Stat of the Day

Did you know the last time that Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, and Mike Green all scored and the Capitals lost was October 21, 2006 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. When the trio scored, the Caps were 6-1... That was until Washington lost their last game to the Kings on Thursday.

And the Capitals Blog Rankings Are In...

DC Pro Sports Report put out reviews on as many Capitals blogs as possible, and "Simply Sensational!" made the list, getting 4/5 stars! I'm so proud of how far this blog has come from its origin during a west coast road trip in the middle of October. Here is what DCPSR had to say:

I like this blog. We have added it to our Link page. Good, solid coverage, enjoyable read. We encourage you to check it out. Consistent posting, good, active blog. Rank: * * * *

Thanks for reading, tell your friends, and Go Caps!

Note:I'm doing double duties of late writing here and for The Hockey Writers. I've posted another injury-related article that you can read here:

Johnson Out for the Year

Post-Game: Capitals vs Kings

Some games you lose, and that's that...Other games you lose and you have that sour taste in your mouth. Tonight's game was more of the latter.

• 15 seconds in, I thought the game was over. Great hustle by Brooks Laich and a great finish by Alexander Semin for his 20th. I'm sure the Caps thought they were going to run away with this one also, but the Western Conference has been their kryptonite: The Caps are 7-9 in non-conference games.
• I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but the power play needs to play defense also. Giving up shorthanded goals and breakaways are momentum killers and good teams don't allow chances when the other team is a man down.
  
• How many times has a hot goalie on a mediocre team (See: Steve Mason) come into our house and stifle our sharpshooters? Jonathan Quick stopped 41 shots, and listeners had to deal with lame puns every time Quick moved side to side.
• Alex Ovechkin's nine shots were a game-high and Ovi was rewarded with his 200th goal in his 295th game.
• Jeff Shultz- Tisk, tisk. Yeah just keep backing up, let the King's best player have his space and time to pick his target. Great scouting.
• Eric Fehr did have five shots, but didn't look that good. No worries (see image below).

Wayne Simmons, Donald Brashear, Willie O'Ree...Nicklas Backstrom?!

No comment on this story, just confusion from the LA Kings website:

Kings forward Wayne Simmonds will join the Capitals’ Donald Brashear and Nicklas Backstrom as well as Willie O'Ree, the NHL's first black player, in visiting the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club. Located in Southeast Washington D.C., it is the nation’s oldest minority youth hockey program. The event coincides with Hockey is for Everyone Month, the NHL’s diversity initiative.

"I always want to give back and I think it’s a good thing that we’re doing it," Simmonds said. "It’s always good to support the cause and help out the little kids."

Pre-Game: Capitals vs Kings

Heading into the 53rd game last season, Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals had just defeated the Canadiens in overtime in one of the most exciting game of the season. Ovechkin had 18 points in his last nine games, heading into a home match against the Atlanta Thrashers. Even without Ilya Kovalchuk, the Thrashers still shutout the Caps 2-0 for Washington's only home shutout loss.

This year, the Capitals welcome the LA Kings, winners of four of their last five. Like the Thrashers of last year, the Kings are .500 at the time they will face the Capitals...and also have as many points as games played (just like the Thrashers did last season). Similarities aside, the Kings are a hot team that Washington should not take lightly at home (i.e. Edmonton, Columbus).

If the Caps want revenge for their 5-2 loss in the City of Angels, they will have to do it without Viktor Kozlov. Tarik is also reporting that Eric Fehr will skate on the first line with Fedorov and Ovechkin. Fehr likes to shoot and Ovi only had one shot last game (after recording at least four in every January game), so it will be interesting to see if how the group will click.

Sorry for the short post, I have a psychology paper due in a few hours, but please enjoy this "old" video of our opponents: