With games now canceled until November 1, the time is ripe for more players to jump ship over to Europe. Players such as Nicklas Backstrom, who has joined Alex Ovechkin in the KHL on Dynamo Moscow, according to the blog Alex Ovetjkin and @plysenkov of Sovetsky Sport.

This makes me very happy.
» Continue reading “Backstrom Joins Ovechkin In Moscow”

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”

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.

IT’S BEST OF THREE, BABY!!!

The requisite shout-outs to Marcus Johansson and Alex Semin for their lovely goals:
Brooks Laich banks the puck off the glass, trying to clear to Ovechkin, who gets tangled up so Laicher has to take care of it himself, which he does, threading the needle through Brian Rolston to get it to Mojo, who snipes it Semin-style. Speaking of…
GUHH. Semin’s gorgeous PP snipe that whizzed by Thomas’ glove before he could say “Don’t shoot on me!” We should call Semin the DC Sniper. No, wait, we shouldn’t.

But again, the star the of game was Braden effin Holtby. At least THREE of his saves looked exactly like the picture to the right, and each time I shrieked “GLOVELY!” in a way that I’m sure made my neighbor want to call campus police.

And that’s not to mention my reaction when a) Mojo scored, b) Sasha scored, and c) when we actually won.

Jeff Schultz was scratched in favor of John Erskine, in case things got Heated. And it turns out, after a look-see through the box scores, that Shawn Thornton has actually been on the B’s roster this whole series, but the camera didn’t follow him lovingly until this game, when it lasered in on him every time Thornton and Erskine made eye contact.

And, because every cloud has silver lining, Nicklas Bäckström’s replacement was Mike Knuble and his moose-like tenacity in shaking his rear in a goalie’s face. While he wasn’t actively involved in any of the goals, he still looked effective. There were a couple near misses! And I really really want Mike Knuble to be playing. With all my heart. It never hurts to have more of those lunch pail guys.
» Continue reading “Capitals Tie Up Series With Bruins”

I agree with the Washington Capitals re: the Bäckström suspension. I think all Brendan Shanahan did was spin the Wheel of Justice and maybe think, “oh, I botched the first judgement I did on a star player, I’ll make up for it by botching another one in the other direction.” This BS makes me so furious I can’t think, and reinforces my decision to loathe all Boston sports teams with a passion usually reserved for enemies of the state. (An ex-boyfriend once told me he loved me when I started crying because of how morally repugnant the Red Sox and their fans are.)

Instead let’s focus on some positives. Holtby has been keeping things close. Alzner and Lucic might make things interesting tonight. Tim Thomas got his Libertarian on. Umm… a seagull pooped on Tyler Seguin? Mike Green was the Caps representative in Cosmo’s hottest hockey guys. And what about a video of CSN sportscaster Michael Jenkins doing karaoke to Bell Biv Devoe’s Poison? Meh. Wake me up when Joe B and Locker do You’re My Best Friend by Queen.

In other Caps news, the Baltimore Hockey Classic will be held on September 26 in Baltimore against the Columbus Blue Jackets. You think that’s exciting?
» Continue reading “Capitals Vs Bruins: Game 4″

It looks like a little bit of the Penguins-Flyers hullabaloo rubbed off on the Bruins and Capitals, who decided to get chippy at a few points in yesterday’s game. Poor ol’ Brendan Shanahan was too tired from all the justice for the Pennsylvania game that he hasn’t had a chance to hand down the judgements for our to-do. RMNB has some predictions up for what the suspensions will be, but it looks like the official call won’t come out until tomorrow.

Instead of making my own guess, I’m going to draw cards randomly from a stack and make inferences. Because fortune-telling worked so well last time! (In my defense, Brooks Laich and Alex Ovechkin got the assists on Semin’s goal.)

Actually, if I can digress: I might have been wrong about Chimera and Hendricks, but Jeff Schultz (with Wides) was pretty much directly responsible for the Paille goal. And Backstrom, uh, had quite an eventful game. And Karl Alzner, well…

» Continue reading “Backstrom Possible Suspension?”

I picked up a copy of The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan at the English department’s used book sale ($1!). It’s a favourite of my mother’s, and I read it in high school, but I thought I was due for a refresher, and our copy is really beat up anyway. This, naturally, gave me a hankering for Chinese food, and no Chinese meal would be complete without… a fortune cookie.

So what pieces of ancient Chinese wisdom did I recieve?

Don’t take life too seriously; laugh and smile at it once in a while.

Okay, that sounds pretty apt to me. I take playoff hockey extremely seriously. OT especially makes me a nervous wreck: my heart starts beating faster, I get nauseous, I start to think I’d rather not watch the game than deal with the pressure. So maybe it’s a hint to lighten up and to realize that it’s not the end of the world.

But how can we apply this wisdom on a broader level? I think it’s a sign that the Caps will play a game that is looser defensively, but more effective offensively. On home ice, maybe they will feel comfortable enough to score more than 1 goal. I don’t want the Ovechkin Offensive Blitz Superstar at the expense of the final score, but Holtby has shown himself to be (more than?) competent at the playoff level, and if the Bruins don’t actively try to mitigate him (he is far too confident for a guy with 2 whole games of playoff exp, for one), he could easily keep playing at the level he does. And wouldn’t that be a shame for the Bruins? I don’t think the defense should loosen up, but this fortune seems to imply that Ovie, Backs, and Semin should play like they’re having fun out there.

And on the flip side:

Learn Chinese – South
南 (nan)
Lucky Numbers: 25, 19, 55, 26, 27, 29

How auspicious! The “south” is easy enough to interpret: the action is moving south to DC, where we’ll have home ice, uh, “advantage” (not a huge deal this postseason!). But the numbers? Oh Lord, the numbers…

Chimera is the king of creating breakaways, thanks to his mythical speed. Bäckström was already the OT hero last game, besides being one of the best set-up men in the league and absolutely deadly with Ovechkin. Schultz has been pretty much invisible during the playoffs, not that he’s ever all that visible anyway: maybe he shuts down the Bruins when they’re on the power play, maybe he blocks some shots, maybe he throws a hit with his 6-6/230 body!

Okay, that just sounds silly. Too bad they are no shootouts in the postseason, because Hendricks is money. No, I’m kidding. I don’t care how good he is, nothing makes me want more shootouts. Alzner has been great this whole time, so I can’t ask more of him than what he’s already doing. Keep on keepin’ on, Alzner. Maybe play extra-defensively so Carlson can show off his sexy laser beam shots.

And 29? Well, 8+21=29, so I predict that the first goal of the game is scored by Alex Ovechkin off a pass from Brooks Laich! That’s foolproof logic there! Let’s go Caps!

There’s something to be said about listening to the game on the radio. I spent yesterday at another college campus (I’ll call it “Safety School“) and didn’t get on the road until about 5. “Maybe I’ll get the last few minutes of the third,” I thought naively.

Instead I was treated to an entire fourth period plus nearly three minutes of a fifth. Poor everyone in the car who was sleeping, because when I heard John Walton shriek “BACKSTROM SCORES!” I cranked the radio and started shrieking myself. They needed to be awake to hear the glory, anyway (“GOOD MORNING, GOOD AFTERNOON, AND GOOD NIGHT, BOSTON!”).

I absolutely adore Backstrom. I even like him more than Ovechkin, which was a more controversial statement a few years ago. There’s this pure beauty to the way he plays — he has a distinctive skating style that makes him instantly discernible from everyone else on the ice and fantastic hands that make seemingly-impossible passes. He’s also got hockey smarts: rarely takes stupid penalties (Semin), rarely out of position, rarely the direct cause of goals due to defensive irresponsibility (WIDEMAN). And while I generally prefer atheletes to show a modicum of personality off-ice, at least he hasn’t embarrassed himself. They can’t all be Ilya Bryzgalov (who occasionally skews “embarrassing” anyway).

Major ups to Holtby as well, for keeping us in the game (his series SV% is .972; Thomas’ is .975). This series is basically the opposite of the PIT-PHI: excellent goaltending and the lowest number of PIM of all the series. (In fairness, the battle of Pennsylvania has been amazing.)

Nice to have the series tied up when we return home, but home ice advantage hasn’t been all that important this postseason. No home team has won both games, and the Kings and the Flyers have swept the away games so far. The only advantage it might give us is in cliched jokes, if either Obama or a cavalcade of Obama masks shows up.

It’s a best of 5 now! Catch the action Monday, 7:30 on NBCSports or the local channel.