Report Card: Marcus Johansson

D-d-dangles.  More, please.

Today I bring you the twenty-first installment in my "Report Card" series, as I continue my evaluation of each Capital throughout this past regular season and playoffs.  Today's player is Swedish center Marcus Johansson, who finished his second year in the organization this season.

Stats/Season Summary: Johansson played in 69 games this year, tallying 13 goals, 14 assists, a +2 rating, and 10 penalty minutes.  He missed almost all of his games in late October and early November with a lower body injury that many thought to be a groin injury.  Overall, he skated almost all of his minutes in the top nine, seeing time with Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, and Washington's other stars for spurts as well as centering the third line for long stretches.  MoJo also saw extended power play and penalty kill time as his ice time and role expanded.  He also got significantly better as the season wore along; his stats in the first half were rather anemic whereas his second half performance had Pierre McGuire gushing. Grade: B+
Role Play: Johansson wasn't originally expected to make the team, but when he did, it became clear that Bruce Boudreau wanted him to take on a scoring role from the beginning.  The slick Swede struggled with this at first, but as the year went on, he got better.  Boudreau tried to give him the second line center role full time at one point, which he wasn't ready for, but overall, he did was he was supposed to do and more, always collecting what seemed like clutch points down the stretch.  He exceeded all expectations, because to be honest, not many people, including me, expected much of anything very productive out of him this season. Grade: A
Playoffs: MoJo had an excellent playoffs, tallying two goals, four assists, a -2 rating, and 0 PIMs.  He was pretty consistent, too, and scored the second and third goals in game four of the Rangers series that probably allowed the Caps to win that game and make the second round in the playoffs.  For such a young player, he showed great poise as well in the postseason, poise that some veterans did not show.  He even managed two points in the Tampa series. Grade: B-
Future Potential: Johansson has all the tools, it's just a matter of putting them together and developing some more consistency.  He's fast, he can play defense, he can score, and he can't even drink yet (legally).  MoJo has nowhere to go but up, and he has the potential to score 80 or more points in a season with regularity, which would certainly solve the Caps's second line center problem for many years to come. Grade: A

The next report card will be posted on June 4th and will feature Brooks Laich.

Report Card: Matt Hendricks

Head down, skating hard.  As usual.

Today I bring you the twentieth installment in my "Report Card" series, as I continue my evaluation of each Capital throughout this past regular season and playoffs.  Today's player is checking center Matt Hendricks, who finished his first year in the organization this season.

Stats/Season Summary: Hendricks had avery good year offensively for a fourth-line player, tallying nine goals and 16 assists in 77 games.  He also collected a -2 rating and led the team in penalty minutes with 110 (most of these were fighting majors).  As I said before, Hendy saw most of his minutes in a limited fourth line role with occasional third line duty.  He also saw significant time on the penalty kill, and even got his kicks in with the man advantage, scoring a goal there.  He was by far the best and most versatile grinder I saw all season, and also managed to be rather consistent. Grade: B+
Role Play: When you're brought in on a flyer like Hendricks was, your job is to show up, work hard, and provide a spark for your team.  Hendricks fit this bill perfectly, giving the Capitals a shot in the arm all season and never being afraid to go out and fight the other teams' biggest and toughest guys.  He played all three positions on the fourth line and really was exactly the kind of player that the Caps were missing last year.  He did exactly what he was needed to do flawlessly, and exceeded all expectations for him. Grade: A
Playoffs: Hendricks did not have a good playoffs, being held pointless in seven games (he was a healthy scratch for two) and compiling a -2 rating and four PIMs when he did play.  He looked overmatched in both series for some reason and just struggled; maybe it was because of how much he played during the regular season and he was just tired from never doing it before.  But again, it's hard to pin the bad showing on him when everyone else was brutal too. Grade: C-
Future Potential: Hendricks was rewarded for his breakout year with a two-year contract extension during the winter, and don't expect him to go anywhere for the foreseeable future.  He is a desirable player because of his grit, versatility, and ability to score some, and the Caps need more people like him.  This is one of my favorite findings that the Caps have ever made, and he should be a regular for a long time. Grade: B

The next report card will be posted on June 3 and will feature center Marcus Johansson.

Rapid Rewind: Torres Blindsides Bruins

The Vancouver Canucks took game one of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final tonight, riding a 36-save shutout from Roberto Luongo and a last-minute goal from Raffi Torres to victory.  Tim Thomas was brilliant in nets for the Bruins, stopping 33 shots of his own and holding off the powerful Vancouver power play.

Vancouver got off to a flying start, controlling play within the first two minutes and getting four chances that were all thwarted by Thomas.  The Bruins were slowly able to get some momentum back and at 4:03 were awarded a 4 minute power play when Henrik Sedin was boxed for high-sticking.  The Bruins domintaed on their power play, generating nine shots, but Roberto Luongo was up to the task and Boston was not able to convert.  Chris Kelly was called for holding the stick himself at 8:47 but Vancouver could not convert either before Boston was given another man advantage after Alex Burrows was boxed for holding at 10:18.  The Canucks were able to kill that one off as well, however.  After more Boston pressure they were called for another infraction when Brad Marchand was given the gate for holding the stick at 12:27; Vancouver was dominant on their power play but were unable to convert.  As the period continued, both teams got some chances but neither could score the opening goal and the first period closed tied at 0.
Alex Burrows was called for roughing at 20:00 of the first period, so the Bruins got a power play that quickly turned into a 5 on 3 after 27 seconds when Kevin Bieksa was boxed for high-sticking.  Boston had some great chances during their extended power play time but were unable to score due to more good saves from Luongo.  Another penalty was handed out at 4:00 when David Krejci was called for cross-checking, but the Canucks didn't get anything going on it.  The Bruins continued to carry play after the man advantage and got some good shots off, but were called for another penalty at 9:28 when Dennis Seidenberg was sent off for kneeing.  Rich Peverley was then called for hooking at 9:56 to give Vancouver a long 5 on 3.  However it was negated at 10:02 when Alex Burrows was called for tripping.  All of the minors expired without incident, though Luongo was forced to make some nice saves again.  The Canucks slowly gained some momentum and the Bruins barely escaped a 1-0 deficit when Henrik Sedin bounced one off the post.  Vancouver got another power play at 17:50 when Patrice Bergeron was sent off for tripping, but they again could not convert and the 2nd period ended tied 0-0.
The Canucks came out hard in the third, but again were thwarted by two great saves from Tim Thomas to keep the game scoreless.  Vancouver kept pressing as the early stages of the frame continued and Jannik Hansen was sprung on a breakway about 5 minutes in, but Thomas made the save with his pad.  As the middle stages of the frame approached the Canucks continued to get the majority of the chances with great passing but again Thomas stood tall in the Boston cage.  Really buzzing inside of seven minutes left, Vancouver kept throwing pucks at the net and hit two posts to keep the game scoreless.  Finally, however, Raffi Torres collected a pass from Ryan Kesler inside the blue line and patted it home past Thomas for a 1-0 lead with only 18 seconds left.  That lead held up and the Canucks brought it home for a 1-0 series lead.

Observations:

What a game.  This is what you live for as a hockey fan, so much so that was on the edge of my couch the whole time even though, well, my team is out.  Both goalies were unbelievable and the action was fast-paced.  I can't wait for the rest.

Alex Burrows has some explaining to do.  TV camera's showed him apparently biting down on Patrice Bergeron's finger after the first period, which would be a suspendable offense if he was convicted.  This will be a big test for the NHL's new head of discipline, Brendan Shanahan, as the loss of Burrows would hurt the Canucks big time.

The Canucks may have suffered another loss due to injury in prized defenseman Dan Hamhuis.  Hamhuis left the game in the second period after being cross-checked in the head by David Krejci, and with his history of concussions, that is worrying for Vancouver.

Game two is Saturday night in Vancouver.

Report Card: Mike Knuble

After a long weekend of slacking, I am back with the nineteenth installment of my "Report Card" series, as I continue my evaluation of each Capital throughout this past regular season and playoffs.  Today's player is winger Mike Knuble, who just finished his second year in the organization.

Stats/Season Summary: Knuble played in 79 games this year, tallying 24 goals, 16 assists, a +10 rating, and 36 penalty minutes.  Most of the minutes he saw were on the top line, but he also played significant time on both the second and third units, and proved his versatility even further by getting time on both the power play and penalty kill.  Despite these overall solid numbers for someone of his age, though, 22 was not particularly productive over the first five months of the regular season, but was a beast in March.  March was the best month in terms of record in franchise history.  Coincidence?  Um, no. Grade: B-
Role Play: When George McPhee signed Knuble two summers ago, his goal was to bring in a veteran presence who could provide some scoring and play sidekick for Ovi and Nicky.  Though he struggled for the better part of five months with his scoring role, he never struggled with the leadership part of his job, commanding respect in the locker room.  It was almost like him getting hot was a bonus in March, but his elevated play and ability to play sidekick again was one of the reasons that Washington got hot in the early spring. Grade: B-
Playoffs: Knuble did not have a particularly good playoffs, though it was largely not his fault.  After scoring a goal in game three of the Rangers series, Knuble missed the next three playoff games with a broken finger that required surgery and pins.  He came back to play through it for games 2-4 of the Tampa Bay series, and even though he scored a goal, was not particularly effective.  Still, 2 goals, a +2, and 8 PIMs in six playoff games isn't too shabby.  At least he didn't suck. Grade: C+
Future Potential: Knuble will be 39 years old when next seasons starts, and will be back with the Caps after signing a 1-year deal this spring.  He's clearly slowing down, but he should see continued time in the top six, especially if Alex Semin gets traded, and he'll keep playing on the power play because of his net presence.  And as I said before, almost regardless of his production in terms of goals and points is the leadership he brings to the locker room, which can never be undervalued. Grade: B-

The next report card will be posted on June 2 and will feature center Matt Hendricks.

Gameday: Boston at Vancouver - Stanley Cup Final, Game One

The Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks will meet tonight in game one of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.  The Final pits the President's Trophy winning Canucks against the Northeast Division champion Bruins.  In their road to the final, the Canucks beat the Blackhawks in seven, the Predators in six, and the Sharks in five, while the Bruins beat the Canadiens in seven, the Flyers in four, and the Lightning in six.  This is the third Stanley Cup Final in the Canucks' history, of which they have won zero; while this is the sixteenth Stanley Cup Final in the Bruins' history, of which they have won five. These two teams have never faced each other for the holy grail, and combined, neither team has brought home Stanley in over 70 years.

Boston coach Claude Julien will give the nod in net to Tim Thomas, who has played every minute in these playoffs so far.  He has had some rough patches, particularly in the Bruins' last series against the Lightning, but is still fourth overall in postseason GAA (2.29) and second overall in postseason save percentage (.929).  Thomas also has two shutouts to co-lead that category in postseason play.  Boston is led in scoring by David Krejci and Nathan Horton, who both have 17 points.  The Bruins have no major injuries to discuss, and it looks as though enforcer Shawn Thornton will take a seat for game one to continue to make way for rookie Tyler Seguin for Boston.

Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault will roll with Roberto Luongo in nets for his team, who has played in all of the Canucks' 18 games this postseason, starting 17 of them.  Luongo has also had some stenches of poor play, particularly against the Blackhawks, but overall is also fourth in postseason GAA (2.29) and sixth in postseason save percentage (.922).  He also has two shutouts this postseason, tied for the lead with Thomas.  The Canucks are led in scoring by their captain Henrik Sedin, who really turned it on in the Sharks series and leads all of the NHL in postseason points with 21.  Vecnouver has a rather clouded injury situation, with star defenseman Christian Ehrhoff and star center Ryan Kesler both questionable with injuries.  The Canucks are also missing top-six winger Mikael Samuelsson and third-line center Manny Malhotra with more serious injuries and it is almost certain that neither of them will play tonight.

Puck drops for this one 8:15-ish with all of the hoopla that is sure to precede the game.  Check back later for updates from the morning skates, etc.