Thursday, January 04, 2007

Thursday Roundup/Gamenight: Habs @ Caps

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

Didn't the Caps just play these guys? Yup. You know what that means, don't you? I get to be lazy and rehash my preview and recap from that game (and while I'm at it, I might as well rehash my Sheldon Souray Jersey Night idea). Killer.

So what's changed in a week (other than the Caps positioning in the Eastern Conference standings)? Not much. The Caps are a bit healthier, and perhaps The Donald will be a little better behaved (Aaron Downey sure hopes so), but everything keeps coming back to three main points: the need for better special teams, a 60-minute effort (especially a strong start), and better success in the faceoff circle. If the Caps fail in any of these three areas, that five-game losing streak will become six games real fast.

Google Search of the Day:
Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:
Daily Awards
  • Hart: Dany Heatley (3G, including game-winner, A, +2, 6 SOG, 3 takeaways, 2 giveaways, 1 hit, 1 blocked shot)
  • Ross: Dany Heatley (4 points)
  • Norris: Lubomir Visnovsky (G, A, +1, 2 SOG)
  • Vezina: Roberto Luongo (W, 39 saves on 40 shots against through OT and four saves on five shots against in the shootout)
  • Richard: Dany Heatley (3G)
  • Calder: Loui Eriksson (G, +1, 2 SOG in 2-1 shootout loss)
  • Aiken: Ryan Miller (L, 6 goals allowed on 36 shots against)

1 comment:

faux rumors said...

1) We have to say that the most troublesome aspect of the current losing streak is that during this time of adversity/injuries/flu no one has stepped up their game to make up for the missing players
2) This more than anything shows what is missing from this team, and why the early success deceived many into believing this team was a playoff contender, when they most likely are not quite there yet