Gameday: vs. Ottawa, Dec. 3

Can Ovi and the boys finally bounce back?

The Washington Capitals will welcome the Ottawa Senators to Verizon Center this evening as they look to rebound from their 2-1 loss at the hands of the Penguins on Thursday night and get their first win under Dale Hunter.  The Caps, losers of four in a row and eight of their last ten, come into tonight's game 10-9-1, which gives them 25 standings points.  Those 25 standings points place them second in the Southeast Division, five points behind the Florida Panthers, and tenth in the Eastern Conference, one point out of a playoff spot.  The Senators, who got off to a very poor start, have rebounded a bit, and are now 12-11-2 with a .500 record over their last ten games.  They have 26 standings points, which places them fourth in the highly competitive Northeast Division and in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.  This is the second of four meetings between these two teams this season; the Caps won the first leg in mid October.

Senators coach Paul MacLean is expected to go with Craig Anderson in goal. The 30 year old journeyman goalie has had a below average season so far, with an 11-8-1 record, 3.45 GAA, and .893 save percentage to his name.  He made 29 saves on 32 shots in his last start, a 3-1 loss in Dallas on Thursday.  Ottawa is not expected to be significantly hindered by injuries for this contest, with only two regulars currently on the mend.  Puck moving defenseman Filip Kuba was injured earlier this week and missed Thursday night's loss against the Stars, and is questionable for this game.  Tough guy Chris Neil will return to the lineup after missing an extensive period of time with a bum ankle.

Michal Neuvirth will get the call in goal for the first time in eight days and the first time under Dale Hunter.  The sophomore Czech goalie has had a disastrous campaign so far, posting a 2-4-1 record, a 3.81 GAA, .868 save percentage, and zero shutouts.  He allowed six goals on 33 shots in his last start, a loss to the Rangers a week ago Friday.  On the injury front, the Caps will be without Mike Green (groin), Alexander Semin (upper body), and Jay Beagle (concussion), while Roman Hamrlik is questionable with what is being called a lower body injury.  Because Semin is hurt, the Caps have zero healthy scratches from the forward corps.

Puck drops for this one 7:10-ish.

What Has Become of Alex the Great?

Remember when Alex Ovechkin used to do this?  With regularity?

Where is the burst?  Where is the utter joy, the boundless determination, that sheer drive that made him the best player in the world less than three years ago? Ovechkin has gone from the most exciting player in hockey to a struggling sniper, a fizzling star that plays little defense and has a cap hit over $9.5 million.
Man, do I miss those days.

Practice: Dec. 2

The Washington Capitals were on ice for practice Friday morning as they prepare to try and actually win a hockey game Saturday night against the Senators.  Some updates from Kettler Capitals Iceplex:

Mike Green, once again, skated for about 30 minutes before regular practice with strength and conditioning coach Mark Nemish.  Green left the ice when his teammates began to do drills, and there is still no timetable on his potential return to game action.
The lines were a bit different from last night, with Mike Knuble finally moving off the fourth line to skate with Marcus Johansson and Alexander Semin on the second unit.  The other three lines stayed the same: Ovechkin-Backstrom-Brouwer, Chimera-Laich-Ward, and Hendricks-Perreault-Halpern.
Roman Hamrlik was also absent from the skate with what is being called another lower body "day-to-day" injury.  Maybe a not so healthy scratch, after all.  Not that I'm complaining...

That's all for now.  Check back later for a game preview.

Rapid Rewind: Free Fallin'

Check out my RtR game recap here.

Gameday: vs. Pittsburgh, Dec. 1

Here comes super Sid...with no Mike Green.

The Washington Capitals will welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins to Verizon Center tonight as they attempt to shake off their disastrous November and earn their first win under new head coach Dale Hunter.  The Capitals, losers of three in a row and seven of their last nine, enter tonight's game 12-10-1 for 25 standings points.  Those 25 points place them second in the Southeast Division, five points behind Florida with a game in hand, but tenth in the Eastern Conference, one point out of a playoff spot.  The Penguins, on the other hand, despite struggling a bit recently, are still flying high atop the NHL, Eastern Conference, and Atlantic Division standings.  Their record is 14-7-4, which equates to 32 standings points, and they're very good.  This is the second of four regular season meetings between these two teams this season; the Capitals won the first leg, 3-2, in overtime in mid October.

Disco Dan Bylsma will call on Marc-Andre Fleury to mind the cage for tonight's game.  Flower has been outstanding this year, posting a 13-4-2 record, 2.17 GAA, .922 save percentage, and two shutouts to help fuel Pittsburgh's dominant start.  He made 26 saves on 30 shots in his last outing, a 4-3 loss to the Rangers on Tuesday night.  For the first time in awhile, the Penguins will be almost at full strength for tonight's game, with Sidney Crosby back in the lineup and producing points at an insane clip: two goals and nine assists in five games.  Norris Trophy frontrunner Kris Letang, however, will miss tonight's game with facial injuries that he suffered last Saturday during a win in Montreal.  Fellow blueliner Zbynek Michalek also will not play with an undisclosed injury; he missed that game Tuesday night in New York as well.

Tomas Vokoun seems likely to get the call in goal from Dale Hunter following his solid, if unspectacular, performance on Tuesday that saw him make 28 saves in a 2-1 losing effort.  On the year, Vokoun is 10-5-0 with a 2.77 GAA, .906 save percentage, and one shutout.  On the injury front, the Capitals will be without both Mike Green, who has missed over two weeks with another groin injury, and Jay Beagle, who has missed almost two full months with a concussion.  With no day-to-day injuries, the decision on who to scratch was probably more difficult than usual, but Mathieu Perreault will remain in the press box for tonight's game, as he was against the Blues.  It seems likely that Jeff Schultz will return to the lineup in the place of Dmitri Orlov, who would experience his first pro healthy scratch tonight if that were indeed the case.

Puck drops for this one 7:08-ish.  Check back later.