Let's say Kevin Dineen, coach of the Panthers, walks up to Dale Hunter and says "Hey coach, how about this? We agree to go to OT with you all, and in exchange, we let you win in OT or the shootout."
What this would mean:

• Caps get the 8th spot if Buffalo loses to Philly in regulation.
• Caps still control own destiny should Buffalo lose to Philly in OT/SO, or if they beat Philly.
• Florida wins division and likely plays the Devils.

Please see my post of April 3 ("Who Should You Be Pulling For Tonight? The Situational NHL Rooting Guide for Caps Fans") for further explanation of my "Rooting Rules"):

(More after the jump)

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Greeting to all of my fellow roller-coaster riders in Caps-land!

As the 2011-2012 NHL regular season draws to its conclusion, there are still more than a a few questions left unresolved regarding the playoff races in both Eastern and Western Conference-not to mention how games not involving the Caps can help or hurt the cause of our young warriors.

To this end I have devised a few basic rules (appearing after the jump) which-when combined with daily schedule and standings information--can help to clear the muddy waters for those who are perplexed.

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Nov 11: Caps 3 Devils 1

Adam Larsson: A rookie with 2 goals in 64 games.

Vokoun in goal.

Dec 13: Flyers 5 Caps 1

Marc-Andre Bourdon: A November call-up has 2 goals in 41 games.

Vokoun in goal.

Dec 17: Avs 2 Caps 1

Cody McLeod : 5 year veteran - his first of 6 goals so far this season.

Erik Johnson: 4th year, 1st goal of the season.

Neuvirth in goal.

Dec 23: Devils 4 Caps 3

Alexander Urbom: 8 games last year, 5 this year- 1 goal each season.

Neuvirth in goal.

Dec 26: Sabres 4 Caps 2

Brayden McNabb: 22 NHL games; 1 goal.

Vokoun in goal.

Feb 25: Caps 4 Leafs 2

Colby Armstrong: 8 yrs in league; 27 games, 1 goal this season.

Neuvirth in goal.

March 23: Jets 4 Caps 3

Ben Maxwell: 47 games played in 4 seasons (9 this year for 2 teams); 2 goals scored lifetime.

Spencer Machacek: 10 games; 2 goals this season.

Neuvirth in goal.

March 27: Sabres 5 Caps 1

Cody McCormick: 7 year veteran; 47 games. 1 goal this season.

Holtby in goal.

7-17. That's what (as of this moment) is keeping the Caps from their 5th consecutive Southeast Division title. 17 loser points by Florida has them 3 points ahead of the Caps, while having won 5 fewer games in regulation and overtime (ROW). So... Blame the shootout, right? Yes. (and no...)

How about, blame the conference standings standings. The way I see it, there are three issues that will need to be resolved, to allow us to get to a "fairer" (in my eyes, obviously) playoff seeding system, and yet still be acceptable to the league.

1. Shootouts are popular, they need to still have value
2. Shootouts should not have as much of a say in who goes to the playoffs, and what seed they are.
3. The 3-point system for games is the least offensive to the league and needs to stay.

Fine. Here's the new plan that solves all three.

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via en.khl.ru

Every year around this time, the top leagues in Europe are nearing their playoff finals. I always want to watch, but I never find a legitimate way to do it. In my experience, all I've found are very low-quality illegal streams.

Can anyone here provide suggestions for watching the KHL, Elitserien, or SM-liiga playoffs from the US? I know ESPN3 has streamed the KHL playoffs in the past, but I'm not sure they are this year. I'd even be interested in watching the smaller leagues if I could--the Czech Extraliga, Slovak Extraliga, National League A, and DEL.

I worked out probability of all the possible Caps points left in last 5 games (0 pts - 10 pts) and plotted them vs. Buffalo points (0 pts - 10 pts). Please keep in mind that this is like rolling 2 11-sided dice, and having the caveat that the Capitals die has to show 2 or more "pts" than the Buffalo die.

So based on scenarios above, there are 45 out of 121 outcomes where Caps would make playoffs, or 37.2%. Again, this is NOT considering past outcomes, or future opponents' strength. Using same plotting as above, if Caps were to beat Boston, and Pittsburgh beats Buffalo in regulation, Caps playoff probability over Buffalo jumps to 63.6%!! (63 out of 99)

WIth all the recent discussion here of Hunter's Time on Ice allocation for the Caps forwards, I have compiled a chart of the TOI forwards, gathering the data since March 8 and computing the Average Ice Time of each.

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Jay Beagle's development has been one of the nicest stories of the season. By pure determination, the undrafted Beagle has turned himself, into a trusted NHL 4th liner. Just a month younger than Alex Ovechkin, Beagle has willed himself into a valuable NHL player in what is Ovechkin's seventh full NHL season.

It's a nice story. Last night, Dale Hunter turned it into a farce. At no point during last night's loss against Winnipeg did Ovechkin lead Beagle in even strength playing time.

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With the assumption that the Caps are looking for offensive help during the off season, I figured they will look at the players who are becoming Unrestricted Free Agents this summer as a way to possibly fill any vacancies. I have compiled a list of UFA forwards, which includes the player's name, age, current team, goals, assists, and points over the last two years, and current salary. I did not include any of the Free Agents that are currently on the Capitals (Knuble, Semin, etc). Statistics are up-to-date through the weekend.

<See list after the Jump>

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