Monday, October 30, 2006

October 30 Caps Power Rankings

TSN.ca ranks Capitals at #15:

Balance is not the name of the game on the Beltway, as the Caps have seen the Alexanders score 14 of the team's 31 goals. A little help, please! Key Injuries: None

ESPN.com ranks Capitals at #22:
With the two big Alexes at work (Semin and Ovechkin) and Olaf Kolzig in net, this team works hard every night, keeping them out of our Chateau Bow-Wow for the time being.

TSN acknowledges that the Alexes are the ones getting the goals for WSH, but they forget that the Caps are tops in the league in goals/game. There's not much to worry about with Semin and Ovechkin teaming up and the rest of the group chipping in when need be (note, tonight it was Zednik and Zubrus getting the goals).
ESPN's ranking makes it seem that the Caps are a fluky team that will end up in the bottom of the rankings soon. But they have played well against some stiff opposition early in the season. Their combined opponents record is 59-42-11. There are many teams ranked above the Caps with .500 and sub-.500 records.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Capitals (3-2-4) @ Oilers (6-4-0)

From NHL.com's preview:

The Oilers will have their hands full with reigning rookie of the year Alexander Ovechkin, who they are facing for the first time. Ovechkin has goals in four straight games, including Friday's 3-2 shootout loss to Vancouver when he recorded also had an assist for his third multipoint game this season.

His second-period goal tied the game and forced overtime, but neither Matt Pettinger nor Ovechkin could solve Roberto Luongo in the shootout. Washington has lost all three shootouts this season and is 0-4 in games decided after regulation.

"We got the point, we were disappointed that we didn't play well," said Ovechkin. "We stayed in because of our goalie. He is our leader, he's a tremendous goalie and saved us a lot of times."

Olaf Kolzig kept the Caps in Friday's game, making 42 saves, but is expected to get the night off Saturday with backup Brent Johnson getting the nod. He's started two games this season, losing in road shootouts to Minnesota and Atlanta.

The Capitals won the last meeting from the Oilers, 1-0, on Jan. 11, 2004 in Washington in behind 26 saves from Kolzig.

From Mike Vogel's washingtoncaps.com short shifts, injuries and probable lines:
Short Shifts: Matt Bradley has four points (two goals, two assists) in his last five games … Donald Brashear has five goals and 10 points in 32 career games against the Oilers … Chris Clark has two goals and four points in 20 career games against Edmonton. Clark has had at least a point in seven of Washington’s first nine games and is tied for second on the team in scoring with nine points (three goals, six assists) … Ben Clymer has a goal and two points in seven career games against the Oilers … Rico Fata has two assists in three career games against Edmonton. Fata has played plus or even hockey in all nine Washington games this season and is plus-4 overall … Mike Green has two goals and three points in his last five games. He is plus-4 during that span … Jamie Heward has three goals and eight points in 11 career games against Edmonton … Brent Johnson was 2-2-1 with a 2.66 goals against average and an .896 save pct. lifetime against the Oilers … Olie Kolzig is 5-4 with two shutouts, a .259 goals against average and an .898 save pct. lifetime vs. Edmonton. Kolzig has made more than 40 stops in each of his last two starts (45 vs. Colorado on Wednesday and 42 against Vancouver on Friday). The last time Kolzig had to make as many as 40 stops in consecutive starts was Feb. 17 and 19, 2004, when he stopped 47 against Ottawa and 43 against New Jersey, respectively. The Caps tied the Sens 1-1 and downed the Devils 3-1 in those two games … Alex Ovechkin has scored a goal in four straight games and has recorded a point in seven of Washington’s nine games this season … Brian Pothier has five assists in his last four games and is plus-3 in his last five games. He leads all NHL defensemen with nine assists. Pothier is averaging 27:25 per game in ice time, fifth in the NHL … Alexander Semin is Washington’s leading scorer with 12 points (eight goals, four assists). He had an eight-game scoring streak snapped in Vancouver on Friday … Brian Sutherby has a goal and three points in his last five games. He is plus-3 over that stretch … Richard Zednik has five goals and six points in 11 career games against the Oilers … Dainius Zubrus has four goals and 11 points in a dozen career games against Edmonton. Zubrus has five goals and eight points in his last seven games … Ales Hemsky has one assist in two career games against the Capitals. Hemsky has a goal and five points in his last three games … Shawn Horcoff is minus-5 in his last two games … Joffrey Lupul has one goal in two career games vs. the Caps … Jussi Markkanen is 0-1 with a 2.03 goals against average in one career start vs. Washington … Ethan Moreau has four goals and six assists in 11 career games against the Capitals … Fernando Pisani has three goals in two lifetime tilts vs. the Caps … Marty Reasoner has four assists in six career games against Washington … Dwayne Roloson is 3-2 with a shutout and a 1.61 goals against average in five career games vs. the Capitals … Jason Smith has four assists in 25 career games against the Caps. Smith is minus-6 in his last two games … Ryan Smyth has two goals and five points in a dozen career games vs. Washington. Smyth has one assist in his last six games and is minus-4 in his last two … Steve Staios has three goals and four points in 16 career games against the Caps … Jarret Stoll has three goals and six points in his last three games … Petr Sykora has five goals and 18 points in 29 career games against the Capitals. Sykora has three goals and six points in his last four games … Patrick Thoresen has a goal and five points in his last five games … Daniel Tjarnqvist has three assists in his last four games and is minus-6 in his last two … Raffi Torres has a goal and two points in his last three games.

Injuries:
Edmonton Oilers
Left wing Ethan Moreau has a shoulder injury and is day-to-day.
Washington
None.

Possible Line Combos and Defensive Pairings
Edmonton
Forwards
28-Thoresen, 71-Sykora, 83-Hemsky
94-Smyth, 10-Horcoff, 15-Lupul
14-Torres, 16-Stoll, 34-Pisani
22-Jacques, 19-Reasoner, 26-Winchester
Defensemen
21-Smith, 29-Tjarnqvist
5-Smid, 24-Staios
2-Greene, 47-Bergeron
Goaltenders
30-Markkanen, 35-Roloson

Washington
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 9-Zubrus, 17-Clark
28-Semin, 24-Beech, 20-Zednik
18-Pettinger, 16-Sutherby, 10-Bradley
87-Brashear, 38-Klepis, 22-Fata
Defensemen
2-Pothier, 26-Morrisonn
27-Clymer, 44-Eminger
6-Heward, 52-Green
Goaltenders
1-Johnson, 37-Kolzig

Team Leaders: Washington-Edmonton
Goals: Semin (8)-Sykora (7)
Points: Semin (12)-Sykora (14)
+/-: Clark (4)-Hemsky (5)

Team Stats (rank): Washington-Edmonton
Goals for/game: 3.44 (5)-2.90 (16)
Goals against/game: 3.22 (19)-2.80 (14)
Power Play Pct.: 17.6 (13)-15.9 (18)
Penalty Kill Pct.: 81.8 (19)-87.9 (8)

The JET's Take:
The Caps ought to be thanking their lucky stars that they came out of those first two games on the Northwest road trip with 3 points. Actually, they should be thanking Olie Kolzig who's made 87 saves on 92 shots in two games (thats a 94.5% save pct.) That translates into an average of 46 shots per game in two games (the median of shots per game is about 30). Tonight, though, Brent Johnson will be in net and I doubt he'll be able to stop 40 or 45 shots. Edmonton is 2nd worst in shots per game (26.7) but Washington is last in shots allowed per game (37.6).

The Caps defensemen had better step up tonight against a weaker offense and allow few shots if they want to come out of Edmonton with a win. My prediction: they won't do it and will lose.

*One last note: if the game does go to a shootout, the Caps had better score if they want to win (they haven't scored a shoot out goal yet).*

Canucks 3-Capitals 2 (SO): Brought to You By the Number...

3

The total number of shots taken by the Caps in the 1st and 3rd periods. Against a team like Vancouver and a goaltender like Luongo, the Caps needed to shoot. They did just that towards the end of the second period. Admittedly, the Caps took 16 shots in the second period, high for the game, and converted on one of their four power plays. But still, the Caps did not jump on Luongo early and they couldn't ride the late momentum of the second into the third.

For the second straight game, Olie was amazing (42 saves on 44 shots) but Luongo allowed 2 goals on 21 shots. And once again, the Caps could not convert on the Shootout. Hanlon made a huge mistake by not practicing the shootout early in the season. Already, the Caps have lost 3 games in the shootout. Worse yet, the Caps have not yet scored in the shootout. They've been blanked every time. The shootout must be better because the Caps could be one of the top teams right now.

Friday, October 27, 2006

Capitals (3-2-3) @ Vancouver (6-4-1)

From NHL.com's preview:
Alex Ovechkin was 15 years old and had yet to play professional hockey when the Washington Capitals last beat the Vancouver Canucks.

Now, the star forward is the centerpiece of a Capitals team that will try to defeat the Canucks for the first time in over 5 1/2 years when they meet at GM Place on Friday.

Vancouver (6-4-1) has won three straight and six of its last eight meetings with Washington (3-2-3), but this will be the teams' first matchup since a 6-1 road victory by the Canucks on Jan. 31, 2004. The Capitals' last win in the series was on Feb. 14, 2001, when they came away with a 4-3 overtime victory in Vancouver.

That was seven months before Ovechkin's 16th birthday and eight before his first season with Dynamo Moscow of the Russian League. The second-year left wing is now a star and has been heating up lately, scoring goals in three straight contests.

Ovechkin had an eventful game Wednesday as the Capitals opened a four-game road trip.
He scored his fifth goal of the season in a 5-3 win over Colorado and also took a slapshot to the leg and crumpled to the ice in the final seconds, but was walking around fine after the game.

"He's our horse, our organization," Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig said. "I got a little worried."

Ovechkin also missed a penalty shot in the third period - he kicked the puck back down the ice in frustration - and smashed in the glass near the Avalanche penalty box after ramming Karlis Skrastins into it.

"Make sure you get your tickets (to watch him)," Washington defenseman Mike Green said. "Players like him come around only so often."

Alexander Semin recorded an assist on Ovechkin's goal and has at least one point in all eight games, matching Ovechkin's string to open last season. Semin, also in his second year, leads the team with eight goals and 12 points.

From Mike Vogel's washingtoncaps.com short shifts, injuries and probable lines:
Short Shifts: Kris Beech has six points (one goal, five assists) in his last eight games … Matt Bradley has three points (two goals, one assist) in his last four games … Donald Brashear has one goal in five career games against Vancouver … Chris Clark has three goals and five points in 14 career games against the Canucks. Clark has had at least a point in seven of Washington’s first eight games and is second on the team in scoring with nine points (three goals, six assists) … Rico Fata has played plus or even hockey in all eight Washington games this season and is plus-4 overall … Mike Green has two goals and three points in his last four games. He is plus-4 during that span … Jamie Heward has one goal and three points in nine career games against Vancouver … Brent Johnson is 2-2-2 with a 3.08 goals against average and an .867 save pct. lifetime vs. the Canucks … Olie Kolzig is 5-6 with a 3.34 goals against average and an .880 save pct. lifetime against Vancouver … Bryan Muir has two goals in nine career games against the Canucks … Alex Ovechkin has scored a goal in three straight games and has recorded a point in six of Washington’s eight games this season … Brian Pothier has four assists in his last three games and is plus-3 in his last four games. He is tied for the NHL lead among defensemen with eight assists. Pothier is averaging 27:07 per game in ice time, sixth in the NHL … Alexander Semin is Washington’s leading scorer with 12 points (eight goals, four assists). He has an eight-game scoring streak going, tied for the longest current run in the league … Richard Zednik has four goals and six points in a dozen career games against Vancouver. Zednik has three assists in his last four games … Dainius Zubrus has a goal and six points in 13 career games against the Canucks. Zubrus has four goals and seven points in his last six games … Jan Bulis has six goals and seven assists in 15 career games against Washington. Bulis has a goal and three points in his last four games … Matt Cooke has a goal and three points in six lifetime games vs. the Capitals … Josh Green has a goal and five points in nine career games against the Caps … Lukas Krajicek has four assists in eight career games against Washington … Trevor Linden has six goals and 22 points in 36 lifetime tilts against the Capitals … Roberto Luongo is 13-9-3 with two shutouts, a 2.16 goals against average and a .934 save pct. lifetime against Washington. Luongo was 7-0 with a shutout, a 1.96 GAA and a .949 save pct. vs. the Capitals last season. Luongo is seventh in the NHL with a 2.08 GAA and .928 save pct. in 2006-07 … Brendan Morrison has two goals and five points in 13 career games against the Caps. Morrison has two goals and three points in his last three games … Markus Naslund has five goals and 16 points in 18 career games against Washington. Naslund has two goals and five points in his last five games … Mattias Ohlund has three assists in six career games vs. the Capitals. Ohlund has three assists in his last three games … Taylor Pyatt has four goals and seven points in 14 career games against the Caps. Pyatt has five goals and seven points in his last eight games. He is plus-7 during that stretch … Sami Salo has one goal and five points in 11 career games vs. Washington. Salo has a goal and four points in his last four games. He is plus-4 during that span … Daniel Sedin is tied for second in the league in scoring with 14 points (five goals, nine assists). He is also second in the NHL with a plus-10 defensive rating … Henrik Sedin is tied for second in the league in scoring with 14 points (two goals, 12 assists). He leads the NHL in assists.

Injuries:
Vancouver
Defenseman Willie Mitchell has a concussion and is day-to-day.
Washington
None.

Possible Line Combos and Defensive Pairings
Vancouver
Forwards
19-Naslund, 7-Morrison, 38-Bulis
22-D. Sedin, 33-H. Sedin, 9-Pyatt
34-Cooke, 17-Kesler, 25-Green
14-Burrows, 32-Chouinard, 16-Linden
Defensemen
2-Ohlund, 3-Bieksa
5-Krajicek, 18-Fitzpatrick
4-Bourdon, 6-Salo
Goaltenders
1-Luongo, 35-Sabourin

Washington
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 9-Zubrus, 17-Clark
28-Semin, 38-Klepis, 20-Zednik
22-Fata, 16-Sutherby, 10-Bradley
87-Brashear, 24-Beech, 18-Pettinger
Defensemen
2-Pothier, 26-Morrisonn
27-Clymer, 44-Eminger
6-Heward, 52-Green
Goaltenders
1-Johnson, 37-Kolzig

Team Leaders: Washington-Vancouver
Goals: Semin (8)-D. Sedin (5)
Points: Semin (12)-D. Sedin (14)
+/-: Clark (5)-D. Sedin (10)

Team Stats (rank): Washington-Vancouver
Goals for/game: 3.62 (2)-2.64 (20)
Goals against/game: 3.38 (21)-2.09 (4)
Power Play Percent: 17.0 (14)-12.5 (22)
Penalty Kill Percent: 81.2 (20)-87.3 (10)

The JET's take:
The Caps face an old nemesis in Roberto Luongo. One of the toughest goaltenders to score on, he is the reason that Vancouver is having so much success. The Capitals offense is performing very well this year, but they now face a very tough Defense/goaltending force. On the flip side, Vancouver's not very good at scoring goals and the Caps aren't great at stopping them.

The two teams look pretty evenly matched up, even on the special teams. Look for this game to be a close one, but Luongo will once again be the difference maker in keeping the Caps from getting the win.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Capitals 5-Colorado 3: Brought to You By the Number...

45

Or the number of saves Olie Kolzig made in last nights win. The 45 saves are the most "Olie the Goalie" has made in any win in his career. As bad as Olie looked against Tampa, he looked much better against Colorado. He made unbelievable stops and kept the Caps in the lead all the way throughout.

Washington certainly didn't help their own cause by taking nine penalties (as opposed to Colorado's three). On those nine powerplays, the Avalanche had 14 shots. Kolzig turned 13 of those away. The Capitals won last night because their netminder played the way he did in his Vezina days. On the season, Kolzig has a 90.1% save percentage and a 3.49 GAA.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Washington (2-2-3) vs. Colorado (4-3-2)

From NHL.com's preview:

The Capitals (2-2-3) have dropped consecutive games, including a 6-4 defeat Saturday to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Alexander Semin continued his fast start with a goal and an assist, but spotty play in the second period resulted in Washington allowing three goals that created a deficit too large to overcome.

"We had too many turnovers and they're an offensive team with a lot of firepower," Capitals center Brian Sutherby said. "We turned a few too many pucks over and they were all over our net."

Semin has eight goals, two shy of his 52-game total as a rookie in the 2003-04 season, and has scored a point in all seven games. Alexander Ovechkin netted a goal for the second straight game and has totaled seven points in his last five contests.

Washington has two wins and a tie in its last four games at Colorado.


Mike Vogel's washingtoncaps.com shortshifts, injuries and probable lines:

Short Shifts: Chris Clark has two goals and six points in 15 career games against the Avalanche. Clark is second on the Caps in scoring with eight points (two goals, six assists) … Ben Clymer has an assist in three career games against the Avs … Mike Green is tied for fourth in the NHL among rookies with a plus-3 defensive rating … Brent Johnson is 3-5 with a shutout, a 2.41 goals against average and a .903 save pct. lifetime against Colorado … Olie Kolzig is 3-8-1 with a shutout, a 2.29 goals against average and a .914 save pct. lifetime against the Avalanche … Alex Ovechkin is tied for third in the NHL with 46 shots on goal. Ovechkin is tied for third on the team in scoring with seven points (four goals, three assists) … Brian Pothier has a goal in three career games against Colorado. Pothier is tied for fifth in the NHL in scoring among defensemen with seven points (seven assists) … Alexander Semin is the first Capital ever to score as many as eight goals in his first seven games of the season. Semin is tied for 13th in scoring with 11 points (eight goals, three assists), tied for third in goals and is tied for sixth with four power play goals … Richard Zednik has a goal and two points in a dozen career games against the Avs … Dainius Zubrus has three assists in 11 career games against the Avalanche. Colorado and Nashville are the only NHL franchises against which Zubrus has yet to score … Tyler Arnason has four assists in seven career games against the Capitals … Patrice Brisebois has three goals and 11 points in 37 career games vs. the Caps … Andrew Brunette has six goals and 10 points in 16 career games against Washington … Milan Hejduk has three goals and six points in eight career games against the Capitals … John-Michael Liles is fourth among all NHL defensemen in scoring with eight points (three goals, five assists) … Brad Richardson is tied for second in the NHL with two shorthanded goals … Joe Sakic has 13 goals and 29 points in 35 career games against the Caps. Sakic is tied for 10th in the NHL with 35 shots on goal … Paul Stastny is third in the NHL in scoring among rookies with eight points (two goals, six assists) … Jose Theodore is 7-7-1 with two shutouts and a 2.55 goals against average lifetime against Washington … Pierre Turgeon has 21 goals and 58 points in 50 lifetime tilts vs. the Capitals … Wojtek Wolski is fourth among NHL rookies in scoring with seven points (three goals, four assists). Wojtek is tied for the league lead among rookies with three goals.

Injuries
Colorado Avalanche
Defenseman Jordan Leopold underwent hernia surgery and is out indefinitely.
Center Pierre Turgeon has a shoulder injury and is out indefinitely.
Left wing Brad May has a shoulder injury and is out indefinitely.
Right wing Cody McCormick has a chest injury and is out indefinitely.

Washington
Left wing Matt Pettinger has an upper body injury and is day-to-day.

Possible Line Combos and Defensive Pairings
Colorado
Forwards
15-Brunette, 19-Sakic, 40-Svatos
8-Wolski, 26-Stastny, 23-Hejduk
53-McLean, 39-Arnason, 14-Laperriere
24-Laaksonen, 12-Richardson, 20-Rycroft
Defensemen
3-Skrastins, 5-Clark
2-Klee, 4-Liles
27-Vaananen, 71-Brisebois
Goaltenders
31-Budaj, 60-Theodore

Washington
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 9-Zubrus, 17-Clark 2
8-Semin, 38-Klepis, 20-Zednik
22-Fata, 16-Sutherby, 10-Bradley
87-Brashear, 24-Beech, 18-Pettinger
Defensemen
2-Pothier, 26-Morrisonn
27-Clymer, 44-Eminger
6-Heward, 52-Green
Goaltenders
1-Johnson, 37-Kolzig

Team Leaders: Washington-Colorado
Goals: Semin (8)-Sakic (4)
Points: Semin (11)-Sakic (10)
+/-: Semin (3)-Wolski (2)

Team Stats (rank): Washington-Colorado
Goals for/game: 3.43 (6)-3.33 (7)
Goals against/game: 3.43 (21)-3.11 (16)
PP Pct: 15.9 (15)-19.3 (11)
PK Pct: 80.5 (21)-83.3 (14)

The JET's Take:
The Caps played sloppily in their last game against Tampa. Hopefully a few days off has gotten their heads back in the game. The team is much more talented than last year, but their intensity is not the same. The stats show that the Caps are a pretty good offensive team, but horrid defensively. Colorado has the edge on them in the defensive aspect.
The Caps/'Lanche game will undoubtedly be a high scoring one, Colorado has a better defense, and the Caps have not yet won a game on the road. It won't happen tonight.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Lightning 6-Capitals 4: Brought to You by the Number...

7

The number of Capitals penalties in the game. Now, seven doesn't seem like a HUGE number (the league average is actually about seven penalties per game), but when you play a team that only goes shorthanded THREE times, you need to watch out. Yes, only one goal was scored by Tampa on the power play (their dysmal power play), and the Caps cashed in for two goals on their power play, but the biggest problem with the Caps was the stupidity of their penalties.

Zubrus's second penalty was stupid, as was Pothier running into the goalie. All three penalties in the second were hooks or trips, the stupidest type of penalty to take. Those penalties prevented the Caps from getting any offensive momentum. And give Tampa credit, they didn't take any penalties from the beginning of the first to midway through the third. That prevented the Caps from getting good offensive chances.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Capitals (2-1-3) vs. Lightning (3-4-0)

From NHL.com's preview:

Olaf Kolzig is 12-4-1 with a 2.20 GAA at home against Tampa since the Verizon Center opened in 1997. The 2000 Vezina Trophy winner went 2-0-1 with a 1.89 GAA in three home games versus the Lightning last season, and is 20-9-2 overall against them.

Tampa went 4-2-2 against Washington last season, but was 1-1-2 at the Verizon Center.
Kolzig, who is 2-1-1 with a 2.97 GAA this season, is expected to start Saturday after sitting out Thursday's 4-3 shootout loss to Atlanta.

Alexander Semin scored his team-leading seventh goal to extend his point streak to six games, but the Capitals gave up the tying goal with 33 seconds left in regulation before losing the shootout 2-0.

Alex Ovechkin, who won the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie last season with 52 goals and 54 assists, tallied his third goal of the season and also had an assist on Thursday. He has 10 points in eight games against the Lightning.

Mike Vogel's washingtoncaps.com short shifts, injuries and probable lines.

Short Shifts: Donald Brashear has five goals and seven points in 26 career games against Tampa Bay. The five goals are tied for his most against any opponent … Ben Clymer has two goals in eight career games against the Lightning … Steve Eminger has a goal and five points in 11 career games against the Bolts. He has more points against the Lightning than against any other NHL club … Brent Johnson is 4-1-1 with a 2.11 goals against average and a .934 save pct. lifetime against the Lightning … Olie Kolzig is 20-9-2 with a 2.41 goals against average and a .914 save pct. in his career vs. Tampa Bay … Shaone Morrisonn has two assists in eight career games against the Lightning … Alex Ovechkin has five goals and 10 points in eight career games against the Bolts … Matt Pettinger has three goals and six points in 15 career games against the Lightning. With 112 career points, Ovechkin has tied Doug Jarvis for 50th place on the team's all-time list. Ovechkin has played in 87 games with the Caps; Jarvis played 265 … Brian Pothier has two goals and five points in 11 lifetime games vs. Tampa Bay … Alexander Semin has a goal and three points in five career games against the Lightning. He has picked up a point in each of Washington’s first six games this season and leads the Caps in scoring with nine points (seven goals, two assists). Semin is tied for the league lead in goals and is tied for the fastest goal-scoring start in team history with seven in six games. Dennis Maruk (1979-80) and Mike Gartner (1987-88) each had seven goals in six games, and neither scored in his seventh game in those seasons. After tallying 10 goals in 52 games as a 19-year-old rookie in 2003-04, Semin has rolled up more than half that total in just six games in 2006-07. A dozen of his 17 career NHL goals have come against Southeast Division opponents. Semin has three of Washington’s five power play goals this season … Richard Zednik has a dozen goals and 21 points in 33 career games against Tampa Bay … Dainius Zubrus has nine goals and 21 points in 41 career games vs. the Lightning … Dan Boyle has six goals and 20 points in 34 career games against Washington … Ryan Craig has two goals and three points in four career games against the Caps … Marc Denis is 1-3-1 with a 3.63 goals against average lifetime against the Capitals … Ruslan Fedotenko has nine goals and 16 points in 26 career games vs. the Caps … Vincent Lecavalier has 11 goals and 24 points in 36 lifetime games against Washington … Vaclav Prospal has five goals and 19 points in 34 career games against the Capitals … Brad Richards has four goals and 20 points in 29 lifetime tilts vs. Washington … Martin St. Louis has eight goals and 20 points in 29 career games against the Capitals.

Injuries
Tampa Bay Lightning
Left wing Right wing Rob DiMaio has a concussion and is out indefinitely.
Center Ryan Craig has a sprained knee and is out for a month.

Washington
Defenseman Mike Green has an upper body injury and is day-to-day.
Left wing Matt Pettinger has an upper body injury and is day-to-day.

Possible Line Combos and Defensive Pairings
Tampa Bay
Forwards
15-Alexeev, 19-Richards, 26-St. Louis
17-Fedotenko, 4-Lecavalier, 20-Prospal
74-Tarnasky 27-Taylor, 29-Afanasenkov
9-Perrin, 24-Karlsson
Defensemen
22-Boyle, 54-Ranger
3-Janik, 71-Kuba
21-Sarich, 44-Pratt
7-Richardson
Goaltenders
30-Denis, 40-Holmqvist

Washington
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 9-Zubrus, 17-Clark
28-Semin, 24-Beech, 20-Zednik
21-Laich, 16-Sutherby, 10-Bradley
87-Brashear, 38-Klepis, 22-Fata
Defensemen
2-Pothier, 26-Morrisonn
27-Clymer, 44-Eminger
6-Heward, 47-Muir
Goaltenders
1-Johnson, 37-Kolzig

Team Leaders: Washington-Tampa Bay
Goals: Semin (7)-Craig (5)
Points: Semin (9)-Craig (6)
+/-: Semin (5)-Craig (6)

Team Stats (rank): Washington-Tampa Bay
Goals for: 3.33 (5)-2.14 (26)
Goals against: 3.00 (18)-2.29 (7)
PP Pct: 12.2 (23)-7.7 (27)
PK Pct: 79.4 (23)-80.0 (22)
Stats are Per Game

The JET's Take:
For the first time, this looks to be an even matchup for the Caps. They are facing a team that is not nearly as deep as they are on offense and defense. Tampa's goaltending is still a question mark since Khavibulin left and Denis did not prove himself in Columbus or with TB early in the season to be a reliable goalie.
Tampa's Special teams are, remarkably, worse than the Caps and their leading scorer, center Ryan Craig is injured. The Caps should come out of DC with the W tonight.

Friday, October 20, 2006

Atlanta 4-Washington 3: Brought to You By the Number...

19

Which is the number of shots in the third period. The Capitals entered that period, clutching a 3-2 lead. They had, at that point allowed only 20 shots and given up one powerplay goal to Hossa. But even though Brent Johnson was sensational with 40/43 saves (a 93% save percentage) the Capitals allowed the Thrashers to bombard their weary goalie in the third and Hossa finally tied the game with 33 seconds left.

It certainly didn't help that the Caps gave up seven penalties to one of the league's best powerplays, but they were only scorched once and even added a PP goal of their own, thanks to Alex Semin.

In the end, on a back-to-back night, and your backup goaltender in, you need to limit the shots. For two periods, the Caps kept the shot totals close (17-20, Atlanta at the end of the 2nd), but those 19 shots are just an invitation for the Thrash to come back. Frankly, the Caps are lucky to have gotten a point out of that game. It could have been much worse.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Capitals (2-1-2) vs. Thrashers (4-1-1)

From NHL.com's preview:

Washington (2-1-2) had a rare offensive outburst Wednesday, beating the Florida Panthers 5-2.
Alexander Semin had a goal and an assist as the Capitals scored all five of their goals in the first period and received points from eight different players. Washington hadn't scored as many as five goals in any of its previous four games.


Jamie Heward and Matt Bradley scored unassisted goals and Richard Zednik had two assists for the Capitals, who were coming off two overtime losses.

It was the first five-goal period for the Capitals since Feb. 12, 2003, a 5-1 win at Atlanta.
Washington's Alex Ovechkin was held without a point for the first time since the season opener. Ovechkin assisted on a game-tying goal with 5:40 remaining in regulation last Saturday.
He has five goals and 10 assists in nine career games against Atlanta.


Getting a big lead in the first period Wednesday allowed Olaf Kolzig to have a relatively stress-free night in goal. He finished with 34 saves and lowered his goals-against average to 3.01.
"We took advantage of our chances in the first period and created some breathing room," Kolzig said. "As a goalie, that's what you like to see, because if you make a mistake it's still a three-goal lead."


Mike Vogel's washingtoncaps.com short shifts, probable lines and injuries:
Short Shifts: Matt Bradley has four assists in 14 career games against Atlanta … Donald Brashear has three goals and 10 points in 16 career games against the Thrashers … Chris Clark has three goals and five points in 14 lifetime tilts vs. Atlanta. Clark has collected at least a point (two goals, five assists) in each of the season’s first five games, establishing a career high scoring streak in the process … Ben Clymer has three goals and eight points in 29 career games against the Thrashers … Rico Fata has three goals and six points in 11 career games vs. Atlanta … Boyd Gordon has a goal and two points in five career games against the Thrashers. Gordon netted his first NHL goal against Atlanta on Oct. 11, 2003 … Mike Green has two assists in three career games against the Thrashers. Green recorded his first NHL assist vs. Atlanta on Mar. 4, 2006 … Jamie Heward has two goals and 11 points in 12 lifetime games against the Thrashers … Brent Johnson is 6-3 with a 2.20 GAA and a .906 save pct. lifetime against the Thrashers … Olie Kolzig is 12-8-6 with four shutouts during his career against Atlanta … Brooks Laich has two goals and four points in eight career games vs. the Thrashers … Shaone Morrisonn has three assists in nine career games against Atlanta … Bryan Muir has a goal and four points in a dozen career games against the Thrashers … Alex Ovechkin has five goals and 15 points in nine career games against Atlanta … Matt Pettinger has four goals and five points in 20 lifetime contests vs. the Thrashers … Brian Pothier has two assists in eight career games against Atlanta … Alexander Semin has three goals and five points in five career games against the Thrashers. With six goals in his first five games this season, Semin has exceeded half the total of goals (10) he recorded as a 19-year-old rookie in the NHL in 2003-04. Eleven of Semin’s 16 career NHL goals have come against Southeast Division foes … Brian Sutherby has three assists in 14 career games vs. Atlanta … Richard Zednik has seven goals and 21 points in 26 lifetime games against the Thrashers … Dainius Zubrus has 11 goals and 19 points in 25 career games vs. Atlanta … Johan Hedberg is 3-2-2 lifetime against the Capitals … Bobby Holik has 18 goals and 42 points in 71 lifetime games vs. Washington … Marian Hossa has 19 goals and 39 points in 31 career games against the Caps … Niko Kapanen has four assists in five career games against the Capitals … Ilya Kovalchuk has 13 goals and 27 points in 23 career games against Washington … Slava Kozlov has 10 goals and 21 points in 32 career games against the Capitals … Kari Lehtonen is 4-0 lifetime against Washington … Steve McCarthy has one goal and two points in four career games against the Caps … Scott Mellanby has 18 goals and 50 points in 81 career contests vs. the Capitals … Steve Rucchin has five goals and six points in 16 career games against the Caps … Jon Sim has nine goals and 13 points in 15 career games against Washington. He has twice as many goals against the Caps as he does against any other foe … Andy Sutton has six goals and 10 points in 23 career games against the Caps. Sutton has three times as many goals against Washington as he does against any other opponent in the league.

Injuries
Atlanta Thrashers
Defenseman Braydon Coburn has a shoulder injury and is out indefinitely.

Washington
Center Boyd Gordon has a lower body injury and is day-to-day.
Left wing Matt Pettinger has an upper body injury and is day-to-day.

Possible Line Combos and Defensive Pairings
Atlanta
Forwards
17-Kovalchuk, 20-Rucchin, 18-Hossa
13-Kozlov, 9-Metropolit, 14-Sim
23-Slater, 16-Holik, 19-Mellanby
29-Larsen, 39-Kapanen, 11-Vigier
Defensemen
25-Sutton, 28-Havelid
2-Exelby, 5-McCarthy
3-Vishnevski, 7-de Vries
Goaltenders
1-Hedberg, 32-Lehtonen

Washington
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 9-Zubrus, 17-Clark
28-Semin, 24-Beech, 20-Zednik
21-Laich, 16-Sutherby, 10-Bradley
87-Brashear, 38-Klepis, 22-Fata
Defensemen
2-Pothier, 26-Morrisonn
27-Clymer, 44-Eminger
6-Heward, 52-Green
Goaltenders
1-Johnson, 37-Kolzig

Team Leaders: Washington Atlanta
Goals: Semin (6) Hossa (5)
Points: Semin (8) Hossa (8)
+/-: Semin (5) Kozlov (5)

Team Stats/Game (rank): Washington Atlanta
Goals for: 3.40 (5) 3.33 (6)
Goals against: 3.00 (19) 1.67 (2)
PP Pct: 11.1 (23) 19.4 (9)
PK Pct: 77.8 (24) 92.3 (1)

The JET's Take:
The Capitals have not lost a game in regulation since opening night in New York. They haven't won a game away from the Verizon Center. That being said, they are 2-0-1 against the Southeast, but now it's time to come back to earth. Ovechkin hasn't found his stride, Zednik and Pothier have been mediocre and Kolzig still cannot afford to give up to many rebound with that defense in front of him (which he invariably does). The Capitals horrid special teams will allow Atlanta to feast and beat the Capitals.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Week One Power Rankings

TSN.ca Power Ranks the Caps (1-1-2) at #15

"Welcome back: Prodigal son Alexander Semin suddenly gives the Caps a second
game-breaking scorer. While it's unlikely that he'll keep his 100-goal pace,
if Semin could chip in 30, that would ease the pressure on Alexander
Ovechkin.

Key Injuries: None. "

It's hard to put the Caps ahead of teams like the Canucks, Senators, and Flames, all of whom have the same number of points (4) as the Cappies. Sure, the Caps are a .500 team, but they couldn't seal the deal in OT against the Wild or the Thrashers.

As for key injuries, Matt Pettinger, our third highest forward scorer returning from last year still has not played. His return will take some of the pressure off Semin and Ovechkin.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Capitals (1-1-0) vs. Wild (3-0-0) Preview

From NHL.com's preview:

"Minnesota's revamped offense will try to slow down Washington's
high-scoring left wings, Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin.

The two have scored six of the Capitals' seven goals this season,
including a hat trick by Semin in a 5-2 victory over Carolina on
Saturday.

Semin, who was sued by the Capitals after he went to play in
Russia
instead of the minor leagues during the lockout, had never scored
more than once
in 53 career games before his outburst.
"I scored three
tonight - but I could
have scored more," Semin said through a
translator.

Ovechkin, the reigning NHL rookie of the year, bounced back
from a poor
effort in a season-opening loss 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers
last Thursday
with a career-high 15 shots and his first two goals of the
season.

"First period, I played awful," Ovechkin said. "Terrible. Second
period, I told myself: Shoot everything."

Forward Chris
Clark and defenseman Brian Pothier are tied for
the team lead with
four assists each."


Mike Vogel's Washingtoncaps.com probable lines, injuries and short shifts:


Short Shifts: Donald Brashear has three goals and six points in 11 career games against Minnesota … Chris Clark has a goal and four points in 15 career games against the Wild … Brent Johnson is 3-3-2 with a 1.57 goals against average and a .931 save percentage lifetime against Minnesota … Olie Kolzig is 2-4 with a 2.09 goals against average and a .931 save pct. lifetime against Minnesota … Alex Ovechkin netted two goals in Washington’s home opener for the second consecutive season … Alexander Semin joined Mike Gartner (10/10/87 vs. Chicago) as just the second player in franchise history to record a hat trick in the team’s home opener … Richard Zednik has three goals in seven career contests against the Wild … Dainius Zubrus has one goal and two points in five career tilts vs. Minnesota … Pavol Demitra has seven goals and 13 points in 14 career games against Washington … Pascal Dupuis has two goals and four points in four career games against the Capitals … Manny Fernandez is 1-0-1 with a shutout and a 0.96 goals against average in two career appearances against the Caps … Marian Gaborik is without a point in five career games vs. the Capitals. Boston and Washington are the only NHL clubs against which Gaborik has yet to record a goal … Kim Johnsson has three goals and 13 points in 21 career games against Washington … Petteri Nummelin has an assist in his lone career appearance against the Caps … Mark Parrish has two goals and 11 points in 29 lifetime contests against the Capitals … Brian Rolston has 10 goals and 29 points in 36 lifetime games against the Caps … Stephane Veilleux has a goal in two lifetime tilts vs. Washington … Wes Walz has three goals and seven points in nine career games against the Caps. Walz’s next goal will be the 100th of his NHL career … Todd White has one goal and nine points in 10 career games against Washington.

Injuries
Minnesota Wild: None.
Washington: Center Boyd Gordon has a lower body injury and is day-to-day. Left wing Matt Pettinger has an upper body injury and is week-to-week. Right wing Matt Bradley has a lower body injury and is day-to-day.

Possible Line Combos and Defensive Pairings
Minnesota
Forwards
10-Gaborik, 38-Demitra, 21-Parrish
12-Rolston, 28-White, 96-Bouchard
19-Vellieux, 9-Koivu, 92-Radivojevic
24-Boogard, 37-Walz, 11-Dupuis
Defensemen
5-Johnsson, 55-Schultz
26-Foster, 41-Skoula
3-Carney, 33-Nummelin
Goaltenders
32-Backstrom, 35-Fernandez

Washington
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 9-Zubrus, 17-Clark
28-Semin, 24-Beech, 20-Zednik
87-Brashear, 16-Sutherby, 21-Laich
22-Fata, 38-Klepis, 10-Bradley
Defensemen
2-Pothier, 26-Morrisonn
27-Clymer, 44-Eminger
6-Heward, 52-Green
Goaltenders
1-Johnson, 37-Kolzig

Team Leaders: Minnesota Washington
Goals: M. Gaborik (2) A. Semin (4)
Points: P. Demitra (5) A. Semin (4)
+/-: P. Bouchard (2) A. Semin (3)

Team Stats/Game (Rank): Minnesota Washington
Goals For: 3.33 (11) 3.50 (9)
Goals Against: 2.67 (16) 3.50 (22)
PP Pct: 46.2 (1) 12.5 (17)
PK Pct: 87.5 (11) 87.5 (10)

The JET's take:
With only a small sample size, the Caps game seems inconsistent. As good as they were at home against Carolina, they were that bad against the Rangers. Both were very good teams last year, but the 'Canes have apparently fallen off early this year.
The fact of the matter is that the Wild have beaten three decent teams (Vancouver, Nashville, Colorado) at home and the Caps were embarrassed in New York against the Rangers. In the end it's the same story as last year with the Caps performing dysmally away from the Verizon Center. The Wild's balance and performance on the power play against a penalty-prone Capitals team will let the Wild come away with the victory.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Bi-Weekly Caps Rumor Report

Eklund: Jason Allison (e1) and Mike Leclerc (e1). Allison would probably be the better of the two pickups. He's a 31 year-old center and would improve the depth chart down the middle. He recorded 60 points in 66 games (missed the final 12 with a broken hand) last year with the Leafs, but will probably come with a hefty price tage Leonsis won't pay.
Leclerc is a left wing. The Caps are pretty well set with Ovechkin, Semin, Laich and Brashear, so I really don't see that one happening unless Laich moves to the fourth line as a center and Klepis goes down (which is unlikely).
Also has old friend Bondra signing in Detroit (e3), NY Rangers (e2) or Toronto (e2).
Nothing from Spectors or the Fourthperiod regarding WAS.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

The Full Season Outlook

Goaltending: the most important position in the game is the most stable position for the Capitals. Olie Kolzig is a proven goaltender. At 36 he can still carry this team and play a good 50+ games. He came into camp in much better shape this year and the increased quickness is noticable. He still needs to try and limit the number of rebounds he gives up, especially with such a green core of defensemen. Behind him, Brent Johnson can certainly steal some games and showed last year he can play. In his 20 or so starts, he could conceivably win 10 games.

Defense: Youth is the theme for this year. Morrisonn, Eminger, Pothier, Green. What do they all have in common? They're under the age of 30. Only Jamie Heward and Brian Muir have seniority in this group. The problem is that before the lockout, Heward and Muir weren't in the NHL. This team gave up an average of 35 shots last year (28th in the league). Granted, Green and Pothier are an improvement over Biron and Majesky, but this group still has trouble breaking out, getting bodies out from in front of Olie and clearing rebounds. That shot average might go down to 33 a game; but still, over 30 is a LOT.

Offense: It starts and ends with Ovechkin. The 52 goal, 106 point man has to have a good season in order for the Caps to succeed. He does have help with Semin and Zednik back in DC and with Pettinger, Zubrus, Clark and Sutherby along with him. The problem: only Zubrus and Zednik have eclipsed 40 points in a season in their careers. At the end of the day, Ovechkin will (barring injury) be good for 100 points, but if that Caps offense is going to run, someone else needs to get close to the 55-60 point area. That is definitely possible for either Zubrus or Clark, who are (currently) playing along with the Russian Dynamo, and for Alexander Semin, who has come out of the gates strong.

The Power Play: Oh. My. God. The problems on the powerplay are too endless to list...but I will anyway. The Caps need to move the puck quickly and with purpose. The point men need to pull the trigger when they have the open shot and have the forwards redirect the puck or bang in the rebounds. Beyond that, they need to figure out how to get the puck in the zone without dumping it (which they inevitably lose and allow the other team to fling it up the boards) and holding the puck in the zone at the points. They need to give up less shorties and with two strong PP units, they should do better than last year.

The Penalty Kill: As bad as the power play is, the PK is worse. The Caps tend to swarm to the puck and get caught behind the net, usually leaving one or two guys camped out around Olie. They need to focus on being aggressive, but holding the box. They can not have their forwards revolving down low because the defensemen are getting caught trying to retrieve the puck at the point. Beyond that, they must clear the screens out from in front of Olie and just clear it as quickly as possible. With a PK ranked near the bottom of the league last year, they can only go up...hopefully.

Dark Horses: Alexander Semin might be the most unexpected player to have a huge sophomore year. On a line with Zednik his speed and new-found matured skills could produce 30 goals and 60 points. The other thing that makes him an X-factor is the fact that most teams will be geared towards AO and allow him and Zed to find the twine a little more. He spent two years playing in Russia and that only gave him more time for his skills and body to mature.
The other Dark Horse is a fourth line veteran: Donald Brashear. For an enforcer being paid to protect the most valuable player on the Caps, "Brash" could be a big producer. He'll usually be playing with some younger players who are hungry to prove themselves. Plus, in a new city, with a new, big contract, Brashear will want to play well to get a big extension. Plus, he's shown some offensive poise in the first two games.
Last but not least, Shaone Morrisonn is the most underrated young defenseman in the league. While he doesn't have a lot of flash or big-hit ability, he can make the plays in his own zone when he has to. He knows what to do with the puck and he has the veteran savvy to make those big plays on his own. He might not put up huge defensive numbers this year, but he will make leaps and bounds toward being the Caps' number one defenseman.

Overrated: Unfortunately, the two most overrated players are defensemen. Steve Eminger was the 12th pick in 2002. Four years later, he still has not adapted to the speed of the NHL. He can hit, and he has some speed, but he still does not have poise. He hasn't learned to knock the guys in the crease down and has given up plenty of rebound and deflection goals on his watch. His decision-making ability with the puck needs to improve if he wants to be a top notch defenseman, which he has the potential to be.
Second, the highest-paid defenseman, Brian Pothier. George McPhee brought in Pothier as a stablizing top defenseman. Heck, he paid him $2.5 million per year to do so. The only problem is that Pothier is not the #1 defenseman the Caps have slotted him to be. In Ottawa, Pothier was usually paired with a veteran as a second pair and had the opportunity to learn from Redden and Chara. He is only 29 and is not a top defenseman in the NHL. Hopefully, that four-year contract will give him time to mature into the top two defenseman he could be, but you can't expect him to give Chara or Redden-like numbers.
Finally, Danius Zubrus has STILL not become the star forward the Flyers envisioned when they drafted him in the first round. Now approaching his 30s, Caps fans are still hoping that Zuby will have the breakout year. It may never come. Zubrus is a great power forward, but on a line with a 100 point forward he only scored 42 points. I'm sorry, but Dainus Zubrus will never be a consistent 80 point forward.

My Outlook: The Caps will be better this year...but not by much. Most people are picking the Caps to finish in 14th in the East, ahead of only the Islanders. I see the Caps finishing 12th, ahead of the Isles, Panthers, and Penguins. Final totals for this year are 80 points.
Ovechkin leads all forwards with 54 goals and 110 points. Shaone Morrisonn is the top plus/minus getter with +11. Olie wins 29 games and has a GAA of 3.10. In the end, the Caps don't make the playoffs.

Welcome!!

Welcome to Capitals Chat, a blog devoted exclusively to coverage of the Washington Capitals. I am and have been a long time hockey and Caps fan. I was at game 3 of the '98 Cup and that heart-wrenching game 6 of the '02 first round loss to the Lightning. Bondra, Olie, Hunter, Labre, Langway are all great players. We never should have let go of Scott Stevens and Allison. The words "Puck Fittsburg" bring a smile to my face and anyone who says Crosby is a much better player than Ovechkin deserves to be beaten.
My goal is to channel my rantings about the Caps into a healthy outlet and occupy some of my time. I will typically post links to other Caps related media and articles about updates. Enjoy my rants!!