Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008, 7:00 PM
Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
TV: CSN
Last Meeting: 3/26/08, Caps win 3-2 in the shootout

To call this one the biggest game of the season would be an understatement - this is biggest game this franchise has played in almost five years; the biggest since Martin St. Louis broke the hearts of Caps fans with an powerplay game winner in the third overtime at MCI Center on Easter Sunday, 2003, the result of a too many men on the ice call. A win Tuesday night would put the Capitals into a tie (points-wise) with Carolina for first in the Southeast Division, while a loss would all but extinguish the team’s already somewhat dim playoffs hopes. If the Capitals have proven anything this season it’s that they’re never down and out, and are at their best when their backs are against the wall. Do they have one more great win in them?

About the Opponent

Carolina Hurricanes: 42-31-6, 90 points, 1st in the Southeast Division, 3rd in the Eastern Conference

Team Leaders
Goals: Eric Staal (36)
Assists: Eric Staal (43)
Points: Eric Staal (79)
Plus/Minus: Joe Corvo (+19)
Penalty Minutes: Scott Walker (113)
Fights: Wade Brookbank (12)

Keys to the Game

Washington
Play your game. The Capitals are 32-17-7 under Bruce Boudreau and have won eight of their last nine. In short, the team knows how to play hockey and win games at the NHL level. What they need to do is not let the pressure of this game get to them and start changing the way they play.

Carolina
Score early. Cam Ward’s confidence against the Capitals has got to be high, so if the Hurricanes can get an early lead and concentrate on playing defense it might be hard for the Capitals to battle back.

Players to Watch

Washington
John Erskine - Carolina has a lot of good forwards and most of them are very good skaters while Erskine…is not. Due to his lack of foot speed and agility, Erskine is probably the best blue line target for the Hurricanes when they’re trying to create chances.

Carolina
Cam Ward - Ward’s been a little inconsistent this season, but he’s 5-0-1 against the Caps with a .950 save percentage. For Washington to win this one in regulation, they’ll need to do a better job of solving Ward.

Capitals 3, Panthers 0

Coming into the final stretch the Washington Capitals are looking increasingly like a team of destiny (or an unstoppable force, for those more scientifically inclined fans) and last night’s 3-0 over a Florida Panthers team that needed a win to keep any glimmer of playoff hope alive did nothing to diminish that feeling, as the Capitals emerged victorious behind stellar performances from Viktor Kozlov and Cristobal Huet.

With their win, Washington caps a 5-1 road trip that exceed the expectations of even the most optimistic fan but still leaves the Capitals on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, one point behind Philadelphia for the eight spot in the Eastern Conference and two points behind both Boston (for seventh in the Conference) and Carolina (for first in the Southeast Division)(note: all three teams have a game in hand on the Capitals).* Who would have thought that even after picking up ten points in the six game swing the Caps would still be on the outside looking in? At least on the plus side for Caps fans, it was nice to have a game that didn’t induce any gray hairs.

On the ice the Washington Capitals number one goal is to maintain focus, play smart and do their best to pick up every single point that’s still available to them. In the front office of the Washington Capitals to number one goal should be finding a way to get newly acquired netminder Cristobal Huet under contract for next season. Speculation is that Huet would be looking for something in the range of an average salary of five million dollars for three or four years and if that’s the case he’s well worth the money. The Capitals are used to shelling out 5.45 million a year for Olaf Kolzig and although a number of players including Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Mike Green and Brooks Laich are going to get significant raises next year, you’d have to think that Ted Leonsis and George McPhee will find a way to devote a significant chuck of cash to the goaltending position, especially given how much this season illustrated the impact of mediocre goaltending on an otherwise very good team.

No doubt there are alarm bells going off for some Caps fans at the thought of signing a goalie to play the next three or four years for the the team given that Semen Varlamov and Michael Neuvirth are both pretty decent prospects. But the reality is that Neuvirth just turned 20 last week and Varlamov is only 19, so both are likely a ways from being capable NHL regulars. Like pitchers in baseball or quarterbacks in football, goalies tend to take long to develop; Kolzig didn’t become the Capitals’ starter until after his 25th birthday, Evgeni Nabokov was the same age when he became San Jose’s number one and Jean-Sebastien Giguere wasn’t a starter until he was 23. Even most highly-regarded netminders take a little while to get going: Roberto Luongo wasn’t a clear cut starter until he was 22 and Rick DiPietro only really put everything together last year, at age 25. Some goalies establish themselves at a younger age, but in all likelihood it’s going to take at least a couple seasons before either of the Capitals’ goaltending prospects will be ready and Huet seems to be more than capable of holding down the fort until then.

DMG’s 3 Stars
(1) Viktor Kozlov - 1 goal, 2 assists, +3, 7 shots
(2) Cristobal Huet - saved all 32 shots sent his way
(3) Alex Ovechkin - 1 goal, 1 assist, +2, 2 hits, 4 shots

Quick Hits

• Even if Eric Fehr doesn’t turn into the type of sniper the Capitals once hoped he should still be a valuable player as a big guy with decent hands who isn’t afraid to throw his body around, as evidenced by his 3 hits and 3 shots last night.
• I wonder how long that Ovechkin-to-Nicklas Backstrom play from behind the net is going to work before other teams catch on?
• If Bruce Boudreau had been the coach of this team from the season’s outset, I think we’d be talking about Ovechkin hitting 70.
• The Panthers managed to shoot and miss the net 15 times.
• The Capitals only had one player (Sergei Fedorov) who was over 50% on draws; not surprisingly the Panthers had only one player (Greg Campbell) who was below 50%.

*Note: this was written before the results of the Flyers game were posted on TSN (my source). As it turns out, the Flyers have won and have now played the same number of games as the Capitals and have 91 points.

As noted by Tarik El-Bashir in Capitals Insider and Mike Vogel in Dump ‘n’ Chase, the Capitals have signed prospect Mathieu Perreault to a three-year entry level contract.

The 20 year old Perreault is primarily a center and was a sixth round pick of the Capitals in 2006 and has torn up the QMJHL since then, registering 233 points (75+158) in 132 games and won the Jean Béliveau Trophy as the ‘Q’’s leading scorer this season, a feat that puts him in the company of players like Sidney Crosby, Alexander Radulov, Daniel Brière, Brad Richards and Mario Lemieux…as well as Patrick Carrigan, Yanick Dubé, Patrick Poulin and Pavel Rosa (note: another Capitals prospect, François Bouchard, was the league’s leading scorer last season). The point? As good as the ‘Q’ is, leading the league in scoring doesn’t garuntee NHL success, especially if you win the trophy as an overage player. Making the transition to professional hockey will be even more difficult for Perreault who’s listed at 5′9”, 166 by the QMJHL and at 5′9”, 151 by the Capitals. The league has changed post-lockout in a mannger that benefits smaller, skilled players and small players like Martin St. Louis, Steve Sullivan and Brian Gionta have been able to be productive as forwards in the NHL. He might not fulfill the promise the potential the last couple years suggest he has, but if he comes close Perreault’s going to be a steal as a sixth-rounder.

Around the (Inter)net
Hockey writers Ross McKeon and Kevin Dupont are both upset at the potential for an Ovechkin-less playoffs…Tarik had his weekly Caps Chat today…ESPN has some thoughts about Bruce Boudreau as a candidate for coach of the year…the Capitals have reassigned former first-rounder Sasha Pokulok to the ECHL, down from Hershey in the AHL.

Capitals 4, Lightning 3 (OT)

DMG’s 3 Stars
(1) Tomas Fleischmann - game winning overtime goal, +1
(2) Sergei Fedorov - 2 assists, +1
(3) Brooks Laich - 1 goal (shorthanded), 1 assist, +1

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!

Washington Capitals at Tampa Bay Lightning
Thursday, March 27th, 2008, 7:30 PM
St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa Bay, Florida
TV: CSN
Last Meeting: 2/16/08, Caps win 3-2

About the Opponent

Tampa Bay Lightning: 30-38-8, 68 points, 5th in the Southeast Division, 15th in the Eastern Conference

Team Leaders
Goals: Vincent Lecavalier (40)
Assists: Martin St. Louis (56)
Points: Vincent Lecavalier (89)
Plus/Minus: Michel Ouellet (+12)
Penalty Minutes: Shane O’Brien (154)
Fights: Andre Roy (12)

Keys to the Game

Washington
Avoid mistakes. The Capitals are a far better team that Tampa Bay and one with much more to play for. They ought to significantly outplay the Lightning and the only way that won’t be reflected on the scoreboard is if the Caps give the Lightning chances to get back in the game with turnovers, soft goals, bad penalties or the like.

Lightning
Slow down the game. Just as an inferior basketball team can keep themselves in the game by running down the shot clock and limiting possessions, an inferior hockey team can keep themselves in the game by mucking up play in the neutral zone and avoiding trading chances at each end.

Players to Watch

Washington
Alex Ovechkin - not exactly a bold prediction but Ovechkin’s had three goals, 2 assists and 20 shots in the two games since the Caps collapse in Chicago and seemed poised to will his team into the postseason.

Lightning
Jeff Halpern - the former Caps captain and 20 goal scorer has rediscovered his offensive touch since being traded to Tampa, where he has put up 15 points (7+8) in 13 games with the Lightning.

Capitals 3, Hurricanes 2 (SO)

The Washington Capitals are a team desperate to get into the playoffs, and it shows. One game after a stunning third period comeback in Atlanta sent Thrashers fans home unhappy the Capitals visited division-leading Carolina and outshot them 44-27 (including 6-0 in overtime) en route to a shootout win. It was less than ideal - going to overtime meant the Hurricanes picked up a point as well and rather than gaining ground the Capitals merely kept pace as Boston and Philadelphia also won, but with all of their remaining games against the very beatable Southeast Division the Capitals are a good weekend away from pulling into the eight (or even seventh) spot in the Eastern Conference.

DMG’s 3 Stars
(1) Alex Ovechkin - 1 goal, 11 shots, +4, 4 hits
(2) Nicklas Backstrom - 2 assists, 4 shots, +1, 4-6 on faceoffs
(3) Alex Semin - 1 goal

Capitals 5, Thrashers 3

For better than fifty minutes last night it seemed like the word of the day for Capitals fans would be ‘almost’ and the Capitals seemed to be on the verge of almost picking up a vital road win, almost keeping themselves in the playoffs race, creating chances that were almost goals and almost catching a break as the Ranger almost did the Caps a favor by (almost) beating the Flyers with a third period comeback of their own. But by the time the final buzzer had sounded, it was clear Caps fans would have a very different word on their minds: resilient.

In the first two games of their road trip the Capitals combined to play one good period - the opening frame in Nashville. The recent mini-slump, while distressing, wasn’t particularly surprising given that this team has spent most of this season clawing its way back into contention after it’s horrible start to the season. Given the adversity the team has faced while climbing up the standings over the last several months under Bruce Boudreau and the way things had started to go recently it would have been easy for them to come out in the third with a defeatist attitude, accepting that while they had done well to even get in playoff contention they were up against too much this season. Instead the Capitals came out and made a statement, dominating play for the final frame and outshooting the Thrashers 23-2, and in the process sending a message to the rest of the Eastern Conference that they’re not ready to give up on this season yet.

DMG’s 3 Stars
(1) Alexander Ovechkin - 2 goals, 2 assists, nine shots, +4
(2) Nicklas Backstrom - 2 goals, 1 assist, +3
(3) Mike Green - 2 assists, +3, 7 shots

Picture of the Night
The shot chart for the third period of last night’s game:

Quick Hits

• I hated to see it, but that Eric Perrin pass to Jim Slater that lead to his shorthanded goal was beautiful.
• Jeff Schultz made a great play at one point with Ilya Kovalchuk bearing down on him on a one-on-one, an indication of how much he’s improved this season.
• Steve Eminger wants in the lineup bad. He seems like he’s always looking to make a big and tonight he was forechecking harder than some of the forwards during the third period.
• The Thrashers laid 20 hits on the Caps last night, a number that probably would have been lower had Donald Brashear and/or John Erskine been in the lineup.
• The Capitals racked up 45 shots on the night, led by Ovechkin (9), Viktor Kozlov (8) and Mike Green (7).
• The Thrashers commentators were criticizing Kari Lehtonen for being upset with the end of the game and, to a certain extent, calling out his teammates in the post game interview but I can’t say I blame him. There’s no way you should see 23 shots in a one period when your team is defending a lead.
• That said, Lehtonen should have been called for an unsportsmanlike conduct minor for throwing his stick after the Capitals fourth goal (and an added ten minutes misconduct would have been appropriate as well, although since Lehtonen is a goalie it wouldn’t have had an impact).
• Alex Ovechkin wasn’t credited with a hit.
• Boyd Gordon’s goal was his sixth this season…and his third empty netter.
  

Washington Capitals at Atlanta Thrashers
Friday, March 20th, 2008, 7:00 PM
Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
TV: CSN
Last Meeting: 3/14/2008, Caps win 4-1

For a post that covers similar ground, see A View From the Cheap Seats‘ “Know Thy Enemy“.

After the Capitals’ last game it was apparent that the team was tired, likely both mentally and physically and Bruce Boudreau gave the team Thursday off from practice in an effort to help them clear their heads and come back focused. Having a day away from the rink to collect their thoughts should help the team move on after getting dismantled against Chicago. A win against a struggling Atlanta team would help even more.

There’s no reason the Capitals can’t win against the Thrashers who, frankly, are a bad team. Really bad. Like, getting national attention for how bad they are. Here’s a look at what the Caps’ Friday night opponent has done in their last ten games:

• March 2nd, 3-2 overtime loss to Pittsburgh. At the time this was Atlanta 7th consecutive loss.
• March 5th, 6-3 loss to Carolina. Atrlanta put the Hurricanes on gthe powerplay seven time, contributing to the 37 shots against.
• March 7th, 3-2 win against Minnesota in the gimmick shootout. Atlanta was outshot 39-26, but did go 2-4 on the powerplay.
• March 8th, 3-2 overtime loss to Florida. Were it not for Kari Lehtonen this one would have been close; the Thrashers were outshot 43-27.
• March 11th, 5-2 loss to Colorado. Johan Hedberg allows five goals on 23 shots.
• March 13th, 6-4 win against Calgary. The Thrashers rally from a three-goal deficit to send a tired Calgary team home with a loss.
• March 14th, 4-1 loss to Washington. The Caps dominated the Thrashers, outshooting them 37-12. Only Kari Lehtonen’s stellar play kept this from being a complete blowout.
• March 16th, 3-1 loss to Florida. The Thrashers learned two things the Capitals know all to well: (1) the NHL’s referees aren’t very consistent and (2) Tomas Vokoun is really good.
• March 18th, 3-2 loss to Philadelphia. The score may have been 3-2, but the shots were 47-19 in favor of the Flyers.
• March 19th, 5-3 loss to Carolina. A Slava Kozlov goal with 39 seconds left made this one look a little better on paper and although the Thrashers played one of their stronger games of this stretch, actually out shooting the Hurricanes 34-33, this game was over at the first intermission when Carolina took a 3-0 lead to the locker room.

During this ten game stretch the Thrashers:

• Won one game in regulation, won one game in a shootout, lost twice in overtime and lost six times in regulation.
• Allowed an average of 35.6 shots per game against and averaged 26.1 shots for.
• Were outshot six times, outshot their opposition three times and matched their opponents once.
• Went 6 for 35 on the powerplay (17.1%), but scored powerplay goals in only three games.
• Killed just 29 of 40 shorthanded situations (72.5%).
• Saw their goalies post a combined .896 save percentage.

Simply put, the Capitals should not lose this game. In fact, it shouldn’t even be close.

Capitals 0, Blackhawks 5

The no way around the fact that this one hurt. Bad. And there’s not really any sense in re-hashing the intricacies of last night’s game because there aren’t going to be any answers there for the Capitals. The team was terrible last night in just about every way and in all three zones.

The important thing to remember after a game like last night’s is this: it’s just one game. From looking around the Capitals-centric portion of the internet, I think that’s something that a lot of fans might be overlooking. Consider these facts:

• The Capitals playing just 25 hours after a game where they had delivered 23 hits and absorbed 17. After that game they had to travel 472 miles from Nashville to Chicago.
• The Capitals are still only two points out of the last playoff spot in the Eastern conference.
• On Friday the Capitals play the Atlanta Thrashers who are, right now, probably worst team in the NHL and are 2-6-2 in their last ten.
• The Caps seven remaining games are all against the Southeast Division, the worst division in the NHL.
• The Caps have still lost back-to-back games in regulation just once under Boudreau, and they had to get screwed by the refs in one game and score in their own net in another to pull that off.
• Buffalo is 4-4-2 in their last ten, Philly is 4-3-3 and Boston is 3-4-3.
• As ugly as it was, this was one game. It terms of potential points lost it doesn’t matter whether the Capitals lost 1-0, 2-0, 5-0 or 10-0.

I think the last point is the most important one. It would have been unreasonable to expect the Capitals to not lose at least one game in regulation during their six game road trip (my personal guess was that they’d go 4-1-1), so there’s not any reason to throw in the towel after last night’s loss. As long as the Capitals’ coaches and veterans realize that and don’t let the poor play from last night carry over into future games, the fact that the Capitals lost in (very) poor fashion becomes irrelevant. As they say “they don’t ask how, they just ask how many”; all that matters is that the Caps missed a chance to pick up points and they’re still very much in the playoffs race.

…and there’s another use of my ‘Relentless Optimism’ label.