Recap: Capitals 3, Canadiens 0
by Rob Parker on Jan 18, 2012 10:23 PM EST
in Game Recaps
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A night after dropping a game at home, where the Caps have been very good, against a team they should have beaten, the Caps were right back at it. However, tonight the Washington Capitals took Dale Hunter's Coin Flip Hockey Extravaganza on the road to face the Montreal Canadiens. Unlike playing at home, the Caps have not been very good on the road this season. Second night of back to backs? On the road? Yeah, this one had trouble written on it from the start. Luckily Caps fans had something to look forward to in this game. Please let Rene Bourque get punched in the face. Oh please let Rene Bourque get punched in the face. When the dust settled the Caps got their fight with Bourque and left Montreal with a 3-0 shutout win. Not a bad night.
Ten more notes on the game:
- Right off the bat Matt Hendricks challenged Bourque and Bourque accepted. It wasn't the fight Caps fans wanted, but Bourque isn't going to just let someone punch him in the face. At least they got it out of the way early so everyone else could get back to playing hockey. Joe B. mentioned a possible run in between Bourque and John Erskine, but it wasn't meant to be.
- Erskine had his sights set on bigger things. 5 penalty minutes in one fell swoop? Child's play. How often do you see a guy get 6 minutes in one play? Not often. Worst of all, Erskine didn't even get the right guy. (That said, Mathieu Darche sure earned that punishment retroactively when he launched Hendricks into Michal Neuvirth. Nice eye, stripes.)
- Normally when we say "coin flip hockey" we are referring to Coach Hunter's desire to play tight, low scoring games, games that are frequently determined by a bounce here or there. Tonight it may as well have referred to the Caps' first period shots on goal.
- Even though the Habs had about 12 minutes of power play time in the first half of the third period, their power play barely mustered any real scoring chances. That shouldn't be much of a surprise, but it's still nice to the PK come up big in a tough situation. That was Montreal's chance to get back in the game, and they did nothing with it. The Caps PK got so cocky that at one point two guys voluntarily gave up their sticks just to give the Habs a couple passing lanes.
- Tomas Vokoun has been getting all the starts of late, and Neuvirth didn't exactly look great the last time he was the nod. Well, tonight Neuvirth came out inspired and never slowed down. The Canadiens had several chances that could have gotten them back in the game, none bigger than the first half of the third period, and every time Neuvirth was there to slam the door shut. Congrats on the shutout, let's see if it makes the crease more competitive and gets Vokoun some rest.
- Hunter's time as head coach has been characterized by the Caps being out-shot. Tonight they were out-shot again, but with the early lead they can at least blame score effects this time, right?
- Each of the goals tonight had three different players get a point. For a team that has been struggling to find goals from any of the 4 lines, that's gotta make them feel good.
- Really gutsy performance tonight from a bunch of guys. 4 blocks for Brooks Laich, including a couple bombs on the power play, 3 for Dennis Wideman, Jeff Halpern, and John Carlson. We've debated whether lots of blocked shots is a good sign, but there's no denying it takes stones to step in front of that puck.
- After the Caps got out of position and the puck slid into the neutral zone public enemy number one got a wide open breakaway. Thankfully his shot hit the post, I guess even the hockey gods were rooting against Bourque tonight.
- Today we talked a little bit about how bad passing has really hurt the Caps' possession game. Tonight we got an example of what a good breakout can do. Quick puck movement got the puck out of the Caps' zone after Montreal dumped it in and Troy Brouwer got through the neutral zone with speed. Marcus Johansson did a great job battling through his check and getting a shot on net, and the Caps had an early insurance goal and an opportunity to test their lock-it-down defense on the road.
And so the Caps will move on from tonight and continue on an important stretch of hockey over the next month. Between tonight and February 20 the Caps will play a schedule that is exclusively made up of division rivals, legit Stanley Cup contenders (*if healthy), and the Montreal Canadiens. This next month stretch, ending a week before the trade deadline, will say a lot about whether GMGM is a buyer or a seller this year.
Game highlights:
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVfO6lY9ngM
You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!
by EmilyB on Jan 18, 2012 10:27 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
Great video, but who’s the odd looking guy in the skintight Flyers shirt and greased back hair that follows Laviolette off the ice?
Nice guys finish first, but sometimes the season is awfully long.
Follow me on Twitter.
Nice photo to add to OSHG JP’s tumblr too.
"You can want to get to April but when you get to April you may not like the answers you get, so you might as well enjoy the ride while it's going on." - Brian McNally on JRR, 8/29/2011
The Caps PK got so cocky that at one point two guys voluntarily gave up their sticks just to give the Habs a couple passing lanes.
Nice. Strangely, I wasn’t even that worried when that happened. Felt they would find a way to still stop MTL from scoring.
Special teams on the road has been a big problem this year. How much did that game help with the road PK%?
One of the announcers had mentioned that one of our guys had had a stick slashed by a Hab then
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
Yeah, that was pretty clear. Think F&B was joking. The first line in that bullet is pretty good, too.
Not that the number of shots is in the range of acceptable, but all that time on the PK would decrease shot totals for any
ok I'm happy we won the game but..
16 shots on goal, really? I understand that were trying to be more defensive minded but…is this really going to work like this?
by Twisted Wrister on Jan 18, 2012 10:31 PM EST reply actions
Its all about the s% and the caps absurdly high s% under DH will never regress to the mean, ever.
Bruce Boudreau when asked about Brooks Laich's return to the lineup, he said: "He just adds another dimension to our team. If it was puzzle, he just fits that thing. He completes us."
Brooks Laich completing everything from teams to tires and everything in between.
why do you believe that? what happens when they go up against goalies like boston’s or lundqvist or fleury?
by Twisted Wrister on Jan 18, 2012 10:41 PM EST up reply actions
Snark.
Knuble: "I am what I am. I play well with good players."
On his milestone: "It's going to be like unwrapping a birthday present. Then the day after you're kind of like [sighs]....Now you just have to keep going."
by capsyoungguns on Jan 18, 2012 10:42 PM EST up reply actions
Orlov’s shot breaks Darche’s skate. Clearly visible and amazing.
Nice guys finish first, but sometimes the season is awfully long.
Follow me on Twitter.
Baby beast. I heart him.
That'll make your weagle wink!
"You're the boss, apple sauce" - @GreenLife52
Coach Bilyaletdinov also hearts him, hopefully.
You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!
And hopefully Coach Bilyaletdinov is not able to make use of his services this spring due to another conflicting commitment.
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
by CapsFan75 on Jan 18, 2012 10:45 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I wonder how the Russians’ meeting with him went today.
by Aliceanna on Jan 18, 2012 11:11 PM EST via Android app up reply actions
Welp…boring wins are better than boring losses. Be interested to see the score-close Fenwick. At one point the Caps had crawled to within 11-10 in the shot count.
But 16 shots just ain’t gonna win many games.
Patron saint of quality footwear.
The PK, though. T’was awesome.
That'll make your weagle wink!
"You're the boss, apple sauce" - @GreenLife52
As bad as that shot number is, keep in mind there was 14 minutes of PK time.
"You can want to get to April but when you get to April you may not like the answers you get, so you might as well enjoy the ride while it's going on." - Brian McNally on JRR, 8/29/2011
What a Viking.
You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!
Ugh, another win that felt like a loss. Take the two points and yada yada yada but…just…gaaahhhhhh
The keyboard is mightier.
Really? Wasn’t that bad.
That'll make your weagle wink!
"You're the boss, apple sauce" - @GreenLife52
It didn’t feel like a loss to me. A 3 point cushion makes up for a lot of things, such as shot disadvantage and spending 3rd period in the Penalty Box. But it will feel like a loss if MoJo misses any significant time. (Until I see MoJo skate on Friday warmups, I will be concerned.
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
Really? I didn’t have that “loss” feeling at all.
by Aliceanna on Jan 18, 2012 11:13 PM EST via Android app up reply actions
much needed win. good job on the road this time.
by brazilianbeast on Jan 18, 2012 10:47 PM EST reply actions
Guess RB's not here tonight
so I’ll go ahead and post this
"You can want to get to April but when you get to April you may not like the answers you get, so you might as well enjoy the ride while it's going on." - Brian McNally on JRR, 8/29/2011
by bagace on Jan 18, 2012 10:49 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
Coach Dale is now 6-0 against Canada.
You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!
First round – Toronto
Second round – Montreal
Conference Finals – Ottawa
Stanley Cup Finals – Vancouver
Once you take the fisting element out, it's not romantic anymore.
by Steckel Me Elmo on Jan 18, 2012 10:52 PM EST up reply actions 6 recs
Or push Ottawa to the second round and put in the Rangers in the Conference finals and then it’s slightly realistic.
by wickedwitch on Jan 18, 2012 10:54 PM EST up reply actions
Um. You missed the whole Canada theme SME had going there.
Nice guys finish first, but sometimes the season is awfully long.
Follow me on Twitter.
Then you’re just being an asshole?
"He leaves every ounce of energy that he has on the ice and works very hard at it, and he wants to be the best and he wants to win, If you don’t follow that, you’ve got something wrong with you."
by nogoodtrying on Jan 19, 2012 9:14 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I'm glad both the Caps and Wizards won today.
I’ll watch this one on DVR…. Just got back from Verizon for the second time in as many days this week..
And for you, who would have thought you’d see both a win by the Wizards and a loss by the Caps?
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
Finally occurred to me to check the acrostic. Nicely done.
"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."
Time to play the song that was in Disney’s “The Mouse Detective”
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
Time to wonder if this comment is related to the discussion.
"My favorite fan base in D.C. Is United's. Period. The end." - Steinberg
Which DC sports team has the Most Valuable Players? That would be DC United, a team being pushed out by the city. Help Keep United in DC so they can receive a fair deal on a lease and help develop a path to build a stadium with local investment and incentives.
by Bald Pollack on Jan 19, 2012 7:04 AM EST up reply actions
Per Tarik
#Caps Perreault on goal: “I was just so excited. I didn’t know what to do [so] I did the Ovi celebration and jumped into the glass.”
Look at the replay. It’s funny how he bounces off.
That'll make your weagle wink!
"You're the boss, apple sauce" - @GreenLife52
@Adam_KOL
With all the talk about this season being disappointing, the #Caps have one more win through 45 games this year than they did last year.
You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!
by EmilyB on Jan 18, 2012 11:17 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
I refuse to hate on a shutout win.
(> ^ .(> O .O)>
by Sentient Cheese on Jan 18, 2012 11:20 PM EST up reply actions
Interesting shutout
It isn’t even anger-inducing. It does not seem to be worth that kind of emotional investment. It might not even be disappointing any more. It is expected.
-Peerless 5.6.2011
by macvechkin on Jan 18, 2012 11:19 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
If any goalie could pitch a 3-1 shutout, it’s our Neuvy.
The Great Deceiver, indeed.
You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!
by EmilyB on Jan 18, 2012 11:23 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Just came here to post that.
Pension Plan Puppets*
* Blog contains less than 2% puppet content by weight.
Heh, I like the highlights announcer on the fight:
Go Find Hendricks before Erskine comes and finds you.
(> ^ .(> O .O)>
by Sentient Cheese on Jan 18, 2012 11:22 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Followed by “now what happens, he kinda won the fight?”
Really though, that was kind of lame. Have our middle-weight fight a guy who, as he is entitled to, is wearing a visor? Get punched in the face a few times and slammed to the ice, yes, we really showed him there is a price to pay.
I don’t disagree he wouldn’t have dropped with Erskine, but I’d rather see guys take some (mostly) legal runs at him all night. Especially when the game was in hand.
It isn’t even anger-inducing. It does not seem to be worth that kind of emotional investment. It might not even be disappointing any more. It is expected.
-Peerless 5.6.2011
Considering this team’s reputation when it comes to retribution, you really expected otherwise?
I was trained to mix concrete and sign complicated insurance forms.
by The Moose on Jan 19, 2012 12:00 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Even though the Caps got dominated in shots, I really felt like it was pretty even in scoring chances. Where do I look up that data? NHL.com doesn’t seem to have it.
Capitals goal scored by #22, Mike...
by KNUUUUUUUUUUBLE on Jan 18, 2012 11:31 PM EST reply actions
Chances have to be logged manually. If you know Neil Greenberg’s twitter handle, he’ll have them.
Patron saint of quality footwear.
The NHL sucks so bad at tracking statistics.
Capitals goal scored by #22, Mike...
by KNUUUUUUUUUUBLE on Jan 18, 2012 11:58 PM EST up reply actions
ngreenberg Neil Greenberg
FWIW, I had final chance tally at 23-10 in favor of Habs. Most of that is due to score effects and 7 PP against, but it is still lopsided.
The keyboard is mightier.
Olivier, the Habs’ own chance counter, concurs: http://enattendantlesnordiques.blogspot.com/
Habs leading 24-11, 11-8 after two.
Neuvirth really kept the Habs from coming back into this one. Unfortunately a familiar sentiment for Hab fans.
So at the 45-game point in the season, I figured I’d compare this year’s Caps with last year’s Caps in terms of points. Here’s the breakdown:
Games (accumulated point total)
2010-11
1-5 (8 points)
6-10 (12 points)
11-15 (22 points)
16-20 (29 points)
21-25 (36 points) *30 points after game 22
26-30 (39 points)
31-35 (42 points)
36-40 (51 points)
41-45 (55 points)
2011-12
1-5 (10 points)
6-10 (16 points)
11-15 (21 points)
16-20 (25 points)
21-25 (27 points) *25 points after BB’s exit in game 22
26-30 (33 points)
31-35 (38 points)
36-40 (44 points)
41-45 (52 points)
To give you some additional context, the 2010-11 Caps had a mixed bag for the remainder of January and February, including a bad stretch of four losses in five games in mid-Feb, before absolutely tearing it up in March and April (15-3-1).
Interestingly, the Caps were 16-3-1 after that infamous 6-0 loss to the Rangers Feb. 25. The Caps get to play another team that thumped this season, the Maple Leafs, in Toronto on Feb. 25. Let’s root for all-out suckage for the Caps.
Kidding, of course.
Capitals goal scored by #22, Mike...
by KNUUUUUUUUUUBLE on Jan 19, 2012 12:00 AM EST reply actions
a bad stretch of four losses in five games in mid-Feb, before absolutely tearing it up in March and April (15-3-1).
After Jason Arnott arrived and took the room by the man-bits and squeezed. Also, Dennis Wideman.
You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!
Avs just beat Florida in overtime, BTW, so the Caps are back in first in the SE thanks to the tiebreaker.
Capitals goal scored by #22, Mike...
by KNUUUUUUUUUUBLE on Jan 19, 2012 12:07 AM EST reply actions
Also, barring an amazing comeback on the part of the Coyotes, the Ducks will be 6-0-1 in their last seven.
Capitals goal scored by #22, Mike...
by KNUUUUUUUUUUBLE on Jan 19, 2012 12:11 AM EST up reply actions
It’s getting a little old how many points they have due to losing in OT/shootout. Yawn.
I need 100% of you guys to give 110% 100% of the time.
by capsfan4life on Jan 19, 2012 12:52 AM EST up reply actions
SWhyno Stephen Whyno
Mathieu Perreault scored first goal since Oct. 22 in first period, finished with 6:09 and no shifts in 3rd period. #Caps
Yeesh, Dale REALLY doesn’t trust MP85 defensively.
The keyboard is mightier.
For arguments’ sake, there was a lot of SP time in the 3rd. But yeah, why not get some guys like Eakin and MP a little experience with a 3 goal lead and less than 10 minutes left. Hunts plays it pretty close to the vest.
It isn’t even anger-inducing. It does not seem to be worth that kind of emotional investment. It might not even be disappointing any more. It is expected.
-Peerless 5.6.2011
Is that you, Matieu? Is this me?
To paraphrase the great sage, Private Eightball, you might not believe it, but Matty P is one of the finest human beings on ice. All he needs is somebody to stick him in the gut every few months or so.
The MP-85: Prone to occasional jams, but compact, durable and travels well.
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