Thursday Roundup - Caps 6, Pens 3
by J.P. on Jan 15, 2009 6:36 AM EST
63 comments
[AP Recap - Game Summary - Event Summary]
Ah, The Igloo - the Caps' newfound home away from home. Too bad the Pens are moving out just as the Caps are taking their shoes off and putting their feet up on the coffee table, eh? Oh well. We'll just have to savor next year's two meetings, I suppose.
All kidding aside, the Caps won their third straight game in Pittsburgh for the first time since 1985 on the strength of a pair of goals and a primary helper on the game-winner from the League's reigning (and leader at the turn this season) Most Valuable Player, but really, it was a total team effort*. A few thoughts on the game:
- First and foremost, scary moment when Rob Scuderi took a puck in the head off a Mike Green shot. Hopefully he's alright (same goes for the other Penguin that missed the end of the game), and the Pens definitely missed him the rest of the way.
- The Caps weathered a first period storm (at least three odd-man rushes against, a full two-minute 5-on-3 killed and just one goal allowed) and absolutely dominated the final forty minutes, outshooting the Pens 30-18 and outscoring them 6-2.
- More on the overall dominance - the Caps owned the game at even strength, outshooting Pitt 29-16, and the boys in white had 81 total shots that went on goal, missed the net or were blocked/attempted to only 57 such shots for their hosts. That speaks to a big territorial advantage, and the Corsi ratings for the game reflect that as well.
- Hey, what do you know - splitting up the Alexes and having two scoring lines worked.
- This bullet is dedicated to Tomas Fleischmann, who I continue to be happy to have been wrong about. He was fantastic.
- One area in which the Caps struggled was in the dot. Winning a road game in which you win only 42% of the game's faceoffs (surprising, given the teams' rankings in that stat) is certainly doing it the hard way, but after that first period, the draws were pretty even.
- To that last point, the two Swedes each won 25% of their draws, which is wholly unacceptable.
- Seriously. Anyone who still thinks Evgeni Malkin is the League's MVP at this point is loopy (love ya, Lyle, but you're wrong here). Nice goal, to be sure. Not so nice minus-3 (and he had his head on a swivel all night to make sure he knew where the Number Eight train was at all times).
- John Erskine's concussion was a blessing in (an assuredly unpleasant) disguise, as he has come back playing some of his best hockey that I can remember. We sometimes forget how much of a toll his style of play takes on the body - even when he's not injured, Big John is usually hurting, but not right now, thanks to the layoff.
- Also getting back to speed, Sergei Fedorov. Even though he was the Caps' only Russian not to score a goal, his pass on Alex Semin's tally was magnificent and he was stronger on his skates than he has been in weeks upon weeks. He's still not 100% - his three seconds of short-handed time confirms that - but he's getting closer.
- Sidney "I finish my hits all the time" Crosby... didn't have a single one credited to him last night.
- Jose Theodore had a pretty strong game and made some big saves. It was a game for him to step up and be "the guy," and he did.
- Get well soon, Shaone Morrisonn (and Tom Poti) - Bryan Helmer isn't very good.
- Matt Cooke is a clown. He was on the ice for the first four Caps goals and took a bad penalty defending a teammate who was hit cleanly. I don't miss him. You?
- The power play is still not quite right, but it clicked twice, so that's hard to argue with.
- Brooks Laich had many a glorious scoring opportunity but never could quite finish. He did, however, pick up his 100th career point on the first Alex Ovechkin goal, and led the entire team with 5:17 of shorthanded ice time.
- A big plus-three and a 190-foot goal for Jeff Schultz (an even longer shorty than Boyd Gordon - who was missed - had earlier in the year). Good on him, as he had a good game.
- Comcast's Lisa Hillary had a bizarre ice level report during the game in which she said that Chris Clark's healthy scratch had nothing to do with his play of late. I know that Flyers owner Ed Snider is the chairman of Comcast, but that doesn't mean their viewers are stupid.
And so the Caps return home to face the one team in the Conference that is ahead of them in the standings on Saturday, and they do so with a big road win over a secondary rival rather than riding a four-game losing streak, and that difference is night and day.
* "Total team effort" does not apply to Michael Nylander or Eric Fehr.
0 recs |
63 comments
| Add comment
|
Email
Print
Comments
Yeah if clark was playing well he would be in the line up. This positioning thing can only mean “I think the team will be better if somebody else is here.”
Note on Nylander, are we allowed to place a player on the LTIR even if he isn’t hurt? Sounds like a good way to take his $5million+ of the cap. I’m only kinda joking here.
by Ovechkin on Jan 15, 2009 7:37 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
1) Don’t think Nylander would take kindly to that. The NHLPA would probably raise a stink, not to mention that probably the league would sanction the team for salary cap circumvention.
2) Unless GMGM can both convince one of his collegues to take on Nylanders contract AND convince Nylander to move mid season,(both unlikely) he’s there to stay
by Fauxrumors on Jan 15, 2009 8:00 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
1) Found it odd that the caps announcers defended Cooke’s penalty. Taking a retaliatory penalty in a tie game can only be described as dumb. It wasn’t like Crosby was cheap-shotted. It was a typical clean shoulder check.
by Fauxrumors on Jan 15, 2009 7:57 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I’m surprised that that’s why they defended it. To be sure it was an incredibly weak call, probably a makeup for the high-sticking screw job, but it was still a pretty stupid thing for Cooker to do after the play.
by brs03 on Jan 15, 2009 8:34 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I think they were more generally defending the act of retaliating when someone hits one of your stars, even if the hit is clean.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Jan 15, 2009 8:40 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, but that was probably the weakest “defending” you might see. Bumping into a guy while skating off the ice? Oh yeah, that’ll learn him. I could understand saying something if it was a good hard hit immediately after the hit on Crosby, but from where I was sitting this didn’t look like anything close to that. And odd play all around, I guess.
by brs03 on Jan 15, 2009 9:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
The thing is, it wasn’t a penalty. He barely bumped Ovechkin. How is that a penalty?
by katzistan on Jan 15, 2009 10:46 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It was a weak call, maybe more pre-emptive than anything else – a few times, the refs were making sure to keep the game well under control, especially when the stars were concerned (see also: Schultz’s penalty on Crosby and Malkin’s on Ovie).
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Jan 15, 2009 10:53 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Well he wasn’t called for roughing or anything, he was called for interference. And if you deliberately go and get in someone’s way when they don’t have the puck and prevent them from playing the game, that’s interference.
If I’m a Pens fan I’m more upset at Cooke than the referee.
by David M. Getz on Jan 15, 2009 11:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I’m more upset at Therrien.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Jan 15, 2009 11:08 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, I believe that. If I’m a Pens fan I’m praying he’s let go.
by David M. Getz on Jan 15, 2009 11:10 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
If I’m a Pens fan I’m wondering if I should turn that baby blue 87 sweater into a jerk-rag.
by macvechkin on Jan 15, 2009 2:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
If you’re a Pens fan you’re probably already using it for that.
by David M. Getz on Jan 15, 2009 3:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Glad I wasn’t the only one who thought Hillary’s report was a little odd. And was it me or was she looking particularly Angela Martin-ish last night?
And way to go Caps! One of my favorite moments was Ovechkin cruising in on Geno at full tilt, and Geno swerves, causing the Pens offside.
by tuvanhillbilly on Jan 15, 2009 8:19 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
* “Total team effort” does not apply to Michael Nylander or Eric Fehr.
Couldn’t agree more.
by OvechkinLaichsSemin on Jan 15, 2009 8:23 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
JP — That’s genius writing. I had a great laugh from that line.
by vt caps fan on Jan 15, 2009 9:09 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Thx – I call ’em as I see ’em. I did feel, though, that outside of a couple of guys, the top-to-bottom effort was great.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Jan 15, 2009 9:22 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Gotta admit, I was a little nervous for the first few minutes with the breakaways, but once they settled in, that was the Caps team that is so fun to watch.
The Pens were definitely tired in the third having lost a couple players, but I liked the way the Caps kept on them until the end.
They do always seem to get up for the big games, so here’s hoping it carries over Saturday night.
by Ames on Jan 15, 2009 8:53 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
So THIS is where the team I was hoping to see against Columbus was hiding… (sigh)
by HeartbreakRidge on Jan 15, 2009 10:01 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
So did we win because I selected WNH for goals over on SPG, or because I missed the game day thread?
Because whatever it was, I want to do it again.
I have as many wins in a Capitals uniform as Michael Belhumeur does.
by marky narc on Jan 15, 2009 9:30 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
faux-style
*Next to the abundance of secondary scoring we generated, I thought the key for us last night was getting past that early 5 on 3 with only one goal allowed.
*Theodore had to come up big, and did, for the most part—I can’t really fault him on any of the goals.
*I wonder if the Cap’n and Mo discussed the VC ice on their night off together.
by bigonetimer on Jan 15, 2009 11:06 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Pensblog
I admit that some things written by them is funny occasionally, but check out comments after last nights game. They even try to make fun of Boudreau. I enjoy reading about their misery.
by Feeshbate on Jan 15, 2009 11:14 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
A few of the Ovechkin photoshops were funny, but good lord the people who comment there are complete idiots.
by Sombrero Guy on Jan 15, 2009 11:22 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I pretty much feel the same way. The blog itself is pretty funny but its rampant homerism and overall attitude attract a lot of idiots.
by David M. Getz on Jan 15, 2009 11:24 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I was surprised at the level of hate towards the Caps and their fans on there, but hard to criticize their enthusiasm. Either they’re nervous or just bigger dicks than I imagined. I especially like the guy that photoshopped “Joke” over Ovie’s name.
In other news, Shanny signed with NJ and Columbus got a center (Williams) from Atlanta.
by grapejoos on Jan 15, 2009 11:30 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
You know, I think sometimes we display just as much hate towards the Pens and their fans. Photoshops aren’t unknown by any stretch of the imagination, and a lot of pleasure goes into beating the Pens here. There’s a certain amount of unfortunate truth to the one remark about permanent psychological scarring after being beaten so many times over the years.
However, now the shoe is on the other foot, and look at them cry. Don’t look now, but of that sort of thing are rivalries born. Real rivalries. The media makes much of the Crosby/Semin and Malkin/Ovechkin thing – much more than I think it’s really worth – but if the hate that Caps fans have for the Penguins and their fans is suddenly becoming mutual … oh this has the makings of some fun times.
by gotsparkly on Jan 15, 2009 5:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Spot on. No question that I’ve been permanently scarred by them, and will hate them forever.. I think the hate from the Pens fans surprised me because they essentially always win, and those kind of little brother rivalries are always kinda pathetic until the tables turn. I recognize that.
They haven’t turned yet, but the anger from them shows that they are maybe a little nervous.
by grapejoos on Jan 15, 2009 6:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Wouldn’t you be if the Caps were doing that pathetically? Would you be up in arms if Ovi socked a helpless guy in the babymakers? I sure would be. I’d be seriously upset if my team was crashing and burning as badly as the Pens are.
by gotsparkly on Jan 15, 2009 6:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I saw some of their comments. It seems they’re awaiting Jaromir Jagr to ride in on a white horse and save them.
Best of luck with that.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Jan 15, 2009 11:26 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Jan 15, 2009 11:42 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I must say
Some of these Ovie photoshops are pretty hilarious. Particularly the one of Ovie holding Briere and Ovie as Bartman.
For a team that has beaten the Caps so many times, they seem a wee bit obsessed (threatened?) with Ovie.
by grapejoos on Jan 15, 2009 3:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
He’s the primary threat to Crosby’s supremacy as an NHL star. Simple as that.
A lot of people who hate Ovi secretly wish he played for their team, I’ve found. Don’t worry about it.
by gotsparkly on Jan 15, 2009 5:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I am really happy for Flash. Like many of you, he frustrated the living crap out of me last year but he seems like a nice guy and he is all smiles these days.
by Sombrero Guy on Jan 15, 2009 12:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Lisa Hillary 3rd Period Report
Good that she chimed in with “Chris Clark is not in the lineup, but it was not because of performance. It was a matter of position.”
Yeah, Eric Fehr is better and took his spot.
When you bench your captain, it’s time to give the C to someone else.
by wesvenis on Jan 15, 2009 12:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I think it’s time for Clark to to the honorable thing and give up the captaincy. That would cause the least distraction.
by macvechkin on Jan 15, 2009 2:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Part deux...
When Eric Fehr is better than you and takes your spot…. there is something seriously wrong with your play.
by wesvenis on Jan 15, 2009 12:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Apparantly rumor is flying through Pen-land that they’re firing Therien and hiring Pat Quinn. What does that mean for us?
by Whiter Mage on Jan 15, 2009 12:53 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Er, meant to add this.
My quick opinion is that they waited too long. Should have fired him on Thanksgiving.
by Whiter Mage on Jan 15, 2009 12:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
My opinion is that I hope they waited too long. The Penguins are down and out but they have enough talent that if they get into the playoffs, even as a seven or eight seed, they could cause problems for any team.
by David M. Getz on Jan 15, 2009 1:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
The Penguins are down and out but they have enough talent that if they get into the playoffs, even as a seven or eight seed, they could cause problems for any team.
As Caps fans, I think we all know it’s too early to call any team, especially one with as many talented players as the Pens, “out of it” just yet…although they certain do have their work cut out for them.
by PaintDrinkingPete on Jan 15, 2009 1:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
They’re far from out of it. I can’t see them missing the playoffs but they definitely have to start winning games soon if they want to make it. The Caps last year are an obvious example of how a team with Pitt’s talent level can turn the corner, especially with a coaching change. Pitt is one point out of the #7 slot right now (although with 1-3 more GP than the teams in front of them).
Pat Quinn? That would be interesting. Pitt doesn’t really seem to have a Pat Quinn type roster – a bunch of softies with a few tough customers mixed in (many of whom are hurt). He was a good coach in his day, but I wonder if he would be as good today, with that team.
by grapejoos on Jan 15, 2009 1:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
That’s kind of my opinion too. Oh well. Time for acoustics lab.
by Whiter Mage on Jan 15, 2009 1:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Agree
And the real ass-kicker there is if they do get in as say, a 7 seed or a 6 depending on how well they recover, if at all, the odds are that WE would be the team that they would be causing problems for. Not my idea of a ‘pleasant’ first round matchup.
by wittcap79 on Jan 15, 2009 1:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Pitt in the first round? All I can say is bring it on.
by grapejoos on Jan 15, 2009 1:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
As a fan, I would LOVE a Caps vs. Pitt playoff.
by PaintDrinkingPete on Jan 15, 2009 1:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
My opinion is that’s a lot of money tied up in a fired coach for the next three years.
by Sombrero Guy on Jan 15, 2009 1:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Sunk costs are always sunk. Therrian’s getting that money no matter what, so the team might as well spring for a coach that will help the team. Making the playoffs would more than pay for a new coach’s salary.
by David M. Getz on Jan 15, 2009 2:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It was a good effort, and yeah, Nylander didn’t do all that well. Fehr did as well as could be expected.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the Clark scratch was a psych move that both Bruce and Clark came up with to get some oher players motivated (“If they’ll scratch the captian, I better bust ass…”)
Helmer played at his usual AHL level… Ah well, he’ll be back down soon. Hopefully Mo will be back soon.
As for teams that are out of it, the Pens aren’t there, but they’re at the bottom of the teams that still have a shot in 10th place. The only teams really out of it are the Leafs, Sens, Isles, Bolts, and Thrashers. The Pens are 10th, but they only have to pass two teams (Florida, Carolina or Buffalo) to get in. Personally, I think Florida is playing the best of those 4 right now, so the Pens, Sabres, and Canes may end up fighting for 8th…
by MikeL-Caps on Jan 15, 2009 1:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Hrm, where were we last year at this point in the season?
I hesitate to count anybody out yet. The Bolts are playing pretty good right now, and I’m sure it’s run through some of their heads to try duplicating what the Caps did last year. Granted, they don’t have the talent level that we do, but that won’t stop them from trying.
by gotsparkly on Jan 15, 2009 5:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Last Night Sucked
I had to leave after the first period. On the way to work I got hit by a car on my scooter and went down hard. Finally made to work after getting cleaned up by the paramedics. Get home hoping to finish the game and my Tivo fucked up and wouldn’t play the game. Nice win, crappy night.
Your favorite meme is dead
by Edanger6 on Jan 15, 2009 1:40 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Check the CSN listings but I think they’re replaying the game from 7 – 9 tonight.
by Lisita on Jan 15, 2009 2:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
LNS
You must get a DVR and toss your Tivo
by Feeshbate on Jan 15, 2009 1:47 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Really? I’d love to toss my Time Warner DVR and get a Tivo (which is a DVR, technically speaking, but I know what you mean).
by grapejoos on Jan 15, 2009 1:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, my previous TiVo-branded DVR (DirecTV) was much better than my current Cox SA 8240 DVR piece of crap. (Although I hear DirecTV doesn’t use the TiVo-branded equipment anymore).
Much more capacity, better controls, and I liked how it would record “suggestions”.
by PaintDrinkingPete on Jan 15, 2009 2:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Same deal with me, using the Scientific Atlanta DVR box with Time Warner NYC. I miss my old Tivo, and wish I could just rent cable cards from the cable company and buy my own. The capacity for HD recording on my DVR also totally sucks unless you connect an external drive.
Another nice Tivo feature is the ability to set it to record keywords. My DVR can find the Caps games with the keyword “Capitals”, but I have to manually tell it to record stuff every week when the guide updates.
Phew. Ok. Enough of that.
by grapejoos on Jan 15, 2009 2:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
You are correct, the new D* DVRs don’t have Tivo. For the most part though, the integration outweighs the nicer features that were lost. I’d still prefer full fledged Tivo, but it does ’aight.
by macvechkin on Jan 15, 2009 2:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
First of all, Reply Fail
And I use Tivo in the generic sense as I have a directTV brand DVR which I think is inferior to an actual Tivo. I hit record when I left and when I tried to hit play it had apparently recorded the game but wouldn’t let me watch. Right now I’m watching the Caps and Detroit from 1996. Feds just scored the first of the five goals he’s about to score.
Your favorite meme is dead
by Edanger6 on Jan 15, 2009 2:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I remember HATING Feds back then.
by Whiter Mage on Jan 15, 2009 3:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Join the community and dive in!
Secondary Sidebar
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recent FanShots
Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington
|
21 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 30 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
19 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 23 |
|
Atlanta
|
18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 22 |
|
Florida
|
19 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 18 |
|
Carolina
|
21 | 4 | 12 | 5 | 13 |
(updated 11.20.2009 at 9:16 AM EST)
Certain photos copyright © 2009 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.
