Blue Jackets 3, Capitals 0

Sound like a familiar score against Columbus????  It should because this was a replay of the game played in Columbus in November.  The Caps had 45 shots and none went in the goal.  Again.  The supposedly miserable Blue Jacket power play went 2 for 7.  Alzner did not have a good game and Jurcina bobbled a puck that landed on Umberger’s stick and then into the net.  I thought the Caps skated fast and were constantly attacking, but no puck went in.  Mason is the real deal and will win the Calder Trophy unless he falters.  Despite this, the Caps did nothing to try to score against a trapping defense.  There was no dump and chasing or guys driving the net in order to get a rebound.  It was a lot of one on one moves that never work against a trapping defense.  I would have liked the Caps to try something different.  There power play was terrible and the 5 on 3 they had for 40 seconds did nothing.  Semin just holds the puck?  Does he think the goalie is just going to slide out of the way?  Whatever.  Theo played fairly well, although it would have been nice to make the save on the second goal.  That may have changed things.  Who knows?

It was nice to have Federov back and Flash as well.  They both played well.  Fehr and Nylander were healthy scratches.  Federov apparently will not be playing in Montreal, so I expect Nylander to be back in.  Boyd Gordon was hurt in the warm-ups (back spasms) so I also expect Fehr to be playing as well with Laich centering a line.  Johnnie will probably be in goal given Theo’s performance.  We’ll see.  Hopefully, the Caps will win the game as they have left 4 points on the table against the Blue Jackets.

Thoughts?

Capitals 2, Rangers 1

This was a well played game defensively by both teams.  It is good to see the Caps win a game like this as this is the type of win they will need to get in order to advance in the playoffs.  It got really chippy at times as reflected by Clark’s fight and Semin’s “skirmish.”  Semin’s fight gives new meaning to the phrase “fights like a girl.”  However, he stuck up for himself and that is what matters.  I didn’t see anybody else skating to his defense and I wondered why Brashear didn’t do anything.  Maybe Boudreau kept him on the bench too much?  Overall, the Caps got beat up a bit as they did against Philly and they really need to address this.  You can’t just let Gomez punch you in the face Mr. Nylander.  Someone has got to hit back!  In the end, the Caps won and that is what matters.

What got into Fehr last night?  He played very well and has hustled his butt off the past two games.  It is nice to see.  I am wondering if he is concerned about playing time now that Clark and Semin are back.  What happens when Flash returns (projected for Tuesday)?  Fehr may be the odd man out and that may be what is putting the burr in his britches?  At any rate, I am enjoying his play whatever the case.

Did anyone notice that Gordon won the last two faceoffs in the Caps zone as the game wound down last night?  It allowed the Caps to clear the zone and kill the clock without a single shot against Theo despite the Rangers having the extra man.  That is a small thing that wins hockey games that don’t make the paper.  Well done, Boyd.

Theo looked strong in the net and won his fifth in a row.  Very cool.  However, Green did his best to not allow that with three turnovers at the blue line that Theo bailed him out on.  Just clear the zone Mike!  Every pass doesn’t need to be cute and/or spectacular!

Overall, the Caps continue to win and the mistakes will be covered up and/or overlooked until they start losing games because of it.  The Caps are a good team, but not a great team.  To advance past the first round of the playoffs they will need to be more solid in their zone.  The goalie play has improved, but the passing needs to get better out of the defensive end.

Thoughts?

Capitals 7, Lightning 4

Wow.  I am not sure how to feel about this one.  Bittersweet, I suppose.  The Caps continue to win at home (16-1-1 this season), but this had ugly all over it.  Sean Collins scored his first NHL goal which was exciting for him, I am sure, and Johnnie looked good in the net until late in the game.  I think the Caps were on cruise control and then decided they needed to play and then let up again.  They scored two goals a minute after the Lightning scored which regained the Caps’ momentum.  The Caps were very fortunate in this regard.  They also benefitted from two bad decisions by Tampa’s goalie who gift wrapped two goals for the home team.  Gordon made a sweet pass on the first to Bradley (who forced the turnover) and the second to Gordon who shot at a vacated net.  They were both terrible plays by the Tampa goalie.  Horrible.  At any rate, the Caps continue to look for the cross ice pass to Green pinching in and it continues to pay dividends.  Greenie scored the third goal of the game.

How about Clark????  He got into a fight (a draw) which was impressive given his right arm is still in a cast!  But, more importantly, he scored his first goal in the third period on a nice pass from Nylander.  Clark is really playing like his old self over the past five games or so.  He is being an instigator and playing in front of the net causing opposing goalies difficulty.  The Caps will need this type  of play from him.  Also, how nice was Steckel’s goal?  A long cross ice pass from Jurcina to Bradley and another cross ice pass to Steckel who deflected the puck in the net!  All at full speed!  Very cool.

The Caps forechecked very well during the game and forced several turnovers, however they continue to not clear the puck along the boards which led to a Tampa goal.  Ovie made a cross ice pass to Nylander who misplayed the puck and Tampa took it straight in and scored.  The Caps cannot continue to make this mistake.  This will be very costly in the playoffs where one mistake can end your season.  I hope this issue is addressed by Boudreau.

Jamie Heward is out of the hospital and flew back to Tampa.  He suffered a concussion and is out indefinitely.  At 37, this could end his career which would be bad obviously.  I watched Jamie play for the Caps and it is certainly unfortunate that this happened.  Ovie seemed to be upset about it as his play was off the rest of the game and he was remorseful after the game.  I hope Jamie recovers quickly and gets back out on the ice.  He is a great player/person and deserves better.

Thoughts?

Capitals 4, Sabres 2

Another good win for the Caps AND on the road!  This win puts the Caps at roughly 0.500 on the road and they are 15-1-1 at home.  That will get it done!  The Caps kept their turnovers very low for the game and this effectively negated the Sabres forecheck which is very good.  It is how the Sabres generate their offense.  Accordingly, the Sabres were lackluster in their play and effectiveness, although the score indicates a closer game.  A power play goal was scored with a few seconds left in the game long after it had been decided.

Gordon scored an empty netter as the Caps were short two men and continues to do all the little things that help the Caps win.  Brooksie had another goal from the front of the net only two minutes into the game.  It took the crowd out of the game and the Sabres as well.  Even Chris Bourque got in on the action scoring his first NHL goal on a rebound of Steckel’s shot.  In fact, 3 of the 4 goals were scored off rebounds.  When you play a goalie of the caliber of Miller you have to score off rebounds because chances are the first shot will be saved.  The Caps were very good at going to the net in this game and it paid off with three goals.  Theo continued to look good in this game as he showed good energy, quickness, and timely saves.  Hopefully, this will continue.

For the first time in many games, the Caps were outshot (33-31) and were beaten in the faceoff circle (31-24).  Theo’s play saved the day on this one.  However, the difference was the lack of turnovers and the Caps going 2 for 4 on the power play versus 1 for 5 for the Sabres.  Again, the one came with 11 seconds left to play.  Overall, it was another good win for the Caps in a building that has been very unfriendly to them over the past several years.  Keep it up!!!!

Thoughts?

Capitals 4, Maple Leafs 1

What a great night for the Caps organization!  Mike Gartner’s number was lifted to the rafters prior to the game.  I remember seeing Gartner play when I was a kid, although I was particular to Bobby Carpenter at the time.  Scott Stevens and Rod Langway, among others, were also there.  That must have been a fun dinner to attend!

The Caps started slowly and I am sure it was due to the delay in the start of the game as the Caps had to stand at the bench while Toronto waited in the locker room.  However, the Caps skated well in the last two periods with Laich scoring twice from the front of the net.  This is where he usually gets his goals and they are much needed.  I read that he was told to simplify his game and that appears to be working as he has 5 goals in the last 8 games.  Very cool.  Ovie had another two goals of which one was an empty netter.  His first goal was a savable shot by Toskala, but it got by him.  Ovie created the goal courtesy of his hit on the defenseman which led to a turnover.  Nice work Ovie!

Isn’t Theo playing much better of late?  He looks more confident with his saves as rebounds go into the corners and there are no more bobbles of the puck.  He also looks quicker and more fluid in the net.  Hopefully, this is the Theo of old but it is still way to early to tell.  Let us hope it is.  Also, it appears Bradley is fine after going head first into the boards during the game.  It was a little scary at first.  Those who watched the game on TV saw Bradley say, “What happened?” when they got him up.  I was thinking concussion because that is usually the case.  However, I am reading that he is shaking it off.  How tough is this guy?  Finally, wasn’t it refreshing to see Clarkie playing like Clarkie?  He instigated and finished his checks and was a general nuisance to the Leafs.  I really enjoyed seeing it and hope he keeps it up.  The Caps need more toughness.

The Caps won 55% of the faceoffs during the game of which Steckel was 10 of 12.  That is why he kills penalties.  The Caps always win the faceoff battle which goes a long way toward winning the game.  They also outshot the Leafs 29-24.  Overall, another good win at home.

Thoughts?

Capitals 3, Sabres 2

If you have not seen the replay of Ovie’s goal last night, then do yourself a favor and watch it on YouTube.  This was a fantastic play as he went around three guys and scored while laying/falling on/to the ice.  Very cool!  It turned out to be the game winner.  Boyd Gordon had a nice tip in goal and Kozlov continues to impress with a laser shot that went 7 hole.  He has four goals in four games now.  I am very happy with his play over the past month.  The Caps outshot and outhit the Sabres and had a slight advantage in the faceoff circle.  The best news was that Theo looked good from the beginning of the game.  I don’t know if that has happened this season.  Maybe he is feeling confident from the Rangers win?  Finally, Backstrom continues to pile up the points with another three assists.

The Caps are still dealing with injuries, but word is that Green and Schultz are close to coming back.  Federov is on LTIR while Poti  and Semin are on IR.  The Caps continue to win despite all the injuries and that is fantastic.  Clarkie returned last night and had a couple of nice hits.  I would like to see him in front of the net more.  He would cause trouble for the goalie and maybe get a couple garbage goals.  Flash has pneumonia.  The good news just keeps rolling along.  Whatever.  The Caps are winning and so I am happy.

Thoughts?

Capitals 5, Rangers 4

Wow!  What a game!  After the first period, I was just sitting back and thinking about other things because the Caps were doing nothing except annoying me.  Theo showed again that he is “not there” mentally at times as he allowed a bad goal and didn’t even seem to want to save Callahan’s goal.  I am glad they pulled him.  But considering the Caps had 4 of 6 starting defenseman being call-ups from Hershey, everyone is hurt,  and being down 4-0 what odds would you have gotten on the Caps winning the game?  Again, wow!

An “Oh, by the way” goal from Ovechkin and a nice deflection by Flash pulled the Caps within two which was followed by a nice breakaway goal from Kozlov to make it 4-3.  Could you hear the deafening silence in MSG?  Ovie’s second goal was fantastic.  Absolutely fantastic which tied it up.  YouTube it if you can.  It was a great play.  Theo played very well over the last 35 minutes or so.  It is amazing how fickle his confidence is.

Overall, I think the Caps benefited from a letdown in intensity from the Rangers, however give the kudos to the Caps for staying in the game and believing they could win.  It was two points earned that shouldn’t have been.  Let’s see how these two points play out when the season ends.  Won’t it be funny if the extra point earned in OT and two points overall allow the Caps to jump into a higher seed than the Rangers.  Could be?!

Thoughts?

Flyers 7, Capitals 1

Ugh yeah.  I think we will all choose to forget about this one.  This is the type of game that shows how far the Caps still need to go.  The Caps put 25 shots on Nittymaki in the first period and he saved every one and looked rather calm doing it.  He flat out saved the game for Philly and they went on to win as the Caps decided not to play in the second and third period.  The Caps had power plays and didn’t score, but Philly did on theirs and even had a shorthanded goal thanks to Green not being a defenseman.  He was a -4 for the night.  He is not even trying to play defense it appeared at times.  I would rather he played defense than offense since he is a defenseman.  Call me crazy.  Nittymaki is the perfect example of what the Caps need in goal to go to the next level.  He was flat out incredible.  48 shots were taken and he saved 47 of them.  I hate Philly, but I think they are the best in the East.  It is scary to think that New Jersey, Philly, and Pittsburgh are all that good and you can add in Boston, New York, and Buffalo.  I don’t think the Caps could beat any one of those teams in the playoffs.  Not at the moment anyway.  We’ll see how the season unfolds, but they are benefiting from a weak division.  I think the Caps need a toughness lesson.

The only highlights from last night’s game were the two fights Brashear got into.  Riley Cote decided he wanted to be tough and ended up with a cut under one eye and come out for the second period looking like Rocky.  Brash destroyed him!  It was sooooo cool.  And Cote proved his IQ is smaller than his shoe size by coming after Brash again in the third period.  One punch.  End of fight.  Brash just pointed his finger at him.  Very cool.

Philly is good folks and when Briere and their wounded defense gets healthy they are going to be even better.  That is scary.  Who wouldn’t like Carter, Briere, and Richards as your top three centers?  Wow.  The Caps really need to get healthy, get better in goal, hit more, and play more physical hockey in order to be succesful.  I hope Boudreau gets this team going.

Thoughts?

Capitals 4, Blues 2

The Caps continue to win at home.  They are now 13-1-1 in their games at the Verizon Center and have the best home record in the conference.  That bodes well come playoff time as they will most likely be the #3 seed, at worst, barring a terrible second two-thirds of the season.  It was nice to see Kozlov score two goals as he has been playing much better over the past month.  He must feel good about scoring after getting so many assists.

Yet again, Eric Fehr saves himself from the beating I want to give him.  Just when he frustrates me so much I want him sent back to Hershey, he goes and does something well.  This game was no exception.  He made the steal along the wall and made a beautiful pass to a wide open Flash in front the net.  The result?  Goal!  It looked like Flash was a little startled to suddenly have the puck.  That was how fast Fehr did it.  So, Fehr is out of my doghouse…..for now.

How good was Varlomov?  I didn’t see the Montreal game, but he was very good in this one as well.  He has stopped 61 of 64 shots in his first two games.  He was quick, agile, and athletic in the net and always challenged the shot.  I was very impressed.  He will probably be sent back to Hershey when Theo is back.  The future is bright in goal it seems for the Capitals.  That is good because the present doesn’t appear so sunny.  I am not thrilled with Theo and Johnnie, while playing very well over the past ten games, doesn’t give me the warm fuzzies in the playoffs.  We’ll see.

And again, Semin is hurt.  A really cheap shot by Backes may be keeping Semin out of the lineup for some time.  Who went and punched Backes in the face?  Ovie.  Yeah, that is great but I would rather see the whole team do something than just one guy.  Especially, given the cheapness of it.  Whatever.  At any rate, it could be some time before Semin is back as he was quoted as saying it could be a nerve in his lower back.  That isn’t good.

Thoughts?

Capitals 5, Islanders 4

The Caps dodged a bullet in this one, although they played well for most of the game.  A lack of intensity in the third period allowed the Islanders to tie the game after being down two goals.  None of the goals given up by Johnnie were “softies” as three of the goals were deflections.  In fact, the Caps had a softie goal of their own as Laich’s dribbler was misplayed by MacDonald and went into the net.  Ovie had two nice goals, one of which on a beautiful behind the back pass from Semin, and the other on a turnover that he won the game with in overtime.  Boyd Gordon got an ugly, hard working goal that is so typical of him.  He is so underrated.  Even Jurcina decided to shoot and got a goal for his efforts.  The Caps dominated in shots after two periods, but the game ended virtually tied due to their soft play.  Finally, the Caps dominated the faceoff circle during the game as Nylander, Gordon, and Steckel won 75%, 63%, and 67% of their faceoffs.  The Caps continue to do very well in this area.

I read that Boudreau was unhappy with the Caps play allowing the Islanders back into the game after being up 2-0 and 4-2.  I imagine it will be a tough practice today.  The Caps play St. Louis Thursday night at home.  Hopefully, the play will be better.  However, the Caps got a win on the road and that is a good thing.  Isn’t it nice though that Caps are not satisfied with just winning?  That is a good sign.

Thoughts?