Capital Ups and Downs: Week 22
by J.P. on Mar 15, 2010 11:00 AM EDT
in Capital Ups and Downs
132 comments
Our weekly look at individual Washington Capitals' ups and downs:
| Goalies | Trend | Notes |
| Jose Theodore |  |
The 2.85 goals against average and .889 save percentage for the week don't sparkle, but the two overtime wins in two starts do. |
| Semyon Varlamov | |
Dropped both starts (one in a shootout) and had a 2.90 goals against average and .887 save percentage on the week (though, in fairness, Bruce Boudreau dressed his "B" team on Friday night). He's getting more consistent... but not consistently good. |
| Defensemen | ||
| John Carlson |  |
Had 49:40 of ice time and was on for just one goal against (two goals for) while picking up a pair of helpers. Already one of the team's top-six defenseman. Easily. |
| Joe Corvo |  |
Picked up a third-period helper on Sunday to avoid a scoreless week (despite 5:38 of power-play time) and was on the ice for six of the 12 goals the team allowed over the four-game span (two of the goals for which Corvo was on the ice came with the Caps down a man). |
| John Erskine | |
Two games played, no points, minus-one. |
| Mike Green | |
Two goals, four assists on the week with both of the goals and two of the assists helping the power play to a six-for-16 (37.5%) week. Chalk up his off-night defensively - minus-two against Tampa - to the absence from the lineup of his normal partner, Jeff Schultz. |
| Milan Jurcina |  |
I'm betting that being injured in D.C. beats the hell out of sitting out in Columbus. |
| Shaone Morrisonn | |
Settling in on the third paring with Carlson. His only "minus" game since the Olympics was the one Carlson sat out. Morrisonn is plus-seven in his other five games since the break. Also registered a whopping 19 hits in his three games on the week. |
| Tom Poti | |
Continues to play big minutes well defensively (Poti was on the ice for only one five-on-five goal against in 73:01 of even strength ice time last week), but has just one point in six games since the break. |
| Jeff Schultz | |
Back-to-back minus-one outings landed Sarge in the press box for Friday night's game, but he was back in the lineup on Sunday. |
| Tyler Sloan | |
Played against Tampa, but didn't do much. |
| Forwards | ||
| Nicklas Backstrom | |
Two goals (including the OT game-winner in Chicago) and four assists on the week, Backstrom joins Hall-of-Famers Wayne Gretzky and Peter Stastny as the only players in NHL history to have at least 55 helpers in each of their first three seasons. And, not for nothing, in four games Nick had 4:34 of penalty-killing time during which the Caps weren't scored upon. |
| Eric Belanger | |
Set up the overtime goal against the 'Canes, but is still trying to find some rhythm and chemistry in D.C. |
| Matt Bradley | |
Brads got less than nine minutes of ice time per game in each of the three for which he was dressed this week, and is still looking for his first goal since January 19, a span of 19 games. |
| Jason Chimera | |
Point-less in three games this week (and in his last four overall), Chimmer seems to be doing some good things that don't show up on the scoreboard. Perhaps more consistent linemates would help. |
| Eric Fehr | |
Scored the game-tying goal in Chicago and had nine shots on goal in his two other games this week, but continues to fight for ice time, despite doing a lot with what little ice time he gets. |
| Tomas Fleischmann | |
Responded to a - gasp! - healthy scratch with goals in back-to-back games, including the OT winner against the 'Canes, but his play at center still is not confidence-inspiring. |
| Boyd Gordon | |
When your job is to kill penalties and you're the one player on the team who was on the ice for every power-play goal against for a week during which the kill was a woeful 63.6% successful, you get a down arrow. |
| Mike Knuble | |
No goals (on the plus side, he had several glorious chances on Sunday; on the minus side, he failed to convert any of them), one assist and minus-three for the week. |
| Brooks Laich | |
Two goals and a helper (all coming on the power play) on the week and at least five shots on goal in each of the four games. |
| Quintin Laing | |
No shirt, no shoes, no service. |
| Brendan Morrison | |
One assist in three games, BMo doesn't have a goal since January 26 and has just five helpers in his 15 games since. He won 64% of his 44 draws this week, though, so he's got that going for him, which is nice. |
| Alex Ovechkin | |
Two goals against Dallas. Two assists against Carolina. Two assists against Tampa. Two minutes for boarding against Chicago. What? He got more than that? |
| Alexander Semin | |
Scored a beauty of a goal against the 'Canes, but had just one point the rest of the week and had two bad penalties against the 'Hawks. It's fair to expect a lot more from him. |
| David Steckel | |
Two assists on the week represent a quarter of his season total, but he's not paid to put up big numbers - he's paid to play like he did for most of Sunday's game. |
| Scott Walker | |
No points, a penalty, a minus-one rating and just one shot on goal in three games. Are you there, Scott? It's me, Reality. |
2 recs |
132 comments
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does anyone else notice a lack of drive, desire, effort, etc. from Joe Corvo in the defensive zone. What bothers me isn’t him being caught out of position some times, but rather his lack of effort and physicality in his own zone. Any body else notice this? Was this his M.O. coming from Carolina? I’d say he is our least physical defender since his acquisiton (go ahead Schultz haters….)
Thoughts?
I disagree. He uses his body position well even if he’s not smearing guys into the glass. And he has a near effortless stride so it never looks like he has to really bust his ass, even when he is. Guys that skate pretty are just like that. Green and Special Nieds have the same thing going.
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
by Fehr and Balanced on Mar 15, 2010 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions
fair enough i guess…with his wide shoulders i guess i just assume he’d be a little more physical…seemed like he was pulling up unnecessarily during the last homestand…don’t know how much he is still bothered by the laceration injury either…
I bet he is, but he’s still an upgrade so I’ll live with it. I’d love to have him at 100%. I’m curious to see what his agent asks for this off-season.
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
by Fehr and Balanced on Mar 15, 2010 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions
I heard that he said he was 80-90 percent recovered.
by Gin and Tonic on Mar 15, 2010 12:28 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I think that the goal Corvo was on the ice for yesterday is indicative of how it’s going to take longer for him to adjust. Steckel and him didn’t communicate and left a guy open. When you get more familiar with teammates you hope errors like that will decrease. I still like the tools. I’ll repeat: Corvo’s value is half what he brings and half Mike Green insurance for the playoffs. A damaged Mike Green is a substantial reason we lost to Pittsburgh last year.
erskine has scored...now i can die in peace
by souldrummer on Mar 15, 2010 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions
I think Corvo was fine on the play yesterday. Either Steckel or Poti missed an assignment, but it’s open to debate about which guy was wrong. Backstrom and Corvo were covering their men. Unless BB has an absolutely insane 4/4 defensive strategy there is no way it was Corvo or Backstrom out of position.
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
by Fehr and Balanced on Mar 15, 2010 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions
I don’t have as much problem with his physicality as much as I do his decisions on when to pinch down as a defenseman. It seems like he tries to jump on loose pucks on along the boards, but ends up getting beat by opposing forwards, causing odd-man rushes the other way. Another play that sticks out is in the Carolina game where he left his side of the ice to come over to Poti’s side of the ice, leaving a man wide open.
On a positive note, I like that he can be on the 2nd PP unit, therefore giving Green time to rest. I don’t have the exact quote, but I recall Green saying that it’s nice to have someone that give him a breather once in a while.
by JimCareyFanClub on Mar 15, 2010 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions
My problem is he just seems to get plain beat along the boards.
He’s got a nice shot and his passing ability is top rate. However, his inability to win pucks, especially in his own zone worries me. All the Schultz haters please take note. Look at how Schultz uses his body position keep forwards away and to gain control of the puck and how Corvo doesn’t most of the time.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
But he doesn’t hit people!
Driver and head Muckety-Muck of The Pavel Kubina Bandwagon
XBox Live: Oinkvechkin
LORD PALMERSTON!!
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Mar 15, 2010 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I missed yesterday’s game because I was driving back from New York, but from what I saw in the highlights, Knuble was all over some loose rebounds but just failed to convert. He looked to me like Brooks Laich was a week ago: putting in a lot of effort with little to show for it. Now Brooksie is scoring on those chances and being rewarded for his net crashing. I bet Knuble will bounce back just the same this week with a slate of SE division games.
"We are such fans of your music and all of your records. I'm not speaking of yours personally, but the whole genre of the rock and roll."
by Laich It Or Lump It on Mar 15, 2010 11:13 AM EDT reply actions
I’d be curious as to what Flash’s defensive stats were the week. The man was utterly invisible yesterday. I know that much. I might give him an even.
erskine has scored...now i can die in peace
I really like how Backstrom outshined Toews and Kane and how Green outplayed Keith and Seabrook yesterday. It was nice to watch.
Lets not forget about Big Goal Fehr.
Offensively gifted, yet super responsible on defense, kills penalties and is one of the league +/- leaders. At what point does Nik get consideration for the Selke?
J.P. did a great comparison of this years Backstrom vs. last years top Selke candidates. He rates well, but not at the top. Mikko Koivu apparently is a freak.
Maybe in a year or two. He is definitely trending that way.
It’s a lifetime achievment award anyway, so he’s got to get a few seasons of excellence on his record before we can really talk about him actually winning it. As far as deserving it, he’s good but, as noted above, not as good as as it gets in the league.
"You want to start being part of the Rink? Fine, but more’s expected of you than John/Jane Cap Fan. Carry the cause of informed discussion to the unwashed masses and don’t crap in the yards of other SBN sites if you decide to go over there. They’re passionate about their teams too, no need to troll elsewhere and/or be a sore winner." --BP
He probably needs to improve those faceoff numbers. I don’t see any reason why he won’t win the award eventually.
"Now wait a minute. This is just purely a social call. You know, just two adults getting a stew on, man."
by The Ghost of Bebop on Mar 15, 2010 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions
He’ll be better than a coinflip next season. He’s continually trending towards that now.
President and sole member of the Erskine lobby.
Yep. He’s at exactly 50% on the season. I’d expect that to improve by at least a few percent next season.
"Now wait a minute. This is just purely a social call. You know, just two adults getting a stew on, man."
by The Ghost of Bebop on Mar 15, 2010 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Clearly, you are an agent for BB as Fehr gets the even despite doing all he can and scoring a lot on a per minute basis while remaining in BB’s doghouse and Flash gets forgiven his defensive lapses and faceoff suckitude.
erskine has scored...now i can die in peace
I agree with what you say mostly, however, BB did convert Flash to C midway through the season. I’ll give him a pass for his faceoffs if he gets points and makes a line click.
agreed…but i think if we’re to give him that pass we need to pair him with a winger like brooksie who is better on the dot.
I wouldn’t split up the Semin/Laich duo just yet.
My ability to post is only surpassed by my ability to pinch pennies.
Laich has been scoring but it is mostly on the PP lately. There is nothing about Chimera’s game that I dislike.
Chimera can play on any line and be a solid contributor. I’m a huge fan.
My ability to post is only surpassed by my ability to pinch pennies.
He shows a lot of heart. Even if he hasn’t been scoring points, Chimera has been literally everywhere on the ice. I wholly expect him to get at least a handful of goals in these final games — he’s been putting too much effort into it not to see something finally go into the net.
President and sole member of the Erskine lobby.
on Alex Semin at least twice a game this entire week…
Brooksie has been awesome…shoulda had at least 4 more goals
To his credit he still showed the skill to create chances every once in a while. Unfortunately, he’d then botch those chances in mind numbingly awful ways. He just looks totally disinterested. Too much gliding, too cute, bad penalties, and not enough hustle without the puck or to get back in the play after turning it over. Bad Semin is starting to revert back to actively hurting the team instead of just being invisible.
Aside from the horrendous goalie interference penalty he took, I distinctly remember a point late in the third last night when he got the puck poked away just inside the Caps blueline trying to skate it around forecheckers and out of the zone and then just stood there looking at the loose puck. Fortunately one of the D had his head in the game and beat the Hawks to the loose puck. Semin needs to unwedge his head from his ass before the playoffs start.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Mar 15, 2010 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
High sticks are almost always the result of the high-sticker being careless, not the high-stickee doing anything to force it. I’m not giving him all that much credit for taking a stick in the face.
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
by Fehr and Balanced on Mar 15, 2010 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions
He might’ve also taken lessons from Brads on how to bleed.
Cидни Kросби: Александр Oвечкин, он твой папа теперь
Capitals Coming: for Capitals fans no more intelligent than myself
by red army line on Mar 15, 2010 4:25 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Going into this season I, as many others, were hoping Steckel could step it up and be a 3rd line C. Unfortunately, he never provided the offense, so that ship has sailed. But I still think he’s the ideal 4th line C. Especially if he can play consistently like he did against Chicago (minus the mis-communication). From the highlights and what I’ve read, he was hustling, playing physical, and even creating some chances when he was on the ice. You can’t ask much more from a 4th line.
I have to go. But if I find one single dog hair when I get back, I'll rub... sand... in your dead little eyes. I also need you to buy sand. I don't know if they grade it, but... coarse.
by Steckel Me Elmo on Mar 15, 2010 11:22 AM EDT reply actions
Steckel never struck me as anybody who could be creative enough at the NHL level to be a scoring line C. He is a faceoff specialist, PK guy and energy/grinder C, and he is very good at that. He is a weapon but not offensively.
Knuble isn’t creative but he’s effective. I don’t see why Steckel can’t just drive the net and bang home loose pucks. Oh, right, he doesn’t have Knuble’s hands.
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
by Fehr and Balanced on Mar 15, 2010 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions
He also seems uncomfortable with his body, if that makes any sense. Gangly, awkward.
My ability to post is only surpassed by my ability to pinch pennies.
Exactly. You don’t need to be creative to score. Steckel showed the ability to pot some numbers in the AHL, I was hoping that would transition a bit more to the NHL.
He gets his chances not form blazing speed or fancy hands, but from working hard and using his size to his advantage.
I have to go. But if I find one single dog hair when I get back, I'll rub... sand... in your dead little eyes. I also need you to buy sand. I don't know if they grade it, but... coarse.
by Steckel Me Elmo on Mar 15, 2010 12:02 PM EDT up reply actions
To be fair, Quintin Laing is a frequent 20+ scorer in the AHL.
My ability to post is only surpassed by my ability to pinch pennies.
By frequent, do you mean never? Laing’s best year was 14-31-45 (or 15-28-43). He scored 20 goals once, 22 in 99-00 in the WHL.
Steckel had a 30-31-61 year in the AHL. He’s also 3 years younger.
I have to go. But if I find one single dog hair when I get back, I'll rub... sand... in your dead little eyes. I also need you to buy sand. I don't know if they grade it, but... coarse.
by Steckel Me Elmo on Mar 15, 2010 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions
That’s what I get for going on my shitty memory. Let’s pretend I said frequent 10+, which Dave hasn’t done yet in the NHL.
My ability to post is only surpassed by my ability to pinch pennies.
No, Steckel hasn’t done that in the NHL. But I’m not going to compare a 4th liner’s NHL production to another 4th liner’s (I’m being generous) AHL production to compare ho they should do in each league. It’s completely irrelevant stating that Steckel hasn’t done something in the N that Laing can do in the A.
I’ll compare their NHL productions with each other, and their AHL productions with each other. And by both metrics, Steckel is the better player with more offensive upside (not that it’s much. But I’m not asking for a lot from a 4th liner.)
I have to go. But if I find one single dog hair when I get back, I'll rub... sand... in your dead little eyes. I also need you to buy sand. I don't know if they grade it, but... coarse.
by Steckel Me Elmo on Mar 15, 2010 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Laing was a minus-something in a 9-goal game in his conditioning game in Hershey last month. But his jersey was auctioned for like $1,800, so it worked out
Now helping to keep an eye on all things Gr8 at Alex Ovetjkin.
He’s like a longstick midfielder though. You can’t really expect too much offensively out of a guy with basically a 6’ crosse. Plus the lack of speed and shooting strength/accuracy.
He’s still better than 5 goals though. He should be pushing closer toward 10 goals with all the chances he does get.
President and sole member of the Erskine lobby.
If he cashed in on his chances, he’d probably be putting up third line numbers. But he doesn’t cash in, which is why he’s a fourth line guy. I expect ~15-20 pts from 4th liners. Maybe I’m expecting too little, but I feel that’s probably right around what you should be able to expect from them on most teams.
I have to go. But if I find one single dog hair when I get back, I'll rub... sand... in your dead little eyes. I also need you to buy sand. I don't know if they grade it, but... coarse.
by Steckel Me Elmo on Mar 15, 2010 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
That’s pretty reasonable. I’d rather 4th liners just not be in the negatives, especially with the Caps that have 3 scoring lines in front of them. Other dudes can throw up the numbers — just don’t let them score on us.
Still, you just want to hope for more out of this particular 4th line. Gordo-Steckel-Bradley have a bit of a chemistry and can occasionally make some awesome rushes.
President and sole member of the Erskine lobby.
This is not me being factitious:
Tyler Sloan deserved, in my opinion, an up arrow, he may have played only one game but that one game he played well. Compared to my expectations he did a great job.
If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
Founding member of the Tyler Sloan Fan Club
You may have an argument based on expectations. But he’d still have to have done better than “not terrible” to get an up arrow from me.
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
by Fehr and Balanced on Mar 15, 2010 1:00 PM EDT up reply actions
He wasn’t just not terrible that game.
If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
Founding member of the Tyler Sloan Fan Club
How would you characterize it? He wasn’t exactly “good.” He didn’t create anything that I saw and was basically benched for the last 10 minutes.
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
by Fehr and Balanced on Mar 15, 2010 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Intangibles baby.
He was out later in the game I thought, but oh well. Like I said, beat my expectations.
If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
Founding member of the Tyler Sloan Fan Club
He was out with about 1:30 to go (if my eyes didn’t deceive me), with the top line on the ice. To which I thought “WTF?”
↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → b a (select) start
Boudreau saw that 89 and thought he was putting Gilmour on the ice.
My ability to post is only surpassed by my ability to pinch pennies.
Glmour was 93.
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
by Fehr and Balanced on Mar 15, 2010 1:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Fuck. Mogilny. I always do that.
My ability to post is only surpassed by my ability to pinch pennies.
Gilmour was 39 in Calgary though…its easy to get 39 and 89 confused.
Driver and head Muckety-Muck of The Pavel Kubina Bandwagon
XBox Live: Oinkvechkin
LORD PALMERSTON!!
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Mar 15, 2010 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions
He got about :20-30 late in the game while either Poti or Corvo was taking a quick breather before joining Green for the final push. That’s why I said “basically benched.”
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
by Fehr and Balanced on Mar 15, 2010 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions
I didn’t see the whole game, but he played 15 minutes with 1 SOG and 1 hit. Nothing else on the score sheet (attempted shots, blocked shots, giveaways, takeaways, etc.). I sure as hell would hope a guy with a 2 year contract in the NHL can do that in a single game, while most likely being carefully managed by the coach. I’m sure a few guys in Hershey could do the same.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Mar 15, 2010 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions
A thought on this boarding controversy
Simply put, injury should not be the deciding factor. Against the Pens, Adams boarded Ovechkin but Ovechkin was not inured on the play. It was still boarding. No penalty was called, no action taken by the league. On Sunday, Ovechkin shoved Campbell, who then lost an edge, and went awkwardly into the boards. The shove was not a typical boarding, but it still received a game misconduct. Campbell was injured, but more so due to bad luck. If Ovechkin is suspended for shoving a player who was AWARE of his presence into the end boards, but Adams is not suspended for hitting a player who is UNAWARE of his presence, then the suspensions and penalties do absolutely nothing to CLARIFY why boarding is a penalty, and what elements in the action (aware vs unaware/ incidental vs intent to injure, for example) determine the punishment for the act. Just because someone got hurt doesn’t mean it was on purpose, and just because someone didn’t get hurt doesn’t mean it was any less dangerous or intentional. Leaving it up to the refs to decide just creates more ambiguity. Basing it on injury makes things unfair.
by The Jade Donkey on Mar 15, 2010 1:09 PM EDT reply actions
Please try to keep comments on substantive posts related to the actual posts. Great comment for a Clips post, but not so much for this one. Thanks.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
DON CHERRY [[up arrow]]
What a great piece he did on Matt Cooke. Despite how xenophobic, crazy, and just plain stupid he is most of the time… he got this one 100% right. He showed a dozen blatantly dirty hits Cooke has thrown, and called out the NHL for making it open season for head shots until they actually put this rule into the book. Why wait? Seriously, is there a reason?
by Bushwood Bushwhacker on Mar 15, 2010 1:13 PM EDT reply actions
ineffective leadership, on behalf of the nhl and nhlpa.
by The Jade Donkey on Mar 15, 2010 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Please try to keep comments on substantive posts related to the actual posts. Great comment for a Clips post, but not so much for this one. Thanks.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
sorry, will try harder. maybe I should find out what a clips post is…
by The Jade Donkey on Mar 15, 2010 1:53 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
It’s the daily “Caps Clips” that’s posted every morning and is for general hockey discussion, whereas posts like this one – on specific topics – are for discussion of that specific subject.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
thanks for the heads up. I was assuming that people were just moving to the new posts. Do discussions continue in earlier postings? I was unaware. Still finding my way around, and I appreciate the patience and help. ;)
by The Jade Donkey on Mar 15, 2010 2:00 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
No worries – happy to help (and really it’s meant to help to everyone, not just the person it’s directed at). And yes, discussions go on all day long, often for multiple days, in the threads in which they originate and belong. I know that at some other blogs people just move their discussion to the most recent post and that can be difficult to get away from, but we try.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Strongly disagree on Cherry being stupid. He bounces up and down, yells, wears his outlandish outfits, and so on, but he’s consistent and he has a reason behind his positions, and he knows more about hockey than most of us could ever hope to.
by David M. Getz on Mar 15, 2010 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions
J.P. this week I do disagree slightly on the Flash/Fehr ratings this week. I thought Flash was even and Fehr was definitely up. When BB actually put Fehr on the ice I thought he looked great. Going into this season I had about given up on Fehr. The injuries and the inconsistent play just made it seem like it was doubtful he’d be able to reach his potential. His play, in limited time has been impressive all year. His play since the deadline has been outstanding.
Flash is trending a little too much like the old Flash. He needs to crash the net a bit more and play a stronger defensive game. I thought he made some nice passes this week and the goals were nice too. My thing is he’s only an up when he’s doing more. Just my expectations.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
I’d buy those ratings and was on the fence on both of them. Ended up giving Flash an “up” for 2 goals in 3 games, including the OT winner – obviously a 54-goal pace is pretty sweet. Ended up giving Fehr the even because I expect a goal every three games from him, but I like a lot of the things he did in his limited ice time.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
No up arrow for Ovie? On pace for like 160 points.
My ability to post is only surpassed by my ability to pinch pennies.
123 – six points in four games. That’s about my level of expectation with him, and there was a moment of questionable judgment which weighed in my rating.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Oh you’re counting the Chicago game..
My ability to post is only surpassed by my ability to pinch pennies.
Pretty sure he was dressed for that one.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Well, Fantasy owners certainly got him in a nice week…123 pt pace and >300PIM pace too.
I would’ve given BMo a not up nor down. I frankly don’t expect him to contribute offensively anymore, and he wasn’t glaringly bad, I don’t think.
Cидни Kросби: Александр Oвечкин, он твой папа теперь
Capitals Coming: for Capitals fans no more intelligent than myself
by red army line on Mar 15, 2010 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks for giving your full rationale for those ratings. I could buy yours as well. I hadn’t thought about it from the goal pace angle.
Also, thanks for not mentioning my use of the words “this week” twice in one sentence. Complete edit fail. I’m trending CP2Devil lately.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
hes got that going for him, which is nice...
and here i thought i was the only one walking around using caddyshack references. well played sir.
LETS GO CAPS
by dont toews me bro! on Mar 15, 2010 1:34 PM EDT reply actions
Carlson has quickly shown why GMGM was correct when he decided to keep him in DC.
Even atheists believe in Matt Wieters
Careful to judge. That’s what we said about Alzner last season.
Cидни Kросби: Александр Oвечкин, он твой папа теперь
Capitals Coming: for Capitals fans no more intelligent than myself
by red army line on Mar 15, 2010 2:07 PM EDT up reply actions
JC’s better at this point.
Driver and head Muckety-Muck of The Pavel Kubina Bandwagon
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LORD PALMERSTON!!
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Mar 15, 2010 2:13 PM EDT up reply actions
And if Carlson slumps next year after helping us go far in the playoffs, it will still be the correct decision.
Even atheists believe in Matt Wieters
Alzner after a while hit the wall too, though in part too, I guess, because he was getting sent back and forth.
Don’t want him to hit the wall in the middle of the playoffs. If he can get through without costing the Caps, then it’ll have been the right move. If he costs them in a big game, it won’t have been, I think.
Cидни Kросби: Александр Oвечкин, он твой папа теперь
Capitals Coming: for Capitals fans no more intelligent than myself
by red army line on Mar 15, 2010 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions
knublicious
I disagree with knubles down arrow. I’d give him a neutral for the week. The olypians on his line have been off, he still crashes the net. He clearly emphasized to the team why Chicago and the road trip were important, and led on the ice by being a constant scoring threat and working hard in the corners; and he picked the intensity up with OV out. I just didn’t see anything that made me think trending downward. The goals against had nothing to do with his play, nor did they stem from his mistakes or blown coverage. Just my 2 cents in a nickle package. (why would the auto spell check replace nickle with mickle? how do I turn this damn thing off…)
by The Jade Donkey on Mar 15, 2010 1:51 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Fehr has scored 18 goals this year and has been on the ice for 18 goals against.
Only other players in the league that have scored at least 15 goals and been on the ice for the same number or less goals against?
Ovechkin (44,32) and Hossa (20,20)
Also notable….Knuble’s 25 G and 27 GA puts him 6th on my little list, behind Parise and Hornqvist as well.
Note: GA while shorthanded not counted
But it counts GF while on the power play? Could that skew something that might seem like a defensive stat into something overly reflective of the offensive community?
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So quick question. I think I was still in the Philippines when the up/down arrows and plus/minus signs all got added, and I’m a bit confused about what each mean. Acutally common sense has helped me figure out up/down arrow mean better/worse than expectation, the minus dash thing is met expectations….
….so what’s the plus?
Every time the Swedish Swashbuckler scores a goal, an angel gets its wings.
ah, brilliant….thanks
Every time the Swedish Swashbuckler scores a goal, an angel gets its wings.
by SeattleCapsFan on Mar 15, 2010 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Schultz
Did he get sat cause of the minuses? Thought it was just his turn to watch Q?
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
by dcsportsfan1 on Mar 15, 2010 4:23 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 2 recs
Poti and Corvo, ShaMo, and Knubes
Are the expectations for Poti lower than Corvo? Corvo has been playing a bit less than Poti, but they’ve pretty much been paired up for most of the week. It seems that if Corvo deserved the down arrow then. . .
RE: ShaMo, he does this every now and then. I remember when he was reunited with Green back in January (I think). He suddenly didn’t look so bad for a while. Then he petered out again. For the week, I’d definitely give him a plus, but I have a hard time imagining it continuing.
RE: Knuble, he’s struggling alongside his linemates, but being taken off the #1 PP unit is really what killed his productivity. Still not sure why BB replaced him with Laich. Interesting to note that Laich was an “up” while Knubes was a “down.” PP ice time is important for offensive production. Unless you’re Eric Fehr.
There's a fine line between arrogance and ignorance and only I manage to erase that line.
Corvo was on the ice for seven goals against this week, Poti was only on for four, two of which were shorthanded. So while they’ve usually been paired together at ES, there’s still a gap there.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
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That is quietly, brutally, damning. That’s a pretty poor week — anyone else gets the down arrow. To give the guy the flat gray line says you don’t expect any more out of him. Ouch.
Atta dinnin stick a who!
by Gould Old Days on Mar 16, 2010 12:08 AM EDT reply actions
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington
|
82 | 54 | 15 | 13 | 121 |
|
Atlanta
|
82 | 35 | 34 | 13 | 83 |
|
Carolina
|
82 | 35 | 37 | 10 | 80 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
82 | 34 | 36 | 12 | 80 |
|
Florida
|
82 | 32 | 37 | 13 | 77 |
(updated 4.12.2010 at 9:21 AM EDT)
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