Recap: Maple Leafs 6, Caps 3
by J.P. on Dec 12, 2009 10:51 PM EST
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As well as the Caps played over the first twenty minutes of Saturday night's 6-3 loss to Toronto, they only held a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission, having failed to convert on at least a trio of other prime scoring opportunities (chances for Brendan Morrison, Alexander Semin and Alex Ovechkin immediately come to mind). Cash in on any of those, and maybe the Leafs go away. Convert on two or three and the rout would've been on.
That's not what happened, of course, and by the start of the second period the team's fatigue began to show (this was the Caps' third game in four nights and the second of back-to-backs that included some travel headaches in between games). Before the period was six minutes old the game was tied, and only a soft Nicklas Backstrom goal nearly halfway through the period broke up a string of a half dozen consecutive Leafs goals that concluded with a tally that you'd hope Michal Neuvirth can somehow forget.
Ten more notes on the game:
- The last time a Caps goalie gave up six goals in a game was the last game of last season, and Neuvirth probably had the worst sixty-minute performance by a Caps netminder since then. Yes, he had his moments, but on a night when his teammates needed him to steal a game for them - or at least keep them in it - he wasn't up to the task.
- That said, he didn't get much help, as the team in front of him allowed 36 Toronto shots on goal, gave the Leafs a lengthy 5-on-3 power play (of which they only needed 17 seconds to score), and repeatedly failed to tie up opponents in front of the net.
- On a positive note, the Caps' top line dominated the first half of the game, combining for all three goals, a trio of helpers and a plus-six rating. They fell off a bit after that (and Backstrom's failure to win a key draw in his own zone - or at very least to tie up Matt Stajan - led to the game-winning tally), but the Ovechkin-Backstrom duo was as good as it gets early.
- It's tough to stand out amongst a group of blueliners who collectively had an awful night, but that's exactly what John Erskine did. Ersky was credited with four giveaways and a penalty, but the scoresheet doesn't even begin to tell the story of how bad he was. Dishonorable mention here goes to Mike Green, who didn't impress any Team Canada reps tonight.
- Over their last three games, the Caps power play has scored once and been scored upon twice. That's not good, but neither is this: the power play is now 18.6% successful in the games AO has played and 40.6% in the eight games he's missed.
- Mike Knuble and Brooks Laich were each minus-two tonight, following up a minus-one apiece Friday night. Given that Laich has one goal in his last 11 games and Knuble has only lit the lamp in one of his past eight games (which includes his time on IR, of course) and that the Caps have looked more like a one-line team over this past week, perhaps it's time to put Knuble back up on the top unit and push Alex Semin to the second line.
- Backstrom's goal made him the Caps' fifth double-digit goal scorer on the season. Morrison's in the on-deck circle with nine and Eric Fehr's in the hole with eight.
- No Cap played less tonight than David Steckel, who got only 9:14 of ice time (but did manage to be on the ice for three goals against... ouch).
- Not to keep harping on Erskine, but given the recent schedule and the back-to-backs, why not dress Tyler Sloan in his place? At least he's got legs. Oh, Toronto's truculent. Nevermind.
- No one in the game had more hits than Chris Clark's three. Really?
Over the past two nights, the Caps have played the two worst teams in the entire NHL (point-wise, at least), and they needed overtime to beat one at home and got beaten handily by the other on the road. And yet there they still sit atop the League standings. Funny what can happen on any given weekend in the NHL...
Game highlights:
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I was going to point out that B Mo was 6th in PP time for the team.
The numbers from when he was a larger part of that effort this season I would think would/should give him more time.
If they don’t want to put ovi on the 2nd unit then at least Green.
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by J.P. on Dec 12, 2009 10:57 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Is that a still? Or is that video of him skating?
by TylerG on Dec 12, 2009 10:58 PM EST up reply actions 6 recs
In the “a picture is worth a thousand words” category, there’s an example of the Caps letting this one get away.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Dec 13, 2009 12:58 AM EST up reply actions
Caption
“Here you go Leafs, here are two points”
Leafs: Don’t mind if we do!
Thought that this game was going to be a blowout if only because Ovie’s line looked set to score about 40 goals based on the first period.
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“Nyls! Wait for meeeeeee!!!!!”
ALEX, FЯEE
by EmilyB on Dec 13, 2009 9:58 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Nicely done. Rec’d.
Only YOU can prevent idiots from commenting!
by Knee high to a duck on Dec 13, 2009 10:00 PM EST up reply actions
For the first time this season, MP seemed absolutely invisible tonight.
I lived with a blind guy for a while, then he figured it out and demanded back rent.
Caps’ Power Play. Or should they refer to it as the Caps powerless play? Or short handed opportunities for the other team?
Rocking the Red since 1975
think they are taking this “better to give than receive” BS a little too literally
I lived with a blind guy for a while, then he figured it out and demanded back rent.
by Rather Bengt on Dec 12, 2009 11:11 PM EST up reply actions
Neuvy was terrible from what I saw of him tonite
by washfan29 on Dec 12, 2009 11:26 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
The thing we gotta remember about Neuvy is he has very little top level experience.
Goalies, in general, take the longest to develop.
He needs a lot of defence support to win at this level, which he didn’t get.
When the Caps stop moving their feet, getting the puck down low, cycling and winning battles on the boards, the defence gets exposed.
Mental errors don’t help either.
If you don't wanna get hit, KEEP YOUR HEAD UP!
Neuvirth will always be compared to Varly, and Varly probably came a lot farther and developed to NHL caliber quicker.
by red army line on Dec 13, 2009 3:45 AM EST up reply actions
The way Neuvy played tonight against this team…we’re going to need Theo or someone experienced to play up to 30 games next season. He isn’t behind schedule, but he doesn’t appear to be much ahead either.
Maybe they should check out Holtby first. He’s torn it up in his AHL starts so far.
by red army line on Dec 13, 2009 6:18 AM EST up reply actions
what are you talking about? Just because Theo had one off night vs the Canes on FRI (we still won), you’re hoping he plays “up to 30 games???” JT will start at least 45 games this year, as it is obvious that Varly can’t handle the duties of playing a #1 slate of games yet……
Uh, what? I don’t follow. Theo hasn’t been that consistent this season, but not that inconsistent either. If the Caps win say 60% of his starts and 70% of Varly’s then that’s pretty good. But Neuvirth hasn’t this season shown that he can handle NHL duties as a backup. That’s the concern. Varly can’t handle 60-70 games, and playing Neuvirth for 20+ games is a big risk if he’s allowing 4 goals an outing. I hope he returns to last season’s form.
by red army line on Dec 13, 2009 9:32 AM EST up reply actions
The comment was that the Caps are going to need someone besides Varlamov to play a significant number of games next season, and Icebat has questions whether Neuvirth can be that guy at this point.
That is a huge if.
We’ll probably see Neuvirth throw out there a few more times, maybe even Hotlby some just for the sake of next year.
They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.
Corey’s got a nice post-game big picture entry to peruse.
"After the Cold War, the AK-47 became Russia's biggest export. After that came vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists (and a couple good hockey players)."
by Bald Pollack on Dec 12, 2009 11:31 PM EST via mobile reply actions
That is a cold spray of water right in the face.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Dec 13, 2009 12:58 AM EST up reply actions
you know what sort of scares me?
This quote from Ron WIlson:
Here’s a quote from Leafs coach Ron Wilson: “I don’t think they’re [i.e. the Caps] worried about, at any point in the game, about defending — they’re thinking about scoring the next goal.”
Because he’s right. He’s not saying the Caps aren’t capable of playing defensive hockey, I think we all know they can… but, still. It’s one thing to be able to do it, and it’s another thing to actually do it. Standings can be misleading.
Hopefully BB can work some magic and it’s just a….couple-games-phase/streaky thing and all will be well.
Taking Wilson with a grain of salt there – I mean, it wasn’t 2-0 in the 3rd period. Turning 2-0 into 4-0 is what we all want to see in the middle stages of the game, right? Just turned out pretty sour due to some poor defense and goaltending.
Russian Machine very rarely breaks.
Wilson has been longtime friends with Boudreau, and I’d presume each has talked about each other’s teams, albeit topically; he’s not speaking a even little bit of truth here?
"After the Cold War, the AK-47 became Russia's biggest export. After that came vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists (and a couple good hockey players)."
by Bald Pollack on Dec 13, 2009 2:06 AM EST up reply actions
but doesn’t it scare you that we seem to always do it? why we blow so many 2/3 goal leads? We win when we score a lot…I just want to be sure the boys aren’t sticking with that kind of ‘just keep racking up the goals’ mentality. It’s a lot harder to score in the playoffs. If we didn’t have Varly in last year’s Rangers series, that series might’ve come out a whole lot of different.
If we didn’t have Varly in last year’s Rangers series, that series might’ve come out a whole lot of different.
Disagree with this to some extent for a couple of reasons; this mentality was slightly pervasive the year before in the Flyers series, to say nothing for them coasting last March/April before the playoffs began.
"After the Cold War, the AK-47 became Russia's biggest export. After that came vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists (and a couple good hockey players)."
by Bald Pollack on Dec 13, 2009 12:39 PM EST up reply actions
zelda
Eh, not a great game. Neuvy wasn’t great. I sat by a guy last night who did nothing but bitch and moan about the Caps and Theo through most of the game. I was ready to punch him. And then we had a screamer behind us who broke everybody’s eardrums. It hurt to watch tonight’s game. Let’s let Neuvy study with Arturs, and I suspect he’ll do better. We can’t win them all.
I’ll admit I wasn’t happy with Theodore yesterday (but at least he started doing better after Period 1).
But now Neuvy sounded like he didn’t do well at all. (And the defense had numerous breakdowns.)
Rocking the Red since 1975
zelda
Yeah, but he did better after the first period. Neuvy didn’t do well, in my opinion, but Irbe has done wonders with both of our goaltenders this year, and I think Neuvy studying with him for a few games will be great — the boy has raw talent.
Mildly entertaining – the NHL recap lists Kessel as the second star of the game … and posts a pic of him in his Bruins uni:
ALEX, FЯEE
Beantown has been waiting for someone to hate on like this ever since The Whale packed up and left.
Russian Machine very rarely breaks.
Can we trade them Erskine? Or Circles?
They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.
As for the rest of the game, less entertaining than I’d hoped. Did the holiday thing tonight with my family and went to see the Winter Lights at Seneca Creek State Park. Checked in with Steve Kolbe as we entered the park, Caps up 2-0 going into first intermission and all is right with the world. Then fifty minutes of pretty lights and holiday tunes on 97.1.
Checked in again upon leaving the park and I’m all wtf. Holiday cheer can dissipate frightfully quickly in CapsFanLand.
ALEX, FЯEE
Neuvy is so reminiscent of Theo
his overcommitment on lateral moves, his falling down on every shot, his overall tininess in net, his always being caught out of position. Yikes.
Real ugly loss.
Not so sure that’s true. Don’t think you should give up on him so early. Granted, I’m a goalie fan. I think if Neuvy had a chance to work with Arturs Irbe for a few weeks, he’ll be great.
We used to think that about Justin Pogge…
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Yup
Then you’d have to find your Jonas Gustavsson.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Good luck on that. I’d be worried about his long term health. If he has another heart issue, I’d guess he’s told his career is over. I hope for his sake (not the Leafs) that he’s okay now.
"The Caps fan doesn't say, 'is the glass half full' or 'is the glass half empty'. He wonders when the glass is going to spill."
According to what I’ve read a 2nd ablation isn’t rare and it’s 90% successful. Keep your fingers crossed.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
In his last four NHL appearances (including one of 23 seconds), Neuvirth is 0-3-0, 4.70, .841. He needs at least another full year in Hershey, which is going to set up an interesting situation down the road. He isn’t giving clear indications that he’s ready to step into an NHL role, either as a starter or a back up, just yet. The Caps might need to bring in someone (assuming they do not re-sign Theodore) for a year or so.
Let the speculation begin (because it’s never too soon to unleash your inner Eklund)
If you've read this far...seek help.
It’s really too bed Neuvirth isn’t doing so well, the Rookie Sophmore tandem would be great. Cheap, and if we need a vet we can get one at the deadline. But Neuvirth does seem not ready. But maybe throwing him in more NHL games will help that more than the AHL will. We have the firepower to win some games regardless, and we will make the playoffs with him, even if not the 1st place. And learning defense might be nice…
They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.
The same thought crossed my mind during the game. Going to be interesting to see what Theo’s market is come July.
Russian Machine very rarely breaks.
"After the Cold War, the AK-47 became Russia's biggest export. After that came vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists (and a couple good hockey players)."
by Bald Pollack on Dec 13, 2009 2:01 AM EST up reply actions
Jason Bacashihua
I’ve been out of the loop for a while. I’m just wondering how does Jason fit into the Caps goaltending picture?
Got signed to be an AHL backup and will presumably stay that way (they’d have to wait and see if Holtby flamed out before considering him).
"After the Cold War, the AK-47 became Russia's biggest export. After that came vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists (and a couple good hockey players)."
by Bald Pollack on Dec 13, 2009 2:16 AM EST up reply actions
6 games in 10 days doesn’t help…nor do travel problems…
Should we chastise the NHL for bad scheduling here? I’m not trying to blame the loss on that, but still, they could ease up a bit, no?
There will be a Яeckoning for the wЯecking ball
Every team has schedue issues this year. Some teams are playing 16 games in December. Caps only have thirteen.
ALEX, FЯEE
our travel schedule is a killer tho. we get these random home games followed up by away games the next night. the caps didnt even get there till this afternoon
by twistedlogic on Dec 13, 2009 12:51 AM EST up reply actions
Guess how many Caps got a Plus in the Plus/Minus department today. One player. That’s how many.
Rocking the Red since 1975
Well, they have a higher collective plus-minus, but the Caps are a good team and there are by definition more forwards. The defensemen actually have a better plus-minus per man game.
Teams w/ scouts at Leafs game 2nite: DET, FLA, CBJ, TB, CHI, OTT, VAN, DAL… outside of Sens, neither TOR nor WAS play these teams til 2010
ALEX, FЯEE
Maybe they’re anticipating the Toronto firesale that is inevitable this year with something like 6 or 7 expiring contracts at least…. albeit some RFAs.
10 UFAs and 5 RFAs I believe.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Neuvy = Not Ready for Prime Time.
How many more showings like this do we need from our ‘depth’ defensemen while Alzner languishes in Hershey? Sure they have good nights, but then there’s this.
And wow – how can so many guys step up during AO’s absence and manage to disappear when he’s back? BB needs to figure this out.
I’m not going to lose any sleep over the past two games, although blowing 2 goal leads annoys me. Seems to me that’s something that a little veteran presence could help with
Russian Machine very rarely breaks.
by macvechkin on Dec 13, 2009 1:21 AM EST reply actions 2 recs
How many more showings like this do we need from our ‘depth’ defensemen while Alzner languishes in Hershey? Sure they have good nights, but then there’s this.
Good call. I can sympathize with management wanting to get something for one (or more) of their defensemen, but the goal for the Capitals right now is winning the Cup, and it’s very difficult for me to believe Alzner doesn’t give them a better chance of doing that than some of the guys they have on the roster right now. At some point they need to cut their losses, waive a guy, and call up Alzner so that he has enough time to get acclimated to the NHL that he’s ready for the playoff run. I don’t know what that point is, but it has to be getting close.
by David Getz on Dec 13, 2009 11:17 AM EST up reply actions 4 recs
This (for the last two sentences). McPhee’s not going to be able to “outshrewd” anyone when trying to deal any of those guys in back for assets that will improve the team, so he’s either going to have to settle for something on the cheap in back or send them on the wire.
"After the Cold War, the AK-47 became Russia's biggest export. After that came vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists (and a couple good hockey players)."
by Bald Pollack on Dec 13, 2009 11:23 AM EST up reply actions
At some point they need to cut their losses, waive a guy, and call up Alzner so that he has enough time to get acclimated to the NHL that he’s ready for the playoff run. I don’t know what that point is, but it has to be getting close.
I felt like that point was about two weeks ago. I’ve said it before: if we wait until post-Olympics to bring Alzner up to stay, then we have waited too long. Because he’s still likely to have sme ups and downs before he settles, and there needs to be enough time for him to settle before playoffs start.
"Camaraderie, that's what the Washington Capitals are all about."
by CapitalCentre on Dec 13, 2009 12:04 PM EST up reply actions
5th Goal
Just re-watching the game in an hour but I think the fifth goal was indicative of the problems I saw with the Capitals last year. Mike Green makes the laziest defensive play I’ve seen outside of a blue-clad defenceman. He just waves his stick at Stajan allowing the pass to get through to Stempniak.
Then Ovechkin does what my peewee coach called chicken scratching allowing Stempniak to go in alone. Two more hard strides and he would have caught him and prevented the goal.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Whatever chance he had at making the Canadian Olympic team went up in smoke last night. The circumstances sort of made this a final audition.
If you've read this far...seek help.
To be honest, I don’t think he had anything more than an outside chance but yeah, even that’s done now.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
It also came after both those guys had been on the ice for over a minute. 3rd game in 4 nights and BB did absolutely nothing to control shift length. If that’s how he’s going to play it we’re going to be in for a short spring. At some point he needs to, you know, play coach and tell his players when they play, not the other way around. If we have so many scoring threats then why the fuck are we playing 1.5 PP units? I’m sick of it, and to be honest it’s turning me against BB.
You're the reason that I hate Nova Scotia.
by Rob Parker on Dec 13, 2009 11:45 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
I can’t say I’m against Bruce quite yet, but you make an excellent point. He’s stubborn to a fault about ‘imposing the system’ on the opponent, no matter what the cost nor game situation is. Hard to quibble when you’re winning nearly 2 out of 3, but the squandering of 2 goal leads becoming commonplace is worthy of a convo between Bruce and George.
Support your local bakery!
Shift and ice time management is particularly important in an Olympic shortened year like this one, and so far BB has been a total failure in this aspect of coaching, IMO.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Dec 13, 2009 3:05 PM EST up reply actions
And it’s something that’s been questioned a lot (I got to ask him about it at the draft) and he stuck to his stock answer.
But I remember Gretzky’s book (the first one) talking about how Sather started dialling down some of the key players’ ice-time in order to keep them fresher for the playoffs.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
The last time a Caps goalie gave up six goals in a game was the last game of last season
Then there was that “other” last game of the season . . . . oh yeah, I forgot we made a switch . . . .
Yeah, but that was two goalies (who also combined to give up six to Philly earlier this season).
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Power Play w/ and w/o Ovi
Thanks for pulling the PP data w/ and w/o Ovi — we were guessing the data would look something like that when watching the game last night. And what about the shorthanded goals against and breakaways against? I think it’s time to take Ovi off the point — he’s way to aggressive pinching in and way too inclined to make a turnover up there. I’ve seen enough of the other team’s SH breakaways for one season, thx.
B-Mo was a revelation on the point. Or we could recall Carlson and have, you know, a remotely normal line up.
If you went on the merits and not on the locker room implications, you’d actually move Ovi to the 2nd PP unit, at least until the first unit started to struggle a bit. That’s not going to happen of course, nor should it probably, so I guess down goes Semin to the 2nd unit. Whatever it takes to get Ovi off the point. C’mon Bruce, see the light here.
I don’t think anybody would be averse to seeing a PP 1a and PP 1b, something like
Semin-Backstrom-Fehr
Morrison-Green
and
Flash-Laich-Knuble
Ovechkin-Pothier
or something, giving ‘em each half the PP time and also cutting down Green and Ovie’s time on the PP too, as well as shift length. Thinking about that though I wish the Caps could give PP time to everyone worthy, as I just left out Clark, Perrault, and Poti.
by red army line on Dec 13, 2009 9:36 AM EST up reply actions
I would switch the D
Green is a better defenseman than Ovie is. So is Semin. So having SBF with OP then FLK with MG
They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.
I still like Ovechkin on the point. It’s slightly more risk, but I think it’s more reward too. Not only do you get Ovechkin bombing away, you get the opportunity to get three other forwards on the ice too. You replace Ovechkin on the point with Poti or Pothier, you’re putting them on the ice over Semin or Backstrom and that substantially weakens the unit.
B-Mo was a revelation on the point. Or we could recall Carlson and have, you know, a remotely normal line up.
If you put Morrison there, who centers the second powerplay unit? Recalling Carlson for this purpose isn’t something I’d be sold on. You put him on that point, the effectiveness of the unit’s almost certainly going to do down; I doubt the net effectiveness of the unit goes up. Even if it does it’s probably so marginal it doesn’t make sense to shake up the lineup to get there.
If you went on the merits and not on the locker room implications, you’d actually move Ovi to the 2nd PP unit, at least until the first unit started to struggle a bit. That’s not going to happen of course, nor should it probably, so I guess down goes Semin to the 2nd unit.
Agreed. Ovechkin’s the best goal scorer in the world. No reason to take him off the first powerplay unit.
I’m not against moving AO off the point, but I don’t think him playing the point is necessarily the problem. The problem is him playing the point AND playing the entire PP. That’s what leads to the bad giveaways and shorthanded chances against. AO is fine on the point when he is rested.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Dec 13, 2009 3:08 PM EST up reply actions
Indeed, but AO is also easier to contain at the point and there is definitely something more to the PP% with and without AO than just long shifts. That PP shouldn’t even last more than a minute most of the time with that collection of talent.
You're the reason that I hate Nova Scotia.
I agree that BB should give the PP more time to see how it works with AO down low. I’m just saying that the turnovers and shorthanded chances have more to do with the long shifts than AO not being good on the point.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Dec 13, 2009 9:05 PM EST up reply actions
Have you seen him cry before? I am just glad he had on a face shield, otherwise he might have had a damaged eye.
Faceshield ftw
Unless you are a fighter, everyone should have a shield. I don’t understand any reason not to
They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.
I think he caught it in the ear after he managed to turn away. Quick reaction or that could have been much worse.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Games like these make me happy that the Stars took Mark Fistric over Mike Green.
Green was terrible last night. Basically only the top line was really any good. The rest stunk it up.
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by Brad_Richards_Rocks on Dec 13, 2009 3:10 PM EST reply actions
That’s an absurd comment. So absurd I assume it’s a joke. Green has bad games, just like any young NHL D, but he’s still getting better and even if he never gets any better there is absolutely no justification to take Fistric over Green. Ever.
You're the reason that I hate Nova Scotia.
Is it possible that Green was still feeling the efffects of that hard hit he took in 1st per. v. Carolina?
Ima guessing more likely than possible, actually.
ALEX, FЯEE
I think it’s at least equally likely that he was realing from the tons of ice he has gotten lately. BB really makes no effort to manage his ice time, and I think it may be catching up to him (both in terms of his legs and the increased hits he takes. That’s several solid shots he’s taken in the last couple weeks alone). Mike skates excellently but at some point BB needs to keep him on the bench. Probably not a coincidence that Green’s ice time dropped a little when Alzner was up. If BB doesn’t have any other D he can trust then he’s going to keep throwing Green out there.
You're the reason that I hate Nova Scotia.
This is why I want Alzner up now
He got the 2nd most icetime when he was here. Green is high risk, high reward, and when you’re tired it doesn’t end up as well. Exhibit B, Semin when slightly injured.
They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.
Mirtle has Wilson’s longer quote up. Worth checking out for the first sentence.
We don’t have the absolute skill that Washington has so our attention to detail has to be so much stronger than what Washington would be paying attention to. I’m talking about having our sticks positioned, knowing where they are at all times. I don’t think they’re worried about, at any point in the game, about defending – they’re thinking about scoring the next goal. And we have to kind of do a bit of both.
"After the Cold War, the AK-47 became Russia's biggest export. After that came vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists (and a couple good hockey players)."
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Florida
|
51 | 24 | 16 | 11 | 59 |
|
Washington
|
52 | 27 | 21 | 4 | 58 |
|
Winnipeg
|
54 | 24 | 24 | 6 | 54 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
51 | 23 | 23 | 5 | 51 |
|
Carolina
|
54 | 20 | 25 | 9 | 49 |
(updated 2.7.2012 at 3:17 AM EST)
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