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Recap: Leafs 2, Caps 1 (SO)
by Becca H on Nov 21, 2009 11:02 PM EST
in Game Recaps
53 comments
[AP Recap - GameCenter - Game Summary - Event Summary]
Injuries should never be an excuse for a loss. Neither should playing the second of back-to-back games.
But sometimes, on very rare occasions, it's okay to look at a game and know that fresh legs - and more of them - would have made a huge difference. With the injury count ratcheting up and new faces arriving every day, there will come a point when it's just too much.
That seemed to be the problem tonight, as the Capitals looked sluggish and allowed the 14th-place Maple Leafs to hang around a bit too long. The Caps put in a valiant effort, particularly as the game went on, but simply had no jump, no attack and no answer for a Leafs team that came to play.
Ten more notes on the game:
- Hard to argue with any part of Semyon Varlamov's performance tonight. Minus the fluky and unfortunate goal Niklas Hagman picked up in the second, Varlamov was perfect and was the biggest reason why this team even got to the shootout - let alone made it out of regulation with a tied game. Turning aside 38 of 39 shots is certainly a great way to stake your claim at the #1 spot.
- John Erskine: four hits, four giveaways. Mike Green: five hits, four giveaways. Yeah...that's not really the type of symmetry we're looking for there, boys.
- Alex Ovechkin scored his second goal in three games since returning to the lineup; still, he doesn't quite look like himself yet. Everything's a little off and while he still fired 12 shots toward Toskala, 6 of them hitting their mark, he was also victimized for more turnovers than the one that appears on the scoresheet and registered just one hit. That goal (and passing play that led up to it) was pretty darn sweet, though.
- Amazingly, Bill McCreary whistled the Caps for just two penalties all night and laid off the whistle at times when the Caps probably could have gone shorthanded (including twice in overtime). Even more amazingly, they killed both of them off. But getting four power plays and yet not registering a single extra-man goal against the league's worst penalty kill is simply inexcusable.
- There's a theory that babies are so cute and cuddly to insure they survive past infancy. It's kind of the same with Vesa Toskala - every now and then he pulls games like this out of nowhere to insure he still has an NHL contract.
- Two games in, and John Carlson is looking pretty comfortable out there. He uses his size well and isn't afraid to shoot the puck, although he did finish a -1 because he didn't think to take Hagman's forearm out of the play. Still needs some time to develop, but if and when he does this kid is going to be something.
- In other call-up news, it's hard to fathom why Andrew Gordon was given just over six minutes of ice time in this game - and no time in the third period. It's not like he was a standout (good or bad), but not many people in red were tonight.
- While their legs weren't exactly moving all that well, the Caps did manage to get in the way of 24 Toronto shots, with thirteen denting the foursome of Pothier, Sloan, Green and Schultz. At the same time...why was Toronto allowed to fire 63 shots toward Varlamov (and miss another 23)?
- Rough night across the board on faceoffs, with the Caps winning just 28 of 59 draws and usual stalwart David Steckel uncharacteristically coming up below 50%. But how about Nicklas Backstrom winning eleven of eighteen for a flashy 61%?
- Ovechkin might have had an off-night, but his top line sidekick Brooks Laich most certainly did not. In just over 22 minutes (including about half of all special teams time) Laich had a nice assist on the goal, six shots, two more that missed or were blocked, two hits and one blocked shot. He was 0-for-2 on faceoffs, though...slacker.
So after dominating every Eastern team not in the Atlantic Division, the Caps have now dropped two straight to the bottom part of the Northeast. And in this mini tour of Canadian teams, the best of the three is still looming Monday night. It's a troubling time for a team that continues to lose man-games to injury and continues to struggle with putting in full 60 minute performances every night.
But the wounded will heal, the injured will return. The lines will regain their consistency - or at least as much consistency as the Caps' lines ever have. Ovechkin won't be "off" forever (and he'll still score when he is).
And remember, there are only six Canadian teams. So...we've got that going for us.
Which is nice.
53 comments | 0 recs |
Game Day Open Thread - Caps @ Maple Leafs
by J.P. on Nov 21, 2009 5:00 PM EST
in Game Day Open Threads
513 comments
Tonight's probable netminders:
Have at it, people.
513 comments | 0 recs
Saturday Caps Clips: Too Little, Too Late; Caps @ Maple Leafs Game Day
by J.P. on Nov 21, 2009 9:30 AM EST
in Caps Clips
32 comments
Your savory breakfast links:
- Recaps and other assorted musings on last night's loss from Corey (blog, article), Tarik (blog, article), Vogs, Washington Examiner, Joe B., Ed Frankovic, OFB, Fight for Old DC and Tic Tac Toe Hockey (pictures).
- Preview of tonight's Caps/Leafs tilt from NHL.com, and be sure to check out our SB Nation partner (and good buddies) Pension Plan Puppets for the very best coverage from the other side of tonight's match up.
- Is Alex Ovechkin the best left wing in NHL history? Proteau says yes, Pelletier says not so fast. Gotta give a fellow JP the nod on this one.
- Very cool behind-the-scenes stuff from Hockey Night in Canada's Jim Hughson prepping for tonight's game. [CBC]
- Interesting question: Does star power matter for the NHL in the U.S.? To bring it home a bit, I'll ask this: If the Caps had the same record and recent success but had done so without Alex Ovechkin, would there be as much interest in the team? [Puck Daddy]
- Tomas Fleischmann gets a little recognition from Pierre LeBrun. [ESPN]
- A nice look at Chris Clark's resurgence from OFB's intern. Sidenote: OFB's intern needs to negotiate a new title, one that doesn't have "OFB's" or "intern" in it. [OFB]
- George McPhee did a phoner with Toronto's sports radio station yesterday and touched on a number of topics, including his change of heart regarding head shots (spoiler alert: it's pretty much because he's now got kids playing the game). [FAN590 (audio)]
- Today (or yesterday) in Matt Bradley Week news: a feature as FanHouse's Fight of the Week. [FanHouse]
- AO is Russia's third-richest athlete. [Alex Ovetjkin]
- The Caps will hold their first "Caps Care Casino Night" in January, "where fans will be able to mix and mingle with the entire team along with coaches, alumni and owners." My guess is that Caps alum Rick Tocchet will not be there. [Capitals]
- And a good time was had by all at Hockey n' Heels. [Hockey Mom, OFB]
- The cases for and against five countries winning the gold in Vancouver. [The Hockey News]
- Some interesting stuff from Sergei Fedorov (including a couple of mentions of old Caps teammates), who's still making headlines in North America from an ocean away. [Hot Ice]
- Finally, in case you're wondering, the Caps have visited Toronto for a Hockey Night in Canada twice since the lockout and won both games (December 23, 2006 and December 6, 2008).
32 comments | 0 recs |
Recap: Canadiens 3, Caps 2
by J.P. on Nov 20, 2009 10:27 PM EST
in Game Recaps
129 comments
[AP Recap - GameCenter - Game Summary - Event Summary]
The Caps are a phenomenally skilled hockey club (even without perhaps their most skilled player, Alexander Semin), and when Bruce Boudreau turns his boys loose, they're an absolute joy to watch... on most nights. Trouble is, there are certain teams and styles against which run-and-gun just won't necessarily work. Who are these teams? Well, chances are, if a team has a guy named Jacques behind the bench, they're one of these teams.
And Montreal's got a guy named Jacques behind the bench.
The Caps were stifled in the neutral zone and in the middle of the ice all night, they didn't adjust, and they didn't win. Their two goals were both the result of hard work in the offensive zone - not mad dashes up ice - but in the end, it was too little of that and too much trying to take what just wasn't there.
Ten more notes on the game:
- John Carlson's NHL debut was solid, if unspectacular. He got caught out too long on each of his first two shifts (averaging 1:42 on the two), but settled down, rang the crossbar, led the team in hits with five, and finished third among the rearguards in ice time with 17:24, all but four seconds of which came at even strength.
- In goal, Michal Neuvirth was victimized by a couple of unlucky (for him) deflections on the first two goals, but wasn't tested much on the night - his teammates outshot the Habs 27-8 over the final two periods.
- Speaking of Carlson and Neuvirth, they were two of four Caps (Jay Beagle and Tyler Sloan being the others) who were in Hershey Bears uniforms on the night they won the Calder Cup last year.
- Any lingering concerns about Alex Ovechkin's left shoulder entering the game had to have been all but gone after seeing him lead with that shoulder on a big collision with Max Pacioretty just 38 seconds into the game.
- Is it a coincide that on the night that another promising young blueliner makes his Caps debut, John Erskine drops the mittens with the toughest guy in the NHL? One gets the impression that Big John knows there's one and only one way he's going to stick around this club... and even that may not be enough.
- Mathieu Perreault creates. It's what he does. It doesn't matter what kind of ice time or linemates he has - he works and works and chances happen. Keeper.
- As mediocre as Carey Price's numbers are on the season, he's now 4-2-0/1.95/.941 in his last six starts. How 'bout tweeting that, @walsha?
- Another game, another injury, this time Tom Poti. No word yet on the particulars (though it sounds like he's out for tomorrow night).
- If you thought the Caps had a hard time getting pucks to the net tonight, imagine if Andrei Markov and Hal Gill were healthy.
- Three minor penalties taken on the night is a good number overall... except that all three were taken in the third period. That said, the officiating was a bit shaky, to be generous.
And so the Caps head north to take on the Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada. Battered and bruised, trapped and tripped... but at least the game should be a bit more wide open, and thus to their liking.
129 comments | 1 recs |
Game Day Open Thread - Canadiens @ Caps
by J.P. on Nov 20, 2009 5:00 PM EST
in Game Day Open Threads
347 comments
Tonight's probable netminders:
Have at it, people.
347 comments | 0 recs
Finding That Dahlen In the Rough: The Busts and the Best of McPhee's Reclamation Projects
by Stephen Pepper on Nov 20, 2009 11:00 AM EST
102 comments
Early success earned Capitals GM George McPhee a reputation for discovering and fulfilling "reclamation projects." There's no fixed definition for the scope of that category of player, but my working definition would be: acquisitions of established NHLers once known or projected as being at least modestly gifted and who, following either significant injury or prolonged struggles, or both, are given another chance to demonstrate that they've got something left in the tank.
More so than ever in the salary cap era, when nearly every contending franchise must push its payroll near the cap ceiling to accommodate the varied needs of a would-be champion, a successful reclamation project, ideally one that entails limited financial risk, is a key component of a winning team. It's almost as important as astute drafting and trade deadline swaps.
So, we've compiled a list of McPhee's top five best reclamation projects, and top five busts. First, the busts.
"The Busts"
5. Sergei Berezin - Left Wing
Berezin's arrival in Washington, at the 2002-03 trading deadline, and subsequent performance encapsulates all of the ways in which the "Jagr plan" went horribly wrong in D.C. He fit squarely into the same category as the offensive corps of skilled but one-dimensional forwards seemingly just past their prime, adding to the developing "country club" atmosphere in Washington.
Dealt by Chicago for the Caps' 4th round selection in the 2004 draft (defenseman R.J. Anderson, who never played in an NHL game), Berezin's acquisition otherwise cost the remainder of his season's salary. And, with the Blackhawks, he began to regain the scoring touch for which he was known in Toronto, when he potted 37 goals in the 1998-99 season. He scored a goal in each of his first three games as a Capital and looked like he could be a real playoff force. But a mysterious arm ailment dogged him in April, and he was invisible in the post-season, tallying only a single assist in the disastrous first round playoff exit versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. He never played in another NHL contest after that, instead signing with CSKA Moscow the following December.
4. Joe Murphy - Right Wing
Murphy can lay claim to two of the most prized accomplishments of a hockey player's career: (i) being selected 1st overall in an NHL draft (Detroit, 1986) and (ii) winning a Stanley Cup (Edmonton, 1990). And he didn't get his name engraved on the chalice by accident: he scored six goals and 14 points in 22 playoff games that championship spring, on the "kid line" with Adam Graves and Martin Gelinas. In this respect, he was quite a successful reclamation project for then-Oilers GM Glen Sather, who rescued the "talented misfit" from an impatient Red Wings fan base. After reaching an offensive peak two seasons later, his career began to unravel. He played for four different teams and, in November of 1999, was suspended by Boston for insubordination.
McPhee took a chance and signed him in February of 2000, but he proved uncoachable. And uncontrollable.
102 comments | 12 recs |
Friday Caps Clips: Canadiens @ Caps Game Day
by J.P. on Nov 20, 2009 6:46 AM EST
in Caps Clips
386 comments
Your savory breakfast links:
- Previews of tonight's Caps/Habs tilt from NHL.com and Peerless, and be sure to check out our SB Nation partner Habs Eyes On The Prize for coverage from the other side of tonight's match up.
- The Caps will be without Alexander Semin, Mike Knuble, Boyd Gordon and Quintin Laing tonight, and will likely also not have Jose Theodore, Shaone Morrisonn and Milan Jurcina available.
- Prized blueline prospect John Carlson is set to make his NHL debut tonight after being recalled yesterday. [Dump and Chase, CSN Washington, Washington Post, Washington Times]
- More on Theodore. [Washington Times]
- A couple of Verizon Center thrillers and a Jose Theodore picture that never gets old are among the highlights of the decade's ten best games. [Puck Daddy]
- Matt Bradley Week continues #needsmorebradley. [D.C. Sports Bog, Peerless]
- Some (more) well-deserved praise for Brendan Morrison. [CBC]
- From the "If you say so, Larry" file: Brian Pothier is one of at least four mean Capitals defensemen. [NY Post]
- You had me at "Washington Capitals Sparklines." [Missing Monkey Head]
- Wondering where the Caps stack up in terms of man-games lost to injury so far? [From the Rink]
- A tender moment, captured and uploaded. [Flickr]
- Speaking of candids, the three most outgoing Young Guns attended Wednesday night's Wiz game. [D.C. Sports Bog]
- A look at the Caps at the quarter pole. [Puck Prospectus]
- Arturs Irbe was back in his native Latvia to take part in the NHLPA's Goals & Dreams "10 countries in 10 days" tour. Wait, there's still an NHLPA? [NHLPA Goals & Dreams]
- The words say "Malkin is FAR more important than Ovechkin," but what I read is "Crosby stinks." [Rock The Red.net]
- Braden Holtby is back in Hershey and has a new mask. Spoiler alert: no more chocolate bars. [John Walton Hockey]
- The Bears' special teams are the opposite of the Caps': awesome PK, lousy PP. [LDN]
- Eric Mestery is back in Tri-City. Sweet? [Tri-City Herald]
- Kids, Navy, Sylvain Cote and, of course, hockey. [The Capital]
- Russia: gold medal favorites. Canada: wanting so badly to be able to play the underdog card. [The Hockey News]
- Finally, per the HHoF, on this date ten years ago, the Caps "set an NHL record by going 12 consecutive games without allowing a power-play goal, in a 3-0 win at Boston. Craig Billington recorded his 100th career victory (and 8th career shutout)."
386 comments | 0 recs |
More Matt Bradley
by Becca H on Nov 19, 2009 1:30 PM EST
68 comments
At the first ever Caps Convention earlier this fall, one of the highlights was watching as distinguished panelists Brooks Laich, David Steckel and Matt Bradley fielded rapid fire questions from some of the toughest interviewers around – kids.
After hard-hitting queries into their favorite breakfast cereal and how long they’d been playing hockey, one small participant stood up and asked them how many goals they wanted to score in the upcoming season.
"One more than Ovie," Laich joked.
Added Steckel, "probably at least 50 with this line."
And then all eyes were on Bradley. "I'm going to aim high," he said. "I'm going for ten."
It was a classic Matt Bradley joke, told with that modest, self-deprecating style that has endeared him to Capitals' fans since his arrival in DC right after the lockout. And yet with every game it seems more and more likely that his tongue-in-cheek prediction could come true – or even prove to be a vast understatement.
In his five seasons with the Caps, Bradley has performed his duties as one would expect. A good, steady, consistent fourth-liner, he's always been able to add a lot of grit and energy to the lineup while chipping in with the occasional goal or fight (or both).
But this year he seems to have a little more jump, a little more finish - and it shows in almost every area of his stats so far:
After a strong postseason performance that saw him pick up his first two career playoff goals, Bradley has taken the momentum and translated it into a great start to the year. In just a quarter of the games played he's already within one goal and one assist of his entire total for last season; he's also only five goals away from his career best, coming back in 2002-03 when he was a second-year pro with the Sharks.
Bradley's also picked up his game in other areas, becoming a jack of all trades on a team that can use a few. He's shooting more and with better accuracy. He's increased his average ice time - a sure sign of trust from the coaching staff - by almost two minutes over last year. And he's become one of the team's best penalty-killers, and has more points per 60 minutes than either Alexander Semin or Brooks Laich - with considerably less skilled linemates.
But numbers don't always tell the whole tale, and they certainly don't with Bradley. What he brings to the team, on and off the ice, is exactly what you want from your role-players - grit, hockey smarts and the ability to lead by example. It's not hard to see why he's beloved by both teammates and fans alike.
Matt Bradley is never going to challenge Ovechkin for the scoring title or become a heavyweight fighter like Donald Brashear was. Yet none of us will soon forget Bradley's performance against the Rangers the other night. It was Bradley that people were talking about afterward. It was his momentum-changing, face-bloodying scrap against the Rangers' Aaron Voros, followed by his game-winning goal against one of the league's best netminders, that carried the discussion.
It takes a lot to overshadow Alex Ovechkin. In one game, with just two shifts, Matt Bradley did exactly that.
68 comments | 4 recs |
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington
|
23 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 31 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
20 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 23 |
|
Atlanta
|
19 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 22 |
|
Florida
|
21 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 22 |
|
Carolina
|
22 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 15 |
(updated 11.22.2009 at 12:47 AM EST)
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