Game Day - Capitals @ Thrashers
by J.P. on Mar 16, 2009 7:00 AM EDT
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On April 3, 2001 an undrafted defenseman made his NHL debut at Phillips Arena as a member of the Atlanta Thrashers. Tonight, in the very same building, that same defenseman may well complete an even less likely journey back to the NHL than the one that led up to his first game nearly eight years ago.
That blueliner, of course, is the Caps' Brian Pothier, sidelined since January 3, 2008 with (at least) his fifth concussion and the resultant after effects, and his return to the lineup is potentially as helpful as it is inspirational, equal parts trade deadline splash and Masterton Trophy-worthy story.
Expecting Pothier to be a savior, however, would be a mistake. Luckily, the Caps aren't in need of a messiah (they've already got one of those), and they'll be more than happy with 15 minutes of solid hockey a night while the team rotates defenders in and out of the lineup in order to be as fresh as possible come playoff time.
As if Pothier's return to Washington wasn't intrigue enough for one day, the team's other roster move on Sunday - bringing Simeon Varlamov up from Hershey and sending Michal Neuvirth back to Chocolatetown - certainly has all the looks of a move made with an eye to April rather than just playing out the string, as the team (and its fans) are no doubt anxious to get another look at the young Russian netminder who is 18-6-1/2.47/.910 in the AHL this season and was 2-0-0/1.50/.953 in his brief NHL call-up earlier in the year. The team needs to know what they've got in Varlamov right now so that both the player and the team can have a decent amount of confidence, should something happen to Jose Theodore (whose job as the starter is most certainly not in jeopardy). Besides, even Ken Dryden needed six regular season starts before a Cup-winning playoff run.
As for tonight's opponents, the Thrashers are actually the hottest team in the NHL right now, winners of five straight (including shutouts of Jose Theodore's two former clubs) by a combined score of 18-8. Kari Letonen is on fire (4-0-0/1.23/.960 in his last four), but they're still very much a team the Caps should be able to handle, especially considering a few trends:
- Atlanta is coming off a three-game road trip and is 6-9-2 on the season in their first games back home.
- The Caps are 28-11-3 following wins and 10-5-2 in road games following home games.
- Alex Ovechkin has 45 points in 27 career games against the Thrashers, including his 50th goal as a rookie and 60th last season, both scored in Atlanta, and site on 49 goals for this season. Anyone betting against him scoring #50 tonight? Me neither, and the Caps 28-4-2 when AO scores a goal in 2008-09.
But those stats mean nothing, and the Caps have certainly shown on the season that they can lose to anyone on any given night. Throw in the roster moves and milestone potential (Alex Semin and Nick Backstrom are each also one goal shy of a round number) and for a mid-March matchup between the Division's elite and an also-ran, tonight's game actually should be pretty entertaining. Here's hoping.
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So the best guess is that it’s Varly in net, Pothier in for… Juice? Ersky? (Middle game of three in four days…) I’d guess Varly in, Juice out.
by TylerG on Mar 16, 2009 8:57 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
That’d be my guess as well. Erskine has actually been playing pretty well paired with Poti, and Schultz was Pothier’s most frequent partner before the injury, so the fit would probably make the most sense, as it would only necessitate disrupting one pairing.
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Only question I have on that is, will they ask Schultz’s minutes of Pothier in his first game back? Yes, it’s true that Schultz also logs time on the PK and sometimes the PP, where Pothier if you’re right will probably be mostly ES, but I was envisioning him being more third line.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
Schultz only had 17 ES minutes in Saturday night’s game (which went to a shootout), so skip Potsy once or twice and he’s at a perfectly manageable number.
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Okay, fair enough. I guess it also had to do with how much ES time actually happens in the game – some games have significantly more than others (especially with us :P). Guess we’ll see.
I’m thinking Varly in net as well. I got to see his new mask in Hershey – I like it, but I like Neuvirth’s art better.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
i can't believe i'm typing this
but you can’t sit Erskine
by ns on Mar 16, 2009 9:37 AM EDT up reply actions
That’s not all that far-fetched. He’s been playing consistently good hockey within his skill set. Which is more than we can say abotu Juice or Mo.
I have as many wins in a Capitals uniform as Michael Belhumeur does.
Gotta disagree on Mo – he’s been pretty good of late (Guerin goal eight days ago notwithstanding). In seven games in March, he’s a plus player and has taken just a single minor penalty. In fact, he has just two PIMs in his last ten games.
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God forbid he starts playing up to his contract now.
"Good crowd out there tonight, boys, let's really try to win this one."
by Bald Pollack on Mar 16, 2009 9:58 AM EDT up reply actions
If this team goes into the playoffs with the confident Morrisonn of last year and a healthy Pothier, that’s a heck of an upgrade over the defense we’ve seen all year.
by Gould Old Days on Mar 16, 2009 10:05 AM EDT up reply actions
Not to go overboard here, but if that comes to fruition, who in the Eastern Conference has a better 1-6 D corps than the Caps?
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Not to go overboard here, but if that comes to fruition,who in the Eastern Conference has a better 1-6 D corps than the Capswhat happens in the offseason?
Figured I should toss it out there.
"Good crowd out there tonight, boys, let's really try to win this one."
by Bald Pollack on Mar 16, 2009 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions
pots, alzner in… juice and mo out.. about even salary wise (before alzners bonus).. and we might be able to trade mo’s rights for a pick..
by sexypills03 on Mar 16, 2009 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions
Alzner’s playoffs will be in Hershey.
by Scott in Shaw on Mar 16, 2009 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think that question was about the offseason.
I think that they will end up keeping at least one of those guys. Mo and Juice are serviceable, reasonably young, and are known quantities. I’d prefer to keep Mo, and have Alzner able to play on the 5,6 pairing.
i just dont see how we afford keeping mo at ~$2M because…
-this offseason we need TWO top 6 forwards (kozlov, feds)
-one more 3rd-4th line forward (prolly from hershey)
-resign our RFAs (Gordon, Fehr, Schultz)…
-Erskine’s sweet extension hits next year..
-our cap hit is already at $45M for next year..
-and isnt the cap dropping next year?
just thinking out loud.
by sexypills03 on Mar 16, 2009 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions
Just pimping my own fanpost on this subject. The cap is unlikely to drop much for 09/10 because so many season tickets were already locked in for this past season when the market dropped. It’s 10/11 when the salary cap could tumble. And the Caps have Semin and Backstrom coming due for new contracts then.
by Gould Old Days on Mar 16, 2009 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions
The cap will probably stay more or less the same next year. But I agree that keeping Morrisonn, especially if Pothier’s going to play, is probably going to cost more than it’d be worth.
I can understand not keeping Mo (it was a “wish” list for sure) but can Alzner or Pothier play in the top 4 reliably? Is asking one of those guys to do that going to be asking too much of them?
I think that Alzner will be a top 4 guy, but is making him one from October throwing him to the lions?
Maybe, but I don’t see any way to justify giving Morrisonn more money or more than a one year deal, which is what he’s rumored to want. He’s a solid player, but I just think those resources would be better spent elsewhere.
Further to that, the rumor is that he wants $3m/year. He’s going to have to be DAMN good in the playoffs for that to happen here.
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$3 million?!?! Let’s see…who’s neighborhood would he be living in? Nicklas Kronwall…Filip Kuba…Matt Carle…Niclas Havelid…Brent Burns…Ruslan Salei.
Worth that much? I’m guessing, “no.”
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Mar 16, 2009 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Right. The only way it happens is the Brooks Orpik effect – a single, epic postseason shift – or some other miraculous transformation.
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I’m hoping for a single, epic postseason from Mo that leads to a 3M salary for him. A) That would mean Mo has an awesome postseason. B) Those compensation draft picks sure are attractive…
Not bloody likely, eh?
by Gould Old Days on Mar 16, 2009 6:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Boston, Florida, Philly, I think.
I'm so sick and tired of the refs explaining the calls like this is the NFL.
by Whiter Mage on Mar 16, 2009 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions
Philly? Are you kidding? Philly’s got great offense, but their defense is very inconsistent.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
Sound familiar to a team you care for?
I’d take Timmonen, Carle, Coburn, Hatcher, Alberts and Parent to ours, frankly. (If you’re assuming that the Caps have a fully healthy backline, I’d assume Philly’s would too).
Frankly, I think it’s a different style defense that fits more to their team, but I’d say we’re comparable. For how much better our 1-2 guys are, their 4-6 guys trump.
I'm so sick and tired of the refs explaining the calls like this is the NFL.
by Whiter Mage on Mar 16, 2009 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions
I disagree. The Caps’ blueline is better than Philly’s in high-end talent and depth.
And when’s the last time Hatcher played a game?
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I dunno, I like their depth more than Jurcina and Mo. Maybe I just have a thing for Kimmo.
I'm so sick and tired of the refs explaining the calls like this is the NFL.
by Whiter Mage on Mar 16, 2009 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions
Apparently.
But you’d really take Timonen, Coburn, Alberts, Randy Jones, Carle and Parent over Green, Poti, Schultz, Pothier, Mo and Erskine? I most certainly would not.
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No. I’d take it with Hatcher, though. And the last time Hatcher played a game was more recent than the last time Pothier played a game.
Also, it depends on system. I think our d-men would look simply terrible in the philly system, and theirs would flounder in ours as well (Except carle and Timo.)
/shrug. But, I wouldn’t give up those 6 for the Flyers 6, no.
I'm so sick and tired of the refs explaining the calls like this is the NFL.
by Whiter Mage on Mar 16, 2009 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions
I don’t know why you have so much love for Carle. I think he’s a liability in his own end. Coburn is a beast, though.
I don’t care if Hatcher played more recently than Pothier, he was pretty terrible in the playoffs last year and PHI has made NO attempt to get him back in the lineup this year, which tells you how much they think he can help.
Agreed on Carle 100%, and Hatcher has been absolutely terrible post-lockout. Him on LTIR was/is a blessing for the Flyers.
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He’s not coming back, but I dunno, I guess I still see him in his prime. I think I’m probably overselling them because I know that, as poor as they might look, they held our offense in “check” for a few games last year that mattered, and I don’t want to assume that some trash did it. Dunno.
I'm so sick and tired of the refs explaining the calls like this is the NFL.
by Whiter Mage on Mar 16, 2009 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions
Hatcher’s career is over, though, and not in the way Pothier’s was. He’s not going to magically recover from having no knees, he’s done.
Coburn and Timonen would be great to have, no doubt (although man is Timonen overpaid!), but nobody else back there is an upgrade over any of their counterparts on the Caps unless you’re talking strictly about specific roles (Carle has a more offense than anyone but Green on the Caps, most likely, but he’s not good anywhere else).
how Holmgren wedged Matt Carle away from Tampa I’ll never know.
by bigonetimer on Mar 16, 2009 11:00 AM EDT up reply actions
Holmgren is a pro at taking advantage of GMs who dealing from a position of weakness. He ripped off Atlanta for Coburn because Waddell was desperate to make the playoffs, he got Upshall, Hartnell, and Timmonen from Nashville because they wanted to cut salary and he got Carle from Tampa because they were grasping at anything to try and be more successful in the short term.
he’s done a fantastic job there. I think he got swindled for Carcillo, though.
by bigonetimer on Mar 16, 2009 11:12 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I’m not ready to say he did “a fantastic job.” He had a ton of talent in the system to work with already. For all we know Waddell called Holmgren and said “we’ll trade you Coburn for Zhitnik.” Who wouldn’t take that trade? It may have just fallen in his lap. The Timmonen trade was good but how does that Briere contract look right now? Where are they going to get a goalie from? He has made a couple big splash moves but I’d rather have the organization GMGM put together than Holmgren’s.
He has made a couple big splash moves but I’d rather have the organization GMGM put together than Holmgren’s.
So would I, but then McPhee’s been on the job since 1997 and Holmgrin since 2007.
Nobody can argue that the Flyers have done a good job in the last couple of years. They have a ton of talent and have gone from being a terrible team post lockout to a legit cup contender.
I’m not sure who to credit for their improvement but they have done more positive than negative moves in the past couple of years. (Briere not withstanding)
Nobody can argue that the Flyers have not done a good job in the last couple of years.
fixed
by bigonetimer on Mar 16, 2009 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Fair enough, but the backbone of that team (Richards, Carter, Gagne) were all in the system when he took over. I think the PHI “rebuild” is one of the most overrated rebuilds. The team vastly underperformed the previous year, then they took a core of players that had recently won a Calder trophy and then threw in a big UFA signing with a couple good trades.
I think the jury’s still out on Holmgrin’s drafts
Maybe not, if Giroux, Van Riemsdyk live up to the hype, and Parent, Nodl and Sbisa turn out to be decent.
"Good crowd out there tonight, boys, let's really try to win this one."
by Bald Pollack on Mar 16, 2009 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions
Don’t those “ifs” corroborate that the jury’s still out?
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Giroux preceded Holmgren as GM, I believe, but point well taken.
I don’t think Holgren’s work in 2.5 years should be docked just because he didn’t come to a bare cupboard. After all, look at what GMGM and Ron Wilson “inherited” in 97-98.
by bigonetimer on Mar 16, 2009 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions
That sounds like Ted’s 10 point plan to me.
Draft studs.
Sign UFAs/Trade to fill gaps.
Not sure that the rebuild can be considered overrated, Holmgrin maybe.
The difference is that Briere, Hartnell, Timmonen are not “gap fillers,” they are key players. As DMG noted, Holmgren has not demonstrated any ability to draft studs yet (but it did take GMGM a little while to figure that out too).
Holmgren has not demonstrated any ability to draft studs yet
I think James vanRiemsdyk begs to differ
by bigonetimer on Mar 16, 2009 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions
And he’s done what in the NHL?
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True, nothing yet. But the question was whether Holgren can draft. I think he can. The Flyers think he can, or they wouldn’t have extended him.
I hate Philly as much as the next guy, but I’m not going to be uncharitable about giving credit where it’s due.
by bigonetimer on Mar 16, 2009 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions
I beg to differ.
Briere, Hartnell and Timmonen play similar roles to the ones Fedorov, Kozlov and Poti play on the Caps. Just because they are key doesn’t mean the aren’t gap fillers.
But Kozlov had a two year contract and Fedorov a one year contract, while Briere got an eight year deal and Hartnell and Timonen are signed through 2013. When you give someone that long a contract they’re not a gap filler, they’re part of your core.
So Nyls is a better equivalent to Briere?
Your point is the Ted isn’t sticking to his plan either?
Kozlov very well could be signed again this summer for another 2. My original point is the the rebuild the Caps have done, and the one by the Flyers has a lot of very similar threads. There are guys that are core, and guys that are the “real core”. In both organizations the “real core” guys came up from within with few exceptions.
Your point is the Ted isn’t sticking to his plan either?
Not at all. I think the problem was that, with the way the discussion had gone, I was thinking of gap fillers as more of the type of guys a team brings in temporarily until they can find a better solution, i.e. serving as a placeholder as well.
Exactly. Kozlov is also the “round peg in the round hole” or the “rug” or whatever other analogy you want. Feds is a veteran guy who can play 2C or 3C. Poti is a good defenseman but not our 1D. Briere was signed to be a top Center, not a gap filler, Timmonen is their 1D and Hartnell is way way better than Kozlov. No comparison between the players you listed.
Right, Nyls to Briere is a better comparison.
DMG alluded to it, but I think that our definitions of “gap” are different. I contend that gap players aren’t just rentals, but are players that fill holes that you can’t fill in your farm system. For the Caps, maybe a #2 center. For the Flyers, it was a #1 D man. The Flyers have certainly built around their core guys in Richards/Carter much the same way the Caps have built around Backstrom/Ovie.
One other point, I would contend that Poti is the Caps #1 shutdown DMAN. Green is the #1 but comparing him to Timmo isn’t really a valid comparison.
Briere was signed to be a 1C, not a depth C. Timmonen was signed to be a 1D. If you (think you) can’t develop either a top C or D in your organization then you are not filling gaps. It makes the Briere signing look even dumber considering they were sitting on Richards and Carter. They may not have known that last year Richards would break out and Carter this year, but they should have known that they had the 1/2C spots taken care of before the Briere contract ends.
Nyls was signed to be a top C…
Briere isn’t a good signing right now, though he looked pretty awesome last year during the playoffs.
And the Caps have another 2 years before they have someone that can replace Poti as the top shutdown D man.
Nyls was not signed to be the 1C for AO, notwithstanding Hanlon’s use. Baxter was drafted to play with AO and Nyls was signed so that we had a 2C and at least one play maker to go with AO and AS. Poti is not a shutdown Dman. Go look at Mirtle’s numbers on the Langway Award and you’ll see he’s not even the best “shutdown” dman on our team. Either way, that problem is solved when we poach Komisarek in the off season (joke).
Briere contract is a longer, more painful version of GMGM’s Nyls deal, to be sure. But there’s little doubt he has turned the organization around in less than three years.
by bigonetimer on Mar 16, 2009 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions
Matt Carle is, um, not good. He’s Andy Delmore, redux.
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he’s no game changer, but he’s played pretty well as Philly’s third puckmover on the blueline. And for Steve Downie and a sack of cheesesteaks? that’s a felony in most states.
by bigonetimer on Mar 16, 2009 11:17 AM EDT up reply actions
You’re talking about TBL, here. Everyone and their mom has ripped them off this season. Carle for Downie and Eminger wasn’t even the worst trade TBL made this year.
Yes, it’s been a brilliant move getting rid of Jay Feaster. The TBL fiasco reminds me of Dan Snyder coming into the Redskins and immediately gutting the room of talent. What a shithead…
by bigonetimer on Mar 16, 2009 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions
I forget, weren’t they supposed to win the Southeast this year?
by b.orr4 on Mar 16, 2009 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
heh. based on that comment alone, I got dollars to donuts Barry Melrose hit that backstage in Bristol.
by bigonetimer on Mar 16, 2009 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Carle has 4G, 12A, + 1in 50 games for Philly. Eminger could have put up those numbers pretty easily.
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Ah, yes. Emmy. How does he manage to piss off and get shipped out ASAP from two pretty good teams in six months?
by bigonetimer on Mar 16, 2009 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Eminger’s not much better, to be frank. Carle at least has some upside.
I'm so sick and tired of the refs explaining the calls like this is the NFL.
by Whiter Mage on Mar 16, 2009 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions
their talent is a wash; their headcases…well, that’s another story
by bigonetimer on Mar 16, 2009 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions
Agreed that Carle has more offensive upside, but the point wasn’t that Emmy was better, just that Carle is hardly special.
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Now if we could get the secondary scoring going and get that going, plus have JT60 on a roll with SV40 as his backup … yeah, it’s too early to count chickens, but who knows, we might have something there.
A funny thing to do might be to start making up and collecting recipes for some form of bird, convert them to recipes for crow, and email about 200 of these to the hockey pundits of the world should we go deep.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
I’m new here and don’t really have much right to criticize. However, I have become incredibly superstitious about my hockey. Please don’t go preparing the crow this early. Don’t even think about it.
That would be why I phrased it as an if, not a when. Believe me, I’m familiar with superstitions. If you leave it open, you’re not as likely to stab yourself in the foot.
That said, getting too wrapped up in superstitions hampers you and doesn’t help the team very much. There are some that I hold with, and one involves a very specific word that I refuse to even say the first letter of on a game day. But this sort of thing … leave it open and it’s okay.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
:3 I love superstitions.
I'm so sick and tired of the refs explaining the calls like this is the NFL.
by Whiter Mage on Mar 16, 2009 10:38 AM EDT up reply actions
Competition
I think the defense as a whole, and in particular Mo, Jurcina and Erskine, has stepped up their play recently and I think you can look to Pothier as a major reason. Once Brian put on a Bears jersey, it sent a loud message to the lower end guys that someone was going to sit if he made it through his reconditioning stint. And as it became more obvious that Brian was handling the contact OK, the 3-6 grouping has become more aggressive and focused in their play. Jurcina is using his body a lot more, Erskine and Mo have cut down on the stupid penalties and even Schultz is getting more physcal. All in all, having seven guys (maybe eight if Alzner gets a playoff recall) competing for six spots can only be a good thing as the team heads down the stretch.
I think seven is the right number. As last year proved, eight is unmanageable. Kind of like having three goalies.
by Gould Old Days on Mar 16, 2009 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions
I would suspect that Jurcina will be the odd-man out. I’d pair Green with Morrisonn, Poti with Erskine and Schultz with Pothier. If you need to spell Pothier every so often, stick Poti or Green out with Schultz each once or twice.
As for goaltending… I’d give Varly the start tonight, even though Atlanta’s been playing well. Varly played with the ATL’s top threat at the World’s last year and likely knows a few things about him. Of course, that goes both ways. Still I think it’s a good match-up for Varly. Theo definitely gets the start against the Kitties.
Of course,do you want Pothier playing back to back? If not, then maybe Jurcina goes tonight and Pothier tomorrow in the more important game…
I don’ see any way they would go back-to-back with Pothier ( this assumes he’s even playing tonight) and playing Varlamov tonight makes sense. Florida is the more important game and there’s every chance they could be the Caps first round opponent, so you’d want JT to get as comfortable facing them as possible.
Except that Varly didn’t actually play at Worlds last year.
Pothier played back-to-back games in his first weekend back in Hershey, but if he can’t do it yet up at the NHL level, that’s fine.
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This could all change tonight, but you’d have to think Bruce will have Pothier play out the remainder of the season (nearly so anyway). He’s going to have a pretty steep conditioning curve if he is going to be an asset in the playoffs. He’ll need to be skating against NHL quality on a pretty regular basis. It will fall to Bruce to manage Pothier’s minutes & confidence for the next few weeks. I would expect Pothier to be in most nights, and rotate in the other odd men out (Juice, Erskine)
I think honestly that we can’t say anything for sure until after he’s played that first game.
Also, no definites have been stated about whether Pothier actually gets a sweater tonight. I can’t imagine him NOT, but we don’t have any guarantees yet.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
Wait.. when did this happen?
Atlanta has won their last 5 in a row?
Given, if you combine those losing teams’ L10, it results in a whopping 21-21-8, but still.
by OvechkinLaichsSemin on Mar 16, 2009 10:26 AM EDT reply actions
If things don’t go well tonight, that record only changes to 26-26-9.
I'm so sick and tired of the refs explaining the calls like this is the NFL.
by Whiter Mage on Mar 16, 2009 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions
some teams are born to piss in the wine of others. ATL is such a team: good enough to be a pain in the ass, not good enough to really do much else than play spoiler right now.
by bigonetimer on Mar 16, 2009 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions
and yet, they have the “elite” Kovalchuk around whom to build…
by bigonetimer on Mar 16, 2009 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Noticed over on Mirtle’s blog that it looks like the caps just need a point tonight to clinch a playoff spot.
Still worry about a let down game as it is pretty obvious the Caps have been guilty of that this season.
Not quite. Their magic number as of today is 13. Any combination of points the Caps get and points Florida loses adding up to 13 clinches the division.
You guys should play with this…
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And yes, that’s what she said.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Mar 16, 2009 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Love the Magic Number chart. Last year I think I went cross-eyed using it as I tried to figure out the various ways the Caps could make the playoffs.
I’m a big fan of this site. I think you get credit for pointing me there b.orr4.
that last column, the <1%, was comforting last week when the Caps were on their slide.
Notice that the <1% is also that they Caps don’t win the division.
by Moonage Daydream on Mar 16, 2009 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
No Kovalchuk
Looks like the Caps caught a break. According to the Atlanta Constitution blog, Kovalchuk won’t be back until tomorrow night.
Sweet, another reason for the Caps to think they won’t have to try tonight.
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by J.P. on Mar 16, 2009 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Um, they beat Edmonton without Kovalchuk the other night, I’m not thinking that Kovalchuk in or out makes a huge difference.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
You don’t seriously mean that do you? In his career against the Caps, he’s been a monster. I’m sure Bruce is clicking his heels with delight knowing #17 isn’t playing tonight.
I do. A Cap-killer he might be, but I watched that game against Edmonton. They worked their tails off and had scoring from other sources (Todd White, Bryan Little). Lehtonen is doing very well right now.
I guess what I am trying to say is that they are still dangerous with or without Kovalchuk and nobody should be taking anything for granted.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
Yes, they can win without him, but the Capitals can with without Ovechkin, Semin, or Green and that doesn’t mean they’re absence isn’t a big deal.
Let’s hope so, because it looks like Green might be out tonight.
by Scott in Shaw on Mar 16, 2009 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions
He better be saying the same thing that sparkly is saying… “This team is still dangerous, even without their best player and captain.”
As history has show, every team below the Caps is dangerous. Still with 44 points in 37 games against the Caps ( including 20 goals) I’m more than happy he’s not going to be on the ice tonight. It just makes defensing against Atlanta so much easier, particularly on the PP.
In this instance, I think it’s good this is an away game. As the players have been all too honest about, they’ve had a tendency to play “cute”, especially in front of the home crowd. That won’t happen tonight. So catching a break can still be a good thing. Or at least not a bad thing.
Surprisingly, I am more concerned about Little. That dude is a 30+ goal scorer this season and is sooooo far under the radar.
by Moonage Daydream on Mar 16, 2009 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Masterton Trophy
Who else this year would be up for the Masterton Trophy, do you think?
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
Nylander..oh wait, you have to come back from injury AND play well.
by b.orr4 on Mar 16, 2009 12:44 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Links, people, for those of us who are lazy.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Please tell me how to name a link so I don’t have to post the whole URL or where to go too learn how .
You can either highlight the text you want linked and then click the link icon above the window you’re typing in (in b/t the quotes and the picture icon) and enter the link where it prompts you to there, OR
You can put the text that you want linked in between quote and followed with a colon and then the link (like this, without spaces – " Text " : http://www.link.com
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Your wish is my command good sir.
At least as far as this link goes.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
Okay. I’m good either way, and if Green wasn’t starting I’d buy myself a little more D insurance with Theo too.
That said – what does this imply for the D pairings? My brain comes up with -
3 -26
2-4
55-23
Not wild about that – got something you like better?
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
So, let’s pretend Pothier plays tonight..
how many fans actually think he’s a FA/Trade pickup?
by OvechkinLaichsSemin on Mar 16, 2009 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions
I’d rather have them both playing than both out for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that Green nursing an injury, however minor, makes me throw up in my mouth.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Mar 16, 2009 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Your Power Play quarterback for tonight…
This guy
"Good crowd out there tonight, boys, let's really try to win this one."
by Bald Pollack on Mar 16, 2009 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Love that pic. Awesome bleach job, Sarge.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
What do you want to bet we see the PP without a true D man on the point…
Laich : Backis : Semin
Ovie : Feds
We don’t know that Feds is going tonight, do we?
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
They are awfully short tonight. only 6 d and no offensive scratches huh?
Did everyone make the trip?
Yup. Brash could play this week, Feds, we don’t know.
Wonder what would happen if we put Jurcina on the point.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
4-on-4, not PP, but this was a heck of a pass from the point.
by Natty Bumppo on Mar 16, 2009 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Also, I think Green does more to make the Caps’ offense “go” than Kovalchuk does for Atlanta, frankly.
ATL’s system doesn’t break down with Ilya out, whereas the Caps often have real trouble getting the puck the length of the ice without Green.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Florida
|
53 | 25 | 17 | 11 | 61 |
|
Washington
|
54 | 28 | 21 | 5 | 61 |
|
Winnipeg
|
56 | 26 | 24 | 6 | 58 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
53 | 23 | 24 | 6 | 52 |
|
Carolina
|
56 | 20 | 25 | 11 | 51 |
(updated 2.11.2012 at 8:02 AM EST)
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