Caps Win The Winter Classic

Capitals 3, Penguins 1
Game Summary

(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Even with a light drizzle falling down and poor ice conditions, the Washington Capitals proved they could deal with a different kind of adversity. In what had to be the most hyped game with an HBO documentary crew following both teams, the league and networks revving up the rhetoric of the rivalry of the teams and both captains Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, the Capitals play the perfect road game defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1.

Eric Fehr scored a pair of goals after coming into this game with only 5 goals to his credit. Mike Knuble would get a great garbage goal to tie up the game in the second period. The weather kept the skilled players from playing their style of play.

The game turned out to be a grinders paradise and Jay Beagle, a hard working grinder for the Caps, had the first two chances by getting his nose in front of the Pens net. It would be a muckers goal by Mike Knuble to get the Caps on the board after giving up the lead on a Evgeni Malkin break away goal. Nick Backstrom just kept the puck in front after a point shot, with the traffic in front of Marc-Andre Fleury. Knuble found the banged in the loose puck past the Penguin goaltender.

(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

The goal energized the Capitals forechecking and they kept the pressure on. When Fleury mishandled the puck, speedy forward Marcus Johansson was able to pick up the loose puck behind the net and find Fehr in front with a wide open net.

Fehr would add a second goal and some insurance in the third after John Erskine made a solid break out pass to Jason Chimera. Chim played a give and go with Fehr and it broke the winger open. Fehr would beat Fleury high glove side to give the Caps a two goal lead.

The Penguins would make a last ditch effort to try and tie it up, but the Caps stood tall on defense. At one point they stood at the blue line prompting play by play man Doc Emrick called them the white picket fence. It would lead to some rough play with just .6 seconds left as the rivalry went to another level as both teams gave a few face washes and end up leaving the ice with out shaking hands.

(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

The title bout was in the first period. John Erskine took on Michael Rupp in a heavyweight bout that saw both players landing some haymakers. Erskine did stumble after Rupp connected, but he got right back up and landed a few of his own before Rupp had to call it quits due to a contact lens problem. 

With all the hype on both Ovechkin and Crosby, neither found their way onto the scoring sheet. Ovechkin did have a goal that was waved off after he made contact before that with Fleury. But both players were kept in check for the most part of the game.

Crosby was hit as the second period ended by David Steckel. Sid was caught not paying attention to where he was going and when the play shifted, he was looking behind and Steckel was charging up the ice. The Pens' coaching staff called it incidental contact.

AP

The best Capitals player had to be Semyon Varlamov. Faced with a bouncing puck and some serious rubber from the Penguins stood tall in net. He played his rebounds as best as he could considering the conditions. Shots from the outside he was able to see, a credit to the defensive core in front for boxing out crashing Penguins. Varly would turn away 32 shots as his teammates helped by blocking 16 shots. While Fleury went a wandering from his net from time to time, Varly stayed in his net and didn't turn over the puck that lead to any scoring chances for the Penguins.

In the end, it's just two points. It is a huge confidence boost for the Capitals as they shake free from a bad stretch of games to get their third straight win. They now are unbeaten in regulation in their last six games. They also creep up the Eastern Conference ladder as they are just one game behind the leading Penguins but remain behind Tampa in the division in a tie (Caps have played 2 more games than the Bolts which is the tiebreaker to this point).

Ifs

If... the Chicago Blackhawks won every one of their remaining games in regulation they would finish the season with 120 standings points.* The Capitals can reach 120 points by winning 7 of their last 10 games. If the tie breaker is the stat "goals for", the Blackhawks have 230 goals, while the Caps easily beat them in that category with 283 goals for as it stands this morning. That means the Hawks would have to score 53 goals in that time (and the Caps would have to be shutout for their remaining games).

If... the Pittsburgh Penguins won every one of their remaining games in regulation time, they would have a 110 points. The Caps can match that mark by just winning 2 of their last 10 games. The Pens would also have to score 59 goals for the tie break.

If... Sidney Crosby wanted to win the Rocket Richard trophy, he would have to score at least 8 goals in his last ten games to overcome Alex Ovechkin's .73 goals per game average. Ovechkin's average would give him about 7 goals in his last ten games. While Crosby's average would likely only give him 6 goals in his last ten games (.63 goals a game average).

If... Henrik Sedin wanted to overcome Ovechkin in points, he would have to grace the scoresheet with assists or goals totaling at least 16 in his last ten games. Ovechkin is averaging 1.56 points a game.

If... Nick Backstrom wanted to overcome Henrik Sedin for assists leader in the league he would have to pass the puck to a goal scorer at least 10 times in the last 10 games of the season to overcome Sedin's average assists per game of .93. Backstrom has .82 for this season.

If... The standings remain as they are to finish the season, the Capitals would play the Boston Bruins in their last game in the regular season and then see them in the first round of the playoffs.

*- Editors note: These numbers were compiled before the Coyotes defeated the Blackhawks in overtime and shootout last night. As it stands now, the most points the Hawks can get is 119.

Caps Taking Game Three Seriously

If you have not seen the last two games between the Capitals and Penguins, you certainly would not know the Caps were up 2 games in the series by the way they acted at Kettler yesterday.

"I hope we're not going to be lulled into a false sense of security because we haven't really played well," Caps' defenseman Brian Pothier said. "We've had timely goals and great goaltending, but as a team I don't think we've played nearly as well as we can."

The Capitals have had their fair share of scary moments in their own zone with the Penguins pressuring. But they have had plenty of help off of Alex Ovechkin's stick and a rookie goaltender. The call to play better can be heard from the head coach Bruce Boudreau down through the ranks. The Caps feel they are capable to play better and have been lucky thus far.

"When you are playing good teams with a lot of character like Pittsburgh it doesn't get any easier." Boudreau cautioned. "If this was a game of tennis, we've held serve."

They have also have had a hard time staying out of the penalty box. The Caps have been whistled for 5 minors in game one, and seven minors in game two. Seven penalties total in the first period in both games.

But the bright spot for the Capitals of late has been their play on the road. Once a concern earlier in the season, they have simplified their game in a different barn and come away with a win. They will have to keep their focus and keep up their winning ways.

But the Caps have to be able to contain the only scorer in game two for the Penguins, Sidney Crosby.

"We can be more cognizant of where he is," Boudreau said. "That's what we can do, but if he wants to go there, short of taking a penalty every time, he's going to go there."

All three of Sid's goals in game two were down low and in tight to the net. A contrast to Ovechkin's tallies that were 10 to 15 feet out and were great shots that beat Marc-Andre Fleury. But the Pens remained frustrated as they have played well, but have nothing really to show for it.

"I'm sure Pittsburgh's a little frustrated by that," Pothier said. "They have been playing pretty well but they haven't been able to score, We cannot think for a second that we've been dominating the series or anything. We need to play a much better game."

Caps Notes:

• According to Tarik on his blog, the league will not suspend Chris Kunitz for his cross check to the neck of Semyon Varlamov late in the third. However, he will be fined. The only quote offered about the hit came from Dan Bylsma:
  

  "Chris is going to the net trying to create a loose puck and jam home a rebound, We have no other intention than that. For me, it was a battle and he was in there tight and making contact with the goalie."

• Fleury was asked if Ovechkin is playing with an illegal stick. "I don't know," he responded. "Haven't really taken a look at it. The puck kind of sticks to it pretty good." When asked if he would be surprised if he was using one Fleury responded with a "No."
• Eric Fehr is questionable for game three as he was hurt in the first period after getting hit by Ruslan Fedotenko. He only played three shifts in game two. No word if they will recall a player or if Micheal Nylander will get a game sweater.
• The Penguins are whining about picks. They claim that the Capitals are making illegal picks and interfering with defenders to get players open. I guess that is better than saying "We blew the coverage."

Superstars Shine In Game Two

Capitals 4, Penguins 3
Scoresheet - Post - Times

Two superstars, two superstar performances. But both Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin performed a "What ever you can do, I can do better" as each scored a hat trick. The teams' best players played up to the hype.

"We have to win the games," answered Ovechkin about his goals. "It doesn't matter if I score or somebody else score it's more important to win the game."

"I think it's great for our sport," Caps head coach Bruce Boudreau said when asked about the pair's performance. "When you have hype of superstars playing against each other and then the superstars play like superstars, it's a neat thing [to watch]."

"They apparently heard the hype and are living up to it," Pens head coach Dan Bylsma said. "It's interesting to watch the two battle and watch the story unfold. They were both very good tonight. And Obviously huge factors in the game and rising to the occasion."

"It's nice to score, it's better to win," said Crosby of his hat trick.

Both teams were beneficiaries of three goals from their star players. But the deciding factor came from a fourth line role player in David Steckel. Steckel's game tying goal in the second set up Ovi's go ahead and insurance goals in the third. It was the second straight game that Steckel scored the tying goal. Once again the line of Steckel, Matt Bradley and Brooks Laich were one of the best lines on the ice.

Marc-Andre Fleury and Semyon Varlamov both were at the mercy of the other teams' big stars. Both played really well, but both allowed 3 goals with Fleury the only goaltender to give up that fourth goal. This is the first time in thirteen years that both teams had a player with a hat trick in the same game and it's only happened four times in playoff history, twice to a Capitals team (Al Iafrate had a hat trick while the Islanders' Ray Ferraro had four goals 4/26/1993).

It wasn't the prettiest game for the Capitals. At times the play was wide open allowing scoring chances on both ends of the ice. The Caps started off very poorly as the Pens came out with the jump and the early goal, for a second game in a row.

"We did better but not great," Steckel said of his team's overall performance. "We still turned the puck over an abundant amount of times and they came back. We didn't give up as many odd man rushes but we can always do better."

Crosby scored the game's first goal on the power play as he put in the point shot rebound under Varlamov. The first period would end with the Penguins up 1-0. The Caps were undisciplined as they took five penalties in the first period alone. Varlamov was the only thing keeping the Capitals in the game as the Penguins took their lead into the first intermission.

Ovechkin answered for the Caps with a pretty play to set up the Ovi one timer just 2:18 into the second period. The Caps had better puck movement through the second period but at times, got caught deep in their zone off of turnovers. Once again, Crosby scores down low to answer Ovi's goal. Steckel would tie it with less than five minutes left in the second.

In the third, both teams were at a tug of war. The Penguins turned up the pressure and drew an interference call on Milan Jurcina. But the Caps were able to fight it off and Evgeni Malkin, who has been a non factor for the Pens in this series thus far, took a bad tripping penalty. Ovechkin scored just 3 seconds into the power play to give the Capitals their first lead of the night. Not long after that goal, Ovi caught the Pens' defense off guard and scored his patent wrister through the defense that beat Fleury and gave him his first career playoff hat trick.

The Penguins made a last ditch effort to tie the game up and a late penalty by Jurcina would give them a chance to over load the Caps 6 on 4. The Caps did a good job of holding them at bay until the puck got down low. The puck jumped up in the air and Crosby whacked it in the net. He also scored his first career playoff hat trick and pulled the Pens within one.

During that play, dirty boy and not a nice man, Chris Kunitz, crossed checked Varlamov in the face mask. Mike Green saw the infraction but the officials didn't. Just another cheap shot by a player that has yet to score in this series or help out in any way other than being a sore loser.

Varlamov played very well, keeping up his great play as he has now started in more NHL playoff games than NHL regular season games. While he got beat for three goals by the same player, he came up big on every other Penguin. Including a dynamite save on a Kris Letang break away and a few out of this world saves while the Caps were killing off a 5 on 3. He stopped the puck down low and then coming out and stopping the point shot a split second later.

"He's made some timely saves," Crosby said of the Capitals' rookie goaltender. "The difference is a few inches but he battles and he competes. There are times were he is out of position but he finds a way to get a piece of his body on it."

This win caps a fifth straight playoff win by the Capitals, a franchise record. Sergei Fedorov surpassed Mario Lemiuex for points in the playoffs with his two assists tonight. Viktor Kozlov also had a pair of assists. Tyler Sloan, who was recalled after John Erskine was a scratch, had the primary assist on Steckel's goal. The Caps also did well in the face off circle winning 62% of their draws.

However, Boudreau was quick to point out that they haven't won anything just yet.

"The one thing we have learned from experience is you can't take for granted that you are going to be successful," Boudreau said. "When you playing good teams with a lot of character like Pittsburgh. It doesn't get any easier. If this was a game of tennis, we've held serve."

But it was Ovechkin and Crosby's night. The pair have accounted for 6 goals, 17 shots (Ovi 12, Crosby 5) and two first career playoff hat tricks.

"Its good for fans to see great players play against each other, two great teams play against each other," Ovi said of the superstars' efforts tonight. "It's interesting time, interesting game. It's unbelievable when you play against great players and you win the game like this."

"I am sure it's entertaining for people to watch," Crosby said. "As a player, you don't like seeing a guy on their team get a hat trick, that's usually not a good sign. But at the same time, yea I realize people are entertained by that. But at the end of the day as a player you want to win games."

Both Alex Semin and Malkin were non factors tonight in terms of scoring and both took bad penalties that the opposing team took advantage of.

The Capitals take game 2 to give themselves a 2-0 lead. They are the only team in the playoffs right now with a lead as the other series are all tied. But the Caps aren't whistling Dixie just yet. They have two games in Pittsburgh and are expecting an even better Penguin team in their barn. The series starts up again on Wednesday night.

Caps Choose Attack Rather Than Lay Back

In game one the Pittsburgh Penguins looked to have an advantage in odd man rushes. It seemed that they could get a two on one or three on two through the neutral zone as the Caps defense stepped up on them. It led to a slew of chances for the flightless fowl and it resulted in a lot of shots on net for them as they out-shot the Capitals 11 to 8 in the first period and held them with out a shot through the first 9 and a half minutes of the game.

The Caps defense is not about to take a lay back attitude when it comes to the Penguins. With their offensive talent, the Caps would rather step up on them in the neutral zone than allow them to set up a play inside their zone. The Capitals' high risk aggressive play has created prime chances against them.

"They've got some great offensive players out there," Mike Green told Pierre McQuire after the game. "If we sit back and let them do what they can do we will be in trouble. As long as we play aggressive on their top guys we will be fine."

Washington did do a good job of disrupting the play in the neutral zone, but if the defender that stepped up was beaten then the Caps found themselves in a little bit of trouble. Instead of just sitting back and let the Penguins come at them, they want to keep up the effort but play a smarter and simpler game.

"The more simple, the better," Dave Steckel told reporters at Kettler. "When we turn the puck over we are not as successful as a team. They can come the other way and score in a heart beat, so we have to make sure we keep it simple."

The best line in game one was the line of Steckel, Matt Bradley and Brooks Laich. The "Allstate" line (because when you play them, you know you are in good hands) was able to keep the Penguins deep into their zone. Their aggressive forecheck and ability to keep puck low was key for them against the Penguins' top line.

"Anytime you can get it deep and work it down low - even if you don't score - you are tiring them down a little bit," remarked Bradley.

It seems teams that are the higher seeds in their second round series won their first game at home, but lost the second. Every series besides the Washington/Pittsburgh series is tied at one game a piece, with the away team winning game two. The Caps are looking to break that cycle and be the first team to reach two wins in the second round. To do that, they will have to keep at bay a very good team.

"We thought [the Penguins] played really good [in game one]," Bruce Boudreau told reporters at Caps optional practice on Sunday. "This is a team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals and knows what it's all about. They are going to ramp it up a little bit."

The Penguins made it no secret that the Capitals' rookie goaltender was their number one target in game two.

"You have to put pressure on a goalie to see if he's cool or not," said Pens top center Sidney Crosby after practice at Verizon Center. "We did a pretty good job of that and he made some good saves. Early on we had some really good chances, we didn't execute. Whether that was him or us, who knows? I think we felt we could have made it more difficult on him."

Meanwhile Alex Ovechkin conceded that we haven't seen the Caps' best, yet.

"We didn't play our game I think all game," Ovechkin told reporters. "We didn't play well all game. Yeah, we played sometimes good, especially in the first 10 minutes in the second period, but we have to play that same way every game. You can feel good or bad, but you have to say, 'OK, right now it's time to jump.' "

The Caps power play and penalty kill was not an area of concern for them. Special teams have already played an important role in this series. The Penguins can not afford to take penalties and have to stay disciplined against the Capitals potent power play. While the Caps' penalty kill was able to kill all five minor penalties, it would unwise for themselves to take careless penalties against a Penguins team that is just looking to turn its power play around.

Washington has found ways to put some offensive pressure on the Penguins. While they will stay secret about the keys to some of their successes, Bradley offered his technique:

"I got a rule," Bradley said straight faced. "If I ever have a chance to pass it to a Russian I do it, because good things will happen."

Media Blitz, Game 1 Preview

The only two people in the NHL that are not talking about the series between Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin are Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. Both would rather talk about the series between Washington and Pittsburgh. But the media is having none of that.

Just in the past 48 hours, every question has been posed to both players imaginable. Some including the stick swap the pair did two years ago, whether or not Sid has as much fun on the ice as Ovi and my personal favorite; who is the better player? (If you caught NHL on the Fly this morning, they hit all three)

The media outlets have swarmed the media relations department for the Capitals as well. Prompting them to send out an email to every one asking for media passes for games one and two that they may be placed in a room in the basement and watch the game on a television screen. To say the least, room is at a premium at the Verizon Center.

Bruce Boudreau went so far to call it a circus. Just for the Capitals' practice, Tarik talked about the overwhelming numbers of reporters lining the Kettler Iceplex boards on his blog:

The media contingent out here at KCI swelled to ridiculous proportions this morning. I've never seen anything like it for a second-round matchup. All the locals have been joined by two Toronto newspapers, ESPN.com, the Canadian Press, TSN, Sportsnet, CBC-Hockey Night in Canada, among a dozen other folks I didn't recognize.

Who knows what kind of other crazy questions have been posed to players. Boxers or briefs? Blond or brunette? Regular or unleaded? The last thing anyone needs is the media playing a factor in this series.

This will not be the last we hear about the media overload for this series. Speaking of which, there is a game today.

Round one winners Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals meet once again in the post season. The pair have shared seven playoff series together and the Penguins have always had the upper hand. The Caps has a dismal record of 1 win and 6 losses.

The Caps were able to come from behind in their series with New York to win in seven games. But the Penguins have come from a 2 game deficit three times against the Capitals in their playoff histories. Including a series where Washington built a 3-1 series lead. The Penguins have always have been comfortable playing in Washington.

But these are two different teams. In prior meetings in the post season, the Capitals had only Peter Bondra to face down the likes of Mario Lemiuex and Jarimor Jagr. Now there is are different leaders, different styles of play since their last post season meeting in 2001.

The Capitals have a much more efficient offense and an aggressive forecheck. Parallel that with some pretty dynamic talent and the Caps are a much bigger threat than in previous meetings.

Washington topped Pittsburgh in their regular season meetings 3-0-1. The Pens forced a shoot out get their only win against the Caps. Under Bruce Boudreau the Caps are 4-1-1 against the flightless fowl. The Caps have also found ways to frustrate the Penguins players. They have mostly done that with sharp defense and being more physical.

As far as the Capitals go, the lines aren't going to change all that much. Although, Boudreau does like to keep lineups close to his vest until the drop of the puck. Simeon Varlamov will get the nod in net again as the Caps hope to ride his hot hand through the series.

One thing in the series if for certain, with two top offensive powers on the ice there will be no shortage of highlight reel goals. It will be the garbage goals that might decide this series, and the Caps have had a hard time not making it look pretty. Secondary scoring will be huge for both teams.

The upside for the Capitals is they have gone to battle with one of the league's best defensive squads for seven games. If they maintain the same kind of intensity and focus, they should make quick work of the Penguins' defense and give their goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury a run for his money.

For the locals, if you are thinking about taking the Metro to the game today there are plenty of track maintenance that will cause delays. Delays will be up to 30 minutes for the blue, yellow and red lines. The best bet is to leave early and expect to get to Verizon at least an hour early. Also don't be surprised to see that person next to you who was wearing a Caps sweater last game now wearing Penguins get up. The Pittsburgh contingent should be in full force at the phone booth.

For those of you that will be watching the game from the comfort of your couch, NBC does have a contingent plan should the game go to overtime. Puck Daddy from Yahoo! Sports fills you in.

Rock the Red, Let's Go Caps!

For NHL, Christmas Comes Early

Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins. Head to head. The NHL is so excited, they could just spit. But there is more to this rivalry than just 4 top players and over the next two days we are going to explore this post season match up between the Penguins and the Capitals.

Let's get to the whole Ovi vs. Sid thing out of the way. Whose better? Frankly, I am biased. I would rather have the dynamic, outgoing, energetic Ovechkin. He plays for a team I love too, so there are pluses there.

Crosby is good. There is no denying that. He is a creative playmaker and has the speed and skill to turn your lights out. The "kid" has good vision on the ice, is a fierce compitor and seems to feed off his teammates.

It is a team sport. The team with the better overall performance will win the series. Breaking down this series, you have to look past the Ovi vs. Sid rivalry and look at the facts going into this series. Offense is a good place to start.

These are two teams that live and die off of their offense. They both have strong forechecking abilities, plenty of talent and depth and both feed off of the goals they score. The Penguins bring some good talent to the table in the points department in Evgeni Malkin. The points winner for the season, Malkin has a uncanny ability to draw defenders in while dishing it to the open man. Combine that with Crosby's second place finish in points and you have a very potent offensive front.

The Penguins are not shy about getting pucks to the net and scoring goals. There biggest threat lies in their transition game where they can turn a play around on a dime and out man you before you even realize you even lost the puck. Neutral zone play will be key for both the Caps and Pens. Malkin lead the league in take aways with 94 and many of those lead directly to goals scored for the Penguins.

Since a big component from the Penguins moved cross conference, they have filled that hole with veteran leadership and some grit. Bill Guerin (who was rumored to be in a deal to come to Washington at the trade deadline) provides that leadership both on and off the ice. He is on Crosby's line and the pair soon struck up some chemistry together in the short time since Guerin's arrival.

Chris Kunitz brings the grit. A major contribitor for the Anaheim Ducks during their playoff run a couple of years back, Kunitz is a forechecker that doesn't mind mixing it up. He brings a lot of character to the line up along with Matt Cooke (former Cap). Kunitz is also a keen playmaker, using his forechecking and energy ability to create chances.

Don't for get other talent the Penguins possess up front. Jordan Staal uses his size to his advantage, a great defensive forward that has a nose for the net too. A definite threat on the penalty kill. Pascal Dupuis brings plenty of spark to his line too, a hard hitter with a scoring touch too.

The Caps need to contain Crosby's space in the neutral zone and protect the puck from Malkin. Turnovers will be deadly because of the Penguins' quick transition game. The Caps have to maintain good puck possesion while collapsing down on their goaltender when the Penguins start to sniff too close.

Don't lose hope though, the Pens only seem to make the Caps defense play better. Not to mention that the Penguins do get frustrated when a team aggressively forechecks them. As far as an advantage between the Caps and Penguins, I would have to call it a draw. Both can score, there is no doubt there.

More to come on the series. Next up, the Pens' defense.

Trash Talk To A New Level Between Foes

The Sunday afternoon affair was anything but cordial. It started even before the drop of the puck when Alex Ovechkin was getting ribbed from the Penguin bench during the Pierre McGuire interview at the top of the telecast. It continued until it was certain the 5-2 score would hold up for the Washington Capitals and they go on to win the season series between the two for just the second time in 14 seasons (3-0, the two teams meet for the last time on March 8th).

It might have been the sabbath, but the skaters were anything but Sunday schoolers with all the mouthing off at one another. All the talk seemed to be centered at Sidney Crosby and Ovechkin. Both of whom where riddled with jabs from the benches as they skated by. Then that led to late hits, stick jabs and eventually an encounter in front of the Capital bench where the two had to be separated.

The snide remarks didn't slip past McGuire who was planted between both the benches and was aware of everything going on. As Crosby would skate back to his bench, he would deposit his mouth piece into his glove and jaw at the bench. "Crosby just told [Brooks Laich] that he better look out next time he is on the ice," Pierre would scream into his mic during the broadcast.

"He started it," Caps' bench boss Bruce Boudreau laughed when reporters asked him about Crosby's chirping during the game. "Sidney was jawing at everybody. Every time he would come off, you see him talking to our bench and our bench talking to him."

The Capitals for awhile have tried to find a way to get under the skin of Crosby and the Penguins. It appears to be working. It is also for good reason too, Pittsburgh has always had the upper hand on the lowly Caps since Sid's inception to the NHL. Crosby didn't mind all the talk about Ovechkin when the Penguins were beating them handily every time they played one another.

Now it is a different team, a different season. The Penguins are fighting for life in the playoffs and the Caps are trying to track down the Bruins and accumulate as many points as they can. It wasn't too long ago that those roles were switched. Crosby enjoyed all the success, Ovechkin was on a struggling team and maybe, in some weird way, that was how Crosby always thought it was going to be between the two.

"We are growing up as a team," Ovechkin said as he talked about the change in tide in the Penguin/Capital rivalry. "We played well on the power play, penalty kill. We just didn't give them any chance [today]."

Crosby had been harboring grudges against Ovechkin. He still does. Those grudges are now defining Sidney Crosby's play during these games. He seems too bent on teaching Ovi a lesson or tries to be a more physical player than Ovechkin or a plethora of other nonsense he seems to be doing on the ice instead of playing. The Caps will take it. While Crosby throws a tantrum, the Caps are throwing pucks past him into the Penguins' net.

Instead of a deflating loss for the Penguins, Crosby would rather talk about Ovechkin's questionable style of play. "I was just skating to the bench and he pushed me from behind," Crosby told reporters after the game. "So, I just gave him a shot back. That's hockey, and he likes to run around these days, so that was it."

"Like it or lump it, that's what he does," Crosby continued. "Some people like it, some people don't. Personally, I don't like it."

The Caps don't mind the rough talk from the Kid, for them they seemed to have their eyes on a bigger prize. "We always want to beat those guys. We might face them down the road in the playoffs so we want to put in their minds that they can't beat us," Caps' enforcer Donald Brashear said. "That's the spirit you've got to have and you've got to have the killer instinct. If it were us that was down there, I'm sure they would want to push us out of the way and we are just trying to do the same thing."

NHL Notes

• Unfriendly Florida foray! The Boston Bruins may have had more beech on the mind instead of hockey as they took the Florida road swing. Not only beat by the Florida Panthers (geez these guys are playing good), but lost in the waning moments of the game to Tampa Bay (wait, what?). The Capitals now jump to just nine points away from the Eastern Conference leaders, and if they won against Colorado it would have been just a 7 point lead. Ahh, the games you wish you would have had.


• Scotty Gomez is none too liked in western New York these days. After tangling up with Sabre netminder Ryan Miller, Miller left the game with a high ankle sprain and is questionable for the rest of the season. It couldn't have happened at a more terrible time for Buffalo as they are trying to hold on to a play off spot.


• The Washington Capitals have been named in numerous trade rumors. Talk of the Caps working on getting some experience on the blue line has several defensemen on a short list for what the Caps need. But talk of goaltender has all but dropped off the radar for the Capitals as Jose Theodore's play in the second half of the season seems to appease management.
  

A Little Push And Shove Encounter

Capitals 5, Penguins 2
Scoresheet - Wash Post

As much as both players have tried so hard to keep their rivalry with each other from becoming front page fodder, the two just couldn't let their disdain of one another from spilling out on the ice. Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby maybe the two best players in the league and it's no secret that there is a dislike of one another. But for all of Crosby's chirpping, he couldn't help his team much at the phone booth as the Penguins get dropped by the Capitals 5-2.

"What I can say about him?" Ovechkin told reporters following the game. "He is a good player, but he talks too much."

And what does Crosby think of Ovi's style of play? "Some people like it, some people don't. Personally, I don't like it."

The two got into a altercation near the Caps' bench where the referee had to separate the two. Crosby gave Ovi a shot from behind and started yapping at the reigning MVP.

"I was just skating to the bench and he pushed me from behind," Crosby said. "So I just gave him a shot back. ...He likes to run around these days, so that was it."

If Crosby means Ovechkin likes to run around defensemen and score, well then sure, he has a point. It seemed the more frustrated Crosby got, the chippier he got. I was surprised at the amount of stuff he was able to get away with. An extra shove after the play here, a face wash way after the whistle there, the "Kid" just looked and acted like a 5 year old when you take their teddy bear away.

Bruce Boudreau summed up Crosby's antics best: "I think he got frustrated because he wasn't getting the freedom he's had in this building before. It adds spice. It's entertainment. It gets your blood boiling a bit. And every time Alex gets a little more excitable, it can be good for us."

Beside the little sideshow that was a crying Crosby, the Capitals' offense woke up. The Caps were able to get five goals off of 5 different skaters. Ovechkin started the scoring with power play goal. Alex Semin, Sergei Fedorov, Shaone Morrisonn and Brooks Laich rounded out the scoring after the team was only able to put up a single goal against Colorado on Friday night.

Boudreau's Saturday practice was an exercise in getting that scoring motivation back as he skated the boys hard. It had an effect as the Capitals came to play with emotion and strong rested legs. The Penguins at times did look pretty worn down and that led to bad decisions with the puck and poor defensive coverage.

Jose Theodore looked as if he was going to have one of those kind of games where he just couldn't get it right. But he shored things up and played pretty solid through out the game. Credit the Caps' defense too as they jumped into passing lanes, read the play well and blocked their fair share of shots.

However, the Caps did play a very undisciplined game being called for nine penalties. The penalty kill did the job though, only allowing one goal in eight chances. Their power play was dynamite as they were 2 for 3. Forcing the Pens to play a clean game played into the Caps hands as they were able to forecheck and pressure the puck carrier leading to turnovers and odd man rushes on the transition.

Penguin Matt Cooke did his job well: agitate. He got away with a late hit on Mike Green, but the hit took him out of position and the Caps were able to score against his line. Green got his revenge with a monster hit against Ruslan Fedotenko late in the game.

The Caps host the Flyers next then Atlanta before heading up north to Boston to take on the Bruins. They will have to work on their consistency to keep their scoring ways up against good Flyer and Bruin squads.

AP Photo, Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Ovechkin To Defend Title At ASG

At the All Star game in Montreal, it should be no surprise that Capital Alex Ovechkin was going to be in the Breakaway Challenge. An event in the Super Skills portion that has more to do with style than substance. Hockey's answer to the slam dunk contest in the NBA.

The NHL announced today the rosters for the Super Skills Competition of the All Star game at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

But Ovi will have some competition. Patrick Kane from Chicago is also in the line up. As well as Ryan Getzlaf from Anahiem, Alex Kovalev from Montreal and Sid "the Kid" Crosby from Pittsburgh.

Ovechkin won the first ever Breakaway Challenge with a move that could have been inspired by Tiger Woods. He flipped the puck into the air, batted at it a couple of times, spun around and took a swing at the puck. Although he didn't connect or even registered a shot on net, the judges were impressed enough to grant him the first crown.

Now that crown is in serious jeopardy with the following players ready to take it from the crafty Washington forward. And now that players seem to have more of a idea of what to expect, it should be that much more entertaining.

The Showdown At The Igloo

Capitals 6, Penguins 3
Scoresheet - Wash Post - Pitt Post Gazette

Probably the most anticipated rivalry since October 16th and it didn't disappoint. While both teams scoff at any animosity and claim it's only "Washington versus Pittsburgh," the game was heated, emotional and very tense. While there is talk about how much a rivalry the Capitals have against the Flyers, it doesn't compare to the hate these two teams seem to have for one another.

The Capitals were on a losing streak and looked a bit snake bitten. The Penguins thought they had turn things around in Philly and were about to start a five game home stand. At the end of the night those roles seemed reversed, it was the Caps with the confidence and the Penguins did what they always do when they are frustrated, chirp. In the end it was the Capitals that came out on top beating the Penguins for a second straight time at Mellon Arena, 6-3.

Alex Ovechkin pulls back into a tie with Flyer Jeff Carter for scoring leader in the league scoring his 28th and 29th goals. Both goals were huge, but Tomas Fleischmann's power play goal was the back breaker for the Penguins. Alex Semin, Viktor Kozlov and a Jeff Schultz empty netter rounded out the scoring. Nick Backstrom had a good night with a play maker, three assists.

Don't let the score fool you, the game was pretty tense through two and a half periods. It seemed when one team scored the other team responded. When one team made a big hit, the other team had to answer. Whether you are a superstar or not, it really didn't matter. The hitting was intense and purposeful and Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby were not immune on this night.

Evgeni Malkin scored the game's first goal, and that was the last you heard of him (besides a couple of hits on Ovechkin). At the end of the night he was the only Penguin to finish with a -3. Instead it seemed that Sid "the Kid" wanted more to do with the Caps/Pens rivalry than Malkin. Crosby was enemy number one for the Caps, hit early and often. The only good chance 87 had to score was just 1:20 into the game when he broke loose for a break away and shot it wide.

For the Capitals, Alex Ovechkin had another one of those amazing nights, a MVP night if you will. But he didn't do it with one of those blinding slap shots or laser wristers to the top corner. Two of his biggest contributions, an assist on Fleischmann's game winner and the added security goal later on, were light wrist shots to the front of the net. On the game winner, Ovi simply put the puck on net with a shot that would be considered more of a pass than a shot. The puck thudded off of Marc-Andre Fluery's pads (who I believe thought it was a harder shot than what it was) and right to a diving Flash who buried the puck.

On Ovi's insurance goal, instead of taking the puck shooting from the boards (patent Ovechkin) he cut the puck to the middle and went to his off wing and simply threw the puck to the front of the net, a planned pass to Backstrom. The puck went off of a Penguin defenders foot and past Fluery. Both goals were simple hockey plays, getting the puck to the front of the net and good things will happen. It didn't have be a blinding slapper that screams wide or is quieted by the goaltender's glove.

The Capitals' power play was better, they were 2 for 6 and one of them turned out to be the game clinching goal. Their penalty kill improved as well, only allowing a goal and killing off a full two minute 5 on 3 (although the Penguins scored mere seconds after the penalized Cap player stepped on the ice to make it 5 on 4). Ovi had a ten shot night, seconded only by Semin's 7 shot night. Bryan Helmer had a tough night, besides being almost completely invisible, he was a -2, while Schultz had a good night with a goal and the only Capital with a +3.

The Capitals break a 3 game losing skid. Under Bruce Boudreau the Capitals have never lost four games in a row, and it looks like that trend will continue for now. The Caps jump back to a three point lead over the Rangers for second in the Conference. They are now 12 points ahead of Carolina for the division crown.

Photo AP, Gene J. Puskar

Fun With Numbers

I haven't done it in a while and I was bored. So, here are some interesting stat numbers feed your brain with. Just don't hurt yourself.

+19 - Alex Semin still leads the league with a plus 19. Which means when Semin is on the ice for the Capitals, it usually means a win.

25 vs. 31 - 25 is the combined number of goals scored by Sid "the Kid" Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who are now one and two in the race for points leader in the league. 31 is the combined goals of Alex Ovechkin and Semin who are three and eighteen on the same points list. Remember, Semin has been injured and out for twelve games this season.

3rd - The Caps are third in the league when it comes to scoring on the power play at home. In 14 games played at the phone booth they have scored 17 goals. Only Boston and Philly are better. Surprisingly San Jose is tenth on that list but are a perfect 16-0-2 at the tank.

5th - Boyd Gordon is 5th on the list of face off leaders in the league winning 58.1% of his draws. His good buddy Dave Steckel is a mortal 11th on that list.

9, 7 and 14 - Ovechkin is 9 points away from league leading Malkin, 7 goals away from league leading Thomas Vanek and 14 assists away from league leading Malkin. He is in the top five in all three categories.

16 - The number of games the Capitals have held their opponent to 2 goals or less, of which they are 13-2-1.

33 - The number of players the Capitals have used to this point. They lead the league.

Caps are back at Kettler for practice this morning. Updates on Nick Backstrom, Tyler Sloan and Sergei Fedorov should follow soon after they hit the ice. All three left the game Saturday night with injuries.

Two Schools Of Thought

My two cents worth on the whole Alex Semin interview on Puck Daddy's blog. It basically comes down to two different styles of play and two different hockey school philosophies.

I don't see Semin's comments about Sidney Crosby all that shocking, in fact I almost expect it. In the Russian school of hockey, they are taught control and speed, while in the Canadian school it is a bit more physical and zone control.

The best analogy I can come up with is in football where you have wide receivers (Russian style) and running backs (Canadian Style). Both have different skill sets that can accomplish the same goal. Receivers are a bit more flashy and fun to watch, while running backs often are more smash mouth, physical and also fun to watch. Both Semin and Crosby are very good at their seperate skill set as well.

Sometimes flashy receivers are not shy about letting everyone they know that their way is better and vice versa. Semin is obvisouly not a big fan of the Canadian school of hockey. Of which Crosby is a prodigy of, a dump and chase, battle in the corners and be physical on the puck.

The only thing I find really surprising about Alexander Semin in that interview was his maturity level. He is extremely well spoken (albeit in Russian), and is looking at his efforts within a team system. For me, watching him play for the Capitals the last couple of years, my impressions have always been of him as a stat hog and a "what's in it for me?" player. But he understands the team concept and he is fun to watch with the puck.

The Caps have a tough stretch ahead of them starting with Buffalo tonight. Should be a very wide open, end to end game.

A Busy Tuesday

Let me explain. No, too much, let me sum up.

If you watched the Capitals season opener, then you are part of an elite group of Washingtonians who did so in the area on Comcast Sportsnet. But what is so great about being apart of that group is there is twice as many of us. The Capitals pulled a 1.2 rating in the DC Metro area which is approximately 27,600 households. That's a 100% increase from a season ago. Of that total, about 75% of us have blogs. We should have just gone to Japers' house to watch the game. Peerless, I hear, can microwave a mean hot dog.

Matt Pettinger returns to the Southeast Division to rejoin former Capitals Olaf Kolzig, Jeff Halpern and Jamie Heward in Tampa Bay. Well maybe not Heward who was sent down to the minors. With the amount of ex-Penguins and ex-Capitals, I am going to start to call Tampa Washburgh South. Or Pittsington South. In all honesty, I am happy for Pettinger, he is a good guy and a good player. I knew it wouldn't take him long to return to the league.

A handful of NHL governors are pondering a second team in Toronto. What? Why? So two teams can suck there?

Sid "the Kid" Crosby was named 45th most influential man according to AskMen.com. Apparently all that whining is paying off. Also on the list Chris Angel and Ryan Seacrest. Seriously? I got as far as 43 before I got annoyed at the website. Just give me the list dammit.

I am agreeing with a lot of you about how bad the Caps game opening is. I would much rather see hockey players be hockey players. I didn't pay the for my ticket to see them pretend to be rock stars. They are already very cool guys because they play in the NHL on my favorite team. We don't have to make them look like they are anymore than what they already are. Wrap your head around that one.

Enjoy the game tonight.

Ovechkin, Crosby; Crosby, Ovechkin

The Washington Capitals have a date with the Pittsburgh Penguins tomorrow night. This will be the 11th time the Pens and Caps have faced off with both Sid "the Kid" Crosby and Alex Ovechkin in the line up.

Crosby has 7 goals and 19 points in his career against the Caps (although you could count one of Sid's goals to Nick Backstrom, but I am not really going to get into that), while Ovechkin only has 6 goals and 15 points. So far this year both players have gotten off to slow starts, Ovi has only scored in one game so far (albeit 2 goals and a slew of really good hits) and the Kid has only has two assists through 4 games.

The Penguins are a different team this year. No Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Marian Hossa. Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney are out of the line up with injuries. If anything, the Pens seem to be a bit vulnerable unlike the past few years these two have met. Even though both Ovi and the Kid down play the rivalry between them, every game has been highly competitive and pretty exciting to watch. The Pens are coming off an emotional OT win over their cross-state rivals.

The Caps are coming off of a big win against the Vancouver Canucks where their team defense only allowed 10 shots against, a franchise record. Viktor Kozlov is out of the line up for at least two weeks with a leg injury. He was cut down in the second period (about 9:04, Rob Davison took out Kozzies legs after he had dished the puck away). If this Capitals play to their potential, then we could be looking at a Penguin/Caps swing in wins between the two clubs with their superstars.

NHL Notes:

In Moscow, thousands came to mourn the sudden passing of Alexei Cherepanov who collapsed during a game in the KHL, the Russian league. While we on this side of the pond didn't really know the New York Ranger prospect well, it is a sad day for hockey everywhere. It brought back memories of Jiri Fischer's collapse on the bench in Detroit. Unfortuneatly this didn't have a better ending.

Okay, I am a little bit over this no commercial break on an icing call. I think the NHL shouldn't have changed this rule. The reason, television broadcasts now are scrambling to put in their commercial breaks later in the period and in the smattering of games I have seen so far it seems like tv was going to commercial at every whistle. I was much happier when I knew that the commercials were relatively balanced through out the game (to time out bathroom breaks, beer runs, etc.). While it's fun to watch nearly 20 to 30 minute of hockey at the beginning, sitting through commercial break after commercial break at the end of the period gets a bit frustrating.

Why I Haven't Watched ESPN In 2 Years

Either Americans just don't get it or I guess the Canadians are taking revenge for the World Cup... no? espn's so call "award" called the Espy for best hockey player in 2008 goes to Sid "the Kid" Crosby. A player that was mostly hurt through the season.

Look, I will even concede that Evgeni Malkin deserved better after Sid was injured for FALLING DOWN ON HIS OWN. But did espn, and more importantly Barry Melrose (Tampa Bay's new head coach and resident mullet man) ever give Alex Ovechkin his props for scoring 60 goals in a season or the Caps climb from worst to first in the division? No, they just showed highlights. Am I surprised at this? Not really. I have a feeling we will be seeing more about the Lightning on their broadcasts just to rib their old colleague.

Well, you will anyway. I am sticking with my NHL Network, old games or not.

On The Brink

The Detroit Red Wings have a chance to close out the series, in two days. No wonder people lose interest in the sport, we have to wait a collective 5 days for a the Finals to play 2 games. Something that should happen in 3.

Anyway, the Red Wings look to take the Cup on home ice and still look like they have a choke hold on the Penguins. They could be getting to the head of one Sid "the Kid" Crosby too. At the games conclusion Crosby threw a tantrum in the direction of Henrik Zetterberg. When Zetterberg was asked what it was all about he calmly replied, "I don't know, couldn't hear him. He's just frustrated."

More than once Crosby has lost his cool at the opposition and at the officials. Apparently the "C" on his chest means you can whine to everyone and everything with out reserve. I find it pretty interesting that you don't see the same kind of protest or gabbiness from Nick Lidstrom, Detroit's leader. Being captain for your team is not a license to go off on referees, rather it's a position of leadership and having a cool head when others go off the handle.

I always thought Sid needed a few years before donning the C on his sweater. And his inexperience on how to handle oneself is a glaring bad attribute a team's captain shouldn't have. I would be this critical on any player chosen to lead his team by being the captain, even if it was Alex Ovechkin.

Getting Closer

Capitals 3, Sabres 1
Scoresheet - Wash Post - Wash Times

The Capitals find themselves in a rather unique position for them. They could be in the hunt for a playoff spot whether they are first in the Southeast or not. The Caps played a hard working 60 minutes and propelled themselves to within 4 points for the 8th in the conference.

This mini race in the Southeast seems to be eclipsing the Sabres and the Flyers who are both slowly sliding down the standings. What is significant about this win is Buffalo needed to win this game to get themselves into a playoff spot. Maybe it was the looming season sweep of the Caps or the over aggresive play, but the Sabres overlooked the Washington squad.

Alex Ovechkin scores a pair as his quest continues for 60 goals (his 53rd and 54th). Nick Backstrom scored a goal that has him on a 2 game goal streak. Olie Kolzig played well, even registering an assist. Interesting observation on Ovie and Nick's first goals, they were scored with the puck along the ice instead of trying to strike the top corner.

The Caps are winning big games against teams that are expected to make the playoffs, like Buffalo, Boston and New Jersey. Plus it was nice to see them get this win at the HSBC Center as Bufallo always seem to give the Caps fits. There is no rest for the wicked though as the Caps have to walk into Boston and grab a win on Saturday before facing off against the Penguins back at home on Sunday in front of a national audience.

Speaking of which, I saw Sid "the Kid" Crosby's return and the Pens had won. But in the after game interview with Crosby he sounded like they had lost. He was clearly upset with himself after not scoring and getting only a single assist. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I would think that a win is more important than any personal milestones. It was an interesting insight to Crosby's mindset. It seemed to me that he made some rather selfish comments.

Random Thoughts

Are the Capitals really at .500? Aren't winning percentages compiled by the number of wins divided by total games played? If so the Caps have that "5" that just dangles on the end of their team stat. Those are overtime losses, and don't they exist just as regular losses? If they did the Capitals would be 21-26, still below .500 (.447 to be exact). But the league doesn't care about that stat too much, that "5" that just attaches itself there, like a freckle or a cancer. Gross.

Not that I am underachieving what the Capitals were able to do in their five game home stretch, but am I the only one that sees this? The league is treating shoot outs and overtime losses like they almost don't exist. Players stats are not recorded during the shoot out. Then when looking at the stats, you want to ask what's that "5" doing there?

"That '5', it's nothing, the Caps are 21 and 21, those 5 games don't count."

Ah. I guess I watched those five games for nothing.

Just a thought.

Speaking of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the media has gone hog wild about Sid "the Kid" being out of the line up. Top three hockey headline stories on CBS Sportsline, ESPN and Yahoo were all fawning over the Penguins able to win a game with out Crosby (they beat Montreal 2-0). If I were one of the players on the Penguins, I might just be insulted. What do you think just because Crosby's out that the team was going to tank? Apparently they did. Let's hope they do against the Caps Monday night.

The Verizon Center last night actually looked pretty full. Seems the fans are starting to believe in the team again. For those have been there all the time, you may have noticed it's taking longer between periods to get to our precious beers. On the other hand, it's nice to see a crowd out to cheer on the Caps, not just the other team.

The crowd gave the team a nice standing ovation at the end of the first period and I have to say not only are the Caps' fans knowledgeable, but classy too. It's times like these I know I am cheering for the right team. So it's not such a bad thing that I have to wait an extra 6 minutes for a beer. Wait, I have been standing in line for 6 minutes? Good Lord, Uncle Ted, get some more beer windows!

That's all I got for now.

Ovechkin Snuffed, Gibbs Goes

Washington area sports were dealt a couple of blows over the last couple of days. Redskins' Joe Gibbs called it quits after his second stint as head coach for Washington. While Gibbs didn't move the team to a Super Bowl appearance in his second go around, he is considered going out on top. Considering the type of season the Skins had this season, Gibbs was responsible for turning a team around and getting them into the playoffs when it seemed the Redskins were done. Anyone who follows Washington sports or football in general knows what kind of titan Joe Gibbs has been as a head coach.

While one blow was a resignation the other is a snuff of one of the best players in the NHL. Alex Ovechkin will have to sit the first 40 some seconds of the NHL All Star game. Ovie finished 5th in Eastern Conference voting besides being on pace for a career season and tied for second in scoring in the league. The NHL fans let Ovechkin down. What's even more disturbing is what some people are saying about it.

Bruce Boudreau talked about it on Washington Post Live, saying if Ovechkin was playing for a Canadian team, Ovie would have topped the voting. It's sort of a jab at Capital's fans. But I also think it's a League problem. Their efforts to jam Sidney "the Kid" Crosby down the throats of hockey fans every where have made the kid probably one of the most overrated players in the League. Mind you, I think Crosby is a great player. But I also think Ovie is better.