Before the season started, I sat at a table in the upper level between two ice rinks at Kettler Capitals Iceplex. The Caps were having their media luncheon and John Keeley, founder and writer of On Frozen Blog, sat next to me and we talked shop. He asked me questions about how the Caps would fare, if this was a championship team. I shrugged my shoulders and said, "I don't think George McPhee is done, I think they are working on something."
Turns out, I was right. Since August, the Caps have been pursuing a trade using Tomas Fleischmann to possibly beef up their defensemen.
The Capitals were thin on the blue line, there was no doubt about that. While it was nice to see rookies Karl Alzner and John Carlson make the opening night roster, there were questions about the young defensive core and fans griped that it was not experienced enough to go far. McPhee had more than enough room in the salary cap to pursue someone, we just did not know who he was after.
The season would start with no help coming (although we thought the Edmonton Oilers sending Sheldon Souray to Hershey was a possible trade in the mix). Fleischmann's name was splashed on every rumor mill before the opening night face off as the Caps seemed to shop the winger around. But like Souray's time in Hershey, nothing really significant developed.
Young as they may have been, the defensive core turned out not to be that bad. Through 25 games, the Caps' core of defensemen dealt with injuries to veterans Mike Green and Tom Poti and had to fall on Tyler Sloan and transient Brian Fahey to man post. They were able to maintain enough stability to win 17 games, and register a 2.68 goals against average putting them smack in the middle of the league (13th overall). They ranked tenth in the league in shots against per game at 28.7. Not that shabby.
It turns out the Caps did want Scott Hannan before the season started. Perhaps recent injuries to the Avalanche's forward lines convinced them that they could do with out Hannan's services to get scoring back on track. Caps get a veteran defensemen, Colorado gets a talented forward that is on the verge of having a break out year. Now more so since Flash is outside the shadow of Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, and Nick Backstrom.
Fleischmann never panned out the way the Caps had hoped. They wanted Flash to become a 30 goal scoring threat on the second or third line. They moved him from center, to wing, to center again and again. He would drift from line to line and even miss out on some big games in the playoffs because of his, at times, under-achieving play. He would have a career season last year, posting 23 goals and 51 points in 69 games played. Most of those scored early in the season when he posted a nine game point streak. This year he has struggled to get just 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) in 25 games.
In return, the Caps get a sandpaper defenseman. Hannan, not known for any sort of puck support or offensive threat (in 81 games last season he only posted 2 goals and 16 points), is an agitator as well as a tough guy on the back line. Not so much as a fighter, but a good stay at home defenseman with veteran experience and savvy. Looking to bolster the blue line with a consistent pro, the Caps will most likely use him like a security blanket to Green's rushes up ice.
But Hannan comes at a heavy cap price, nearly soaking up what ever was left of the space McPhee has stored up going into the season. A hefty price tag for a defenseman that is considered marginal when it comes to the NHL defensemen league-wide.
It remains to be seen if this is the final move McPhee is going to make. With Semin's impending contract negotiations, the Caps are looking to squeeze every last drop of their salary cap this year to bring a championship to DC. It is the first time the Capitals have gone outside the organization for a defensemen since they traded Carolina for rental player Joe Corvo.
The move itself is a good one, and the timing seems to be perfect for both sides involved. Hannan adds grit to a blue line that is struggling to stay healthy. Avs get a talented forward that could flourish outside an organization that is deep in talented forwards. Hannan should help the Caps especially in front of the net as more and more teams are looking to create traffic in front of young goaltenders Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth.
We will see if this is the last move McPhee makes, but I tend to think he has a lot more he wants to do more before the deadline in March.
Showing posts with label Potheir. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Potheir. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
GM Adds Plenty Of Depth
George McPhee had a plan going into this year's trade deadline. Add some depth to get through the playoffs. Injuries played a bit role in the past two post seasons for the Capitals. Forcing younger players to mature much faster than planned.
"I like what we did," McPhee told reports as the dust settled on trade deadline day. "We got better, and deeper, and we didn't give up our future to do it, and we didn't take on any bad contracts to do it, so I was really pleased with the way it went."
What they got were a pair of forwards and a pair of defensemen for a development player, a defenseman and two second rounders, a sixth rounder and a seventh rounder.
The Capitals bolstered their blue line with the return of Milan Jurcina come back from Columbus and big guy Joe Corvo from Carolina. McPhee felt that getting Juice back puts his best shut down pair of Poti and Jurcina back together. Jurcina played solid enough to get a start every night for the Blue Jackets earning him a roster spot on the Slovakian national team at the Olympics in Vancouver.
Joe Corvo will bring a heavy shot to the point and some solid veteran defensive skills back there too. TSN.ca analyst Micheal Peca broke down Corvo's role with the Capitals: "I think Mike Green's going to need some support. You get into the playoffs, as an opposing team you identify certain players that you're going to target and try to affect physically, and I think if Washington has the ability to reduce Green's minutes early on in the playoffs, it'll benefit the team in the long run. I think Corvo's the guy."
With the pair of defensemen, McPhee took on some more grit and veterans up front. Eric Belanger and Scott Walker add some muscle and some set up ability for the Capitals up front.
"Belanger brings us some speed and experience at center ice," Mcphee said of his new centerman. "[It's] the sort of thing we were looking for, and he's also real good on faceoffs."
The Capitals did lose Brian Potheir and development player Oskar Osala. But for the most part, McPhee was able to keep his core of youth together while getting the players he wanted. "We had an untouchable list and we didn't give away any of those players," McPhee explained.
Overall, I give the Caps and GMGM a B. He was successful in adding the depth he needed, but the market wasn't there for better players. He didn't give up anything he couldn't live without and in the end that is probably the most important fact on day's end.
Fitting the new players in will take some time for everyone. But they won't have too much time to think about it since they play a pair of back to back games, then play a game every other night through March. A busy schedule will force the coaching staff to figure it out on the fly.
"I like what we did," McPhee told reports as the dust settled on trade deadline day. "We got better, and deeper, and we didn't give up our future to do it, and we didn't take on any bad contracts to do it, so I was really pleased with the way it went."
What they got were a pair of forwards and a pair of defensemen for a development player, a defenseman and two second rounders, a sixth rounder and a seventh rounder.
The Capitals bolstered their blue line with the return of Milan Jurcina come back from Columbus and big guy Joe Corvo from Carolina. McPhee felt that getting Juice back puts his best shut down pair of Poti and Jurcina back together. Jurcina played solid enough to get a start every night for the Blue Jackets earning him a roster spot on the Slovakian national team at the Olympics in Vancouver.
Joe Corvo will bring a heavy shot to the point and some solid veteran defensive skills back there too. TSN.ca analyst Micheal Peca broke down Corvo's role with the Capitals: "I think Mike Green's going to need some support. You get into the playoffs, as an opposing team you identify certain players that you're going to target and try to affect physically, and I think if Washington has the ability to reduce Green's minutes early on in the playoffs, it'll benefit the team in the long run. I think Corvo's the guy."
With the pair of defensemen, McPhee took on some more grit and veterans up front. Eric Belanger and Scott Walker add some muscle and some set up ability for the Capitals up front.
"Belanger brings us some speed and experience at center ice," Mcphee said of his new centerman. "[It's] the sort of thing we were looking for, and he's also real good on faceoffs."
"We like his experience and his ability to shut people down, he's on pace for probably 18 goals this year, which is fine; he'll help us on our penalty killing. We just got another player who is a hard guy to play against."
"I like Walker because Ovechkin and Semin are going to face a lot of physical attention, come playoff time," Peca said on TSN. "Walker is a great equalizer. He's a guy who will identify the other team's best player and you don't know what's coming."The Capitals did lose Brian Potheir and development player Oskar Osala. But for the most part, McPhee was able to keep his core of youth together while getting the players he wanted. "We had an untouchable list and we didn't give away any of those players," McPhee explained.
Overall, I give the Caps and GMGM a B. He was successful in adding the depth he needed, but the market wasn't there for better players. He didn't give up anything he couldn't live without and in the end that is probably the most important fact on day's end.
Fitting the new players in will take some time for everyone. But they won't have too much time to think about it since they play a pair of back to back games, then play a game every other night through March. A busy schedule will force the coaching staff to figure it out on the fly.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Lucky Eleven
When the good times roll, they really roll for the Capitals these days. Eleven straight wins is an accomplishment that does not come often in the NHL. And in a lot of ways, it does not come with the type of dominance the Capitals have shown in their past eleven games.
Averaging nearly 5 goals a game during their winning stretch they have defeated two Stanley Cup and Conference Champions in Pittsburgh and Detroit. They have taken on divisional foes fighting for playoff spots and four of those games were on the road (including a 6-3 win against the Penguins). But you do not get to this point with out getting some help.
Call it luck, call it fate or good tidings from the hockey gods but the Capitals are lucky to get out of Boston with the historic win. Not one player played a full 60 minutes.
"We didn't play really well, but we found a way to win, because they believed we could win," Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "When you're on a winning streak, you find ways. Good things happen. When you are losing, you hit crossbars and the other goalie makes incredible saves like Theo did tonight."
Watching the game last night, the Caps should not have won that game. But it took a few good plays at the right time that gave them the win and walk out of Boston with two points. Sluggish play was more in domination than a team with the best offense in the league at TD Banknorth Garden last night.
But like Dan Pollard said this morning on NHL on the Fly, it was like a switch. Even Jose Theodore, who looked at times shaky in net, seemed to turn on the juice at the right time and made stop after stop. He did not have to be perfect. He just needed to give his boys some time. Sure enough, the Caps struck quickly and scored 3 unanswered goals.
From that point on the Bruins struggled to get their offense going, and hometown boy Tom Poti seemed to ratchet up his game getting two assists. "We haven't played as well as we wanted," Poti said to reporters following the game. "But we seem to have picked up at the right moment, and tonight was no different. We came out to play in the third and that ultimately got us the win."
They do not have to be perfect and they can still win. Pretty scary revelation. The concern now however is have the Capitals peaked too soon. There is still the Olympic break in which three of the Capitals most important players Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin and Nick Backstrom will be playing playoff type of hockey. If the Caps come out of the break rusty, it could set the tone going into the remaining schedule and into the post season.
For now it's a nice run, historic as they bested a fifteen year old record with their win. But they can not be complacent. They have to keep this emotion, this edge to their game. Otherwise they risk the entire season and let the Cup slip from their fingers.
Averaging nearly 5 goals a game during their winning stretch they have defeated two Stanley Cup and Conference Champions in Pittsburgh and Detroit. They have taken on divisional foes fighting for playoff spots and four of those games were on the road (including a 6-3 win against the Penguins). But you do not get to this point with out getting some help.
Call it luck, call it fate or good tidings from the hockey gods but the Capitals are lucky to get out of Boston with the historic win. Not one player played a full 60 minutes.
"We didn't play really well, but we found a way to win, because they believed we could win," Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "When you're on a winning streak, you find ways. Good things happen. When you are losing, you hit crossbars and the other goalie makes incredible saves like Theo did tonight."
Watching the game last night, the Caps should not have won that game. But it took a few good plays at the right time that gave them the win and walk out of Boston with two points. Sluggish play was more in domination than a team with the best offense in the league at TD Banknorth Garden last night.
But like Dan Pollard said this morning on NHL on the Fly, it was like a switch. Even Jose Theodore, who looked at times shaky in net, seemed to turn on the juice at the right time and made stop after stop. He did not have to be perfect. He just needed to give his boys some time. Sure enough, the Caps struck quickly and scored 3 unanswered goals.
From that point on the Bruins struggled to get their offense going, and hometown boy Tom Poti seemed to ratchet up his game getting two assists. "We haven't played as well as we wanted," Poti said to reporters following the game. "But we seem to have picked up at the right moment, and tonight was no different. We came out to play in the third and that ultimately got us the win."
They do not have to be perfect and they can still win. Pretty scary revelation. The concern now however is have the Capitals peaked too soon. There is still the Olympic break in which three of the Capitals most important players Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin and Nick Backstrom will be playing playoff type of hockey. If the Caps come out of the break rusty, it could set the tone going into the remaining schedule and into the post season.
For now it's a nice run, historic as they bested a fifteen year old record with their win. But they can not be complacent. They have to keep this emotion, this edge to their game. Otherwise they risk the entire season and let the Cup slip from their fingers.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Birthday Boudreau Bests Thrashers
Capitals 8, Thrashers 1
Game Summary
Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau could not have scripted a better game on his birthday. On his 55th birthday, number 55 Jeff Schultz had two assists and was a plus 5, Alex Semin and Mike Knuble had a pair of goals and the Caps routed the Atlanta Thrashers 8-1.
"Any time you can score 8 goals and [Alex Ovechkin] only got one assist [and] you are getting balance from four lines, " the birthday coach told reporters following the game, "it's pretty nice as a coach."
Sixteen Capitals scored at least a point tonight. Besides goals from Knuble and Semin, the Caps got contributions from David Steckel, Tom Poti, Nick Backstrom and Jason Chimera (his first goal as a Capital). The Caps chased Thrasher goaltender Johan Hedberg from the game after they jumped to a 4-0 lead but back up Ondrej Pavelec didn't fare much better, besides turning away 10 shots in just over four minutes in taking over in net.
While the Dizzy Birds had a rough time in their net, Michal Neuvirth looked like cool hand Luke making a series of great stops early in the game. "[The Thrashers] were very good in the first period," Boudreau said, "Our goaltender should have been the first star."
When the Caps did turned over the puck, Neuvy was there with the stop. He stopped 38 shots on the way to his fifth win of the season. The Caps young goalie is in a really good headspace right now, he did not get rattled when it seemed his team seemed back on their heels. "To me," Boudreau continued, "he was the pivotal player in the game. He held us in."
The defensive core had a great night as Poti had a three point night, Schultz was a plus 5 and had two assists and only John Erskine (who left the game with an undisclosed injury in the third period and did not return) and Shaone Morrisonn were held off the scoresheet. "We wanted them to get more involved, and they did get more involved," Boudreau said. While they helped out on the offensive side, they did have some holes at times on the defensive end. When they did leave a hole, Neuvirth was quick to come in with the save.
The Capitals made a pretty loud statement to the rest of the Southeast Division. It is a win they needed to keep the pressure on the Eastern Conference. They are three points behind first place Devils and have increased their point lead in the division by 16 points.
Caps get a much needed day of rest tomorrow before they practice Monday in Tampa Bay then face the Lightning on Tuesday night for a 7:30 pm start.
Game Summary
Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau could not have scripted a better game on his birthday. On his 55th birthday, number 55 Jeff Schultz had two assists and was a plus 5, Alex Semin and Mike Knuble had a pair of goals and the Caps routed the Atlanta Thrashers 8-1.
"Any time you can score 8 goals and [Alex Ovechkin] only got one assist [and] you are getting balance from four lines, " the birthday coach told reporters following the game, "it's pretty nice as a coach."
Sixteen Capitals scored at least a point tonight. Besides goals from Knuble and Semin, the Caps got contributions from David Steckel, Tom Poti, Nick Backstrom and Jason Chimera (his first goal as a Capital). The Caps chased Thrasher goaltender Johan Hedberg from the game after they jumped to a 4-0 lead but back up Ondrej Pavelec didn't fare much better, besides turning away 10 shots in just over four minutes in taking over in net.
While the Dizzy Birds had a rough time in their net, Michal Neuvirth looked like cool hand Luke making a series of great stops early in the game. "[The Thrashers] were very good in the first period," Boudreau said, "Our goaltender should have been the first star."
When the Caps did turned over the puck, Neuvy was there with the stop. He stopped 38 shots on the way to his fifth win of the season. The Caps young goalie is in a really good headspace right now, he did not get rattled when it seemed his team seemed back on their heels. "To me," Boudreau continued, "he was the pivotal player in the game. He held us in."
The defensive core had a great night as Poti had a three point night, Schultz was a plus 5 and had two assists and only John Erskine (who left the game with an undisclosed injury in the third period and did not return) and Shaone Morrisonn were held off the scoresheet. "We wanted them to get more involved, and they did get more involved," Boudreau said. While they helped out on the offensive side, they did have some holes at times on the defensive end. When they did leave a hole, Neuvirth was quick to come in with the save.
The Capitals made a pretty loud statement to the rest of the Southeast Division. It is a win they needed to keep the pressure on the Eastern Conference. They are three points behind first place Devils and have increased their point lead in the division by 16 points.
Caps get a much needed day of rest tomorrow before they practice Monday in Tampa Bay then face the Lightning on Tuesday night for a 7:30 pm start.
Friday, November 13, 2009
The Defense Leads Caps To Victory Over Wild
Capitals 3, Wild 1
Scoresheet
The Capitals are finding ways to win with out franchise player Alex Ovechkin in the line up. The latest victim of the Caps sudden offense by committee were the Minnesota Wild. It would be the defense that would step in and help with the scoring as the Caps down the Wild and keep their hold on the lead in the Eastern Conference with a score of 3-1.
Mike Green scored his third goal of the season on a nice feed from Tomas Fleischmann (who is now on a seven game point streak). Brian Pothier netted the game winner in the third at the two minute mark when Eric Fehr set up a screen in front of Josh Harding. Brooks Laich would put the cherry on the top with an empty net goal.
The Caps played a pretty controlled game through out, although the start was a bit shaky. The Caps were out-shot 7-1 through the first half of the first period. But they more than made up for it by getting 13 shots in a span of about 6:01. From there it looked like they were playing a team that had traveled from Florida the night before.
Mike Knuble took a nasty spill into the net in the first. He went head first into the net after charging for the loose puck and a Wild defender shouldered him over Harding. Knuble left and did not return to the game. He would break his finger and expected to be out 3 to 4 weeks.
Semyon Varlamov could have had the shutout, but Cal Clutterbuck's point streak against the Capitals prevailed. He sent a knuckleball shot towards Varly and the puck snuck in on the stick side. The Wild would take a 1-0 lead early in the second period. But less than three minutes later, Green scored his third goal of the season on the power play.
The Capitals' power play was good through out the night, but it only yielded a single goal out of three chances. They enjoyed nearly a minute or more in the Wild's end with the man advantage. The power play's improvement had a lot to do with the Caps better passing. It seemed the passes were much crisper and on point than any game they have played in thus far in the season.
Pothier would score his second goal of the season early in the third when Mathieu Perreault found the defenseman trailing the play. Fehr was set up in front of Harding for the screen and Pothier was able to find the open net. The goal would stand despite some close calls in the Caps' defensive zone, including a barrage of shots where two defensemen and Varlamov were down in the crease blocking shot after shot.
In the end, it would be Brooks Laich scoring his 8th goal of the season into an empty net. The play looked to be an icing call, but the Wild's Nick Schultz didn't huff it down the ice and the linesman washed out the icing call. Laich was on the forecheck and was able to slap the puck off the stick of the defender and into the empty net.
The Caps retake sole possession of first place in the East with their win tonight. They can stretch a 2 point lead into a 4 point lead when they face the New Jersey Devils tomorrow night. The Devils are close on the Capitals' heels. What maybe helping the Caps is that they are playing the Devils in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils are 9-0 on the road, but are mortal on their own ice.
Caps Notes:
Scoresheet
The Capitals are finding ways to win with out franchise player Alex Ovechkin in the line up. The latest victim of the Caps sudden offense by committee were the Minnesota Wild. It would be the defense that would step in and help with the scoring as the Caps down the Wild and keep their hold on the lead in the Eastern Conference with a score of 3-1.
Mike Green scored his third goal of the season on a nice feed from Tomas Fleischmann (who is now on a seven game point streak). Brian Pothier netted the game winner in the third at the two minute mark when Eric Fehr set up a screen in front of Josh Harding. Brooks Laich would put the cherry on the top with an empty net goal.
The Caps played a pretty controlled game through out, although the start was a bit shaky. The Caps were out-shot 7-1 through the first half of the first period. But they more than made up for it by getting 13 shots in a span of about 6:01. From there it looked like they were playing a team that had traveled from Florida the night before.
Mike Knuble took a nasty spill into the net in the first. He went head first into the net after charging for the loose puck and a Wild defender shouldered him over Harding. Knuble left and did not return to the game. He would break his finger and expected to be out 3 to 4 weeks.
Semyon Varlamov could have had the shutout, but Cal Clutterbuck's point streak against the Capitals prevailed. He sent a knuckleball shot towards Varly and the puck snuck in on the stick side. The Wild would take a 1-0 lead early in the second period. But less than three minutes later, Green scored his third goal of the season on the power play.
The Capitals' power play was good through out the night, but it only yielded a single goal out of three chances. They enjoyed nearly a minute or more in the Wild's end with the man advantage. The power play's improvement had a lot to do with the Caps better passing. It seemed the passes were much crisper and on point than any game they have played in thus far in the season.
Pothier would score his second goal of the season early in the third when Mathieu Perreault found the defenseman trailing the play. Fehr was set up in front of Harding for the screen and Pothier was able to find the open net. The goal would stand despite some close calls in the Caps' defensive zone, including a barrage of shots where two defensemen and Varlamov were down in the crease blocking shot after shot.
In the end, it would be Brooks Laich scoring his 8th goal of the season into an empty net. The play looked to be an icing call, but the Wild's Nick Schultz didn't huff it down the ice and the linesman washed out the icing call. Laich was on the forecheck and was able to slap the puck off the stick of the defender and into the empty net.
The Caps retake sole possession of first place in the East with their win tonight. They can stretch a 2 point lead into a 4 point lead when they face the New Jersey Devils tomorrow night. The Devils are close on the Capitals' heels. What maybe helping the Caps is that they are playing the Devils in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils are 9-0 on the road, but are mortal on their own ice.
Caps Notes:
- Perreault continues to impress the Caps' coaching staff. Since being called up he had accumulated 1 goal, 3 assists and is a +5 in 5 games played. Bruce Boudreau said that he most likely stick around to play against the Devils even if Ovechkin comes back to the lineup.
- David Steckel was a whopping 83% on face offs (15-3). Steckel is second in the league in face offs won, Sid "the Kid" Crosby is first on that list.
- Five different Capitals had 4 or more shots on net in the tilt against Minnesota. Brooks Laich led all Caps with 5 shots on net.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Tough Night
Capitals 3, Rangers 4
Scoresheet - Post - Times - Exam
For the third straight game, the Washington Capitals have failed to stonewall their opponents in the third period. They came up a goal short in the last two. The latest was a 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers after they had built a lead with over ten minutes left in the final frame.
"Anytime you have a lead in the last ten minutes of the game you have to [win the game]," a visibly upset coach Bruce Boudreau said. "If you want to be a great team you have to."
The Capitals built a lead after a fluky goal let in by Ranger goaltender Henrik Lunqvist and a power play goal with just over 12 minutes to play in the game. But the Caps' defense took a turn for the worse allowing the tying goal just :18 seconds later.
"We've blown two leads... almost a third in four games," Boudreau was blunt. "It's really an upsetting trend that better stop in a hurry."
Nick Backstrom scored a pair of goals including one that was a dump in on Lundqvist from the red line. The puck seemed to hit the Rangers defenseman's skate and Lundqvist, who was square to the shot twisted a bit to try and glove the puck. But the puck went under the netminder's glove and into the corner of the net. Backstrom also scored a power play goal off of a well designed passing play from Brooks Laich and Alex Semin. Semin also made the score sheet with a goal and an assist. Alex Ovechkin was held pointless after three straight games in which he scored at least 3 points.
Backstrom is the first player in the NHL to have 10 points through the first four games in the season since Martin Havlat did it to start the '06-'07 year. But for Backstrom, stats just didn't mean much on a night the Caps took a loss.
"[The two goals I scored] didn't matter, we lost the game," Backstrom said. "We have to get back [to the way] we started the season. We have to play [for] sixty minutes. We can't just play a couple minutes a game. That is bad on us."
The game started on a good note for the Capitals. Brian Pothier created a passing lane with his ability to skate and found Semin cross ice to open the scoring for the home team. But the Rangers came back with Ryan Callahan goal that was practically a shorthanded goal and break down in the defensive zone goal by Ales Kotalik. The Rangers would take a 2-1 lead into the locker room after the second period.
When the third period started, the Rangers were in full defend-the-lead mode, shutting down passing lanes and blocking a slew of shots (22 blocked shots in all). But Backstrom's half court goal gave the Caps some life and the Rangers took a penalty soon afterward. Unlike the previous 7 tries, they were finally able to score on the power play with some nice passing. Backstrom again was the beneficiary.
But the Rangers answered back with Marion Gaborik who scored a pair of goals five hole on Jose Theodore to give the Rangers the lead with 9:18 left to play.
"There was time left," defenseman turned forward Tyler Sloan said. "You can't get down. The bench has got to stay up to come back the next shift and stay aggressive and try to create chances. We didn't do that, I felt."
The Caps' power play sputtered again for the second straight game. They were a pitiful 1 for 9 with the extra man, including 1:33 with a two man advantage. The top power play line once again has fallen into bad habits, being too cute with the puck at the wrong times and allowing the other team's PK unit out work them.
"We played as individuals instead of a unit," Boudreau commented on the Caps listless power play. "If you are going to play as individuals, you are going to get individual results and nothing is going to happen."
After such a good start against Boston, the Capitals seemed to fallen back to being too cavalier on defense. A defense core that doesn't have youth as an excuse anymore. A point that Boudreau brought up in his press conference.
"The guys that are making the mistakes are not first year guys," Boudreau said. "They are the guys that have been here for 10 years, 5 years... and it's been what their jobs are. There is not one first year guy on defense... these guys should know what the hell they're doing."
Caps Game Notes:
Scoresheet - Post - Times - Exam
For the third straight game, the Washington Capitals have failed to stonewall their opponents in the third period. They came up a goal short in the last two. The latest was a 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers after they had built a lead with over ten minutes left in the final frame.
"Anytime you have a lead in the last ten minutes of the game you have to [win the game]," a visibly upset coach Bruce Boudreau said. "If you want to be a great team you have to."
The Capitals built a lead after a fluky goal let in by Ranger goaltender Henrik Lunqvist and a power play goal with just over 12 minutes to play in the game. But the Caps' defense took a turn for the worse allowing the tying goal just :18 seconds later.
"We've blown two leads... almost a third in four games," Boudreau was blunt. "It's really an upsetting trend that better stop in a hurry."
Nick Backstrom scored a pair of goals including one that was a dump in on Lundqvist from the red line. The puck seemed to hit the Rangers defenseman's skate and Lundqvist, who was square to the shot twisted a bit to try and glove the puck. But the puck went under the netminder's glove and into the corner of the net. Backstrom also scored a power play goal off of a well designed passing play from Brooks Laich and Alex Semin. Semin also made the score sheet with a goal and an assist. Alex Ovechkin was held pointless after three straight games in which he scored at least 3 points.
Backstrom is the first player in the NHL to have 10 points through the first four games in the season since Martin Havlat did it to start the '06-'07 year. But for Backstrom, stats just didn't mean much on a night the Caps took a loss.
"[The two goals I scored] didn't matter, we lost the game," Backstrom said. "We have to get back [to the way] we started the season. We have to play [for] sixty minutes. We can't just play a couple minutes a game. That is bad on us."
The game started on a good note for the Capitals. Brian Pothier created a passing lane with his ability to skate and found Semin cross ice to open the scoring for the home team. But the Rangers came back with Ryan Callahan goal that was practically a shorthanded goal and break down in the defensive zone goal by Ales Kotalik. The Rangers would take a 2-1 lead into the locker room after the second period.
When the third period started, the Rangers were in full defend-the-lead mode, shutting down passing lanes and blocking a slew of shots (22 blocked shots in all). But Backstrom's half court goal gave the Caps some life and the Rangers took a penalty soon afterward. Unlike the previous 7 tries, they were finally able to score on the power play with some nice passing. Backstrom again was the beneficiary.
But the Rangers answered back with Marion Gaborik who scored a pair of goals five hole on Jose Theodore to give the Rangers the lead with 9:18 left to play.
"There was time left," defenseman turned forward Tyler Sloan said. "You can't get down. The bench has got to stay up to come back the next shift and stay aggressive and try to create chances. We didn't do that, I felt."
The Caps' power play sputtered again for the second straight game. They were a pitiful 1 for 9 with the extra man, including 1:33 with a two man advantage. The top power play line once again has fallen into bad habits, being too cute with the puck at the wrong times and allowing the other team's PK unit out work them.
"We played as individuals instead of a unit," Boudreau commented on the Caps listless power play. "If you are going to play as individuals, you are going to get individual results and nothing is going to happen."
After such a good start against Boston, the Capitals seemed to fallen back to being too cavalier on defense. A defense core that doesn't have youth as an excuse anymore. A point that Boudreau brought up in his press conference.
"The guys that are making the mistakes are not first year guys," Boudreau said. "They are the guys that have been here for 10 years, 5 years... and it's been what their jobs are. There is not one first year guy on defense... these guys should know what the hell they're doing."
Caps Game Notes:
- Sloan played his first game in the NHL as a forward on the fourth line. "[It's a] position that is foreign to me, I haven't played [forward] in a long time" he said. "But I settled in [during] the second and third period."
- Mike Green has yet to score a goal this season. Not for lack of trying. Green had thirteen shots that either missed the net or were blocked (7 blocked, 6 misses). Only two of his shots hit the mark, both were saved by Lundqvist.
- The Rangers' Sean Avery sat this game out, but that didn't stop him from signing some autographs for Rangers' fans from the Press Box.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
More Questions Than Answers
The Washington Capitals complete collapse in game seven was a story of injury and fatigue. The Capitals insist that injuries were not the reason for the series break down with the Penguins. But now that the reports become more clear on who was hurt and how many were hurt. It raises more questions.
Based on several reports, as many as seven Capitals were playing with injuries. Included in that list are Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Mike Green, Tom Poti, and John Erskine, to name a few. If they are not going to use injuries as an excuse, than why play those players when they were clearly not effective against a high powered offense like the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Green, who did not score a goal in this series, has been less than stellar since his run-in with the boards in game five in the Rangers series. But his ice time increased since his injury and his ineffectiveness. When the Caps have been the deepest they have been in years, especially in defense, why not give Karl Alzner a look. Or play Tyler Sloan who had two good games against these Penguins. Sloan sat out the last three games for injured John Erskine.
I can understand why Ovechkin has to be in the line up, and to some extent Semin. But for seven players to limp through the a series against a very good team is almost selfish. Which makes sense the way the Caps were playing through the 2 and a half periods, they were disconnected, not feeding off of one another and passes were less than crisp.
The Penguins took full advantage of a team that was struggling just to show up to the rink. Why was there not a decision to bring up more players from Hershey to replace injured souls? When a hockey player is hurting, they don't do the right things for the full 60 minutes. They cut corners to save energy, they misread plays, lose focus and get routed in an all important game seven.
If you have a two game series lead and blow the next three games, why not use your depth?
The Capitals took today off and will address the media tomorrow, hopefully to answer that and many more questions.
Based on several reports, as many as seven Capitals were playing with injuries. Included in that list are Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Mike Green, Tom Poti, and John Erskine, to name a few. If they are not going to use injuries as an excuse, than why play those players when they were clearly not effective against a high powered offense like the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Green, who did not score a goal in this series, has been less than stellar since his run-in with the boards in game five in the Rangers series. But his ice time increased since his injury and his ineffectiveness. When the Caps have been the deepest they have been in years, especially in defense, why not give Karl Alzner a look. Or play Tyler Sloan who had two good games against these Penguins. Sloan sat out the last three games for injured John Erskine.
I can understand why Ovechkin has to be in the line up, and to some extent Semin. But for seven players to limp through the a series against a very good team is almost selfish. Which makes sense the way the Caps were playing through the 2 and a half periods, they were disconnected, not feeding off of one another and passes were less than crisp.
The Penguins took full advantage of a team that was struggling just to show up to the rink. Why was there not a decision to bring up more players from Hershey to replace injured souls? When a hockey player is hurting, they don't do the right things for the full 60 minutes. They cut corners to save energy, they misread plays, lose focus and get routed in an all important game seven.
If you have a two game series lead and blow the next three games, why not use your depth?
The Capitals took today off and will address the media tomorrow, hopefully to answer that and many more questions.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
History Repeats
Capitals 5, Rangers 3
Scoresheet - Times - Post
The Washington Capitals have tied up the series with the New York Rangers with a 5-3 win at MSG. The Caps force a game seven for a second straight year. They came out with the same kind of intensity as in Game 5 and it is the defensive core that breaks through in Game 6.
Milan Jurcina got the first goal as the Caps score off of a Ranger give away just inside their zone. The Rangers were able to tie it up on a ensuing power play and Mike Green answered with his first goal in the series on the power play to pull the Caps into the lead again. Tom Poti finished off a beautiful 3 on 1 and the Caps' defense scored the first three goals of the game.
Viktor Kozlov added a great goal that he worked through two other Ranger players then rushed the net and put the puck perfectly up over Henrik Lundqvist for his second goal of the series. Alex Ovechkin finished up the scoring for the Caps as he deflected in a Poti shot to make it 5-1. The Rangers were able to score a couple down the stretch, but by then it was far too late.
Poti played the best game as a Capital ever. Not only was he playing well defensively, he connected three assists to finish with a 4 point night. Poti made a great defensive play on the last Ranger 5 on 3 has he dove to take the puck off the Ranger stick. The move also looked to hurt him a little as he winced in pain after the play. He received the game's first star.
While the Caps looked to be in total domination for most of the game, they did lose their focus late. They took a couple of bad penalties that lead to two 5 on 3 chances for the Rangers. It was a beautiful beginning, but a messy end. The Caps have to finish games off much better than this.
The Caps were called for called for eleven minors in Game 6. They had been averaging about 5 minors in their last four games. They must stay focused and stay disciplined. Other than those problems, it was hard to find fault in the Capitals during this game.
Lundqvist looks human suddenly. If Lundqvist struggles Tuesday night, than the Rangers are in trouble. His counterpart, Simeon Varlamov has continued to play well, making the save when his team needed it. That has been the difference right now between these two teams, goaltenders going in different directions.
Sean Avery returned to the Ranger lineup only to be a non factor. While Avery was trying to play the good son, other Rangers tried to play it tough for the home faithful. Bradon Dubinsky threw his weight around and Ryan Callahan took a couple shots at Ovi.
The biggest hit came in the first period when Donald Brashear made a heavy hit against Blair Betts. The hit I am sure will go to the league for review as the hit was a tad bit high. Betts didn't return to the game and Brashear was only penalized for roughing after the play.
The Caps force a Game 7. They did the exact same thing last year against the Flyers only to lose at home in overtime. The Caps look to play on their experience to pull them through another Game 7. It is a brand new series for the Capitals and Rangers. And if it comes to only one game, I favor the Capitals over the Rangers.
Scoresheet - Times - Post
The Washington Capitals have tied up the series with the New York Rangers with a 5-3 win at MSG. The Caps force a game seven for a second straight year. They came out with the same kind of intensity as in Game 5 and it is the defensive core that breaks through in Game 6.
Milan Jurcina got the first goal as the Caps score off of a Ranger give away just inside their zone. The Rangers were able to tie it up on a ensuing power play and Mike Green answered with his first goal in the series on the power play to pull the Caps into the lead again. Tom Poti finished off a beautiful 3 on 1 and the Caps' defense scored the first three goals of the game.
Viktor Kozlov added a great goal that he worked through two other Ranger players then rushed the net and put the puck perfectly up over Henrik Lundqvist for his second goal of the series. Alex Ovechkin finished up the scoring for the Caps as he deflected in a Poti shot to make it 5-1. The Rangers were able to score a couple down the stretch, but by then it was far too late.
Poti played the best game as a Capital ever. Not only was he playing well defensively, he connected three assists to finish with a 4 point night. Poti made a great defensive play on the last Ranger 5 on 3 has he dove to take the puck off the Ranger stick. The move also looked to hurt him a little as he winced in pain after the play. He received the game's first star.
While the Caps looked to be in total domination for most of the game, they did lose their focus late. They took a couple of bad penalties that lead to two 5 on 3 chances for the Rangers. It was a beautiful beginning, but a messy end. The Caps have to finish games off much better than this.
The Caps were called for called for eleven minors in Game 6. They had been averaging about 5 minors in their last four games. They must stay focused and stay disciplined. Other than those problems, it was hard to find fault in the Capitals during this game.
Lundqvist looks human suddenly. If Lundqvist struggles Tuesday night, than the Rangers are in trouble. His counterpart, Simeon Varlamov has continued to play well, making the save when his team needed it. That has been the difference right now between these two teams, goaltenders going in different directions.
Sean Avery returned to the Ranger lineup only to be a non factor. While Avery was trying to play the good son, other Rangers tried to play it tough for the home faithful. Bradon Dubinsky threw his weight around and Ryan Callahan took a couple shots at Ovi.
The biggest hit came in the first period when Donald Brashear made a heavy hit against Blair Betts. The hit I am sure will go to the league for review as the hit was a tad bit high. Betts didn't return to the game and Brashear was only penalized for roughing after the play.
The Caps force a Game 7. They did the exact same thing last year against the Flyers only to lose at home in overtime. The Caps look to play on their experience to pull them through another Game 7. It is a brand new series for the Capitals and Rangers. And if it comes to only one game, I favor the Capitals over the Rangers.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Pressure On Caps For Game 2
With a game one loss, the Washington Capitals admitted it was a tough loss. But not the end of the world. The Rangers 4 - 3 win shocked the Verizon Center faithful and left some questions on who was going to start in net for game two. But that question turned into an answer closer to the end of practice yesterday.
"You'll see it in the warmup," Bruce Boudreau teased reporters. "But look it, it's not a big surprise. Theo is our number one goalie."
Jose Theodore took the blame for the loss on Wednesday night. "There really is no excuse," he said following Game 1 Wednesday night. "You need to make a couple of key saves at the key moments."
The team was quick to come to the defense of their goaltender with several Caps talking about giving the Rangers too many scoring chances. A problem they plan to rectify in Game 2. "I mean, (the Rangers) were getting shots from the slot," Mike Green said. "If we're getting shots from the slot we're usually going to score, too. We can't leave (Theo) out to dry like that."
There will be changes made on the defensive side. Jeff Schultz, who also took some of the blame for the game winning goal when he was outdeked by Brandon Dubinsky, will sit out this afternoon with an undisclosed injury. Brian Potheir will make his first appearance in the series.
The Capitals also want to do a better job creating traffic in front of Ranger goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. "We have to make some traffic," Alex Ovechkin said. "We have to make some rebounds. We have to pay some price." Lundqvist was clearly the best Ranger player in Game 1, and the Caps have to make his job a lot harder.
On the flip side, the Rangers sounded like they just got away with shoplifting a candy bar from the corner drug store. "I thought we were a nervous club, but that we rebounded well in the second period," Ranger coach John Tortorella said. "(We) found a way to get our legs underneath us. (We had) big plays at big times. We were fortunate to get a win."
The Rangers seem to be fooling the Caps with some fancy drop passes just inside the blue line, that is how they scored two of their four goals. The Caps have to do a better job of stepping up to the blue line and forwards have to be sharp on the back check.
Sean Avery would have to be a saint after getting away with the stuff he got away with in Game 1. Running interference will raise some red flags for the officials who I am sure have taken a look at the replay of the game to recognize some errors.
In this tilt this afternoon the Capitals will have to do a better job on the penalty kill. They have a allowed the Rangers two big goals with a man advantage. Their power play is sufficient, especially against one of the best PK units in the league, but they have to simplify their play and get the puck to the net.
Bottom line for the Capitals, they have to take advantage of their scoring chances. "It's the playoffs and if you do get chances to score goals you have to use them," Ovechkin told reporters following practice. "We didn't use our chances and we lost the game. Next game, we just have to use our chances, play smart in the offensive zone and be more responsible on our chances."
"You'll see it in the warmup," Bruce Boudreau teased reporters. "But look it, it's not a big surprise. Theo is our number one goalie."
Jose Theodore took the blame for the loss on Wednesday night. "There really is no excuse," he said following Game 1 Wednesday night. "You need to make a couple of key saves at the key moments."
The team was quick to come to the defense of their goaltender with several Caps talking about giving the Rangers too many scoring chances. A problem they plan to rectify in Game 2. "I mean, (the Rangers) were getting shots from the slot," Mike Green said. "If we're getting shots from the slot we're usually going to score, too. We can't leave (Theo) out to dry like that."
There will be changes made on the defensive side. Jeff Schultz, who also took some of the blame for the game winning goal when he was outdeked by Brandon Dubinsky, will sit out this afternoon with an undisclosed injury. Brian Potheir will make his first appearance in the series.
The Capitals also want to do a better job creating traffic in front of Ranger goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. "We have to make some traffic," Alex Ovechkin said. "We have to make some rebounds. We have to pay some price." Lundqvist was clearly the best Ranger player in Game 1, and the Caps have to make his job a lot harder.
On the flip side, the Rangers sounded like they just got away with shoplifting a candy bar from the corner drug store. "I thought we were a nervous club, but that we rebounded well in the second period," Ranger coach John Tortorella said. "(We) found a way to get our legs underneath us. (We had) big plays at big times. We were fortunate to get a win."
The Rangers seem to be fooling the Caps with some fancy drop passes just inside the blue line, that is how they scored two of their four goals. The Caps have to do a better job of stepping up to the blue line and forwards have to be sharp on the back check.
Sean Avery would have to be a saint after getting away with the stuff he got away with in Game 1. Running interference will raise some red flags for the officials who I am sure have taken a look at the replay of the game to recognize some errors.
In this tilt this afternoon the Capitals will have to do a better job on the penalty kill. They have a allowed the Rangers two big goals with a man advantage. Their power play is sufficient, especially against one of the best PK units in the league, but they have to simplify their play and get the puck to the net.
Bottom line for the Capitals, they have to take advantage of their scoring chances. "It's the playoffs and if you do get chances to score goals you have to use them," Ovechkin told reporters following practice. "We didn't use our chances and we lost the game. Next game, we just have to use our chances, play smart in the offensive zone and be more responsible on our chances."
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Pronger "Too Steep" - Potheir On The Comeback
The cost of pulling in the big names would wipe out two years of good draft picks for the Capitals. So when general manager George McPhee was faced with the choice, he choose to error on the side of prospects.
"For us to do anything, it had to be an upgrade on what we had, and based on what was out there, there were not a lot of upgrades we saw that we could do," McPhee addressed reporters. "Guys like Pronger and Bouwmeester, but the price to get into that game wasn't something we were willing to pay. We had some discussions with Anaheim and it wouldn't make sense to go after Bouwmeester and have the guy be a free agent."
I could not agree more. Why work so hard to get good draft picks just to waste them on a rental player. It took three young players to land the Coyote's Derek Morris, a price the Rangers paid for a marginal defenseman. The cost for an All Star blue liner would be something that would go against what the Caps have worked so hard to build.
In other news Brian Potheir has been sent down to Hershey to start his recovery. There is a possibility that he could see some action by the end of the year. He was a big reason why McPhee didn't really persue Morris or any other defenseman.
The conditioning stint for Potheir is the biggest of his carreer. McPhee made no bones about it, if he suffers a setback now, his life as a hockey player is over. Staffan Kronwall was also sent to Chocolate Town.
"For us to do anything, it had to be an upgrade on what we had, and based on what was out there, there were not a lot of upgrades we saw that we could do," McPhee addressed reporters. "Guys like Pronger and Bouwmeester, but the price to get into that game wasn't something we were willing to pay. We had some discussions with Anaheim and it wouldn't make sense to go after Bouwmeester and have the guy be a free agent."
I could not agree more. Why work so hard to get good draft picks just to waste them on a rental player. It took three young players to land the Coyote's Derek Morris, a price the Rangers paid for a marginal defenseman. The cost for an All Star blue liner would be something that would go against what the Caps have worked so hard to build.
In other news Brian Potheir has been sent down to Hershey to start his recovery. There is a possibility that he could see some action by the end of the year. He was a big reason why McPhee didn't really persue Morris or any other defenseman.
The conditioning stint for Potheir is the biggest of his carreer. McPhee made no bones about it, if he suffers a setback now, his life as a hockey player is over. Staffan Kronwall was also sent to Chocolate Town.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Kronwall's Leagal, NHL Notes
Staffan Kronwall maybe seeing some significant playing time now that his green card as gone through. Kronwall adds size and some puck moving capabilities to the Capitals' blue line. And being pulled off waivers from a team struggling in tenth place in the Eastern Conference and going through a rebuilding phase to a team that has a commanding lead in the Southeast Division is not a bad transition.
Kronwall saw some significant time on the Caps' second unit power play during practice on Tuesday. Which leads me to believe that he will play a pretty big roll on the blue line and see some significant ice time this weekend. Now With Brian Potheir getting his sea legs back, the Capitals could be looking at a 9 man defensive unit going into the trade deadline. Remember, there is no salary cap past the deadline.
However, the defensive line still looks unsure of itself. That was painfully obvious in the Ranger game when the Caps lost a one goal lead twice against a team that was struggling offensively coming into last night. Their goaltender Jose Theodore has even given the Caps some outstanding goaltending, but in return the Caps still need to be responsible on the defensive end.
NHL Notes:
Kronwall saw some significant time on the Caps' second unit power play during practice on Tuesday. Which leads me to believe that he will play a pretty big roll on the blue line and see some significant ice time this weekend. Now With Brian Potheir getting his sea legs back, the Capitals could be looking at a 9 man defensive unit going into the trade deadline. Remember, there is no salary cap past the deadline.
However, the defensive line still looks unsure of itself. That was painfully obvious in the Ranger game when the Caps lost a one goal lead twice against a team that was struggling offensively coming into last night. Their goaltender Jose Theodore has even given the Caps some outstanding goaltending, but in return the Caps still need to be responsible on the defensive end.
NHL Notes:
- Penguins' Sergei Gonchar has been cleared to play. That is welcome news to the Pittsburgh faithful but is it too little too late? Hey, any way I can rain on their parade, I will. The Pens are still on the outside looking in, but they are only a point away from 8th place. With a big win against San Jose, we can't count them out just yet.
- In the Southeast Division, the battle between Florida and Carolina is red hot. Florida leads the fight with one point more than the 'Canes. But the Panthers are still 13 points from division leading Capitals. The pair play tonight and can be seen for free on Yahoo Sports. A good deal especially if you do not have Center Ice package or NHL Gamecenter Live.
- Things in Ottawa have turned from bad to ugly. Former head coach John Paddock called out GM Bryan Murray. Per the Camden Courier-Post:
"I think now he's [Bryan Murray] next in line. We were 14 games over .500 when I was fired. They're seven under now. Somebody needs to take responsibility for that. Whether the coaches he hired and fired were good or not, they're his players and they're either not playing good or can't play, one or the other."
Ooo, snap!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Caps End Rollercoaster November On Sour Note
Over the past month, we have seen the good, the bad and most definitely the ugly. This rocky road the Caps seem to find them on this season has them stuck trying to figure out if they are really good or not. The Caps started the month of November much how they ended it, underachieving.
The Capitals first game where they failed to score was on November 1st. Buffalo shut 'em down 5-0. Follow that up with a narrow overtime loss to Ottawa, both losses on the road. But a three game home stint was just what the Caps needed to get back on track. They knocked off the 'Canes, Rangers and Lightning in impressive fashion.
Alex Ovechkin broke his scoring drought with a redirect past his pal Olie Kolzig and the Caps seemed to fix what was ailing them. For another two games anyway. The Caps started a long western road trip with a home and home with the Devils. The Caps won their game at the phone booth, but lost to the Devils at the rock.
It looked like the Caps got over what ever kind of funk they were in as they beat Anaheim in their building on the second game of the western swing. But then it didn't go well after that. The Caps dropped the next three games and players dropped like flies due to injuries. They were manhandled in the next three, dropping to Los Angeles, San Jose and Minnesota.
In the process Jeff Schultz broke a finger, Mike Green hurt his shoulder, Tom Poti tweaked his groin and John Erskine got a few cobwebs up in the ol' noggin. Not to mention players like Sergei Fedorov and Alex Semin found themselves watching from the sky boxes nursing ailments.
When the Caps got back into friendlier confines, it seemed that a few call-ups was all the Caps needed to win the next two home games in pretty impressive fashion. They won the next two with a Hershey heavy roster that included call ups Graham Mink, Chris Bourque, Sami Lepisto, Karl Alzner, Tyler Sloan and Bryan Helmer.
The ship had been righted, well for two games at least, until the Capitals were embarrassed in Columbus being shutout 3-0. The Caps started November posting a goose egg, and they finished posting a second goose egg.
During the month of November we saw Tomas Fleischmann continue his pace for a 30 goal season. Ovi's point streak stretched to 10 games. Jose Theodore had a 4-2-1 record and had his frist shut out as a Capital. Nick Backstrom went on a 9 game point streak in which he posted a career high of 5 points against Devils.
What the Capitals need to work on for the month of December is consistency. Let's hope for consistenly good, and not consistenly bad. It seems when the Capitals have something rolling, it can be gone in a blink of an eye. And maybe this shut out in Columbus is a wake up call for the Caps that they have to be ready to play every night, home or away.
The Capitals first game where they failed to score was on November 1st. Buffalo shut 'em down 5-0. Follow that up with a narrow overtime loss to Ottawa, both losses on the road. But a three game home stint was just what the Caps needed to get back on track. They knocked off the 'Canes, Rangers and Lightning in impressive fashion.
Alex Ovechkin broke his scoring drought with a redirect past his pal Olie Kolzig and the Caps seemed to fix what was ailing them. For another two games anyway. The Caps started a long western road trip with a home and home with the Devils. The Caps won their game at the phone booth, but lost to the Devils at the rock.
It looked like the Caps got over what ever kind of funk they were in as they beat Anaheim in their building on the second game of the western swing. But then it didn't go well after that. The Caps dropped the next three games and players dropped like flies due to injuries. They were manhandled in the next three, dropping to Los Angeles, San Jose and Minnesota.
In the process Jeff Schultz broke a finger, Mike Green hurt his shoulder, Tom Poti tweaked his groin and John Erskine got a few cobwebs up in the ol' noggin. Not to mention players like Sergei Fedorov and Alex Semin found themselves watching from the sky boxes nursing ailments.
When the Caps got back into friendlier confines, it seemed that a few call-ups was all the Caps needed to win the next two home games in pretty impressive fashion. They won the next two with a Hershey heavy roster that included call ups Graham Mink, Chris Bourque, Sami Lepisto, Karl Alzner, Tyler Sloan and Bryan Helmer.
The ship had been righted, well for two games at least, until the Capitals were embarrassed in Columbus being shutout 3-0. The Caps started November posting a goose egg, and they finished posting a second goose egg.
During the month of November we saw Tomas Fleischmann continue his pace for a 30 goal season. Ovi's point streak stretched to 10 games. Jose Theodore had a 4-2-1 record and had his frist shut out as a Capital. Nick Backstrom went on a 9 game point streak in which he posted a career high of 5 points against Devils.
What the Capitals need to work on for the month of December is consistency. Let's hope for consistenly good, and not consistenly bad. It seems when the Capitals have something rolling, it can be gone in a blink of an eye. And maybe this shut out in Columbus is a wake up call for the Caps that they have to be ready to play every night, home or away.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Next Up: Sloan
According to Corey, Tyler Sloan has been called up from Hershey. Sloan, a gritty stay at home defenseman, will most likely make the western swing road trip with the Capitals. This might also put the kibosh on Sergei Fedorov's time as a defenseman (for now).
This also means that Tom Poti, Donald Brashear and Viktor Kozlov may not make the trip.
The Capitals are a bit up against the salary cap, which maybe the reason Karl Alzner's name wasn't called. The Caps would have to take his signing bonus into account, and that would put the Caps over.
This also means that Tom Poti, Donald Brashear and Viktor Kozlov may not make the trip.
The Capitals are a bit up against the salary cap, which maybe the reason Karl Alzner's name wasn't called. The Caps would have to take his signing bonus into account, and that would put the Caps over.
Friday, December 28, 2007
A Disgusting Loss
Capitals 3, Penguins 4 OT
Scoresheet - Wash Post
Um, wow... okay. That sucked. The Capitals give one away after such a gritty performance. The Caps took a lead into the third period and looked as if they had control of the game only to see it slip away in the final seconds of a penalty kill, then a overtime killer by former Capital Sergei Gonchar. Not to mention the Capitals lost two men to injuries, Brent Johnson and Alex Ovechkin.
It was the second game in two nights for the Caps, while the Penguins first game since the holiday break. The Caps just ran out of gas. Donald Brashear got the Capitals' first goal and Brian Potheir continued his scoring ways. Both tallies tied the game up early in the second. Alex Ovechkin on a give away gave them the lead for his 26th of the season. Then everything fell apart in the third.
On the Penguins second goal late in the first, Brent Johnson scrambled for the puck and twisted what looked to be his right knee, but reports claim his left knee was sprained. Bring in Olie Kolzig. Then early in the third Ovie got a cut on his leg and did not return. Although Ovechkin needed stitches, the injury is not serious.
The Penguins had legs in the third and you could see that. The Capitals didn't. While they held Sid "the Kid" Crosby with out a goal, they gave him a little too much attention in the overtime frame, leaving Gonchar a wide open net.
What puzzles me the most about this loss was the Caps were so close to winning it in regulation. But they took a bad penalty. The Penguins looked like they weren't going to be able to convert it until a face off late in the man advantage. If the Capitals won that face off, game over, but Brooks Laich lost it. Where was David Steckel to take the draw, or Nick Backstrom who was 68% on his draws in this game?
The Caps gain a point for at least making it to overtime. That ties them with Tampa Bay for last in the Eastern Conference. The Caps don't have much time to dwell on this loss with a game coming up on Saturday night in Ottawa. The Senators will be looking for some revenge after the Caps slowed down the bunch with a 4-1 win in early November. The Caps better find their legs and stay healthy if they want a repeat preformance.
Scoresheet - Wash Post
Um, wow... okay. That sucked. The Capitals give one away after such a gritty performance. The Caps took a lead into the third period and looked as if they had control of the game only to see it slip away in the final seconds of a penalty kill, then a overtime killer by former Capital Sergei Gonchar. Not to mention the Capitals lost two men to injuries, Brent Johnson and Alex Ovechkin.
It was the second game in two nights for the Caps, while the Penguins first game since the holiday break. The Caps just ran out of gas. Donald Brashear got the Capitals' first goal and Brian Potheir continued his scoring ways. Both tallies tied the game up early in the second. Alex Ovechkin on a give away gave them the lead for his 26th of the season. Then everything fell apart in the third.
On the Penguins second goal late in the first, Brent Johnson scrambled for the puck and twisted what looked to be his right knee, but reports claim his left knee was sprained. Bring in Olie Kolzig. Then early in the third Ovie got a cut on his leg and did not return. Although Ovechkin needed stitches, the injury is not serious.
The Penguins had legs in the third and you could see that. The Capitals didn't. While they held Sid "the Kid" Crosby with out a goal, they gave him a little too much attention in the overtime frame, leaving Gonchar a wide open net.
What puzzles me the most about this loss was the Caps were so close to winning it in regulation. But they took a bad penalty. The Penguins looked like they weren't going to be able to convert it until a face off late in the man advantage. If the Capitals won that face off, game over, but Brooks Laich lost it. Where was David Steckel to take the draw, or Nick Backstrom who was 68% on his draws in this game?
The Caps gain a point for at least making it to overtime. That ties them with Tampa Bay for last in the Eastern Conference. The Caps don't have much time to dwell on this loss with a game coming up on Saturday night in Ottawa. The Senators will be looking for some revenge after the Caps slowed down the bunch with a 4-1 win in early November. The Caps better find their legs and stay healthy if they want a repeat preformance.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
When Garbage Is Beautiful
Capitals 3, Lightning 2
Scoresheet - Wash Post
If I told you that Vincent Lacavalier scored twice for the Lightning and Alex Ovechkin had only an assist, you would probably think the Capitals dropped their post Christmas foray with Tampa Bay. How wrong you would be my friend. On a night where "interim" was dropped from Bruce Boudreau's business card, the garbage goals reigned supreme for the Caps and they cashed in.
David Steckel was a monster in this game with a garbage goal of his own and two assists. Brian Potheir scored the only pretty goal, a laser from the top of the circle. Matt Bradley was credited with the game winner after crashing the net on a Steckel shot and somehow it found it's way in the back of the cage that looked as if it was off it's moorings. Bradley also had an assist and was a +3. Steckel only finished with a +2 (he stepped off the ice with linemate Quintin Laing when Potheir scored his goal, Bradley was still in front of the net) but did walk away with the number one star.
The Capitals simply outworked the Lightning to give their new coach a big win. While Ovie was scoreless in his 200th NHL game, it seemed the 4th line stepped to the challenge and that was huge. Olaf Kolzig again looked shaky at times and brilliant for the rest. He seems to be averaging 1 to 2 soft goals a game. As long as the Caps can make that up, it may not matter.
The Caps' powerplay is also seemed to hit a rut. The Capitals were unable to convert on 4 chances. Although I do think the squad is gaining in some confidence. It also seems the Caps are doing all of this with out taking bad penalties, how about just one penalty. Ovie was called for the only Capitals penalty which was holding in the third. The Capitals were able to fight it off. I guess the best way to kill off penalties is to not take any. It's a good plan.
Scoresheet - Wash Post
If I told you that Vincent Lacavalier scored twice for the Lightning and Alex Ovechkin had only an assist, you would probably think the Capitals dropped their post Christmas foray with Tampa Bay. How wrong you would be my friend. On a night where "interim" was dropped from Bruce Boudreau's business card, the garbage goals reigned supreme for the Caps and they cashed in.
David Steckel was a monster in this game with a garbage goal of his own and two assists. Brian Potheir scored the only pretty goal, a laser from the top of the circle. Matt Bradley was credited with the game winner after crashing the net on a Steckel shot and somehow it found it's way in the back of the cage that looked as if it was off it's moorings. Bradley also had an assist and was a +3. Steckel only finished with a +2 (he stepped off the ice with linemate Quintin Laing when Potheir scored his goal, Bradley was still in front of the net) but did walk away with the number one star.
The Capitals simply outworked the Lightning to give their new coach a big win. While Ovie was scoreless in his 200th NHL game, it seemed the 4th line stepped to the challenge and that was huge. Olaf Kolzig again looked shaky at times and brilliant for the rest. He seems to be averaging 1 to 2 soft goals a game. As long as the Caps can make that up, it may not matter.
The Caps' powerplay is also seemed to hit a rut. The Capitals were unable to convert on 4 chances. Although I do think the squad is gaining in some confidence. It also seems the Caps are doing all of this with out taking bad penalties, how about just one penalty. Ovie was called for the only Capitals penalty which was holding in the third. The Capitals were able to fight it off. I guess the best way to kill off penalties is to not take any. It's a good plan.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Caps Start Roadtrip With 2 Points
Capitals 3, Lightning 2
Scoresheet - Wash Post
Brian Pothier's game certainly turned around after a healthy scratch a few games ago. Pothier has become a much more sure puckhandler and ratcheted up his physical play. His power play goal in the third period was the mark that the Capitals were able to hold on to against the Lightning at the St. Pete Times Forum.
The confidence factor is alive and well in the Capitals now that they have 4 wins in the last 5 games. They will need that against the Red Wings Monday night. Quintin Laing and Tomas Fleischmann also scored for the Caps and Alex Ovechkin's point streak comes to an end at 7 games. Ovie was a little off in this game as he missed on a breakaway opportunity and was a -2 on the night. His longest point streak of this season has been 9 games.
Shaone Morrisonn has quietly been shutting top lines down this season. While Mike Green has been getting offensive accolades, Morrisonn has been a defensive monster on the ice. Watching this game I have seen one of his better performances as a Capital yet, and his name is nowhere to be seen on the scoresheet. But every Lightning rust with Shaone on the ice ended with him breaking it up. He was aggressive when he needed to be and had very timely poke checks and more important, he never turned the puck over. While Shaone was a -2 in this game, neither goal was really his fault, and there were times that Morrisonn was able to thwart attacks late in the game to preserve the Caps' lead.
Brent Johnson did okay in net, he let a soft one in on the first goal, but for the most part he look pretty confident in the crease. What might have been the big accomplishment in this game was the fact the Capitals did not look past the Lightning and did not have the Red Wings game to distract their game in Tampa. I think it's easy for a team to be caught looking ahead, but Bruce Boudreau has these guys focused game by game.
Bring on Detriot!
Scoresheet - Wash Post
Brian Pothier's game certainly turned around after a healthy scratch a few games ago. Pothier has become a much more sure puckhandler and ratcheted up his physical play. His power play goal in the third period was the mark that the Capitals were able to hold on to against the Lightning at the St. Pete Times Forum.
The confidence factor is alive and well in the Capitals now that they have 4 wins in the last 5 games. They will need that against the Red Wings Monday night. Quintin Laing and Tomas Fleischmann also scored for the Caps and Alex Ovechkin's point streak comes to an end at 7 games. Ovie was a little off in this game as he missed on a breakaway opportunity and was a -2 on the night. His longest point streak of this season has been 9 games.
Shaone Morrisonn has quietly been shutting top lines down this season. While Mike Green has been getting offensive accolades, Morrisonn has been a defensive monster on the ice. Watching this game I have seen one of his better performances as a Capital yet, and his name is nowhere to be seen on the scoresheet. But every Lightning rust with Shaone on the ice ended with him breaking it up. He was aggressive when he needed to be and had very timely poke checks and more important, he never turned the puck over. While Shaone was a -2 in this game, neither goal was really his fault, and there were times that Morrisonn was able to thwart attacks late in the game to preserve the Caps' lead.
Brent Johnson did okay in net, he let a soft one in on the first goal, but for the most part he look pretty confident in the crease. What might have been the big accomplishment in this game was the fact the Capitals did not look past the Lightning and did not have the Red Wings game to distract their game in Tampa. I think it's easy for a team to be caught looking ahead, but Bruce Boudreau has these guys focused game by game.
Bring on Detriot!
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Finally, A Win
Capitals 2, Panthers 1
Scoresheet - Wash Post
What can I say about this one, the Caps actually played a pretty good road game. The Panthers though did look ripe for the picking, and the Capitals finally sneak a couple by Tomas Vokoun to register a mark in the win column. It took four games and three losses against the Miami squad to finally beat them, but the Capitals pulled out a win.
Alex Ovechkin was a little frustrated in this one, but he did go away with the game winning goal. After back to back penalties (a phantom high stick on a clean hit and a deserved cross checking when Ovie took out a Florida player right into the goal post), Ovie settled down a little bit and got back to what Ovechkin does best, shoot like crazy. Eventually one snuck in an extreme angle for his 20th goal and kept the Caps to the good for the rest of the game.
Brent Johnson was in goal and was good and Brian Potheir got on the scoreboard as well with his second of the year. Matt Pettinger had his fair share of chances in this game but just couldn't put the puck in the net. If it weren't for his bad luck he would have no luck at all, even hitting the post on an virtual empty net. Nick Backstrom had a tough game too. The rookie didn't get any love from the panthers after getting thrown down by the head on more than one occasion. No penalty was assessed.
The Caps actually look like they are on the verge, and it might be Bruce Boudreau's new system that the team will be working on this week. The Caps have a few days to work in a new system the hopefully will breed more offense out of this lackluster offense.
Another thing that concerned me as I listened to the out of town play by play on my XM Satellite radio was the commentators talking about Ovechkin possibly leaving at the end of the year. They continued by saying that the Caps had offered a deal to the Ovechkin that would make him the highest paid player in the league, but the it was Ovie that was stalling the talks in maybe an effort to go somewhere else. That worries me greatly if that is true.
Scoresheet - Wash Post
What can I say about this one, the Caps actually played a pretty good road game. The Panthers though did look ripe for the picking, and the Capitals finally sneak a couple by Tomas Vokoun to register a mark in the win column. It took four games and three losses against the Miami squad to finally beat them, but the Capitals pulled out a win.
Alex Ovechkin was a little frustrated in this one, but he did go away with the game winning goal. After back to back penalties (a phantom high stick on a clean hit and a deserved cross checking when Ovie took out a Florida player right into the goal post), Ovie settled down a little bit and got back to what Ovechkin does best, shoot like crazy. Eventually one snuck in an extreme angle for his 20th goal and kept the Caps to the good for the rest of the game.
Brent Johnson was in goal and was good and Brian Potheir got on the scoreboard as well with his second of the year. Matt Pettinger had his fair share of chances in this game but just couldn't put the puck in the net. If it weren't for his bad luck he would have no luck at all, even hitting the post on an virtual empty net. Nick Backstrom had a tough game too. The rookie didn't get any love from the panthers after getting thrown down by the head on more than one occasion. No penalty was assessed.
The Caps actually look like they are on the verge, and it might be Bruce Boudreau's new system that the team will be working on this week. The Caps have a few days to work in a new system the hopefully will breed more offense out of this lackluster offense.
Another thing that concerned me as I listened to the out of town play by play on my XM Satellite radio was the commentators talking about Ovechkin possibly leaving at the end of the year. They continued by saying that the Caps had offered a deal to the Ovechkin that would make him the highest paid player in the league, but the it was Ovie that was stalling the talks in maybe an effort to go somewhere else. That worries me greatly if that is true.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
One Flipping Goal
Capitals 1, Penguins 2
Scoresheet - Wash Post
There are a couple of things that bothered me about this game at the Mellon Arena, er, I mean the Verizon Center. First of all, why were the Caps wearing their away colors? Let's make the home team feel even more not at home. It was suppose to be a white wash or something like that, what happened to the sea of red for the home game? I don't get it, do one thing. That is it, either have us wear red or white, but don't go back and forth.
Second, where is this high powered offense? One goal against a team that has a soft defense and a shaky goaltender. What the heck is going on here?
The Caps again failed to follow through on the many chances they had to put the puck in the back of the net. Brent Johnson played one of the best games I have seen him play as a Capital and it was to a loss. The Capitals were able to keep another high powered offense to just two tallies, but where are the Caps' goals. Who is putting the puck in the net? Who is out there to help Alex Ovechkin? Brian Pothier scored the Caps lone goal.
The Capitals have now lost 4 in a row including two on home ice. This can't be good. They are heading down the Atlanta route if this continues. Ovechkin was held pointless, Micheal Nylander and Nick Backstrom both had an assist. Among the list of Capitals yet to score a goal this season: Nick Backstrom, Matt Pettinger, Matt Bradley, Chris Clark and David Steckel.
The Caps face Tampa Bay next at home. This will be no easy test, and if the Caps can't fix what's broken, make it 5 losses in a row. Maybe the Caps will at least wear the home sweaters and get one thing right.
Also, we wanted to thank the Penguin fans for selling out the building for the first time in a while. The home town support for the Capitals was less than stellar. Ah, the frustration of being a Capitals fan.
Scoresheet - Wash Post
There are a couple of things that bothered me about this game at the Mellon Arena, er, I mean the Verizon Center. First of all, why were the Caps wearing their away colors? Let's make the home team feel even more not at home. It was suppose to be a white wash or something like that, what happened to the sea of red for the home game? I don't get it, do one thing. That is it, either have us wear red or white, but don't go back and forth.
Second, where is this high powered offense? One goal against a team that has a soft defense and a shaky goaltender. What the heck is going on here?
The Caps again failed to follow through on the many chances they had to put the puck in the back of the net. Brent Johnson played one of the best games I have seen him play as a Capital and it was to a loss. The Capitals were able to keep another high powered offense to just two tallies, but where are the Caps' goals. Who is putting the puck in the net? Who is out there to help Alex Ovechkin? Brian Pothier scored the Caps lone goal.
The Capitals have now lost 4 in a row including two on home ice. This can't be good. They are heading down the Atlanta route if this continues. Ovechkin was held pointless, Micheal Nylander and Nick Backstrom both had an assist. Among the list of Capitals yet to score a goal this season: Nick Backstrom, Matt Pettinger, Matt Bradley, Chris Clark and David Steckel.
The Caps face Tampa Bay next at home. This will be no easy test, and if the Caps can't fix what's broken, make it 5 losses in a row. Maybe the Caps will at least wear the home sweaters and get one thing right.
Also, we wanted to thank the Penguin fans for selling out the building for the first time in a while. The home town support for the Capitals was less than stellar. Ah, the frustration of being a Capitals fan.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
O' Canada
Canada romped the Finns 4-2 for gold in the IIHF's World Championship winning their 24th gold medal overall in hockey. It ends two weeks of relatively obscure hockey across the pond in Moscow. Russia holds on to win in the Bronze Medal Game beating Sweden 3-1. If you are wondering how our Capitals did, well wonder no more. I did all the stat digging for you. I am sure the boys over at On Frozen Blog who were there have a better scoop than me.
Alex Ovechkin
Ovie finished with just one goal and two assists. He was a +1, and assessed 29 PIM. Not his best work. He might have been a little shaken up though after a shocking hit on a Swiss player after stepping out of the penalty box. The player hit left the game with a concussion.
Although he didn't have the numbers, he was a very potent offensive threat for Russia. He always seemed to be on the ice for a Russian goal, but also on the ice for goals against Russia. Ovie had 3 points, but 14 other Russian players matched that or were better. The numbers just weren't there for Ovechkin.
Chris Clark
He captained the U.S. squad and had a great start to the tournament, only to lose his scoring touch late in the tournament. Clark finished with 2 goals and one assist. He was USA's grinder in this tournament, always in front of the net and mixing it up along the boards.
The Americans gave a much better performance than in the Olympics in Turin. But their medal hopes were dashed after a shoot out loss against Finland. The Finns went on to beat Russia and lose to Canada in the gold medal game.
Brian Potheir
Not a huge stand out on the American squad, Potheir did make a difference on speeding up the defensemen for this tournament. Potheir never produced any offense other than one assist but while Team USA's defensemen of the past were big bruisers Potheir added speed and offensive threat that the Americans have a hard time producing.
Milan Jurcina
I didn't see a whole lot of Jurcina, but I heard he had quite the tournament. He had a goal and an assist and was a +6. He played well against some top lines and always seemed ready to help produce.
In big game situations, Jurcina responded well. Staying defensively sound and helping his team score in clutch situations. He is certainly coming into his own as a defensemen, and hopefully that can translate into next season rewards.
Nicklas Backstrom (future Capital)
So he is not a Capital yet. And I am not going to count my chickens before they hatch. Backstrom's father promised his boy would be in a Capitals' uniform next season, but other sources say he may stay in Sweden for another year.
That being said, Nick had an okay tournament. Although his team Sweden did not medal, they did play well. Backstrom finished with 1 goal and 5 assists, proving he is a set up man, and most likely will play that role on the Capitals squad. Backstrom held his own against some NHL Caliber teams and his feisty attitude should fit in with a scrapper of a club like the Caps.
All in all it was a pretty good tournament, Canada can breath a collective sigh of relief now that the gold is in their pocket and USA Hockey looks pretty good considering they went with a younger squad. Maybe one of these days they will broadcast the Championships next time here, but don't hold your breath.
By the way, we could be looking at the opening lineup for the '07-'08 season.
Alex Ovechkin
Ovie finished with just one goal and two assists. He was a +1, and assessed 29 PIM. Not his best work. He might have been a little shaken up though after a shocking hit on a Swiss player after stepping out of the penalty box. The player hit left the game with a concussion.
Although he didn't have the numbers, he was a very potent offensive threat for Russia. He always seemed to be on the ice for a Russian goal, but also on the ice for goals against Russia. Ovie had 3 points, but 14 other Russian players matched that or were better. The numbers just weren't there for Ovechkin.
Chris Clark
He captained the U.S. squad and had a great start to the tournament, only to lose his scoring touch late in the tournament. Clark finished with 2 goals and one assist. He was USA's grinder in this tournament, always in front of the net and mixing it up along the boards.
The Americans gave a much better performance than in the Olympics in Turin. But their medal hopes were dashed after a shoot out loss against Finland. The Finns went on to beat Russia and lose to Canada in the gold medal game.
Brian Potheir
Not a huge stand out on the American squad, Potheir did make a difference on speeding up the defensemen for this tournament. Potheir never produced any offense other than one assist but while Team USA's defensemen of the past were big bruisers Potheir added speed and offensive threat that the Americans have a hard time producing.
Milan Jurcina
I didn't see a whole lot of Jurcina, but I heard he had quite the tournament. He had a goal and an assist and was a +6. He played well against some top lines and always seemed ready to help produce.
In big game situations, Jurcina responded well. Staying defensively sound and helping his team score in clutch situations. He is certainly coming into his own as a defensemen, and hopefully that can translate into next season rewards.
Nicklas Backstrom (future Capital)
So he is not a Capital yet. And I am not going to count my chickens before they hatch. Backstrom's father promised his boy would be in a Capitals' uniform next season, but other sources say he may stay in Sweden for another year.
That being said, Nick had an okay tournament. Although his team Sweden did not medal, they did play well. Backstrom finished with 1 goal and 5 assists, proving he is a set up man, and most likely will play that role on the Capitals squad. Backstrom held his own against some NHL Caliber teams and his feisty attitude should fit in with a scrapper of a club like the Caps.
All in all it was a pretty good tournament, Canada can breath a collective sigh of relief now that the gold is in their pocket and USA Hockey looks pretty good considering they went with a younger squad. Maybe one of these days they will broadcast the Championships next time here, but don't hold your breath.
By the way, we could be looking at the opening lineup for the '07-'08 season.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Clark Contributes, USA Off To Good Start
U.S.A. got a great start in the IIHF World Championships with a solid win 6-2 against opening round opponent Austria. Chris Clark scored in the second to make it 4-1. Brian Pothier had an assist. In related news, Alex Ovechkin had an assist and a "spectacular" goal in Russia's 9-1 rout of Denmark.
Just about every european team has advertisements on their helmets and jerseys, which begs the question, when will USA and Canada follow suit to supplement their finances? Would you want to see a Dodge sticker on the helmets of the USA players? I am all for organzations doing what they can to make money and I am a little surprised it hasn't hit the NHL yet. But then again, it could get out of hand, like soccer (where my friend still thinks that the Fly Emerites team is pretty darn good).
Just about every european team has advertisements on their helmets and jerseys, which begs the question, when will USA and Canada follow suit to supplement their finances? Would you want to see a Dodge sticker on the helmets of the USA players? I am all for organzations doing what they can to make money and I am a little surprised it hasn't hit the NHL yet. But then again, it could get out of hand, like soccer (where my friend still thinks that the Fly Emerites team is pretty darn good).
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