Saturday Roundup/Devils 3, Caps 2Gamenight: Thrashers @ Caps

[AP Recap - Game Summary - Super Stats - AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

Bruce Boudreau's Caps may not be a hell of a lot better than Glen Hanlon's Caps were (the jury's still out on that), but one thing is clear - with the regime change came a different kind of accountability:

"That was a horrible giveaway for the first goal, and Olie should have had the save. He's too good a goalie to let those things go in."

Ah. Refreshing not to be tossed around in the spin cycle, isn't it?

Whether it was horrendous giveaways (Brian Pothier), awful penalties (Mike Green, Brooks Laich), a failure to make a save (Olie Kolzig) or poor timing (allowing Travis Zajac's goal just 41 seconds after Alex Semin had drawn the Caps to within one), it all adds up to the simple fact that the Caps were (are?) just flat out bad. Frankly, I'm at a loss to explain how they still had a shot at stealing a point in this one.

But they'll be back at it Saturday night against the Thrash as they open a four-game homestand. If there's even a slim chance for the season to be saved, it likely depends heavily on winning a few of these games and getting on a roll.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

In case you missed it, the Sabres dropped the first two games of their west coast swing (Anaheim and Los Angeles) by a combined total of 12-3, prompting BoC's inimitable Earl Sleek to create this "picture's worth a thousand words" cartoon.... Since it's Saturday, I'm on Ice Sheet duty over at Da House. Check out today's edition, hot off the press.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Henrik Zetterberg (3G, including the game-winner, +3, 4 SOG)
  
• Ross: Henrik Zetterberg, Ryan Getzlaf, Pavel Datsyuk (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Ruslan Salei (2A, +1, 2 SOG, 3 hits, 2 blocked shots)
  
• Vezina: Evgeni Nabokov (27-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Henrik Zetterberg (3G)
  
• Calder: Jonathan Toews (G, 3 SOG, 85% faceoffs won)
  
• Aiken: Josh Harding (L, 5 goals allowed on 34 shots against)