The last time the Capitals organization iced a team without Ovechkin, Bäckström, or Green was in April of 2004 — before any of these fellows were drafted. Now I’m not saying we should return to that halcyon era, but with Ovechkin we can’t beat the Islanders or the Hurricanes. Without, we can beat the reigning champ and current high-achiever Boston Bruins. It took Shane Doan 17 years to s core his first NHL hat trick, and Matty Perreault manages it when we still kind of think of him as an AHL call-up.
» Continue reading “Capitals Fell Bruins, Own Teammates”

So now we’ve got to figure which game was an aberration: against the Islanders or the Canadiens. I’m going to be honest here — I barely made it through the Isles game. After the first period I muted the TV and watched old-timey cop shows on my laptop. Let me tell you, it was more satisfying seeing Sgt. Joe Friday bust a gambling ring than watching the miserable product on the ice.
» Continue reading “Capitals Facing The Bottom Of The East, Faring So-So”

I had Chinese food for dinner. Three of my lucky numbers were 8, 25, and 36, so expect Tomas Kundratek to make a splash in his NHL debut tonight. Nick Backstrom and Mike Green are still out, as are Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal, James Neal (star goal-scorer!), and Kris Letang. So this game might very well be a snoozefest.

On the other hand, both these teams are — shock horror! — fighting for a playoff spot, which could liven up the proceedings a little. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

By the way, my number one pick for “team most likely to pick up Mike Green at the deadline” is the Calgary Flames. Need a shot in the arm, willing to trade based on past performance and reputation, and just stupid enough to do it (see: every trade with Toronto in the last two (three?) years). Watch this space for updates based on my hockey outsider knowledge!

The Capitals have rung in the new year in a grand fashion, starting a four game winning streak in late December, ending 2011 with a stunning come-from-behind against Columbus, and starting it off with a thorough dusting of the, uh, Flames.

Okay, so maybe that’s not as impressive as it seems. But we did witness the glorious return of Mike Green, as calculated in penalty minutes!
» Continue reading “New Year For The Capitals, And It Shows”