Saturday Caps Clips: Caps @ Habs Game Day

by J.P. on Feb 4, 2012 8:28 AM EST in Caps Clips

Your savory breakfast links:

Previews of this afternoon's mayhem (?) in Montreal from Vogs, NHL.com, WashTimes, SB Nation DC, Peerless, RMNB and CRtC, and be sure to check out our SB Nation partner Habs Eyes On The Prize for more coverage from the other side of tonight's match-up.
Notes and assorted whatnot from yesterday out at Kettler:
- In general. [Caps365 video (Hunter, Aucoin, Laich, Perreault, Hamrlik), WaPo, CSNW, 106.7 The Fan]
- He's baaaaaack... [WashTimes, WaPo, CSNW]
- ... and, by the way, not dirty. [WashTimes]
- But speaking of dirty, the Caps haven't forgotten about what Rene Bourque did a month ago... [WashTimes, DCEx]
- ... though if they're going to do anything about it today, it'll be without Joel Rechlicz, who was put on waivers yesterday after two games, six shifts and 4:26 of ice time. [WashTimes, WaPo, CSNW]
- So what does Keith Aucoin bring to the party? [Dump 'n Chase, WaPo, WashTimes, DSP]
You didn't think that that Karl Alzner quote was going to go unnoticed, did you? [Puck Daddy, Examiner]
As for Alzner's usual D-partner... he's strugglin'... [KOL]
... but is rockin' the slapper. [WaPo]
The Caps, they are a-slidin'... [Hockey Prospectus]
... in large part because they're square pegs being forced into round holes. [DSP]
All that said, will they win the Southeast? [Inside Hockey]
Relive Matt Hendricks' highlight reel goal in Tampa, frame-by-frame. [RMNB]
Forget League MVP, is The Captain still the Caps' MVP? [WUSA, One Girl One Puck]
Regardless, AO is still a rock star. Check out the mob scene in Montreal. [Alex Ovetjkin, @habsinsideout1]
If it ain't the coach, it's the players... but it's not too late. [Peerless]
Finally, happy 43rd birthday to Joe Sacco.

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Comments

I love the optimism Peerless, but just don’t see it happening with this group. Would love to be wrong.

Your last sentence is correct…change is a coming, and it ain’t goin’ be good for this team.

by ralCapsFan on Feb 4, 2012 8:42 AM EST reply actions

I wasn’t trying to be optimistic, rather the opposite. Absent something that changes this team from within (because the Caps can’t/won’t make enough trades to matter), this team is going to slow-walk its way to the first green come the second week of April.

If you've read this far...seek help.

by ThePeerless on Feb 4, 2012 2:11 PM EST up reply actions

That DSP article pretty much covered my thoughts perfectly.

by Beakers Lab on Feb 4, 2012 9:35 AM EST reply actions

Think that guy reads the comment section here?

Patron saint of quality footwear.

by fat_daddyo on Feb 4, 2012 10:25 AM EST up reply actions

Jack? I think he does. Dave too.

"Shots aren't the important thing. Scoring chances are way more important than shots." - Bruce Boudreau

See my work in the Washington Post and on ESPN Insider.

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by NGreenberg on Feb 4, 2012 10:33 AM EST up reply actions

We skim.

thanks for the kind words.

Your voice of doom and gloom. Read more at www.DistrictSportsPage.com

"Nobody’s got a monopoly on good writing, or the facts. If you can come up with one or the other or (ideally) both, you’re in the club." --Rob Neyer, Feb. 2, 2011

by Dave at District Sports Page on Feb 4, 2012 11:54 AM EST up reply actions

Yup, other than the part about the Caps improving defensively under Hunter. Everything else was spot on.

by Ginga on Feb 4, 2012 12:08 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Personally, I blame it all on Gormley.

Cross check and all call.

by bigonetimer on Feb 4, 2012 9:49 AM EST reply actions

Unfortunately, the longer we go with no news on Backstrom, the worse it is. Unless I’ve missed something, we’ve really heard nothing since that five minutes skate over a week ago.

Nice guys finish first, but sometimes the season is awfully long.
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by STLSpidey on Feb 4, 2012 10:04 AM EST reply actions

Agreed. I think it would be wise to plan a future without him this year. Even if he returns, this team was not lighting the world on fire.

by ralCapsFan on Feb 4, 2012 10:08 AM EST up reply actions

We didn’t have news about Jay Beagle for a long time either, he’s fine now.

You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!

by EmilyB on Feb 4, 2012 10:08 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

He was out, what, about two months? Grrrr.

"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."

by gfcaps fan on Feb 4, 2012 10:11 AM EST up reply actions

Obviously not the same thing.

Nice guys finish first, but sometimes the season is awfully long.
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by STLSpidey on Feb 4, 2012 10:15 AM EST up reply actions

In what way is it not the same thing?

You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!

by EmilyB on Feb 4, 2012 10:16 AM EST up reply actions

No offense to Beagle’s long term health, but, given the Backstrom’s importance to the team compared to Beagle’s, I’m more interested in updates on Backstrom.

Nice guys finish first, but sometimes the season is awfully long.
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by STLSpidey on Feb 4, 2012 10:19 AM EST up reply actions

Personally, I don’t really want to know much about NB19 ‘til he’s a lot closer to being ready. He needs time and a lack of pressure to heal faster. I’m willing to allow him that space.

You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!

by EmilyB on Feb 4, 2012 10:48 AM EST up reply actions

Either Backstrom updates us too much and people complain how he’s hogging the headlines, or not enough and people want to know what’s up, I feel, like with Crosby

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I believe in next year.

by red army line on Feb 4, 2012 11:45 AM EST via Android app up reply actions

The Caps will hover in the 9th or 10th until March. All of a sudden we’ll get a random tweet from Nicky B to the effect of “Como estan, bitches?” (or maybe it will be in Swedish and someone will have to translate it)…………

He will lead us to an 8th seed and a deep playoff run that catches us all off guard.

A man can dream……….

by CapsDegenerate on Feb 4, 2012 11:56 AM EST up reply actions

I’m in bewilderment over this concussion with Backstrom, me and my pops went to Kettler two days after the elbow and Nick was practicing with the whole team and looked completely normal, did he regress or something? I know its been two months so I’m sure its a legitimate problem, but how can he play like normal at practice two days after the elbow and then be out two months…

by RossingtonCollins on Feb 4, 2012 12:01 PM EST up reply actions

Concussion symptoms don’t have to start right away. Sometimes it takes days, or a week or more to develop symptoms.

by jopierce on Feb 4, 2012 12:13 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions

Sometimes it takes days, or a week, or ~~more~~ a couple of pointless transcontinental flights to develop symptoms.

FTFY

....when the truth is if they knew anything about the game, they'd be in it.
--GMGM

by redlineblue on Feb 4, 2012 12:25 PM EST up reply actions

But on Dec 3, two months after concussion, Beagle said he “tried to skate about three weeks ago, skated four or five days and then I had a setback and we rested”

Backstrom has skated 5 minutes total since Borque hit.

"Shots aren't the important thing. Scoring chances are way more important than shots." - Bruce Boudreau

See my work in the Washington Post and on ESPN Insider.

Follow me on Twitter @ngreenberg

by NGreenberg on Feb 4, 2012 10:16 AM EST up reply actions

So Jay tried to start skating 5 weeks post-concussion. Nicky is at four weeks post-concussion.

You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!

by EmilyB on Feb 4, 2012 10:18 AM EST up reply actions

Sure, but there have been no indications that NB19 is even close to skating. IIRC, there were positive indications on Beagle at morning practices.

"Shots aren't the important thing. Scoring chances are way more important than shots." - Bruce Boudreau

See my work in the Washington Post and on ESPN Insider.

Follow me on Twitter @ngreenberg

by NGreenberg on Feb 4, 2012 10:23 AM EST up reply actions

Hopefully the next GM bears this stretch in mind and gets some center depth in the org.

Patron saint of quality footwear.

by fat_daddyo on Feb 4, 2012 10:29 AM EST up reply actions

That would be nice, but easier said than done. True 1 or 2Cs are hard to find and expensive if you do.

Proud member of the Popsicle Division of the Cupcake Conference.

by Bman21212 on Feb 4, 2012 1:43 PM EST up reply actions

Along the constant challenge of trying to draft them. So, next time, all other things being equal, should we draft the center rather than the winger? But that’s the catch, of course. And many centers in JR hockey become wingers in the long run.

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 Feb 4, 2012 2:57 PM EST up reply actions

Yes, all things being equal get the center. But things are never equal, and there are only a couple true 1C potential centers drafted each year. And 30 teams who want one. And yea, many players in JR are centers simply because they’re so dominate, not because they are a real center.

Proud member of the Popsicle Division of the Cupcake Conference.

by Bman21212 on Feb 4, 2012 3:45 PM EST up reply actions

When everyone saw Mike Green skating for the first time post surgery, he told the press that it was actually the third time he skated. It’s possible that Nicky has skated by himself and we just don’t know about it. Especially since the only response DH ever gives about his recovery is “these things take 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

by bagace on Feb 4, 2012 10:31 AM EST up reply actions

Green’s first two skates were the days of the team’s back-to-back games in Florida, so no one had bothered to ask. They were home for two days afterwards that Backstrom still hasn’t skated.

"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."

by gfcaps fan on Feb 4, 2012 10:37 AM EST up reply actions

Mr. Greenberg: Do you have data that maps the average time missed to a concussion? I keep hearing the cliche “no two concussions are alike”………

by CapsDegenerate on Feb 4, 2012 12:00 PM EST up reply actions

As noted above, didn’t Nick skate in the first practice after the Bourque hit?

Maybe Bourque didn’t concuss him, maybe AO got him in practice.

Please, call me F&B.

by Rob Parker on Feb 4, 2012 4:46 PM EST up reply actions

Nick not only skated in the first practice after the Bourque hit but in the second one as well (after being delayed 15 minutes for concussion protocol testing) but then when it was time for the morning skate before the San Jose game, he was not seen again (except for 5 minutes once).

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 Feb 4, 2012 10:33 PM EST up reply actions

@bobbybancroft

Thanks for nothing ESPNU. There’s nobody at the Verizon Center right now. A cool 45 minutes or so before the #Hoyas tip off.

Good ice tomorrow, whohoo!

"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 Feb 4, 2012 10:31 AM EST reply actions

Better than a same day Hoyas game.

by Yoshietree on Feb 4, 2012 10:32 AM EST up reply actions

And better than the Wiz playing tonight.

Oh, wait, they are. At home.

"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."

by gfcaps fan on Feb 4, 2012 10:35 AM EST up reply actions

exactly, it’s all day basketball with a 12:30 puck drop tomorrow

by sk84fun_dc on Feb 4, 2012 11:55 AM EST up reply actions

I suppose a game that ends at 9:30 pm for a 12:30 puck drop is still better than a game that ends at 2:00 pm for a 7:00 pm puck drop. 15 hours versus 5 hours.

Not by much, mind you, but it’s something.

"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."

by gfcaps fan on Feb 4, 2012 12:01 PM EST up reply actions

For the record, and it’s going OT, but what they’re playing at Verizon right now might be called basketball, but, um, yeah, I’m glad I’m not paying to be there.

"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."

by gfcaps fan on Feb 4, 2012 12:03 PM EST up reply actions

Regarding the DSP article: Yes, it’s all Dale Hunter’s (and his blasted system!!) fault that John Carlson is struggling. Because he looked 100% right out of the gate, yup. It’s the Dale Hunter system that causes him to fan on outlet passes or turn it over to the other team. Damn you, Dale!!!

Shultz with his lack of speed and physicality isn’t a great fit for a lot of systems. He, more than any other Cap, got TORCHED by Tampa Bay in the playoffs…a microcosm of his drawbacks. That’s why he has reduced ice time. That said, I thought he looked better than he ever has last game. If we’re going to have someone that big and slow, I’d rather take Hal Gill.

by David C. Rothman on Feb 4, 2012 10:42 AM EST reply actions

I was just looking again at Buccigross’s top 100 NHL players. He has Ovechkin 8th. Assuming you would always trade a player straight up for a player higher on the list, this means he’d trade Ovechkin straight up for:

Crosby
Toews
Malkin
Datsyuk
Giroux
Stamkos
Weber

Right now, contracts aside, on 2/4/12, I’d trade Ovechkin for a healthy Crosby, Malkin, and Toews. Debatable on Datsyuk and Weber. No on Giroux and Stamkos. My debate on Weber is the forward for defense swap.

Nice guys finish first, but sometimes the season is awfully long.
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by STLSpidey on Feb 4, 2012 10:44 AM EST reply actions

I’d trade AO for Giroux in a heartbeat.

Patron saint of quality footwear.

by fat_daddyo on Feb 4, 2012 10:59 AM EST up reply actions

And Stamkos as well. I think that he’s young enough to have one more big growth year in him.

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I believe in next year.

by red army line on Feb 4, 2012 11:47 AM EST via Android app up reply actions

Who above the list would I trade Ovi for if I could? Crosby, if he were healthy but since he’s not, no. Toews or Malkin — definite yes, especially considering they are centers. Datsyuk — while I love the player, his age would make me hesitate. Giroux — while he’s good, I feel like I want more proof. Stamkos, definite yes, given his age, and he’s even listed as a center even if he plays at wing also. Weber — tougher to compare given the differences in position.

It all leads me to believe as to how the Caps would have fared had they drafted Malkin instead of Ovi.

Peerless had once done a series of articles on what would have happened if the Caps hadn’t won the draft lottery in 2005 and had ended up drafting in the “expected” third position instead. To make a long story short, the Pens ended up with Ovi, Malkin on the Blackhawks, Crosby ends up on the Rangers, the Caps eventually draft Erik Johnson, Gilbert Brule, and Kyle Turris (talk about draft picks who haven’t lived up to expectations) but end up with Stamkos. (One crazy thing — they actually end up getting Arnott as well.)

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 Feb 4, 2012 1:27 PM EST up reply actions

I’d trade him for a healthy Backstrom.

by Ginga on Feb 4, 2012 12:11 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

No on Giroux and Stamkos? I think Stamkos should be a definite yes and Giroux is getting close. I’d waffle on Malkin more than either of those two.

Please, call me F&B.

by Rob Parker on Feb 4, 2012 4:48 PM EST up reply actions

Stat o’ the day – Sam Gagner has more points in one game (8) than Scott Gomez has all season (7 assists).

You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!

by EmilyB on Feb 4, 2012 10:44 AM EST reply actions

You had to go there. You flipping’ had to go there. Gomez’s hat trick is all but certain today! :-)

Nice guys finish first, but sometimes the season is awfully long.
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by STLSpidey on Feb 4, 2012 10:47 AM EST up reply actions

Practically inevitable.

You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!

by EmilyB on Feb 4, 2012 10:48 AM EST up reply actions

Eh, she’s behind the curve. It’s already #BlameWhyno territory.

"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."

by gfcaps fan on Feb 4, 2012 10:48 AM EST up reply actions

Or blame Locker and Benignati, if you prefer. This is the team where Derek Boogaard broke a long scoring drought against.

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 Feb 4, 2012 1:29 PM EST up reply actions

that just makes me want to post my new favorite website http://www.didgomezscore.com

Be Utterly Facinating @ http://www.thirstdc.com

by TheFuryUnleashed on Feb 4, 2012 11:04 AM EST up reply actions

That site is very mesmerizing.

Nice guys finish first, but sometimes the season is awfully long.
Follow me on Twitter.

by STLSpidey on Feb 4, 2012 11:16 AM EST up reply actions

Be sure to scroll down to the bottom and watch the payment ticker fly by…

"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 Feb 4, 2012 11:30 AM EST up reply actions

Glen Sather – super genius.

It would be nice if the site added a ticker for goals and assists for Ryan McDonagh. 4G, 15A this season, BTW.

Nice guys finish first, but sometimes the season is awfully long.
Follow me on Twitter.

by STLSpidey on Feb 4, 2012 11:36 AM EST up reply actions

The 8 point night has been been fodder for a lot of those type stats, including some about Gagner’s own statline.

Bad thing for Gomez is his stats were already in the headlines even before the 8 point night by Gagner.

by sk84fun_dc on Feb 4, 2012 11:56 AM EST up reply actions

To continue the trend, Aaron Palushaj scores first goal today.

by ralCapsFan on Feb 4, 2012 11:05 AM EST reply actions

REVENGE pt 2!

If I were Rene Bourque, I probably wouldn’t have slept last night thinking of all the scowls and verbal un-niceties he has coming today.

by Stormblue on Feb 4, 2012 12:21 PM EST reply actions

Part 3, since they did dick when it actually happened.

"My favorite fan base in D.C. Is United's. Period. The end." - Steinberg

by Bald Pollack on Feb 4, 2012 1:59 PM EST up reply actions

I’d sleep well knowing it would be nothing more than scowls and verbal un-niceties.

Once you take the fisting element out, it's not romantic anymore.

by Steckel Me Elmo on Feb 4, 2012 3:32 PM EST up reply actions

But with that in mind, let’s just remind ourselves that the Capitals, for all their regular-season success last year and the one before that and the one before that and even the one before that, are no longer a great team. They’re not even a good team. They are a decidedly mediocre team.

This pretty much sums up the attitude I’ve developed with respect to the Caps. It makes everything so much less disappointing. We lost to the Panthers? Well, yeah, we’re a crappy hockey team. It makes sense. So much easier on my blood pressure than all the hopes and expectations I’ve had in seasons prior. Plus, now I don’t feel like I have to get really defensive when my Flyers friends talk trash. All I have to say is, “Yeah, the Caps aren’t a good hockey team,” and they shut right up. It’s amazing. And I can talk twice as much trash when we actually beat them. See, losing is easier! I imagine this is how Islanders fans have felt for the past couple years.

…I’m off to go cry in a corner.

by Murshawursha on Feb 4, 2012 12:23 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

___

Some more pics of Ovi in Montreal from 25Stanley

Here’s one:

by vtcapsfan99 on Feb 4, 2012 12:45 PM EST reply actions

It’s not obvious from that picture, but Ovi has just gotten a new haircut as short as it was on draft day or at the approximate time last year.

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 Feb 4, 2012 1:20 PM EST up reply actions

hmm...

You’ll dress only in attire specially sanctioned by RtR special services. You’ll conform to the identity we give you, eat where we tell you, skate where we tell you. From now on you’ll have no identifying marks of any kind (Gillette made us say that). You’ll not stand out in any way (that one’s on Shanahan). Your entire image is crafted to leave big ugly welts with anyone you hit in open ice. You’re a rumor, recognizable only as deja vu and dismissed just as quickly (so say Pens fans, anyway). You don’t exist; you were never even born (unless it was a leap year and you would qualify to be drafted a year early). Anonymity is your name. Silence your native tongue (what is “silence” in Russian?). You’re no longer part of the System. You’re above the System. Over it. Beyond it. We’re “them.” We’re “they.” We are the Men in Black.

If you've read this far...seek help.

by ThePeerless on Feb 4, 2012 2:18 PM EST up reply actions