Boudreau Nominated For Adams

First things first - here's the big, clumsy reveal, in case you missed it (and want to see some Don Cherry self-indulgence).

Anyway, per the Caps:

"The National Hockey League announced today that Washington head coach Bruce Boudreau is one of three finalists for the Jack Adams Award, which is presented annually to the coach who has contributed the most to his team’s success. Boudreau joins Detroit’s Mike Babcock and Montreal’s Guy Carbonneau as the three finalists.

"Members of the NHL Broadcasters' Association submitted ballots for the Jack Adams Award at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters announced as finalists. The winner will be announced Thursday, June 12 during the 2008 NHL Awards Television Special, which will be broadcast live throughout Canada on CBC and the United States on VERSUS from the historic Elgin Theatre in Toronto.

"Boudreau is the third Capital finalist for a postseason award and will be joined in Toronto by Alex Ovechkin (Hart Trophy finalist) and Nicklas Backstrom (Calder Memorial Trophy finalist). The Capitals could become the first team since the inception of the Jack Adams Award (1973-74) to have the coach of the year, player of the year and rookie of the year. Boudreau would be the second Capital head coach to win the award, as Bryan Murray received the honor after the 1983-84 season.

"Boudreau became the 14th head coach in Washington history when he was named to the position on an interim basis on Nov. 22, 2007. The interim tag was removed on Dec. 26, 2007.

"The Capitals were in 30th place when he accepted the job, but Boudreau quickly turned things around starting with a stirring overtime victory in Philadelphia on Nov. 23, 2007. In his 61 games behind the bench the Capitals posted a 37-17-7 record and ended the regular season on a seven-game winning streak to win the Southeast Division.

"Washington became the first team in NHL history to come back from 14th or 15th place at midseason and make the playoffs and became only the second team in NHL history to finish a season in first place in its division immediately after three or more consecutive last-place finishes.

"Boudreau, who had the Capitals on a 109-point pace had he coached the entire season, was the fastest coach in team history to reach 20 wins (34 games) and 30 wins (53 games). Washington earned 81 points after Boudreau was hired, which was only three points behind Detroit and Pittsburgh, which led the league with 84 points during the same timeframe.

"Boudreau rallied the Caps to 17 comeback victories and posted a 20-6-7 record in games decided by one goal. Washington ended the regular season with a club record 11 wins in overtime or shootout."

If I had to handicap the race, I'd say Babcock has no chance and that Gabby should edge Carbo. Since the media votes for the award, you'd think that the Boudreau story and his endless quotability work in his favor. Then again, he's going up against the Habs' bench boss, so who knows?

Oh, and a discussion on Karl Alzner's new hardware has sprouted up in the comments as well, FYI.

2007-08 Rink Wrap: Steve Eminger

From Backstrom to Steckel, we're taking a quick look at and grading the 2007-08 season for every player* who laced 'em up for the Caps during the campaign (and is still with the team) with an eye towards 2008-09. Next up, Steve Eminger.

Contract Status: RFA; 2007-08 salary of $1M
Age (as of October 1, 2008): 24
NHL Seasons (including 2007-08): 4+
2007-08 Regular Season Stats: 20 games played, 0 goals, 2 assists, -4, 8 PIMs
Key Stat: Including the playoffs, the Caps were 17-5-3 with Eminger in the lineup in 2007-08 (and yes, I included the playoff OT losses in the OTL column).
Surprising Stat: Eminger was actually on the Caps' roster all season.

The Good: Eminger stepped his game up in the playoffs, where he had the most hits-per-game of any Caps blueliner, scored a big goal and posted a plus-two rating in five games (he was arguably the Caps' best defenseman in Game Seven, too). In obviously limited playing time, Eminger had the best takeaway-to-giveaway ratio of any Caps blueliner and the best plus-minus of any season in which he played more than 17 games (hey, I'm tryin' here). Perhaps the best of "The Good" is how professionally Eminger has acted (publicly, at least), throughout the most difficult season of his career (then again, if you paid me a million bucks to just sorta hang out, I could probably suck it up too).

The Bad: After a five-goal/13-assist campaign in 2005-06 (in just 66 games), Emmy has just one goal and a minus-18 rating in 88 regular season games since. His points-per-game fell from .27 in 2005-06 to .25 in 2006-07 and all the way to .10 this year, and while his ice time also dropped in each of the past two years, his production per minute fell off at a much greater rate this season. Despite taking only four minor penalties all season, he was fourth on the team in penalties taken per 60 minutes. The biggie under "The Bad," of course, is the fact that he couldn't break the lineup for most of the year, even for some must-win games in which Sami Lepisto was given a shot instead. Eminger's use this past season-and-a-half remains one of the great unsolved mysteries in Capland.

The Vote: Rate Eminger on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) based on his performance relative to his potential for the season - if he had the best year you could have imagined him having, give him a 10; if he more or less played as you expected he would, give him a 5 or a 6; if he had the worst year you could have imagined him having, give him a 1.

The Questions: Potentially an RFA this summer, should the Caps re-sign Eminger (almost unquestionably they'll qualify him) or let the former first round pick (taken ahead of Alex Semin, by the way) walk. If he is re-signed, what role do you see him playing on the 2008-09 Caps? What will it take for him to earn a 10 rating next year?

If you've missed any of the previous 2007-08 Rink Wraps, click here, get caught up, and vote - polls will stay open for a while.

* And by "every," we mean every one who played more than just a handful of games.

Prospect Notes: Pokulok And Varlamov

A couple of quick prospect notes on this lovely Tuesday afternoon...

First up, the Charleston Post and Courier has a lengthy feature on big blueliner Sasha Pokulok (the player the Caps took with their first round pick in the Great Screw Job of 2005, err, the 2005 Entry Draft). If you don't feel like reading the whole article, here's the bottom line in a neat, two paragraph nutshell:

It is Pokulok's offensive skill, his skating ability, and his 6-5, 230-pound frame that made the former Cornell star a first-round pick in the 2005 NHL draft by the Washington Capitals.

But while his skills are indisputable, the expectations that come with being a first-round draft pick have carried a heavy burden for the soft-spoken Pokulok. Labeled a bust by some hockey experts just two years into his professional career, Pokulok's development has been too slow for some Capitals fans.

Take your time, Sasha - we'll wait... if you're worth waiting for.

The second nugget du jour comes via the Alexander Ovetjkin blog, and it's the translation of a brief SovSport interview with goaltender Simeon Varlamov, who will join the franchise's better-known Russians at the World Championships. Money quote:

I know that the Washington Capitals are waiting for me, they talk a lot with my agent. I'm planning to leave for North America. I know it will be hard to break into the Capitals roster. But I will try. I am even prepared to spend a year or two in the AHL.... I know how much they pay in the AHL. But at this stage I'm not interested in money.

I'll set the over/under on his NHL arrival at December, 2009. Place your bets.

Ovechkin Gets The Call

Thanks to Rink Reader algoon for passing along the following clip:

This comes on the heels of Alex Ovechkin being named a Hart Trophy finalist, news that is only slightly more surprising than the fact that the sun rose in the East today.

Totally unrelated to the above, don't forget that we have some sweet threads dedicated to our favorite vowels - "O" and "A" - in the Schwag Shop.

2007-08 Rink Wrap: Matt Cooke

From Backstrom to Steckel, we're taking a quick look at and grading the 2007-08 season for every* player who laced 'em up for the Caps during the campaign (and is still with the team) with an eye towards 2008-09. Next up, Matt Cooke.

Contract Status: UFA; 2007-08 salary of $1.525M
Age (as of October 1, 2008): 30
NHL Seasons (including 2007-08): 8+
2007-08 Regular Season Stats: 78 games played, 10 goals, 13 assists, +1, 91 PIMs (17gp, 3g, 4a, +5, 27 PIMs for Washington)
Key Stat: Cooke's 198 hits were ninth in the League among forwards.
Surprising Stat: Cooke's 16.7 shooting percentage as a Cap is 4% higher than his single-season best.

The Good: Cooke seemed energized by the trade that brought him to D.C. Skating mostly on the second or third line, played at just under a 15-goal/34-point pace, which would pro-rate to the second-best year of his career for those stats, while his pro-rated plus-24 rating would be a career best. He had two multi-point games as a Cap, which is as many as he had had in his previous 65 games as a Canuck. Cooke protects the puck well, finishing with the second-fewest giveaways-per-minute-of-ice-time of any Cap (Boyd Gordon was first) and drew more penalties than he took - always important for the type of "energy" guy he is, especially given how strong a penalty killer he is. [Note: those last two stats are based on Cooke's full season stats]

The Bad: Despite all the hitting (I still maintain that every one of his shifts is a checking from behind penalty waiting to happen), yapping and agitating, Cooke got in only two fights all season (and only has ten in 583 career games), which won't earn him much respect in certain circles. He had a 20-game goal-less stretch as a Canuck and was pointless in seven playoff games for the Caps, despite numerous glorious scoring chances (including a pair in the 2-0 Game 2 loss... and I thought this guy had a flair for the dramatic).

The Vote: Rate Cooke on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) based on his performance relative to his potential for the season after he was traded to the Caps - if he had the best 17 games you could have imagined him having, give him a 10; if he more or less played as you expected he would, give him a 5 or a 6; if he had the worst 17 games you could have imagined him having, give him a 1.

The Question(s): Potentially an unrestricted free agent come July 1, should Cooke be in the Caps' plans for 2008-09? If it comes down to a choice between Cooke and Matt Bradley, who would you re-sign? If Cooke is back, what will it take for him to earn a 10 next year?

If you've missed any of the previous 2007-08 Rink Wraps, click here, get caught up, and vote - polls will stay open for a while.

* And by "every," we mean every one who played more than just a handful of games.

Smokin' Al (No, Not Koken)

Paul Lukas (of Uni Watch fame) has an interesting new column up at ESPN.com's Page 2 on some of the great moments in the shared history of cigarettes and sports (which reminds me... stop reading this post if you're not 18).

Anyway, he includes links to awesome pics of Terry Sawchuk, Derek Sanderson and Bobby Hull (and a less awesome pic of Mikka Kiprusoff and Dion Phaneuf) with cigs in hand or in mouth, but the article instantly made me think of former Cap Al "Wild Thing/Planet" Iafrate, who "smoked like an industrial chimney" and wasn't afraid to puff a mid-game cancer stick or two. As Eric Francis of Sun Media recounted:

Al Iafrate... once bummed a smoke off of an Ottawa reporter between periods before lighting it with the trainer's blowtorch.

Once? Knowing what we know about Iafrate, I'll take the over.

Oh, and FYI, smoking is bad for you... but don't take my word for it.

Where Have I Heard That Before?

"'For the last month, our team has been playing Game 7,' Kolzig said."

No, that's not a week-old quote from Olie on the pressure his NHL squad had been under from early-March on, but rather a reference to the Tri-City Americans, the WHL team Olie and Stu Barnes co-own - it's good to see Olie going green and recycling talking points.

Kolzig's Amerks now find themselves in a 3-2 hole in their series with Spokane, which featured one of the biggest hits you'll ever see in Game 5, with Game 6 on tap tonight.

2007-08 Rink Wrap: Chris Clark

From Backstrom to Steckel, we're taking a quick look at and grading the 2007-08 season for every* player who laced 'em up for the Caps during the campaign (and is still with the team) with an eye towards 2008-09. Next up, Chris Clark.

Contract Status: $2.63m cap hit in 2008-09; UFA after 2010-11
Age (as of October 1, 2008): 32
NHL Seasons (including 2007-08): 6+
2007-08 Regular Season Stats: 18 games played, 5 goals, 4 assists, even, 43 PIMs
Key Stat: Missed eight games with a head injury and 56 (plus seven in the playoffs) with a groin injury

The Good: Less than a year after missing just two games after having the roof of his mouth shattered, Captain Cadaver took an Alex Ovechkin slapper square in the ear, but was back on the ice in less than two weeks... if Clark isn't the most courageous player in the NHL, he's certainly on the shortlist. He was also starting to find his scoring touch prior to the groin injury, as he had all nine of his points (5 goals, 4 assists) in his final 11 games and he ended the season with a team-best 17.2 shooting percentage.

The Bad: Besides the obvious health issues, Clark had a slow start to the season, as it took him seven games to score his first point (though much of that may be attributable to being re-cast as a third-liner rather than opposite AO on the top trio), and throughout his shortened season he found himself in the penalty box far too often (he had just 23 fewer penalty minutes in 18 games in 2007-08 than he had in 74 games in 2006-07). In fact, Clark took the most penalties per sixty minutes of ice time of any regular (yes, including John Erskine and Donald Brashear), and had the worst penalties taken-to-drawn ratio on the team - not a good combination, especially from your captain.

The Vote: It's a little unfair given how few games he played, but rate Clark on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) based on his performance relative to his potential for the season - if he had the best year you could have imagined him having, give him a 10; if he more or less played as you expected he would, give him a 5 or a 6; if he had the worst year you could have imagined him having, give him a 1.

The Question(s): Assuming he's 100% healthy, what role do you see Clark playing next season? What will it take for him to earn a 10 rating next year?

If you've missed any of the previous 2007-08 Rink Wraps, click here, get caught up, and vote - polls will stay open for a while.

* And by "every," we mean every one who played more than just a handful of games.

Centers Of Attention

Word from The Edmonton Journal's Jim Matheson is that "[Ted] Leonsis and [George] McPhee would both like Sergei Fedorov back for another year, because he proved he could play and he was somebody Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin looked up to, almost in hero worship for Fedorov's three Stanley Cup rings in Detroit."

Interesting, but I doubt Fedorov is interested in being a third-liner, and the Caps already have their top two centers... or do they?

In a separate piece, Matheson notes that "the Devils need a first-line centre in the worst way after losing Scott Gomez and the Caps have Michael Nylander ($14 million over the next three years), but solidly No. 2 behind Nicklas Backstrom. Sounds like a perfect trade situation to me because the Caps then could try and re-sign centre Sergei Fedorov for another year at say, $2.5M."

As Spector notes, Nyls' "no movement" clause (aka his wife) makes any trade unlikely, as does the fact that the Caps really don't have any near-term first- or second-line pivots in the system who are taller than 5'8", so even if you believe that Fedorov can effectively center one of your top two lines for 82 games (I have my doubts) next year, what you've got after that is a nearly 40-year-old Fedorov and/or a gaping hole to be filled via free agency... which is exactly where the Caps were last summer. No thanks - I'll take my chances on a 37-year-old Nylander in 2009-10.

But how Fedorov might fit into the 2008-09 Caps' plans is obviously going to be interesting to watch. My guess is he's gone, but if he wanted to come back for a year at that $2M to get spot duty on the top two lines, kill penalties and help quarterback the power play, I'd welcome him back (hey, it ain't my money). Besides, if Sergei's responsible for unleashing Alex Semin's inner beast (and there's every reason to believe he is), he's a short-term investment that's well worth making.

Oh, and one last note on the Nylander-to-Jersey thought - Matheson concludes that "[i]f Dainius Zubrus wasn't making $4M in Jersey, he'd be a perfect return for Nylander because the Caps need better shutdown people." If only.

"The Other" Gordon

While we're in the middle of recapping current Caps' 2007-08 seasons, here's a look at future Cap Andrew Gordon's campaign, a first year in professional hockey which included a short (but successful) stint in the ECHL that got him on track for a strong finish in Hershey.

Gordon ended the AHL season third on the Bears in scoring with 16 goals and 35 assists in 58 games (the 35 assists tied him for the second-most on the team) and had a plus-22 rating, tops among Hershey forwards. He was tied for fourth among all AHL rookies in scoring and was named AHL Player of the Week back in early February.

Perhaps before long Boyd will be "the other" Gordon.

2007-08 Rink Wrap: Donald Brashear

From Backstrom to Steckel, we're taking a quick look at and grading the 2007-08 season for every* player who laced 'em up for the Caps during the campaign (and is still with the team) with an eye towards 2008-09. Next up, Donald Brashear.

Contract Status: $1.2m cap hit in 2008-09; UFA after 2009-10
Age (as of October 1, 2008): 36
NHL Seasons (including 2007-08): 12+
2007-08 Regular Season Stats: 80 games played, 5 goals, 3 assists, -7, 119 PIMs
Key Stat: The top line missed a combined total of one game all season.
Surprising Stat: All eight of his points came under Bruce Boudreau, including a goal in Gabby's first game.

The Good: Brashear's leadership earned him an "A" on his sweater in 2007-08, and he celebrated by beating the living crap out of Riley Cote, Colton Orr and Chris Neil (among others) before New Year's. Despite getting a team-low ten shifts per game, Brash was fourth on the squad in hits (and, not surprisingly, led the team in hits per minute of ice time). His goal early in the first period of Game One got the playoffs off to a great start for the Caps.

The Bad: The Donald is clearly slowing down, which wouldn't be surprising for any 36-year-old, much less one who has had 210 NHL fights to his credit. He had his lowest point total since 1995-96 in his least amount of ice time per game since they started tracking the stat (a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg scenario there), his worst plus-minus since 2001-02 (and third-worst on the team), and his lowest PIM total since 1995-96 (when he played just 20 games). Brash had four different and full months during the season in which he had one point or less, and had pointless streaks of 21, 20 and 14 games. Oh, and the triple minor in Boston certainly falls under "The Bad" (especially given his leadership role).

The Vote: Rate Brashear on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) based on his performance relative to his potential for the season - if he had the best year you could have imagined him having, give him a 10; if he more or less played as you expected he would, give him a 5 or a 6; if he had the worst year you could have imagined him having, give him a 1.

The Question(s): Should the Caps have re-signed Brash for one more year (2008-09) or let him walk? What will it take for him to earn a 10 rating next year?

If you've missed any of the previous 2007-08 Rink Wraps, click here, get caught up, and vote - polls will stay open for a while.

* And by "every," we mean every one who played more than just a handful of games.

Alzner Likely Turning Pro... But When?

With the Calgary Hitmen recently eliminated from the WHL playoffs, Caps prospect Karl Alzner has likely played his last game as a junior, as he is expected to turn pro before next season. How far before, however, depends on Alzner and the Hershey Bears, it seems. Per the Calgary Herald:

Karl Alzner was wiping the sleep out of his eyes Thursday morning when the phone rang.

It was the Washington Capitals and they wanted their 19-year-old, first-round selection of 2007 to report to their Hershey farm club for a playoff game . . . immediately.

"I thought about it for a little bit, but every bone in my body aches and I'm fighting a bit of a flu bug or something, so I'm really not feeling that well," the Calgary Hitmen's all-star defenceman said as he cleaned out his locker during the noon hour at the Pengrowth Saddledome.

"Right now, I'm just trying to get everything out of my mind, relaxing and wanting to clear off all the thoughts that I have."

If Hershey can find a way out of its 1-3 playoff hole, Alzner said he'd be ready to go, but you can bet the unsigned nominee for Western Hockey League top defenceman and player of the year awards will be in the Capitals organization for the start of next season.

So the Caps wanted him in Hershey yesterday and he passed? Chalk it up to bad timing, I suppose. It's unfortunate, because I'm sure Alzner, the Bears, their fans and Caps fans would have loved to see the organization's top prospect in action, even if just for one game.

To further whet your appetite, the Calgary Sun has more praise for Alzner as he leaves town for the professional ranks:

Alzner has nothing left to prove at the junior level.

He has, or will, win every individual honour that is available to him.

If he was under contract and the Capitals were still in the playoffs, there'd be a chance he'd make his NHL debut in the next few days.

He's that ready, that complete of a player.

And he's just as good when he takes the skates off. Diplomatic, a consumate leader and a young player who refuses to use cliches, Alzner will be a quote machine with the Caps for years to come.

Damn. Is it next season yet?

UPDATE: Perhaps we have our answer on the "when."

2007-08 Rink Wrap: Matt Bradley

From Backstrom to Steckel, we're taking a quick look at and grading the 2007-08 season for every* player who laced 'em up for the Caps during the campaign (and is still with the team) with an eye towards 2008-09. Next up, Matt Bradley.

Contract Status: UFA; 2007-08 salary of $700,000
Age (as of October 1, 2008): 30
NHL Seasons (including 2007-08): 6+
2007-08 Regular Season Stats: 77 games played, 7 goals, 11 assists, +1, 74 PIMs
Key Stat: Has improved his plus/minus in each of his last four seasons
Surprising Stat: Had the most shots on goal per minute of ice time of any non-Russian on the team

The Good: Most of the good that Bradley does (aggressive forechecking with sandpaper to spare) doesn't find its way onto the stat sheet, but there are some numbers that we can throw out here. For example, he doubled his fight total from 2006-07 (from five to ten), had a career-high 111 shots on goal, a pair of game-winning goals and was third among season-long Caps forwards in hits, all while getting the second-lowest ice time of any regular. He had his best month of the season points-wise when it mattered most, notching four goals and a helper in March, and his goal in the 12th round of a scoreless shootout against Edmonton back in January gave the Caps a victory on that night. Oh, and he provided us with this fantastic picture. Finally, here's a telling stat for you - after being healthy-scratched five times in 21 games under Glen Hanlon, Bradley played every single game once Bruce Boudreau got to town and saw his minutes increase as well.

The Bad: Only seven of Bradley's 111 shots on goal found the back of the net, a 6.3 shooting percentage that was the worst of any regular forward, and he hasn't scored more than seven goals in a season since 2001 (when he potted nine for the Sharks). His job isn't to put up points, but 16- and 11-game pointless and 23- and 17-game goal-less stretches are a bit lengthy.

The Vote: Rate Bradley on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) based on his performance relative to his potential for the season - if he had the best year you could have imagined him having, give him a 10; if he more or less played as you expected he would, give him a 5 or a 6; if he had the worst year you could have imagined him having, give him a 1.

The Question(s): Potentially an unrestricted free agent come July 1, should Bradley be in the Caps' plans for 2008-09? If so, what will it take for him to earn a 10 next year?

If you've missed any of the previous 2007-08 Rink Wraps, click here, get caught up, and vote - polls will stay open for a while.

* And by "every," we mean every one who played more than just a handful of games.

Sometimes Karma's A Female Dog

For more schadenfreudian goodness, make sure to stop by The 700 Level, and if mainstream media whining is more your thing, the Philadelphia Daily News has you covered.

Backstrom To Play At Worlds, Nylander Iffy

I hadn't seen it elsewhere, but buried in this article is news that "super rookie" Nicklas Backstrom will play for Sweden at the World Championship in Halifax and Quebec City which begin early next month, and that teammate Michael Nylander may join him. FYI.

2007-08 Rink Wrap: Nicklas Backstrom

From Backstrom to Steckel, we're taking a quick look at and grading the 2007-08 season for every player who laced 'em up for the Caps during the campaign (and is still with the team) with an eye towards 2008-09. First up, Nicklas Backstrom.

Contract Status: $2.4m cap hit in 2008-09; RFA after 2009-10
Age (as of October 1, 2008): 20
NHL Seasons (including 2007-08): 1
2007-08 Regular Season Stats: 82 games played, 14 goals, 55 assists, +13, 24 PIMs
Key Stat: Lead all rookies in assists
Surprising Stat: Led the team in takeaways

The Good: Backstrom, who finished second on the team in scoring, was one of just four Caps to play all 82 games, had 60 points (13 goals and 47 helpers) in his last 61 games (a span, incidentally, that began with Bruce Boudreau's first game as head coach and on Backstrom's 20th birthday) and is a Calder Trophy finalist. He finished tied for second on the team with four game-winning goals and third among the team's forwards in average time on ice with 18:59, and had a strong playoff series after he looked lost at the beginning of the round.

The Bad: Backstrom won just 46.3% of his faceoffs and was credited with just 34 hits all season (and given the type of player he is, I'm not sure that's even "bad").

The Vote: Rate Backstrom on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) based on his performance relative to his potential for the season - if he had the best year you could have imagined him having, give him a 10; if he had the worst year you could have imagined him having, give him a 1.

Finally, what will it take for him to earn a 10 next year?

Heartbreak Of The Year

Two former starting goalies ride the pine down the stretch (for vastly different reasons) and don't get a minute of ice time in the playoffs. Their respective teams get bounced in the first round.

Here's one of the goalies' response:

"I don't take responsibility for the team losing in the playoffs, I'll tell you that much."

The other goalie handled the playoff exit by "remov[ing] his nameplate from his locker" and "declin[ing] to talk to reporters."

Frankly, I hate drawing this comparison here. For more than a decade, Olie Kolzig has been one of the NHL's most respectable players. From his on-ice achievements to his charitable work to his loyalty to the organization through its leanest years in three decades, he has almost always been the very personification of professionalism.

Clearly he felt wronged (perhaps justifiably) by the franchise when it went out and got another goaltender at this past trade deadline and turned the netminding duties over to the newcomer full-time in mid-March, especially when Kolzig had appeared to have salvaged a seemingly lost season - from February 2 through March 14, Kolzig was 7-3-2 with a 2.09 GAA and .923 save percentage.

But Kolzig's reaction last night was, to be blunt, immature and selfish. It distracted from the real story - the brilliant run his team had been on since Thanksgiving - and shifted the focus to his discontent, to his abandonment of and by the team.

Had he just walked out after hitting the showers, it would have been a non-story. But by his conduct - the simple act of removing his nameplate - Olie said with his actions, "I don't take responsibility for that team losing in the playoffs, I'll tell you that much."

And to me, that - and not the team's Game Seven overtime loss - is the biggest heartbreak of this whole wonderful season.

Backstrom A Calder Finalist

Surprising absolutely no one who saw him play from Thanksgiving on, Caps rookie pivot Nicklas Backstrom was named a finalist for the Calder Trophy (for NHL rookie of the year) earlier today.

Some numbers, per the Caps:

• Backstrom, who was one of four Caps to play every game, turned in the second most prolific season ever for a Capitals rookie, as he helped lead Washington to the playoffs for the first time since 2003. He finished second in rookie scoring with 69 points (Kane led with 72) and lead all rookies and set a new Capitals' rookie record with 55 assists.
• He had 60 points (13g-47a) in his last 61 games, was a +18 in that time and had three four-point games. In the last 18 games of the regular season, and with the playoffs on the line, he had 18 points (5g-13a) and had a +16 rating. Backstrom tied for third among rookies with a +13 rating and had the highest rating among the top 15 rookie scorers.
• His four game-winning goals ranked second among rookies and his +19 rating outside of the Southeast Division paced all rookies against non-divisional opponents. Backstrom finished the season as the only rookie with at least 45 points to have a plus-rating in both home and road games. He also became the first rookie in NHL history to post back-to-back four-assist games (1/19 vs. Florida and 1/21 at Pittsburgh.)
• The 20-year-old turned in successful numbers of the power play as well. He tied for first among rookies with 22 power-play assists and ranked third in rookie power-play points with 25.

And while playoff performance isn't considered in Calder voting (sidenote: if Alex Ovechkin wasn't Hart-worthy if the Caps didn't make the playoffs, why are Pat Kane and Jonathan Toews Calder-worthy?), Backstrom - who struggled mightily early in the Flyers series - came to life in the first round once he and Sergei Fedorov swapped spots on the top two lines (his 16 shots in games four through seven were the most he had over a four-game stretch all year), and ended up tied for the team lead in goals with four.

So here are some questions I'll throw out to the group - Does Nicky have a chance of winning the Calder? Looking forward to next year, would you rather see him back with Alex Ovechkin or centering Alex Semin on the second line? What part of his game do you think needs the most improvement?

... And Then There Was Golf

Congrats to the Flyers and their fans.

Vengeance next year!

Game 7 Open Thread

Photo via Flickr

Game 7: Flyers @ Caps

[AP Recap - Game Summary - Super Stats - WashingtonCaps.com Postgame - AP Preview]

Yesterday I asked four questions (not the same ones we asked Saturday night, incidentally):

Could the Flyers keep Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin from adjusting their sites and finding the net for a big goal (or two... or three...) in Game Six?

They couldn't, and the pair scored the game-tying, game-winning and game-icing goals.

Could the Flyers continue to win games with production from basically one line?

They couldn't, as they could only muster a pair of power play goals, one by first-liner Danny Briere to keep the top line's goal-scoring clip at 50% of Philly's total.

Could the Flyers continue to win games with Martin Biron stopping less than 90% of the shots he's facing?

Biron actually saved exactly 90% of the shots he faced and was a wall for a period and a half, but his .857 save percentage over the game's final two periods proved insufficient.

Finally, could the Flyers sweep all three home games in the series by winning and ending the series?

They couldn't, and now they've got to come back to D.C. for Game Seven in the midst of the epic collapse we talked about on Friday and the Caps have now twice in the series erased two-goal deficits and gone on to win the games (Games One and Six), and, of course, have erased a two game series lead.

Some quick thoughts on Game Six:

• A couple of possible injuries to keep an eye on, most notably to Mike Green (which is potentially huge) and Tom Poti (who says he'll play tonight), but Eric Fehr may also have been nicked up. A Fehr injury would open the door for a Chris Clark "Willis Reed" moment... that won't happen.
• I feel like if I had a dime for every big save Cristobal Huet has made in the last three games, I could pay for tomorrow night's ticket with the change.
  
• You know the whole team's buying in when... Nicklas Backstrom has two hits, including one on Derian Hatcher.
• Ovechkin's line: two goals (including the game-winner), plus-one, nine shots on goal... no hits? Hmm.
• I now know why Biron holds up every glove save he makes for everyone in the arena to see - it's because he's the most surprised guy in the house that he made the stop.
  
• Semin and Backstrom have great chemistry. Ovechkin and Backstrom have great chemistry. My guess is that anyone and Backstrom would have great chemistry. Kid's legit (newsflash).
  
• Briere is back to his regular season ways, posting a minus-three rating.
  
• The Caps had 11 giveaways, the Flyers had 16.
  
• Philly won 57% of the draws on the night, with no Caps' pivot faring any better than 50% (Sergei Fedorov was 9-for-18).
• Steve Eminger and John Erskine were each plus-three. Erskine had five hits and each played more than 17:30. That's called raising your game.
• Great look at the Scottie Upshall dive (h/t grapejoos), and if the Caps win tonight, be prepared to see a lot of that head-snappin' action next series.
  
• Brooks Laich had a pair of assists, six shots on goal and an unlucky penalty. He continues to be un hombre con machismo.

So it's on to Game Seven at home.

Finally, you'll be seeing this a lot today, so enjoy it a time or two here as well:

Hey, Philly...

Ovechkin's back.

Game 6 Open Thread

Game 6: Caps @ Flyers

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

Before the puck dropped to start the third period of Saturday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series between the Caps and Flyers, and with the Caps holding a slim 2-1 lead, I turned to my dad and said, "The Flyers have nothing to lose right now - all the pressure is on the Caps to hold on to this lead. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Flyers come out real loose and dominate the third."

And that, of course, is exactly what happened (everywhere but on the scoreboard, that is).

Those roles now are completely reversed - all the pressure is on the Flyers to win at home tonight. And while the Caps still have something - something big - to lose, it's not going to be the guys in white who are gripping their sticks a little tighter than usual.

Can the Flyers keep Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin - who are one-two in the playoffs in missed shots - from adjusting their sites and finding the net for a big goal (or two... or three...) in Game Six? They'd better hope so.

Can the Flyers continue to win games with production from basically one line (Philly's top line has accounted for half of their goals in the series while the Caps have gotten just 21% of their goals from their top unit)? They'd better hope so (or get some more help from a secondary source... and this is one place where the Mike Knuble injury hurts the Flyers so much).

Can the Flyers continue to win games with Martin Biron stopping less than 90% of the shots he's facing? They'd better hope so (or hope that Marty raises his game a bit).

Can the Flyers sweep all three home games in this series by winning tonight and ending the series? They'd better hope so... because they sure as hell don't want to come back to D.C. for a Game Seven.

The pressure's on, Philly. Can you feel it?

Introducing The Japers' Rink Schwag Shop

Due to popular demand, KB and I have opened up a Cafe Press store - The Japers' Rink Schwag Shop. There are a few goodies in there already, with some killer designs in the works, so poke around and get 'em while they're hot.

And we're always open to suggestions for new designs, so leave 'em in the comments or drop us a line.

Sunday Open Thread

"Which way is it back to Philly?"

Game 5: Flyers @ Caps

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

After losing Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series, the Caps had a choice - they could get busy livin' or get busy dyin'. Knowing these Caps, there was never a choice at all, and you can expect one of the team's best efforts of the season tomorrow afternoon at Verizon Center.

Thursday night was a turning point for these young Caps, whether it manifests itself in a win Saturday or not. But don't take my word for it - here's the boss:

Our team is bigger and tougher than the Flyers. They know it now and we know it now.

We now know how to play playoff hockey, NHL style.

From the top down, they're saying all the right things, and they believe every word of it.

In theory, at least, the mountain standing before the Caps at present isn't unscalable - win at home (where they were 23-15-3 this year), win in Philly with all the pressure in the world on the Flyers to close out the series at home (where, incidentally, the Caps have won four of their last six games), then come back home and finish the series with a victory over a similarly young team in the midst of an epic collapse.

In practice, of course, that's much easier said than done. Only twenty times in NHL history has a team come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-seven series (the Caps have been involved in four of those series, including 1988's comeback win against the Flyers) out of 219 such situations.

"Twenty?" defenceman Steve Eminger asked on Friday. "Why not 21?"

Indeed.

But win or lose, the Caps will look back on Thursday night as something of a coming of age. Win or lose, this Flyers team has provided the perfect playoff baptism for these Caps. They do a lot of what you need to do to win in the playoffs, and they've exposed precisely the "right" Caps weaknesses. Had the Caps met the Penguins or Canadiens in the first round and fallen short, they'd probably be able to convince themselves rather easily that they were out-skilled. But this Flyers team - through three games - showed the Caps that they were being out-worked and out-muscled. And come springtime in the NHL, it's those latter attributes that are the far more valuable to possess.

This series is far from over. Or perhaps the end is nigh. But coming back from a 3-1 deficit isn't impossible, despite that 20-for-219 number. To put that stat in apples-to-oranges perspective, the Beatles recorded 214 songs from 1962 to 1970 and had 20 Number One singles. In other words, the Caps have about as much chance of winning this series as Lennon/McCartney had of writing a chart-topping single in their prime.

Sounds pretty easy now, doesn't it?

DSB

Bouncing Back

As you know, Alex Ovechkin was held to just one shot on goal in last night's double overtime loss to the Flyers.

A quick glance at how AO followed up each of the games in which he had two or fewer shots on goal this past regular season:

• 0 SOG @ NYI (10/8); Next game: 1 goal, 7 SOG @ NYR
• 2 SOG @ ATL (11/6); Next game: 1 goal, 1 assist 10 SOG @ OTT
• 1 SOG vs. NJD (12/10); Next game: 1 goal, 5 SOG vs. NYR
  
• 2 SOG @ NYI (12/22); Next game: 1 assist, 3 SOG vs. TBL
• 2 SOG @ PIT (12/27); Next game: 4 goals, 1 assist, 5 SOG @ OTT
• 2 SOG vs. TOR (1/24); Next game: 0 points, 4 SOG @ MTL
• 1 SOG vs. NYI (2/20); Next game: 3 assists, 8 SOG @ CAR
  
• 2 SOG @ NJD (2/29); Next game: 1 goal, 1 assist, 4 SOG vs. TOR
• 2 SOG @ CHI (3/19); Next game: 2 goals, 2 assists, 9 SOG @ ATL

That's nine games in which opponents held Ovechkin to two or fewer shots on goal, and he has rebounded with an average of 1.4 goals, 1.0 assists and 6.1 shots on goal. He has only been held off the score sheet in one of those nine games (and then only because he faced an amazing goalie) and scored at least one goal in two-thirds of them.

Point being, you can't keep a good man down... and Alex is a very, very good man.

Game 4 Recap

Game 4 Open Thread

"The media is wrong if they think we're satisfied, and the media is wrong when they think the series is over." - Bruce Boudreau
UPDATE: In case you missed it, Flyer fans have taken to telling their mothers what to do. Classy.

Game 4: Caps @ Flyers

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

I was going to call this post "The Audacity of Hope," but that title apparently was taken by some elitist or something.

Anyway, I'm going to make this short and sweet.

In the comments to OFB's tribute to Broadway morning post yesterday, b.orr4 pointed out that in the history of the NHL Playoffs in best-of-sevens in which the team without home ice advantage had a 2-1 heading into Game 4, that team has won just over 60% of the series, to which I responded by geeking out and quoting Han Solo ("Never tell me the odds").

But sixty percent? That's it?

Think about where the Caps have been this year. Take a look here and check out how many days all year the Caps' chances of making the playoffs were as good as 40%. Hell, as late as March 20, the Caps' chances of making the playoffs were just 17%... and we obviously all know how that turned out.

I've said ad nauseum that this team plays best with its back against the wall, which is where it is now. Couple that with the fact that they have been absolutely dominated and yet still "in" every game against a team they've beaten three times since Thanksgiving (twice on the road) and there's certainly - on paper - reason for measured optimism.

The Caps haven't played their best game yet, not by a long shot. The Flyers have. Probably twice.

Don't stop believin'.

Huet Or Kolzig: Who To Start In Game 4?

Note: I've bumped this up to the top of the page, but there are a couple of new posts below.

In case you were unaware, there's a big debate going on and it has everything to do with Philadelphia.

No, I'm not talking about the dueling donkeys, I'm talking about the question of who should start in the Caps' net in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series with the Flyers.

Cristobal Huet has been decent-to-bad through three games (his save percentage would suggest the latter), while Olie Kolzig hasn't played a minute in nearly a month (but has brilliant career playoff numbers, all of which were accumulated before most of his current teammates were NHLers).

Bruce Boudreau has said he's starting the incumbent in Game 4. Would you?

Odds And Ends

We interrupt your previous scheduled playoff-related nervous breakdown to catch you up on a bunch of crap that didn't deserve individual posts.

Karl Alzner, who knows no fear, was named WHL Eastern Conference Player of the Year.... I like "The Collingwood Cannon" nickname for Josh Godfrey.... Mathieu Perreault was named the top sniper in the Q, but you knew that... Don't you mean you're never getting married again, Anna?... Finally, in case you missed it, our buddy Greg Wyshynski, "the funniest writer in the NHL," has left Deadspin, FanHouse, his wife, and The Fourth Period to head up Yahoo!'s hockey blogging effort. You can find him here.

Woof Woof?

"If it looks like a dog, barks like a dog, it is a dog."

That line, of course, was among the brilliant musings Mike Milbury offered hockey fans in NBC's national telecast of the Caps/Flyers game on Sunday in description of Alex Ovechkin's play (just four days, I'd note, after saying that AO had "taken it to another level" and calling the Caps' superstar "as electrifying a player as [he'd] seen.").

Anyway, since we're talking pooches, let's talk Viktor Kozlov, shall we? Which of these stats is less impressive:

• In twelve full seasons in the NHL, Kozlov has played 830 regular season games and just 17 playoff games and has never played past the first round (recall, too, that he was a healthy scratch during the playoffs for the Devils in both 2004 and 2006).
  
• In his 17 career playoff games, Kozlov has yet to score a goal and has totalled all of three assists and a minus-ten rating.
  

I'd say the latter is less impressive, as it is a wholly individual stat, though his teams' failures to get to the playoffs and/or do anything once there does say something about a guy who has been a top-six forward for the better part of his career (and it's not a good something).

Kozlov's career playoff stats sure do look like a dog, don't they?

But that was then and this is now... and now ain't much better. Through three games so far (and on a line with the best player in the world), Kozlov has no points, a minus-three rating, five shots on goal, four giveaways and one takeaway. And from the "you know it's a bad sign when..." file, he has as many hits as John Erskine.

Kozlov's performance in these playoffs thus far sure have barked like a dog, no?

So if it looks like a dog and barks like a dog...

Note To Mike Wise

It's nice that the WaPo has sent a couple of columnists to supplement Tarik's coverage of the Caps for this series (speaking of, today's must read is at Jason LaCanfora's blog). What's less nice, however, is when these columnists do a sub-par job.

Such was the case with Mike Wise's column this morning, which came off as a writer attacking an opposing team and its fan base for playing physically and enjoying it, respectively.

Mike, this is hockey - no, this is playoff hockey - and there isn't a Caps fan around who wouldn't love to be sent into "some medieval state of euphoria" as the result of the Caps "exerting their mauling style" on the Flyers. The problem is, there has no mauling from the boys in red, white and blue. There has been no "unmistakable air of testosterone coming from the [Caps'] direction that just reeked of physicality."

The Flyers will always be the Flyers, and their fans will always be, well, what they are. Taking shots at the Philly faithful is the low-hanging fruit of sports journalism, little different than calling Caps fans fair weather.

As a columnist, you're better than that (as recently as Monday, in fact), and you're certainly better than this: you claim that "[Mike] Green had never gotten into a fight at any level of the game according to HockeyFights.com, which tracks scraps all the way back to juniors[,]" but that very site lists five prior fights for Green (one in the AHL and four in juniors). Oops.

Last night was a tough night on the ice, and apparently up in the press box as well.

Game 3 Recap: Flyers 6, Caps 3

[AP Recap - Game Summary - Super Stats - WashingtonCaps.com Postgame]

I'm not even sure where to start, so I'll just throw the burning question out there - have you ever in your life seen a team's offense, defense, goaltending and coaching all go to crap so quickly and at the same time? To paraphrase the late Herb Brooks, the Caps are playing worse every game and right now they're playing like the middle of next week.

And yet, with three minutes left (before Shaone Morrisonn got into the spirit of giving that plagued the defense all night), the Caps were just a single goal down. Which, if you think about it, is consistent with the series so far - the Caps have been absolutely dominated in just about every aspect of the game and yet were in each one until the very end and are down just two games to one.

Never before has the term "so close, and yet so far away" been more apt.

Feel free to comment on specifics - like the Caps, I think I may have expended nearly all of my physical, mental and emotional energy in the four months leading up to the playoffs.

Game 3 Open Thread

Back where it all began. Oh, and is this guy representative of those oh-so tough Flyers fans? Ooohhh... scary!

A Quick Pre-Game Prayer

Dear Pope Benedict XVI -

While you're in town and I've got your ear, I'd like to ask a favor. Now, I'm not Catholic, but I was wondering if you could take a quick second and have a word with the big guy and ask him to help Bruce Boudreau come to the realization that John Erskine has no business being on the ice in this series.

Doesn't Gabby realize that Erskine had the worst penalties drawn per sixty minutes of ice time of any defenseman in hockey with at least twenty games played this past season? In a series that matches up the League's second-ranked power play against the its 25th-ranked penalty kill, it's only a matter of time before that costs the Caps, and his slow feet already have (on the R.J. Umberger game-winner in Game 2).

I understand that Erskine brings a physical element to the blueline, but where has that been?

Which brings me to my next point - I'm not sure what Steve Eminger has to do to prove he's deserving of Erskine's minutes. He has a better penalties-drawn-to-penalties-taken ratio than Erskine, a better takeaway-to-giveaway ratio, and, most importantly, the Caps are 15-5-1 with him in the lineup. I mean, Jesus, err, jeez.

Anyway, I'm not going to ask for your help in tonight's game - the Caps have something similar to divine intervention of their own. But if you could provide some assistance in either guiding Gabby's pen or Erskine's skates, I'd appreciate it.

Yours In Caps,

J.P.

P.S. It's good to see you rockin' your red.

Game 3: Caps @ Flyers

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

I'm beginning to think I'm the only person in the hockey world not in awe of Martin Biron. Yes, the guy has three shutouts in his last four starts. But on Sunday, at least, he was the beneficiary of a great team defensive effort and a good bit of luck (his supporters will refer to this luck as "good positioning"). Was he good? Sure. Great? No. Good enough? That's all that matters, isn't it? But he's still the same Marty Biron that stopped just 22 of 27 shots on Friday night.

In fact, even with his Game 2 whitewash of the Caps, Biron has the third-worst save percentage in the playoffs. At the other end of the rink, Cristobal Huet - the source of some criticism for his performance so far - is a few percentage points ahead of Biron (but trails him by half a goal in GAA).

Two games is a small sample, to be sure, so let's take a look at the two netminders' performances thus far, goal by goal (for Game 1 video, click here, and for Game 2, click here). First, Biron:

• Game 1, Goal 1: Donald Brashear, even strength, wrist shot, 9 feet, previous shot attempt 29 seconds earlier; Tom Poti's shot/pass deflects to an open Brashear who deposits the puck in a gaping net
  
• Game 1, Goal 2: David Steckel, even strength, wrist shot, 19 feet, previous shot attempt six seconds earlier; Steckel finds himself open, Biron looks to be in position, but is beaten from a decent angle
  
• Game 1, Goal 3: Mike Green, even strength, wrist shot, 11 feet, previous shot attempt 45 seconds earlier; Alex Semin to Sergei Fedorov to Green past a helpless Biron
  
• Game 1, Goal 4: Mike Green, power play, slap shot, 44 feet, previous shot attempt six seconds earlier; with Patrick Thoreson writhing in pain, Green blows a slapper past Biron on what had become more or less a 5-on-3
  
• Game 1, Goal 5: Alexander Ovechkin, even strength, snap shot, 17 feet, previous shot attempt 49 seconds earlier; Red Jesus outwaits Biron and roofs it
  

And Huet:

• Game 1, Goal 1: Vaclav Prospal, even strength, snap shot, 58 feet, previous shot attempt before last faceoff; a seeing-eye puck beats Huet, who is completely screened by Scott Hartnell
  
• Game 1, Goal 2: Daniel Briere, even strength, snap shot, 40 feet, previous shot attempt before last faceoff; Briere exits the penalty box behind the Caps' D and beats Huet on a partial breakaway
  
• Game 1, Goal 3: Vaclav Prospal, even strength, wrist shot, 30 feet, previous shot attempt before last faceoff; the red sea parts for Prospal, leaving him with a golden opportunity that he buries
  
• Game 1, Goal 4: Daniel Briere, power play, wrist shot, 18 feet, previous shot attempt before last faceoff; with plenty of traffic around the crease Mike Richards finds Briere on a backdoor cut for a tap in
  
• Game 2, Goal 1: R.J. Umberger, even strength, wrist shot, 18 feet, previous shot attempt before last faceoff; John Erskine falls asleep, Umberger gets a breakaway and partially fans on his shot, sending a knuckler past Huet
  
• Game 2, Goal 2: Jeff Carter, even strength, wrist shot, 8 feet, previous shot attempt one second earlier; Mike Green coughs up the puck, Mike Knuble's initial shot isn't handled by Huet and Carter deposits the rebound
  

There's the raw data from the NHL's play-by-play feeds for the two games. The thing that jumps out at you right away, of course, is that there aren't any bullets under Biron's name that begin with "Game 2." Deeper than that, however, you notice immediately that Biron has only allowed one goal from more than 19 feet away, while Huet has allowed a trio of such tallies. Here are each of the goals in a tidy little graphic:


Which of these goals would Huet like back? I'd guess he isn't thrilled with allowing Briere's first in Game One, perhaps the Umberger goal and the rebound on Carter's goal. In other words a partial breakaway, a full breakaway and an odd-man rush.

As for Biron, I'm sure he'd love another chance at stopping Ovechkin, and can't be happy with the Steckel goal.

What's interesting is that Huet has been an absolute wall shorthanded, stopping 18 of the 19 shots (.947 SV%) he's seen on Flyers power plays, but has only an .884 save percentage at even strength - much of that can be attributed to breakdowns in the defense in front of him with the manpower level (I count four such instances). Biron has had a more even effort, with a .909/.892 split, in large part because the defense in front of him (with one incredibly glaring exception) hasn't made too many mistakes. The dreaded matchup entering the series - the Flyers' second-ranked power play against the Caps' 25th-ranked penalty kill - has yet to really burn the Caps and, contrary to what the regular season stats may have predicted, Philly has been the better team five-on-five.

The other notable stat is the shot disparity. Through two games, the Flyers have outshot the Caps 63-51. Now, that doesn't sound like much, but 12 shots against any goalie, statistically, is likely to yield a goal (11 saves on 12 shots against is a .917 save percentage). In a playoff series as tight as this one is expected to be, one extra goal over two games can certainly be the difference.

Further to that last point, the Caps have had 15:17 of power play time through two games, but have managed only 11 shots on goal. Philly has had 13:49 of extra man time and, as mentioned above, has fired 19 shots on Huet. The Caps have simply got to find a way to get pucks to the net on the power play.

Alright, bottom line time. It's no great secret that the Caps defense has been shaky so far, but if they can tighten up, there's every reason to believe that the Caps can get right back into the driver's seat in this series. Even if the defense makes a mistake or two, Huet is playing well enough to keep them in every game and hasn't yet come close to playing his best game of the series. Martin Biron, on the other hand, has had an unimpeded view of nearly every shot he has faced, and has been average... and he probably has already played his best game of the series.