Thursday, April 05, 2007

Thursday Roundup/Caps 3, Thrashers 2

[SeSo Open Thread - NHL.com Recap]

I'm having some difficulty this morning. I can't decide which is my favorite quote from Tarik's recap of last night's game:

"Today, the Thrashers see a good team -- the Capitals." - Alex Ovechkin

OR

"They did the right things and worked us." - Andy Sutton

A big game from AO, a big game from Muffins and a big game from Johnnie. The Caps are doing a great job of making chicken soup from chicken poop down the stretch and have the chance to end the season on a real high note with a win against Buffalo on Saturday.

By my math, if Olie Kolzig can give up one goal or less on Saturday, his goals against average for the year will end up below 3.00. If he gives up two goals in 60 or more minutes, he'll end up sub-three, but if he gives up a pair in 59 minutes or fewer, he'll be at three. Yes, it's that close.

Finally, everyone should read Vogel's post on Steve Eminger, and by "everyone" I mean everyone - Rink readers, Caps management, hockey fans, Dick Cheney, Jessica Alba... everyone.

The Brilliant Musings Of J.P. You May Have Missed From The FanHouse
Daily Awards
  • Hart: Alexander Ovechkin (2G, including the game-winner, -1, 4 SOG)
  • Ross: Alexander Ovechkin, Boyd Gordon, Andy MacDonald, Chris Pronger, Marcel Goc (2 points each)
  • Norris: Chris Pronger (2A, +1, 5 SOG, 3 hits)
  • Vezina: Evgeni Nabokov (W, 37 saves on 39 shots against in SO win)
  • Richard: Alexander Ovechkin (2G)
  • Calder: Ryane Clowe (Game-winning shootout goal)
  • Aiken: Mark Hartigan, Joe DiPenta, Kent Huskins (combined -6, 0 points, 0 SOG, 1 hit in 3-2 shootout loss)

9 comments:

ken berard said...

It's looking increasingly likely that the Thrash and the Lightning will play each other in the playoffs. Hartley or Tortorella? Who to root against?

JP said...

Easy - Hartley. Torts may whine, but he's not gutless.

CapsChick said...

Hear hear!!

Jibblescribbits said...

I caught my first bit of the Caps yesterday when I watched the 3rd period of Caps-Thrashers. Why aren't they any better? they looked good.

It's so hard to catch those eastern teams over here on the left coast. I don't get home until most games are nearly over.

Gotta root for Hartley... brings back fond memories of '01 for me

Anonymous said...

Granted I was watching through a Slingbox, but that looked like the best Ovy game in a while. He was skating with plenty of jam, he was hitting people, and smiling a plenty.

The offsides play in the defensive zone where he dove to strip the Thrash skater and slid from the blue line to the goal line while taking out Sutton... wow, awesome.

Definitely a fun game to watch.

Anonymous said...

Congrats to Ovie! His 98th career goal ties him with Scott Stevens for 22nd on the Caps All-time goal list.

JP said...

It would be sweet if he could score a pair on Saturday and get to an even 100 goals, 100 assists in his first two NHL seasons.

3 Grumpy Caps fans said...

Not to say that I said the same thing a couple months ago... but I said the same thing a couple months ago (using Green instead of Eminger).

http://grumpycaps.blogspot.com/2007/02/someone-call-for-ray-of-sunshine.html

"I've made comparisons with Green and Scott Neidermayer (some agree, others not so much) but Neidermayer was able to find his game and become an amazing offensive defenseman quickly BECAUSE HE WAS PAIRED WITH SCOTT STEVENS at the start of his career. He could watch, listen to and learn from one of the best ever to play the position. Pairing that kind of tutelage with a naturally gifted player gets results. Now Neidermayer may be punching his ticket to the Hall of Fame. Who knows if his all around game would have developed without Stevens to learn from.

The Capitals have four talented young defensemen in Schultz, Green, Morrison, and Jurcina all in need of that kind of instruction. And with all due respect to Pothier, he's no Scott Stevens (nobody else is either). So, with that in mind, lets project next year's D setup with a generic UFA tag for whoever the Caps go after. The pairings are gonna look a bit screwy because of injuries and such, but for the sake of comparison, we'll give it a shot"

CD said...

The free Fan Appreciation skate at Kettler last night was a good time. The screen they used for the game was nearly movie-sized, so it was a great viewing experience and most everyone there obviously was rooting hard for the Caps. Plenty of good freebie gifts were given (signed jerseys, sticks, etc), which also was nice.

To the 8- or 9-year-old that ran into me from behind, knocking both of us over and nearly breaking his own nose: Learn to watch where you skate, kid.