Gameday: at Florida, Feb. 1

Maybe, one of these days, Sasha will break out...

The Washington Capitals are in Sunrise, Florida, this evening to take on the Panthers in a critical game for their playoff hopes as the final drive commences.  The Capitals, who lost in overtime in Tampa last night, is 5-3-2 in their last ten games and 26-19-4 overall for 56 standings points in 49 games.  They are therefore first in the Southeast Division, one point above these Panthers with one more game played, and third in the Eastern Conference, solely based on their Divisional seeding.  The Panthers, who lost in overtime in their last game before the break, are 3-3-4 in their last ten games and 22-15-11 overall for 55 standings points in 48 games.  Those 55 standings points place them second in the Southeast Division and ninth overall in the East.  This is the third of six meetings between these two clubs this season; the season series is split 1-1.

Scott Clemmensen will make the start in goal for Kevin Dineen's men because of an injury to regilar starter Jose Theodore.  Clemmensen is 6-2-5 on the year with a 2.72 GAA, .914 save percentage, and one shutout.  Outside the crease, the Panthers will be without defensemen Dmitry Kulikov (knee) and Ed Jovanovski (hand), who are both on the sideline with long-term injuries.  Winger Marco Sturm, also a former Capital, could make his return following an extended absence because of a concussion, while forward Kris Versteeg (illness) is officially questionable.

Michal Neuvirth is the suprise starter in goal this evening for the Capitals. Neuvirth, who lost his last start in Pittsburgh ten days ago, is 6-7-3 on the year with a 3.08 GAA, .892 save percentage, and two shutouts.  On the injury front, both Nicklas Backstrom (concussion) and Mike Green (sports hernia surgery) are out.  Alex Ovechkin will also be absent as he serves the third and final game of his suspension.  Joel Rechlicz, who was completely and utterly useless in 1:59 of ice time Tuesday, will stay in the lineup over Jay Beagle.  Jeff Schultz will also get a jersey for just the seventh time in the last eight weeks and first time in over a month, at the expense of John Erskine.

Puck drops 8:08-ish.  Check back later.

VIDEO: Alex Ovechkin Watches His Own Highlights

Check out this Video about what hockey players really think, including Alex Ovechkin.

Gameday: at Tampa Bay, Jan. 31

Another big one tonight as the push commences.

The Washington Capitals are in Tampa Bay, Florida, this evening to take on the Lightning as they look to start hot out of the All-Star break.  The Caps, who somehow beat the Bruins last Tuesday in their final game before the break, are 5-4-1 over their last ten games and 26-19-3 overall for 55 standings points in 48 games.  Those 55 points place them first in the Southeast Division based on the number of wins they have, and third in the Eastern Conference, though there are many teams below them with more points.  The Lightning, who have won four in a row, are 4-5-1 over their last ten games and 21-23-4 overall for 46 standings points in 48 games.  Therefore they are fourth in the Southeast Division and twelfth overall in the East.  This is the third of six meetings between these two clubs this season; the Capitals have won both games so far, both by one goal and both inside Verizon Center.

Guy Boucher seems likely to go with Mathieu Garon in goal.  Garon, who made 22 saves in his last start, the last game before the All-Star break.  On the year Garon is 14-13-2 with a 2.92 GAA, .902 save percentage, and one shutout.  He has not faced the Capitals this year.  Outside the crease, the Bolts are expected to get a huge boost with the return of defenseman Victor Hedman, who has missed the last 13 games with a concussion.  Forwards Tom Pyatt and Adam Hall are also likely to return after missing extended periods.  They will, however, be without winger Ryan Malone (upper-body), defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron (upper body) and defenseman Mattias Ohlund (knee surgery).

Tomas Vokoun should get the call in goal from Dale Hunter, following a vey nice performance against the Bruins at home last Tuesday night.  Vokoun is 20-12 on the year with a 2.56 GAA, .916 save percentage, and two shutouts.  He is 2-0 against the Bolts this year, allowing eight goals in those 2 starts.  On the injury front, the Capitals will be without both Nicklas Backstrom (concussion) and Mike Green (sports hernia surgery).  Captain Alex Ovechkin will also be absent as he serves the second game of a three-match ban for a high hit in Pittsburgh nine days ago.  With the recent recall of Joel Rechlicz, the enforcer will make his Capitals debut over Jay Beagle.  One thing that is almost certain is that Jeff Schultz will be in the press box again, as John Erskine continues to dress.

Puck drops 7:39-ish.  Check back later.

Practice: Jan. 30

The Washington Capitals were on ice Monday afternoon at 2 PM as they returned from the All-Star break with a practice in preparation for Tuesday's matchup with the Lightning.  Some updates from Arlington:

Dennis Wideman was the only healthy Capital who took the day off, getting some time to rest following his participation in All-Star weekend.
The lines were as follows: (Ovechkin) Johansson-Perreault-Semin, Hendricks-Laich-Brouwer, Chimera-Halpern-Knuble, and Beagle-Eakin-Rechlicz-Ward. Related: if the recall of Joel Rechlicz leads to Joel Ward being healthy scratched, I give up.
Nicklas Backstrom again did not skate with his teammates, and did not work out on ice at all during the All-Star break.  The clock is ticking on George McPhee making a move for a center, and the wait is becoming excruciating.  Time to make the move now.

That's all for now.

Capitals Sign and Recall Joel Rechlicz, Recall Cody Eakin

Per a team release, the Washington Capitals have signed forward Joel Rechlicz to an NHL entry-level contract and recalled him to Washington from the Hershey Bears.  Rechlicz leads the AHL in PIMs this year with 184 and has two points, a goal and an assist.
The Capitals have also recalled Cody Eakin from the Bears.  Eakin has played most of the last three months in Washington, but spent the All-Star break in Hershey getting consistent playing time.
Washington practices at 2 PM on Monday; both players will partake in the skate.

Ovechkin Made the Right Call

Please check out my latest for Crash the Net, in which I defend Alex Ovechkin's decision to skip the All-Star game.  You can read the article here.

Rapid Rewind: Rebound

Read my RtR game recap here.

Gameday: vs. Boston, Jan. 24

The Caps will lean heavily on Sasha tonight.

The Washington Capitals will welcome the Boston Bruins to Verizon Center on Tuesday night as they try and shake a recent run of unsuccessful games and go into the All-Star break on a high note.  The Caps enter this game 5-4-1 in their last ten games and 25-19-3 overall for 53 standings points in 47 games.  The Capitals are therefore a point behind the Panthers for the Southeast Division lead and eighth in the Eastern Conference playoff race, barely hanging on.  The Stanley Cup Champion Bruins, however, are on the other end of the spectrum, flying high with a 6-3-1 record in their last ten and a 31-13-2 record overall for 64 standings points in 46 games.  Those 64 points place them first in the Northeast Division and second overall in the Eastern Conference.  This is the first of four meetings between these two clubs this season.

Tim Thomas, who skipped Monday's celebratory visit to the White House because he opposes President Obama's politics, has been benched and Tuukka Rask will play.  Rask, who made 30 saves on 33 shots in his last start against the Rangers, is 11-4-2 on the year with a 1.69 GAA, .943 save percentage, and three shutouts.  Outside the crease, Boston will be without Marc Savard, who has missed almost two years now with a concussion, as well as Nathan Horton, who has a "mild" concussion himself.  Defenseman Andrew Ference will miss tonight's game as well, as he will serve the second game of a three game ban for boarding New York's Ryan McDonagh on Saturday.

Tomas Vokoun wills start for Dale Hunter after Michal Neuvirth lost in Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon.  Vokoun is 19-12 on the year with a 2.55 GAA, .917 save percentage, and two shutouts, and was excellent in his last start in Carolina despite a 3-0 loss last Friday.  On the injury front, both Nicklas Backstrom (concussion) and Mike Green (sports hernia surgery) are out.  Captain Alex Ovechkin will start his three game suspension which was handed down to him late Monday for a hit during Sunday's loss to the Penguins and will not play.  After Tomas Kundratek was sent down to Hershey on Monday, look for John Erskine to remain in the lineup over Jeff Schultz (though this still makes no sense).

Puck drops 7:09-ish.

Alex Ovechkin Suspended Three Games

As reported by TSN's Bob McKenize, Washington Capitals Captain and left wing Alex Ovechkin has been suspended for three games for a hit on Pittsburgh's Zbynek Michalek during Sunday afternoon's game with the Penguins.
Ovechkin will miss three games: Tuesday against Boston, January 31st at Tampa Bay and February 1st at Florida.
The following is a video explaining the suspension, from NHL Vice President of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan.

Practice: Jan. 23

The Washington Capitals were on ice for practice Monday at 11 AM as they prepare to take on the Stanley Cup Champion Bruins at Verizon Center on Tuesday night.  Some updates from Kettler Capitals Iceplex:

Nicklas Backstrom skated for the first time since his injury, though he was only on the ice for five minutes and was not wearing any equipment.  Backstrom merely stickhandled, not doing anything strenuous.  It's a start, but Nick is still obviously a long way off.  He did not speak with reporters but Dale Hunter confirmed he would stay in Washington over the All-Star break.
Marcus Johansson returned to the practice ice after missing Sunday's game with the Penguins because of an illness.  Mathieu Perreault, however, remained on the top line, practicing with Alexander Semin and Johansson so he can take over in the likely instance that Alex Ovechkin gets suspended for DC's game against Boston.
The other lines were as follows: Hendricks-Laich-Brouwer, Chimera-Halpern-Knuble, and Beagle-Eakin-Ward.  Eeesh.

Check back later.

From the Inside Out

Check out my latest work for RocktheRed.net, in which I diagnose the Capitals' desperate need for a center - which was never more clear than during Sunday's loss to the Penguins.  Read the piece here.

Gameday: at Pittsburgh, Jan. 22

Can Jason Chimera play hero again?

The Washington Capitals are in Pittsburgh this afternoon as they try and rebound from a very poor showing on Friday night against the Hurricanes in Raleigh.  Washington enters this afternoon's primetime game with a 6-4-0 record in their last ten games and a 25-19-2 mark overall for 52 standings points in 46 games.  That total places them second in the Southeast Divisioin, two points back of the Panthers with a game in hand, and eighth in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins, who went ice cold around the New Year, have caught fire of late, winning their last five games.  They are 5-5-0 over their last ten and 26-17-4 for 56 standings points in 47 games.  That places them third in the highly competitive Atlantic Division and sixth overall in the East.  This is the fourth and final regular season meeting between these clubs this year; the Caps lead the season series 2-1.

Marc-Andre Fleury will receive his 21st consecutive start in goal today from coach Dan Bylsma.  Fleury made 34 saves in a 5-4 shootout win over Montreal on Friday, and is 24-12-2 on the year with a 2.24 GAA, .914 save percentage, and two shutouts.  Outside the crease, the Penguins are still missing Sidney Crosby with a concussion, and are also without Jordan Staal (knee) and Arron Asham (concussion).  Regardless of their injuries, Pittsburgh is still Pittsburgh, and Evgeni Malkin has been in beast mode recently.

After a very good performance against Carolina despite an undesirable result, Tomas Vokoun will likely receive the nets from Dale Hunter.  Vokoun is 19-12 on the year with a 2.55 GAA, .917 save percentage, and two shutouts, though he has been superb against the Penguins this year, stealing two games for Washington.  Mike Green (sports hernia surgery) and Nicklas Backstrom (concussion) are out and will not play.  Tomas Kundratek will likely remain in the lineup over Jeff Schultz, though it remains to be seen who will play within the forward corps, particularly after such a bad game on Friday.

Puck drops 12:40-ish.  Check back later.

Practice: Jan. 21

The Washington Capitals were on ice for a practice Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh following their 3-0 embarrassment against the Hurricanes on Friday night.  Some updates from the CONSOL Energy Center:

Dale Hunter changed up his lines again following Friday night's game.  They were as follows: Ovechkin-Johansson-Brouwer, Semin-Laich-Knuble, Chimera-Halpern-Ward, and Hendricks-Eakin-Perreault-Beagle.
Hunter, who said before the game with Carolina knew who would start tomorrow's game against the Penguins, was not divulging who his selection was after the skate.
Nicklas Backstrom now has not skated in over two weeks.

That's all for now.
Information from Steve Whyno was used in this post.

Rapid Rewind: Blown Out

Read my RtR game recap here.

Gameday: at Carolina, Jan. 20

Let's see if we can get this going again...

The Washington Capitals are in Raleigh, North Carolina, this evening to take on the Hurricanes as they look to build on their win over the Canadiens in Montreal on Wednesday night.  The Capitals enter this evening's game with a 7-3-0 record in their last ten games and a 25-18-2 record overall for 52 standings points in 45 games.  That total places them first in the Southeast Division and therefore third in the Eastern Conference, even though several teams with more points are below them in the standings.  Carolina, who has heated up of late, lost their last game in overtime and are 4-4-2 in their last ten and 16-24-8 overall for 40 standings points in 48 games.  They are last in the Southeast Division and the Eastern Conference with those 50 points.  This is the fourth of six meetings between these two clubs this year; Washington has won the first three.

Cam Ward will get the nets from Kirk Muller this evening, his seventh consecutive start in the Hurricanes' goal.  The always-busy goaltender, who has started 41 games this year, tops in the league, is 16-17-7 so far with a 3.01 GAA, .905 save percentage, and one shutout.  Outside the crease, though the Canes recently got Jeff Skinner back, they are still without three regulars: forward Chad LaRose (upper body), defenseman Jaroslav Spacek (upper body), and defenseman Joni Pitkanen (knee).

Tomas Vokoun will make his return to the Capitals' net after sitting the second half of a back to back in Montreal.  Vokoun, who had started ten in a row before that respite, is 19-11-0 on the year with a 2.53 GAA, .917 save percentage, and two shutouts.  On the injury front, Nicklas Backstrom (concussion) and Mike Green (sports hernia surgery) are out and will not play.   After John Erskine played against Montreal and did absolutely nothing except take a terrible penalty that straddled his teammates with six minutes of penalty kill time, Tomas Kundratek will play over Erskine on defense.  Mathieu Perreault will remain in the lineup over Jay Beagle following his goal against the Habs.

Puck drops 7:08-ish.

Rapid Rewind: Tabernac'd

Read my RtR game recap here.

Gameday: at Montreal, Jan. 18

Jay Beagle scores a goal on Carey Price in December 2010. 

The Washington Capitals are in Montreal, Quebec to take on the Canadiens this evening inside the Bell Centre as they look to rebound from a pathetic showing against the Islanders on Tuesday night.  Washington, who had won three in a row prior to Tuesday's egg, are 7-3-0 in their last ten games and 24-18-2 overall for 50 standings points in 44 games.  Those 50 points place them second in the Southeast Division, one point behind the Panthers, and eighth in the Eastern Conference, one point up on the Maple Leafs for the final playoff spot in the Conference.   The Canadiens, who beat the Rangers 4-1 on Sunday night, are 4-5-1 in their last ten games and 17-20-8 overall for 42 standings points in 45 games.  Those totals place them last in the Northeast Division and twelfth overall in the Eastern Conference.  This is the first of four meetings between these two clubs this season.

Carey Price will get the call in goal for Randy Cunneyworth after yielding the Canadiens' last game to Peter Budaj.  Price, who has emerged as one of the League's top goaltenders over the last 18 months, is 15-16-8 on the year with 2.44 GAA, .913 save percentage, and two shutouts, and will surely present a tough task for the Capitals' offense.  Outside of the goal crease, Montreal will be missing two of their best skaters.  Captain Brian Gionta is out after biceps surgery last week, forward Ryan White has a sports hernia, and defenseman Andrei Markov is out following ACL surgery last year and complications this season that have kept him from lacing up for a single game on this campaign. Forward Travis Moen (leg) is questionable.

Michal Neuvirth seems likely to get the call in goal from Dale Hunter in order to give Tomas Vokoun a respite after starting ten consecutive games, including last night against New York.  Neuvirth, who has not started a game since giving up three goals on six shots in Buffalo on Demember 26th, is 5-7-2 on the year with 3.23 GAA, .886 save percentage, and one shutout.  On the injury front, both Mike Green (sports hernia surgery) and center Nicklas Backstrom (concussion) are out and will not play for the Caps this evening.  John Erskine will play over Tomas Kundratek to give Washington a more physical player to help deal with Rene Bourque, who elbowed Backstrom in the head on January 3rd.  Mathieu Perreault will also suit up for the first time in over a week, taking Jay Beagle's place.  Jeff Schultz will remain on the bench.

Puck drops 7:40-ish from La Belle Province.

Rapid Rewind: Point Blanked

Read my RtR game recap here.

Gameday: vs. NY Islanders, Jan. 17

Two critical points await Alex Semin and the Caps tonight.

The Washington Capitals will welcome the New York Islanders to Verizon Center on Tuesday night as they look to close out a successful homestand with another victory.  The Capitals enter tonight's action with a 7-3-0 record in their last ten games and a 24-17-2 mark overall, good enough for 50 standings points in 43 games.  Those 50 points place them second in the Southeast Division, one point behind the Panthers with a game in hand, and seventh overall in the Eastern Conference.  New York, on the other hand, lost to the Predators 3-1 yesterday, are 5-5 over their last ten games, and 16-21-6 overall for 38 standings points in 43 games.  Those 38 points place them last in the Atlantic Division and fourteenth overall in the Eastern Conference.  This is the second of four meetings against the Isles this year; the Caps lost the first inside Nassau Coliseum 5-3 in early November.


Evgeni Nabokov will start for coach Jack Capuano after he yielded yesterday afternoon's start to Kevin Poulin.  Nabokov, who had started every game for the Islanders for three weeks prior to his respite yesterday, is 7-11 on the year with a 2.64 GAA, .909 save percentage, and no shutouts; he has nonetheless dominated the Capitals in his career to the tune of a 2.18 GAA and .929 save percentage.  New York also has two minor injuries: center Marty Reasoner (hand) and defenseman Mike Mottau (concussion) are out and will not play.

Tomas Vokoun will get the call in goal from Dale Hunter for the tenth consecutive game; he made 43 saves in a 2-1 win over the Hurricanes on Sunday, his last start.  On the year, the veteran Czech goaltender is 19-10-0 with a 2.52 GAA, .918 save percentage, and two shutouts.  On the injury front, both Mike Green (abdominal surgery) and Nicklas Backstrom (concussion) are on injured reserve and will not play.  Neither has even skated in over ten days.  Hunter also seems likely to keep his lineup together following three consecutive wins, which means that Tomas Kundratek will stay in over Jeff Schultz and John Erskine and Cody Eakin will stay in over Mathieu Perreault.


Puck drops 7:08-ish.  Follow me on Twitter here for game and morning skate updates.

Mike Green Out Four-to-Six Weeks

The Washington Capitals annoucned Monday that All-Star defenseman Mike Green, who has missed 33 of the team's 43 games this season, will be out four-to-six weeks as he undergoes abdominal surgery.
Green, who has been out for the majority of the last three months with a groin injury, has led the Capitals to a 9-1-0 record while he is in the lineup. Washington placed him on long-term injured reserve earlier in the week, which would have meant that the earliest he could re-join the team was February 1st. He will not be able to play now for at least two weeks beyond that, and probably much longer.
The abdominal surgery does have the goal of fixing Green's groin problem; this is not believed to be a aurgery that is the direct result of a new injury.
The Calgary, Alberta native has three goals and three assists in his ten games this year.

Practice: Jan. 16

The Washington Capitals were on ice Monday for an optional skate at Kettler Capitals Iceplex as they prepare for Tuesday night's game with the New York Islanders.  Some notes from Kettler Capitals Iceplex:

Just eight players took the option to skate: Erskine, Kundratek, Eakin, Neuvirth, Perreault, Schultz, Orlov, and Beagle.  They spent the skate in an up-tempo style, doing hard contact drills in the corners and shooting on Neuvirth, who has not started since the day after Christmas. Neuvirth does not know if he will play one of the two upcoming back to back games, and says that playing without his goalie coach has been exceptionally difficult recently.  Poor kid.
Neither Nicklas Backstrom nor Mike Green skated, and, according to Dale Hunter, they are still "day-to-day."  And yet, they are still nowhere to be found. Curious.

That's all for now.

Rapid Rewind: Vokouna-Matata

Read my RtR game recap here.

Alex Ovechkin Dances In Russian Rap Video

I think I'll just let this one speak for itself. (Tad NSFW in the middle).

Glory to the motherland, indeed.

Gameday: vs. Carolina, Jan. 15

DC needs to take advantage of their favorable schedule.

The Washington Capitals will welcome the Carolina Hurricanes to Verizon Center this evening as they attempt to carry forward some of the momentum that they have picked up from their current two game winning streak.  The Capitals enter this evening's contest with a 6-3-1 record over their last ten contests and a 23-17-2 record overall for 48 standings points in 42 games.  Those 48 points places them second in the Southeast Division, two points back of the Division-leading Panthers with one game in hand, and eighth overall in the Eastern Conference.  Carolina, on the other hand, enters tonight's game having won two in a row, with a 5-4-1 record over their last ten and 16-23-7 overall for 39 standings points in 46 games.  Those 39 points place them fourth in the Southeast Division and thirteenth overall in the Eastern Conference.  This is the third of six meetings between these two teams this season; the Capitals have won the first two.

Kirk Muller, who was named head coach of the Hurricanes just after Dale Hunter was appointed to lead the Caps, is expected to go with his workhorse, Cam Ward, in goal after he made 33 saves in a 4-2 win over the Bruins last night. Ward, who has started 39 games this year, is 16-16-6 in those 39 starts and has compiled a 3.09 GAA, .902 save percentage, and one shutout.  Outside the crease, the Hurricanes will receive a boost up front, as Calder Memorial Trophy holder and third-leading scorer Jeff Skinner will return after missing more than a month with a concussion.  Nevertheless, Carolina will be without three regulars: forward Chad LaRose (upper body), defenseman Jaroslav Spacek (upper body), and defenseman Joni Pitkanen (knee).

Michal Neuvirth seems likely to get the call in goal from Dale Hunter in order to give Tomas Vokoun a respite after starting eight consecutive games.  Neuvirth, who has not started a game since giving up three goals on six shots in Buffalo on Demember 26th, is 5-7-2 on the year with 3.23 GAA, .886 save percentage, and one shutout.  He has beaten the Hurricanes both times the Capitals have played them this season, stopping 53 of the 57 shots he has faced in the process.  On the injury front, both Nicklas Backstrom (concussion) and Mike Green (groin) are on injured reserve and will not play.  Cody Eakin, who was recalled on Thursday and played Friday at the expense of Mathieu Perreault, will probably will be in the lineup again, as will Tomas Kundratek, who has played the last two games over John Erskine and Jeff Schultz.

Puck drops 5:09-ish.

Eeking it Out

Though the Washington Capitals have won games more often than they have lost them recently, especially on home ice, the victories have not come without nerves.  In four of the Capitals' last five games, they have scored the first goal, an act that often breeds success for Washington.

Three of those four games, the Capitals have won, which, obviously, is the desired result.  What has not been desired, however, is the fashion in which they have won those games; Washington has established a lead before waiting back and playing defense instead of attacking with the same vigor than they do at the start.

Predictably, this has allowed other teams to gain momentum and generate a large number of scoring chances.  During Friday night's win against Tampa Bay, this recent trend came to a head, as after falling behind 3-0 in the game's opening 25 minutes, took advantage of the Capitals' passive play to score three of the next four goals, including two in the final three and a half minutes, and almost steal a win.

"We miss how many goals in the last five minutes?," asked Tampa Bay coach Guy Boucher following that game.  You outshoot your opponent 32-20 in their barn?  Can't do much more than that."

For a team that has sky-high expectations, both within the organization and in the fan base, that is not the desired way to win hockey games.  A win is a win, but allowing teams to fight back into the game is a disturbing trend that the Capitals themselves are eager to buck.

Practice: Jan. 14

The Washington Capitals were on ice for a practice Saturday morning following their 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night. Some updates from Kettler Capitals Iceplex:

After a game with new lines, Dale Hunter returned to his old units for this skate.  The lines were as follows: Ovechkin-Johansson-Semin, Knuble-Laich-Brouwer, Ward-Halpern-Chimera, and Eakin-Hendricks-Beagle-Perreault.
Mike Green and Nicklas Backstrom were nowhere to be seen, again, as they continue to recover from groin and head injuries, respectively.  Dale Hunter would not provide an update on either player following practice, and neither has skated in over a week.

Check back later.

Rapid Rewind: Brouwer Power

Read my RtR game recap here.

Our Way of Life

Check out this incredible video that I found on YouTube last night. This could not be more true.

The end is kind of upsetting, but still unbelievably awesome. It will happen. One day, it will happen.
Thanks to Janne Mokkenen for the video.

Gameday: vs. Tampa Bay, Jan. 13

#OccupyTheNet

The Washington Capitals will welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning to Verizon Center on Friday night as they attempt to continue some of the momentum that they picked up with their 1-0 win over the hated Penguins on Wednesday.  The Caps enter tonight's game with a 6-3-1 record in their last ten games and a 22-17-2 mark overall for 46 standings points.  Those 46 standings points place them second in the Southeast Division, four points back of the division leading Panthers, and eighth overall in the Eastern Conference.  The Lightning, on the other hand, lost 5-2 to the Hurricanes last night, are 3-5-2 over their last ten games and 17-21-4 on the year for 38 standings points.  Those 38 standings points place the Bolts fourth in the Southeast Division and thirteenth overall in the East.  This is the second of six meetings between these two clubs this season; the Capitals won the first meeting 6-5, in a shootout, in early October.

Dwayne Roloson will get the call in nets from Guy Boucher after Mathieu Garon was blitzed by the Hurricanes last night, getting pulled in the process.  Roloson, on the year, is 6-9-2 with a 3.76 GAA, .880 save percentage, and one shutout. He lost his only start against the Caps this year, that game in October, allowing five goals and falling in the shootout.  Outside the crease, Tampa Bay is dealing with several injuries.  Defensemen Mattias Ohlund (knee) and Victor Hedman (concussion) are out, as is right winger Adam Hall, who suffered a torn pectoral muscle last week.

Tomas Vokoun is almost certain to receive the start in goal following his sparkling 30 save shutout performance against the Penguins on Wednesday.  On the year, Vokoun is 17-10-0 on the year with a 2.56 GAA, .915 save percentage, and two shutouts.  In his one start against the Bolts this year, the second game of the season, Vokoun allowed five goals but pulled out the win in a shootout.  On the injury front, both Nicklas Backstrom (concussion) and Mike Green (groin) are on injured reserve and will not play.  Cody Eakin, will play in place of Mathieu Perreault, while Jeff Schultz and John Erskine will be scratched for the second game in a row as Tomas Kundratek played well in his NHL debut.

Puck drops 7:08-ish.  Check back later.

Gameday: vs. Pittsburgh, Jan. 11

Another must-win game.

The Washington Capitals will welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Verizon Center tonight as they attempt to reclaim some momentum following a humiliating swing out west over the last five days.  The Capitals enter tonight 5-4-1 over their last ten games, having lost two in a row, and 21-17-2 overall for 44 standings points.  Those 44 points place them third in the Southeast Division, six behind leaders Florida, and tenth in the Eastern Conference.  The Penguins, on the other hand, have lost five consecutive games, including a 5-1 loss to the Senators last night, and are 21-16-4 overall for 46 standings points.  That point total places them fourth in the very competitive Atlantic Division and eighth overall in the East.  This is the third of four meetings between these two clubs this season; they have split the season series so far.

Dan Bylsma will call on Marc-Andre Fleury in goal tonight after he relieved Brent Johnson during last night's loss in Ottawa.  On the year, Fleury is 19-11-2 with a 2.32 GAA, .911 save percentage, and two shutouts, and always brings his A-game against the Capitals.  Outside the crease, Pittsburgh is decimated by injuries.  Sidney Crosby (concussion), Kris Letang (concussion), and Jordan Staal (knee) are all out with long-term injuries, while defenseman Paul Martin is questionable with an illness.  Winger James Neal, who has a broken foot, is expected to play despite his injury.

Tomas Vokoun seems the likely candidate to get the call in goal from Dale Hunter despite allowing four goals on 27 shots in his last start, during which he was pulled after two periods.  Vokoun is 16-10 on the year with a 2.66 GAA, .912 save percentage, and one shutout; he is 1-1 against Pittsburgh this season.  On the injury front, both Mike Green and Nicklas Backstrom will not play with groin and head injuries, respectively.  That means that Tomas Kundratek, who was called up this morning, will make his NHL debut, while John Erskine and Jeff Schultz will be scratched.

Puck drops 7:09-ish.

Gameday: at San Jose, Jan. 7

Washington hasn't won in San Jose in, well, a loong time...

The Washington Capitals are in San Jose, California this evening to take on the Sharks as they look to continue their recent momentum.  The Capitals, who are coming off a 3-1 win over Calgary on Tuesday, are 6-3-1 in their last ten games and 21-15-2 overall for 44 standings points. Those 44 standings points place them second in the Southeast Division, four back of the Panthers, and ninth overall in the Eastern Conference.  The Sharks, who won against Columbus on Thursday night, are 7-1-2 in their last ten games and 22-11-4 overall for 48 standings points.  Those 48 pace the Pacific Division and are third in the Western Conference.  This will be the the first of two regular season meetings between these two teams this season.

Todd McClellan will go with Antti Niemi in goal after the Finnish goaltender got a breather on Thursday.  On the year, Niemi is 17-7-4 with a 2.29 GAA, .918 save percentage, and one shutout; he made 26 saves in his last start, a 3-1 win over the Ducks Wednesday.  Outside the crease, the Sharks will be without big offseason acquisition and star winger Martin Havlat (leg), but both defensemen Jim Vandermeer (upper body) and Colin White (lower body) are questionable.

Tomas Vokoun will start his fifth consecutive game this evening following a very strong record in goal over the last twelve days.  On the year, Vokoun is 16-8-0 with a 2.51 record, .915 save percentage, and one shutout.  He made 18 saves in his last start, that 3-1 win over the Flames earlier this week.  On the injury front, Washington will be missing Nicklas Backstrom with a concussion despite the fact that he has been working out all this week.  Alexander Semin will return to the lineup in his stead, skating on the second line.  Both Jeff Schultz and John Erskine will take a seat, meaning Mathieu Perreault will get a sweater for the first time in over a week.

Puck drops 10:38-ish.

Practice: Jan. 6

The Washington Capitals were on ice for a practice Friday afternoon at HP Pavilion as they prepare to take on the Sharks Saturday tonight.  Some updates from San Jose:

Nicklas Backstrom missed the beginning of the skate while he was being evaluated, but joined his teammates after about 15 minutes, skating on a line with Marcus Johansson and Mike Knuble.  The other lines stayed the same from practice on Thursday: Ovechkin-Laich-Brouwer, Chimera-Halpern-Ward, and Perreault-Hendricks-Beagle-Semin.  It is worth noting that when Backstrom was not on the ice at the start of practice, Semin was with Johansson and Knuble on the second line.
After practice, Backstrom said that he felt good and hopes to be in the lineup against the Sharks, but that it's not his call.  Dale Hunter also indicated that Alexander Semin is ready, but it has not been decided if he will play against San Jose.  According to Capitals senior writer Mike Vogel, however, Semin will play. Oh boy.

That's all for now.
Thanks to Steve Whyno for some information used in this post.

Rounding the Corner?

For the Washington Capitals, the last five weeks have been a major adjustment.  Because regardless of how Bruce Boudreau coached Washington, his team almost always played a zone coverage in the defensive end of the rink.  Whether the focus of the system was offense or defense, that part of it remained the same.  It was a constant in an otherwise constantly shifting image of the Capitals.

In addition, there was he fact that a large percentage of the Capitals’ players had been using this style of play for four years under Boudreau.  When Dale Hunter was appointed the 15^th Head Coach in franchise history at the end of November, he incorporated a defensive system based on man-to-man coverage.  Changing from four years of passive, wait-and-see Boudreau defense to the up-tempo, speed-centric defense that Hunter employs predictably caused problems for some Capitals.

“It’s tough,” said defenseman Karl Alzner on December 19^th.  “Certain changes are easier than others.  Man-to-man is tougher.  It’s tougher to go from what we were doing, a zone coverage, because it’s pretty much you’re just in your zone and you kind of just move around.  Man-to-man makes you work quite a bit harder.  Sometimes you just get caught up, with one guy playing a zone and the other a man-to-man.  It’s tough to change.  You have to make sure you’re on your guy.  You can’t lose those battles.” 

For much of the first month of Hunter’s tenure, the Capitals were losing those battles.

Practice: Jan. 5

The Washington Capitals were on ice Thursday as they prepare to take on the San Jose Sharks on Saturday inside HP Pavilion.  Some updates from Kettler Capitals Iceplex:

Nicklas Backstrom was on the ice for practice, and participated fully, taking contact from his teammates and taking part in power play drills.  He skated on a line with Marcus Johansson and Mike Knuble, and after practice said he felt good and that the plan is for him to accompany his teammates out west for games against the Sharks and Kings.  All signs are positive, though Hunter would not commit to him playing against San Jose.
The other lines were as follows: Ovechkin-Laich-Brouwer, Ward-Halpern-Chimera, and Hendricks-Perreault-Beagle-Semin.  While it is certainly a good sign that Semin is skating, the fact that he is on the fourth line means he probably won't play Saturday, even though he will go on the trip.
Also a funny note from this morning, Karl Alzner was forced to wear a Russia jersey as a result of a lost bet over the result of Tuesday's Canada-Russia game at the World Junior Championships.  Said Alzner, who won two Gold Medals at the WJCs with team Canada (more on that here), "it was the worst morning of my life."

That's all for now.
Thanks to Adam Vingan for some information in this post.

Practice: Jan. 4

The Washington Capitals were on ice Wednesday for an optional skate as they prepare to travel West on Thursday and take on the Sharks Saturday.  Some updates from Kettler Capitals Iceplex:

The big story of the day was leading scorer Nicklas Backstrom, who suffered a head injury last night when he was elbowed the in the head by Rene Bourque.  Backstrom's brother, Kristoffer, tweeted early Wednesday that Nick was undergoing a concussion test; he then followed it up with another tweet saying that the test was inconclusive, and that he may have a small concussion or migraine.
Backstrom himself was not made available to the media.  His teammates, however, hope for the best.  Alex Ovechkin said that he didn't think Backstrom will miss any time, while Marcus Johansson said he wasn't doing "too bad." According to Dale Hunter, Backstrom also worked out off-ice on Wednesday and is, per Capitals tradition, "day-to-day."  "He seems fine," said the coach.
This goes without saying, but I'll go ahead and say it anyway: if Nicklas Backstrom is lost for any significant period of time, the Caps are toast.
Alexander Semin did skate, however, and he is also still day-to-day.  Hunter said that he would be evaluated tomorrow to see how his injury responds, but that there is no indication on his ability to go on the road trip or play in San Jose or Los Angeles.

That's all for now.
Thanks to Steve Whyno for some of the information in this post.

Rapid Rewind: Fantastic Four

Read my RtR game recap here.

Gameday: vs. Calgary, Jan. 3

Captain Alex Ovechkin has 4 goals in his last 2 games.

The Washington Capitals will welcome the Calgary Flames to Verizon Center this evening as they attempt to continue their winning ways over the last week. The Caps enter this evening's action 6-3-1 over their last ten games and 20-15-2 overall for a total of 42 standings points.  Those 42 points place them third in the Southeast Division, five behind division leader Florida with two games in hand, and ninth in the Eastern Conference, one point back of the final playoff spot with two games in hand.  The Flames, on the other hand, are 4-3-3 in their last ten and 18-17-5 overall for a total of 41 standings points.  As a result, they are third in the Northwest Division and twelfth overall in the Western Conference.  This is the one and only meeting between these two clubs this season.

Calgary coach Brent Sutter is expected to rely on top goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff this evening despite the fact that he was lit up for four goals in his last outing against the Predators.  On the year, Kipper has a 17-13-2 record, 2.45 GAA, .916 save percentage, and two shutouts.  He allowed seven goals the last time these two teams met, in Calgary last season on Halloween night.  The Flames will also be without some of their top players tonight because of injury.  Defensemen Mark Giordano (hamstring) and Derek Smith (high ankle sprain) are out, as is winger Alex Tanguay (upper body).

Dale Hunter will call on Tomas Vokoun in goal for the fourth consecutive game tonight.  Vokoun is 15-8-0 on the year with a 2.57 GAA, .914 save percentage, and one shutout, and has played very well against the Flames in his career as well.  On the injury front, defenseman Mike Green is scheduled to return to the lineup this evening after a 23 game absence because of a groin injury.  In order to help ease Green back into the lineup, the Caps will go with seven defensemen, meaning that Alexander Semin, who is nursing an injury on his right arm, will not play.  Mathieu Perreault and Jeff Schultz will be the healthy scratches.

Puck drops 7:11-ish because of two national anthems.  Check back later.

Practice: Jan. 2

The Washington Capitals were on ice Monday for a practice as they prepare to take on the Calgary Flames Tuesday night at Verizon Center. Some updates from Kettler Capitals Iceplex:

Alexander Semin was absent from practice, as he was given a "maintenance day."  Despite this, Dale Hunter would not commit to Semin playing against the Flames tomorrow.  In addition, according to a Caps spokesperson, Semin is not suffering from a cut on his arm, despite reports otherwise this morning.
As such, the lines were as follows: Ovechkin-Laich-Brouwer, Johansson-Backstrom-Knuble, Chimera-Halpern-Ward, and Perreault-Hendricks-Beagle. Mike Green, who skated for a full practice again Monday, is still progressing and could play tomorrow.  He said that this is the best he's felt since suffering his injury over 50 days ago and a determination on his status would be made after the morning skate.

That's all for now.

Happy New Year, Flyers Fans: Bobrovsky to Start Winter Classic

On Sunday morning after the Flyers practiced at Citizens Bank Park, candid goalie Ilya Bryzgalov dropped an absolute bombshell: he would not be playing in Monday's Winter Classic.  Without a doubt, this has to do with his recent string of poor performances, including giving up five goals on 16 shots against the Lightning earlier in the week.
Below, courtesy of Puck Daddy, is Bryzgalov's media session, which includes, along with the announcement, his plans for the day and him saying it "may not work" in Philadelphia.


Now THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is 51 million dollars well spent.  Eight more years...