Caps @ Canes 11-30-2009 Post-Mortem

This is going to hurt... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• Nicklas Backstrom with two goals and an assist tonight.  The Caps needed his offense to get through this one tonight.
• Eric Fehr had a goal tonight and an assist and was strong all night long.
• Jose "Alvin, Simon," Theodore more than anybody else was the reason why the Caps won this game tonight.  15 saves in the first period alone, 11 before the game was even five minutes old, and 38 for the game.

THE BAD:

• Against one of the worst Penalty Killing teams, the Caps come up empty on 5 Power Play opportunities.  Not helping the cause was the two penalties the Caps took when on the Power Play, shortening their advantage time to just 6:21.
• And when the Caps weren't blowing Power Plays, they were playing with fire by having to kill too many penalties.  Luckily for the Caps the Canes Power Play is worse than their Penalty Killing is because having to kill six penalties, including a major Power Play, is not a recipe for success.
• Tomas Fleischmann could have had three goals tonight and didn't convert a single of his golden opportunities.  Bruce Boudreau keeps singing his praises but it's pretty clear he's returned to his usual disappointing form.
  

THE UGLY:

• 16 shots on goal allowed in the first period alone and then 12 more in each of the second and third periods.  For the mathematically challenged, that's 40 shots on goal allowed.  Theodore was left out to dry folks.
• Once again the dynamic officiating crew assigned by the NHL, Steve Kozari and Brad Meier, couldn't get control of the hockey game.  There were all kinds of penalties that they missed tonight and it makes you wonder about the calls that they did make.
• Where else would the A.O. hit/injury be?  First of all, we think this was very much like the hit on Sergei Gonchar in the playoffs last year.  Tim Gleason saw the hit coming and jumped out of the way as A.O. was jumping in to make the hit.  If Gleason had taken the hit head-on, none of this would have happened.  However now A.O. is likely out with an injury and the because of the probation he earned because of last Wednesday's game, he's likely to be hit with a 10 game suspension on top of it.  No we're not being snarky, sarcastic, or cute here.  We really think the NHL is going to throw the book at A.O. because as we all learned last April, the NHL's discipline is arbitrary and capricious.

Well folks, we suggest you steer clear of Kettler Capitals Iceplex tomorrow from about 11 am until 1 pm.  The place will be a zoo and F5 buttons around the globe are going to be mashed into oblivion as people try to get the latest update on A.O.'s right knee.  We have a bad feeling about it and it looks as if Alexander "Slappy" Semin will be pressed back into service whether he is ready to return or not.  But let's not let the injury to A.O. overshadow another poor start against a bottom feeding team in the NHL.  The Caps were lucky to get away with this win tonight but Carolina is a bad team right now.  Bad teams find ways to lose and that's what Carolina did.  On the other hand, good teams find ways to win and that's what the Caps did tonight.  As long as the Caps can continue to find ways to win, things should work out ok.

It has been... A TWO POINT NIGHT!!!

Caps @ Canes 11-30-2009 Preview

Washington Capitals (15-11; 36 points) @ Carolina Hurricanes (5-21; 15 points):
Caps Game #27, Road Game #14, NHL Game #384, A.O. Probation Game #2

RBC Center, Raleigh, NC 7:05 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WFED 1500-AM. Carolina TV: Fox Sportsnet Carolina. Radio: WRAL 99.9-FM.  NHL Center Ice: Fox Sportsnet Carolina, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic feeds.

Tonight, the Caps return to play in the Southeast Division when they travel down to Raleigh to face the Carolina Hurricanes for the first time this season.  Last season, the Caps and Canes split the season series with each team claiming a win on the road in the process.  If you think that the Caps have been under siege by injuries, you'll get no sympathy from Carolina fans.  The Canes have been dealing with injuries to key players all season long and it is a major factor in the team being stuck at the bottom of the NHL's overall standings.  Carolina is currently on a four game losing streak, the latest loss coming on Saturday night in Loserville...er...Buffalo where the Canes took a 1-0 lead into the third period only to allow five unanswered goals for a 5-1 loss at the hands of the Buffaslugs.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post.  Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

Raleigh News & Observer.

What Do We Expect Tonight?:

Well Ladies and Gentlemen, once again the Caps are on the road against the worst team in the NHL.  The last time this happened the Caps let Toronto get away with a 2-1 gimmick win nine days ago.  So have the Caps learned their lesson yet or are they still not taking inferior opponents seriously enough?  The real trouble for the Caps tonight is Carolina's very recent problems in the third period.  They've given up a whopping ten goals in the third period of their last two games and 13 overall on their current four game losing streak.  Now at some point with Carolina, pride will kick in and they'll tighten that up but with the sheer volume of goals that they have been allowing in the third period, the Caps could fritter around for the first two periods, something we've seen a lot of this year, and still win the game with a strong effort in the third.  However, when facing a team with a fragile psyche, it is best to get on them early and often.  All five of Carolina's wins have come on home ice where they are a decent 5-8.  Even though the Caps are tied for 3rd in the NHL for most goals scored in the third period and Carolina has allowed the most goals in the third period, the Caps would still be well served to get off to a strong start tonight.  The earlier the Caps end this game, the better.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 6
Canes 2
Winner by Steckel
(11-15 on the season with one perfect game)

Caps @ Canadiens 11-28-2009 Wrap Up

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

The Other Side:

The Gazette: gimmick loss, penalty problems, good goaltending.

Final Thoughts:

We didn't know that Eric Fehr played for the Canadiens???  We do however think it is safe to say that A.O. is back.  However, we have got to stop blowing 2-0 leads.  It is as if jumping out that kind of lead makes us think that it will be easy and we pull up.  We won't last long in the playoffs if we keep that up.

26 down, 56 to go.

Caps @ Canadiens 11-28-2009 Preview

Washington Capitals (14-11; 34 points) @ Montreal Canadiens (12-13; 25 points):
Caps Game #26, Road Game #13, NHL Game #370, A.O. Probation Game #1

Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada 7:10 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus. Radio: WFED 1500-AM. Montreal TV: None. Radio: CJAD 880-AM.  U.S. National TV:  NHL Network (CBC Feed).  Canadian National TV: CBC, RDS (French).

Tonight, the Caps return to Canada when they head up to Montreal to face the Canadiens.  If you remember, this was planned to be an outdoor game but that never came to pass.  Never the less, this is the second time the Caps and Habs have met his season.  The Canadiens won eight days ago in D.C. by a score of 3-2.  Since since, the Canadiens are 1-2 with the lone win coming Tuesday night at home against Columbus.  However, in their last outing, the Canadiens lost 3-1 in Pittsburgh to the Penguin Scum on Wednesday night.

What The Natives Are Saying:


(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

The Gazette.

What Do We Expect Tonight?:

Well folks, not much difference from the scouting report last week except that Montreal did manage to finally lose a game after regulation when one week ago, they dropped a 3-2 gimmick decision to the Detroit Red Wings on home ice one night after winning in D.C.  The Caps will want to convert any Power Play chances they get, provided they get any, but want to stay out of the Penalty Box.  The Caps also need to finish their chances, something they didn't do enough of 8 days ago.  The Caps hit three goalposts that night and missed on other prime opportunities.  Finally, the Caps want to get out to an early lead tonight.  The Canadiens packed things in late in the third period last Friday, getting out shot 16-4 and there's no reason to think that they wouldn't do it again if they got a lead tonight.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 3
Canadiens 2
Winner by B. Morrrissonn
(10-15 on the season with one perfect game)

Editorial Note For the Dozen Readers of This Blog:

Well folks, we have a soft spot for a coach who has a record of 66-45 including a Conference Championship at a school that merely pays lip service to seriously competing at the Division 1A level in football.  We want to see what could end up being that man's final game and because the Maryland-Boston College game kicks off at 3:30 and is being televised on ESPNU, we won't be getting out of the game until well after the Caps game tonight has already started.  And especially because we'll be forced to hear the unduclet tones of Steve Kolbe on the ride home from the game, there will be no Post-Mortem tonight.

Caps vs. Buffalsugs 11-25-2009 Wrap Up

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

The Other Side:

The Loserville...er...Buffalo News.

Final Thoughts:

Even after having a chance to review the replay of A.O.'s hit on Patrick Kaleta; we still think it warranted a five minute major and game misconduct penalty.  The angles on the replay clearly show it was more charging than boarding but the facial injuries to Kaleta remain the same.  And with the NHL looking to crackdown on these kinds of hits, it shouldn't come as a surprise that there was an ejection.  It looks like there won't be a suspension, but this is the Washington Capitals were talking about here.  Remember, Donald Brashear had the book thrown at him back in April and that was the last suspension handed down in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring.  So A.O. could end up missing a game or two or three.  Finally, we're a little surprised that Buffaslugs Head Coach Lindy Ruff wasn't fuming about the hit after the game and that Tom Golisano hasn't written letter to the NHL Front Office about the incident.  We guess that's something to be thankful for today...

25 down, 57 to go.

Caps vs. Buffalsugs 11-25-2009 Post-Mortem

We didn't see that one coming...  Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• No we're still not sold yet but Semyon "The Saviour" Varlamov had an outstanding game tonight.  While, the Buffaslugs have a pathetic offense, he still did very well keep them off the scoreboard and deserved the shutout.
  
• Perennial whipping boy, Jeff "Sergeant" Schultz played a solid game tonight, finishing with a +2 which is not easy when your partner these days is Mike "BEAM ME UP" Green.  We wonder why Brian Pothier got the 3rd star ahead of him?
• The Penalty Killers came through in a big way tonight killing off a major penalty, with no shots on goal allowed, and then shutting down another Buffaslugs Power Play in the third period.

THE BAD:

• Seriously folks, if we didn't know any better, we would think that Green didn't want to go to Vancouver as a member of the Canadian Olympic team.  Maybe when the inevitable rejection comes, he'll settle down and focus on getting his game back together.
• While the Caps did a good job of maintaining their coverage in the defensive zone, they were giving away the puck in their defensive zone too much tonight.  Luckily the Buffaslugs are so bad offensively.
  

THE UGLY:

• The officiating tonight was downright atrocious.  Yes, the Caps won the game and we will admit that the boarding call on A.O. was legit. The league has been seeking to crackdown on those hits recently and it had to be called.  However, we believe that because Paul Devorski (is anybody surprised to see his name involved in this???  We aren't.)  and Kelly Sutherland refused to call any penalties before that one, A.O. felt as though he could take that run and get away with it.  After all, right before that there was a clear cut interference committed by Tyler Miles that was ignored.  But what upsets us the most is that for the second time this calendar year, the Washington Capitals played an entire game without getting a single Power Play chance.  With as much talent as the Caps have, the only reasons at all for the Caps to not get a single Power Play is either the other team is letting the Caps run wild or the referees just flat out refuse to call any penalties on the Caps opponent.  Before Game 7 against the Penguin Scum back in May, when the Caps also didn't get a single Power Play, we couldn't find the last time that the Caps went through and entire game without having a Power Play chance.  Now for the second time in just six months, a team playing the Caps isn't required to kill a single penalty.  You want to tell us how were nuts to think that the league has a problem with its officiating and that the Caps are getting hosed more often than not?

Well, we'll give credit where credit is due.  We didn't think that the Caps could survive a low scoring game against the Buffaslugs, but that's exactly what happened.  And a lot of the reason why the Caps did was because they came up with a sixty minute effort.  Though that's not to say that the Caps played a perfect game or that they couldn't use some of the walking wounded to get back into the lineup.   But with a couple of days off and four games in the next 10 days, the Caps needed this win to get things back on track.  Now we need to continue to build upon it.

It has been... A TWO POINT NIGHT!!!

Caps vs. Buffaslugs 11-25-2009 Preview

Washington Capitals (13-11; 32 points) vs. Buffaslugs (12-8; 26 points):
Caps Game #25, Home Game #13, NHL Game #341

Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. 7:07 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WFED 1500-AM. Loserville...er...Buffalo TV: MSG-B. Radio: WWGR 550-AM.  NHL Center Ice: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic feed.

Tonight, the Caps finish off their four games in six nights run heading into the Thanksgiving break when they host the Buffaslugs.   This is the first meeting this season between the Caps and Buffalsugs; and get used to them kids.  We'll be facing these guys three times every other Wednesday between tonight and December 23rd.  Last season the Caps and Buffaslugs split the four game series between the two teams.  The Buffaslugs got out to a very strong start this season but have fallen back into the pack losing their last three games in a row including a 5-3 decision on Saturday night in Ottawa against the Senators.  The Buffaslugs are starting a three games in four nights run of their own tonight.

What The Natives Are Saying:

Times.  Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

The Loserville...er...Buffalo News: father knows best, we still love him on breakaways.

What Do We Expect Tonight?:

So after losing three games in a row, and four of their last five, the Caps have to face the Buffaslugs for their slump buster tonight.  In case you didn't notice that nugget in one of the links above, the Caps have had the hardest time against the Buffaslugs of any other NHL franchise.  So sorry folks, don't expect too much tonight as the Caps look to get back into the win column.  The one thing that will be worth taking a look at tonight though will be which team will be able to impose it's will during the game.  The Caps have one of the better offenses in the NHL, tied for first with San Jose for most goals scored and second in goals per game, while the Buffaslugs have given up the third fewest goals in the NHL and are 7th in goals against average.  None of the Buffaslugs have scored more than seven goals so far this season.  A.O. has 16 by himself.  Considering the axiom that a good defense will beat a good offense, don't be too surprised if this is a low-scoring game where the Caps take a lot of shots on goal and get few rewards for their efforts.  We should be used to this by now.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 2
Buffaslugs 4
Winner by Vanek
(10-14 on the season with one perfect game)

Abe Polin 1923-2009

Photo from Caps.com

Long time readers of this blog know that like most long suffering Caps fans, we didn't hold Abe Pollin in too high of a regard.  However his passing at the age of 85 earlier today we here at Bleatings From a Caps Nut believe that we should pay respects to the man for the things that he most certainly deserves credit for.  We'll let the others show their backsides and take potshots at the man who could credibly be called the father of the Washington Capitals.  We however have a longstanding policy of giving credit where credit it due and that is what we aim to do with this post.

And if there is one thing Abe Pollin deserves credit for, it is for bringing the Washington Capitals to life in 1974.  We feel as though we should mention that before our Grandfather became a builder like Mr. Pollin, our Grandfather briefly did work for him.  While our Grandfather never reached the heights in construction that Mr. Pollin did; Mr. Pollin put a fair amount of that fortune he earned on the line to build not one, but two arenas in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area in addition to owning the Bullets and Capitals.  He brought the Bullets down from Baltimore and beat the odds in winning an NHL expansion franchise for Washington, D.C.

But Abe Pollin doesn't just deserve credit for bringing the NHL to Washington, D.C. and building two homes for the team out of his own pocket, he also deserves credit for keeping the Washington Capitals here when many other owners would have folded the team or let it move to another city.  Abe Pollin did not have to launch the "Save the Caps" campaign in 1982.  But because he did, he is just very much the reason why we are now able to enjoy enjoy Alexander Ovechkin and "Rock the Red" at the Verizon Center.  Without Abe Pollin there would not have been Dale Hunter beating Ron Hextall in 1988. Olie Kolzig couldn't have backstopped the Caps to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998.  And of course, we would have to blog about something else these days.

Anybody who has listened to any of the tributes to Abe Pollin this evening and in the coming days will certainly hear about the great generosity of the man.  You will hear about how all the money that he spread around to various causes and charities and how he was dedicated to making Washington, D.C. a better place for everybody.  But for us, we thank the man and will keep him in our prayers for the memories that helped create and the ones yet to come.  May he Rest in Peace.

Caps @ Senators 11-23-2009 Wrap Up

The Local Yokels:


(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

The Other Side:

Ottawa Citizen: comebacker, happy to be back, friendly fire.  Ottawa Sun: thrilling win, grinding out.

Final Thoughts:

24 down, 58 to go.

Caps @ Senators 11-23-2009 Post-Mortem

Quick hits tonight because we need to get to bed here...

• We had a bad feeling about the game after the second period ended.  The Caps dominated that period about as well as they have dominated a period this season but only had a 3-1 lead to show for it.  The Caps missed too many chances to put the game away then.
• Giving up 18 shots in any period is never good, it is especially bad when you do it in the third period of a game where you have a 3-1 lead entering it.  Taking 3 shots on goal in the same period tells you why the Caps ended up losing this game because it wasn't even back-and-forth hockey.
• Mike "BEAM ME UP" Green was beyond horrible tonight.  This one game tonight probably earned him a two week vacation in February.
• We should note that the Caps did just about everything right for the first 40 minutes.

We don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing but the Caps are once again back to playing only 40 minutes a night and showing a decided lack of killer instinct, especially in the third period.  Once again the Caps take bad penalties late in the game in their offensive zone.  We've been through a stretch like this before already this season and things got worked out.  So there's hope that this is only a temporary hiccup.  But this is becoming a disturbing pattern here.  We're now almost two months into the season and have yet to get this out of our system.  We could understand if the glaring errors were coming from the Hershey crew but instead they were coming from veterans like Green and Captain Chris Clark so simply getting healthy won't solve these problems.

Caps @ Senators 11-23-2009 Preview

Washington Capitals (13-10; 31 points) @ Ottawa Senators (11-9; 25 points):
Caps Game #24, Road Game #12, NHL Game #331

Scotiabank Place, Kanata, Ontario, Canada, 7:37 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WFED 1500-AM. Ottawa TV: Rogers Sportsnet East. Radio: CFGO 1200-AM.  Canadian National TV: RDS (French).  NHL Center Ice: Rogers Sportsnet East and Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic feeds.

Tonight the Caps stay up north of the border when they head on over to visit the Ottawa Senators.  This is the first time the Caps and Senators have met this season and last year, the teams split the season series with the home team winning all four games.  The Senators are wrapping up a five game homestand tonight and have won their last three games in a row.  Their latest win came on Saturday night when they downed the Buffaslugs 5-3.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

Ottawa Citizen.  Ottawa Sun: done this before, off-ice activities.

What Do We Expect Tonight?:

As the Caps begin the mid-season slog through the schedule, they will have to find ways to motivate themselves.  It shouldn't be too hard to come up with motivation when you're trying to get out of a rut where you've lost three of your last four games.  The Senators are completing a stretch where they've played nine of their last ten games at home so with six of their next seven games coming on the road, you know that the Senators want to finish things off right at home before heading out on the road.  Senators goalie Pascal Leclaire, who has backstopped the current Ottawa winning streak, is day-to-day with a lower body injury and is expected to miss tonight's game though Brian Elliot has a .932 save percentage in his last two games for the Senators.  Overall, the Senators are a better team than they were last year and it is never easy for the Caps in the Canadian Capital.  Tonight shouldn't be any different.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 2
Senators 3
Winner by Spezza
(9-14 on the season)

Caps @ Maple Thug Leafs 11-21-2009 Wrap Up

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

The Other Side:

Toronto Globe and Mail: great goaltending, change you can believe in.  Toronto Star: stepping up, perfect plan.  Toronto Sun:  gimmick special, confusion, Leafs Report, quoting Kermit, prospect update.

Final Thoughts:

23 down, 59 to go.

Caps @ Maple Thug Leafs 11-21-2009 Post-Mortem

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....  Oh... Hi there... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• Through regulation and overtime, Semyon "The Saviour" Varlamov was the best player on the ice for the Caps tonight registering 38 saves.  He deserved a much better fate than this tonight.
• A.O. being A.O. again.  He scored the Caps lone goal during the game and took six shots on goal which was tied for the team lead.
  

THE BAD:

• The Power Play had four chances and 10 shots on goal against the worst Penalty Killing unit in the league and came up empty handed.
• If somebody knows what Bruce Boudreau was thinking by pairing Tyler Sloan with John Carlson, would you be as so kind as to let us know?  Thanks!  Talk about a pairing that just did not work...
  

THE UGLY:

• The game was decided by a gimmick and really had no business having a winner declared in any fashion.  This game is Exhibit A in why the gimmick is a bad idea.
• The Caps gave up 39 shots on goal, 28 of them through the first two periods.

Well gang, the returns on tonight's game are not pretty.  So much for the Caps looking to make a statement and put last night's frustrations behind them.  If anything, the Caps only built on them because now the Caps have lost two games in a row and three of their last four.  Some will find consolation that the Bettman point gets us first place in the Eastern Conference, but the games in hand situation makes that a tenuous grip at best.  We know this team is besieged by injuries right now but the same thing happened around this time last year and the Caps didn't miss much of a beat.  Before the season began we were hoping that the anger over the Second Round Hose Job last year would motivate this team to greater heights this year.  So far through the first 23 games, we've seen nothing to indicate that being the case.  Whenever Michael "Meadowlark" Nylander makes his mind up and goes to Europe, it will be incumbent upon General Manager George McPhee to make a move to shake things up and end some of the complacency that has creeped in.

Caps vs. Canadiens 11-20-2009 Wrap Up/ Caps @ Maple Thug Leafs 11-21-2009 Preview

The Local Yokels:


(Com)Post.  Times.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com. AP Wire.

The Other Side:

The Gazette: hanging on, seeing red.


Final Thoughts:

22 down, 60 to go.


Washington Capitals (13-9; 30 points) @ Toronto Maple Thug Leafs (3-17; 12 points):
Caps Game #23, Road Game #11, NHL Game #314

Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 7:15 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus. Radio: WFED 1500-AM. Toronto TV: None. Radio: CFMJ 640-AM.  U.S. National TV: NHL Network (CBC Feed). Canadian National TV: CBC.

Tonight, the Caps head North of the border for the first time this season when they travel to face the Maple Thug Leafs.  This is the first time the Caps have faced the Thug Leafs since the home opener back in October when the Caps skated off with a 6-4 win.  Not much is working for Toronto right now.  We don't pay much attention to the standings at this point in the season but it is hard not to notice that the Thug Leafs are dead last in the NHL.  Currently Toronto is on a five game losing streak punctuated by Thursday night's 6-5 gimmick loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh where the Leafs blew a 3-0 first period lead and a 5-4 lead with 3 seconds left in the third period.

What The Natives Are Saying:

Caps.com.


Neutral Views:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

Toronto Globe and Mail.  Toronto Star: The Ron Wilson Watch, moves ahead, waiting for the call, on deck.  Toronto Sun: getting ready, mental issues.

What Do We Expect Tonight?:

Well, after playing an opponent that packed it in and clogged things up all over the ice, there is probably nothing better for a rebound than playing the worst team defensively in the league to help you take out all of your frustrations, which is what the Caps have tonight.  Tonight we'll get a good idea as to how mature the Caps are because the trick here is to avoid coming out flat like Carolina did on Thursday night against the Thug Leafs and not easing up on the gas pedal like the Caps themselves against Toronto did back in October.  If the Caps can get off to a quick start tonight, the rabid crowd in Toronto will quickly turn on their team.  However once again special teams could play a factor.  While Toronto's record is an embarrassment, their Power Play is actually now ranked higher than the Caps.  The Caps fell to 6th overall after last night's 0 for 3 against Montreal and Toronto is now 4th in the league on the Power Play.  But part of the Caps playing a sound game is staying out of the Penalty Box. 

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 6
Thug Leafs 2
Winner by A.O.
(9-13 on the season with one perfect game)

Caps vs. Canadiens 11-20-2009 Post-Mortem

It was another one of those days...  Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• "Mighty Mouse" Mathieu Perreault was probably the best forward on the ice for the Caps tonight.  He only had two shots on goal, one assist, and was a +1 but was all over the place in the offensive zone.
• John Carlson made his NHL debut tonight and got through it without any noticeable gaffes.  He almost scored goal but the shot was one of three goal posts that Caps hit cleanly tonight behind Carey Price.
• Defensively, the Caps allowed only 22 shots on goal.  Not much more you can ask for there with two minor leaguers and John "Coach's Pet" Erskine Bowles skating on the blueline for most of the game.
• At the other end, the Caps were able to generate 34 shots on Carey Price despite Montreal clogging the ice in all three zones throughout the night.

THE BAD:

• We told you this morning that the Special Teams could be the difference and Montreal's Power Play goal in the third period was the difference.  It was only their second man-advantage on the night.
• To give you an idea of how boring this game was, Carey Price was named second star for his 32 save performance but we can't think of any huge saves he came up with.

THE UGLY:

• John "Coach's Pet" Erskine Bowles with yet another an ill-timed step up at the blueline in the third period with the Caps down 2-1 leading to a 2 on 1 break for the Canadiens.  While, luckily for the Caps, Montreal did not convert, it is the John "Coach's Pet" Erskine Bowles Bonehead Play of the Game.
• The tripping call on Brooks "and Dunn" Laich in the third period just reeked of "even out the Power Plays."  We can respect referees who "let em play" and get upset when they decide to "even things up" with less than 10 minutes left in the third period.  Especially when the penalty call leads to a Power Play Goal against.

Well folks, we're kind of at a loss for words tonight.  We can't complain about the effort the Caps put forward tonight.  They had energy, they drove to the Montreal net, they cleared their own net consistently, and they played hard throughout.  However, for some reason, something just seemed off.  Too many times tonight Caps started celebrating goals that weren't scored.  For some reason, the pucks just were not going in.  All we can say is that over the course of an 82 game season, things like this will happen.

Caps vs. Canadiens 11-20-2009 Preview

Washington Capitals (13-8; 30 points) vs. Montreal Canadiens (10-11; 20 points):
Caps Game #22, Home Game #12, NHL Game #307

Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. 7:07 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WFED 1500-AM. Montreal TV: None. Radio: CJAD 800-AM.  Canadian National TV: TSN, RDS (French)  NHL Center Ice: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic and TSN feeds.

Tonight, the Caps come home to start a four games in six nights run heading into Thanksgiving with three games in four nights when they face the Montreal Canadiens for the first time this season.  The Caps swept the Canadiens on home ice last season when they took three of the four matchups though the most recent win on home ice came courtesy of a gimmick.  The Canadiens made many changes this past off season and are still trying to get things together.  They're 3-3 in their last six games including Tuesday night's 3-2 gimmick win at home over the Carolina Hurricanes.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

The Gazette.

What Do We Expect Tonight?:

The one thing the Caps, who have quickly turned into the walking wounded, don't want to do tonight is work overtime.  Montreal has not lost after regulation in eight games so far this season.  We'll get a good look tonight at the organizational depth as John Carlson makes his much anticipated NHL debut on the Caps blueline and Michal "Bebe" Neuvirth makes his season debut in goal.  Though that's not to say that Montreal comes in at full health.  They lost Brian Gionta to a broken foot earlier this week and good news for A.O., Hall Gill will be out as well.  Look for special teams to be a factor tonight, the Caps have crawled all the way to #2 overall in the NHL with their Power Play Unit but Montreal, while 24th overall, is 11th overall on the road with the Power Play.  The Caps Penalty Killing is still struggling, coming in at 23rd and only 78% effective, but 6th overall at home at 86% effectiveness.  The Canadiens are 26th on the road and and 15th overall killing penalties.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 4
Canadiens 2
Winner by Laich
(9-12 on the season with one perfect game)

Caps @ Rangers 11-17-2009 Wrap Up

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

The Other Side:

New York Daily News.  New York Post: shut down, old self.  New York Times.  Rangers.com.

Final Thoughts:

21 down, 61 to go.

Sorry Folks

Ok, this one is not our fault.  We blame the non-driving people who for the second night in a row jacked up I-395 South at 236 causing our commute home to become rather arduous.  We missed most of the first period tonight so there will be no Post-Mortem later.

Caps @ Rangers 11-17-2009 Preview

Washington Capitals (12-8; 28 points) @ New York Rangers (11-9; 23 points):
Caps Game #21, Road Game #10, NHL Game #289

Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, 7:10 pm. Washington TV: None. Radio: WFED 1500-AM. New York TV: None. Radio: WEPN 1050-AM.  U.S. National TV: Versus.  Canadian National TV: TSN2  NHL Center Ice: None.

Tonight, the Caps travel to New York to face the Rangers for the second time this season.  Back in October, the Rangers skated off with a 4-3 win in D.C. The Rangers though have been up and down lately.  While they won their last outing, a 2-1 gimmick win in Ottawa over the Senators on Saturday, they are just 3-3 in their last six games overall.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

New York Daily News. Rangers.com.

Open Source Idiocy:

New York Post.

What Do We Expect Tonight?:

As the Caps pass the quarter mark on the season tonight, it seems a little odd to hearken back to the playoffs from last year but considering the series between the Caps and the Rangers last year, that is something we can indulge in.  The Caps return to Madison Square Garden for the first time since Game 6 when they chased Henrik Lundqvist from the net after two periods for the second game in a row.  Rangers Head Coach John Tortorella, true to his form, has been rotating goaltenders recently on Broadway with Steve Valiquette getting some starts recently for the Rangers but as we've noted already, the results have been mixed.  However, goaltending situation for the Caps isn't quite settled either.  While Jose "Alvin, Simon," Theodore is still officially the number one goaltender, Semyon "The Saviour" Varlamov could (and we think should) get the nod tonight because he drove the Rangers nuts last year in the playoffs.  Add in the expected return of A.O. to the Caps lineup a few weeks early and things look pretty good for the Caps tonight especially since the Rangers had a hard time containing Ilya Kovalchuk in his return to action for the Thrashers last week.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 5
Rangers 3
Winner by A.O.
(8-12 on the season with one perfect game)

Caps @ Devils 11-14-2009 Wrap Up

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

The Other Side:

New York Daily News.  New York Post.  New York Times.  The Record: total effort, notes.  The Star-Ledger: eight in a row, A Night To Remember, next up.  Devils.com.

Final Thoughts:

20 down, 62 to go.

Caps @ Devils 11-14-2009 Post-Mortem

That will be the LAST time we go to a game watch party... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment....

THE GOOD:

• Earlier today we said that the Caps would be well served to get out to a fast start and build an early lead, they did exactly that with two goals in 37 seconds with just over 5 minutes gone in the game.
• The Power Play needed only 52 seconds and one shot to convert their only opportunity tonight.

THE BAD:

• Tonight's top line of Niklas Backstrom, Alexander "Slappy" Semin, and Tomas Fleischmann were -3, -2, and -4 respectively for a big fat -9 combined.  Get well soon Mike Knuble.
• And speaking of Backstrom, 2-8 in the faceoff circle tonight.
• Boyd Gordon made his return tonight only to exit once again with a back injury.
  

THE UGLY:

• Normally, allowing only 23 shots on goal would be considered good, but when you give up five goals, we shudder to think that would have happened had more shots been taken by New Jersey.  Jose "Alvin, Simon," Theodore did not have the bounce-back game he was looking for as the Devils were picking the corners on him practically all night.
• After driving the net the past few games, the Caps got very far away from that tonight.  Too many perimeter shots and not enough traffic creating havoc in front of Martin Brodeur.  That's not how they built the four game winning streak.
  
• Slappy's turnover in the second period leading to Zack Parise's game winning breakaway goal earns the John "Coach's Pet" Erskine Bowles Bonehead Play of the Game Award tonight.
  

Ok, we all know that playing three games in four nights is tough.  That's why we always mention it when it comes up in the schedule.  There are also going to be lackluster efforts over an 82 game schedule as well and nobody is going to go an entire season losing games by only one goal in each.   So while this is certainly a humbling loss, we can't really qualify it as a bad loss.  The Devils are running on an eight game winning streak now and are right with the Caps at the top of the Eastern Conference.  It isn't as if they laid this kind of egg against Carolina or Toronto.  Well, that's enough of the rose colored glasses for tonight.  We know that Bruce Boudreau is going to have some choice words for the team over this one.

Caps vs. Wild 11-13-2009 Wrap Up/ Caps @ Devils 11-14-2009 Preview

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

The Other Side:

St. Paul Pioneer Press: out of gas, proving performance. Star Tribune: gased out, love to host, recap.  Wild.com.

Final Thoughts:

We do think we can thank the schedule makers for this one...

19 down, 63 to go.


Washington Capitals (12-7; 28 points) @ New Jersey Devils (13-4; 26 points):
Caps Game #20, Road Game #9, NHL Game #270

Prudential Center, Newark, NJ, 7:07 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus. Radio: WFED 1500-AM. New Jersey TV: MSG. Radio: WFAN 660-AM.  NHL Center Ice: MSG and Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus feeds.

Tonight the Caps look for their fifth win in a row for the second time this season when they travel to Newark to face the New Jersey Devils.  This is the third time the Caps have faced the Devils this season and the Caps have lost both times by a score of 3-2 though one of those losses came in a gimmick.  Both teams are wrapping up three games in four nights runs.  Since beating the Caps on home ice 10 days ago, the Devils have continued their winning ways by winning all four games to push their winning streak to seven games including Thursday night's 4-1 win in Pittsburgh over the Penguin Scum.  As a matter of fact, the Devils have yet to lose a game in the month of November.

What The Natives Are Saying:

Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

The Record.  The Star-Ledger.

What Do We Expect Tonight?:

Last night the Caps were the beneficiaries of playing at home with one day of rest against a team coming in after playing the night before.  Tonight, the Caps are the team that had to travel after playing a game.  So while it is always important to get off to a fast start against New Jersey, it will be doubly so tonight as the Caps will see their own energy level drop as the game progresses.  If he is ready, getting A.O. back in the lineup will provide some energy.  The Caps could also catch the Devils looking ahead tonight.  After winning seven games in a row and nine straight to open their road schedule, the Devils play on the road again on Monday night where they can tie the NHL record for most wins on the road to start a season.  But New Jersey hasn't given up more than 2 goals in their current seven game winning streak so even if A.O. comes back from injury tonight, the Caps will need the "secondary scoring" to continue to pull out a win tonight.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 2
Devils 4
Winner Zubrus
(7-12 on the season with one perfect game)

Caps vs. Wild 11-13-2009 Post-Mortem

Not quite boring, not quite exciting...  Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• No shots on goal for the Caps in the first seven minutes as they didn't get the "chase" part of the "dump and chase" style going.  But 41 shots on goal over the last 53 minutes was impressive to us even though there are still those who think they didn't shoot enough.
• We have a Brian Pothier sighting!  A game winning goal, for #2, his 2nd of the season, at the 2 minute mark.  Anybody else noticing a pattern here???
• Against a team that was running at over 90% on the road in the Penalty Killing department, the Caps went 1 for 3 with 7 shots on goal.  As a matter of fact, it was the Power Play in the first period that got the Caps offense going in tonight's game.

THE BAD:

• Look, we don't enjoy beating up on Semyon "The Saviour" Varlamov on here but calls for him to be proclaimed the #1 goaltender after just under two games is absurd, especially since he let in another questionable goal.  The Saviour is young, he'll be a good one but can we please keep expectations at a somewhat reasonable level right now?
• Against a goaltender with a 4.73 goals against average and .761 save percentage entering tonight's game.  The Caps hung just two goals on him in 40 shots and allow him to lower those gaudy numbers to a slightly more respectable 3.92 GAA and .849 save percentage.
• The defensive effort overall was ok but with Jeff "Sergeant" Schultz and Milan Jurcina out of the lineup tonight, not a whole lot of crease clearing going on in the Caps zone.  Too many pucks to the slot for our tastes tonight.  That a big reason why the Caps allowed 30 shots on goal.
  

THE UGLY:

• If you haven't already heard it being reported in mulitple places, Mike Knuble is out 3-4 weeks with a broken finger.  That's going to hurt we think from a leadership standpoint.
• And we've seen stupid penalties in our lives and Niklas Backstrom's cross checking minor in the first period is among the stupidest we've ever seen.  Not only was the cross check late, uncalled for, but it was entirely weak.  IF you're going to take a penalty like that, you should least get your $$$$$'s worth as far as we're concerned.

We remember coming out of the lockout knowing that the Caps were a bad, but young, hockey team.  We were amazed at times how the Caps would play outstanding games where they displayed the raw talent that they possessed and took heart knowing that it would eventually come together.  Now it is amazes to us to see what happens with this hockey team when they decide to start going to the net.  Should they stop doing this come April, May, and June, we will be very upset because we now know that one of the knocks against the Caps just simply isn't true anymore.  This is a team willing to fight to get to the net to score goals.    However, on another note, A.O. has now missed five games this season and the Caps are averaging 4 goals a game in his absence.  Now we're not advocating keeping A.O. on the shelf any longer than is really necessary but these past five games should dispel the notion that the Caps are nothing more than a "one man band."  We just hope that Knuble's kninjury doesn't force A.O. back into the lineup tomorrow night if he's not fully ready.  The team has a lot more hockey left to play than just 63 games.

It has been... A TWO POINT NIGHT!!!

Caps vs. Wild 11-13-2009 Preview

Washington Capitals (11-7; 26 points) vs. Minnesota Wild (7-11; 15 points):
Caps Game #19, Home Game #11, NHL Game #262


Verizon Center, Washington, D.C., 7:07 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus. Radio: WFED 1500-AM. Minnesota TV: Fox Sportsnet North. Radio: KLCI 106.1-FM.  NHL Center Ice: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus and Fox Sportsnet North feeds.

Tonight, the Caps look for their fourth win in a row when they wrap up a three game homestand by hosting the Minnesota Wild.  This is the first and only meeting between the two teams this year, last year Minnesota won the lone matchup, 4-3, at home.  Heading into last night's 4-3 gimmick loss in Tampa, the Wild had won four of their last five games.  This is the third stop on a four game road trip for Minnesota and their second game of a three games in four nights run with all three of those games coming against the Southeast Division.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com

Neutral Views:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

St. Paul Pioneer Press: blown lead, friends now rivals.  Star Tribune: late collapse, adjustment period, Game Preview.

What Do We Expect Tonight?:

Gone are the days in Minnesota where they look to bore everybody to death before scoring a single goal and winning the game 1-0.  The Wild have tried to open things up which is a big part of the reason why they started off with just one win in their first seven games.  The Wild have been getting the hang of things since then but still have a long ways to go to overcome their slow start.  The Caps will want to avoid overtime tonight, three of Minnesota's seven wins have come after regulation and last night in Tampa was the first time the Wild lost after regulation this season.  We've certainly noticed a certain "Wild West Shootout" trend with the Caps right now and considering that the lineup isn't likely to change all that much, why wouldn't tonight's game be as crazy as the past few home games?  We're just starting to become numb to the whole thing.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 5
Wild 3
Winner by Semin
(6-12 on the season with one perfect game)

Caps vs. Islanders 11-11-2009 Wrap Up

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com.

The Neutral Views:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

The Other Side:

Newsday's Subscription Shakedown.  Islanders.com.

Final Thoughts:

18 down, 64 to go.

Caps vs. Islanders 11-11-2009 Post-Mortem

Yeah, we've seen this one before... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• Alexander "Slappy" Semin with two goals tonight before skating to the bench in the second period doubled over.  Slappy also tied the team record for fastest goal to start a game, 8 seconds.  He's one amazing player when he's healthy.
• The Power Play was 2 for 3 tonight but most importantly, got a big goal in the first period to cut the deficit to 3-2.  We're not too sure the Caps would have won this game had they been down 3-1 at the first intermission.
• Milan Jurcina registered four shots on goal, good for third most on the team.  Slappy had 11 by himself, Brooks "and Dunn" Laich had five shots on goal, and no other Cap had more than two.  But getting back to Jurcina, it is good to see him shoot, we just wish he would put a little more juice into his shots because none of the four shots on goal were very dangerous.

THE BAD:

• We understand the first two penalties the Caps took in the third period.  The Caps had three Power Plays in the first two periods and the Islanders had none.  So the first two calls were makeup/even up calls.  The third call, the boarding call on Jurcina was the penalty that the Caps did not have to take and ended up being the one that hurt the most.
• The #1 line of Nicklas Backstrom, Tomas Fleischmann, and Mike Knuble were a -2 each tonight.  One of those minuses was thanks to a pathetic backcheck by Fleischmann that lead to the Islanders first goal.
• What is it about the Caps scoring in the first minute of a game on their first shot on goal?  Last year when the Caps did it, they lost, while they won this time around, they gave up three straight goals after the strong start.

THE UGLY:

• When you give up more goals, 3, than saves you make, 2, like Jose "Alvin, Simon," Theodore did tonight, you did not have a good game at all.  While we don't fault Theodore for the three goals he gave up (the defense totally let him down and totally left him out to dry), he did not come up with anything resembling a big save which the Caps needed early on.  Credit to Bruce Boudreau for pulling him so quickly in favor of Semyon "The Saviour" Varlamov because it got the Caps to tighten up in their own zone very quickly.
• The game was decided by a gimmick.

Ok folks, the good news is that after playing three times in 19 days (with all three games requiring overtime), the Caps don't see the Islanders again until January 26th.  That's 76 days if you're like us and counting.  The bad news is folks we now think there's a good chance that the Islanders will be one of the last two seeds in the Eastern Conference and could very well be our opponent in the first round of the playoffs this year.  While we don't want to look that far ahead right now, that is something we should keep in mind as the season moves along because for whatever reason, the Caps just don't want to take this team seriously.  We happen to think that should we meet in the first round, we better not expect to erase two goal deficits very often.  But the important thing right now is that the Caps tightened things up in their own zone during a game.  After three goals on the first five shots, the Islanders got only 1 goal on the next 26.  We need that kind of effort in our own zone more often.

It has been...  A TWO POINT NIGHT!!!

Caps vs. Islanders 10-11-2009 Preview

Washington Capitals (10-7; 24 points) vs. New York Islanders (6-11; 17 points):
Caps Game #18, Home Game #10, NHL Game #249


Verizon Center, Washington, D.C., 7:07 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WFED 1500-AM. New York TV: MSG Plus 2. Radio: WMCJ 94.3-FM.  U.S. National TV: NHL Network using Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Feed. NHL Center Ice: None.

Tonight, the Caps look for their third win in a row when they host the New York Islanders for the second and final time this season.  The Islanders were in D.C. just 12 days ago where they came from behind twice to win in overtime 4-3 to even the season series at one win a piece.  Since then, the Islanders have won three of their five games including their last outing on Saturday when they defeated the Atlanta Thrashers at home 6-3.  Tonight is the start of a three games in four nighst stretch for both teams and the Islanders kickoff a seven game roadtrip with tonight's contest.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

New York Post.  Newsday (if you want to pay for a subscription).

What Do We Expect Tonight?:

Well folks, this game tonight could very well end up like what we saw on Saturday night, a wild, back-and-forth game that just keeps getting crazier and crazier.  We now know that the Caps don't need A.O. in the lineup or Alexander "Slappy" Semin playing well to score seven goals in a game.  The issue now is consistency.  Will the Caps consistently fight to get to the front of the net like they did on Saturday night?  Sure Scott Clemmensen had a bad night but if the Caps go to the front of the net and stay out of the penalty box, there's no reason to think that they cannot beat the Islanders.  What they will have to avoid are the lackadaisical efforts that they've turned in recently when playing New York.  While the Islanders have just one win on the road this season, it came in the Phone Booth 12 days ago and that should serve as enough of a warning to the Caps to take tonight's game seriously.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 3
Islanders 2
Winner by Knuble
(5-12 on the season with one perfect game)

Caps vs. Panthers 11-7-2009 Wrap Up

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

The Other Side:

Miami Herald: late burst, powerless play.

Final Thoughts:

Well that was a real defensive struggle wasn't it?  First of all, the demotion of Alexander "Slappy" Semin to the second line really seemed to spark him and the first line at the same time.  Though we don't fault him for taking another two offensive zone penalties as one was just a cheap call on him and the other was clearly a retaliation penalty.  We don't have a problem with Slappy sticking up for himself.  However overall the team's discipline was good.  Florida had only two power plays last night and none in the third period.  Milan Jurcina was a -4 last night which is notable because it was the worst of anybody on either team. Congratulations to "Mighty Mouse" Mathieu Perreault on his first NHL goal.  That seemed to get the ball rolling in the third period and before anybody gets too excited, remember that Tomas Fleischmann got off to a great start last year before fading.  Let's see if he can keep it up.  We'd go on but because it is Sunday and we go to Church, we'll wrap this up by saying once again that we understand and share in the frustration people have with the Caps because they show in brief flashes a willingness to go to the net and score the "ugly" goals but for some reason, keep reverting to the highlight reel plays.  We also happen to think that the Caps are team that absolutely cannot take their foot off of the gas pedal.

17 down, 65 to go.

Caps @ Panthers 11-6-2009 Wrap Up/ Caps vs. Panthers 11-7-2009 Preview

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

The Other Side:

Miami Herald: blown chances, injury return.  Panthers.com.

Final Thoughts:

So much for enjoying a nice sunny Saturday outside before the game tonight because of the injuries and a probable suspension (even if Shaone Morrrissonnn wasn't on super duper double secret probation, we all know he'll be suspended for that it anyway) we'll be refreshing Tarik's Blog all day waiting for updates.  Fun times!

16 down, 66 to go.


Washington Capitals (9-7; 22 points) vs. Florida Panthers (5-9; 11 points):
Caps Game #17, Home Game #9, NHL Game #232

Verizon Center, Washington, D.C., 7:07 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WFED 1500-AM. Florida TV: Fox Sportsnet Florida. Radio: WAXY 790-AM.  NHL Center Ice: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic feed.




Tonight, the Caps return home to start a three game homestand when they wrap up the home portion of a home-and home series with the Florida Panthers.  While the Caps ended the Panthers three game winning streak last night, the Panthers have won their last two games on the road and took two of three games in D.C. last season.


What The Natives Are Saying:


Caps.com.


Neutral Views:


NHL.com.  AP Wire.


Open Source Intelligence:

Sorry folks, we got nothing...


What Do We Expect Tonight?:


Well folks, pending the verdict on the injuries and how many games Shaone will getting for his boarding major, the total team effort will have to continue tonight.  Luckily as we saw last night we don't need all guns blazing to beat a team like the Panthers.  Who, if anybody, General Manager George McPhee is able to get onto the roster and under the cap to replace some of the players will also be of note.  Hopefully if players like Karl Malden Alzner and John Carlson make their season/NHL debuts tonight, they will inject some energy and enthusiasm into the lineup.  Those are things that can be lacking as the schedule creeps further into November.


Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 2
Panthers 4
Winner by Weiss

(5-11 on the season with one perfect game)


Editorial Note For The Dozens of Readers of This Blog:


While we strive and make a point to leave our personal lives off of this blog (because not even we care reading about that stuff), we have to say that yesterday was the birthday of our Sainted Mother.  She happens to be in town right now for reasons we won't go into but we will take advantage of the opportunity to take her to see what is left of the Caps tonight (and to see if Ted Leonsis stands up the Season Ticket Holders tonight the way he stood up the Caps Fan Club last Sunday).  And so because we'll be entertaining our Sainted Mother tonight, there will be no Post-Mortem.

Caps @ Panthers 11-6-2009 Post-Mortem

Never a dull moment...  Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• "The Life of" Brian Pothier with a goal and two assists tonight.  We need him to get in to a better groove with the injuries starting to mount.
• Brendan Morrrissonn with two goals including the all-important empty-netter.  It would have counted regardless because he was fouled as he went into score the goal and the referee raised his arm to call a penalty.
  
• And we have to say, a good job by the Penalty Killing crew killing off the major penalty in the third period and not allowing a shot on goal in the process. That is how we know the penalty killers can play.
  

THE BAD:

• Shaone Morrrissonnn's penalty in the third period really put the Caps behind the eight ball and we were a little lucky to survive.
• Jose "Alvin, Simon," Theodore gave up only one goal tonight and made 28 saves but had issues with rebound control tonight.

THE UGLY:

• Mike "BEAM ME UP" Green and Jeff "Sergeant" Schultz both going down with injuries tonight.  After Morrrissonnn's ejection, that left the Caps with only four defensemen to skate.  Luckily Tyler Sloan was dressed as a forward and was able to step in and help stem the tide on the blueline.  However, we're likely to get a return of John "Coach's Pet" Erskine Bowles tomorrow night and that's what makes this really ugly.

When it comes to slump busters, beggars can't be choosers so a win that ends a three game losing streak cannot generate too many complaints with how it is played, especially when it is a division win.  Though we are concerned with the injury situation because with the Caps up against the salary cap, the only way the Caps can start making massive call ups is to place guys on long term injured reserved which takes them out of action for an extended period of time.  We aren't going to ping General Manager George McPhee for cap mismanagement simply because hindsight is 50/50 but we could end up having to see Michael "Meadowlark" Nylander pressed into service if Eric Fehr or Boyd Gordon are placed on long term IR to make room to call up two defensemen.  How awkward would that be?  But enough of trying to figure out the lineup for tomorrow night.  For one night at least, the Caps got back into the win column which means.

It has been... A TWO POINT NIGHT!!!

Caps @ Panthers 11-6-2009 Preview

Washington Capitals (8-7; 20 points) @ Florida Panthers (5-8; 11 points):
Caps Game #16, Road Game #8, NHL Game #222

BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, FL, 7:37 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus. Radio: WFED 1500-AM. Florida TV: Fox Sportsnet Florida. Radio: WAXY 790-AM.  Canadian National TV: RDS (French)  NHL Center Ice: Fox Sportsnet Florida, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus feeds.

Tonight, the Caps, losers of three games in a row, head down to South Florida for the first time this season to face the Florida Panthers in the front end of a home-and-home series.  The Caps split the series with Florida last year 3-3 with none of the games requiring extra time but the road team was 2-1 in the matchup.  The Panthers are getting their season in gear after a slow start and have won three games in a row.  They too were last in action on Wednesday night winning 3-0 at home against the Carolina Hurricanes.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

Miami Herald.

What Do We Expect Tonight?:

So Bruce Boudreau turned to the bag skate to try to get the team's attention after the loss in Joisey on Wednesday night.  He admits it wasn't too hard because of the back-to-back games but the Caps will have to be much more on their toes tonight because Florida goaltender Tomas Vokoun hasn't allowed a goal in almost (just one second shy) 123 minutes.  The puck will eventually get past him but the Caps will need the secondary scoring to get going tonight because when a goaltender is playing that well, it tends to be an "ugly" goal that break the streak.  The Caps will be without A.O. for both games this weekend but in the end, it shouldn't matter.  The Panthers lost David Booth two weeks ago and are 3-1 since then, scoring 15 goals in those four games and there's no reason why the Caps can't find their legs and play well without A.O. too.  The Caps certainly have enough talent to beat Florida but as the players have been saying for the past couple of days, it is a matter of execution, and most importantly, staying out of the penalty box.  Florida has the 28th ranked Power Play but right now, especially in the third period, that dosen't mean much against the Caps.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 2
Florida 4
Winner by Horton
(5-10 on the season with one perfect game a near miss last time out...)