Tuesday Caps Clips

Thanks – I’d forgotten to add that link, but have now.

If we took MJ90’s best 20-game stretch last season and extrapolated that over 82 games he is at 54 points (21G/33A, 144 shots). That’s if he plays at his peak over 82-games.

Well, that’s last year’s peak – presumably this year’s peak will be somewhat higher. But is this year’s norm greater than last year’s peak? I tend to doubt it. I’d also bet the under on 50 and feel pretty comfortable in doing so.

Maybe, but wouldn’t it be great to watch a season of Caps hockey that caused you to eat those words? Just think how good the 2nd (possibly 3rd) line would be playing if things went that well for #90!

And here’s another way to look at it. Excluding Backstrom, the ES point totals for some other full-time Caps centers over the past three years:

2010-11: Johansson (23), Arnott (23, including time in NJ), Hendricks (23), Perreault (11 in 35 games)

2009-10: Morrison (34), Belanger (32, including time with MIN), Perreault (9 in 21)

2008-09: Kozlov (26), Nylander (23), Fedorov (20)

So even if MoJo plays up to a seasoned-veteran-in-a-great-year-for-team-scoring level, it looks like he tops out in the low-30’s at best in ESPs. The top PP points of the above seasons was Kozlov with 15. Most SH points was Steckel with three.

What we’re left with is MoJo – who had 23 ESPs, 3 PPPs and 1 SHP last year – needing to match the Caps’ best 2C season over the last three years at each of ES (34 points), PP (15 points) and SH (3 points) to total 52 points. In his second season. So yeah, it’s pretty unlikely to happen.

I’ll take 50 pts or better For #90 at 32:1 for $50, please.

I suppose that’s why it’s called a bold prediction. If he predicted something obvious all he would have gotten was a “careful out on that limb”. I guess there’s no making some people happy.

Mojo pots 15 and 35

mark it, dude

Mackan to Knuble: “Your powers are weak, old man.”

I’mma going with PP efficiency.

But if you need something more last-year-to-this-year-specific, it’s gotta be related to the PP%. Maybe the shooting % on the PP. Or AO’s production drop there.

0 – Number of hot goalies they face in the playoffs.

For me it’s simple – 30%. The drop in goals scored from 2009-2010 to 2010-2011.

0 – number of Stanley Cups won.

94 goals or 30% (take your pick)

The amount that the Caps’ goals scored dropped by between 09-10 and 10-11 (318 goals down to 224 goals). People out there still think of the Caps as an offensive juggernaut. And perhaps they ought to be. But they weren’t last year. No, the Caps were 19th in the league in offense last year. They scored 6 points less than the median.

So how did they win the Eastern Conference? By allowing only 197 goals, 4th best in the league. They reduced their goals allowed by 36 goals versus the previous year (233 in 09-10, 197 in 10-11). The Caps became an excellent defensive team, but that reputation hasn’t followed them.

Number of goals Ovechkin would have scored last year if he shot at his career shooting %.

Take John Carlson’s pp, es, and sh numbers then crunch them as if he were getting Mike Green’s qualcomp and zone starts.

This, to me, is a really interesting aspect of how the [“euro-heavy”] Caps are perceived. Thanks in particular to Malin and Dimitriy, we know that the imports are smarter and more interesting than is widely appreciated. is it because they’re ‘more comfortable with home-language media? Or is it because their home language media actually Asks Questions, instead of assigning lameass parroting points?
Just take it day by day and — lord willing — I’ll be able to help the team.

I’m not sure if they would want to start out a rookie on what is supposed to be their shutdown line.

I’d be surprised to see Sjogren make the team over Beagle for two reasons:

1) Cap hit. Sjogren’s 900k cap hit versus Beagle’s 512k is a not-insignificant difference for a team that’s going to be over the cap and will need as much LTIR space as possible.

2) Comfort level. Beagle has been playing on NHL-sized rinks for his entire life and already has some comfort as a pro in North America, which Sjogren doesn’t.

Actually, I can see both of these reasons also weighing towards having Perreault as a 3LW rather than Eakin (other than the NHL-sized rink thing).

it’s so beautiful it brings tears to me eyes

Tweeting: “FWIW Ovi at 225, 205 whatever. I can still stone his a$$.”

Remember, that decision was made before anyone realized Hendricks would turn out to be a better filler of that role.

that makes me think of jar-jar binks getting his ass kicked in a hockey fight.

smiles fondly

I don’t get it. Can you explain it to me, please?

Two thoughts stand out to me:

8. Very interesting observation from one Eastern Conference coach about the Pittsburgh Penguins: “What they went through last year [season-ending injuries to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin] is going to make them even better. All of those guys suddenly realized they were still a legitimate contender without those two players. Their confidence will be very high.” The Penguins finished with 106 points before losing in seven to Tampa in the first round. Threw that theory at Dan Bylsma, and he’s a believer.

(silent scowl & grimace)

24. Alexander Semin took a beating from former teammates this summer, but it will be interesting to see how Bruce Boudreau handles him during the season. On the right side, the Capitals’ coach has Semin, Troy Brouwer, Joel Ward and Mike Knuble. Semin must realize that, for the first time, Boudreau has several significant options to threaten him with. How will that affect “The Other Alex?”

Must Semin realize that? We can only hope.

If you’re wondering, that hat looks amazing when on a Vespa.

He was so good as the preacher in Carnivale.

I talk out of both sides of my mouth when it comes to fighting.

The staged shows bore me silly, but an organic scrap that arises out of heated competition gets me excited and feelin’ enthused…and I feel for the kids that the article mentions, who are bashing their brains into a paste in the forlorn hope of landing an NHL gig that will almost certainly never materialize.

I’d be OK with the League banning fighting altogether. I specifically don’t buy the line that the cheap shots will then grow exponentially; a couple of 20-game suspensions would calm that down.

But you don’t want to hear it, because you have already voted on where you stand.

That strikes me as hypocritical, since the author is in that exact same boat, with an opposite conclusion.

“Did you say Semin was back checking the other forward?”