The road ahead; presented by your truly

Since I have nothing to do during study hall, I’ll be presenting what the Caps face in their next two games. Two of which are on the road. Yikes.

The Caps play the Yotes this Saturday at 8 PM. What do the Caps have in store for them? Well, for starters the Yotes are 11-4 thus far this season giving them one of the better records in the NHL.Their goalie, Mike Smith, has also been on fire of late with a save percentage of .915 in 15 games. While that’s good, Holtby has a save percentage of .925 with only two less games than Smith. Not bad, eh?

Things to look for

• Alex Ovechkin-The great eight has been on a goal scoring streak ever since coming back from his “upper body” injury. With the Caps on the road to over .500 (it’s about time), his ability to score is shining through at just the right times like during tight power play chances.
• Mojo-Considering Marcus Johannson has two goals in just as many games, I’d say he’s someone to look to as the Caps continue to (hopefully) win games.
• The third line-For the Caps, I mean. They’ve been on fire lately with lots of quality opportunities and just plain ole good hockey sense. Hopefully they can continue to get  alot of ice time away from home and keep the Caps on the winning track.
• Mike Smith-He’s been on fire lately and could be a real road block for the Caps in their quest to continue their winning streak.

The Caps take on Avs the following day again at 8 PM. The Avs have been killing it this season with only two losses so far this season. Their starting goalies save percentage isn’t nearly as impressive as Holtby’s at .933, but that’s just some tiddly wink stuff. The Avs have been very impressive so far this season and the Caps are gonna be between a rock and a hard place if the Avs get up early. Jagr, help us.

Things to look for

• Gabriel Landeskog-This super Swede had been someone to look out for since day one of his playing career. Talk about hands! If the Caps aren’t careful, he could put a few biscuits in the basket.
• Avs offense-The Avs offense has been very strong this season and the Caps defense isn’t, let’s say, the best in the league so the Caps have to be really careful with how they position their D if they want to make it out if this game with a W.
• Alex Ovechkin-Ovechkin is always someone to look out for, especially since he’s been so hot of late. He’s someone you can count on to get you out of a tight spot in a game.

The moral of the story? The Caps ar eplaying some very tough opposition while on the road this weekend and should work on keeping their defense solid and offense ready to score goals because these are two very offensive teams who aren’t afraid to get to the front of the net and make things a little messy if need be.

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The Caps take on the Bruins for their last regular season game

Tonight marks the last regular season game before they take on one of four teams in the first round of the Playoffs. Traditionally, when your team’s in, big players usually sit out or don’t play hard to save themselves for the Playoffs, where it really matters. With the Caps on such a hot streak, completely sending the game down the crapper wouldn’t help with their groove.Especially with the fact the Bruins still haven’t locked their spot in. Meaning, the Caps could have significant influence in where they land. The Caps don’t need to treat this game like the game against the Jets, but wining this game would have it’s advantages.

If the Caps win, hey’ll enter the Playoffs off a win which could likely give them a confidence boost. Another positive to a W is the fact that where Boston lands also affects who the Caps play. Personally speaking; the Caps playing the Islanders or Senators isn’t nearly as appealing as them playing the Leafs or Rangers, in terms of likely hood to make it to the second round.

Who would you like to see the Caps play?

Hold onto your ass Fred, the Caps are playing the Jets

In case you were wondering, that is a reference to a movie. Which one, I have no idea. My mom just says it when she feels particularly adventurous when driving. Moving on, the Caps are playing their most meaningful game of the season tonight. Two teams go in tonight with a shot at the Playoffs, and one leaves in the Playoffs. As of now, the Caps are first place in the Southeast Division and therefore third in the conference. If the Jets were to win, they’d clinch and have enough points to take over the Caps  place as first in the Division and effectively clinch the third spot in the division.

Working my magic with POW (that’s a lie, but I tried), there’s a small chance that the Caps could make the Playoffs if they win their next to and possibly even take the Southeast Division if the jets lose their last game. That’s not to say this game isn’t important, it’d be a lot nicer and easier if they could clinch tonight and not have to battle the last tow games of the season.

Do you think the Caps can clinch tonight?

Ovechkin vs. Crosby, just stop already

While enjoying the absolute blowout by the Caps (they’ve finally found their groove this season) I saw some “Crosby>>>Ovi” business. This has been going on sense they both came into the league and I’m sick of it. Yes, they are two of the most elite players in the league. Is Crosby more so than Ovechkin? That’s up to you to decide, I’m not getting into that. What I am going to get into is the fact these players play two different positions, play on two different teams, and have two different systems. They are therefore not comparable to one another and their individual talent should be respected.

First off, Ovechkin is a winger. He’s played both left and right wing with varying success. Crosby is a center. Yes they’re both top notch scorers but they have different positions thus different jobs. Centers tend to be players who create plays and set up goals while wingers tend to score the goals (some hockey 101 for ya). Is this always the case? Absolutely not. But Crosby is also well known for impressive point streaks, not just goal streaks.

Last I checked, but I may be wrong, Ovechkin plays for the Washington Capitals and Crosby plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Another fun tidbit; they play in different divisions and therefore, against different opponants. Do they play some of the same teams? Yes, they do. But the frequency is completely different. The different division they’re in as well as their team mates can influence goals scored as well as points. A team playing the Panthers, per say, is going to have more scoring opportunities and goals scored than a team playing the Chicago Blackhawks. You feel me?

Finally, the systems are different. This is SO SO SO important and I feel like some nitwits out there don’t get the relation. Let’s take a trip back in time, shall we? Remember Hunters infamous defense first system, the one where games were decided by one goal and those goals were few and far between? Yeah, kinda hard to score 50 goals when the emphasize is on dump’n’chase and defense. Bylsma’s system is completely different and focused on the strengths of the team, which is obviously scoring. While Oates is the Caps head coach now, and he does support a more offense system, I think you see what I’m getting at. When Ovi played under Boudreau, for the most part, his goal tallies were higher than under the more defensive Hunter system.

All I’m getting at is that Ovechkin and Crosby are two completely different players and should be respected as such. So please, for the love of all things hockey, put this stupid “rivalry” aside. It’s pointless and is as useful as comparing apples and oranges.

Caps vs. Habs; every point counts

Puck drop is in less than an hour tonight and for two teams in contention for the Playoffs, every point counts. After the Islanders-Jets game went to OT, while the Jets lost, the margin seperating the two Southeast division rivals is one point. That’s right. One. Uno. Une. Ein. Yksi. I got a little carried away with the Google translate, but my point remains. That’s not a comfortable margin. At all. If the Caps tank this game they tank their chance of making the Playoffs with only three games left against tough rivals.

The Caps history against the Habs is rocky at best with mostly losses in the clubs early years. The Caps have’t fared too much better as the years have progressed. 2010, anyone? *shudder* Playoff series out of a horror movie aside, the Caps are 1-1 against the Canadiens this season, but here’s hoping the Caps of late (selectively forgetting Sens game Thursday  can get the two points and pull away from Winnipeg.

Caps are in the Playoffs…for now

If you’ve been following the Caps these season, you know all to well the uphill battle they’re fighting to get enough points to get in the Playoff race. Let me back up a little and explain how the playoffs are organized and all this point business.

In the NHL, you get two points for winning a game. Pretty simple, right? Well, if your team goes to overtime (also referred to as OT) because you’re tied both teams are awarded one point and the team that wins gets another point effectively winning two points.

Now, there are two divisions in the NHL; the Eastern division nnd the Western division. These are divided into multiple divisions, which I won’t get into because it can get a little confusing, but eight teams per division make the Playoffs.

This is due to the accumulation of points. the top three teams per division are ranked in the top three (that’s a good thing because you play inter-divsion until the Finals and it goes one-eight, two-seven, three-six, and so on) so if you win your division you’re assured a Playoff spot.

Luckily for the Caps, they play in the worst division in the league. While they may have less points than the team in eight, they have more points than anyone in their division therefore effectively making the Playoffs in a good place. That make sense?

As I was saying before, the Caps have been fighting an uphill battle to make the Playoffs this year. But they’ve been fortunate to be placed in a division with the likes of the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes, making them the winners (so far!) but there are two weeks left int he season meaning the Caps have enough time to screw things up royally with teams like Lightening, Bruins, Senators, and Canadiens coming up.

If they go on a tail spin like they were on much of this season, the Jets (who are only two points or one game away from them in the standings) could easily win the division and effectively make the Playoffs. With things so close in the Eastern Conference, there’s no way the Caps can make the Playoffs except by winning their division.

 

 

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That being said, the Caps “top guns” have finally been showing up and producing like they’re paid to do. Ovi? He’s the gold star of the week on NHL Net. And for good reason, he’s had 7 goals in the past three games! He, really the whole team, have been showing they’re serious business this season. Let’s hope they can keep it up. Once you make the Playoffs, anything can happen! The LA Kings are prime examples being the first team int he eighth spot in the Playoffs to win a Cup.

A disappointing loss holds a twinkle of hope

There’s not much to say about the game that took place in the Phone Booth last night. The Caps played with very little energy and drive for the first two periods, this created many scoring chances for Toronto on which they utilized creating a 3-1 lead after the second. The Caps didn’t get their act together until the last 14 minutes of the game, which was due to Center Mike Riberio’s goal.

To be honest, their drive for the last fourteen minutes was the only notable and half way decent thing about the game for the Caps. They played sloppy and gave up way to many good opportunities for Toronto to capitalize on, which they did.

As I stressed in my pregame, the caps have to play a full game with energy. If they keep playing with this lack of focus and drive, they’re going to stay at the bottom of the league and they have way to much talent on their team to be 30th.

While what I said is true, not all players on the team aren’t playing hard. Last night, Mike Riberio, Troy Brouwer, Joel Ward, and Jason Chimera played hard and while their efforts might not necessarily have made an impact on the stat sheet, it did on the ice.

Some players, on the other hand, under preformed. Again, the not so great 8 was nearly invisible with a few rushes on net and a near goal. But his power play presence was abysmal and his play with less than 20 seconds left in the game did not impress. Honestly, I think Jeff Schultz had a better game than Ovechkin and that’s saying a lot.

Until the Caps can figure out how to play a full game with the intensity they had at the end of last night’s game, they’re going to continue to lose and stay at the bottom of the league. I’m not even going to talk about the Playoffs at this point.

CAN YOU HEAR US?! Oh, wait…that was last season

The Caps are actually playing…well. In the second round. Yes, this is for realz. Crazy business, I tell you! Even though I’m not Hunters biggest fan (he takes a bit to warm up to), he has really proven his style of play in the post season. And I must say, I’m most impressed.

If you’ll remember last year during the playoffs, game 4 ended in tears #IsItOctoberYet? hashtags, and much gnashing of teeth from Caps fans as the Lightning, of all teams, very well butchered the Caps in 4 games.

A memory the Caps hoped to erase today winning game 4 against the Broadway Blueshirts tying the series at 2 a piece. Considering New York got 1st in the East this season and the Caps got 7th (talk about role reversals, eh?), this has been a good series.

There have been some ups and downs, game 1 was a bit of a bummer, late nights, I’ll take a 3 OT and a Pepsi, please. These teams seem to favor multi-OT games, remember the “Chimeracle on 34th St.”? And, of course, some awesomesocks goalie matchups. Can you believe the Caps “rookie” goalie is the only goalie in the Eastern Conferance Playoffs to have not lost two games in a row? Yeah,  me either.

It isn’t just Braden “brick wall” Holtby leading the Caps to victory, but the other players have really stepped up. The defense is more present and in the zone helping ward off goal-hungry Rangers with the puck and the offense has done a great job of pressing the attack and putting shots on net, which lead to goals.

Good win today boys (and thank the hockey gods you guys kept in regulation), just keep doing what you’re doing and you never know, you could be invited to the White House this summer.

PS- Go check out @TheDugsSports blog (http://capsbasketball.blogspot.com/)It’s a great Caps blog and I write pregames for him.

IT’S PLAYOFF TIME!!

THE PLAYOFFS ARE HERE PEOPLE!! THE CAPS ARE FACING THE BROADWAY BLUESHIRTS IN HOPES OF A RE-Wait, what? The Caps are playing the Bruins? Mushrooms…*gulp* well, as I was saying, the Caps are in the Playoffs! The day I never thought would happen is! *happy dance* Ok, let’s get down to business, folks.

The question is; who are these skating bumble bees and what do they want from us?

These bumblers go by the name of the Boston Bruins, residing in a place they call TD Garden named after the bank promoted by that really annoying guy. They dress in gold and black, bearing the resemblance of bumble bees. But they’re named after bears (wait,what?).

I is bumble bee and bear!

They have the likes of Chara, Marchand, Seguin, Lucic, and Thomas in between the pipes heading their tough as nails ’11 Cup champs. Am I the only one who’s afeared of these skating fashion disasters? (granted, not as bad as Philly or Nashville, but still)

Let us have faith, red nation, the Caps won their series against Boston in the regular season. Granted, the Caps are notorious for kicking ass in the regular season and rolling over dead in the Playoffs, but maybe going backwards (kinda) will result in a shiny, silver thing.

What can we expect Thursday? I have no freaking idea. I’m not a psychic, I can’t even remember tomorrow’s forecast. Let’s just hope it involves some major Bruins tushy kicking.

 

Caps on the road, in Boston, with four goals…

Means a matinée win! In a victory over the Bruins at TD Garden.

This game was very significant for the Chinatown heroes (totally copy righting that, btw) seeing as they’ve been on a downward spiral which would effectively kill any chance of them making the Playoffs. Considering the same basic team ont he Presidents Trophy two years ago, that’s pretty bad.

Luckily, the Caps were able to do the seeming impossible and beat the defending Stanley Cup champions 4-3 in regulation. On the road, I might add. Not that a win on the road against such a good team wasn’t a big enough feat, but the Caps PP and PK looked sharper than the Yoshi blade this afternoon.

Four goals is a pretty astonishing for this struggling team, but what was even more astonishing were the people who scored. Semin got his 18th career goal this fine afternoon along with Hendricks netting his fourth, in the first. Beagle came out strong tickling the twine for the second time this season and Laich tipping in his 13th of the season.

Crossing my fingers here, but a two game baby streak is a good start for a turn around for this Washington team that will lead, hopefully, to the Playoffs and Beyond!