Sunday Roundup - Caps 2, Leafs 1 - Gamenight: Caps @ 'Canes
by J.P. on Dec 7, 2008 6:00 AM EST
18 comments
[AP Recap - Game Summary - Event Summary - WashingtonCaps.com Postgame - AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]
Last night, Sean Collins became the 12th player the Caps have dressed as a defenseman this season, with numbers nine through twelve all making their debuts within the past half-dozen games.
Put another way, when the Caps' and Hurricanes' top minor League affiliates squared off in Albany a month ago today, four current Caps blueliners were in uniform for the Bears.
Put yet another way, including last night's game, the six defensemen the Caps skated last night have a combined 699 games of NHL experience, nine fewer than Leafs' rearguard Tomas Kaberle.
You get the point - they're mighty green, when they should be Mikey Green.
And yet the Caps had their second straight dominating performance at even strength, outshooting the Leafs 26-10, allowing the fewest even strength shots in a game since the third game of the season against Vancouver.
A couple of quick thoughts on the game:
- Finally, a good road effort and, more importantly, result.
- The low Leafs shot total was, in part, due to great shot blocking by the Caps, including five blocks from Bryan Helmer, four from Milan Jurcina, three from Karl Alzner and another four from forwards (including a memorable Quintin Laing impression by Boyd Gordon).
- On the shots that did get through, Brent Johnson was magnificent, yielding only one goal, which came on the power play while the Caps netminder was still slowed with some (presumably temporary) hip discomfort after making nice kick save.
- Back to Karl Alzner - in just his sixth NHL game he had a goal, an assist, a plus-two rating, those three blocks, and led the D in ice time and the team in shifts. Since his bad game against Florida, he's been awesome.
- Speaking of awesome, the duo that two years ago looked like a future top-pairing - Shaone Morrisonn and Milan Jurcina - were just that, with Morrisonn playing big in the defensive zone (and having the team's best CR for the game) and Juice's mighty slapper finding the twine behind Vesa Toskala for the game winner.
- Nicklas Backstrom had another good night in the faceoff circle, going 10-for-16 and raising his winning percentage to 54% over his last ten games. Surprising, no?
- Somehow, Alex Ovechkin was named the game's first star. That's silly - I'm not sure he would have made my top five.
No rest for the weary, of course, as the Caps head down to Raleigh to take on a struggling 'Canes team that eked out a point last night at home against Philly.
Since the Caps last saw Carolina, Washington has gone 6-5-1, but the 'Canes haven't managed to take advantage of the Division leader's injury woes and mediocre record, going 4-6-1 (and have replacing their head coach along the way). They now trail the Caps by a half dozen points, making this four-point Divisional game enormous for them.
Carolina has been good (3-1-0) in the second game of back-to-backs, while the Caps have struggled (1-2-1), though with Cam Ward on the shelf, Michael Leighton having played in last night's overtime loss and backup Justin Peters having never played a minute in the NHL, their goaltending situation is somewhat precarious. Having to fly 546 miles to play a game less less than 19 hours after your previous one ended is no picnic for the Caps, so it will be a major gut check for both teams. Judging from what I've seen of Carolina's guts in the past, I'd give the edge to the Caps in that category.
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Nuggets
Lots of good little facts in this post!
by Stratocaps on Dec 7, 2008 8:13 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
First Star
I missed last nights contest – whats with AO getting the first star? I saw in the AP recap he knocked someone out of the game, but was he knocking leafs all over the place or something?
by facekdr on Dec 7, 2008 8:18 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
AO’s contribution was largely leadership and physical play, I thought. He was a human wrecking ball, and that one little setup between him and 19 was so close to a goal it was ridiculous. They had Toskala beaten cold and it bounced off the post. Also, he almost pulled a ’The Goal, Part II".
If you watch the replays of Alzner’s goal, it looked to me like Ovi turned his stick away from the puck to let it go in if it was going to. He let Alzner have it – how classy is that?
One thing though … anyone else notice that AO isn’t as exuberant in his goal scoring celebrations as he used to be? Last year, Alzner would have been jumped and tackled to the ice.
by gotsparkly on Dec 7, 2008 8:27 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
One thing though … anyone else notice that AO isn’t as exuberant in his goal scoring celebrations as he used to be? Last year, Alzner would have been jumped and tackled to the ice.
My guess is that it’s because it’s not a playoff run or playoff game right now. Come April I think we’ll see some more of that.
by David M. Getz on Dec 7, 2008 10:18 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Or
Maybe it’s just that he doesn’t want to add to the medical squad? :D
by gotsparkly on Dec 7, 2008 10:32 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I thought Jughead/Juice looked terrific last night. As you said, just like he looked when we first got him.
by RickyRage on Dec 7, 2008 8:47 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Just what we're used to....
Ovechkin indeed was the number 1 star of the game last night – could have been Alzner, though. While I understand what might prompt you to say that was silly, I think that Alex does sooooo many things that don’t directly show up in the box score, we’ve become somewhat jaded and think that if he hasn’t scored two goals minimum, that somehow is a sub-par game for him. He hit people, he backchecked like a madman, he forechecked, and he was the focus of every MapleLeaf each time he stepped on the ice.
by shotfromthepoint on Dec 7, 2008 9:01 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I think most Caps fans would agree that Ovechkin had a solid game, but when Alzner had a goal and an assist in a game where the team only had two goals, Jurcina scored the game winner and played very well defensively, and Brent Johnson stopped 19 of 20 shots it’s hard to see AO as the number one.
by David M. Getz on Dec 7, 2008 10:17 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
#1 star
- star might be a little much, but at the same time i think its pretty cool(and possibly unprecedented) for a guy with no points to be named #1 star. It just speaks to how dominant he is in all aspects of the game. Hell, if one were to divide credit in the alzner goal between him and ovie, definitely 50/50
by ovechrist on Dec 7, 2008 9:54 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Not, it’s not unprecedented. Happens to goalies all the time, especially if said goalie records a shutout.
by gotsparkly on Dec 7, 2008 10:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
hope youre not serious
thanks for that, i thought goalies usually had to get an assist or two in addition to a shut out in order to even be considered for any of the stars.
by ovechrist on Dec 7, 2008 10:52 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It also speaks to the understanding Canadians have for the game and for Alex. If last night’s game was in Florida, AO’s not even in the top three.
by b.orr4 on Dec 7, 2008 11:24 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I dunno… I think it might speak equally to the understanding Canadians have for hyping the game. “Alex Ovechkin leads Caps over Leafs” is a better headline than “Milan Jurcina leads Caps over Leafs.”
That first star was reputational – if Sid got a first star for a similar performance, people would be up in arms about how he only got it because of who he is.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Dec 7, 2008 12:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
OV - First Star
I figure the Toronto Press voted OV first star for the following:
1) NOT going crazy when at the end of the second period he was first held, then hooked, then basically tripped, somehow made a shot, should have gotten a penalty shot, and didn’t even draw a minor penalty.
2) Not going crazy when he was subsequently called for one of the weakest hooks ever called this year (and that’s saying something).
3) Then NOT GOING Crazy when he was called for holding, not by the ref in a position to see the play but by a guy behind him across the ice and two zones away.
4) Being Ovechkin and making an impact just about every shift he was on the ice.
That said to me the stars were 1) Alzner (but no way the Toronto Press is ginving any rookie d-man the first star this year except Luke Schenn); 2) Jurcina; 3) Johnnie (though I could see it being OV as in addition to all of the above he had great stats and led the team in TOI despite being in the sin bin 4 minutes).
by markbona-capsfan99 on Dec 7, 2008 12:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
refreshing thought: back to back
against a team as tired as we will be, as opposed to the free skate holiday our hosts out west seemed to have.
Huge to get a win in CAR tonight—any one know if we’re recalling Osala anyone from Hershey to replace Fehr?
by bigonetimer on Dec 7, 2008 12:41 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
See above this post – the team recalled “Rooster”
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Dec 7, 2008 1:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
AO was first star? Really?
Hockey Night had Alzner as the first star, Johnson second, Ovechkin third.
by Doogie2K on Dec 7, 2008 1:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
1st star? OK, but
I’d go with Johnson first, Alzner third.
I thought Alex stood out about all other Caps not in the net, hands down in terms of impact on the game. He was hitting and was the primary reason Toskala could not see the first goal. He was hitting everything, and that hit on Hollweg was stellar.
AO is always up for Toronto – always.
by hotdog88gt on Dec 7, 2008 4:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington
|
69 | 46 | 14 | 9 | 101 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
68 | 28 | 28 | 12 | 68 |
|
Atlanta
|
68 | 28 | 29 | 11 | 67 |
|
Florida
|
67 | 28 | 29 | 10 | 66 |
|
Carolina
|
68 | 28 | 32 | 8 | 64 |
(updated 3.15.2010 at 8:47 AM EDT)
The Vault
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