole lot of talent.

While the prospects may be heavy on the defensive side, there's a school of thought that you can never have too much defense -- especially when used as bargaining chips. The greatest problems that the Caps are going to have is finding a place to put all these players next season.

Top 20 at a glance

1. Karl Alzner, D
2. Simeon Varlamov, G
3. John Carlson, D
4. Anton Gustafsson, C
5. Oskar Osala, LW
6. Michal Neuvirth, G
7. Chris Bourque, C
8. Francois Bouchard, RW
9. Mathieu Perreault, C
10. Dmitri Kugryshev, RW
11. Joe Finley, D
12. Keith Seabrook, D
13. Sami Lepisto, D
14. Joel Broda, C
15. Andrew Gordon, RW
16. Stefan Della Rovere, LW
17. Justin Taylor, C
18. Eric Mestery, D
19. Braden Holtby, G
20. Josh Godfrey, D

David Steckel - Game 6 Hero

2009-05-12T00:38:00.003-04:00

I sort of did the first one as a joke, but here is the Game 6 hero, David Steckel (NSFW language about :11 into the video):

Ovechkin on The Onion Part Deux

2009-05-08T09:54:00.007-04:00

Here's the big guy:

(h/t to Mr. Irrelevant on this one)

If you were curious, here is the first installment of Ovechkin on The Onion.

Incwell Caps Rap

2009-05-07T11:59:00.001-04:00

You've probably seen this before, but now it's up on youtube by Incwell himself-

And, yes we did change our logo two years ago, thanks for noticing.

Linesman Flips the Bird at Caps Fans

2009-05-06T22:33:00.005-04:00

This is during Game 1, for what it's worth.

Because Capitals Fans Love Chris Cooley

2009-05-06T13:00:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest from his blog:

Chainsaw Massacre from Tanner Cooley on Vimeo.

Pre-Game: Capitals @ Penguins Game 3

2009-05-06T06:18:00.000-04:00

For today's pre-game, I took a look at David Steckel and his impact on the Capitals:

While out on the ice, Forward David Steckel knows his role: forecheck, take win face-offs, and play solid defense. But this is the playoffs and his role of being a third line center has expanded with every game he’s played.

Read more...

And if you're not already visiting TheHockeyWriters on a daily basis, you're missing out. Here are some of the latest relevant stories:

Would the Penguins really attempt to call Alex Ovechkin out on the measurements of his stick?
If Donald Brashear gets a five-game suspension for his hit, Chris Kunitz should have to be punished too, no?
Pittsburgh will have to turn on their power play if they want any chance to survive in this series.

David Steckel - Game 2 Hero

2009-05-05T13:58:00.001-04:00

It's true!

Alexander Semin Facial Expressions

2009-05-05T07:51:00.001-04:00

We love you Sasha, but seriously stop taking these penalties.

Top 10 Stick Saves

2009-05-04T22:29:00.001-04:00

Off the Record: Alex Ovechkin

2009-05-04T17:00:00.001-04:00

"Let's talk about girls."

Pre-Game: Capitals vs Penguins Game 1

2009-05-02T06:35:00.000-04:00

per the Bog

Second Round Predictions

2009-04-30T16:32:00.004-04:00

I went 7-1 in the first round, including picking the right number of games for the Blackhawks and Hurricanes.

Here's what I got for Round 2 (or...you know. Just look at the bracket):

Bruins/'Canes: Bruins in 6.
Caps/Penguins: Caps in 6.
Wings/Ducks: Wings in 6.
Canucks/Blackhawks: Canucks in (wait for it, wait for it) 6!

We'll revisit these predictions in a week or so.

Pre-Game: Capitals vs Rangers Game 7

2009-04-28T06:14:00.001-04:00

After the Capitals battled back from a two game deficit (twice), the stage is set for a 7th game. The scenario is perfect for Washington, a little too perfect.

The favorite falls flat on their face in the first two games, then suddenly turns it on to force a Game 7 at home with a hot new goalie and rejuvenated offense.

Will the Capitals be able to keep Uncle Mo or will Henrik Lundqvist be able to lift the Rangers to the second round?

For this pre-game, I'm going to look at two posts I've done in the past that contain keys for the Caps to pull this one out.

With the Capitals down two games to zero, I wrote an article, Far From Over, in which I looked at the five things that Washington needs to do in order to get back in the series. Let's take a look at those five things:

1. Offense- After scoring four goals in the first two games, the Caps have been able to put the puck in the net and have exploded on offense. In their three wins, they've scored 13 goals, from eight different players.

2. Discipline- Washington continues to take penalties, but the Rangers power play isn't ranked second-to-last for nothing. New York's power play in the playoffs is third worst and has just two power play goals since Game 1.

3. Goalie Situation- Oh it's resolved. The Caps have their goalie (Happy Birthday yesterday to Varly!) for the playoffs and for (hopefully) a long, long time.

4. Playing at the Garden- A split in Game 3 and 4 was all Washington needed to stay alive. Then blowing out the Rangers on their ice has led the match-up to a 7th game.

5. Solving Henrik Lundqvist- This is last, but certainly most important in the Capitals want any chance of winning Game 7. Lundqvist has been extremely inconsistent compared to the first few games. The fate of the New York Rangers depends on which Henrik Lundqvist shows up.

Finally, with the call-up of Artem Ansiminov, here is my report on him from when I went up to Hershey to watch the Bears play the Hartford Wolf Pack:

Artem Anisimov- A towering figure at 6'4", 205, he picked up a garbage goal in the second period. I was somewhat disappointed with his performance, because of my high expectations. He needs to work on his skating if he wants to make it to the next level. He only registered 2 shots, and I think he just had an off-game. I think he's good enough to play in the NHL, but he's still pretty raw. This is his second season in North America, and he could use one more after this one. Expect to see him in the NHL around 2010.

Post-Game: Capitals @ Rangers Game 6

2009-04-27T06:16:00.000-04:00

Here is the post-game from Game 6 from THW:

It seems like this Washington Capitals team performs best with their back against the wall. Once again facing elimination, the Capitals found a way to get secondary scoring and won Game 6 5-3 at Madison Square Garden.

I know I've been posting a lot at TheHockeyWriters, but as soon as Finals Week is over on May 7th, you can be assured to get daily postings here as well.

What is Going on Here?

2009-04-26T23:34:00.001-04:00

'Canes fans sure do have interesting ways of celebrating!

Post-Game: Capitals vs Rangers Game 5

2009-04-25T00:19:00.002-04:00

Check it out over at TheHockeyWriters:

Unlikely hero Matt Bradley scored two goals and Simeon Varlamov recorded his second shutout in three games as the Caps dominated the Rangers in a 4-0 victory to force Game 6 in New York on Sunday Afternoon.

Pre-Game: Capitals vs Rangers Game 5

2009-04-24T06:20:00.000-04:00

Did you miss Sean Avery putting his stick to the throat of Alex Ovechkin? Well, so did Ian Walsh. How many more times can Avery get away with these cheap shots?

Wait, When is Game 7?

2009-04-23T12:15:00.001-04:00

I guess a mid-week matinee would be better than no Game 7 at all.

Post-Game: Capitals @ Rangers Game 4

2009-04-23T00:19:00.002-04:00

Check out my post over at TheHockeyWriters for the post-game:

Everyone knew Henrik Lundqvist would be the key for a Rangers’ series upset, and thus far, he’s done just that by stealing the show from the high-powered Washington Capitals. Lundqvist held the Caps to one goal on 39 shots, while getting offense from Paul Mara and Chris Drury along the way. A late furry by Alex Ovechkin and company fell just short as the Rangers are just one win shy from advancing to the second round.

Simeon Varlamov Interview

2009-04-21T10:46:00.002-04:00

Great stuff from over at OnFrozenBlog:

Varlamov: "This morning right before the morning skate the coach told me that I would be playing."

DC: Did you expect to play in tonight's game?

Varlamov: "Hmm . . . I did, but usually I am told a day or so before a game whether I am playing or not. But it was different now. When I wasn't told I thought maybe Theodore would get the nod.?

DC: After the last game you must have had a lot more confidence.

Varlamov: "Yes, I was a little bit more confident. I was skating around before the game and saw all these banners up top with all these great names like Mike Richter, Mark Messier, other players. I really wanted to win tonight. It was my first game at Madison Square Garden , and I am extremely happy. I used to watch on TV all these great games at MSG, and now I had a chance to be out there on that ice and play a game in this unbelievable atmosphere."

DC: When did you get your first thought that you might be getting a shutout?

Varlamov: "The last five minutes of the game I was thinking about it, that it was close. I really wanted it to happen. Of course I didn't think about it before the game, I was only thinking about the win. But with about five minutes to go I realized that I had a really good chance to post a shutout, and I didn't want this chance to get away."

DC: It looked like all the guys were really playing well in defense.

Varlamov: "Yes, definitely. All the guys played really well in defense as well as in attack. It was so great that all the guys converted lots of chances."

DC: Tell us about the episode with Avery.

Varlamov: "Well, everyone knows that he skates around trying to get everyone fired up. And I know about it. We talked about it at the team meetings as well. That's why I do not pay attention to such incidents. Yes, I know and actually saw how he was swinging his stick in front of Brodeur. I am ready for his provocations."

"I just touched him a little bit. And that's it. He reacted with a lot of emotion. He started yelling something. Of course, I didn't understand half of it."

DC: It looked like he hit you really hard.

Varlamov: "It was a good [punch]. It didn't feel nice. But there's nothing serious. A game is a game. My main objective is to catch pucks and concentrate on my own game and not to notice what he does."

DC: It looked like nothing was going to throw you off tonight!

Varlamov: "I try not to react to these incidents."

DC: After the game you let out a "Woo."

Varlamov: "All the guys came to congratulate me. To be honest with you it felt really good. The whole team congratulated me. They even took the puck from tonight's shutout. Now I will get a nice frame and keep it in my house."

DC: Did you get a pie in the face after the game?

Varlamov: "No, there was nothing after the game. The guys left a lot of emotions out there on the ice. No one even thought about it. But there was a lot of media in the locker room after the game asking a lot of questions."

DC: Of course, you're the first star of the game.

Varlamov: "Eh, really?! Wow, that's great! I didn't even know."

DC: What did the coach tell you after the game?

Varlamov: "He said 'Good job.' Nothing else. But what else can he say? The whole team played really well. We won tonight. And that's the most important thing."

DC: We will probably see you on Wednesday again now.

Varlamov: "Maybe. I don't know. I will probably be told either tomorrow or the day after during the morning skate. Am I ready? Of course I am ready. And if I am selected to play, I will try to show a good game."

Interference Goes Unnoticed As Callahan Scores

2009-04-20T10:00:00.001-04:00

While listening to Bruce Boudreau's post-game press conference, he said something that I had not noticed while watching Game 2 in real time or on replays. I went back and saw exactly what Boudreau was talking about:

As you can clearly see, Michal Rozsival steps in front of Ovechkin as he is attempting to help Tom Poti on defense. At this freeze frame, Ovechkin has not yet been bumped by Rozsival, but is about to hit full stride as he attempts to catch up with Ryan Callahan. Before Callahan takes off, he has about a step on Ovechkin.

In this frame, you can see Ovechkin gets off-balanced as there is contact with Rozsival. The speedy Callahan is now at full speed as Brandon Dubinsky takes the puck into the offensive zone.

It is too late for Ovechkin to catch up, and the Rangers have a 2-on-1. Ovechkin, Mike Green, and Viktor Kozlov can only watch the Rangers score the only goal of the series.

I'm not here to beg for a call on the contact away from the puck, but had Ovechkin not been bumped, it would have been a race between Callahan and Ovechkin to the slot and I know who my money is on. If Kozlov gets whistled for a nudge in the back that is apparently a cross-check, the trailing referee should be aware of Rozsival's intention as he cleverly cuts off Ovechkin's path back on 'D'.

You can decide for yourself here.

Pre-Game: Capitals @ Rangers Game 3

2009-04-20T05:00:00.000-04:00

Here are my keys for the Capitals to win Game 3 and get back on track from TheHockeyWriters:

With the Rangers stealing both games from the Capitals, they now hold a two-game advantage as the series heads up to the Garden. Rangers fans are celebrating, but this is not a best of three series, and Washington is nowhere near showing its true colors.

Washington and New York have faced each other six times thus far, with the past five games being decided by one goal (including one that went to the shootout and one that went into overtime). Yet in the playoffs, the Rangers have played a fundamentally sound defensive game to combat the Caps’ firepower. Here are five things Washington must do if they want to force the series to a Game 6 or a Game 7:

Post-Game: Capitals vs Rangers (Game 2)

2009-04-19T00:49:00.003-04:00

Another inconsistent performance leaves the Caps down 2-0 in the series...so much for home ice advantage:

Simeon Varlamov played lights out this afternoon, but still took the loss after a 23 save performance. He proved that he can start at this level and deserves to start Game 3 on Monday.
Tom Poti was too aggressive on the 2-on-1 that led to Ryan Callahan's goal. While attempting to fend off the pass, he got caught reaching and Chris Drury made a nice pass to the wide open Callahan who put it top shelf.
The odd man rush came about because Mike Green pinching forward on offense. He was caught out of position and Viktor Kozlov failed to realize that he should have taken Green's spot. Koz attempted to keep the puck in the zone, but was beat, and the Rangers broke out on a 2-on-1. Kozlov also picked up two minor penalties, separated by 21 seconds of ice time between penalties. He got pushed off the puck and had a horrid game.
Speaking of Green, he needs to step his game up if the Caps want to push this to six or seven games. The Rangers are going after him. Green led the Caps with seven (!!!) giveaways and six of his eight shots failed to reach the net.
Alex Semin wasn't much better. He picked up two stupid and immature penalties. One for a hook (go figure), and one retaliation penalty via a slash to the neck (suspension? nah, but a stick to the neck is never within the rules or remotely clean).
Of the bright spots, Eric Fehr, Brooks Laich, and Brian Pothier stuck out. Fehr was tenacious on offense in just 8:34 of ice time. Laich showed some great moves, but still needs to get to the front of the net. Pothier played well and should have played Game 1 also.

We'll end the recap with a little numbers game:

24- Number of Capitals' giveaways (compared to New York's seven).
24- Number of Capitals' missed shots (plus 29 blocked shots by the Rangers).
24- Number of Callahan, who scored the game-winning goal in the first period and received the game's second star.

Pre-Game: Capitals vs Rangers (Game 2)

2009-04-18T00:58:00.004-04:00

For today's preview, I'm going to run down a few quick reasons to trust (or not) the Capitals' net-minders:

Three reasons to trust Jose Theodore

Playoff Experience- The "been there, done that" mindset applies here for an experienced Theodore. He's got 42 playoff games under his belt and knows what it takes to win in the playoffs. Last season, his Colorado Avalanche fell behind two games to one and came back to win three straight games to clinch the series. In 2004 with the Montreal, the Habs fell behind 2-0 and 3-1. Theodore won three straight, including posting a shutout in game seven on the road.
Bounced Back- Jose has only lost back-to-back games in regulation twice since December 7th. Theodore is also 12-4 this season in games that he starts following a start in which he allows four or more goals.
Home Record- Before Wednesday's loss, Jose was 4-0-1 in his last five home games. Theo's home record this season was 18-8-1, one win shy of his 2003-2004 season when he went 19-10-3 in six more games on home ice.

Three reasons to doubt Jose Theodore

Playoff Trends- Sure he's never lost in the first round, but he's 4-11 in his past 15 playoff starts. Jose is also 3-6 alltime in Game 2's.
Inflated Goals Against Average- Here are Theodore's regular season GAA's of the years that he's made the playoffs: 2.11 (2001), 2.27 (2004), 3.04 (2006, played five games with Colorado. With Montreal, his GAA was 3.46 in 38 games), 2.44 (2008), and 2.87 (2009). Excluding 2005 when Jose played at least 10 or more games less than every other season, his GAA is almost half a goal higher this year than last season. Compared with 2001, his GAA is .76 points higher.
Over the Hill?- Ever since winning the Vezina and Hart Trophies in 2002, most would argue that his game has never been the same. He has made the playoffs four times since 2002, but he's been too inconsistent to be mentioned among the NHL's elite.

Three reasons to trust Simeon Varlamov

Stats Don't Lie- In six appearances (five starts), he is 4-0-1/2.37/.918. He has allowed more than two goals in just one of those six appearances.
The Future- Varlamov is supposed to be the future of this franchise. He has already proven himself in the opportunities he has been given in the NHL, so it's time to use him when it matters, in the playoffs.
High-Pressure Games- Yes he is 20 (turning 21 on April 28), but he's played in games that have high importance. He spent all of last year in the KHL, even leading his team into the KHL playoffs. His first NHL start was at Montreal on Hockey Night in Canada. With all of Canada watching, he turned away 32/33 shots to help the Caps to a 2-1 victory.

Three reasons to doubt Simeon Varlamov

Experience- Of the six teams he has faced, only two are in the playoffs (Montreal and St. Louis).
Getting Into Rhythm- He has played two games in December, two games in March, and two games in April. Attempting to throw him in raw could have negative repercussions for the Caps.
Rushing the Prospects- Sometimes it's better for the future starter to watch from the sideline as the vetern leads the team (Ex: Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre.....and NO, Theodore is not Favre, but you know what I mean). If you play your prospects too early (Ex: Alex Smith, sorry last football reference), it could hurt the prospect's progression and set the franchise back.

Schultz is "Injured"

2009-04-17T12:46:00.002-04:00

Yeah, right. Per Tarik:

Defenseman Jeff Schultz is not practicing this morning. He didn't practice yesterday, either, and I'm hearing that he's hurt. I'll post an update when I get more info.

Update: It doesn't look like Schultz is going to play tomorrow. The Caps did not comment on the nature or extent of his injury, saying only that he's day-to-day. If Schultz is indeed out, Brian Pothier will get into his first playoff game since 2005-06 with Ottawa.

An "injury" in last year's series against Philadelphia was also the reason he only played two games.

People You Would Like to Punch in the Face

2009-04-16T10:36:00.004-04:00

Man this is anti-Jeff Schultz at its finest. Most likely because they didn't have any or Tim Peel or Sean Avery mug shots.

Post-Game: Capitals vs Rangers

2009-04-16T04:52:00.001-04:00

A disappointing and somewhat predictable Game 1 leave the Capitals in a must-win scenario Saturday afternoon. Here are some post-game observations:

Jose Theodore did what some thought he would and lost the game for the Caps. Jose allowed three goals on 11 shots in the second period, all were momentum-killers. One came 1:09 after Washington took the lead, the other two came back-to-back in under two minutes of each other.
Jeff Schultz...Tisk, tisk. I like to be as optimistic as I can when dissecting his game, but there was certainly nothing to like about Brandon Dubinsky doing his best Nate Robinson impression on poor old Schultz.
Sean Avery is a prick...but you knew that.
Really?...no penalty on Avery for shoving Mike Green back into the Rangers' bench when the puck is nowhere in sight? Or how about when Avery tripped Green on the blueline giving Scott Gomez a clear path on net? Or Nik Antropov running over Tomas Fleischmann on that same play when the puck is 50 feet away? The refs blew a few soft calls in favor of the Caps, but swalling the whistle for the rest of the game is just flat out not fair.

There were a few bright spots for the Capitals last night:

Congrats to Fleischmann and Viktor Kozlov for scoring their first career playoff goals.
Nicklas Backstrom has a five-game point streak dating back to Game 4 against the Flyers. Backstrom's assist to Kozlov pulled the Caps to within one goal with :49 seconds left in the second period.
Matt Bradley made the most of his 7:01, throwing his body around as seen here at the :15 second mark. The longer the series goes on, the more the Caps will need his physical style of play.
Alex Ovechkin had an MVP-calibr performance. Two assists, 13 shots, and six hits in just over 26 minutes was what the Capitals needed. If Henrik Lundqvist wasn't ridiculously good, this game could have gone to the Caps.
The Capitals dominated the face-off circle, winning 70% (46/66) of the draws. They were led by Boyd Gordon (4/5, 80%) and Backstrom (13/18, 72%). It should be noted that the Caps went 19/21 (90%) on neutral zone draws. Sergei Fedorov led the team in the neutral zone, winning 10/12 (83%) draws.
This game did not go to Overtime, therefore Green does not need 30:47 minutes of ice time. When Bruce Boudreau gets desperate, he leaves Greenie out there, which just tires him out even more. He did have two assists, but the 25-28 time-on-ice mark should be the amount Green should receive.

There are still a few lingering questions that Boudreau and his staff need to figure out by Game 2:

Which forward should get a jersey: Gordon, Donald Brashear, or even Chris Clark?

Who is the odd man out on the blue line: John Erskine, Milan Jurcina, or Brian Pothier?

Who to start in net: Simeon Varlamov or Jose ThreeOrMore?

Hockey Bracket

2009-04-15T18:29:00.004-04:00

Click to zoom in.

Biggest surprise: Blackhawks. They'll give San Jose a run for their money.

Biggest disappointment: Devils. This series could go either way, but you have to score to win and Zach Parise can't score four goals a night for New Jersey.

Conn Smythe: Jose Theodore. For the Capitals, it's going to be Jose Theodore or bust. Sure Ovechkin will light up the scoreboard, but goalies win (and lose) playoff games, so it's all riding on Theo.

Pre-Game: Capitals vs Rangers

2009-04-15T13:27:00.004-04:00

Over at THW, I've collaborated with the Rangers' corespondent to look at the match-up:

Offense

Washington Capitals (ML): All eyes will be on Alex Ovechkin in this series, but Washington’s offense is much more complex than just the League’s reigning MVP. Nicklas Backstrom has been the catalyst for Ovechkin and others, but was pushed around in last season’s match up against the Flyers before scoring in the final four games of the series. Mike Green will lead breakouts, but if New York can slow down these three and Alexander Semin, the Rangers’ job has just gotten a whole lot easier. Brooks Laich will...

Alex Ovechkin Loves Him Some Hookah

2009-04-14T12:58:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Anna for the link to this picture.

The ABC's of the Washington Capitals

2009-04-14T04:45:00.001-04:00

Here is my latest post over at The Hockey Writers:

So with the playoffs just around the corner, here is an introduction to your 2009 Southeast Division Champions:

A- The Alex’s: Everyone knows about Alex Ovechkin’s game, but which Alex Semin will show up? The one that lead the league in goals earlier this season before getting injured, or the one that you barely notice is playing until you see him sitting in the penalty box?

B- Bruce Boudreau: After being promoted to Capitals’ Head Coach last Thanksgiving, he helped lead Washington to the playoffs, capturing the Jack Adams Trophy along the way. The former Slapshot extra is loved by everyone from Hershey to D.C., and even has his own bobble-head.

Keep reading...

Pre-Game: Capitals @ Panthers

2009-04-11T04:17:00.001-04:00

Probably my favorite post from over at Litter Box Cats.

Jeff Schultz- Love Him or Hate Him

2009-04-10T05:43:00.000-04:00

New post up on the THW... What do you think about Jeff Schultz?

Pre-Game: Capitals @ Lightning

2009-04-09T05:29:00.000-04:00

He got all of that one!

Pre-Game: Capitals @ Thrashers

2009-04-07T05:41:00.000-04:00

With the baseball season starting up, it'd only seem fitting that we're playing the same team for the second time in a two day span. Atlanta is looking for the home sweep of the Caps, who happened to complete that feat two days ago when they beat Atlanta at the Phone Booth 6-4.

In that game, six different Caps scored...none of whom go by the name Alex Ovechkin. So now that the the Caps have proved they can provide second-hand scoring, what's the next problem to fix? Goaltending? Special teams? Defense? Probably a little of each:
Note: Stats are from regular season games during the month of April.

Jose Theodore: 15-8-1, 2.49 GAA, .915 save percentage, and he is also on a five-game win streak in the month of April.
Power Play (including last season)- 27% (10/37).
Penalty Kill (including last season)- 88% (22/25).
Goals Against Per Game- 4.00

If 'focus' was a stat, I would have included it above, but unfortunately, that is up to the ~~Captain~~ the players to motivate themselves to play 60 minutes every night. As you can see, Jose has been pretty solid in April, so we can just ignore that one for now.

So what can you take away from the stats listed? Well special teams for one is not nearly as bad as it used to be. They will be facing the 12th ranked Atlanta Power Play and their 29th ranked Penalty Kill. Their Power Play features four players with exactly 12 goals, even the Caps don't have four players with over 10 with the extra man. Even their Penalty Kill features Colin Stuart, who ranks in the Top 10 in shorthanded goals...That would be all their PK features...

So if the season ended today, Washington would now face the Montreal Canadiens. That is likely to change once more as the Hab's final three are against playoff teams while a team like Pittsburgh gets Tampa Bay and the Islanders before ending the season playing these very Habs.

So be it Montreal or Pittsburgh or the Rangers (who also happen to play all playoff teams), Boudreau is going to find a way to fire these guys up to play, hopefully doing it before a TV timeout during the second period...

Pictures from the Caps Road Crew

2009-04-06T14:20:00.004-04:00

So I finally got my pictures back from CRC's trip to Carolina on March 21st, and without further ado:

Pre-Game: Capitals vs Sabres

2009-04-03T05:24:00.000-04:00

Keith Aucoin - Washington's 'Little' Spark Plug

2009-04-02T16:31:00.002-04:00

Check out my latest post over at The Hockey Writers where I look at the path that Keith Aucoin took to the Caps. Also, be sure to check in tomorrow for for some pre-game. Cheers.

Pre-Game: Capitals vs Islanders

2009-04-01T05:10:00.000-04:00

Thanks to New Jersey's recent plummet, the Capitals now control their own destiny for second place in the Division. Just six games remain for Washington, none against playoff teams, not the perfect buildup for their second go-around in as many years in the post-season.

Here's what the playoff scenario has got for the Caps as of April 1st:

While most Caps fans can agree that a series against Montreal would be more favorable, I wouldn't mind a Washington-New York match-up. The Rangers have won six of their last seven at home, but both home games against Washington have needed extra time, with the Caps winning in OT and the Rangers winning in the shootout.

See what I'm doing here?

I'm looking ahead. I'm skipping over six games against teams that the Caps should blow out of the water.

Overlooking games against the lowly Islanders has gotten out-of-hand this year. Back on December 16th, Washington allowed two goals in the last nine minutes to send the game to overtime. Alex Ovechkin helped avoid the shootout by netting a his second goal of the game with 11 seconds left.

The Caps needed Ovechkin to bail them out again when Kyle Okposo scored with less than eight minutes left to even-steven the score at 1. Ovechkin scored both Caps goals, taking just 1:46 to end the game.

So we get the Islanders and the Devils get the Penguins... Winning against the last place team in April is easy enough, right? Yeah... You would think so.

Pre-Game: Capitals vs Lightning

2009-03-27T05:54:00.000-04:00

With the season winding down, the Capitals are getting closer and closer to locking up a top three spot in the Eastern Conference (or did they already clinch?). With seven games remaining--none against playoff teams--Washington has a great chance to catch New Jersey (tied with 97 points) and Boston (five points back).

While going 4-0 against Tampa thus far, the Caps should take the Lightning seriously as Ryan Malone is coming to ~~fight~~ play:

"It's kind of over," left wing Ryan Malone said. "I mean, there's not really much you can do anymore. If the hit is there, you want to finish your checks on him, but you have to keep your head up with him as well. It's just one of those things. He was celebrating his 50th goal, we understood that. But we still were embarrassed by it. It's our job to stick together."

Malone said the best retribution would be to "steal the two points."

Malone...Now there's a guy who's opinion matters and who always makes the right decisions.

Tampa has limped through the month of March, winning just four of 12 games with matchups against Ottawa and Boston looming. Nothing seems to be going right for a Lightning team that has a win percentage of .469 when scoring first. That translates into nine wins when giving up the first goal. That puts them at last and fourth-to-last in the league.

With a win tonight, it would mark the first time since tsweep of Tampa Bay would mark the first time since 2001 that Washington went undefeated against the Lightning (4-0-1). Who says the Caps play down to their competition?

The Importance of Brooks Laich

2009-03-26T05:34:00.000-04:00

Check out my post over at the Hockey Writers about how Brooks Laich affects the Capitals.

Pre-Game: Capitals @ Maple Leafs

2009-03-24T05:39:00.000-04:00

Top 10 Alex Ovechkin Goals of the Year

2009-03-23T13:05:00.005-04:00

No comment needed: