Feeling lackadaisical about the Caps

I love hockey. I love the Caps. Those facts are undisputed. But, I can't seem to get excited for this season and maybe it's because of the way the Caps are playing. Their woes are well know - a lot of injuries, a too young defense that has a lot to learn, a first line that isn't clicking and a power play that couldn't find the back of the net if the net covered the entire end of the rink.

But, that's not what concerns me the most. Despite their 5-3, 10 point record, they look rough out there. There's too much waiting around for the puck, dumping it in and losing the puck, turnovers and a lack of flow to their game. For a team that's supposed to "Stay angry. Believe in yourself." they aren't displaying a lot of emotion.

I'm sorry I missed watching Saturday night's game against the Atlanta Thrashers only because I would have liked to see Mattieu Perreault (Matty P!) feed Alexander Semin for two of his three hat trick goals, one of which he got to Semin while being tripped. Not to mention witnessing his success at the dot. He won 64% of his faceoffs and he took 14. Gee, you think the Caps need a little more Matty P? I like the energy he plays with and he makes things happen. I understand, maybe, that there's not room for him here full-time now and I understand he faded after playing twenty games last year, but I still think he has what it takes to be a full-time NHL'er. Think Martin St. Louis.

Step it up Caps and please get healthy.

Let's go Caps!

And, so it begins

Another hockey season has started and the Washington Capitals have much to prove after the disastrous end to their season at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs. Being a Caps fan since the beginning, I knew in my gut they weren't going to win game 7 so I couldn't even watch that train wreck. I adopted a dog instead. Some might call me a fair weather fan for that attitude...so be it. The real story is I'm too emotionally invested in a team that has crushed my dreams to see the Stanley Cup come to Washington time and time again.

There are many questions about this team that won't be answered until April, but there is a regular season to play first. And, what have the Caps showed us in their first two games this season.

• They still take games for granted. That lackluster effort against the Atlanta Thrashers on Friday is unacceptable.
• Instead of "Stay angry. Believe in yourself." as their team motto, this team should adopt "defense first" as their motto. Their play in their own end floundered and resulted in Atlanta beating the Caps 4-2 on the opening night.
• Saturday's game against the New Jersey Devils, on the other hand, showed what the Caps are capable of when they turn it on. They didn't do that until the second period when they were trailing 3-2 after, once again, playing sloppy defense.
• The Caps stood up for each other, which is good to see. Four third period fights while the coaches yelled at each other showed a frustrated New Jersey team and a Caps team willing to drop the mitts.

So, while the Caps slog through the long regular season, here's what I'm looking forward to:

• Watching Alex Ovechkin. I'll never tire of watching the most scintillating player in hockey generate three points in a night like he did against New Jersey.
• Seeing how John Carlson develops. I've watched him and followed his career since his first rookie camp and I like how he plays. He had one goal and two assists against New Jersey and I expect to see more offense from him this season. But, his defensive play will be even more important for the Caps, particularly, come playoff time. I think there's no doubt Carlson will be in the race for the Calder Trophy this season.
• Following Marcus Johansson's rookie year. The highly touted Swedish center is expected to improve Washington's depth down the middle. So far, he's adjusting to the smaller ice and playing pretty well. His faceoff win percentage took a leap in his second game, but I suspect he'll continue to struggle there as his countryman, Nicklas Backstrom, still does.
• Continuing to watch Nicklas Backstrom become an elite center in the NHL. Seeing Backstrom control the game with his vision and making sublime passes is fun to watch.
• Celebrating when Mike Knuble and Brooks Laich bag garbage goals with their grit and determination.

Assuming the Caps make the playoffs, these are the questions that will remain unanswered until April.

• Can the Caps find the mental toughness and commitment to defense to make a long playoff run?
• Will Mike Green show up in the playoffs?
• Will John Carlson and Karl Alzner develop enough to shore up the blue line?
• Will Semyon Varlamov stay healthy and will the rookie goaltending duo of him and Michal Neurvirth be good enough for a long playoff run?
• Will the penalty kill improve?
• Will the Caps commit to shorter shifts for players like Mike Green and Alex Ovechkin who cannot do it all?
• Will Coach Boudreau learn that matchups are important in April and May and June?

Many unanswered questions and a long season ahead.

I'm looking forward to my first live game tonight.

Let's go Caps!

Hmmm.who are these Caps, really?

And that's a good question.  Since I last wrote (and my new job precludes me from writing as often as I'd like to, but, hey I have a new avocation instead of spending too much time reading about the Washington Capitals so that's a good thing), the Caps have gotten smacked down by the Atlanta Thrashers, beaten up by the Carolina Hurricanes and Cam Ward but they also shut out Florida 3-0 and beat up on Tampa Bay 5-2.  On a nightly basis it's impossible to know which Washington Capital team will show up.  

The fans are losing it, as evidenced by the message boards, and are in varying degrees of mass hysteria but there's a history there.  Caps fans are long suffering fans when it comes to playoff success. The Caps haven't won a round in the playoffs in ten years.  If they win one playoff round this year, that, to me, would constitute a successful season.

The Caps, like Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green, may disagree with my seeming willingness to give up further playoff success so easily.  But I don't see it yet.  The Caps haven't yet realized that to be an elite team you have to stop playing down to bad teams and up for just the good teams. Elite teams play to win, always.  The Caps don't.  They sit back when they should be putting away teams.

The Caps defense will not get them very far in the playoffs.   They still can't play worth  a damn against gritty teams (see the Philadelphia Flyers games) and they get pushed around too easily. That is a recipe for playing golf in April.  

I love this team, but I don't see them going far in the playoffs yet.   Hopefully, they'll prove me wrong. I'd gleefully admit to being wrong since I'd be happier if the Caps were advancing in the playoffs than if they were out of it.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are up next for the Caps.

Let's go Caps!

1 ugly loss followed by a close win over Atlanta

My new job is keeping me way too busy to blog on a timely basis, but I'm still able to watch (or go) to the games.  The ugly loss against the Philadelphia Flyers had me yelling at the TV and throwing my glasses as usual.  The Caps lost that game in a few minutes during the 3rd period when Philly scored 3 times.  Although those goals were scored at even strength (total defensive breakdowns by the Caps), the Caps also spent 18 minutes in the penalty box which has got to stop.  They're assessed the 4th most minor penalties in the NHL and that shows the lack of discipline from this team, at times.

The Caps played a more disciplined game against the Atlanta Thrashers on Thursday as they only ended up in the penalty box 6 times.  But, they should have put away the team sitting in 14th place in the Eastern conference instead of letting them get within 1 goal with two minutes left in the game.  It was a short-handed goal no less.  

Goalie Michal Neuvirth got his 2nd win in a row.   The Caps future looks bright on the goal tending front.  Alexander Semin, 1 power play goal, 1 assist and no penalties got the first star of the game.  Mike Green, 1 power play goal and 1 assist got the second star of the game.

Let's go Caps!

 

 

Ovie's hat trick propels Caps to 5-3 win over Thrashers

With seven starters out with injuries, the Caps called up four Hershey Bears to put a team on the ice against the Atlanta Thrashers in an almost sold out rocking the red pre-Thanksgiving day game.  Top defensive prospect Karl Alzner made his NHL debut and Sami Lepisto joined the blue line while winger Chris Bourque and Graham Mink joined the offense.  After a wearying and injury plagued road trip out West, the four Hershey Bear players gave the Caps the spark and energy they needed to control the game.  Of course, a hat trick from Alex Ovechkin by the 54 second mark of the 2nd period didn't hurt either. 

The highlights:

• Karl Alzner played a solid even game in his debut and seemed to make Milan Jurcina better.  Coach Boudreau gave him 21+ minutes of ice time so he liked what he saw in Alzner. I like the two of them paired together. Jurcina played even hockey and took two shots on goal.  He's got a monster shot and I want to see it more.
• Eric Fehr's goal from Tomas Fleischmann and Michael Nylander was a tape-to-tape passing display of beauty that reminded me of how the Detroit Red Wings play.
• Alex Ovechkin is back with a vengeance.  His hat trick and assist gave him a four point night.  He's now 3rd in total points, 6th in goals just 3 off the leader, 8th in assists and 4th in plus/minus.
• Viktor Kozlov, 2nd star, netted a goal and 2 assists and Tomas Fleischmann, 3rd star, got 2 assists on the night.
• The rest of the Hershey Bear calls up played respectably with Chris Bourque getting three shots on goal, Graham Mink tossing four shots on goal and Sami Lepisto netted a point on Ovie's first goal. 

The lowlights:

• Tom Poti left the game with a groin injury.  It's not supposed to be that bad, but I don't have a whole lot of faith in what we hear from the Caps organization about injuries.  Alexander Semin has been out way longer than expected. That makes 8 Capitals that won't play tonight.  The Caps called up 36-year old defender Bryan Helmer from Hershey.  Tarik has the write up about him here. 

The injuries are getting ridiculous and the Caps have a tough game tonight against the Montreal Canadiens.  The game is at the phone booth so I hope the home town crowd rocks the red and helps the guys get through this.

Let's go Caps!

A disappointing loss...and Eric Fehr debuts

The Caps played a lackluster game against a division team, the Atlanta Thrashers, they should be fired up against and lost 2-0. What more is there to say about that since I'm not in the mood to compliment the player most responsible for Atlanta's win.

Eric Fehr, recalled from the Hershey Bears today, is slated to play on the 1st line against the Columbus Blue Jackets tomorrow night. Wow, let me count the ways I hate that decision. I know the Caps have played tepid offense lately, but I'm not sure I'd want to break up the line of Ovie, Backstrom and Koslov to bring up a forward who's been sidelined with a mysterious back/hip ailment for 10 months. And, to rush him up here after only 10 games played in Hershey. I'm going to hope management doesn't quickly regret this decision.

All I know is that I want to see the Caps fighting tomorrow night. Because, fighting for 1st in the SE or fighting for 8th in the Eastern Conference is the only way they're going the playoffs. And, i want to see Ovie play in the playoffs. And, yes, I'm very aware I'm not the only one.

Let's go Caps!

4 out of 4 points and a whole new team

Wow. The Caps started the season by controlling the puck the entire first period at the Atlanta Thrashers. Nylander scored first while Backstrom got his first NHL point on that goal and then Erskine made a beautiful shot to make it 2-0 in the 1st period. The Caps backed off in the 2nd period as evidenced by Atlanta's lone goal in that period, but in the 3rd period Kozlov scored on a puck via assists from Mike Green and Ovie. That sealed the deal. 2-points down.

Backstrom looked comfortable in his NHL debut, Brent Johnson played solid in goal and the Ovie, Kozlov, Flash line appeared to be everywhere. The Caps had 40 shots to Atlanta's 29. Yes, you read that right. It was so often the reverse last year.

On, Saturday the Caps won again, beating Carolina 2-0 in the home opener and it was a beautiful thing to watch at the VC. The Caps dominated on offense and controlled the puck pretty much the entire game. This time the Caps had 33 shots to Carolina's 22. Half of Carolina's shots came in the 3rd period, they only had 2 in the 1st period. I've been reading a lot that the Caps want to play this kind of puck control offense as it plays to their strengths. Well, the strategy seems to working wonders so far. (I know, it's only 2 games so that's not a forecast). The Carolina coach seems to agree in his quote in this Washington Post article. "I thought Washington was on their toes all night -- offensively, defensively, loose pucks," Carolina Coach Peter Laviolette said. "Every time a puck came up, no question, it was their puck." 4 points down!

Ovie scored a beauty of a goal in the 1st period and Kozlov and Erskine assisted. Ovie's skates are smoking right now. He is everywhere, hitting, shooting and playing much better defense than he did last year (he's +2 with Kozlov so far versus -19 at the end of last season). Milan Jurcina scored the 2nd goal on a power play with Semin and Backstrom assisting. Semin is back and played 16-minutes and change. Mike Green looks great and Tom Poti is a tremendous help already as the power play quarterback and on the blue line. Olie also played inspired hockey and got the shutout. He had a splits save in the 3rd period and looked great in the few times he was tested.

Now, how in the world do I temper my expectations? This team is playing with fire and working together. It's so exciting...

The Caps visit the Islanders at 2:00 today and I'm annoyed that the NHL think people actually get Columbus Day off and can watch the game. I can't but will catch part of it on the radio.

Let's go Caps!

Ovie's Hat Trick Lifts Caps Over Atlanta

The Caps needed this game badly after that disgusting loss to Pittsburgh and Ovie won it for them. He's such a competitor and in games like last night against the Thrashers he shows it by tying the game with 31 seconds remaining in regulation, stealing the puck off the faceoff from the defenseman and blasting the puck past Lehtonen to win the game 6 seconds into overtime. Wow. I'm happy the Caps proved they can beat Lehtonen - this was the first time - since they have to play Atlanta 8 times a year.

Onto stats trivia - from the fan boards - the player who stands 4th on the 10-shot game list in his 2nd season is Alex Ovechkin behind only a Caps favorite, Peter Bondra, and also Jaromir Jagr (a Caps disaster) and Paul Kariya. Interesting. From the announcers last night - in his approximately 18-months of playing in the NHL, no one has scored more goals that Ovie.

My only concern about last night game is that t he overall offense - other than Ovie - seemed to be very lackluster. But, that small concern aside (it was only 1 game), I can't tell you how happy the standings made me this morning. The Caps are in 2nd place in the Southeast for today. Yeah.

The Flyers head to Verizon Center tonight. I'll be cruising around the Potomac tasting wine but I'm hoping for 2 more standings points.

Let's go Caps!