Fleischman’s Status and Other Caps Notes
You can put an end to the Tomas Fleischmann trade rumors, at least according to Washington Capitals Coach Bruce Boudreau.
The offensively gifted young winger, who may find himself shifted to center and battling for a spot as the second-line pivot, has been rumored to be on the trading block since a sub-par playoff performance against Montreal that ended up with an unceremonious Game 7 benching. Yesterday, in a short story published on SportingNews.com, Boudreau put an end to the trade speculation, stating that he expects Fleischmann to have a “breakout year.” Boudreau thinks Fleischmann will improve upon last year’s 23 goals, especially considering that Fleischmann missed all of training camp and the first 11 games last season because of a blood clot.
Fleischmann, who reportedly has looked good in preseason workouts with teammates at the Caps’ Kettler Iceplex practice facility, has a long history with Boudreau. While both were at Hershey Fleischmann was the offensive leader on a team that captured one Calder Cup and advanced to the finals the following year. When Boudreau was hired by Washington he began easing Fleischmann into the lineup, at one point commenting that the young Czech was “my Ovechkin” at Hershey.
In his short NHL career Fleischmann, as his nickname “Flash” suggests, has shown flashes of brilliance, appearing in 260 NHL games and recording 56 goals, 72 assists, 128 points and a minus-7 overall rating. Prior to falling out of favor in the postseason last spring Fleischmann had turned in his best season as a Cap, notching 28 assists to go along with his 23 goals and posting a career-best plus-9.
Fleishman is a fast, yet smooth and possesses tremendous skill and a powerful wrist shot. If he can develop a little bit better touch around the goal and add some physicality to his game there is no reason he can’t be a consistent 30-goal scorer at the NHL level. His seeming lack of willingness to roll up his sleeves and battle in the corners and in front of the net, as well as some defensive zone coverage issues, earned the wrath of Washington’s fan base during last year’s playoffs and apparently led to Boudreau’s Game 7 decision to dress veteran tough guy Scott Walker instead of Fleischmann.
Perhaps that benching was what Fleischmann needed as motivation to help him ascend to the upper echelon of NHL forwards this year. If not, expect the trade rumors to heat up again around deadline time as his one-year, $2.6 million contract nears its end.
Do the Wise Guys Know Something?
After opening 12-1 odds to win the Stanley Cup, the Caps have moved into the favorite spot on the Vegas boards along with their arch-rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both are currently listed as 6-1, followed by Chicago at 7-1 and Detroit at 10-1. Vancouver, San Jose, Philadelphia and New Jersey are next in line according to the Vegas pundits. Rounding out the list at the bottom is Edmonton at 100-1.
To think that Edmonton has fallen that far since its dominance throughout the mid-to-late 1980s and into the 90s is shocking on the surface. But as I look into my own backyard I see a Baltimore Orioles franchise that was baseball’s winningest over a 35-year period spanning the 60s, 70s and 80s and had a resurgence in the late 90s before becoming the American League’s doormat over the past five years. And the once-proud Washington Redskins’ struggles under the “leadership” of Daniel Snyder have left the three-time Super Bowl champs as a three-time playoff qualifier and perennial .500 or below franchise since their last title in 1992.
Sports success seems to go in cycles, which is good news for the Capitals right now as they have built unmatched organizational depth in professional hockey. That depth has developed as a result of an orchestrated rebuilding period during the middle part of the decade that has produced contributing first-round draft picks such as Alexander Ovechkin, Mike Green, Jeff Schultz, Alexander Semin, John Carlson, Karl Alzner, Boyd Gordon, Eric Fehr, Nicklas Backstrom, Semyon Varlamov. Other draftees and prospects have contributed to Hershey’s back-to-back Calder Cup victories and have allowed Washington to avoid the free agent spending frenzy this summer in hopes of constructing a championship-caliber club from within.
Training Camp Update
The Caps’ rookie camp begins Sunday at the Kettler Iceplex in Northern Virginia and culminates on Sept. 16 with the annual rookie game there against the Flyers. That contest will be streamed with audio and video coverage on www.WashingtonCaps.com. Selected rookies will be chosen from that camp to participate in full training camp, which begins Sept. 18 at Kettler. All rookie and training camp workouts are open to the public.
Washington’s preseason schedule shapes up this way:
Wednesday, Sept. 22 at Columbus
Saturday, Sept. 25 at Nashville
Tuesday, Sept. 28 home vs. Boston
Wednesday, Sept. 29 at Boston
Friday, Oct. 1 home vs. Columbus
Sunday, Oct. 3 home vs. Nashville
For the first time in recent memory the Caps will not face a single Southeast Division foe leading up to their regular-season opener Oct. 8 at Atlanta. Washington faces New Jersey in its home opener Oct. 9 at Verizon Center. This year the Caps will appear on Versus 11 times (thank God that Direc TV solved that issue!), and NBC will televise as many as four of Washington’s contests.
Showing posts with label Mike Green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mike Green. Show all posts
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
No Time for Messing Around
Tonight should be interesting.
Everything can change in the blink of an eye. Everywhere you look the media has said that the Washington Capitals have a stranglehold on their NHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series against Montreal, but if the Canadiens can pull out Game 5 tonight at Verizon Center the mantra will change to, “The pressure’s on the Caps.”
So, for that and other reasons, from the Washington perspective at least, it makes sense for the Caps to do everything in their power to close out the series immediately. If the Caps were to win the series they’d face Philadelphia, which finished off its five-game upset of the Devils last night, in the second round. This time of year an extra day or two of rest can be very important.
And don’t think that, at least from a distance, Washington didn’t notice that defending-champ Pittsburgh first had its game extended an extra 2-1/2 periods and then its season by at least another contest thanks to a gritty effort from an Ottawa club that faced a predicament similar to Montreal’s.
“I watched a hockey game last night and Ottawa played that way – with fire and passion and desire to win, and I think they out outplayed their opponent,” Caps forward Brooks Laich said earlier today. “Montreal is going to come in here and do the same thing. They are going to work as hard as they can and play as well as they can, so for us, we will need to be at our best to win.”
Added defenseman Jeff Schultz: “We’d like to finish it out tonight so that we can give ourselves a couple of days of rest while the other series play out.”
Most everyone expects the Habs to come out flying, much as they have the past two games, but based on the fact that Montreal has been unable to solve Caps’ replacement netminder Semyon Varlamov early and then and has worn down in the second half of those contests, it might be a better idea for them to play a less-aggressive, counter-attacking style that utilizes their speed and quickness to clog passing lanes and create transition opportunities off of turnovers. While that type of strategy might give Montreal the best chance of competing for a full 60 minutes, the danger is, especially with the inconsistent goaltending the Habs have gotten, that the high-powered Caps’ offensive attack might be too much for them to withstand. And certainly the Canadiens can’t afford to fall behind by a couple of goals.
“I think the first 10 minutes will be very important,” Alex Ovechkin said. “I think they will push us very hard and try to go down and score goals. If they can score it will be good for them. We just have to play our game.”
As the series has progressed, Washington has been able to play its style of hockey more comfortably. One school of thought heading into this series was that the Caps’ combination of speed, size and strength would ultimately wear the Habs down over the course of many games. That certainly has appeared to be the case thus far. Washington scored four goals in the third period and overtime of their Game 2 comeback, four goals in the second period of Game 3 and four goals in the third period of Game 4. Washington scored three markers in the first 111 minutes of the series and 16 in the 142 minutes since.
“We want to wear them down early in the game and tire them oust,” said Schultz. “It’s not like we are going to go out of our way to lay a big check on a guy, we’ll just do it as if we were playing any game.”
It may be easier for both teams to approach tonight as if it were just any game and to play a little more free and relaxed. After all, Washington has some margin of error now with a two-game lead, and the Habs have nothing to lose facing a 3-1 deficit. The problem is that if the Caps do falter they will have to return to a crazy environment and face a team that would definitely be re-energized and dangerous.
In past years you might almost expect a less-mature Washington team to come out tonight thinking that the series was wrapped up, but after having its first three playoff series under Bruce Boudreau extended to seven games, this Capitals squad seems to have the big picture in mind and to have developed the killer instinct found inside all championship contenders.
“Everybody talks about killer instinct,” Boudreau said, “but I think that every team wants to go and finish a series off and not let the other team hang around and make it go six or seven games. So the phrase killer instinct, I don’t know. If you don’t win does that mean you don’t have it? That you don’t want to win? I think we want to win as much as they do.”
Washington has not been able to close out a series in Game 5 since they handed another Canadian foe, Ottawa, a five-game setback in 1998 en route to an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. Ironically the Caps chased Senators’ goaltender Damian Rhodes, who was replaced at one point by Ron Tugnutt, in that series. Washington dropped a potential fifth-game clincher to Buffalo that same year in the conference finals before clinching on the road in Game 6. All-time the Caps are 8-18 overall in fifth games and 5-11 at home. The Caps are 2-6 in fifth games when leading a series 3-1 and are 3-3 in series in which they have led by that same margin.
To force a Game 6, Montreal will have to figure out Varlamov, who is now 3-0 in the series with a 2.49 GAA and .920 save percentage. On the other side it appears as though Halak will replace Price, whose emotions got the best of him late in Game 4, for Montreal. Both goaltenders have similar numbers for the series, with Price posting a 3.98 GAA and .898 save percentage compared to Halak’s 4.06 and .887. Halak did steal Game 1 for the Habs in DC with a spectacular 45-save performance, which along with Price’s meltdown at Bell Centre, made him the obvious choice for Canadiens’ coach Jacques Martin.
“That’s the first I’ve heard (that Halak will start,)” Boudreau said. “Until I see whoever’s coming out there first tonight I won’t know who is in or out.”
Regardless of who’s in net, the Caps are hoping that a more relaxed approach tonight might help them iron out their power-play issues and allow offensive stars Alex Semin and Mike Green to break out of their mini-slumps. Washington, which led the league in power-play percentage this season, has converted on just one of 19 extra-man opportunities thus far. The Caps did break through for an Ovechkin extra-man goal in the first period Wednesday, but that was in an unsettled situation. Their patience, decision-making and puck movement improved as the night wore on, however.
As for Semin and Green, both showed signs of life in Game 4, with Semin feathering a great pass to Ovechkin for the go-ahead goal in the third period and Green playing with much more confidence at both ends of the ice. Green, today announced as a finalist for the Norris Trophy, has an assist in each of the past two contests. Maybe the Norris announcement, paired with the two-game lead, will allow him to settle down and contribute more tonight.
“There’s a lot of pressure,” Boudreaux said, “and the players want to do so good and anticipate this for so long that it doesn’t always work out so well. Then they relax a little bit and get into their comfort zone and things start to come a little easier.”
So far Washington hasn’t needed much in the way of offense from Semin, Green or the power play. Boyd Gordon has helped the Caps score more shorthanded than extra-man goals thus far, and the Caps third and fourth lines have combined for 13 points and are a plus-7. That, along with the stellar defensive play of Tom Poti (playoff-leading plus-8) and rookie John Carlson (plus-7) has made Washington a tough team to beat.
Now, if Green and Semin can get rolling the Caps will truly be the Cup contender Many of us always thought they were.
Caps’ Lineup Notes:
It appears as though Washington will use the same forward combinations for the third straight game. On defense it is not clear whether Shaone Morrisonn will return. If he doesn’t, Tyler Sloan will play in his place for the second straight game.
Forwards
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Knuble
Fleischmann-Belanger-Semin
Laich-Morrison-Fehr
Chimera-Gordon-Bradley
Defense
Schultz-Green
Poti-Carlson
Sloan/Morrisonn-Corvo
Goal
Varlamov
Everything can change in the blink of an eye. Everywhere you look the media has said that the Washington Capitals have a stranglehold on their NHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series against Montreal, but if the Canadiens can pull out Game 5 tonight at Verizon Center the mantra will change to, “The pressure’s on the Caps.”
So, for that and other reasons, from the Washington perspective at least, it makes sense for the Caps to do everything in their power to close out the series immediately. If the Caps were to win the series they’d face Philadelphia, which finished off its five-game upset of the Devils last night, in the second round. This time of year an extra day or two of rest can be very important.
And don’t think that, at least from a distance, Washington didn’t notice that defending-champ Pittsburgh first had its game extended an extra 2-1/2 periods and then its season by at least another contest thanks to a gritty effort from an Ottawa club that faced a predicament similar to Montreal’s.
“I watched a hockey game last night and Ottawa played that way – with fire and passion and desire to win, and I think they out outplayed their opponent,” Caps forward Brooks Laich said earlier today. “Montreal is going to come in here and do the same thing. They are going to work as hard as they can and play as well as they can, so for us, we will need to be at our best to win.”
Added defenseman Jeff Schultz: “We’d like to finish it out tonight so that we can give ourselves a couple of days of rest while the other series play out.”
Most everyone expects the Habs to come out flying, much as they have the past two games, but based on the fact that Montreal has been unable to solve Caps’ replacement netminder Semyon Varlamov early and then and has worn down in the second half of those contests, it might be a better idea for them to play a less-aggressive, counter-attacking style that utilizes their speed and quickness to clog passing lanes and create transition opportunities off of turnovers. While that type of strategy might give Montreal the best chance of competing for a full 60 minutes, the danger is, especially with the inconsistent goaltending the Habs have gotten, that the high-powered Caps’ offensive attack might be too much for them to withstand. And certainly the Canadiens can’t afford to fall behind by a couple of goals.
“I think the first 10 minutes will be very important,” Alex Ovechkin said. “I think they will push us very hard and try to go down and score goals. If they can score it will be good for them. We just have to play our game.”
As the series has progressed, Washington has been able to play its style of hockey more comfortably. One school of thought heading into this series was that the Caps’ combination of speed, size and strength would ultimately wear the Habs down over the course of many games. That certainly has appeared to be the case thus far. Washington scored four goals in the third period and overtime of their Game 2 comeback, four goals in the second period of Game 3 and four goals in the third period of Game 4. Washington scored three markers in the first 111 minutes of the series and 16 in the 142 minutes since.
“We want to wear them down early in the game and tire them oust,” said Schultz. “It’s not like we are going to go out of our way to lay a big check on a guy, we’ll just do it as if we were playing any game.”
It may be easier for both teams to approach tonight as if it were just any game and to play a little more free and relaxed. After all, Washington has some margin of error now with a two-game lead, and the Habs have nothing to lose facing a 3-1 deficit. The problem is that if the Caps do falter they will have to return to a crazy environment and face a team that would definitely be re-energized and dangerous.
In past years you might almost expect a less-mature Washington team to come out tonight thinking that the series was wrapped up, but after having its first three playoff series under Bruce Boudreau extended to seven games, this Capitals squad seems to have the big picture in mind and to have developed the killer instinct found inside all championship contenders.
“Everybody talks about killer instinct,” Boudreau said, “but I think that every team wants to go and finish a series off and not let the other team hang around and make it go six or seven games. So the phrase killer instinct, I don’t know. If you don’t win does that mean you don’t have it? That you don’t want to win? I think we want to win as much as they do.”
Washington has not been able to close out a series in Game 5 since they handed another Canadian foe, Ottawa, a five-game setback in 1998 en route to an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. Ironically the Caps chased Senators’ goaltender Damian Rhodes, who was replaced at one point by Ron Tugnutt, in that series. Washington dropped a potential fifth-game clincher to Buffalo that same year in the conference finals before clinching on the road in Game 6. All-time the Caps are 8-18 overall in fifth games and 5-11 at home. The Caps are 2-6 in fifth games when leading a series 3-1 and are 3-3 in series in which they have led by that same margin.
To force a Game 6, Montreal will have to figure out Varlamov, who is now 3-0 in the series with a 2.49 GAA and .920 save percentage. On the other side it appears as though Halak will replace Price, whose emotions got the best of him late in Game 4, for Montreal. Both goaltenders have similar numbers for the series, with Price posting a 3.98 GAA and .898 save percentage compared to Halak’s 4.06 and .887. Halak did steal Game 1 for the Habs in DC with a spectacular 45-save performance, which along with Price’s meltdown at Bell Centre, made him the obvious choice for Canadiens’ coach Jacques Martin.
“That’s the first I’ve heard (that Halak will start,)” Boudreau said. “Until I see whoever’s coming out there first tonight I won’t know who is in or out.”
Regardless of who’s in net, the Caps are hoping that a more relaxed approach tonight might help them iron out their power-play issues and allow offensive stars Alex Semin and Mike Green to break out of their mini-slumps. Washington, which led the league in power-play percentage this season, has converted on just one of 19 extra-man opportunities thus far. The Caps did break through for an Ovechkin extra-man goal in the first period Wednesday, but that was in an unsettled situation. Their patience, decision-making and puck movement improved as the night wore on, however.
As for Semin and Green, both showed signs of life in Game 4, with Semin feathering a great pass to Ovechkin for the go-ahead goal in the third period and Green playing with much more confidence at both ends of the ice. Green, today announced as a finalist for the Norris Trophy, has an assist in each of the past two contests. Maybe the Norris announcement, paired with the two-game lead, will allow him to settle down and contribute more tonight.
“There’s a lot of pressure,” Boudreaux said, “and the players want to do so good and anticipate this for so long that it doesn’t always work out so well. Then they relax a little bit and get into their comfort zone and things start to come a little easier.”
So far Washington hasn’t needed much in the way of offense from Semin, Green or the power play. Boyd Gordon has helped the Caps score more shorthanded than extra-man goals thus far, and the Caps third and fourth lines have combined for 13 points and are a plus-7. That, along with the stellar defensive play of Tom Poti (playoff-leading plus-8) and rookie John Carlson (plus-7) has made Washington a tough team to beat.
Now, if Green and Semin can get rolling the Caps will truly be the Cup contender Many of us always thought they were.
Caps’ Lineup Notes:
It appears as though Washington will use the same forward combinations for the third straight game. On defense it is not clear whether Shaone Morrisonn will return. If he doesn’t, Tyler Sloan will play in his place for the second straight game.
Forwards
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Knuble
Fleischmann-Belanger-Semin
Laich-Morrison-Fehr
Chimera-Gordon-Bradley
Defense
Schultz-Green
Poti-Carlson
Sloan/Morrisonn-Corvo
Goal
Varlamov
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Caps' Leaders Emerge in the "Nick" of Time
The Washington Capitals enjoyed the finest regular season by far in franchise history, and they did it with a high-flying, high-powered offense that easily was the highest-scoring in the NHL en route to capturing the Southeast Division, the Eastern Conference top seed and the Presidents’ Trophy. Because of that unprecedented regular-season success it’s possible to see how the Caps might enter the postseason with a “my way or the highway” mentality and the confidence that if they just maintained the status quo everything would be fine.
It’s possible to see how that mentality could creep into the locker room, but in this case it’s not entirely understandable. Not with the core of a team returning for a third try at Lord Stanley’s prize – a group that learned first hand the past two seasons the style of play necessary to have success in April and May.
Fortunately for Washington, this year it only took 5-1/2 periods for the Caps to realize they needed to adapt their approach in the NHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. Montreal. They came to the realization in the “Nick” of time, using Nick Backstrom’s first career hat trick to rally from a 4-1 late second-period deficit and escape with a thrilling, yet improbable 6-5 overtime win in Game 2 to even the series at two.
Last season it took the Capitals six periods and a two-games-to-none deficit, which included a goaltender change, to the New York Rangers before the light bulb turned on. Under eerily similar circumstances the Caps fell behind the Habs 2-0 in Game 2 Saturday on Montreal’s first two shots – despite having seven shots on goal of their own – resulting in goaltender Jose Theodore being yanked by coach Bruce Boudreau in favor of Semyon Varlamov for the second consecutive season. While Boudreau didn’t blame Theodore for the goals, the fact that he had given up goals on three straight shots going back to Tomas Plekanec’s overtime game-winner in Game 1 simply could not be overlooked.
So now we can add a D.C. goaltender controversy to the drama that has already enveloped this series. “We’ll have a video session and a long plane ride to Montreal, and during the course of that one of (the goalies) will know (who’s playing),” Boudreau said. “Before this series we said that if we are going to go anywhere this year we probably will have to use both goalies. I still think that we’ll have to use both goalies. Whether Varly or Theo plays Monday, I think they both are going to play again. That’s why we’ve got to keep them sharp.”
That’s just one of the many storylines that has emerged in this series, which has been more closely contested than most had expected and has produced two exhilarating games. The main theme has been the vaunted Washington offense against the Montreal trap and kamikaze shot-blocking defense. For more than 100 minutes that battle had clearly been won by the Habs, allowing them to capture Game 1, 3-2, and build a seemingly insurmountable 4-1 lead that had let the air out of Verizon Center in Game 2.
But then the Caps’ vaunted first line, led by hard-charging Alex Ovechkin, bull-in-a-china-shop Mike Knuble and Backstrom, hockey’s version of a jedeye, decided it was time to lead by example and show the others what needed to be done.
Ovechkin seemed determined to make a statement right from the opening faceoff, steamrolling Marc-Andre Bergeron and Andrei Markov on the first shift to ignite the crowd. The excitement soon turned to gloom, however, as Montreal connected for its first score at the end of that shift and then another just minutes later – the first of three straight by Andrei Kostitsyn
“I felt pretty good today, especially in the first period, and wanted to get into the game,” Ovechkin said. “I wanted to go out and make some hits and take some shots.” Asked about his strategy, he replied, “To destroy people? No. My job is to score goals, and if I get a chance to hit somebody, I’m going to hit him. It was good for me mentally.”
A breakaway goal by Eric Fehr after a turnover and fine feed by Tomas Fleishmann pulled the Caps to within 2-1 before the game was 10 minutes old, but from that point on the contest settled into a familiar pattern, with Washington pressing and forcing passes and shots and Montreal sitting back, clogging the passing and shooting lanes and converging on the net en masse every time the Caps had a real opportunity to score on goaltender Jaroslav Halak. That continued until Kostitsyn scored once on a botched defensive coverage in front and again when a puck that bounced off of him for the natural hat trick and a 4-1 lead late in the second.
That’s when Ovechkin, Backstrom and Knuble decided it was time to take charge. Just moments after Kostitsyn’s third tally, Knuble, the unsung hero of the night, jammed the net, the first time all series a Washington player had gotten into Halak’s face, and distracted the Montreal goaltender enough to allow Backstrom’s bad-angle slapper to sneak through.
4-2. Crowd ignited. Message sent. The third period would be different.
No one ever expected the Caps to give up, but many at Verizon Center had begun to question whether Washington was willing to do what it would take to defeat this pesky and stubborn Canadiens’ club. That question would be answered in the final 20 minutes.
Ovechkin, who had taken the blame for a sub-par Game 1 effort stepped up and took center stage, crashing the net to score on a rebound that barely came loose after Canada-killer John Carlson had deftly faked a Montreal player to the ice and fired a shot at Halak. Then, a few minutes later, with 16:30 left in the contest, Ovechkin took exception with Brian Gionta after a rush on Varlamov, giving the Habs’ forward a couple extra shoves after the whistle. Scott Gomez came to Gionta’s aid, which drew Tom Poti into the mix. In the drop of a hat – or a pair of gloves – two of the sport’s mildest-mannered Americans, Poti and Gomez, were throwing punches.
The fight was action-packed if not awkward, but it really got the crowd in an uproar, and when a camera panned the Caps’ bench, there were smiles all around. It was the first time all series the team had looked relaxed. “I thought it was great,” Boudreau said. “It was the first time I’d seen Tom fight, and the players really rallied around it. They patted Tom on the back. We don’t have a lot of fights, anyway, but it told us something about how much he wanted to win. I thought that after that – even though our power play was struggling – it gave us more life.”
Knuble reared his menacing body again shortly, coming too close to comfort for Halak as yet another Ovechkin shot was nearly blocked. This time, though, the Caps’ captain didn’t give up on the play, pouncing on the rebound and threading a perfect pass to Backstrom for the dunk and a 4-4 tie with slightly more than 10 minutes left in regulation.
It looked as though Washington had all the momentum, but a bad decision by Jeff Schultz and some nifty Montreal passing – aided by poor defensive coverage by Mike Green – resulted in what appeared to be a deciding fifth goal for the Habs with 5:06 left. It wasn’t over, though, as Carlson continued his clutch play against teams representing the Great White North, burying a wrister off of a Backstrom feed with 1:21 remaining for his first career playoff goal.
Then, in overtime, three momentum changers teamed up, with Poti and Knuble feeding Backstrom for the game-winner, a snapshot that was very similar to the one that chased Theodore in the first period. Backstrom’s strike sent the Verizon Center into pandemonium as hats rained down from even the “cheap” seats. It was the second consecutive playoff Game 2 in D.C. that resulted in two players recording hat tricks – just to add another twist to the night’s festivities.
Backstrom and Carlson were the heroes for sure, but Ovechkin, whose health and level of play had been questioned by so many, proved to be the leader his teammates had grown to lean on: “You could see his energy, his desire and his leadership were there tonight,” Boudreau said. “If we all watched the last game and today’s game, the difference was night and day. We need him to be like that all the time if we are going to succeed.”
Added Backstrom: “He’s such a big key to our team. He plays with a lot of emotion and a physical game that gives the team a lot of energy. When we see him go to the net and score goals and hit guys like that it gives the other guys on the team good energy and the other guys want to do it, too.”
Ovechkin and Knuble went to the net often during the Caps’ comeback, showing their teammates first hand what needed to be done to get under Halak’s skin and help Washington claw its way back into the series. The results were undeniable and helped the Caps dampen what should have been a very successful trip to D.C. for the Habs.
“We watched the video and Bruce told us that Halak leaves rebounds,” Ovechkin said. “We just had to go to the net and find some rebounds. We had to do something. I like to shoot the puck and they were playing so tight on me that I couldn’t find the time and space to shoot, so I decided to go to the net and find some rebounds. Today it worked for me. Tomorrow is a new game and a new day.”
No one knows what tomorrow will hold in this roller-coaster series, but one thing is certain. Washington’s leaders stepped to the forefront just in the “Nick” of time.
Friday, April 9, 2010
The Case for Mike Green
For those of us with the good fortune of watching Mike Green play defense for the Washington Capitals on a daily basis, it had started to become pretty easy to take him for granted. You could pencil him in for a point or two every night along with about 25 minutes of ice time – very active up and down ice time, no less. Oh, and if the game went into overtime you could be pretty sure that Green would either score the game-winner himself or play an important role in the deciding tally. Ho hum.
Perhaps Green has become a victim of his own consistency. Despite his high level of play, for most of the North American hockey media, there always seems to be questions about his overall game. He never can quite do enough for those who only see him play on occasion.
Certainly for a couple of years Green could have been considered one of those “high risk, high reward” types of players, but over the past two seasons – logging all the key ice time and a good chunk of the short-handed minutes for one of the NHL’s best teams – Green is a plus-59. Sounds more like low risk, high reward to me. That includes a plus-35 mark this season, which is second among the league’s defensemen, and a plus-33 rating outside of his division, the best out-of-division number for any NHL d-man.
On top of that he leads all blueliners in goals (19), assists (55), points (74), power-play goals (10), power-play points (35), home points (40), road points (34) and points outside his division (54). Phew!
Oh, there’s more. Green is the only defenseman averaging more than a point per game and his plus-minus rating is 59% better than the second-best player among the top 10 in defenseman scoring. Historically speaking he is only the third active defenseman (actually the second with Chelios getting shipped back to the AHL) to have recorded a 70-point season (Lidstom is the other), and Green is the seventh defenseman all-time with back-to-back 70-point seasons before turning 25. The other six are enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Bruce Boudreau has contended for more than a year that Green is the best blueliner he has on both ends of the ice. Caps fans and media have witnessed his phenomenal talent on a nightly basis, and despite the criticisms of his defensive game, he still finished second in last year’s Norris Trophy voting. Although it’s way too early to seriously discuss this, Green is in the process of compiling a Hall of Fame resume.
We can sit at our keyboards and pound out endless complicated statistics and comparisons that show how much Green means to his team, but perhaps Boudreau’s simplistic approach is more effective and provides an even better argument. “He can’t do anything about what other people say,” says the defenseman’s most ardent supporter. “As a team we’ve played 80 games and gotten points in 65 of them. That’s pretty incredible, and if we are successful in these last two games we have a chance to be 40 games over .500. A week ago I finally heard the media touting him as Norris candidate, and now he sits out two games and they are doubting him again. I really don’t know why people doubt him when most of these awards are determined by statistics and he by far has the best statistics. He’s got the best statistics and is the best defenseman on the best regular-season team.”
Green established himself as a Norris frontrunner last season only to be edged in the voting by Zdeno Chara. You could make plenty of arguments for both players, and in the end it really could have gone either way. Chara was considered the better player in his own end an also an offensive weapon. Green had earned recognition as the top offensive blueliner, but his vocal defensive doubters probably made the difference.
The unfair part about the evolution of Green as a Norris candidate is what happened after last regular season. A worn down and beat up Green did not produce up to his usual high standards during the playoffs, and his reputation took a beating. Midway through the second-round seven-game loss to Pittsburgh commentators began to whisper that Green was falling out of favor with Steve Yzerman and the others who would be selecting the roster for the 2010 Canadian Olympic Team.
Instead of returning as a supremely confident defenseman who had solidified as one of the game’s best and would be representing his country in Vancouver, Green came to training camp feeling he had something to prove. He pressed a little bit early in the season and experienced some struggles in his own end. Still, his numbers were among the top d-men in the league. Then came the Canadian team announcement, and Green was left off of the roster in favor of players such as declining veteran Chris Pronger (yes, Canada won the gold medal, but Pronger over Green?) and up-and-comer Drew Doughty.
Perhaps motivated by not being selected or possibly relieved to be done with the situation altogether, Green has been lights out on both ends of the ice ever since.
If you really take a hard look at Green’s accomplishments and what he means to his team, no other blueliner really compares in terms of overall contribution. Is he the best defenseman in the league in his own end? No, but he is skilled and mobile enough to lead an offensive rush up the ice and recover in time to break up a counter-attack. He’s big and strong enough to provide a physical presence and help make his team the top 5-on-5 club in the league. He’s creative enough to thread breakout passes that create scoring chances for the league’s most talented group of forwards and to make smart decisions with the puck that thwart aggressive and trapping forechecks. He’s tough enough not to get pushed around, and disciplined enough to always be available when his team needs him the most. He would immediately make any team’s power play better and would see short-handed minutes for every other NHL club.
Certainly there are other great defensemen out there, but clearly there is no defenseman who has had the overall positive impact that Green has on his team. You can go deep into the statistical analysis to prove that point or save yourself a lot of aggravation and just give it the simple Boudreau eye test. While Doughty should give Green a run for his money during the foreseeable future, this is Mike Green’s year.
Green could have sat in the corner and sucked his thumb after being left off the Olympic team, but instead he reached down deep and became the best defenseman in the NHL. That alone deserves the respect of those who have doubted him in the past. And for those who say he doesn’t play well at both ends of the ice, they either don’t follow the sport closely enough or don’t understand it well enough to deserve a say in the matter, anyway.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Caps in Good Shape Despite What "Experts" Say
When you follow a team all your life and since its inception, it's hard at times to be objective. In the case of the Washington Capitals, after years of playoff disappointments, many of their followers - inlcuding me - tend to expect the worst this time of year.
Lately, many in the national media - and now even Columbus Blue Jacket forward R.J. Umberger - have jumped on the anti-Caps bandwagon. Several NHL media types have labeled Washington "this year's Sharks," and Umberger last night said that the Caps wouldn't strike fear in any of the Western Confernece teams because "they don't play the right way."
Let's address that ridiculous comment first. Based on his - and his team's - performance this year, it might stand to reason that Mr. Umberger would know a thing or two about not playing the right way. It just seems like a funny statement coming from an underachieving player on an underachieving, disappointing team after a loss against a club that he will never face more than twice a year. Way to put yourself on the line, R.J.
Enough about that, though. Instead let's get back to the "prevailing wisdom" among a national NHL media contingent that waivers more than a U.S. politician in an election year. They say that the Caps have been struggling of late, that they have holes on defense, that they aren't capable of playing a two-way defensive style, that they are suspect in goal, and on and on.
Well, trying to be as objective as possible, let's take a quick look around the league at the competition - at least those that the pundits consider to be legitmate Cup contenders and the other teams battling for playoff berths. The erstwhile Sharks, second in the race for the President's Tropy and leading the West, have split their last two (prior to tonight's game at Colorado) after winning four straight. Before that they had dropped six in a row. They are 5-5 in their last 10 and 5-6-1 in their last 12.
Chicago, the media darling early in the year and considered by many to be the favorite coming out of the West, has won two straight after dropping three in a row and is 4-4-2 in its last 10. Vancouver is 5-4-1 in its most recent 10 outings. Phoenix, which did have a recent nine-game winning streak, is still just 6-3-1 in its last 10. Nashville has been playing well of late, going 7-2-1 in its last 10 contests, but the Preds are rarely mentioned as a contender. Instead, the Red Wings seem to be a poplular choice to make a run after struggling for most of the year and looking like they might battle it out for the eighth seed until the season's final week. The Wings are healthy now, having won seven of their last nine and going 7-3 in their last 10, including today's lost to the previously struggling Flyers.
Others in the West include Los Angeles (4-5-1), Calgary (6-4) and Colorado, which has lost seven of its last eight (before facing the Sharks tonight).
On the flip side in the East, current second-place New Jersey is 4-3-3 in its last 10, No. 3 Buffalo is 7-3, Pittsburgh is 5-3-2, Ottawa is 6-4, Montreal is 5-3-2, Boston is 6-4, Philadelphia is 4-5-1, the Rangers are 6-3-1 and Atlanta is 5-3-2.
Compare all those teams to the Caps. Washington has won its last two, each by a single goal while playing a more defensive style, and is 6-1-3 in its last 10. The Caps, who are one point away from cliniching the President's Trophy (pending the outcome of tonight's Colorado-San Jose matchup), did lose three straight before their current two-game win streak, but at one point recently they had earned at least one point in 26 of their previous 29 outings. In their last 29 contests Washington has lost by more than a single goal only once, 5-3 to Calgary last week.
The Caps entered today eight points better than the next closest team in the NHL, and after a couple of tough outings last week, their goaltenders have held their last two opponents to a total of three goals, with Jose Thedore stopping 34 shots vs. Columbus Saturday to earn first-star honors. Despite the blips on the radar last week, Theodore still is 18-0-3 in his last 21 decisions, and if he falters, Semyon Varlamov showed during last year's playoffs that he is more than up to the task.
"When you feel good about your game, you know in your mind that you are going to have some bad games," said Theodore after Saturday's win vs. Columbus. "Every player has some bad games, but it's about making sure that stretch doesn't last too long. It was great to be back in net tonight and I just wanted to get back on track and back to feeling tood about my game."
Are the Caps at the top of their game right now? Of course not. They are not playing as well as they were during their ridiculous winning streak leading up to the Olympics, but neither is anyone else, save Detroit. They have made noticeable adjustments in their game in the past week, with the defensive corps tightening up substantially in its own end. Against Atlanta in a 2-1 victory last Thursday Washington's forwards backchecked as well as they have at any point this season. The forwards were not quite as committed vs. Columbus, but you can bet that will be addressed by head coach Bruce Boudreau.
Some folks point to the Caps' playoff history as a reason for picking them to tap out early in this year's postseason. That's the argument of someone who doesn't really have an argument. This group has nothing to do with the talented teams that made a habit of choking back in the '80s and 90s.
There always is a progression and a learning curve for teams that ascend to the top. Pittsburgh went through it with an early-round loss followed by a trip to the finals and then a championship. After a five-year postseason absence, Washington closed the season with eight straight victories to earn an invite to the dance two years ago. That year the Caps trailed Philly three games to one before making the commitment to playoff-style hockey and taking the series to a Game 7 overtime. Playoff lesson No. 1 learned.
Last season they cruised down the stretch against non-playoff teams and came out flat against the Rangers in the opening round, dropping two games at home, before re-committing to a playoff-worthy effort and rallying to win the series in seven. Lesson No. 2 noted.
Then came the epic seven-game series loss to Pittsburgh. Washington again climbed the mountain, coming back from a 3-1 deficit before running out of gas in the seventh game. Playoff lesson No. 3 absorbed.
Experts like to talk about the Caps' recent playoff failures and disappoinments. Huh? Two years ago they came from nowhwere with a young team and first-year coach to earn an unexpected playoff berth and push a tough Flyer squad to a seventh game. Last year they came back to win a first-round Game 7 and then fell in seven to the battle-tested, eventual Cup-champion Penguins.
I guess you can call those early exits if you want, but to me it looks like a natural progression toward bigger and better outcomes. Love them or hate them, respect them or not, this year's Capitals have been the class of the NHL. To say that they are primed for an early exit simply does not make sense. Could it happen? Of course. That's why we play the games and why sports are so special. But if I had to pick one roster from all the others to take with me into the postseason, there's no question which one it would be. And as someone who has followed the Caps since Day 1, I can honestly say that this is the first time I've ever even considered making that statement.
Lately, many in the national media - and now even Columbus Blue Jacket forward R.J. Umberger - have jumped on the anti-Caps bandwagon. Several NHL media types have labeled Washington "this year's Sharks," and Umberger last night said that the Caps wouldn't strike fear in any of the Western Confernece teams because "they don't play the right way."
Let's address that ridiculous comment first. Based on his - and his team's - performance this year, it might stand to reason that Mr. Umberger would know a thing or two about not playing the right way. It just seems like a funny statement coming from an underachieving player on an underachieving, disappointing team after a loss against a club that he will never face more than twice a year. Way to put yourself on the line, R.J.
Enough about that, though. Instead let's get back to the "prevailing wisdom" among a national NHL media contingent that waivers more than a U.S. politician in an election year. They say that the Caps have been struggling of late, that they have holes on defense, that they aren't capable of playing a two-way defensive style, that they are suspect in goal, and on and on.
Well, trying to be as objective as possible, let's take a quick look around the league at the competition - at least those that the pundits consider to be legitmate Cup contenders and the other teams battling for playoff berths. The erstwhile Sharks, second in the race for the President's Tropy and leading the West, have split their last two (prior to tonight's game at Colorado) after winning four straight. Before that they had dropped six in a row. They are 5-5 in their last 10 and 5-6-1 in their last 12.
Chicago, the media darling early in the year and considered by many to be the favorite coming out of the West, has won two straight after dropping three in a row and is 4-4-2 in its last 10. Vancouver is 5-4-1 in its most recent 10 outings. Phoenix, which did have a recent nine-game winning streak, is still just 6-3-1 in its last 10. Nashville has been playing well of late, going 7-2-1 in its last 10 contests, but the Preds are rarely mentioned as a contender. Instead, the Red Wings seem to be a poplular choice to make a run after struggling for most of the year and looking like they might battle it out for the eighth seed until the season's final week. The Wings are healthy now, having won seven of their last nine and going 7-3 in their last 10, including today's lost to the previously struggling Flyers.
Others in the West include Los Angeles (4-5-1), Calgary (6-4) and Colorado, which has lost seven of its last eight (before facing the Sharks tonight).
On the flip side in the East, current second-place New Jersey is 4-3-3 in its last 10, No. 3 Buffalo is 7-3, Pittsburgh is 5-3-2, Ottawa is 6-4, Montreal is 5-3-2, Boston is 6-4, Philadelphia is 4-5-1, the Rangers are 6-3-1 and Atlanta is 5-3-2.
Compare all those teams to the Caps. Washington has won its last two, each by a single goal while playing a more defensive style, and is 6-1-3 in its last 10. The Caps, who are one point away from cliniching the President's Trophy (pending the outcome of tonight's Colorado-San Jose matchup), did lose three straight before their current two-game win streak, but at one point recently they had earned at least one point in 26 of their previous 29 outings. In their last 29 contests Washington has lost by more than a single goal only once, 5-3 to Calgary last week.
The Caps entered today eight points better than the next closest team in the NHL, and after a couple of tough outings last week, their goaltenders have held their last two opponents to a total of three goals, with Jose Thedore stopping 34 shots vs. Columbus Saturday to earn first-star honors. Despite the blips on the radar last week, Theodore still is 18-0-3 in his last 21 decisions, and if he falters, Semyon Varlamov showed during last year's playoffs that he is more than up to the task.
"When you feel good about your game, you know in your mind that you are going to have some bad games," said Theodore after Saturday's win vs. Columbus. "Every player has some bad games, but it's about making sure that stretch doesn't last too long. It was great to be back in net tonight and I just wanted to get back on track and back to feeling tood about my game."
Are the Caps at the top of their game right now? Of course not. They are not playing as well as they were during their ridiculous winning streak leading up to the Olympics, but neither is anyone else, save Detroit. They have made noticeable adjustments in their game in the past week, with the defensive corps tightening up substantially in its own end. Against Atlanta in a 2-1 victory last Thursday Washington's forwards backchecked as well as they have at any point this season. The forwards were not quite as committed vs. Columbus, but you can bet that will be addressed by head coach Bruce Boudreau.
Some folks point to the Caps' playoff history as a reason for picking them to tap out early in this year's postseason. That's the argument of someone who doesn't really have an argument. This group has nothing to do with the talented teams that made a habit of choking back in the '80s and 90s.
There always is a progression and a learning curve for teams that ascend to the top. Pittsburgh went through it with an early-round loss followed by a trip to the finals and then a championship. After a five-year postseason absence, Washington closed the season with eight straight victories to earn an invite to the dance two years ago. That year the Caps trailed Philly three games to one before making the commitment to playoff-style hockey and taking the series to a Game 7 overtime. Playoff lesson No. 1 learned.
Last season they cruised down the stretch against non-playoff teams and came out flat against the Rangers in the opening round, dropping two games at home, before re-committing to a playoff-worthy effort and rallying to win the series in seven. Lesson No. 2 noted.
Then came the epic seven-game series loss to Pittsburgh. Washington again climbed the mountain, coming back from a 3-1 deficit before running out of gas in the seventh game. Playoff lesson No. 3 absorbed.
Experts like to talk about the Caps' recent playoff failures and disappoinments. Huh? Two years ago they came from nowhwere with a young team and first-year coach to earn an unexpected playoff berth and push a tough Flyer squad to a seventh game. Last year they came back to win a first-round Game 7 and then fell in seven to the battle-tested, eventual Cup-champion Penguins.
I guess you can call those early exits if you want, but to me it looks like a natural progression toward bigger and better outcomes. Love them or hate them, respect them or not, this year's Capitals have been the class of the NHL. To say that they are primed for an early exit simply does not make sense. Could it happen? Of course. That's why we play the games and why sports are so special. But if I had to pick one roster from all the others to take with me into the postseason, there's no question which one it would be. And as someone who has followed the Caps since Day 1, I can honestly say that this is the first time I've ever even considered making that statement.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Better Today Than Yesterday
Well, after sitting on the sidelines in 2009, apparently the Washington Capitals and General manager George McPhee decided that they needed to add a few more pieces to the puzzle in order to go deeper in the playoffs and possibly compete for a Stanley Cup. While many other teams stood pat, the Caps were the big "buyers" on Deadline Day. And, without question, the NHL points leaders are a better team today than they were yesterday. Best of all, they didn't do anything to really disrupt the team chemistry.
In: Tough, gritty and battle-tested winger Scott Walker from Carolina; hard-working and skilled two-way center Eric Belanger; former Cap d-man Milan Jurcina; and Joe Corvo, a potential top-four defenseman.
Out: Two second-round draft picks, a sixth- and seventh-round pick; defenseman Brian Pothier and Hershey forward Oskar Osala, a former fourth-round pick.
The big question is: Where do these guys fit, and who might be packing his bags? The good thing is that bringing in solid two-way players will send a message to some of the forwards who haven't been playing both ends of the ice. With such a large advantage in the division and conference races, bringing in some quality forwards will create competition and a sense of urgency among the players who have been here and might have become complacent.
Here are some additional thoughts:
Eric Belanger is too good to not be in the lineup. Many see him as a hair away from being a legitimate second-line center. This season he has 35 points in 60 games and ranks seventh in the NHL in faceoff percentage. Belanger is a solid two-way player. While the Caps' defense has been widely criticized of late, you have to understand that all five players need to play defense in hockey, and the Caps' forwards often have been as guilty on the defensive end as the d-men have. One player not pulling his weight creates a huge disadvantage in your own end. Puck possession and winning faceoffs are huge in the playoffs and when short-handed, so expect Belanger to see critical ice time when the team is protecting a lead and possibly to help bolster an average penalty-killing unit. Could Belanger see some second-line minutes to help that unit defensively? Maybe. Taking a look at the line combinations, we might see something like this:
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Knuble
Fleischmann-Belanger-Semin
Laich-Morrison-Fehr
Walker/Chimera-Steckel-Bradley
This leaves Quentin Laing and Boyd Gordon as the odd-men out. The Gordon, Steckel Bradley line has been a great fourth line, but Gordon has kind of been in and out of the doghouse at times this year and struggled with some injuries. Chimera was hurt during the break, so Walker provides insurance. Not having to play Fleischmann out of place at center makes the Caps stronger up the middle and gives them four legit faceoff guys who are committed to playing both ends of the ice. Center is the most critical forward position when it comes to two-way play. While neither Belanger nor Morrison is a true second-line center, they both are high-end third centers and are interchangeable, bringing different attributes to the table.
This lineup has tremendous flexibility and can match up with any team on a nightly basis. Want to go up-tempo and stretch the ice against a slow, plodding defensive team? Plug in Chimera and Fehr. Want to batten down the hatches and go toe-to-toe with a grinding team? Plug in Walker and Chimera and sit Fehr. And, one thing the caps have been missing is another tough guy to do some of the dirty work. Walker fits that bill and will take some of the load off of the often-overmatched Matt Bradley while easing the burden on John Erskine.
Looking at the defense, you also have an abundance of styles to choose from. At the beginning you are probably going to see something like this:
Green-Schultz
Corvo-Morrisonn/Jurcina/Erskine
Poti-Erskine/Jurcina
The X-factors: John Carlson and Karl Alzner
Clearly, after the solid Olympic performance of Jurcina, McPhee felt that Pothier was expendable. A good locker-room guy who moves the puck fairly well, Pothier just isn't the physical presence the Caps need in the corners or in front of the net. He's much more finesse than flash, and really the team doesn't need another Tom Poti. So, to take a chance that a guy like Corvo, who has been a legit top-four d-man throughout his career and has a plus-41 rating during that span, in return for a player like Pothier makes all the sense in the world. When the Caps struggle, they often get bogged down in their own end and have trouble moving the puck, which is something at which Corvo excels. He also provides mobility and can be paired with a larger, more physical player like Jurcina or John Erskine or a more traditional stay-at-home player like Shaone Morrisonn.
That leaves Poti, also not a real physical presence, to pair with one of the other bigger, tougher defensemen. I just don't see the Caps benefiting by having Morrisonn and Poti on the ice together, and if Corvo steps up and performs, quite frankly one of those guys could at times be on the outside looking in. More likely, however, with the addition of tougher guys like Walker and Chimera in recent months, the Caps will give Erskine and Jurcina 20 games or so to prove themselves and earn a consistent spot in the lineup. And if Corvo, Erskine or Jurcina can't step up to do the job, Alzner and Carlson are not bad options. In 1998 an injury forced a young Brendan Witt into the lineup, and he was part of a memorable run to the Stanley Cup Finals.
The expectation is to see a bunch of combinations during the next 10 games or so and then a settled lineup to develop chemistry over the final 10 contests heading into the playoffs.
At the end of the day, the Caps didn't give up a ton (the extra second-round pick for Corvo is a bit bothersome if he doesn't work out, but if he returns to form the deal is a steal) and have added toughness, character, defensive-mindedness and a bit of skill. Several "experts" have called them the big winners today, but in reality we won't know that for hopefully 2-1/2 months or so. If they are, we'll all be celebrating...
In: Tough, gritty and battle-tested winger Scott Walker from Carolina; hard-working and skilled two-way center Eric Belanger; former Cap d-man Milan Jurcina; and Joe Corvo, a potential top-four defenseman.
Out: Two second-round draft picks, a sixth- and seventh-round pick; defenseman Brian Pothier and Hershey forward Oskar Osala, a former fourth-round pick.
The big question is: Where do these guys fit, and who might be packing his bags? The good thing is that bringing in solid two-way players will send a message to some of the forwards who haven't been playing both ends of the ice. With such a large advantage in the division and conference races, bringing in some quality forwards will create competition and a sense of urgency among the players who have been here and might have become complacent.
Here are some additional thoughts:
Eric Belanger is too good to not be in the lineup. Many see him as a hair away from being a legitimate second-line center. This season he has 35 points in 60 games and ranks seventh in the NHL in faceoff percentage. Belanger is a solid two-way player. While the Caps' defense has been widely criticized of late, you have to understand that all five players need to play defense in hockey, and the Caps' forwards often have been as guilty on the defensive end as the d-men have. One player not pulling his weight creates a huge disadvantage in your own end. Puck possession and winning faceoffs are huge in the playoffs and when short-handed, so expect Belanger to see critical ice time when the team is protecting a lead and possibly to help bolster an average penalty-killing unit. Could Belanger see some second-line minutes to help that unit defensively? Maybe. Taking a look at the line combinations, we might see something like this:
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Knuble
Fleischmann-Belanger-Semin
Laich-Morrison-Fehr
Walker/Chimera-Steckel-Bradley
This leaves Quentin Laing and Boyd Gordon as the odd-men out. The Gordon, Steckel Bradley line has been a great fourth line, but Gordon has kind of been in and out of the doghouse at times this year and struggled with some injuries. Chimera was hurt during the break, so Walker provides insurance. Not having to play Fleischmann out of place at center makes the Caps stronger up the middle and gives them four legit faceoff guys who are committed to playing both ends of the ice. Center is the most critical forward position when it comes to two-way play. While neither Belanger nor Morrison is a true second-line center, they both are high-end third centers and are interchangeable, bringing different attributes to the table.
This lineup has tremendous flexibility and can match up with any team on a nightly basis. Want to go up-tempo and stretch the ice against a slow, plodding defensive team? Plug in Chimera and Fehr. Want to batten down the hatches and go toe-to-toe with a grinding team? Plug in Walker and Chimera and sit Fehr. And, one thing the caps have been missing is another tough guy to do some of the dirty work. Walker fits that bill and will take some of the load off of the often-overmatched Matt Bradley while easing the burden on John Erskine.
Looking at the defense, you also have an abundance of styles to choose from. At the beginning you are probably going to see something like this:
Green-Schultz
Corvo-Morrisonn/Jurcina/Erskine
Poti-Erskine/Jurcina
The X-factors: John Carlson and Karl Alzner
Clearly, after the solid Olympic performance of Jurcina, McPhee felt that Pothier was expendable. A good locker-room guy who moves the puck fairly well, Pothier just isn't the physical presence the Caps need in the corners or in front of the net. He's much more finesse than flash, and really the team doesn't need another Tom Poti. So, to take a chance that a guy like Corvo, who has been a legit top-four d-man throughout his career and has a plus-41 rating during that span, in return for a player like Pothier makes all the sense in the world. When the Caps struggle, they often get bogged down in their own end and have trouble moving the puck, which is something at which Corvo excels. He also provides mobility and can be paired with a larger, more physical player like Jurcina or John Erskine or a more traditional stay-at-home player like Shaone Morrisonn.
That leaves Poti, also not a real physical presence, to pair with one of the other bigger, tougher defensemen. I just don't see the Caps benefiting by having Morrisonn and Poti on the ice together, and if Corvo steps up and performs, quite frankly one of those guys could at times be on the outside looking in. More likely, however, with the addition of tougher guys like Walker and Chimera in recent months, the Caps will give Erskine and Jurcina 20 games or so to prove themselves and earn a consistent spot in the lineup. And if Corvo, Erskine or Jurcina can't step up to do the job, Alzner and Carlson are not bad options. In 1998 an injury forced a young Brendan Witt into the lineup, and he was part of a memorable run to the Stanley Cup Finals.
The expectation is to see a bunch of combinations during the next 10 games or so and then a settled lineup to develop chemistry over the final 10 contests heading into the playoffs.
At the end of the day, the Caps didn't give up a ton (the extra second-round pick for Corvo is a bit bothersome if he doesn't work out, but if he returns to form the deal is a steal) and have added toughness, character, defensive-mindedness and a bit of skill. Several "experts" have called them the big winners today, but in reality we won't know that for hopefully 2-1/2 months or so. If they are, we'll all be celebrating...
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Caps Ready to Take Over the Nation's Capital?
The Washington Capitals have an unprecedented opportunity this season. They can literally take over the town – and that mission begins tonight when the puck drops to begin the 2009-10 NHL season as the Caps take on the Bruins in Beantown.
Many doubted that D.C. ever could be a true hockey town, but three men have the franchise perched on the verge of making what once seemed impossible a reality - Alex Ovechkin, unarguably the best player in the world; owner Ted Leonsis; and coach Bruce Boudreau.
Ovechkin, the two-time reigning Hart Trophy recipient and back-to-back players' choice as the league's MVP, has captured the imagination of Washington sports fans like no other athlete since ... well, like no other athlete during my 39 years. Previous teams have captured our hearts – and so have some charismatic athletes – for short periods of time, but no one has elevated a franchise or a sport to the forefront in this locale like the Russian Machine.
Ted Leonsis, plain and simple, is the best professional franchise owner in the D.C.-Baltimore area. He's made hockey affordable for the loyal fans that followed the team during the lean years and is not gouging those same diehards now. He's provided the best in-game experience around. He's embraced the cutting edge of technology and maintained open and (mostly) honest communication with the fan base. And, finally, he's let the hockey experts in the organization do their jobs, which took quite a bit of patience during the down times. The end result is the league's most exciting team along with a true home-ice advantage and an atmosphere that ranks among the best in the NHL. It's certainly a far cry from the 12,000 empty seats we used to see on a Tuesday night in February.
Bruce Boudreau simply has been the most successful coach in professional hockey the past 1-1/2 seasons, compiling an eye-popping 87-41-15 record and winning two Southeast Division championships. Remember, he inherited a team that was in last place in the conference around Thanksgiving 2007, instituting a free-wheeling style that capitalized (pun intended) on the team's speed and skill, and led them all the way to the division crown. He managed this after countless years toiling in relative obscurity as a player and coach at the minor league level.
His formula for success is as plain as the image he projects: Get after the players behind closed doors and challenge them to give their best every time on the ice, be straightforward and let the players know where they stand, show compassion and empathy for those like him who are on the fringe as NHL players and never take shots at anyone publicly. That style breeds loyalty, camaraderie from the top down and the type of chemistry needed to win a championship. Guys may come and go between Washington and Hershey, but instead of sulking, they return to the AHL with a purpose and the unyielding desire to do whatever it takes to get back to Washington and be a part of what Boudreau is building. That is a tribute to the coach, especially in this day and age of temperamental coddled professional athletes.
Oh, and one other piece of the puzzle that is important to recognize is general manger George McPhee, better known as GMGM in Twitter- and blog-speak. He has been often maligned, sometimes beloved and frequently second-guessed by the public and the media. But, at the end of the day, he's the rare sports executive who has successfully taken a veteran, reasonably successful team apart, stripped it down and overseen a complete rebuilding to the point that the team is on the brink of exceeding anything it has accomplished during its 35 years of existence. Love him or hate him, there's something to be said for what McPhee has accomplished.
So, where does that leave us as the Capitals prepare to embark on what potentially could be a historic season for them - one in which they quite possibly could rise to greater heights than ever before? Not only are the Caps a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, some have dared to label them a favorite.
The Penguins are still a great team, but we'll see how they handle Lord Stanley's hangover. The Red Wings lost more talent than ever during the off-season. Boston's success is predicated on the performance of a journeyman goaltender who was the best netminder in the league last year. But can Tim Thomas put together two seasons in a row of that caliber? Chicago seems to be the next Western Conference power, but still may be where the Caps were a year ago; a little bit of seasoning will make them really tough. San Jose? They just can't seem to get it done in April. Others have reloaded, but the Caps enter year three of what seems to be a natural progression toward greatness.
At least one national sports publication has picked the Caps to win the Cup, which as we all know can be a blessing or a curse. Nonetheless, it is a sign of respect. There are two things that I know: I've never seen the Caps win the Stanley Cup, and I've never seen the Caps picked to win the Stanley Cup - by ANYONE. They must be doing something right.
It's an exciting time to be a Caps fan. Those who are already aboard the express should consider themselves lucky. With the way the Redskins, Wizards, Orioles and Nationals are performing these days, Washington is one step away from being a hockey town - for a long time. I believe Ovie has another 11 or so years left on that contract, right? If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, it may be a long time before you can head to Chinatown to Rock the Red. To me, as a long-time Caps supporter who has been involved in youth and amateur hockey in this area for nearly 35 years, that's the coolest part.
Enjoy tonight. Enjoy the season. Remember that only one team ends the year on a truly positive note. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Revel in the fact that people areound North America pay a lot of money to go see YOUR team play. D.C., you have arrived as a hockey town. Let's hope the ride is a long and fruitful one.
Many doubted that D.C. ever could be a true hockey town, but three men have the franchise perched on the verge of making what once seemed impossible a reality - Alex Ovechkin, unarguably the best player in the world; owner Ted Leonsis; and coach Bruce Boudreau.
Ovechkin, the two-time reigning Hart Trophy recipient and back-to-back players' choice as the league's MVP, has captured the imagination of Washington sports fans like no other athlete since ... well, like no other athlete during my 39 years. Previous teams have captured our hearts – and so have some charismatic athletes – for short periods of time, but no one has elevated a franchise or a sport to the forefront in this locale like the Russian Machine.
Ted Leonsis, plain and simple, is the best professional franchise owner in the D.C.-Baltimore area. He's made hockey affordable for the loyal fans that followed the team during the lean years and is not gouging those same diehards now. He's provided the best in-game experience around. He's embraced the cutting edge of technology and maintained open and (mostly) honest communication with the fan base. And, finally, he's let the hockey experts in the organization do their jobs, which took quite a bit of patience during the down times. The end result is the league's most exciting team along with a true home-ice advantage and an atmosphere that ranks among the best in the NHL. It's certainly a far cry from the 12,000 empty seats we used to see on a Tuesday night in February.
Bruce Boudreau simply has been the most successful coach in professional hockey the past 1-1/2 seasons, compiling an eye-popping 87-41-15 record and winning two Southeast Division championships. Remember, he inherited a team that was in last place in the conference around Thanksgiving 2007, instituting a free-wheeling style that capitalized (pun intended) on the team's speed and skill, and led them all the way to the division crown. He managed this after countless years toiling in relative obscurity as a player and coach at the minor league level.
His formula for success is as plain as the image he projects: Get after the players behind closed doors and challenge them to give their best every time on the ice, be straightforward and let the players know where they stand, show compassion and empathy for those like him who are on the fringe as NHL players and never take shots at anyone publicly. That style breeds loyalty, camaraderie from the top down and the type of chemistry needed to win a championship. Guys may come and go between Washington and Hershey, but instead of sulking, they return to the AHL with a purpose and the unyielding desire to do whatever it takes to get back to Washington and be a part of what Boudreau is building. That is a tribute to the coach, especially in this day and age of temperamental coddled professional athletes.
Oh, and one other piece of the puzzle that is important to recognize is general manger George McPhee, better known as GMGM in Twitter- and blog-speak. He has been often maligned, sometimes beloved and frequently second-guessed by the public and the media. But, at the end of the day, he's the rare sports executive who has successfully taken a veteran, reasonably successful team apart, stripped it down and overseen a complete rebuilding to the point that the team is on the brink of exceeding anything it has accomplished during its 35 years of existence. Love him or hate him, there's something to be said for what McPhee has accomplished.
So, where does that leave us as the Capitals prepare to embark on what potentially could be a historic season for them - one in which they quite possibly could rise to greater heights than ever before? Not only are the Caps a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, some have dared to label them a favorite.
The Penguins are still a great team, but we'll see how they handle Lord Stanley's hangover. The Red Wings lost more talent than ever during the off-season. Boston's success is predicated on the performance of a journeyman goaltender who was the best netminder in the league last year. But can Tim Thomas put together two seasons in a row of that caliber? Chicago seems to be the next Western Conference power, but still may be where the Caps were a year ago; a little bit of seasoning will make them really tough. San Jose? They just can't seem to get it done in April. Others have reloaded, but the Caps enter year three of what seems to be a natural progression toward greatness.
At least one national sports publication has picked the Caps to win the Cup, which as we all know can be a blessing or a curse. Nonetheless, it is a sign of respect. There are two things that I know: I've never seen the Caps win the Stanley Cup, and I've never seen the Caps picked to win the Stanley Cup - by ANYONE. They must be doing something right.
It's an exciting time to be a Caps fan. Those who are already aboard the express should consider themselves lucky. With the way the Redskins, Wizards, Orioles and Nationals are performing these days, Washington is one step away from being a hockey town - for a long time. I believe Ovie has another 11 or so years left on that contract, right? If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, it may be a long time before you can head to Chinatown to Rock the Red. To me, as a long-time Caps supporter who has been involved in youth and amateur hockey in this area for nearly 35 years, that's the coolest part.
Enjoy tonight. Enjoy the season. Remember that only one team ends the year on a truly positive note. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Revel in the fact that people areound North America pay a lot of money to go see YOUR team play. D.C., you have arrived as a hockey town. Let's hope the ride is a long and fruitful one.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The Best Time of the Year
Let me start out the first blog on my hockey-only site by being perfectly clear about one thing: make no mistake, I am a Washington Capitals fan. Have been for 35 years or so and always will be. Definitely a die-hard who has died hard many, many times. Hopefully there are more good times ahead for this tortured franchise and its fan base; it certainly looks like the future is bright in D.C.
But wait, before all you Rangers, Penguins and Flyerss fan click on the "back" button and move on to another potentially more friendly blog, let me say that I also am a huge fan of the game in general. I coach my son's squirt travel team in Baltimore and have been coaching youth hockey for about six years now. I fell in love with the game as a kid and still get as excited to play, coach and watch it now as I did 30-plus years ago.
For nine years I worked for Cal Ripken, Jr. and Ripken Baseball, helping develop the youth and amateur baseball business for him and his brother Bill, before starting my own sports management and marketing firm about 15 months ago. One of the main reasons that I left the Ripken group was to take what I had learned from Cal and Bill and apply it to other athletes in other sports. My company, API, currently represents an up-and-coming world-class softball pitcher, Angela Tincher, and Kyle Harrison, one of the world's top lacrosse players. They are two incredible athletes who compete in lesser-known sports, so if we can help grow their sports and position their brands and identities properly within those sports, hopefully we can provide them with an opportunity to make a living doing what they love and give more kids an opportunity to have meaningful sports-related experiences.
Another of my dreams is to grow the sport of hockey in this country. I have been skating since I was four and playing since I was six. My son was on skates when he was two. I was at a public skating session with future Hall of Famer Mike Gartner when I was maybe 8-years-old, and he challenged me to a race. Said he'd buy me a Coke if I could beat him around the rink. Well, he let me lead until the very end and then blew past me (remember, he has the NHL record time in the fastest skater competition). Then he slowed down and put his arm around me and told me what a great skater I was (I won't hold that lie against him). Later he signed a photo and personalized it: "To Scott, A Future Cap." He set the hook, reeled me in and a lifelong hockey fan was born. See, it doesn't take much, and that's the lesson I try to convey to my clients.
So, as a hockey fan and a sports professional who is trained as a journalist, I will attempt for the most part to provide both sides to most issues you will read about here. However, I can't promise that there won't be a Caps slant at times. And you can't convince me that the NHL will let Ovechkin win a Cup before Crosby, but I won't bore you with the conspiracy theories.
The truth of the matter is that while I may occasionally slip up and mention my distate for the likes of the aforementioned Mr. Crosby, his pal Geno, Sean Avery, Scott Hartnell, Mike Richards, and so on, at the end of the day it's those guys, the way they approach the game and their personalities that create passion for the sport and help make hockey the great game that it is. Without them, the game just wouldn't be the same, so it's definitely a hate-love relationship.
Even though April has been a less-than-stellar month for the Caps, this is still my favorite time of the year. Nothing beats wearing shorts to a hockey game, because that means that it's Cup time and my team is still around. I've been to Final Fours, World Series, NFL championhip games, all-star games and more sporting events than I could ever count. In fact, Bill Ripken once said that I had attended more sporting events that anyone else on the planet. But, when all is said and done, nothing - and I mean nothing - comes close to the atmosphere and excitement generated by a Stanely Cup playoff game.
Let the fun begin, and here's hoping that your team plays well into the spring - unless you are a Rangers, Flyers or Pens fan. A brief preview of the playoffs to follow shortly. But I have to hurry and leave for Verizon Center soon...enjoy the playoffs!
But wait, before all you Rangers, Penguins and Flyerss fan click on the "back" button and move on to another potentially more friendly blog, let me say that I also am a huge fan of the game in general. I coach my son's squirt travel team in Baltimore and have been coaching youth hockey for about six years now. I fell in love with the game as a kid and still get as excited to play, coach and watch it now as I did 30-plus years ago.
For nine years I worked for Cal Ripken, Jr. and Ripken Baseball, helping develop the youth and amateur baseball business for him and his brother Bill, before starting my own sports management and marketing firm about 15 months ago. One of the main reasons that I left the Ripken group was to take what I had learned from Cal and Bill and apply it to other athletes in other sports. My company, API, currently represents an up-and-coming world-class softball pitcher, Angela Tincher, and Kyle Harrison, one of the world's top lacrosse players. They are two incredible athletes who compete in lesser-known sports, so if we can help grow their sports and position their brands and identities properly within those sports, hopefully we can provide them with an opportunity to make a living doing what they love and give more kids an opportunity to have meaningful sports-related experiences.
Another of my dreams is to grow the sport of hockey in this country. I have been skating since I was four and playing since I was six. My son was on skates when he was two. I was at a public skating session with future Hall of Famer Mike Gartner when I was maybe 8-years-old, and he challenged me to a race. Said he'd buy me a Coke if I could beat him around the rink. Well, he let me lead until the very end and then blew past me (remember, he has the NHL record time in the fastest skater competition). Then he slowed down and put his arm around me and told me what a great skater I was (I won't hold that lie against him). Later he signed a photo and personalized it: "To Scott, A Future Cap." He set the hook, reeled me in and a lifelong hockey fan was born. See, it doesn't take much, and that's the lesson I try to convey to my clients.
So, as a hockey fan and a sports professional who is trained as a journalist, I will attempt for the most part to provide both sides to most issues you will read about here. However, I can't promise that there won't be a Caps slant at times. And you can't convince me that the NHL will let Ovechkin win a Cup before Crosby, but I won't bore you with the conspiracy theories.
The truth of the matter is that while I may occasionally slip up and mention my distate for the likes of the aforementioned Mr. Crosby, his pal Geno, Sean Avery, Scott Hartnell, Mike Richards, and so on, at the end of the day it's those guys, the way they approach the game and their personalities that create passion for the sport and help make hockey the great game that it is. Without them, the game just wouldn't be the same, so it's definitely a hate-love relationship.
Even though April has been a less-than-stellar month for the Caps, this is still my favorite time of the year. Nothing beats wearing shorts to a hockey game, because that means that it's Cup time and my team is still around. I've been to Final Fours, World Series, NFL championhip games, all-star games and more sporting events than I could ever count. In fact, Bill Ripken once said that I had attended more sporting events that anyone else on the planet. But, when all is said and done, nothing - and I mean nothing - comes close to the atmosphere and excitement generated by a Stanely Cup playoff game.
Let the fun begin, and here's hoping that your team plays well into the spring - unless you are a Rangers, Flyers or Pens fan. A brief preview of the playoffs to follow shortly. But I have to hurry and leave for Verizon Center soon...enjoy the playoffs!
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