I wasn't anywhere near as excited for this game as I normally am. No, it had nothing to do with Sidney Crosby not being there. Okay, so maybe it did. A little. But for other reasons it just didn't have the feel that it normally did; no pregame jitters simply because it was the Penguins--long a thorn in our collective side. No team gets me jonesing for a game like the Pens and yet the game seemed all full of meh.
But I was fine with that. And so were the Caps, for the most part.
Both teams went into the game bruised (extremely in James Neal's case) and battered with injuries to key players. And yet the NBC sports crew was all there with their spotlights and everything. Although I have to say even Pierre McGuire seemed a bit more subdued than usual.
Jason Chimera got what would prove to be the game winner at 15:25 of the first. The play was initiated by a brilliant takeaway from Evgeni Malkin by Joel Ward. That started the odd-man rush with Jeff Halpern who streaked down the right wing with the puck. Halpern slid it to Chimera who was all alone in front of the net. Chimera finished it off by flipping the puck over Marc-Andre Fleury's stick hand.
The rest of the game was a tight checking conservative affair until the third period. I'm not sure if the Caps were running out of steam but it seemed like they were relying on Evil Kounevil to bail them out. Thank goodness he was up to the task. That third period save on Malkin was like nothing I'd ever seen before. I thought for sure Malkin had him beat and yet somehow Vokoun managed to get in the way of his shot. Vokoun's lateral movement has been 1000% better lately and it showed last night.
There are two things that concern me. The Caps were taking an average of no less than 25 shots per game under Hunter for a time. That figure has since dropped to around 20 shots per game, not counting the loss against San Jose. This kind of output is only acceptable if the pucks go in and as we all know, sometimes they don't.
The second thing is that they had 30 shots against. That's too much for my liking, and that doesn't even take into consideration the ones that didn't make it on net. In the last 40 minutes of play, they gave up 21 shots, not exactly a big help when you're trying to hold on to a lead. Too much running around in their own zone and not clearing it out when they needed to. So there exists the very same problem since forever--getting a solid 60 minutes out of this team.
One other item of note--Tomas Kundratek was called up from Hershey to take the 6th defenseman's slot in favor of both Jeff Schultz and John Erskine. He got in a decent 11 minutes and did fine, even blocking one shot. Way too early to tell if he'll stick, but clearly Coach Hunter is looking for mobility in his defense corps.
So after all that I was pleasantly surprised when the final horn went and the scoreboard still said 1-0. But the blah feeling never went away. Of course we'll always take the two points in this perverted game of leapfrog known as the playoff race. But there's still no Nicklas Backstrom and no Mike Green in the lineup for nobody seems to know how long. As a Caps' fan you must ask yourself--was last night's one-goal output a bump in the road or just the result of a coach's good gameplan against one team?
Three games left on this homestand--six more points would be great.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Losing in More Ways than One
I'm not going to attempt to cover the whole game against the Sharks as I didn't see it at all. The game was on too late even for a rabid Caps fan like me and I'm at the age where every bit of sleep I can grab counts, darn it all. I was hoping for a better result than what happened, obviously. But I can't say I was surprised. The Caps just haven't done well on the road this year, no matter who has been the bench boss and it's a trend that needs to change if they want to move up in the standings.
The injury bug had come at a bad time (when is it ever a GOOD time for that?) affecting the team's best players. Alex Semin was barely up to speed last night and, despite good reports from recent practice sessions, Nicklas Backstrom was held out of the lineup. Worse, Mike Green may be lost yet again for nobody knows how long. Seems he took another hard hit in the second period and ended up missing the last half of the game.
Something has to be done about this and quick. No, I'm not suggesting a "don't hit #52" rule. Rather, something more along the lines of what was suggested in this excellent article that was posted at Japers Rink not so long ago.
If you read Kareem E.'s recap you will see this sentiment echoed. Obviously the future success of the team is tied the health of their highest-paid defenseman. I for one don't think we can afford to lose Mike green for too much more time and it certainly isn't helpful to his career. Can they win in the short term without him? The Caps have proven that they can. However, if they want to win when it counts they have to have a 100% completely healthy Mike Green in the lineup come playoff time. Of course getting to the playoffs is still no guarantee....
One last thing--can we stop with this "hex" that everyone is throwing out about the Sharks? It shouldn't matter what building you are playing in, if you are at your best you have a decent chance to win. It's not like a building can beat you. But then again there was that first goal that took a crazy bounce off the boards....
Maybe the Caps should all eat some Lucky Charms cereal in their next trip to HP Pavilion.
Yes that's the best I got right now. Hope the Caps come up with better against the Kings come Monday.
The injury bug had come at a bad time (when is it ever a GOOD time for that?) affecting the team's best players. Alex Semin was barely up to speed last night and, despite good reports from recent practice sessions, Nicklas Backstrom was held out of the lineup. Worse, Mike Green may be lost yet again for nobody knows how long. Seems he took another hard hit in the second period and ended up missing the last half of the game.
Something has to be done about this and quick. No, I'm not suggesting a "don't hit #52" rule. Rather, something more along the lines of what was suggested in this excellent article that was posted at Japers Rink not so long ago.
If you read Kareem E.'s recap you will see this sentiment echoed. Obviously the future success of the team is tied the health of their highest-paid defenseman. I for one don't think we can afford to lose Mike green for too much more time and it certainly isn't helpful to his career. Can they win in the short term without him? The Caps have proven that they can. However, if they want to win when it counts they have to have a 100% completely healthy Mike Green in the lineup come playoff time. Of course getting to the playoffs is still no guarantee....
One last thing--can we stop with this "hex" that everyone is throwing out about the Sharks? It shouldn't matter what building you are playing in, if you are at your best you have a decent chance to win. It's not like a building can beat you. But then again there was that first goal that took a crazy bounce off the boards....
Maybe the Caps should all eat some Lucky Charms cereal in their next trip to HP Pavilion.
Yes that's the best I got right now. Hope the Caps come up with better against the Kings come Monday.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Recap 1/3 vs Calgary Flames
Four in a row. But what price victory?
The Caps came away with another signature Dale Hunter win--making the most of opportunities, keeping your end clean (for the most part, anyway), timely saves, and quality special teams work. It was a good overall effort that led to a 3-1 win.
And the lineup even had a bit more color in it with the return of Mike Green. More on this later. But the game's results might prove a bit more costly than we'd like. The Caps were already somewhat banged up with Alex Semin listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury. This forced them to ice seven defensemen including the returning Green. After last night, though another forward, Nicklas Backstrom would fall to the injury bug although certainly not by his own doing.
Let's go ahead and get the bad stuff out of the way. Backstrom was taken out of the game in the middle of the third period for precautionary reasons. This of course as a result of a flagrant elbow to the head delivered by Flames winger Rene Bourque. What that means is, they don't want to take any unnecessary risks if the worst (i.e.--the "C" word) should happen. He is to be evaluated and there is no word yet if he will make the upcoming western road trip.
I will say this about the hit--it was a blatant elbow to the head. No getting around that. Therefore it's a clear violation of Rule 48, is it not? Regardless of the outcome of that debate, it was a clear intent to injure. And I don't buy the whole "What, me hit him?" act he tried to pull after the game. If you look at the hit, he even tries to create some plausible deniability by looking away from Backstrom, yet his elbow is clearly at chin-height. This one should be a no-brainer for the disciplinary office--it's not as though Bourque doesn't have a history.
What truly hurts is that Backstrom has been the gasoline to Washington's offensive engine. He leads the team in both points and assists, collecting three last night.
On to better news--once again the Captain started things off with a bang; a power play goal. He was set up by a perfect feed from Marcus Johansson. This one was another Ovechkin classic--a sweet one timer from his natural wing. This gives him power play goals in three straight games. How do you say "welcome back" in Russian?
In the second period, on their very next power play chance, they converted again with Troy Brouwer doing the dirty work in front of the net. One wonders whether or not that's where Mike Knuble's minutes have gone. Well there was no need to wonder last night as Knuble got 24 shifts totaling 18 and a half minutes of ice time. No doubt that will be ramped up due to the injuries to Backstrom and Semin.
Speaking of Knuble he ended up finishing a plus one in those 18 minutes of action. But he also took two bad penalties in the third. You know better than that, Knuubs.
Calgary managed to pull within one on a Curtis Glencross goal. I was iffy when I saw that the autodraft had put him on the Bumblers. Now I don't regret it at all as he leads the Flames in goals for the season. Later, however, Dennis Wideman iced it with a goal of his own off of another fantastic pass from Marcus Johansson.
Should Backstrom (God forbid) look to miss some time, he could look to inherit the #1 center slot.
A lot of eyes were on Mike Green as he made a return to the lineup. The plan was to ease him back into shape, hence the seven D-men. Ease they did as he got 15:43 of ice time. Unfortunately like another Mike, he also took a pair of bad penalties. One of those was a holding penalty--evidence that he is literally not quite up to speed as yet. But fear not as he should be getting his legs back eventually. Hell, I'm just hoping he avoids injury for the next few weeks.
Overall the defensive effort was excellent, save for a few lapses in the second and third periods. Still, they only allowed a total of 19 shots on goal for the game. And where they leaked, Tomas Vokoun easily bailed them out. The only thing missing? The fourth and final goal which never came. My office mates are unhappy today as there will be no discounted Papa John's pizza.
Okay, so for the time being anyway the Caps are over whatever funk caused them to be unable to string together more than back to back wins. (Remember--it's not a streak unless it's at least three!) However, new challenges stand in the way. First, how does Coach Hunter plan to juggle the lineup in light of the dearth of bodies? Second, we all know the Caps haven't done very well on the road this year. Can they turn that around now that it looks like they're back on track?
Here's a fun question--how long before we see an Ovechkin hat trick? He's clearly got his shot back and it seems like only a matter of time. And MJ90 seems a capable replacement for Backstrom as evidenced by the opening goal. The Captain never seems to have a shortage of praise for Jojo as he calls him. Chemistry...always a good thing on a hockey club.
Westward, we go.
The Caps came away with another signature Dale Hunter win--making the most of opportunities, keeping your end clean (for the most part, anyway), timely saves, and quality special teams work. It was a good overall effort that led to a 3-1 win.
And the lineup even had a bit more color in it with the return of Mike Green. More on this later. But the game's results might prove a bit more costly than we'd like. The Caps were already somewhat banged up with Alex Semin listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury. This forced them to ice seven defensemen including the returning Green. After last night, though another forward, Nicklas Backstrom would fall to the injury bug although certainly not by his own doing.
Let's go ahead and get the bad stuff out of the way. Backstrom was taken out of the game in the middle of the third period for precautionary reasons. This of course as a result of a flagrant elbow to the head delivered by Flames winger Rene Bourque. What that means is, they don't want to take any unnecessary risks if the worst (i.e.--the "C" word) should happen. He is to be evaluated and there is no word yet if he will make the upcoming western road trip.
I will say this about the hit--it was a blatant elbow to the head. No getting around that. Therefore it's a clear violation of Rule 48, is it not? Regardless of the outcome of that debate, it was a clear intent to injure. And I don't buy the whole "What, me hit him?" act he tried to pull after the game. If you look at the hit, he even tries to create some plausible deniability by looking away from Backstrom, yet his elbow is clearly at chin-height. This one should be a no-brainer for the disciplinary office--it's not as though Bourque doesn't have a history.
What truly hurts is that Backstrom has been the gasoline to Washington's offensive engine. He leads the team in both points and assists, collecting three last night.
On to better news--once again the Captain started things off with a bang; a power play goal. He was set up by a perfect feed from Marcus Johansson. This one was another Ovechkin classic--a sweet one timer from his natural wing. This gives him power play goals in three straight games. How do you say "welcome back" in Russian?
In the second period, on their very next power play chance, they converted again with Troy Brouwer doing the dirty work in front of the net. One wonders whether or not that's where Mike Knuble's minutes have gone. Well there was no need to wonder last night as Knuble got 24 shifts totaling 18 and a half minutes of ice time. No doubt that will be ramped up due to the injuries to Backstrom and Semin.
Speaking of Knuble he ended up finishing a plus one in those 18 minutes of action. But he also took two bad penalties in the third. You know better than that, Knuubs.
Calgary managed to pull within one on a Curtis Glencross goal. I was iffy when I saw that the autodraft had put him on the Bumblers. Now I don't regret it at all as he leads the Flames in goals for the season. Later, however, Dennis Wideman iced it with a goal of his own off of another fantastic pass from Marcus Johansson.
Should Backstrom (God forbid) look to miss some time, he could look to inherit the #1 center slot.
A lot of eyes were on Mike Green as he made a return to the lineup. The plan was to ease him back into shape, hence the seven D-men. Ease they did as he got 15:43 of ice time. Unfortunately like another Mike, he also took a pair of bad penalties. One of those was a holding penalty--evidence that he is literally not quite up to speed as yet. But fear not as he should be getting his legs back eventually. Hell, I'm just hoping he avoids injury for the next few weeks.
Overall the defensive effort was excellent, save for a few lapses in the second and third periods. Still, they only allowed a total of 19 shots on goal for the game. And where they leaked, Tomas Vokoun easily bailed them out. The only thing missing? The fourth and final goal which never came. My office mates are unhappy today as there will be no discounted Papa John's pizza.
Okay, so for the time being anyway the Caps are over whatever funk caused them to be unable to string together more than back to back wins. (Remember--it's not a streak unless it's at least three!) However, new challenges stand in the way. First, how does Coach Hunter plan to juggle the lineup in light of the dearth of bodies? Second, we all know the Caps haven't done very well on the road this year. Can they turn that around now that it looks like they're back on track?
Here's a fun question--how long before we see an Ovechkin hat trick? He's clearly got his shot back and it seems like only a matter of time. And MJ90 seems a capable replacement for Backstrom as evidenced by the opening goal. The Captain never seems to have a shortage of praise for Jojo as he calls him. Chemistry...always a good thing on a hockey club.
Westward, we go.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Recap 12/31 Ovechkin's Twin Cannons Shoot Down the Blue Jackets
Now THAT's the way to do it. Well, sort of anyway.
For the first 40 minutes of this game I could barely watch as, yet again, the Caps came out flat and looked like a tired team. Perhaps they were. After all, they had already played two games in three nights. Last night was the second tilt in back-to-back games, so they were already up against it.
Lots of shots that were missing, too many turnovers, and too many lost battles. Not so much careless and uninspired play so much as, well, not getting the job done. It happens. Now the job of a quality goaltender in this situation is to hold the opposition at bay for as long as possible until the offense kicks in. Which Tomas Vokoun did to near perfection, stopping 26 of 28 in the first two periods. It most certainly could have been worse. Especially after that deflating goal towards the end of the second.
I had to admit I was thinking, "Here's the letdown I was talking about," when I saw that. Still, we've seen the Caps turn the trick before and do the seemingly impossible comeback late in games. So I kept watching.
Sure enough, it didn't take long for the offense to take over. And appropriately enough it was led by the Captain. He collected a loose puck in the slot and slammed it home. The Band-Aid award on the play goes to Brooks Laich, however. Seconds earlier, he took an Ovechkin slapshot in the leg that stung so bad he hobbled to the bench. He shook it off and came out for his next shift. No surprise there.
Just over two minutes later, they struck again. And as he has been so good at doing all year, Nicklas Backstrom started the play. He got the puck to Dennis Wideman who did some keep-away at the point. Wideman then slipped it to Alexander Semin who was lurking just above the high slot area. Semin did what he does better than anybody--unleashed that patented blinding wrist shot. Jackets' goalie Steve Mason never had a chance--you can't stop what you can't see. Tie game.
It wasn't even a half-minute later when they struck again. Marcus Johansson and Roman Hamrlik (nice to be mentioning him in a good way lately) broke out of the zone and slipped the puck to Wideman, who carried the puck in for a few strides and let go a drive. The shot rode up on defenseman Aaron Johnson's stick--a brave attempt at a blocked shot gone horribly wrong. Doesn't matter, well take it. And it wouldn't have mattered because had Wideman gone to the pass, he had Johansson streaking to the net, ready for a tap-in. Now they had the lead! But they still weren't done.
Just under four minutes later, the Caps got their lone power play chance and buried it. Karl Alzner started the breakout and passed the puck over to Dmitry Orlov who carried it into the Columbus zone and sped past poor Aaron Johnson. He then glided behind the net to the right circle and dished off to Ovechkin who put home, as Joe B put it, "another bomb" to make it 4-2.
A word about the rumblings regarding the Captain's supposed lack of leadership. I've said it before--yes, nobody will ever confuse Alex Ovechkin for some great speechmaker--even with all the charisma he has. So what does that leave him if not his words? His actions of course. Dale Hunter said as much after the win against Buffalo--when the top line goes out and gets results, the rest of the team backs them up by playing hard. In other words, the Captain has to lead by example and be the best player on the ice. Back to back games each with a pair of goals will do that.
So yes, we end 2011 on a very positive note--a legitimate win streak. But I'd be foolish if I told you it ends here. Not by a longshot does it end here. Take a look at the standings and you will see that the Caps are still out of the playoff picture as of today. So there's still work to be done and plenty of it. But we've got our Captain once again playing like a badass and the whole top line is kicking in the timely goals. On top of that, Tomas Vokoun is playing like he really is in a contract year. Optimism abounds. They stay the course they're on and we're talking a solid playoff spot in no time.
OK, so new year, new month. With apologies to Hadeed, here's the road ahead for January: Nothing until Tuesday the 3rd against Calgary. Then three days off followed by a quick western road trip to San Jose then the Kings. Back home for a four-game stand featuring a rematch with the Penguins. The rest of the month includes a pair of contests with division rivals Carolina and Tampa Bay. The Islanders come to town and there's a trip to Montreal in the plans. Towards the end of the month there will be a visit from the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins, but not before another date with the Penguins at Consol.
Some tough ones to be sure. But if there's some points to be had, these are the games to take them.
Happy New Year, my fellow Caps fans, let's make it a good one.
For the first 40 minutes of this game I could barely watch as, yet again, the Caps came out flat and looked like a tired team. Perhaps they were. After all, they had already played two games in three nights. Last night was the second tilt in back-to-back games, so they were already up against it.
Lots of shots that were missing, too many turnovers, and too many lost battles. Not so much careless and uninspired play so much as, well, not getting the job done. It happens. Now the job of a quality goaltender in this situation is to hold the opposition at bay for as long as possible until the offense kicks in. Which Tomas Vokoun did to near perfection, stopping 26 of 28 in the first two periods. It most certainly could have been worse. Especially after that deflating goal towards the end of the second.
I had to admit I was thinking, "Here's the letdown I was talking about," when I saw that. Still, we've seen the Caps turn the trick before and do the seemingly impossible comeback late in games. So I kept watching.
Sure enough, it didn't take long for the offense to take over. And appropriately enough it was led by the Captain. He collected a loose puck in the slot and slammed it home. The Band-Aid award on the play goes to Brooks Laich, however. Seconds earlier, he took an Ovechkin slapshot in the leg that stung so bad he hobbled to the bench. He shook it off and came out for his next shift. No surprise there.
Just over two minutes later, they struck again. And as he has been so good at doing all year, Nicklas Backstrom started the play. He got the puck to Dennis Wideman who did some keep-away at the point. Wideman then slipped it to Alexander Semin who was lurking just above the high slot area. Semin did what he does better than anybody--unleashed that patented blinding wrist shot. Jackets' goalie Steve Mason never had a chance--you can't stop what you can't see. Tie game.
It wasn't even a half-minute later when they struck again. Marcus Johansson and Roman Hamrlik (nice to be mentioning him in a good way lately) broke out of the zone and slipped the puck to Wideman, who carried the puck in for a few strides and let go a drive. The shot rode up on defenseman Aaron Johnson's stick--a brave attempt at a blocked shot gone horribly wrong. Doesn't matter, well take it. And it wouldn't have mattered because had Wideman gone to the pass, he had Johansson streaking to the net, ready for a tap-in. Now they had the lead! But they still weren't done.
Just under four minutes later, the Caps got their lone power play chance and buried it. Karl Alzner started the breakout and passed the puck over to Dmitry Orlov who carried it into the Columbus zone and sped past poor Aaron Johnson. He then glided behind the net to the right circle and dished off to Ovechkin who put home, as Joe B put it, "another bomb" to make it 4-2.
A word about the rumblings regarding the Captain's supposed lack of leadership. I've said it before--yes, nobody will ever confuse Alex Ovechkin for some great speechmaker--even with all the charisma he has. So what does that leave him if not his words? His actions of course. Dale Hunter said as much after the win against Buffalo--when the top line goes out and gets results, the rest of the team backs them up by playing hard. In other words, the Captain has to lead by example and be the best player on the ice. Back to back games each with a pair of goals will do that.
So yes, we end 2011 on a very positive note--a legitimate win streak. But I'd be foolish if I told you it ends here. Not by a longshot does it end here. Take a look at the standings and you will see that the Caps are still out of the playoff picture as of today. So there's still work to be done and plenty of it. But we've got our Captain once again playing like a badass and the whole top line is kicking in the timely goals. On top of that, Tomas Vokoun is playing like he really is in a contract year. Optimism abounds. They stay the course they're on and we're talking a solid playoff spot in no time.
OK, so new year, new month. With apologies to Hadeed, here's the road ahead for January: Nothing until Tuesday the 3rd against Calgary. Then three days off followed by a quick western road trip to San Jose then the Kings. Back home for a four-game stand featuring a rematch with the Penguins. The rest of the month includes a pair of contests with division rivals Carolina and Tampa Bay. The Islanders come to town and there's a trip to Montreal in the plans. Towards the end of the month there will be a visit from the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins, but not before another date with the Penguins at Consol.
Some tough ones to be sure. But if there's some points to be had, these are the games to take them.
Happy New Year, my fellow Caps fans, let's make it a good one.
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