I think we can only draw one conclusion from this interview: Michal Neuvirth is a supervillain.

Born of envy and lack of acknowledgement, he toiled in the shadows behind other, less talented goalies:

It’s true that until now, I have never been an official number one.

Always been the bridesmaid in the Washington crease, never the bride.

He was unappreciated and ignored by his coach:

I am happy about Oates [...] because it means Dale Hunter isn’t staying.

He simply didn’t talk to us goalies at all, I think he criticized us sometimes for no reason.

Now, slowly, his competition falls away, one by one…

At first – the Russian who was always in front of me because he was drafted higher and played in the NHL sooner. It was hard to get in front of him. But in the end I played much more than he did.

Hahaha…

I was the one who advised [Vokoun] to leave for Pittsburgh.

Ahahaha…

I am really sure that I have the weakest competition (Braden Holtby) I’ve ever had. I will try to be number one goalie this season. Finally!

MUAHAHAHAHA!
» Continue reading “Michal Neuvirth Reveals His Evil Plan”

Well, another draft has come and gone, and the Capitals have made a teensy bit of a splash during it. The most exciting part, of course, is when Gary Bettman toddles up on stage between picks and says, “I have a trade to announce.” Then the entire hockey world holds its breath, right up until he says the Blue Jackets and the Panthers have swapped picks or something equally mundane. Then everyone boos him and he pretends not to notice.

The Capitals contributed to this excitement by acquiring Mike Ribeiro from the Dallas Stars (for Cody Eakin and a second round pick), in the hopes that he would fill that vital 2C role. Mike Green and Alex Ovechkin both tweeted a warm welcome in which they misspelled Ribeiro.

Twitter featured in another bit of draft intrigue. With the 16th pick, the Caps selected Canadian right wing Thomas Wilson… but the official twitter account @washcaps tweeted that we had picked Teuvo Teravainen, who ended up getting taken by the Blackhawks two picks later. A shame, because I dearly wanted a Finn around.

In a move that will surprise absolutely no one, we took a Swedish centerman with our first pick, Filip Forsberg, though he says that he will play another year in Sweden. We also loaded up on Americans — three of them are currently playing in the USA U-18 program (who won the U-18 gold medal at the last WJC), and one has moved on from it to play at Notre Dame. Go USA Hockey!

We picked up only one goalie, with our last pick (and he was the last goalie taken in the draft). And at 5’11″, Sergei Kostenko is one of the shortest goalies in the draft. The Goalie Guild made note:

Drafted goalie breakdown by height: Two at 6’5 | Five at 6’4 | Three at 6’3 | Five at 6’2 | Seven at 6’1 | One each at 6’0 and 5’11

Gone are the days of Allan “Tiny Goalie” Bester; now you’ve got to be over the 6-foot mark to get noticed. Still, Kostenko rocked a 2.98 goals-against average and .897 save percentage in 40 games in Russia’s AHL equivalent, and apparently we’ve been watching him for 3 years, which is crazy since even the Goalie Guild didn’t know who he was. That’s the true definition of off the radar!

» Continue reading “Capitals Draft Results”

After a few days off, I’ve recovered sufficiently to say something about the Capitals. (Literally recovered. I have scabs on my knee from my nails cutting where I was clutching it during Game 7.) Unfortunately what I have to say is “what a shame.” These Caps really had the look of a team that could go all the way. Or perhaps what I mean is that we could have looked that way, but factors against us combined to make it not so… And thus took us, I think a few years further away from a Cup.

First, we will bid adieu to Tomas Vokoun, who signed an astoundingly cheap contract knowing full well he would only be here a year. He has in fact complained before at how homesick he was. There’s nothing wrong with missing your family, but perhaps he could’ve considered the before he chose the career of “professional athlete in a country that is not your homeland.” Personally, I don’t have a lot of sympathy for him. Maybe I would have more if he had ended up being that Cup-contending goalie he was meant to be, instead of putting up average to good reg season numbers then getting injured immediately before the postseason began.

Secondly, we will almost definitely bid adieu to Sasha Semin, who, while never the lynchpin of anything, was always a welcome addition to our offense. To me, his gorgeous sniper-like wrist shots made up for the lazy offensive zone stick penalties. Even when they made the coach do this. I understand why he would want out, but I’m going to miss him.

Also on the list of players I would miss: Mike Knuble. He’s 40 and coming off an unimpressive season thanks to Dale Hunter Hockey (TM), but I think we can squeeze a couple mil under the cap to retain his services, eh GMGM? He says he both feels fine and wants to keep playing, and even if he didn’t get the 20 goals he wanted, he still has grit and adds the presence of a grizzled veteran. And may I remind of you of when he outraced a man half his age to wash out an icing in the Rangers series? The man still has the internal fire.
» Continue reading “A Look At Capitals Free Agents, Part 1″

I’m leery of accidentally jinxing the Capitals with what I’m about to say — after all, Holts had a shutout going until the NBCSN morons actually said it, because they hate the Caps — but for significant stretches of time this team reminded me of… well…

They reminded me of the 2009 Capitals. On multiple occasions they set up their PP-style cycle at even strength, they were putting on consistent pressure that created odd man rushes, and Ovechkin nearly scored while seated on the ice, which happened second most memorably in 2009 (the first most memorable being, of course, the goal).

Notes I Took During The Game:
-Brilliant start. We came out like a team with a major chip on our shoulder (which we were), and the Rangers didn’t know what to do. They didn’t regroup until about halfway through the first, and then only sporadically. We looked good. I mean, real good.

-Number 8 scored at 88 seconds in, which was a delight. I will give you zero dollars (Canadian) if you can guess how he beat Lundqvist. Plus, he had assists from 19 and 52, which bodes well. Green’s looking like he did in — well, you can probably guess.

-What a PK. With no Beagle and Laich in the box for the first one, that was huge. Anything after that would be trivial. Even a double minor. Killing that was a huge momentum swing and confidence boost for the Caps. Really exorcised the demons from last game.

-On that subject, are the Rangers blading or something? I’ve been hit in the face with a baseball hard enough for it to leave stitch imprints, and I’ve never started bleeding. Are these guys anemic?
» Continue reading “Capitals Force (Surprise, Surprise) Game 7 Against The Rangers”

I wrote recently about how, as much fun as a 3OT game is, it’s not good for a team planning a deep run. Neither is a Game 7. They’re both physically and mentally exhausting, and when other teams are finishing in fewer games and OTs (see: the West), it puts us at a serious disadvantage. Both teams were clearly feeling punished during the 3rd period of game 4, and that was with a 2 day break between games with no travel. Right now I’m watching the LA Kings steamroll the Blues in 4 games. Who do you think will be better equipped to face the next round: the Kings or whoever wins the WSH-NYR series, which is going to at least 6 games and already has one 3OT game?

Thrillingly, this might be one area in which the Capitals have a distinct advantage. We had two seasons of outlandish performance (G/G 09-10: 3.82; 08-09: 3.27). Then we had a season in which Mike Green played 32 games (G/G 10-11: 2.67) and a season in which Green played 49 games and Backstrom played 42 (G/G 11-12: 2.66). Consequently, we backed into a playoff spot on the last day of the regular season. The top 5 scorers on the #1-seeded Rangers (whose G/G is only 2.71) all played over 75 games. Backstrom still managed to be in the top 5 in points on the Caps despite playing only 42 games. And maybe I’m just projecting, but it seemed to me that the Rangers were in worse shape by the third period of game 4. You know, the period in which Mike Green scored the go-ahead goal and players such as Ryan “53:17 TOI” McDonagh were helpless to do anything.

I believe that the President’s Trophy is the indicator of which team is actually the best in the NHL: it’s the only environment in which the sample size is big enough, all the teams are under relatively similar conditions, and random events (such as injuries) have time to balance out. What the Stanley Cup playoffs test is luck (the winner is whoever’s goalie gets the hottest for the longest time, let’s not even pretend otherwise) and, to a lesser extent, ability to perform under pressure. Anyone watching the Capitals and the Rangers can tell that these teams are more or less evenly matched.

What it’s going to come down to (and already has, quite literally) is stamina, and here the Capitals have the edge. Puck Daddy ran an article asking if Dale Hunter was a genius or a goofball due to limiting the ice time of Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Semin. The ostensible reason is to play more defensively responsible guys as well as making it clear who was in charge (Hunter’s got a job in London no matter what, so his job security isn’t a factor), but an Ovie with only 13:36 TOI is an Ovie with fresh legs and manic amounts of energy. People have been taking pot shots at his conditioning, so if that’s the case, lowering his ice time might actually be the correct solution.

(Side note: Henrik Lundqvist played 62 games in the regular season, and Braden Holtby played 40 in the AHL and 7 in the NHL, which is still 15 games fewer at the most mentally stressful postion on the ice. However, goalies tend to get in a rhythm/streak more than skaters.)

Only time can tell. And that time is 7:30 on Monday. (See things from the enemy’s perspective over at Black & Blueshirts.)

In other news, beloved Capitals color commentator Craig Laughlin is having surgery during the offseason. Best wishes from your number 2 fan (after Joe B)!

There was a contingency plan in place for NBC in case this game went so long it interfered with the Kentucky Derby. Luckily, they didn’t need it. The Caps have now split 2-2 with the series going back to New York.

I was pretty satisfied with this game. The first period was a delight for the home team: we had a high-tempo game (14 shots on goal in the 1st = as many as we had in the entirety of game 1) and our power play looked very sexy. Too bad that didn’t help (at least not until the 3rd period, but hang on, I’m getting there). Instead, Ovechkin appeared to be buoyed by the 8th minute yet again as he fired a beauty of a slapper that was apparently scared of Lundqvist’s glove, since immediately jumped out and into the safety of the back of the net.

Things aren’t all sunshine and roses for Ovie, though, because it looks like some people want some supplementary discipline for his hit on Dan Girardi. He may be known for his exuberant hits, but I doubt anything will happen: no one was hurt and Ovie is a superstar. If any action is taken at all, I bet it’s a fine — it wasn’t as bad as Shea Weber.
» Continue reading “Capitals Tie Series With Rangers”

I suppose I deserve this. I spent the last two periods drinking a drink called the Stinger, which is not only the same name as the Blue Jackets mascot (BAD OMEN), but is also a drink known as being super-fashionable in 1940s Manhattan. I pretty much gave as much bad juju to the Caps as is humanly possible.

Luckily, I’m now out of brandy. No more Stingers here! Now it’s all pretty much all red wine ennui. I knew we would lose the whole time! Right?
» Continue reading “Capitals Lose 3OT “Marathon””

I’m terribly excited the action has moved to DC. I just finished reading American Pyscho, and frankly I’ve had enough of Manhattan. Patrick Bateman is one of the creepiest protagonists (or at least designated protagonists) in modern American lit.

Wait… extremely good-looking, well-dressed, physically fit, wealthy man who spends his downtime at the coolest restaurants and bars in NYC? I guess I should be relieved Henrik Lundqvist (Reebok sweater, glove, blocker, stick, helmet and pads all by Bauer) didn’t mistake Mojo (Reebok sweater, Reebok shorts, helmet and gloves by Bauer) for a hardbody at Dorsia and kill him with an ax.

To continue with the theme of relentless narcissism, I found this quote in an entry by moi from last season’s Rangers series:

[Ovechkin]’s always been able to bring his game to another level when the situation calls for it, but now it seems like he’s bringing the rest of the team with him. The reason we made him captain was because he steps up and scores the big goal when we need it. In game 1, that wasn’t a pretty highlight reel goal that left Gretzky speechless, it was an in-the-trenches garbage goal with no glamour or flash.

I’m not saying, I’m just saying.

Anyway, how about some link salad:

Here’s Ryan Lambert (@twolinepass) writing sarcastically over at Puck Buddys because they bought his and Chemmy’s (@felixpotvin) services for the second round. It’s a nice antidote to the millions of “LOOK AT OVIE’S ICE TIME” articles circling around (not that I would ever write such a thing please don’t look at my last post).

Here’s the less sarcastic examination of Hunter’s thought process in lightening Ovechkin’s ice time, though it makes more or less the same point.

Since yesterday was May Day, people have been celebrating Alan May (@MayHockeyCSN) all across twitter, and this article came up. If the idea of rats doesn’t make you immediately vomit thanks to American Psycho, I would suggest reading it! It’s the saga of Alan May rooming with Hall-of-Famer Dino Ciccarelli (and you can tell it’s really written by him, because the writer clearly has only a tenuous grasp on spelling and grammar).

On a totally different tack, here’s the confirmation that Evgeny Kuznetsov will be playing in the KHL for 2 more years, because he wants to represesnt Russia at the Olympics, and pretty much every Russian player not already in the NHL is being held emotionally hostage. If you jump ship to the land of good hockey and guaranteed money, you won’t get picked. Aren’t Russian politics fun?

And of course I would be remiss if I didn’t link my opposite number over on the Intermission Report. Great article on Tortorella, whom I find to be the least objectionable member of the Rangers (and also the man with the most Pokemon-like name).

Game 3 on NBCSports at 7:30. Be there or be square (and it’s not hip to be square!).

As any hockey fan knows, the Hockey Gods will always balance things in the end. There were only two heart-breaking goalposts for the Rangers this game, but they were absolute daggers. Things broke the Capitals’ way this game — but it’s not like that was entirely luck, either.

The Caps raised the intensity level, managing 25 shots rather than just 18 — still not great, but they weren’t the lackluster and effortless team they were in game 1. Dale Hunter also got a little passive-aggressive with his players, putting Sasha Semin on the 4th line (for a little bit, at least), and giving Ovechkin a mere 13:36 of ice time (3:00 of which was on the power play). In comparison, Jay Beagle got nearly 20 minutes of ice time.

Still, does it matter when this happens? Nothing like scoring 30 seconds after the “Ovi sucks!” cheer begins, and with the game-winner.

There were 3 PP each along with a 4-on-4, each team managing to convert once, and if there weren’t an even more obvious candidate, I might have given the SPICY award to the Rangers PP squad to share, because that was as picturesque a power play as I’ve ever seen. Sure, it helped that the Caps played a timid box formation and didn’t manage to clear for aeons, but credit where credit is due. Other SPICY consideration goes to Mike Knuble for scoring the first goal and showing some great hustle to beat Michael Del Zotto on an icing during the crucial final minutes (that’s an 18 year age difference!).
» Continue reading “WAS-NYR 1-1 Heading To DC”

Okay, the whole 3 goals on 14 shots thing is unforgiveable. But there’s not a whole lot you can do to “fix” a goalie in two days. Holtby wasn’t able to concentrate when no one was shooting on him for the majority of the game, which sounds Sidney Crosby-like in its whininess but as someone who has played goalie in a game where there wasn’t a shot on my net for the first 5 minutes, I can tell you that he has at least a semblance of a point. Not only is it hard to stay focused, but there’s also this sort of rising panic. Stopping your first shot of the game is profoundly important for a goalie’s psyche, and while Holtby is a paid professional, he is also someone prone to superstition and routine. No good to let an antsy neurotic goalie fester with nothing to do.

What really irks me is the failure of Washington to capitalize on the power play.* We went 0-for-4, which is unconscionable. It doesn’t take an eagle eye** to see that we need the major powers to produce more. The shot leaders were Semin with 3 and Johansson with 2. Ovie and Backstrom had 1 apiece despite getting monumental*** PP time. Ovechkin should be positively sheepish**** about that game — I know the Rangers are focusing some serious D on the Capitals captain, but individuals such as Hendricks receiving exactly 0:00 of power play time are still managing 1 shots on goal, and if you’re getting nearly four and a half minutes, I don’t think it’s excessive to expect legitimate production.

But that’s pretty much always been the book on the Capitals. When Ovechkin and Backstrom, Semin and Green are clicking, we’re nigh-unbeatable. The Ovechkin-Backstrom-Knuble line was our bread and butter, because Backstrom could get the amazing pass to Ovechkin, and if Ovie didn’t pot it, Knuble would be there to slam home the rebound. When our top guys don’t get it done, we look like the Stars — somewhere on the boundary between playoffs and tee time. I guess what we really look like are this year’s Capitals. And frankly, that’s not good enough for this team or their fans.

The team, and especially Brooks Laich, pretty much concur, saying they needed to clean up their game. Mythical Beast Jason Chimera decried the effort level, and “several players” were not happy with the intensity. I agree. The Capitals looked sluggish, they fell apart in the 3rd, and they managed a pathetic number of shots on goal. But I’m not despairing. I think they can still steal a game at MSG before coming home.

*This is to mark every awful pun I make in this paragraph. 1!
*2!
***3! Like the Washington Monument, eh? Eh?
****4! This is a pun in Russian, I promise.

Game’s at 7:30 on NBCSports. Read about the competish over at the Intermission Report, though I’m told Black and Blueshirts will be up shortly.