Thursday Roundup/Gamenight: Stars @ Caps

[NHL.com Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview - Official Gameday Thread]

Welcome back, Jeff Halpern. For the second time in five days, the Caps will face one of their former captains, this time the Little Jew That Could. It'll be interesting to see how many faceoffs Jeff gets thrown out of (the over/under's set at five, and the betting windows are open). So far, Halps has eight points in 24 games and has cashed approximately $500,000 in paychecks from the Stars - not bad work if you can get it (and yes, I know his role doesn't require him to be a big point producer, but still... three goals more than a quarter of the way through the season? C'mon.).

In Dallas, the Caps face a team that has the League's best GAA and allows the second-fewest shots against per game. On the plus side, the Stars will be travelling from Chicago after facing the Blackhawks on Wednesday night and plan to start the same goalie - Marty "What Do You Mean There's A Season After The Season?" Turco - against the Caps as they started against the Hawks, so perhaps he and they will be tired. On the minus side, he's really good.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

• NHL.com has a profile on Mike Green up.
• According to the Arizona Republic, Jeremy Roenick "missed practice on Monday and Tuesday because of an upper respiratory illness." The illness in question apparently keeps J.R. inhaling non-stop. Trained physicians recognize this as the medical diagnosis for "sucking."

Daily Awards

• Hart: Tuomo Ruutu (GWG with 1:48 left in 'Hawks 2-1 win)
• Ross: 27 players tied with 1 point each
• Norris: Shea Weber (A, +2, 3 hits, 1 blocked shot)
• Vezina: Nikolai Khabibulin (W, 20 saves on 21 shots against)
• Richard: 11 players tied with 1G each
• Calder: Joe Pavelski (G, +1, 4 SOG, 2 blocked shots in 2-1 win)
• Aiken: Jussi Timonen (-2, 0 points, 0 SOG)

Wednesday Roundup/Caps 5, Lightning 2

[SeSo Open Thread]

For a young team, confidence is often everything. The Caps jumped out to a 4-0 lead, thanks to a snow-balling amount of confidence after scoring the game's first goal. But after the Tampa scored the first goal of the third period, one could see doubt creeping into the Caps' collective mind. When Tampa scored a second time, the Caps confidence was completely shot and the team was skating around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off.

Luckily, Olie Kolzig is a veteran goalie who is nearly immune to such lapses in confidence. Facing a whopping 50 shots on goal, Kolzig was only beaten twice as he led to the Caps to their first win in seven games.

In addition to Kolzig's brilliant effort, the team got secondary scoring (three of the team's four lines potted goals), and great penalty-killing (including a Boyd Gordon shortie). Read all about it from whatever source you want at Washington Hockey Daily, but I found this excerpt from The Peerless Prognosticator particularly interesting:

The number that sticks in The Peerless’ head this morning is this one . . .

81

That represents the total of shots on goal, missed shots, and shots blocked by Capitals. That’s approximately one shot sent toward the net every 45 seconds. And let’s put that number in further perspective. Last night, the Milwaukee Bucks scored more points in an NBA game than any other team – 109. In doing so, they took 85 shots from the floor (we don’t include free throws for this comparison, since the clock is stopped for those instances). The Tampa effort was as close to a run-and-gun NBA game as you’re likely to find.

Rink reader Tim also pointed me to these numbers from the good folks at Elias:

Alexander Ovechkin scored a goal, his 10th of November, in Washington's 5-2 win over the Lightning. It's already the third calendar month in which Ovechkin has scored 10 or more goals; he also did so in January and March. Since Ovechkin entered the league as a rookie last October, the only other NHL player to record three 10-goal months is Jonathan Cheechoo.

Olaf Kolzig stopped 48 of 50 Tampa Bay shots on goal to lead the Capitals to a 5-2 win over the Lightning. Kolzig is 4-0-1 this season in the five games in which he's made 40 or more saves. The Islanders' Mike Dunham and the Blues' Manny Legace are the only other NHL goaltenders with even two such wins this season.

Next up for the Caps, Dallas and the return of favorite son Jeff Halpern on Thursday night. I'm already getting a little verklempt.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

• Pens fans are so totally awesome.
• Ever wonder if your friend the Thrasher fan is talking too much trash? Well, he probably is.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Olie Kolzig (W, 48 saves on 50 shots against in 5-2 win at Tampa)
• Ross: Marian Hossa (4 points)
• Norris: Dion Phaneuf (G, A, +1)
• Vezina: Cristobal Huet (36-save shootout shutout win)
• Richard: Bobby Holik, Adam Hall, Colby Armstrong (2G each)
• Calder: Paul Stastny (G, A)
• Aiken: Johan Holmqvist (L, 3 goals allowed on 13 shots in 36:29 of work)

Tuesday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ Lightning

[SeSo Open Thread]

The Caps need a slump buster, stat. The numbers are ugly, so I won't go over them - what's in the past is past, water under the bridge, tabula rasa, etc. The fact remains, though, that the Caps find themselves at something of a crossroad, and with the Stars (16-6-0), Sabres (19-3-2), resurgent Sens (6-4-0 in their last 10) and Ducks (17-2-6) looming, if Washington can't steal one in Tampa, this slump might take on a life of its own.

I've thrown some other thoughts together over on SeSo (my keys to the game), and hope to see some of y'all commenting over there in the Open Thread before, during and after this intra-divisional tilt. But here's the bigger question - when would you hit the panic button? And what exactly would you do at that point? Trade a slow-developing (or regressing) defenseman? Fire the coach? Sign a free agent? Personally, I'd answer no, not yet (more on that later) and hell no. What do you think?

Caps Quick Hit

• NHL.com posted a profile of Jakub Klepis the other day. I'm not entirely sure why, and lines like "In another year or two Klepis could well be -- and it sounds like the Capitals would like him to be -- the top center on the [Alexander] Ovechkin line" make me question the relevence of the rest of the piece (I doubt the Caps think they drafted a future second-line center with the #4 overall pick last June), but good publicity is good publicity so I'll stop looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Dominik Hasek (W, 20 saves on 21 shots against)
  
• Ross: Patrik Elias (2 points)
  
• Norris: Mathieu Schneider (Game-winning shorthanded goal)
  
• Vezina: Dominik Hasek (W, 20 saves on 21 shots against)
  
• Richard: 7 players tied with one goal each
  
• Calder: Anze Kopitar (A, game-winning shootout goal)
  
• Aiken: Jere Lehtinen (0 points, -2, 0 SOG in 2-1 loss)

Sunday Roundup/Isles 4, Caps 1

I was going to recap last night's game and comment on the tailspin in which the Caps currently find themselves, but since I couldn't say it any better than Jim Mora, I'll let him answer the one burning question:

It's Good To Be The King

Make sure to check out the Washington Post Magazine cover story on Alex Ovechkin. It's a great read and the slideshow is pretty sweet too (including the shot below of Alex signing an autograph for two of his biggest fans).

Because I Couldn't Find A "Jim Hrivnak: Vezina Candidate" Card

Going through some not-so-old hockey cards yesterday, I came across this gem which made me laugh (admittedly not out loud):

Brad Schlegel. Calder Candidate.

In support of his candidacy, Schlegel registered an assist in seven games for the Caps and was edged out for the 1992-93 Rookie of the Year trophy by Teemu Selanne, who finished a mere 131 points ahead of Schegel in the rookie scoring race.

Friday Roundup/Gamenight: Leafs @ Caps

[NHL.com Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview - Official Gameday Thread]

Lost a bit in the madness that surrounded the end of Wednesday night's game against Atlanta is the fact that the Caps have now dropped four straight games (two in overtime), doubling the previous season-high winless streak. Now the Caps must face the Maple Leafs without the services of checking-line center Brian Sutherby and enforcer Donald Brashear as a result of the suspensions handed down in the wake of the Atlanta game.

To fill a roster spot, Eric Fehr has been recalled from Hershey, which is exciting, and apparently Alex Semin participated fully in practice yesterday, meaning he's close to returning. The Caps are in dire need of the scoring punch that these two kids can provide, as the team has scored more than two goals only once since November 6.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Scott Hartnell (2G, A, +2, 5 SOG)
  
• Ross: Scott Hartnell, Paul Kariya (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Shea Weber (G, A, +1, 4 SOG, 2 hits)
  
• Vezina: Tomas Vokoun (W, 21 saves on 21 shots against in 39:58 of work)
  
• Richard: Scott Hartnell (2 goals)
  
• Calder: Alexander Radulov (GWG, A, +2 in just 7:59 of ice time)
  
• Aiken: Dany Sabourin (L, 5 goals allowed on 24 shots in 52:35 of work)

Fight Night, Redux

For far too long, Bob Hartley's Atlanta Thrashers have been tossing around questionably-legal elbows, knees and slashes like rice at a wedding. Wednesday night, Caps' coach Glen Hanlon and his Washington Capitals had had enough. But before we get into that, let's get a few facts out there for context:

1. Entering Wednesday night's game with Atlanta, the Caps were last in the NHL with only three fighting majors on the season.
2. In an eight-day span during which the Caps got beat by Division rival Carolina twice by a combined scored of 9-1, there wasn't a single fighting major in either game.
3. There was not a single fighting major in Wednesday night's game until after Andy Sutton - a player who has, in the past, been suspended for a cheap shot - went head-hunting on Mike Green.

With those out of the way, we can discuss the end to Wednesday night's game in context. Simply put, Hanlon was mad as hell and he wasn't going to take it any more:

"It was a 4-2 hockey game and someone, a 21-year-old kid with a cut mouth [Green], gets his head knocked off with a high hit and one of their players [Ilya Kovalchuk] is grabbing our captain [Chris Clark], grabbing his cage and shaking it," Hanlon said. "What the heck are they supposed to do?"

What they did was release the hounds. Donald Brashear paired off with Vitali Vishnevski, Matt Bradley and Greg de Vries danced and Marian Hossa wisely turtled (but still somehow got five for fighting and a ten minute misconduct) rather than face John Erskine's fists. Immediately after the next faceoff, Brian Sutherby went after a visibly disinterested Brad Larsen, and Thrasher captain Scott Mellanby did the same to Jamie Heward following the next puck drop. All told, there were 135 minutes in penalties (if my math is correct) in a four-second span of hockey time, but the fireworks didn't end there:

The animosity continued in the hallway between the teams' locker rooms afterward, with Hanlon reportedly screaming at Hartley. In the game's waning seconds, Hanlon, on the Capitals' bench, gestured toward Hartley, flapping his arms like a chicken. Hartley responded by mouthing the words, "Next time."

Next time is a story for, well, next time. But regarding what happened last night, respect in the NHL is a two-way street. When you respect your opponent and the way they play the game, that respect is reciprocated. When the other team doesn't respect your players, however - when they send a cheap-shot artist out there to run players in the dying minutes of a game that has been all but decided - sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands (or fists, as it were) before someone gets hurt. And that's exactly what happened Wednesday night.

Vishnevski's face will heal. But if Sutton cleanly landed his shot on Green, the kid could be out with a concussion for who knows how long. And if the Caps let Sutton get away with that garbage, who knows what liberties he or his teammates might take next. Now, at least, Atlanta knows that if they mess with the bull... well, you know.

And while Hartley may paint his team as a bunch of choir boys, Mellanby had the proper prospective on what happened:

"Obviously, they took exception to [Sutton's] hit -- they were defending themselves, I don't necessarily agree with the way they went about it [captainese for "we would have done the exact same thing"], but they've developed a lot of pride and identity with that team. That comes from Hanlon, and I mean that as a compliment. He's instilled a great work ethic in that team and great pride. That was just old-school hockey, and I don't have any problem with it. It's part of the game, it happens."

The bottom line is this: Sutton ran Green and Ben Clymer went after him for it, but nothing came of it. Feeling that the Thrashers hadn't answered sufficiently for that hit and others that happened throughout the night and the other three games in the season series thus far, Hanlon put out a few toughs to send a message, and they certainly did send that message. Sutherby's fight was overkill (and who knows if Hanlon sent him out there to fight - Suts may have just wanted to do his part as an alternate captain and decided to drop the gloves on his own), and Mellanby's was similarly unnecessary. But Clymer said it best: "We’re going to stick together and if things get ugly, teams know they’ll have to face all 20 [of us]."

Without question, fines and suspensions will - and should - follow. But they're all a small price to pay for respect and pride. And I can't imagine there's too much outrage throughout the rest of the League that the Thrashers got their lunch handed to them for once.

(Cross-posted at SeSo)

UPDATE: Here's the action from the final 1:30 or so (thanks to Eric at Off Wing for the pointer)

I'm Not Sayin', I'm Just Sayin'

On Monday night, the Flyers and Penguins faced off in another Battle of Pennsylvania. Now, as the teams prepare for their respective games tonight, each is faced with at least one noteworthy injury.

First, the Flyers' Mike Rathje:

Defenseman Mike Rathje, bothered by pain in his buttocks... was in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday for another shot of Botox that will keep him out of the lineup tonight when the Flyers face the visiting Ottawa Senators.

Now, the Pens' Sidney Crosby:

Pittsburgh Penguins star [and Canadian Diving Team Captain] Sidney Crosby will miss Wednesday night's game against Boston because of a sore groin.

A sore butt and a sore groin - the result of Monday's head-to-head (or so we'd thought) match up. Get well soon, gentlemen.

Wednesday Roundup/Gamenight: Thrashers @ Caps

[SeSo Open Thread]

Caps Quick Hits

• AO is becoming an even better hockey player, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll see it in the box score.
  
• There are some good "Caps at the quarter pole" recaps out there, including Mike Vogel's and The Peerless Prognosticator, who has broken it down by forwards/defensemen/goalies (the latter two coming soon, I should think) and overall team. Both have lots of great stats for us number junkies.
• Is the Caps' top line the best line in the Southeast Division? We're polling it over at SeSo.
  

Daily Awards

• Hart: Petr Sykora (2G, in 2-1 win)
  
• Ross: Jaromir Jagr, Michael Nylander, Ales Hemsky, Petr Sykora, Chris Pronger, Teemu Selanne, Shane O'Brien, Francois Beauchemin (2 points each)
  
• Norris: Chris Pronger (GWG, A, +2)
  
• Vezina: Henrik Lundqvist (34-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Jaromir Jagr, Petr Sykora (2 goals)
  
• Calder: Dustin Penner (A, 7 SOG, 2 hits)
  
• Aiken: Niclas Wallin (-3, 1 giveaway, 0 SOG, in 4-0 loss @ NYR)

Tuesday Roundup

This morning's WaPo has a lovely recap of the Chris Clark injury and the team's reaction thereto (as GMGM put it, "[T]he next time someone has a runny nose, or feels under the weather and doesn't think they should play, that should make them think twice").

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

• Apparently having most of the League's weaker sisters is helping the Western Conference fatten up. According to the Sagarin Ratings, of the ten easiest schedules in the League so far, only one - Pittsburgh's - belongs to Eastern Conference teams, and of the ten toughest schedules so far, only two - Detroit and Vancouver - belong to Western Conference squads. Translation? It's nice having St. Louis, Chicago, Columbus, L.A. and Phoenix on your schedule so many times. Further extrapolation: as Detroit's schedule has been tough so far, look for the Wings' record to really take off once they get heavy into the intra-divisional portion of their schedule.
  
• Of the 16 teams that have more points-per-game in the standings than the Caps, only Buffalo, Detroit, Carolina and Montreal have had a tougher schedule so far (both stats through Sunday's games).
• Not to get your hopes up, but... Nick Bäckström is gonna be pretty damn good.
• This is all well and good, but it's the Penguins that need the new home.
  

Daily Awards

• Hart: Paul Gaustad (2G, A, +1, 5 SOG, 78% faceoffs won)
  
• Ross: Paul Gaustad, Ales Kotalik, Joe Sakic, Marek Svatos, Joni Pitkanen, Ryan Whitney (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Ryan Whitney (G, 2A, +2)
  
• Vezina: Tomas Vokoun (W, 23 saves on 24 shots against)
  
• Richard: Glen Murray, Paul Gaustad, Tomas Vanek, Marek Svatos, Martin St. Louis, Brenden Morrow (2G each)
  
• Calder: Daniel Paille (2A, +2)
  
• Aiken: Marc Denis (L, 7 goals allowed on 29 shots against)

Captain Courageous

I was going to include this in this morning's Roundup, but it deserves a post of its own. If anyone ever tries to tell you that there are tougher athletes anywhere in the world than in the NHL, recount this story to them:

Washington Capitals captain Chris Clark did not play last night, but it wasn't because he didn't try. Simply put, the team physicians wouldn't clear him.

Clark was hit in the mouth by a puck late in the third period of Wednesday's 3-2 loss to Boston, sustaining several broken teeth, a fractured palate and possibly other injuries inside his mouth (exact details are vague). He has spent the last two days with physicians and dentists and met with doctors before last night's game to plead his case.

"I have never seen a more courageous thing in hockey," said coach Glen Hanlon, who has been involved in the sport for more than 30 years. "To stay out there and play after he was hurt, and he still tried to block shots, still stayed out there until the puck [was iced]. The puck just went straight in his mouth and knocked his teeth out.

"If you could see him, all the damage ... and he practiced this morning! He's got a [facial shield] to protect his mouth. And he won't go on injured reserve."

To recap, Clark took a puck in the face, shattering (at least) several chiclets and the roof of his mouth, finished his shift and practiced the next morning. Truly unbelievable.

Saturday Roundup/'Canes 4, Caps 1Gamenight: Caps @ Bruins

[SeSo Open Thread (with all your post-game links) - NHL.com Preview - Official Gameday Thread]

Perhaps the Caps have been guilty these past two games of believing some of their early-season press clippings. Maybe the overwhelmingly positive things that have been said about the team have also given the fans - myself included - a somewhat unrealistic sense of what to expect night-in, night-out from a team that is still miles away from contending for anything more than perhaps a playoff spot (that's two "perhaps," one "somewhat" and one "maybe" already - way to go out on a limb, J.P.).

But one thing that's not unrealistic to expect night-in, night-out is a disciplined, leave-it-all-on-the-ice effort from every single player. There shouldn't be selfish clearing attempts from superstars. There shouldn't be lazy offensive zone penalties. There shouldn't be players standing around waiting for pucks to get to them.

But all of those things were present last night, which was surprising, considering that a win last night would have vaulted the Caps into second place in the Southeast Division. Instead, they wake up this morning in fourth place, having been leap-frogged by Tampa Bay, and will face Boston - a team that beat them earlier in the week - tonight without Alex Semin and Chris Clark.

On the plus side, the Caps have followed up each of their first five regulation losses on the season with wins. Caps fans shouldn't necessarily expect a win tonight, but they certainly have every right to expect a better effort.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Rod Brind'Amour (2G, including game-winner, 2A, +2, 65% faceoffs)
• Ross: Rod Brind'Amour, Erik Cole (4 points each)
  
• Norris: Duncan Keith (2A, +2, 2 hits, 2 blocked shots - coincidentally (?), he wears #2!)
  
• Vezina: Peter Budaj (25-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Rod Brind'Amour, Jamie Langenbrunner, Sidney Crosby, Mike Ribeiro, Markus Naslund (2 G each)
  
• Calder: Travis Zajac (3A, +3, 2 takeaways, 2 blocked shots, 55% faceoffs won)
  
• Aiken: Kari Lehtonen (L, 3 goals on 7 shots against in just 16:46 of work)
  

I Thought You Looked Familiar

Two defensemen walk into a bar… let’s call them Defenseman A and Defenseman B.

Defenseman A is 6-4, 215 pounds and was drafted in the second round (39th overall). Defenseman B is 6-2, 219 pounds and was drafted in the first round (11th overall).

Defenseman A was a first-team CHL All-Star and was named “Most Outstanding Defenceman” in one of Canada’s Tier I Major-Junior hockey leagues. Ditto Defenseman B.

Here’s TSN.ca’s scouting report on Defenseman A:

Assets: Loves to play a physical game from behind the blueline. Keeps things simple and knows his limitations.
Flaws: Has limited offensive ability. Must work hard to improve his suspect skating ability. Will struggle when lined up against shifty NHL forwards.
Career potential: Physical defenseman.

And here’s TSN.ca’s scouting report on Defenseman B:

Assets: Will make his presence felt on every shift. Loves to take the body and isn't afraid of dropping the gloves. Is a strong defender while his team is short-handed and an excellent team leader.
Flaws: Tends to stray out of position in order to line up his opponent for the big hit. Shows little in the way of offense. Takes too many penalties.
Career potential: Defensive defenseman.

Through his first 143 NHL games, Defenseman A has 3 goals, 3 assists and 340 PIMs. Through his first 156 NHL games, Defenseman B had 6 goals, 12 assists and 285 PIMs.

Finally, Defenseman A, who is in his fourth NHL season, has an NHL salary of $575,000 for 2006-07. Defenseman B, in his 10th NHL season, has a salary of $2,500,000 for the season (so I guess he’s picking up the tab at the end of the night).

Anyone want to guess who these two (perhaps strikingly) similar blueliners are?

[If you don’t want to play, here’s Defenseman A and here’s Defenseman B.]

Friday Roundup/Gamenight: 'Canes @ Caps

[SeSo Open Thread]

The good news heading into tonight's big game is that Richard Zednik and Dainius Zubrus are probable and Chris Clark is possible (questionable). The bad news is that "probable" and "questionable" don't mean "definite." Without even one or two of the three, the lineup will have to be juggled a bit. If Clark is out and the Killer Z's (hey, I just made that up and hate it already!) play, I'd imagine Zednik would play in Clark's place on the first line, which he was doing late in games in which the Caps were trailing before he got hurt. If Zubie is a no-go, I'd imagine Kris Beech (remember him?) gets a sweater. Bottom line: as KB put it, Sunday can't come fast enough for the team.

I've posted some more thoughts on tonight's game over at SeSo. And don't forget to stop by the Open Thread over there and make your voice heard (I haven't seen too many of you folks posting over there - any reason?).

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks (and Beyond):

• As Caps Nut points out, George Michael (no, not that one), is retiring from NBC4. Bad news for rodeo fans, great news for fans of the über-cute Lindsay Czarniak.
• I'm no 'Canes fan, but if they wore these sweaters, I might have to pick myself up an Erik Cole (don't believe me? Read the comments).
• "The Long and Winding Road" is almost enough to make me hate Paul McCartney. "Let It Be" prevents me from doing so.
  

Daily Awards

• Hart: Olli Jokinen (3G, +3, 8 SOG)
  
• Ross: Olli Jokinen, Nathan Horton, Steve Sullivan, Mikko Koivu, J.P. Dumont, Ales Hemsky, Mike Richards (3 points each)
  
• Norris: M.-A. Bergeron (G, A, +1)
  
• Vezina: Tim Thomas (W, 24 saves on 25 shots againt)
  
• Richard: Olli Jokinen (3G)
• Calder: Phil Kessel (G)
  
• Aiken: Manny Fernandez (5 goals allowed on 20 shots against in 33:39 of work)
  

The Man In The Middle

After colliding with the mountainous Zdeno Chara with around 11 minutes to go in last night's loss to Boston, Dainius Zubrus left the game and did not return. The Caps certainly could have used the Lithuanian pivot, especially in the four-on-four overtime period, but, more importantly, a healthy Zubrus is absolutely critical for the Caps in order to keep building on their early-season momentum.

In fact, the argument could be made that, to date, Zubrus has been the Caps' Most Valuable Player.

Olie Kolzig? While he'd probably get my vote, Brent Johnson has proven he's a capable back-up and in fact has a better Goals Against Average and a better Save Percentage than does Kolzig.

Alexander Ovechkin? Sure, he's got more points, game-winning goals, etc., than Zubie, but if there's one place the Caps do have some depth, it's down the left-side, with Alex Semin, Matt Pettinger, Ben Clymer and Donald Brashear behind AO on the depth chart (so much depth, in fact, that Pettinger and Tomas Fleischmann have been playing the right side rather than their natural portside positions).

Of course I'm not saying that the Caps would be where they are in the standings without Kolzig and Ovechkin. But they certainly wouldn't be there without Zubrus either. Consider:

• Zubrus has taken 100 more faceoffs than anyone on the team (and won exactly half of the 358 draws - ninth most in the NHL - he's taken);
• He has skated the fourth most shifts on the team, and is tied for the lead in goals among NHL centers (though NHL.com doesn't list his position as such);
• No other Capital center has more than one goal (red flag!); and
• He has been integral in Ovechkin's on- and off-ice development.

If Zubrus is out for an extended period of time, one wonders if the Caps would be tempted to do something bold to fill the void his absence would leave.

UPDATE (11/16, 2:00 p.m.): Zubrus is probable for tomorrow night's game.

Thursday Roundup/Bruins 3, Caps 2 (SO)

[NHL.com Recap - WashingtonCaps.com Postgame]

The Caps lost a disappointing game last night, Zubrus is hurt, Ovechkin fired his agent and the defending Champs come calling tomorrow night. And it's raining (or at least it's going to). All in all, not a great day in Capland. On the plus side, I did get to meet Rink reader KB last night and he bought me a beer, so cheers to that.

As always, check out Washington Hockey Daily to see what everyone else is saying about last night's game (unfortunately, I don't have the time to recap it myself this morning).

Thread of the Day:

• Ovechkin Fired Agent

Daily Awards

• Hart: David Legwand (2G, A, +2)
  
• Ross: David Legwand, Rick Nash (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Sheldon Souray (2G, 6 SOG, 2 hits)
  
• Vezina: Rick DiPietro (35-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: David Legwand, Rick Nash, Sami Kapanen (2G each)
• Calder: Guillaume Latendresse (G)
  
• Aiken: J.-S. Giguere (L, 5 goals allowed on 11 shots in just 16:26 of work)
  

Ovechkin Makes His First Mistake

According to the CP, "[v]eteran hockey agent Don Meehan and star Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin have parted ways after five years together."

So what's the big problem? What follows:

It's believed Ovechkin's mother will be taking over her son's affairs. The 21-year-old is signed to his entry-level contract through next season.

I'm just curious - has a scenario like this ever worked out well? Granted, I'm over-reacting and am likely overly-pessimistic for no good reason, but does anyone read news like this and not think "Eric Lindros?" Ugh.

Stat Of The Day

Per NHLPA.com, Bruin defenseman Zdeno Chara will make $7.5 million in 2006-07, whereas the Capitals top seven defensemen - Brian Pothier, Shaone Morrisonn, Steve Eminger, Mike Green, Jamie Heward, Bryan Muir and John Erskine - will make a combined $7,067,912.

For the record, Chara has 3 goals, 7 assists and a -5 plus/minus in 14 games for the 5-7-2 Bruins, while the seven Caps listed above have combined for 5 goals, 26 assists and a +13 plus/minus for the 8-5-4 Capitals.

(Hat tip to the folks in this thread)

Wednesday Roundup/Gamenight: Bruins @ Caps

[NHL.com Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview - Official Gameday Thread]

As I'm pressed for time, today's Roundup will be in Haiku:

Boston should be good
Alas, games are played on ice
And not on paper

Thread of the Day:

• Liles Hit On Ryan Smyth

Random Capslove of the Day:

• From the City of Brotherly Love, where the Flyer meltdown is compounded by strong Eastern Conference teams including the Caps who "are good on the way to great," led by Alex Ovechkin, who "may be better than either of [two young guys who apparently play in Pittsburgh]."

Daily Awards

• Hart: Jaromir Jagr (2G 26 seconds apart in the third period to tie the game, +2, 5 SOG, 6 PIMs)
• Ross: Jaromir Jagr, Marcel (that's right, Marcel) Hossa, Brian Rafalski, Dan Cleary, Alex Tanguay, Jarome Iginla, Oleg Saprykin, Yanic Perrault, Georges Laraque, Ladislav Nagy, Wes Walz, Mark Parrish, Pavel Demitra (2 points each)
• Norris: Brian Rafalski (2A, -1, 3 hits, 2 takeaways, 0 giveaways, 3 blocked shots)
• Vezina: Miikka Kiprusoff (24-save shutout win)
• Richard: Jaromir Jagr, Yanic Perreault, Oleg Saprykin (2G each)
• Calder: Valtteri Filppula (G, +2, 3 SOG, 2 hits)
• Aiken: Martin Brodeur (L, 3 goals allowed - all within a 90-second span in the third period - on 24 shots against)

NHL To Players: Knee-On-Knee Is Just Fine

This is not suspension-worthy why?

Stats Du Jour (Mmmm... That Sounds Good... I'll Have That)

There hasn't been a better goalie in the NHL over the past few days than Olie Kolzig. But I bet you didn't know just how good Olie has been. Thanks to Rink Reader Tim for pointing me to the following tidbits from the Elias Sports Bureau (which has nothing to do with the Devils forward, so far as I can tell):

It's been turn-back-the-clock week for Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig. The second-winningest goalie in the NHL from 1999-2003 made 44 saves in a 4-1 victory over the Panthers on Monday night, two days after a 41-save, 3-1 win over the Rangers. Over the last quarter-century, no other goaltender posted victories allowing fewer than two goals with 40 or more saves over a span of three days.

But this kicker blew us away: During that 25-year period, only one other goalie did so over a span of four days, and it was Kolzig's goaltending partner on the Capitals, Brent Johnson. And Johnson did it twice over a three-week span late last season (March 29-April 1 and April 15-18).

Awed enough? Of course not - here are more Olaf the Goalaf stats, these from The Peerless Prognosticator:

And, in case you’re still paying attention, Olaf Kolzig is (with the loud exception of the Ottawa game) in something of a zone. In his last seven starts, he is 4-1-1 (he got a no-decision against Ottawa), 2.56, .938. He’s faced 41.1 shots per 60 minutes over that stretch, which is quite a workload. If that was 31.1 shots per game -- with the same save percentage -- that GAA would be 1.83 (something to think about).

Tuesday Roundup/Caps 4, Panthers 1

[NHL.com Recap - Official Scoresheet - Official Super Stats]

One of the hallmarks of a good team is the ability to win games you don't "deserve" to win. Now, I'm not saying that the Caps are a good team - or that they didn't deserve to win last night's game with Florida. But both arguments could be made, the latter more easily than the former. As has been the case often lately, Olie Kolzig was great and Dainius Zubrus and Alex Ovechkin were the best skaters one the ice. Undeniably, there's something beautiful about a game in which your stars truly shine.

The WaPo's recap is here (written by an Amy Shipley?!), the WTimes recap is here, and you can read reactions from all over the Caps Blogosphere (I'll hesitate to call it the Clogosphere) over at the newly-created Washington Hockey Daily, a site I threw together last weekend.

Cross-post of the Day:

• Be sure to check out the recap of my trip to Raleigh over at SeSo.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Ryan Smyth (2G - one PP, one SH - 3 SOG, 2 blocked shots, 1 hit, +1 in 2-1 win)
  
• Ross: Dainius Zubrus, Derek Roy, Teppo Numminen, Alexander Frolov (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Mike Komisarek (SHG, +4, 5 hits, 2 blocked shots)
  
• Vezina: Olie Kolzig (W, 44 saves on 45 shots against)
  
• Richard: Dainius Zubrus, Jochen Hecht, Ryan Smyth, Guillaume Latendresse, Alexander Frolov (2G each)
  
• Calder: Guillaume Latendresse (2G, including game-winner, 4 SOG, 3 hits in just 10:11 of ice time)
  
• Aiken: Cam Ward (L, 6 goals allowed on 33 shots against)
  

And With The First Pick In The 2023 Entry Draft, The Las Vegas Penguins Select...

(Because you know the Pens will somehow still be getting lottery picks by the time this kid's draft-eligible)

(Hat tip to Allsmokenopancake for the link)

Monday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ Panthers

[NHL.com Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview - SeSo Open Thread - Official Gameday Thread]

The Caps head to South Beach to take on the Kitties tonight. I'll have my pre-game thoughts over at SeSo later in the day, and as it's an intra-division game, make sure to check in over there in the open thread and leave your thoughts as well pre-, mid- or post-game.

This morning's WTimes discusses some similarities between the Caps and the Panthers (hint: penalties bad) and briefly touches on Boyd Gordon's roll on the team (hint: it's not to score goals).

Also be sure to check out the number-crunching KB has done on the Caps' season so far (via OWO). Good to see someone else in love with Google spreadsheets (though sadly the link in Eric's post isn't good - hook me up, KB!).

Daily Awards

• Hart: Scott Niedermayer (GWG, +1)
  
• Ross: Martin Rucinsky, Lee Stempniak, Brad Winchester, Shawn Horcoff, Ryan Getzlaf, P.-M. Bouchard, Eric Brewer (2 points each)
  
• Norris: Scott Niedermayer (GWG, +1)
  
• Vezina: Brian Boucher (28-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Martin Rucinsky, Brad Winchester (2G each)
  
• Calder: Brad Winchester (2G, +2, 4 SOG)
  
• Aiken: Jarret Stoll (-3, 0 points)
  

Sunday Roundup/Caps 3, Rangers 1

[NHL.com Recap - WashingtonCaps.com Postgame Coverage - Official Scoresheet - Official Super Stats]

Last night's crowd of 16,263 - a legitimate 16,263, the largest crowd of the season - saw the Caps take care of business by playing a physical and up-tempo game against a team that had played a similar game the night before. Despite being 0-for-7 on the power play before the Rangers even got a man advantage of their own, the Caps got an early goal from Boyd Gordon, a couple of softies from Alex Ovechkin and Matt Pettinger that went through Henrik Lundqvist's gaping five-hole, and phenomenal goaltending from Olie Kolzig en route to the 3-1 win. For those of you keeping score at home, the last four Capitals wins have come against teams that had 100 or more points last year (New York, Ottawa, Philly and Calgary).

The WaPo has their recap here, the WTimes here, but there were a couple other points from last night that deserve mention:

• Besides scoring his first goal since Christ was in diapers (Oct. 11, 2003 to be precise), Gordon was 9-for-11 (82%) in the faceoff circle. In fact, the Caps dominated the night in the dot, winning 34 of the 56 draws (61%). Dainius Zubrus was a very impressive 17-of-25 (68%).
• The defensive pairing of Brian Pothier and Shaone Morrisonn did a fantastic job containing the Jaromir Jagr line, and Morrisonn was acknowledged for his efforts with the game's third star, despite being held off the score sheet. Pothier logged an NHL-high 30:35 last night.
• The Donald finally dropped the gloves for the first time this season, and he made quick work of Colton Orr. When my wife asked why it took him so long to get into a fight this year, I told her that when you're that good a fighter, you don't need to fight very often. Certainly the case with Brash. UPDATE: Video, via OWO:
  

• John Erskine looked pretty good and even picked up a helper on the Ovechkin goal. It was only the third sixth point of Erskine's career (all assists) in 143 NHL games.

Stat of the Day

• The Caps have five regulation losses so far on the 2006-07 season and each of those has been followed with a win in the next game.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

• On October 28, Secondary Sid netted a hat trick against the AHL Philadelphia Flyers. Since then, he has taken 8 shots on goal in six games and hasn't scored a goal. He does, however, have seven assists over that stretch - three primary and four secondary. Must be nice having Evgeni Malkin to carry your water, eh, Sid? Perhaps not coincidentally, Pittsburgh is 1-3-2 over the six game span.
  

Daily Awards

• Hart: Daniel Briere (Game-tying and OT-winning goals, +2, 6 SOG)
  
• Ross: Bryan McCabe, Tomas Kaberle, Kyle Wellwood, Petr Nedved, Slava Kozlov (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Bryan McCabe (2G, A, 3 SOG, 3 hits, 1 takeaway, 0 giveaways, 1 blocked shot)
  
• Vezina: Olie Kolzig (W, 41 saves on 42 shots against)
  
• Richard: Marian Hossa, Glen Murray, Daniel Briere, Chris Neil, Randy Robitaille, Bryan McCabe (2G each)
  
• Calder: Drew Stafford (G, 3 SOG)
  
• Aiken: David Aebischer (L, 4 goals allowed on 28 shots in 37:33 of work)
  

Saturday Roundup/Gamenight: Rangers @ Caps

[NHL.com Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview - Official Gameday Thread]

Tonight the Caps welcome J.J. and the Broadway Blueshirts to the VC. The Rags had a physical battle with Atlanta last night (which they won handily), while the Caps come in well-rested as they haven't played a game since Monday night's comeback win against Ottawa (and yes, that includes Thursday night's game at Carolina that was on the schedule but for which they didn't show up), so look for the hosts to have a little more jump from the first puck drop.

The Rangers have three of the NHL's top seven scorers, the seventh best powerplay and the third most potent offense in the League. Needless to say, it will be absolutely critical to stay out of the box and keep the shots against down: Stupid is Death.

Thread of the Day:

• Pothier Is Killing Us ---- AGAIN
  

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

• We're #30! According to Forbes (via OFB), the Caps are the least valuable franchise in the NHL. Now this valuation is largely based on the current arena deal, and since the Caps are renters, it's not surprising that they'd be way down the list. At some point, I assume Abe Pollin will sell the building to Ted Leonsis et. al. and the Caps will be worth a heckuva lot more, so fret not.
  

Daily Awards

• Hart: Jason Spezza (G, 2A, +4, 69% faceoffs won)
  
• Ross: Michael Nylander, Jaromir Jagr, Jason Spezza (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Wade Redden (G, A, +3)
  
• Vezina: Miikka Kiprusoff (37-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Ryan Smyth, Dany Heatley, Radim Vrbata, Tomas Vanek (2G each)
  
• Calder: Evgeni Malkin (G, A)
  
• Aiken: Colby Armstrong (-4, 0 SOG, 0-for-2 on faceoffs)
  

So Dubya, What Did You Think Of Last Night's Game?

I'm back from Raleigh and will have a recap of the trip later, but the above sums up all I'm going to say about the game itself.

Thursday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ 'Canes

[NHL.com Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview - SeSo Open Thread - Official Gameday Thread - Free Beer Challenge]

Tonight, J.P. and the Caps travel to Raleigh to face the Champs (well, only the Caps will face the Champs). For my preliminary thoughts on the game, check out J.P.'s Keys over at SeSo. Sorry I don't have more, but it's a travel day.

Dainius Zubrus fans, be sure to check out today's WaPo article on the Lithuanian pivot, and Chris Clark fans should check out today's WTimes article on the Caps Connecticut-born Cap'n. What - no love for the third member of that line?

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

• In case you're wondering, Patrick Roy is still a jerk.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Slava Kozlov (3G, including game-winner)
• Ross: Slava Kozlov, Marian Hossa, Nils Ekman (3 points each)
• Norris: Jay Bouwmeester (G, +1, 5 hits)
• Vezina: Dominik Hasek (16-save shutout win)
• Richard: Slava Kozlov, Nils Ekman (3G each)
• Calder: Brad Winchester (4 SOG, 3 hits in under 10 minutes of ice time)
• Aiken: Johan Hedberg (ND, 4 goals allowed on 19 shots in 29:39 of work)

SeSo/Japers' Rink Free Beer Challenge

As I may have mentioned here a dozen or so times already, SeSo/Rink pal D.K. and I are heading down to Raleigh for tomorrow night's Caps/'Canes game. In honor of my first trip to a Southeast Division rival's home rink, I'm proud to announce the first ever "SeSo/Japers' Rink Free Beer Challenge."

Here's the deal - if anyone comes up to me in Raleigh tomorrow night and says, "Hey, J.P., let me buy you a beer." I will, in fact, buy you a beer.*

How will you know how to find me? Easy. My seats are in Section 112 and I'll be wearing either my black Chris Bourque sweater (#67 in your media guide, #1 in your hearts) or my 2004-05 Moscow Dynamo Alexander Ovechkin sweater (word came down from on high that I should sport the AO jersey).

Good luck and Godspeed.

* Must be 21 years of age to participate. Limit one beer per customer. Probably.

The Smartest Thing Ever To Come Out Of Sean Avery's Mouth

From an interview on ESPN.com:

Q: With Mario and Stevie Y gone, who do you see as the face of the NHL right now?

A: I think with a couple of English lessons, I would like to see it be [Alexander] Ovechkin. I think he is the most exciting player in the league. That's what we need, someone who brings excitement to the game. At this point, I don't think a Peyton Manning-type guy is going to work. The game needs somebody as good as Peyton Manning, but with a personality like Ovechkin, and that's what he has. He's dynamic both on and off the ice.

Lost In Translation?

A day after Alexander Ovechkin and the Caps used the Ottawa Senators' perceived lack of sportsmanship as motivation to rally for their most impressive victory of the young season, the Senators are denying that any such behavior took place. Quoth captain Daniel Alfredsson:

"We respect every team and we respect them a lot. I just think this is a case where Ovechkin's English isn't very good and he thought something happened that didn't."

Jason Spezza added that he's "not sure Ovechkin knows what he's talking about." Fair enough and case closed. After all, one must master the English language to be able to properly interpret when an opponent is "chuckling" at you.

Tuesday Roundup/Caps 4, Sens 3 (OT)

[NHL.com Recap - WashingtonCaps.com Recap - Official Scoresheet - Official Super Stats]

Last night's game was in many ways a mirror image of Friday night's game against the Thrashers, with one team jumping out to a big lead while dominating play and the other team coming back to win. Except, of course, last night it was the Caps that left the arena happy. A few observations:

• Let's get one thing clear: there is not now, nor will there ever be a goalie controversy in Washington as long as Olie Kolzig is still wearing a Caps' sweater. That said, Brent Johnson's flawless work in relief in last night's come-from-behind victory have, in my opinion, earned him the start in Thursday night's game in Carolina. But we'll see how Coach Hanlon plays it, especially since the goals that chased Olie were not necessarily his fault.
• Martin Gerber was fighting the puck all night. Very unimpressive.
• Alex Semin played his best game in weeks, getting primary assists on re-directed shots on the last three Caps' goals and finishing with a +2 rating.
• Alex Ovechkin is pretty good at hockey.
• The Sens played the whole third period simply trying to hang on. It's difficult to win games nowadays playing not to lose rather than playing to win.
• Ottawa came into the game with the League's third-best penalty kill percentage, but the Caps finished the game 2-for-4 on the powerplay and that doesn't include the first Ovechkin goal, scored at the same time a Dany Heatley powerplay expired.
• Brian Sutherby won 7 of the 11 draws (64%) he took against Jason Spezza - exactly what you want from your shutdown center against the opponent's top line.
• Three of the four Caps goals were tip-ins, emphasizing just how important it is to get shots to the net.
• Be a good American - go vote.

Also, be sure to read the always-great Hockey Country recap for a perspective from the Sens' side of things.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

• It's awfully nice of the Penguins to bring some of their fans with them on their West Coast road trip.
• Sure, it's just one man's opinion, but it's a damn good one:

Hello Mr.Cullen, who are your top three players NOT playing in the NHL right now? Chris, Red Deer

Chris, My top three outside the NHL right now would be:
1. Nicklas Backstrom, Brynas (Sweden), property of Capitals
2. Erik Johnson (U. of Minnesota), property of Blues
3. Jack Johnson (U. of Michigan), property of Kings
- SC

Daily Awards

• Hart: Ilya Kovalchuk (3G, A, 9 SOG)
  
• Ross: Ilya Kovalchuk, Slava Kozlov (4 points)
  
• Norris: Filip Kuba (2G, 3 blocked shots)
  
• Vezina: Brent Johnson (W, 0 goals allowed on 21 shots against in 48:57 of relief)
  
• Richard: Ilya Kovalchuk (3G)
  
• Calder: Alexander Edler (A - first career point, +1
  
• Aiken: Olaf Kolzig (3 goals allowed on 5 shots against in 11:51 of work)
  

Monday Roundup/Gamenight: Sens @ Caps

[NHL.com Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview - Official Gameday Thread (coming soon)]

It's somewhat fitting that on the day before we throw the bums out go to the polls to vote, your nation's Capitals are visited by their counterparts from the north. The Sens come in having played inconsistently to date and look like a team still trying to find its identity - the skill has never been in doubt, but the heart continues to be very much in question, especially from a couple of those more-skilled players. We'll see which Ottawa team shows up at the VC on Monday night.

I'll have more of a preview later. Or I won't.

Caps/Sens Flashback of the Day:

Remember this?

Earlier Saturday morning, Chretien and Clinton took time for the Canadian leader to make good on a bet over who would win the Washington Capitals vs. Ottawa Senators National Hockey League playoff series.

The morning after the Capitals eliminated the Senators from the series, Clinton presented Chretien with a Capitals' jersey. Chretien put it on for reporters -- a condition of the bet -- and joked in French it was embarrassing to don the jersey of the American team.

Clinton accepted a Senators' jersey from Chretien, and the two leaders exchanged hockey sticks autographed by their respective teams.

I don't know which I miss more - competence Clinton in the White House or the Caps winning a playoff series.

Daily Awards

• Southeast Division Player of the Day: N/A
  
• Hart: Daniel Briere (2G, including OT game-winner, A, +2, 5 SOG)
  
• Ross: Jaromir Jagr, Daniel Briere (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Toni Lydman (A, +1, 4 hits, 3 blocked shots)
  
• Vezina: Martin Biron (W, 26 saves on 29 shots against)
  
• Richard: Daniel Briere (2G)
  
• Calder: Drew Stafford (A, +1)
  
• Aiken: Aaron Ward (-3, 1 SOG)
  

Shots On Goal And Shots At Goal

As Wayne Gretzky famously said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." Well, you also miss 100% of the shots that never make it on net. In this morning's Roundup I noted that "[t]he Caps need to work on getting pucks to the net on the powerplay. Too many shots either don't get through or are off target." A quick look at the stats from last night's game confirmed what my eyes had told me - that Brian Pothier couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat (he was "credited" with five missed shots). A deeper look at the numbers (again, me messing around with Google spreadsheets) shows that Pothier's lack of accuracy is perhaps troubling for an alleged powerplay quarterback.

We all know that Brian Pothier doesn't have a goal yet on the season. But did you know that of the 38 shots he's taken through 13 games, only 19 (50%) have even been on goal? In fact, Pothier is 6th in the NHL among defensemen in missed shots, and has fewer shots on goal than any defenseman in the fifteen in missed shots.

Now, this doesn't mean that Potsy isn't a good point man on the power play. In fact, he's only one back of the League lead in power play assists among blueliners, and this is an admittedly small sample. But if more of his attempted shots were either not getting blocked out front or going wide of the net, there would almost definitely be more rebound opportunities for the forwards crashing the net up front, and then the guys with the good shooting percentages could help Pothier's assist totals - and more importantly the Caps' power play - get even better.

(Cross-posted at Southeast Shootout)

Zednik Out With Broken Wrist?

It looks as if the beans may have been spilled regarding the nature of Richard Zednik's undisclosed upper body injury. Some had speculated that it was a concussion, but the Harrisburg Patriot-News Hershey Bears beat writer Tim Leone apparently knows otherwise:

With Tomas Fleischmann called up to the Washington Capitals in the wake of a broken wrist suffered by Richard Zednik, [Eric] Fehr stayed hot.

Oops.

If it is, in fact, a broken wrist, the injury may be a blessing in disguise for the team as it will allow more ice time for the team's younger, developing scoring-line forwards like Fleischmann. It is undeniably unfortunate for Zednik, though, who seemed to have just righted the ship after a difficult start to the season.

Big hat tip to Netsy on the scoop.

Current Line Combinations And Depth Chart

I thought it might be useful to keep a current line combination/depth chart reference pinned on the right, so I decide to fiddle around with Google spreadsheets. This is the result, and, like I said, it will be pinned and changing often. Check it out.

Sunday Roundup/Caps 5, Flyers 3

[NHL.com Recap - Official Scoresheet - Official Super Stats]

Big win. Let's run it down bullet style:

• Obviously a dominant first period for the second straight night. Almost as importantly, three different lines scored in the period. I guess Hugs' line shuffle worked (well, except for that fourth line).
• It was good to see Matt Pettinger Shaone Morrisonn and Ben Clymer get their 2006-07 cherry goals.
• I've never seen someone deliver bone-crushing hits as often while he's carrying the puck as Alex Ovechkin. By the looks of it, neither had Denis Gauthier.
  
• The Caps need to work on getting pucks to the net on the powerplay. Too many shots either don't get through or are off target. Specifically, the guys on the points could use some one-timer practice.
• Going into the game, the Caps had been 0-15-1 in their last 16 games in Philly, and the last time they won in the City of Man/Boy Brotherly Love, they went to the Finals that spring. I'm just sayin'.
  

Daily Awards

• Hart: Marc Savard (2G, 3A, +1, 4 SOG)
• Ross: Marc Savard (5 points)
  
• Norris: Kyle McLaren (G, A, +1, 3 SOG, 4 blocked shots,2 hits)
  
• Vezina: Martin Brodeur (W, 33 saves on 34 shots against)
  
• Richard: Ray Whitney, Mats Sundin, Marc Savard, Dan Cleary, Alex Ovechkin, Ben Clymer, Andrew Brunette, Shane Doan (2G each)
  
• Calder: Matt Carle (G, +1)
  
• Aiken: Curtis Joseph (2 goals allowed on 3 shots against in 6:53 of work)
  

Lineup Shakeup

According to Mike Vogel, the Caps have shaken things up a bit in the wake of last night's loss to Atlanta. A quick recap of what's changed heading into tonight's game in Philadelphia against the desperate Flyers:

• Richard Zednik is out with an upper body injury
  
• Tomas Fleischmann has been called up and will skate with Jakub Klepis and Matt Pettinger.
  
• The "Ben Clymer as a defenseman" experiment seems to be over, as he'll return to his familiar spot from last season on the left wing of the CBS line with Brian Sutherby and Matt Bradley.
• Steve Eminger will be back in the lineup and paired with Bryan Muir. Yikes.
• Kris Beech will sit. As a result, the Caps will get killed in the faceoff circle tonight.
  
• Finally - and by far strangest of all - Alex Semin has been demoted to the fourth line, where he'll skate with Boyd Gordon and The Donald. Why is this so strange? Because Semin is first on the team in points-per-minute of ice time, second on the team in shots-per-minute and second in shooting percentage. So he gets less ice time? I assume that this is just to send a message to a slumping kid, but a scorer needs to play his way out of a slump, and sticking him on a line with a couple of slugs isn't the way to do it, in my opinion. We shall see.
  

Some suggest that these moves may be a sign of a trade coming soon. We shall see.

*** Public Service Announcement ***

As many of you know, Election Day is rapidly approaching. But these are no normal elections upcoming. In fact, these may be the most important mid-term elections in memory. The issues couldn't be bigger - Iraq, the war on terror, the economy, political and corporate corruption, man-child love... the list goes on and on - and there couldn't be more at stake, with control of each House of Congress in the balance.

Locally, there are two Senate races (Maryland and Virginia) that could determine which party has a majority in the Senate come January, while the race for Governor in Maryland will be a referendum on the direction in which my home state is headed.

That is why it is critically important for you to get out and vote, whether you're a Democrat, a Republican or an independent. And that is why I wanted to provide this public service, reminding you when to vote:

Democrats and independents vote on Tuesday, November 7.
Republicans vote on Wednesday, November 8.

So get out there and do your civic duty and help to make this country a better place.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.