Wednesday Roundup - Caps 5, Isles 4 (OT)
by J.P. on Dec 17, 2008 6:45 AM EST
56 comments
[AP Recap - Game Summary - Event Summary - WashingtonCaps.com Postgame]
Over the course of a season, there are going to be nights when the Caps dominate their opponent but run into a hot goalie and lose. There are going to be games where a bounce here or a call there hands victory to the other team.
Then, there'll be nights like last night, where the Caps will hit the showers having snagged two points that they probably didn't deserve. Funny thing is, they all count the same at the end of the year, so take 'em, skate 'em and move on.
Some thoughts on the game:
- See what happens when special teams fail you? Against a good team, or really any NHL-caliber team, the Caps would have been buried last night.
- A dozen different Caps (including Brent Johnson) had points, and a half-dozen skaters had 20+ minutes of ice time. That's pretty good balance all around.
- It was good to see the team score for Johnny and get him a win when he wasn't necessarily at his best (though he did make a number of big saves late).
- Sean Collins... not good.
- Michael Nylander won 75% of his twelve draws on the night, but was one of the Caps held off the scoresheet. Like I've always said about Nylander, if he's not scoring, he's helping you in other ways. Ahem.
- Interesting night for Mike Green - one assist, one big hit, plus-three rating, five giveaways, five blocked shots.
- Brendan Witt was minus-five on the night.
- Kudos to Matt Bradley for going out there and taking on Tim Jackman as a bit of payback for the last meeting between the teams. Of course, it helps if you don't get your ass kicked when doling out said payback, but at least he tired Jackman out for a couple of minutes. That said, and despite being pointless and having a minus-one rating, Brads had a pretty good game.
- Unfortunately for Joey MacDonald, he pretty much stinks.
- Alex Semin had a B.F. game last night.... What?... Oh, "Before Fedorov."
- Karl Alzner is now fifth on the team in plus/minus, and his partner Milan Jurcina continues to impress (but only as his partner). Has John Erskine or Jeff Schultz been Wally Pipped?
- Maybe they should've sent Tomas Fleischmann on a conditioning assignment before rushing him back from his injury.
- I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the great turnout in the Open Thread - 366 comments and counting. Thanks, all (and make sure to check out TRS's coverage of the game from the arena - great stuff).
So it's back home to face the Blues on Thursday night, as we seek an answer to the question: When the Caps play the kind of uninspired game they played last night (which we've seen more often than we'd like), is it a product of being on the road or of facing a weak opponent?
Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:
When "[b]oth Chris Clark and Shaone Morrisonn have said to [Tarik] that they felt poor ice conditions contributed to their groin injuries," why haven't we seen an article like this in the WaPo?.... Vote for the Top Cap of All-Time here (where apparently the Olie Kolzig wound is still very raw; h/t Tarik).... More power rankings, with the Caps up three to sixth at Yahoo! Sports, up 17 (?!) to fourth at TSN.ca, and up two to fourth at ESPN.com.... Cap of the Day: Some dude you've never heard of.... Get the skinny (ha ha) on Ted Leonsis's latest gig here.... Funny, my dream Stanley Cup Finals matchup isn't on this list.... Beaaaaaaaaaaar Traaaaaaaaaaacks.
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who?
You’re right JP, I’ve never heard of that dude.
By the way, where do you get the scans of the front and backs of the cards for this Cap-of-the-Day series? Are they from your personal collection?
by ecouls1 on Dec 17, 2008 7:45 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Yup. Every one of ’em is from my shoebox (or notebook) of Caps cards and fresh off the scanner.
I just dig the dude’s ’stache.
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by J.P. on Dec 17, 2008 7:55 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Nyls, Flash and Kozy was the WORST line we had last night…they got bottled up in our zone numerous times and just generally sucked.
It was just one of those games where youre thankful that youre much more talented than the team youre facing, and sometimes its enough to pull you through.
by YvonLabresMoustache on Dec 17, 2008 8:10 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Stecks had a noticeably bad game too last night
by YvonLabresMoustache on Dec 17, 2008 8:10 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Brent's good game
This game was just like the Sharks game – traffic in front and deflections are what got past Johnny last night. We were fortunate DiPietro wasn’t in net on the other end.
by hotdog88gt on Dec 17, 2008 8:23 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
The PK was horrific last night. I think what happened to Johnny was that the D didn’t clear people out of the crease so Johnny could see the puck. Add Poti deflecting the first one in and you have a royal mess. if Johnny could see the puck, he had the save, every time (unlike Joey MacDonald). His problem came when there was too much traffic in front of the net. D has got to do a better job of muscling guys out of the crease. We are bigger than the Islanders physically and really need to take advantage of it.
Seeing that makes me think maybe we should have Varlamov in net on Thursday for a couple of reasons:
1. We are going to want Johnny at the Flyers on Saturday. Give him a break and a rest.
2. I’d like to see Varlamov get to play once in the home barn before going back down.
3. If he can handle Montreal at home, he can handle the Blues.
4. The D will work harder for Varlamov – we saw that in MTL.
by gotsparkly on Dec 17, 2008 8:25 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I’m with you, though Johnny’s got the whole “former team” thing going on with Les Bleus. I think there’s a good chance we see Varly.
Remember that other goalie the Caps used to have… the guy with two first names? What ever became of him?
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by J.P. on Dec 17, 2008 8:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Look under the visitors’ penalty box. I think a couple of Caps fans got ahold of him a few days ago….
No, that wasn’t funny. Remember that injured list? Yeah, the one that is still silly long despite all the guys we got back? I guess who we get depends on how Theodore is feeling, too. As much as I’d like to see Varlamov get to play one in the home barn (I can’t stand calling him Varly, it sounds too much like Varmint to me), if Gabby puts in either Theodore or Johnny, I’ll understand.
by gotsparkly on Dec 17, 2008 11:31 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
That was a semi-undeserved two points but hey, we’ll take it. I’m sure BB will make them pay later this morning. Too bad the Canadiens couldn’t take care of business.
I just wanna say, I love watching Nicky these days. And the only thing I want for Christmas is Karl Alzner for the rest of the regular season. Please Santa.
by Lisita on Dec 17, 2008 9:23 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Wall-E-Pipped? (Eve! Eve!)
“Has John Erskine or Jeff Schultz been Wally Pipped?” I hope it’s not Sarge. When, doya think, will we know? I think I saw that Schultz had his cast off.
Note to Spunky McPhee: Karl has arrived. Make way.
What with Varly and Karlito and all the rest (’cept for Sami, and I am not sure about Sloan myself) we might look back on this someday as the Wally Pipp Season.
by Uncle C on Dec 17, 2008 9:25 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I’m thinking maybe Sloan’s problem his last few games is that he’s playing still hurt. I noticed a change in his play before and after, and it leads me to think maybe he isn’t fully healthy.
And I still think that Sloan in a lot of ways is an upgrade over Erskine. Would have been nice to have him last night – he knows how to stay out of the sin bin at least, which is more than I can say for Collins last night.
No, he isn’t Karl Alzner. Not many guys are. I think we started watching Alzner and got spoiled.
Speaking of – how about Juice last night? Good things happen when you shoot the puck (and don’t abuse the equipment). Alzner has done wonders for Jurcina in much the same way that Fedorov did, which leads me to think that all Jurcina needed to get his game going was a good partner.
by gotsparkly on Dec 17, 2008 11:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Uh, I realize that I’m usually the voice of doom around here, but…
That Jurcina-Alzner pairing — Nifty 50 — is awesome.
ShaMo was back to looking lost last night, but not as lost as Tyler Sloan.
Michael Nylander looked like his mind was in Vancouver or something.
by TylerG on Dec 17, 2008 9:28 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Must credit The Red Skate when you use “Nifty 50”
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by J.P. on Dec 17, 2008 10:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
23/27 is a fantastic pairing. Green/Alzner was out on the ice last night, but I don’t think Alzner is ready to go it alone just yet, and if you pair with Green, you’re going to go it alone sometimes. That’s just how it is.
by gotsparkly on Dec 17, 2008 11:42 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Telecast
Anyone else disappointed in the telecast by Versus last night? I spent the first 15 minutes yelling at the screen, “PULL BACK! I can’t see anything!” I mean, I understand making sure the guy with the puck is in the screen, but when they make a 15 foot pass and I can’t tell who he’s passing it to, that’s a problem.
And then the sharp quick moves by the camera to follow the play…man, almost got motion sick watching the game.
Why can’t they do a remedial training for all the camera guys to say, “This is how you work the camera for hockey games.”
by Toddra on Dec 17, 2008 9:28 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Were you watching HD or standard def?
Not that it matters…but I wasn’t too disappointed with the camera last night.
by PaintDrinkingPete on Dec 17, 2008 10:44 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Man, I’ll take the two points any way they get them, but last night, that was pretty much a lucky two points. That third period was one to forget quickly.
Aside from that sick behind the back pass for OV’s first goal, Semin did not have a good night. I thought Collins had done a fairly good job since his call-up, last night, not so much and the PK was awful, making Collins’ two penalties all the more glaring.
Here’s hoping this pretty lackluster ending (well, aside from the OT goal and all) means we got it out of our system before Thursday and the Blues. Gotta say, I’m leaning toward wanting to see Varlamov get the call at home.
by Ames on Dec 17, 2008 9:34 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Semin
OBS line is what, 9-0-0 now? 10-0-0 ?
by OvechkinLaichsSemin on Dec 17, 2008 9:41 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Not sure that’s a fair way to think of it. Was not a good line 5-on-5 last night.
by TylerG on Dec 17, 2008 9:45 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Bradley's Fight
In Brad’s defense, he got a couple of good shots in early, but you only saw them on the replay from a different angle.
by Sombrero Guy on Dec 17, 2008 10:26 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Bradley’s last win (per the highly unscientific HockeyFights.com voting system).
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by J.P. on Dec 17, 2008 10:43 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Man that crowd was loud. Those were fun times at the Verizon Center last year.
by Sombrero Guy on Dec 17, 2008 11:24 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I agree with you JP on nylander, i think he still contributes a great deal on offense even when he score. Now on defense, thats another story…
by Ovechkin on Dec 17, 2008 10:48 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
If I’m not mistaken, that was the first back-to-back road win this season…so I’ll definitely take it. We all know these guys play well at home, but getting more confidence and cohesion on the road is crucial come playoff (fingers crossed) time.
Having said that, they do seem to let their guard down and fall victim to “trap” games, especially on the road, when facing lesser quality teams.
by PaintDrinkingPete on Dec 17, 2008 10:49 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Double standard?
I just wonder what the morning reaction would be if that had been Theodore who let in four goals and not fan fave, Johnny. And comparing John Erskine to Wally Pip is an insult to Wally Pip, who actually was a very good player before Lou Gehrig replaced him.
by b.orr4 on Dec 17, 2008 11:11 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
someone will be desperate enough to trade for Erskine at the deadline. we hope.
by macvechkin on Dec 17, 2008 11:21 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Obviously all four goals would have been soft and he should be traded/cut/euthanized by lunch.
And I was using Wally Pipp the verb, not Wally Pipp the man.
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by J.P. on Dec 17, 2008 11:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I know, it’s just that the mere mention of Erskine send me round the bend. And that’s before I think about his two year, $2 million extension. Christ, what was McPhee thinking?
by b.orr4 on Dec 17, 2008 11:44 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
maybe cause it’s a pretty digestable contract for someone else. package him up with some young talent and get a young up and comer C or RW…
by bigonetimer on Dec 17, 2008 2:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Fair Point
If this was Theo, we’d have ripped him a new five-hole within the first 10 comments.
by Wisper on Dec 17, 2008 11:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Looking for a bounce back game from Johnny
on Thursday. It would be great to see the kid play at home, but unless he’s hurt again, Johnny needs to get the start to keep him rolling for Saturday night. I hope the Caps aren’t looking ahead to the Flyers like I already am.
by bigonetimer on Dec 17, 2008 11:28 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Alzner-Jurcina
I can’t believe how good Jurcina has been with Alzner, but the sample size is getting pretty large at this point. He’s even shooting now. That pairing needs to stay together until it stops working, no matter what. Going forward, I really like these pairs:
Mo – Green
Alzner – Juice
Poti – Schultz
What’s that? 6 competent defensemen, even if 2 of them are only competent due to weird Cocoon-like/symbiotic phenomena, is a luxury the Caps have not had in an extremely long time. Erskine can be #7 if the Cap permits.
Also, when does it stop being premature to think about getting an Alzner jersey?
by grapejoos on Dec 17, 2008 11:34 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
A year ago last June.
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by J.P. on Dec 17, 2008 11:40 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Let's Talk About "The Ice"
Good article in the Dispatch. However, all ice comments are very subjective and are all relative, not absolute.
How bad is the ice? Unless the NHL starts posting the official reports, i.e. mean ice condition rankings, it’s going to be hard to take every complaint at face value.
Multi-use facilities, specifically, sharing with basketball team(s) will never have as good ice as hockey only facilities. We know this, but we’re still screwed. As long as they do everything they possibly can to make it better, it should make the ice at least in the ‘acceptable’ range. I think more thought should go into scheduling so that that there aren’t any events within 48 hours of a hockey game (I know – good luck).
The weather will also play a role, but again, until the ice reports (and perhaps they should be submitted by officials AND teams) are put in context – indoor/outdoor temp/humidity, status of building, this is just jibber jabber. What were the ice ratings given by the officials on the nights Clark and Morrissonn complained?
by macvechkin on Dec 17, 2008 11:45 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
For hockey fans who might not be able to tell the difference between good ice and bad ice, Commodore offers a tip:
“When you’re in the stands and you see the puck bounding around the ice, that pretty much sucks,” he said.
I think I might have noticed that once or twice at the phone booth
by toymechanic on Dec 17, 2008 12:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Letter to Ted
Dear Ted:
Love the work you’ve done around here recently. The team is looking up. Sorry I can’t be more a part of it, but that is the single reason I write today.
Some of the working conditions are not quite up to par. You’ve made a big investment in the club, now it’s time to lay down the law with your pal ,Abe. No more basketball games on the same day as Caps games, unless the Caps play first. No more rodeos or concerts either on the same day. Now , I know your hands are tied until that cheapskate Pollin kicks the bucket, but do everyone a favor and go check out how they handle things in Detroit,. Don’t tell me it’s just colder up there, either. I hear they’re pretty good.
Yours,
Clark’s groin
by bigonetimer on Dec 17, 2008 1:38 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I thought the only Hockey Groin writing letters was Ross McKeon
or maybe Jiri Tlusty’s Photo Album?
by Wisper on Dec 17, 2008 2:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
any relation to Nancy ‘Bangs’ McKeon?
by bigonetimer on Dec 17, 2008 2:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
back in the dog days of summer when we were spitballing our top five things we’d change as commish, I thought it’d be a good idea to dock the home team a standings point if they host with shitty ice.
by bigonetimer on Dec 17, 2008 3:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
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by J.P. on Dec 17, 2008 3:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Sophie's Choice
Corey’s reporting that Clark is skating hard today and is eligible to come off IR tomorrow. If he does come back along with his $2.6 million cap hit, someone explain how we’re going to keep King Karl. I know he can go back to Hershey, but there’s no way he should since he’s probably our third best defenseman (maybe even second). And if you really want to make your head spin, Corey also reports that Brian Pothier is skating again today in FULL GEAR!
by b.orr4 on Dec 17, 2008 12:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Saw those notes.
First of all, we don’t have to worry about Pothier for a long time (if at all). Obviously, skating and game shape are two different matters entirely (look at Patrice Bergeron last year for a good example of the timetable Pothier could be facing).
As for Clark, it’s a tough call. If Nylander was a wing or perhaps even if Feds was 100%-ish, he could be a waiver candidate.
Which brings us to options… can you waive your captain? Can you trade Erskine, Mo or Juice? You’ve got to believe Nylander is being aggressively shopped, but who would want him at his current production, salary and term?
Bottom line: I think we all know that sending Alzner down is not in the best on-ice interests of the team.
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by J.P. on Dec 17, 2008 1:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
does a waiver take us off the hook for salary cap purposes?
by bigonetimer on Dec 17, 2008 1:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yes, but – duh – I forgot Nyls’ No Movement Clause. Clark, on the other hand…
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by J.P. on Dec 17, 2008 1:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
As to Nylander, you have to wonder how much Chicago would want him given the run they’re on and the fact that they just laid a nine spot on Edmonton last night.
by b.orr4 on Dec 17, 2008 2:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It has never made much sense to me in the first place (from a CHI perspective). I mean, if they wanted a decent #2 center… why’d they trade Lang?
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by J.P. on Dec 17, 2008 2:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Same. If the team had a chance to trade Nylander before, I can’t imagine any team wants him now.
Any real reason we can’t try to send Erskine down? Put Fedorov on LTIR? Not sure if those would solve the problem, but sending Alzner down would suck for everyone involved.
Jurcina’s trade value has to be high right now, but for the first time ever, I really wouldn’t want the Caps to move him.
by grapejoos on Dec 17, 2008 2:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
“Same. If the team had a chance to trade Nylander before, I can’t imagine any team wants him now.”
Maybe that is why Semin is being moved back to Nylander’s wing. Get the points, and assists back up where they were in October.
by Sombrero Guy on Dec 17, 2008 5:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
If we can get those lines back to where they were in October and keep our upgraded blueline, I think we should be in pretty good shape.
by gotsparkly on Dec 17, 2008 6:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
good point. maybe a better fit will be the loser of the Sundin sweepstakes…
by bigonetimer on Dec 17, 2008 2:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
And by the way, they traded Lang due to inept cap mangement…the rumor and lore is that there was a roster deadline and it was the only way they could make the cap cut. Might be totally false, but it does make you wonder.
by grapejoos on Dec 17, 2008 2:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington
|
59 | 41 | 12 | 6 | 88 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
57 | 25 | 21 | 11 | 61 |
|
Atlanta
|
57 | 25 | 24 | 8 | 58 |
|
Florida
|
58 | 24 | 25 | 9 | 57 |
|
Carolina
|
58 | 21 | 30 | 7 | 49 |
(updated 2.9.2010 at 9:00 AM EST)
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
