Sabres 2, Caps 3

To say Alex Ovechkin is the best player in the league these days is not only a legitimate claim, its a bit of an understatement, if that were possible. The guy has been on an absolute tear (21 goals and 21 assists in 27 games... jesus). He has overtaken Sidney Crosby and is currently second in points in the league. He has a GWG and a GTG in the last two games. His line is out there for every important shift, and they have not failed to deliver. His center is on the league leaderboard for assists. His right wing has four (pretty) goals in four games.

This team is rolling. They've won 7 of their last 8 games. They are currently tied for second in the Eastern Conference with the New York Rangers (who they beat twice) and are only behind the Boston Bruins (who they beat in their only meeting). Thankfully, the Philly game is looking like a bit of a hiccup. And the most amazing part? They're doing it without their best defenseman, (arguably) their best goalie, the best natural goal scorer in the game, and their most experienced player.

Think about when those guys get back for good.

Some random thoughts on the game:

• Ovie can score in any way imaginable, and he showed it once again. He also was hitting everything that moved, made some sweet passes, and had a goal that got waved off that in my opinion would have still gone in even if Lalime hadn't been interfered with.
• Backstrom seems finding some good chemistry with Kozlov.
• Sloan got dangled pretty badly towards the end there. Can't let that happen.
• Good to see Helmer get a star of the game.
  
• Also good to see Juice shooting now. I may have been wrong about him... nah...
• Theo was outstanding. The defense (and especially Boyd Gordon) let him down badly on the first one. The second one wasn't even on net, it just hit Maxim in the leg and deflected in.
• Didn't notice Clark offensively but he was making his presence felt with physicality with a nice hit behind Lalime's net.
  
• Ovechkin almost took Vanek's leg off on a slapshot on the power play. If that happens to our boy when he's put on the penalty kill (though I've seen a lot less of him on it), then we might be in trouble.

Toronto looms on Sunday, and hopefully the return of someone like Green will help this already confident team. I'd look for Theodore to get the start, but maybe Gabby's got something up his sleeve with a young stud goalie who's 2-0 in the bigs on his bench. We'll have to see.

Whoops

Anyone think GMGM sent Varlamov down a bit too early?

Caps 5, Isle 4 (OT)

Not the greatest game of the year, by any stretch of the imagination. The boys let two 2 goal leads slip away and could have easily lost a game that they should have won by three or four goals, considering how bad the Islanders are. Regardless, two points is two points, and an eight point lead in the division, as well as third place overall in the conference, and shooting up to number 3 in the SI power rankings, are all pretty sweet right about now.

Some random thoughts:

• Have I mentioned that I love that Alex Ovechkin guy? AO is now closing in on Malkin and Crosby at the top of the leaderboards in points and is making a run at Vanek at the top of the leaderboards in goals.
• Johnson wasn't his dominant self of the season thus far, but he made the saves when they counted and was let down on a couple of goals.
• Does anyone else privately kind of hope that Theodore stays injured?
• The Caps were money in the faceoff circle.
• Green had the hit of the night: open ice, coming across the blue line, shoulder into chest. Remind anyone else of Scotty Stevens?
  
• Alzner and Jurcina is quickly turning into the teams best D-man pairing defensively.
• Did I just use Jurcina in that sentence? wow.
  
• Our old friend Brendan Witt was -5.
  
• Seems like goals like that just come naturally to Brooks Laich.
• Collins was okay, but took two bad penalties that led the Isle back into the game.
  
• Semin had an off game. But that behind the back pass was pretty.
• With two assists, Backis is slowly crawling up the points chart. Think where he and Ovie would be right now without those slow starts.
• And finally, Ovechkin's shot in OT was absolutely gorgeous.
  

Penguins Fans Annoy Me

Gonchar has played exactly zero regular season games this year.

Hey Kobasew...

You've got nothing.

Ladies and Gentlemen

Alexander Semin is back.

Lepisto Sent Down

Via Tarik, the Caps sent down Lepisto this morning, meaning a defenseman is coming back. Tarik thinks either Green or Poti will be returning (either one would be great), but its also possible that Sloan is ready to play and Collins played better than Lepisto during his call up (which is completely true). So we'll see.

Canes 3, Caps 1

It's hard to blame a loss on two people, but I am prepared to do that tonight by putting a good amount of the responsibility on two guys: Michael Leighton and Sami Lepisto. Leighton was nothing short of outstanding, stopping 38 of 39 shots. He stopped Ovie on a penalty shot and absolutely robbed him (and several other Caps) numerous times. Lepisto was statistically only bad in his plus/minues at -2, but he continues to be an absolute disaster behind the Caps net, and the go-ahead goal for Carolina was scored because he lost a key battle to Eric Staal and Sergei Samsanov.

My opinion? We need Mike Green and Alexander Semin now more than ever.

Some random thoughts:

• The Caps came out and played their hearts out the whole second period and most of the third period. They had allowed no shots by the halfway mark of the third and the two goals scored on Theo in the third period were shots 2 and 3 of the third frame (though the defense left him out to dry on all three goals).
• Ovechkin's pass to Backstrom was a thing of beauty. Backstrom's one-timer was as well.
• I can't remember the last time the Caps played a team's number one goalie at the start of the season besides last night in Toronto.
  
• Alzner, despite being minus 1, played a pretty solid game and made few mistakes. The same could be said for Collins.
• Ovechkin fired 11 shots on net. That's more than Carolina had in each period.
• I despise Eric Staal more with every additional game we play against him.
  
• The refs were on our side, for once, and the Caps got away with at least two calls that could have been easy penalties (especially on the 5 on 3).
  

So the boys get a bit of a break, two days off before facing the white-hot and Eastern Conference leading Bruins on Wednesday at Verizon. Please, please tell me that we get somebody back by then.

Huh?

I was kind of confused when I saw this on SI.com (2nd time I've been confused by something on that site in a week).



Checked back a minute later, and they'd changed it... kind of...



Weak.

Caps 2, Leafs 1

Great win in Toronto, and coupled with a Carolina OTL, we just opened up a 6 point gap in the standings with the 'Canes coming up tomorrow.

Some random thoughts on the game:

• Congrats to King Karl, with his first NHL goal, second assist, a +2 rating, and a 100% shooting percentage.
• Ovechkin had a typical off night, and an off night for him is a helluva lot of shots (7) with everything slightly off (and one easy shot banking off the post). No points for AO either.
• Flash, Backstrom, and Kozlov, the Caps besides Ovie who have been providing all the scoring, were all pointless. Nyls was the only Capital forward who recorded a point.
  
• Ovie led the team in ice time with 23:17, and Alzner led all defensemen with 23:06. I love what the kid has been doing, but the relatively gradual development is what made Mike Green who he is. Giving King Karl over 23 minutes of ice time on the top line isn't slow development, but we don't have a lot of options now.
• Fehr is hurt. If he can't go expect to see Mink or Bourque in Carolina tomorrow.
• Sha Mo was hitting everything that moved, and had one of his better games of the season.
  
• Sami Lepisto just plain sucked tonight.
• Johnny was quite good, stopping 19 out of 20 shots and looking confident and poised all game. The only goal he allowed was more of a good shot by Antropov than a mistake by BJ1 (and I think he was moving across too after a nifty drop pass from Stajan).
• I thought Helmer was pretty good. I don't even remember seeing Collins, and that's a good thing. Goose eggs across the board with one shot and 13 minutes of ice time.
• Keith Aucoin continues to impress.
• Finally, I wasn't angry at Milan Jurcina after the game. His goal was an absolute bomb, and finally proved all those scouting reports I've heard and never believed that he has a good slapshot.

So, back to back games result in a trip to Carolina tomorrow. Hopefully the boys get some sleep tonight, we've seen what back to back games have done to the Caps this year (1-3-1 on the tail end of back to back games so far).

Next Up From Hershey...

Eric Fehr is hurt.

2009 Mock Draft

It may be a bit early to start talking about this but Allan Muir has the 2009 mock draft over at SI.com, our favorite hockey media source besides ESPN. Muir has the Caps picking Swedish center Jacob Josefson (don't we have a couple of those already?). Josefon is a 2-way forward with an offensive upside, reminding me a bit of Brooks Laich. Anything can happen between now and summer though.

Or so I thought, until I looked at the standings and realized that the Lightning and Thrashers are the leagues two worst teams. And I really do not see either of those teams getting better this season, especially since they are likely to dump their best players at the trade deadline (the Ilya Kovalchuk rumors have already begun). So, assume that the bottom half of the NHL standings finish roughly the same, with the Thrashers in the cellar and the Lightning second to last. That would mean the John Tavares is essentially guarenteed a spot in the Southeast Division. If he's with the Lightning, then thats Stamkos and Tavares together. If he ends up with the Thrashers, and they end up keeping Kovie, then thats Ilya and Tavares together.

Both prospects are, I will admit, a bit unnerving. But neither team has much in the way of goaltending, so I'm not too worried.

Avery Given Six Game Suspension

So when a player rams another player from behind, head to the glass, possibly knocking him unconscious, possibly knocking him out for a couple of weeks, you get a slap on the wrist and a one game suspension.

When you go in front of a bunch of reporters and make an immature comment (with a slightly sexual reference), the likes of which have defined your career as an agitator in the NHL, you get suspended for six times as long.

Well done Bettman. Well done.

Caps 5, Isle 2

Good rebound game for the Caps, breaking a 2 game losing streak and hopefully getting some confidence for the weekend in Toronto and Carolina.

Some random thoughts:

• The Caps dominated the first period... until the Islanders got back into it with a power-play goal.
• Really crappy backchecking on the Islander's second goal, and Lepisto played some pretty weak defense behind the net and lost a key battle allowing an easy slot goal for New York.
• The Caps are second in the league in first period goals behind San Jose.
  
• Tomas Fleischmann can dance, and overall he had another solid game.
• Ovechkin had a typical night: 1 goal, 2 assists, 11 shots, and nearly 20 minutes of ice time.
  
• Is it just me or does Ovie seem to be getting more penalties this year?
• Classy play by Ovechkin to give the puck to Backstrom for the easy empty netter rather than shoot what was likely a 50% shot with a defenseman bearing down on him. He still gets an assist and Backstrom continues his tear with a goal on the night. Everyone wins.
• I really liked the play of Keith Aucoin. He was confident, made plays, and most of all, the kid is quick.
• Fred Smoot and Rock Cartwright attended the game and seemed to be enjoying it. Gotta love the Redskins starting to come out to support the Caps.
• Alzner's play on the third Caps goal showed me why he will be a mainstay on this team for many years. Instead of shooting it towards the net, he altered his direction slightly and banked it off the back boards, a safe play that wouldn't lead to a blocked shot and ultimately gave the Caps a goal. If thats Jurcina or Erskine, then there would have been an Islander breakaway instead of a Caps goal.
• The Caps almost had 50 shots on net. If that isn't a formula for a W, then I don't know what is.
  

Well, 2 points in the bag, and Carolina lost so we now have a 5 point lead in the division. Saturday against the Leafs is next.

Kostya Kennedy on Crosby

Kostya Kennedy over at SI.com seems to have a bit of a man crush on Sidney Crosby. Short of dissecting the numerous fallacies in this article, the things that jumped out at me were Kennedy calling the Penguins "injury-wracked" (I'll give you injury wracked), calling Alexander Semin large-mouthed, and saying that Cindy is humble, the "anti-Avery," and doesn't "whine." Give me a break. Does he also draw legitimate penalties now?

My Take on Sean Avery

It is amazing to me that the NHL is trying to censor and rid itself of Sean Avery. It is amazing to me that in the age of Michael Vick and Plaxico Burress, a professional sports player is suspended for a pretty minor, albiet immature, comment to reporters. And it is amazing to me that more than half the league, including Avery's team, and teammates, are thinking "good riddance" to themselves.

Sean Avery is what the NHL needs. He is entertaining, unpredictable, innovative, and overall a complete douche bag. His whole game is to get the other team off of theirs, and he is very good at what he does. His tactics are ingenious, his execution of them legendary. It is arguable that his stick waving antics against New Jersey in the playoffs last year completely knocked the Devils off their game and had a big part in their loss to the Rangers. He is an agitator, he gets under the skin of other teams, and statistically, teams of which he is a member do far better when he is in the lineup then when he is out of it.

Not to say that Avery isn't, as mentioned above, a douche bag. The guy has zero class, he's a nut case, and he loves the spotlight and the attention that his antics provide for him. He is the NHL's version of TO. And you know what? The guy is what could bring the NHL out of its current recession.

The NBA has Ron Artest, Major League Baseball has Manny, Soccer has Wayne Rooney, golf has Happy Gilmore, skiing has Bode Miller, and the NFL has TO, Chad Ocho Cinco, and more people than I can count. Those guys are all nut cases. They are distractions to their teams and to their sports. But in no way would any sport be at the same popularity level without guys like them. The fans love them, because they are entertaining, and the NHL needs entertainment right now. Despite all the claims by Bettman's front office, the league isn't doing much better than before the lockout. Most people who are avid hockey fans these days were fans before the lockout, and several fan bases and ticket sales that have been strong for years, like Detroit, are now shrinking. The NHL shouldn't suspend Sean Avery, they should make sure that he gets as much exposure as possible.

Think about if the NHL hadn't suspended Avery, and he was in the game against Calgary. Think if the NHL had released a lot of press, condemned Avery's comments, sure, but let him play. Now that game would have been interesting. It is entirely plausable that Avery's comment was meant to get the best defenseman in the league off his game, and, knowing Phaneuf, he would have likely responded by giving Avery an open-ice ticket into unconsciousness. Either that, or Iggy would have beaten him into the ground. The matter would have been settled on the ice, like feuds in hockey are supposed to be settled, Avery would be punished, and, 2 or 3 weeks later, he would pop up again with some other antic, just like the last 100 times. More and more people would take notice, as they have been and Avery's already budding flame as the guy everyone loves to hate in the NHL would continue to bring people in. There is a reason many videos featuring him on youtube have over 400,000 hits.

Instead, the NHL took the initiative and silenced one of their best marketing assets, and took him off the ice, with an indefinite suspension. I mean, come on, the NFL eventually suspends Plaxico Burress because he shoots himself in the leg with an illegal firearm. The NHL suspends players one or two games for illegal hits to the head that ruin player's seasons. Hell, this is a game which endorses, for the sake of its ratings, two men dropping their gloves and trading punches until one falls to the ice. And the NHL suspends Sean Avery indefinitely for a comment he made about an ex-girlfriend and a fellow hockey player to a bunch of reporters? How does that make the league, and hockey in general, look? Just another embarrassing moment for the NHL and Gary Bettman.

Panthers 5, Caps 3

From what I heard from the lovely Steve Kolbe and read in Tarik's game notes, not the best Caps game of the season. The end result was a Minnesota Wildesque comeback that ended in pretty much the same way: a team that was outplayed for most of the game, worked their way back to one goal with too few minutes left, and came up just short.

Some Random Thoughts:

• Gotta feel bad for Alzner, even if that own-goal wasn't his fault (it was a deflection), that can't be good for his confidence. However, check out this gem of a quote from King Karl after the game:

  "I don't have the timing down just yet. I'm definitely going to work on it in practice tomorrow. I'm going to ask some of the guys to come down on me a few times and see what guys like to do in this league."

  Gotta love the work ethic, and that little sound bit, in my opinion, proves that this guy is going to be legit.
  
• Theo wasn't as bad as the score, as it seemed that he really didn't have a chance on two or three of the four goals he was on the ice for. I'd expect him to get the nod against the Isle on Thursday.
• Fleischmann and Backstrom continued their stretches of outstanding play, Kozlov apparently scored a pretty sweet goal, and Ovie added an assist (I was starting to get worried he would be held pointless for two straight games towards the end). Outside of those four, this team's offense needs to get going or we're going to have problems, especially with two of our top 5 offensive threats on the shelf for the time being.
  
• Fleischmann now has as many goals this season as he had all year last year. Not only is he scoring in what seems like every game in which the Caps arn't shut out, but he is also a consistant offensive threat, dangling in the zone, making sleek passes, taking shots, and making things happen. 'Bout time.
• According to the radio broadcast, the Caps were completely exausted and unmotivated from the second period until their comeback late in the third. Interesting, considering they had two days off and have not been short of energy during any home game yet this season. My guess? The injuries are starting to affect the team more and more. We need to get some bodies back. Semin and Green, obviously, are at the top of that list of needs.
• Craig Anderson apparently played pretty damn well, right until the last five minutes. Remind you of Niklas Backstrom in the Wild game?
• Even with the unbeliveable injuries, to such key players, the tough schedule, and arguably the worst stretch in Bruce Boudreau's young NHL career, the Caps are still on top of the Southeast by 3 points and are tied for 5th in the Eastern Conference. Not bad, considering the circumstances. Once this team gets healthy, we'll see what happens.
• And I really want to see Osala soon.
  

Sunday Update(s)

Lot of stuff going on this weekend, and because of Thanksgiving, I missed a lot of it. But since getting our teeth kicked in against San Jose, we had two great home games, and a not so great away game (who would have guessed?).

• Alzner is hurt. That's just great. I wonder what the record is for call-ups is in the span of a week and a half. Hopefully King Karl will be good to go on Tuesday against the Panthers. With two days off, maybe we can get some other bodies back as well (Greenie? please?).
• All three of Ovie's goals (and his assist) against Atlanta were all pretty sweet.
• Kozlov has been playing really well of late. Same with Backstrom. Outside of those two, Ovie, Flash, and Nylander, the rest of this team is kind of struggling offensively.
  
• Before I speak too soon Fehr looks like he's been picking up his game lately. 'Bout time.
• I'm going to take a wild guess that JT60 is starting on Tuesday. Not that Johnny was bad at all, but Theo is our number one now. Lets hope he keeps it up.
• Semin, apparently, isn't coming back anytime soon. And we need Semin.
  

So, think for a second what this team would do with Semin, Green, and Poti all healthy? Yeah, once we get those guys back, this slim lead in the southeast will widen. The fact that we're playing like we are without 2 of our 4 best players is acceptable. Maybe not ideal, but it will do for now.

Here We Go...

The Caps made a handful of call ups from the Hershey Bears today, and, finally, Karl Alzner gets a shot at the dance. Along with Graham Mink, Sami Lepisto, and Chris Bourque, we'll see if some fresh faces can turn this three game losing streak around tonight in the phone booth against Kovalchuk and the Thrashers.

Also, Clark and Schultz were moved to the IR, and leads one to wonder if Clark's injury truly healed from last year or if he's just nursing something new. Whatever it is, his stats this year have been horrendous.

Time To See Some Hershey Prospects?

Last night was bad in a couple of ways, despite the exciting 3 goal surge late in the game and the continued sensational play of Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Besides the obvious three game losing streak (first in Gabby's tenure as head coach), the Caps lost Boyd Gordon, John Erskine (eh...) and Jeff Schultz (eh...) last night, and Schultz is going to be out for a while with a broken finger. If those three are out on wednesday (and I can only think that Gordon and Erskine's injuries were not nearly as serious as Schultz's), then that coupled with the likely absence of Semin, Green, and Feds is going to result in a likely call up(s) from Hershey. My guess (and everyone elses) is Sami Lepisto, who in my opinon had a pretty good stint in the big leagues last year and is in the same mold of Green and Pothier in defenseman style, which the Caps basically lack right now (pretty much all defensive D-men at this point with the possible exception of Tom Poti). Assuming that either Gordon or Erskine (or both) isn't able to go on wednesday, then we've got a problem in that we'll have 11 forwards (if Gordo is out) and 4 defensemen (if Erskine is out), all this without the likely call up of Sami Lepisto in the picture.

Think this team is banged up? Lets hope to get some bodies back... soon. Semin and Green are obviously the most crucial at this point. How much of a stretch would it be to say that if those two were healthy than we would have come out of the last three games with at least 2 points?

Oh, and we're still on the top of the southeast. Sweet.

Some random thoughts on the game:

• Theo was good. That save on Bouchard was highway robbery. And what happened on that play? Bad line change? Whatever it was it was letting in a two on none with no other Cap even in the defensive zone is just terrible.
• Gotta love the comeback in the final five minutes. Just a little late.
• I've seen a closing the hand on the puck penalty maybe twice in my hockey-watching and playing life (well, five times now).
• Ovechkin's snipe was sweet.
• Erskine and Jurcina together continues to scare me. Their puck control is horrendous and neither can hit the net with their point shots even though they have no problem taking them. Maybe they should try for the more accurate, low shots to try to get a deflection and get some garbage goals, you know, like they teach you in pee wees.
  
• That Niklas Backstrom character was pretty good in goal. Until maybe the 54 minute mark.
  

So, not the best road trip ever, but at least we got 3 points and we're on home ice (still undefeated in regulation) for 6 of the next 9 games. The Thrashers and the always deadly Kovalchuk are in town Monday, and a little bit of revenge for opening night is in order. Don't you think?

Sharks 7, Caps 2

Not much to say about this one. We were simply outplayed by the best team in the league.

Some random thoughts:

• The box score shows a lot. Jeff Schultz was -4, he was -3 when the score was 3-0 Sharks, and he still got 21 minutes of ice time. Backis had no shots on goal and Ovie was -2.
  
• Think this team misses Alexander Semin and Mike Green?
  
• Fedorov agitated his ankle and didn't return after the first, skating only a few minutes.
• Mo really should have had that puck on the Shark's second goal.
  
• Fleischmann still is into this whole goal scoring deal.

So, on to the good news. Green is skating, Semin looks like he's close to coming back, and the Caps rebound from blowouts very well. That 5-0 game against Chicago late in the year last season was immediately followed by that astounding playoff run, and the 5-0 loss to Buffalo at the beginning of the month led to a 5-0-2 record the next seven games. And, even with our recent two game hiccup, we're still in control of the Southeast, granted by one point. Minnesota is next on Monday, and its not going to get any easier against those guys, even without Gaborik.

ugh...

All I have to say. Damn it Mo... as I was writing "Mo" the Sharks just scored their third goal.

Again... ugh. I am so sick of our defense.

Gameday: Caps vs. Sharks

Okay, so we haven't beaten these guys in San Jose since Bill Clinton was in his first term as President. And we don't have Mike Green or Sasha. And this team hasn't lost at home yet in regulation this season, not to mention that they are the best team in the league. And we're at the tail end of a grueling week and a half long, country spanning five game road trip. But when you have Ovechkin and Backstrom scoring like they have been recently, and a backup playing like he's a bonafide #1 in net, and one of your boys blocking three point slapshots without his stick two nights ago, then i think that goes a long way towards evening this contest out. Simply put, if the defense improves its play from the last three games, and if our offense proves why its the most explosive in the league then this one will be close. And if the Caps can get two points here, then we (and the rest of the NHL) will all know that this team is legit.

• According to Tarik, Fedorov is back and likely to play tonight. Looks like he'll be on the second line between Laich and Clark. By the way, its interesting that Clark gets the bump up considering how he's played recently.
  
• Lets hope Fleischmann keeps up that goal scoring thing. That -8 is a bit unnerving, but it leads me to wonder once again how much that stat really matters, because from a subjective viewpoint he's seemed pretty damn good to me this year so far.
  
• Okay, I was wrong, Nylander is still a Cap. We'll see how long that lasts...
• Brent Johnson's record of 7-1-1 against the Sharks looks pretty good right now.
• Fehr gets the press box... again. Poor guy.
  
• Here's hoping Ovechkin puts JR on his ass. And damn it, I was really hoping I wouldn't have to see Dan Boyle again for a long, long time.

Kings 5, Caps 2

It would be an understatement to say I'm frustrated on this one. My previous post pretty much explains it.

Some random thoughts:

• I don't care if Tom Poti thinks he's Mike Green, that foray into the offensive zone during a PK late in a game with a 1 goal lead was downright idiotic. His absence back in the zone led to the Kings 3rd, and eventually game-winning, goal.
• Johnny was good, at some times great. Only the second goal was really his fault, the first one was deflected off Ovie's stick and the third one he had absolutely no chance on.
• Backstrom loves those tap in goals. He's now scored in three straight games. Ovechkin's goal scoring streak came to an end but he ended up with a power-play assist.
• Pretty weak +/- showing overall.
• Laich was incredible without a stick on the 5 on 3. Three shots blocked, all with his hand or lower body, as well as a goal late in the third to give the Caps a chance.
  
• Nylander will probably be gone by the time the Caps play again.
  
• Good save by Sloan in the end. I thought he had a solid game.

Not good, not good at all with the best team in hockey looming in 2 days. Back to back games are tough though, and maybe a rest tomorrow is what the boys need. We'll see what happens in the next 24 hours with the Nylander rumors.

First Period Shots

Wow.

Caps 6, Ducks 4

Again, I'm not one to complain about a win, but if we want to go past the first round of the playoffs, we cannot play like we have the last two outings. We had a three goal lead within the opening minutes of the game and we let it go with crappy defense and backchecking, as well as weak clears that seemed to go right to Anaheim defensemen (and when two of those defensemen go by the names of Pronger and Neidermayer, than theres a problem). Still, 2 points is 2 points, and the Caps still have not lost in regulation since the blowout in Buffalo (that's 14 points in 8 games for anyone whos counting). LA should be a bit of an easier game than this one, though this one should have been easy from the get go.

Some random thoughts on the game:

• JT60 was really good, and faulty defense let him down. The only goal I can even fault him with is the Getzlaf goal, but he was going side to side and Getzlaf is a pure goal scorer who doesn't miss his spots much, so its debatable whether Theo really had a chance.
• The defense, once again, was terrible overall.
  
• Lets hope Green's injury isn't serious. This team may be able to function at the minimum without Semin, but lose Green and we have some problems, especially with Sha Mo out as well and the defense playing like it is.
• Ovechkin was outstanding once again. He now has scored in 5 straight, and is scoring and assisting in large bunches. He has more than two points in five straight games now, with 14 points total in those five games, 6 goals and 8 assists. Keep scoring like that and there's going to be another Hart trophy in his trophy case. (if Semin doesn't get healthy and beat him to it).
  
• Fehr on the point during the power play was interesting.
• Flash's breakout year (I called it, didn't I) continues with a goal on the night.
• Finally, some secondary scoring. Check this stat-sheet out (kind of hard to see). Lots of scoring all over the place:

• 
• Everyone got a point except Brash, Sloan, Laich, Fehr, Erskine and Poti.
  
• Dirty play by Montador on Ovechkin behind the net after Giggy clearly had the puck and the play was dead. It looked slightly familiar to me.

So, 3/4 points in 2 games on this road trip, sounds good so far, despite how we've played. LA tomorrow, a tough game in San Jose on Saturday, and another tough game in Minnesota on monday, than home to face Kovie and the Thrash. Lets get to it.

um... ok

So i turned on the game 23 minutes late and the Caps were already up 3-1, Ovie had 3 assists, and Backis and Green both had goals.

I guess that works...

Funny Article Of The Day

This comes straight out of the Washington Post:

It was a night in which the Redskins absolutely didn't want to lose, given the despised Cowboys were in town and given that the stadium was alive with the electricity such a game often brings. More than an hour before kickoff the sidelines were filled with people, including Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin and what appeared to be the character who plays the caveman in the Geico commercials. Both wore Redskins jerseys.

From what I understand, Nicklas Backstrom was attending the game with Ovechkin, Hopefully the caveman guy really was there...

Devils 6, Caps 5 (OT)

So I really don't think the Caps deserved that point, but we still haven't lost in regulation since the blowout in Buffalo, so I'm not complaining. Backstrom is out of his slump, that's for sure, and Ovie proved once again why he was the league MVP last year.

Some random thoughts:

• The defense was terrible... can Alzner get up here soon enough?
  
• I've always thought that when you don't notice defensemen with the exception of a few like Green than that's usually a good thing. But when you barely notice guys like Clark and Nylander on the ice than theres definitely a problem. Nylander's torrid preseason led me to believe that he was going to be back to form this year but their injuries from last year seem to be weighing on their bodies or their confidence or both. Not a good situation.
• Fleischmann is turning into a force. That dangle-snipe was pretty.
  
• JT60 was much, much better than the score indicated. He's been pretty good lately, and while I'm not sold on him being the unquestioned #1 behind Johnny, he's making his saves behind a very shaky defense.
• Ovechkin and Backstrom are on fire right now. Hopefully 4 days off and a lengthy road trip won't hinder the duo.
• The reactions of the Devils after Ovechkin's goal was priceless. Even more priceless was Ovechkins reaction.
  

• The top four plus/minus's in the league right now are all Caps: Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, and Green.
• Is it just me or do the Caps just suck in general in shootouts? A 36% winning percentage would seem to support such an assertion.
  
• I love Gordo, but why him over say... Backstrom, Laich, Nylander?
• After Parise was done in the shootout Theo's jockstrap was somewhere close to the moon. JT's game depends a lot on guessing and he guessed really wrong on that one.
• I really dislike the Penguins. Just an observation.
  

What?

Backis got 3rd star of the game... with one goal and four assists.

Ovie had two goals and one assist, as well as a game tying goal with .9 seconds left in the third period. He was not named a star of the game.

The first star, Brian Gionta, had one goal, the Devils fifth of the night.

Am I missing something?

Stat(s) of the Day

Caps 3, Devils 1

It's hard to complain about a 3-1 win and a 5 game winning streak, but the Caps need to stop letting teams back into games after getting substantial leads. A two goal lead is the worst lead in hockey for a reason, and it showed tonight despite the end result. The Devils were energized after the Elias breakaway goal and had a couple of scoring chances that were only chances because of how zoned in Theodore was. Regardless, 2 points is 2 points, and 10 points in 5 games is even sweeter. It'd be sweeter to make it 12 in 6 come tomorrow night.

Oh, and Carolina lost.

Some random thoughts on the game:

• JT60 absolutely robbed Zach Parise twice, with a nice glove save on a redirect in the first period and a quick stick save on a layup towards the end of the second period. Theodore was sensational, saving 32 out of 33 shots and only hiccuping on a breakaway goal that the Caps defense practically handed to Elias on a gourmet dish (see below).
• Drafting Theodore for my fantasy team is finally starting to look like a good idea.
  
• Is this Flash's breakout year? Can Fehr start taking some notes?
  
• Speaking of Flash, he had his best game since his 2 goal one in Dallas, with a goal and a couple of high quality chances, not to mention overall excellent puck control and confidence. Oh, and that between-the-legs drag in the first period would have been up for goal of the year... if he'd roofed it.
• Tyler Sloan continues to impress. I think Gabby is noticing too. Sloan logged the 3rd longest ice time tonight on the Caps at 21:34, behind only Ovechkin and Green. He also was second in penalty kill time, with 2:11, second to Tom Poti, who had another solid game.
• Now with the bad: terrible defensive lapse with a bad change that gave Elias that breakaway. He had no one even close to him, and took advantage of the room with a quick shot right between Theo's legs. The Devils were back in the game after that.
  
• Semin is injured and is day-to-day. That could be a minor problem. It was definitely noticeable with Fehr out there instead of Sasha.
  
• The Caps had good discipline throughout, something that has been lacking thus far this season. Flash and Kozlov took the only two penalties of the night.
  

First Post

First Post... just had to get it out of the way. Anyways, this blog will basically be about everything from the Caps to the Bears to anything in the NHL and the hockey world. I'll update it as much as I can. Lets go Caps!