What, Is Sid Not Old Enough To Drive Yet?

In case you haven't seen it already, I thought I'd post a local Pittsburgh car ad featuring Colby Armstrong, noted card sharp Maxime Talbot, Sergei Gonchar and Evgeni Malkin (who has so little personality and/or command of the English language that he can't even get a speaking part) for its sheer unintentional comedic brilliance. Enjoy.

Thursday Roundup/Gamenight: Habs @ Caps

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

Hey look kids, there's Big Ben, and there's Parliament.

For the second time in two weeks the Caps will be at home trying to salvage one game of a home-and-home series against a Canadian Northeast Division opponent. And as this is the fourth game between the Caps and Habs since December 20, it's getting tough to come up with interesting story lines and stats.

Is Bruce Boudreau really pissed off about how Montreal played out the dying minutes of Tuesday night's game? I doubt it. More likely, he's using it to try to fire up his squad to ensure they don't come out flat like they did in that game.

Will Shaone Morrisonn be able to play? Will John Erskine be able to convince the Verizon Center event staff to secretly add two feet in height to the end zone glass? And, of course, how will Olie Kolzig play given this golden opportunity to regain some confidence, both in himself and from his teammates and coaches?

This Caps team hasn't gone pointless in consecutive games under Boudreau, and now would be the absolute wrong time to break that streak. And while the above story lines are in play, so too is this stat: the Caps have never lost at home to Montreal on a Thursday in January. Sure, that stat covers just one game (January 4, 2007), but right now it's all about "just one game" for the Caps, or, more precisely, not allowing one loss to become two. And that makes this one game enormous, even if it is "just one game."

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Twenty years ago today the Caps played one of the more memorable regular season games in team history (to me, anyway), a 1-0 overtime victory over the Flyers in a Super Bowl Sunday matinee with Kelly Miller potting the game-winner and Pete Peeters getting the shutout. Later in the day, Doug Williams would lead the Redskins to a 42-10 thumping of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII. Best day in local sports history? Probably.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Owen Nolan (3G, including the game-winner, fight, +3, 4 SOG)
  
• Ross: Owen Nolan, Nicklas Lidstrom, Marek Svatos, Pavel Datsyuk, Tyler Arnason (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Nicklas Lidstrom (Game-winning goal, 2A, +3, 7 SOG in 3-2 win)
  
• Vezina: Ryan Miller (27-save 1-0 shutout win)
  
• Richard: Owen Nolan (3G)
  
• Calder: Martin Hanzal (G, +1, 4 SOG)
  
• Aiken: J.-S. Giguere (L, 3 goals allowed on 11 shots against in 23:18 of work)
  

The Worldwide Leader In Math

Psst... ESPN.com... 39 is greater than 37.

H/t capsdude69

Does Olie Kolzig Need To See More Rubber?

An interesting post over at On The Forecheck (I know, that's redundant) tracks the save percentages of a handful of goalies over the last two full seasons with respect to how many shots per game they're facing.

As I have noted, the Caps are giving up far fewer shots per game this year (5.6 fewer this year than last) and Olie Kolzig's save percentage has plummeted from .910 to .885. Could the latter have been predicted (to some extent) given the former? The following chart might suggest so:

Chart: On The Forecheck

The pattern is clear that, in general, the more rubber Olie saw in 2005-06 and 2006-07, the better his save percentage. But what about this season? Keeping in mind his 17-17-4 record, 3.10 goals against average and .885 save percentage (and the giant caveat that not all shots against are created equal - any goalie would rather face ten unscreened shots from outside than five through heavy traffic in the slot), let's take a look.

Ten times, Kolzig has faced thirty or more shots against, and in those games he has a 5-3-2 record with a 2.56 GAA and .922 save percentage - obviously way better, across the board, than his numbers on the season. Take out two overtime games in which he saw less than thirty shots per sixty minutes and his record goes to 5-3-0 with a 2.50 GAA and .926 save percentage. These numbers don't include the pair of games in which he didn't hang around long enough to face the thirty-plus shots he was on pace to see, but it's still somewhat striking - even if you include those two shellackings, his save percentage in games in which he saw more than thirty shots on goal per sixty minutes is .907.

At the other end of the spectrum, there have been three "rocking chair" games in which Olie has seen fewer than twenty shots per sixty minutes. His numbers in those? Three wins, two losses, one OTL, a 3.28 GAA and a .811 save percentage.

Of course, the vast majority of games this season have seen the Caps give up between twenty and thirty shots per sixty minutes, and Kolzig's numbers in these games, not suprisingly, fall somewhere in between the two extremes above - 10-12-4, 3.04, .880 . Even less surprisingly now, Olie's numbers are better in games in which he has faced more than 25 shots per sixty minutes (but less than thirty) than in those in which he has faced between twenty and 25 shots per sixty. In the former range, Kolzig has a 2.76 GAA and .900 save percentage, while in the latter he has a 3.39 GAA and a .850 save percentage.

Recapping, then, here are Olie Kolzig's stats on the season, broken down by shots faced per sixty minutes in individual games:

• > 30 shots against/60: 5-4-0, 3.18, .907
• 25.1 - 30 shots against/60: 4-7-3, 2.76, .900
• 20 - 25 shots against/60: 6-5-1, 3.39, .850
• < 20 shots against/60: 2-1-0, 3.28, .811
  

So what does it all mean? That's the $5.45 million question. Kolzig has his worst record in games in the grouping of games above in which he has his best GAA. He has his best record in the group in which he has his worst save percentage. But overall it's pretty clear that Olie Kolzig performs his best when he's facing more than 25 shots per game... which should be great... since the team is allowing 26.3 shots per sixty minutes under Bruce Boudreau.

Wednesday Roundup/Habs 4, Caps 0

[AP Recap - Game Summary - Super Stats]

When you go to Montreal to play the Canadiens and leave your special teams and discipline at home, you're asking for trouble. The Caps did just that, ran into a brick wall of a goaltender and left the City of Saints with a loss. Some thoughts on the game:

• John Erskine as a third-pairing defenseman? Acceptable (perhaps). As a first-pairing guy? Not so much. Two delay of game penalties and a tripping call, a minus-one rating and a team-high three giveaways tell some of last night's story, but the bigger picture is more troubling - as we wait for the "pinch" in which Shaone Morrisonn will play, Brian Pothier's head to clear up and Tom Poti's shoulder to get better, the Caps have essentially one-and-a-half of their top-four defensemen healthy. This team needs to bolster its blueline and fast if it wants to stay in the playoff hunt.
• I love the Habs' logo and would would greatly appreciate it if, in the future, Caps shooters could try not to obstruct my view of that glorious mark on Montreal's goaltender's uniform by firing so many pucks directly into it.
  
• Tomas Fleischmann was credited with a team-high three takeaways and no giveaways, which is strange, because it was his pass that set up the 2-on-0 shorthanded break that ended up behind Brent Johnson for Montreal's second goal.
• Speaking of Johnny, 36 saves on 40 shots against and he probably didn't have a chance on any of the four Habs goals. Start Olie Thursday? Sure. But there should be no hesitation in giving BJ another start real soon.
• Matt Pettinger managed to get on the scoresheet... with a tripping call.
  
• It was a great night in the faceoff circle for the Caps, with Nicklas Backstrom leading the way with 65% of his twenty draws won. No Cap that took more than one draw was below 50% efficient.
• Milan Jurcina blocked four shots and was second on the team with 24:51 of ice time (four seconds less than Poti had). So much of Juice's game depends on his confidence level, and it's clear that Bruce Boudreau is gaining confidence in the big guy every game (that and he has no real choice in the matter - see bullet number one above).
• It might be expected that the Caps would be outshot by Montreal. But outhit? That's an indication that the team wasn't on its game. The abundance of odd-man rushes against was another indicator.
• Mike Komisarek was probably the better Number Eight on the ice last night. What a stud.
  

So Thursday night now becomes another of those "don't let one loss become two" games against these same Habs. Olie Kolzig is likely to get the start, and if ever there was a time when the team needed their unofficial captain to play the role of stopper, it'll be Thursday. It's the type of game that a competitor like Kolzig plays the game for - let's see what he does with the opportunity.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

"You've got to root for these Caps." Agreed (sidenote: are you sure that's the headshot you want to go with, Monty?).... Vogs on the future of the Caps between the pipes.... Another profile on the dues Gabby paid en route to his stint behind the Caps' bench....

Daily Awards

• Hart: Glen Metropolit (2G, including the game-winner, +2, 3 SOG, 58% faceoffs won)
  
• Ross: Jason Pominville (3 points)
  
• Norris: Toni Lydman (2A, +3, hit, 2 BkS)
  
• Vezina: Cristobal Huet (35-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Glen Metropolit, Keith Tkachuk, Ryan Malone, Michael Rupp, Peter Mueller (2G each)
  
• Calder: Peter Mueller (2G, including the game-winner, +1, 4 SOG)
  
• Aiken: Curtis Sanford (3 goals allowed on 12 shots against in just 24:31 of work)
  

Tuesday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ Habs

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

Everyone make it through that little break alright, recharged and ready for a stretch run? Good.

Now where were we? Ah yes, one point out of first place in the Southeast Division with two games in hand and three points out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference - exactly where we all thought we'd be when we put the turkeys in the oven on Thanksgiving morning, right? Maybe not, but it may not be far from realistic pre-season predictions of where the Caps would be coming out of the All-Star break (hell, I picked 'em to win the Division).

So a playoff bearth is there for the taking for the boys from D.C. It doesn't matter how they started the season or how they've played in the last month or two - it only matters how they play these last 32 games, and the first of those games is the front end of a home-and-home series that opens tonight in Montreal against a Habs team with whom the Caps have split a pair of games so far this season.

And while the Caps are only a point out of first place in the Southeast, the Habs find themselves just six points out of first in the Northeast and gaining on a struggling Ottawa squad. Montreal comes into tonight's game with 15 points (7-2-1) in their last ten games (only Philly at 8-1-1 has been better over the similar stretch), but a mediocre home record of 9-8-5.

Without a doubt, the Eastern Conference is going to come down to the wire overall and within its three divisions. Every point is enormous (though no single point is worth any more or less than the one the Caps gave away in Toronto last week), and a team that doesn't show up for a single game or perhaps even for a single period may be regretting it come early April. The playoff push resumes tonight and the marathon that is the NHL season starts to look a bit more like a sprint every day - and you can bet that Bruce Boudreau's Caps know just how important it is to get a good start out of the blocks.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

H/t to Kyle for a link to Russia Today's very cool report on Alex Ovechkin in the wake of his contract extension.... We know that Chicago's Pat Kane is far from a lock for the Calder Trophy as NHL's Rookie of the Year. The rest of the hockey world is slowly getting wise to that too.... Check out Rink commentor Paul's drawings over at Capitals Art. Good stuff.... Make sure to check out Blueland Blog's coverage of the Jr. All-Stars Tournament (h/t Talkin' Thrash).... Finally, thanks to KB for the last week's worth of posts andto you all for great comments and kind words whilst I was otherwise occupied.

Saturday Open Thread

In anticipation of tonight's SuperSkills competition, a classic Alex Ovechkin interview from last year's All-Star game in Dallas.

"... I think I'm good."

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:
Nicklas Backstrom featured on NHL.com. (He's been playing in the U.S. for eight months and is in the NHL YoungStars game, isn't it time for a nickname better than Bäckis?)....Pierre McGuire and Mike Milbury like Alex Ovechkin for the Hart Trophy....Ron Wilson loves the media....Slap Shot (not him) hates the All-Star game....The Sun News columnist who referred to the NHL as a "gaseous rumor" provides his phone number and email address in case anyone is interested enough to find out exactly what a gaseous rumor is.

Friday Roundup/Caps 2, Leafs 1

Photo: kb

A visibly tired Caps team did all of the little things right Thursday night, beating the Leafs 2-1. Heading in to the All-Star break, the Caps are now just three points away from the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and one point behind Carolina for the Southeast Division lead. (Curiously, the Caps were in a similar position at the break last season: three points out of the eight spot and behind first place Carolina, by nine points.)

• David Steckel's boarding penalty with just over two minutes remaining in a 2-1 game was the cause of great agita. With no Steckel available on the PK and facing a 6-4 man advantage, Brent Johnson came up big with several stops in those final two minutes, earning him the #1 star of the game. (It's fuzzy, but I remember once hearing Chico Resch claim that, "a goalie is your best penalty killer.")
• Once again, the Caps defensemen took it to the Leafs. Steve Eminger got things going five minutes in to the first period with a crushing check on Tomas Kaberle. Then Poti on Blake. And Green on Tucker. (Shaone Morrison, a healthy scratch, was quite probably checking Kyle Wellwood, somewhere in the press box.) The Caps registered 22 hits, with Milan Jurcina responsible for six.
• Jurcina has become a monster of late. The hesitancy which marked his play not so long ago is now gone. Winning breeds..., a rising tide..., and all that.
  
• Have yet to crunch the numbers to verify this, but it seems that in the last few weeks Caps defensemen [Mike Green, aside] are taking more shots and getting more shots on net. Stats, to come. As will comparative numbers on blocked shots. The Caps added 17 more Thursday night, Jurcina and Quintin Laing (Q!) each with four.
  

And in your daily update on Capitals-related grooming habits, Olie Kolzig's beard is no more. You were dead-on, anonymous commentor from yesterday. Or should we call you Nostradamus?

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

The 2008-09 NHL season to open in Stockholm and Prague....And play an 84-game schedule?....Brian Burke to the Leafs?...Sid's Winter Classic jersey sold for $45,000 at auction. His game-worn jersey for the Hockey Fights Cancer fundraiser is a bargain at $14,100. And Ovechkin's is a steal at $7500. Bid early and often....Happy 46th, Cheli.

Thursday Roundup/Leafs 3, Caps 2

Photo: Graig Abel

We're going to try our damnedest not to pile on. Really.

Eh, it's just not possible: if Britney wants custody of her children, she's going to need to learn how not to behave in front of a judge. We joke, of course, because if we didn't, thinking about the Olie Kolzig rebound that led to Mats Sundin's game-winning goal – with 29.2 seconds remaining in the game – would drive us to pull out our eye teeth.

Hyperbole aside, one wonders if the late game meltdown by Kolzig will lead to a loss of confidence not only by him and Bruce Boudreau, but by his teammates as well. (Interestingly, no players are quoted about the play in Tarik's WaPo story.) With Brent Johnson getting the start Thursday, and the upcoming 4-day All-Star break, Olie will be living with this game for at least a week.

Nearly as maddening as the rebound, was Alex Semin's play during the Leaf's rush. His defense was, well, indefensible. Is he really the player you want on the ice in the final minute of regulation in a tie game on the road?

Enough with the ugly. On to the good.

• John Erskine had one of his best games of the season. He had great positioning, made smart decisions with the puck, and had two highlight reel checks (including an open ice hit on Darcy Tucker that knocked him flat on his tuchus). Erskine's play didn't go unnoticed: he logged over 21 minutes of ice time, well above his season average of 15.19.
  
• The Caps were the more physical team from the start, outhitting the Leafs 20-12. With Jeff Schultz a healthy scratch, Steve Eminger made the most of his minutes with strong play along the boards. (Just ask Alexei Ponikarovsky, who left the game early in the 1st period after receiving an Eminger check into the dasher.) Tom Poti continued his chippy play of late. Good. Getting baited into a roughing minor by Dominic Moore? Not good.
  
• Alex Semin's swimmer-like goal celebration in the 2nd period is the only kind of dive from him we can endorse.
  
• Nicklas Backstrom is becoming quite saucy with his saucer passes. His 3d assist Monday night in Pittsburgh was pretty, for sure. Last night, during a 1st period power play, Backstrom made a cross ice pass to Mike Green that was a work of art: from circle to circle, through two defenseman, with one bounce and on to Green's tape for a quality shot on goal. (Somewhere Coach Bengt Gustafsson is smiling proudly. Backstrom's teammate from the '07 World Juniors team, Anton Stralman, had a gorgeous assist in the 1st period on the Chad Kilger goal.)
• Speaking of Swedish things of beauty, Backstrom's hair is not one of them. We can admire and appreciate his fidelity towards his stylist back home in Gävle, but not the hårstrå. He's looking more like Chaka every day.

The Air Canada Centre was Nassau Mausoleum North last night; filled with resigned, despondent Leaf fans. (The first "Go, Leafs, Go!" chant wasn't heard until well into the 2nd period.) Game 1 of the second Cliff Fletcher era saw timely goaltending by Vesa Toskala and patient team defense. We'll see if the Leafs can maintain that defensive discipline tonight against a Caps team that has yet to lose back-to-back games under Boudreau.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

More power rankings love for the Caps....Alain Vigneault is not a fan of the Beech. Washington Hershey is. Again....The DC DMA is watching the Caps on TV....An 8-4 barnburner last night at the CHL Top Prospects game....Army, Air Force players to be mic'd up and heard live by viewers. "Let's go boys!"

The World's Youngest Caps Fan

It's with great pride that I'd like to introduce you all to the world's youngest (I think) Caps fan, Joseph Wesley Press, who was born yesterday and already cries less than Sidney Crosby.

Joey waited until Alex Semin won Monday night's game, but less than a half-hour later decided it was time for him to come on out to see for himself whether or not this Caps team is for real, and the wife and I were on our way to the hospital for the delivery of our first-born.

As you may have noticed, posting around here has been and will continue to be light for a few days. But if you guys keep holding up your end of the bargain by keeping the conversation movin', I'll be back soon enough and things will be back to normal... on the blog, that is.

Wednesday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ Leafs

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

With 50+ comments yesterday, you guys have earned yourselves an Open Thread. Now don't let me down...

Tuesday Roundup/Caps 6, Pens 5 (SO)

[AP Recap (coming soon) - Game Summary - Super Stats]

Clearly I was off the mark when I thought that Bruce Boudreau had gone to Plan B (i.e. playing the hot goalie). Rather than playing Brent Johnson (who didn't have a chance on any of the three pucks that Florida put past him in Saturday night's win), Boudreau came back with Olie Kolzig and just 4:30 into the first period, Kolzig spotted the Pens a goal when his positioning at his left post was, um, less than perfect.

I don't mean to beat a dead horse here, but there isn't a goalie in the entire NHL whose save percentage (in significant minutes) has taken a bigger fall over last season's mark than has Kolzig's (and that was before last night). On the other hand, Johnny's save percentage has improved more since last year than all but eight netminders and his goals against average is up more than all but four other goalies (granted, he had plenty of room for improvement in both categories). Point being, whether or not Boudreau has gone to Plan B yet, it can only be a matter of time before he does - and the sooner he does, probably the better.

That said, helluva win, eh? Some thoughts on the game:

• If you don't love Quintin Laing, stop reading this blog and leave now. Seriously.
  
• Evgeni Malkin was absolutely brilliant in nearly every way, and I think I got my answer as to what kind of #1 center he is on his own. But to suggest that he's as physical a player as Alex Ovechkin is silly (the late first period collision between the two notwithstanding - and, fyi, this is how it's done, Ovie). To date, Alex has 129 hits. Malkin has 21.
  
• The Caps displayed a ridiculous (and uncharacteristic) lack of discipline, including a pair of lazy Alex Semin stick fouls and offensive zone hooks by Nicklas Backstrom, Brooks Laich and a killer by Matt Bradley negating a go-ahead goal.
• The penalty killing - prior to overtime - left a lot to be desired.
• Milan Jurcina had a strong game, as did his fellow countryman Tomas Fleischman. Could Flash actually be developing into a legit top-six winger?
  
• Speaking of Internationals, Russian-born players accounted for six goals, six assists and two shootout tallies on the night.
  
• Backstrom has eight points in his last two games, which is more points than Ovechkin or Malkin have ever scored in back-to-back outings. That said, I didn't think he had a particularly good game overall. Neither, for that matter, did Mike Green.
  
• "In a pinch [Shaone Morrisonn] probably could have played." The Caps were in 11th place in the Conference and two points out of 14th heading into last night's game in a building they can't win in against an opponent their goalie can't beat. Just out of curiousity, what, exactly, is a "pinch"?
• In addition to Mo's absence, this team is really feeling the loss of Brian Pothier and approximately 50% of Tom Poti. A depth move to shore up the blueline might be needed.
  
• Psst... Bruce... they're called collar stays. Look into 'em.
• Ovechkin's and Semin's shootout moves were dazzling (as was Jarkko Ruutu's).
  
• The Caps won 59% of the faceoffs on the night.

Not to take too much away from a great win, but as Tyler noted to me in an email, "You can play like crap against Scranton and still win." The Caps will need to do a better job against NHL-caliber talent going forward than they did last night, but come April, they're not going to be asking how the Caps got the points they got - they'll be asking how many points they got, and these two sure do help.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

From the "Update on Guys I Don't Miss At All" file, Brian Sutherby is still looking for his first point as a Duck (he's played 19 games for Anaheim).

Daily Awards

• Coming in the morning
  

The Rising

Through 47 games last season, the Caps were at .500 (20-20-7).

Through 47 games this season, the Caps are at .500 (21-21-5).

Taken out of context, 47 points are just 47 points. But given how the two teams got to 47 points, there is obviously much more by which to be encouraged on January 21, 2008 than on January 21, 2007.

The first sixty days of the Bruce Boudreau regime have seen the Caps make up nine points over the same time period last year (a span during which the team was a not-horrible 12-14-1):

Probably most noteworthy in the above graphic is the lack of plateaus this time around - the Caps have yet to go consecutive games without gaining a point in the standings under Boudreau. Compare that to Glen Hanlon's '06-'07 Caps who had four different losing streaks during this stretch alone (and were starting a fifth).

And when you look at the trend over the course of this entire season, well, you know what you're seeing - the complete turnaround of an organization.

Monday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ Pens

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

Despite what you may have read elsewhere on the interwebs, the biggest diver in hockey likely will be in Pittsburgh's lineup for tonight's big game between the two best teams in the Eastern Conference since Turkey Day, but the focus will most likely be on the two Russians comrades who were taken one-two in the 2004 Entry Draft and have won the last two Calder Trophies. You know plenty about that first pick, so let's talk a bit about the second.

Evgeni Malkin is following up last season's playoff disappearing act his brilliant debut with another big season - 24 goals, 29 assists, plus-six rating, etc. - with much of his success has come riding shotgun on Sidney Crosby's left wing. But with Crosby now out indefinitely, the pressure is on Malkin to step up and center the top line. And despite being drafted as a center, Malkin hasn't yet been able to really establish himself as an NHL pivot - he has the worst faceoff percentage (37.6%) of any center in the League who has taken more than 78 draws and has the fifth-most giveaways of any forward in hockey (Alex Ovechkin, incidentally, has the second-most, though he has a much better giveaway-to-takeaway ratio than Geno).

Make no mistake about it - Sidney Crosby is irreplaceable, both on and off the ice. But if there's a silver lining to his injury for the Pens, it's that they'll get a clearer picture of where Evgeni Malkin is in his development as a player and a leader. Something tells me they won't be disappointed.

Why The Pens Will Win:

"Evgeni Malkin. Period. The guy has been playing like he has a chip on his shoulder the size of the Communist Bloc. His consistent dismissal of an all-star game invitation will fuel 'Geno' to new levels leaving goalies to beware." - Confessions of a Hockey Fanatic (and if you're more of an aural learner, check out the audio clip Mike sent over - very cool):boomp3.com

"This game has Capitals finally rise up and beat the Penguins all over it..... It should be a really entertaining game. How come no one ever talks about Malkin vs. A.O. Old fashion shootout. Pens torch caps goalie Jim Carey 6-4." - The Pensblog

"The Pittsburgh Penguins will win this game because of, wait for it, defense. Gasp! That's right, since getting lambasted by the injury bug in 2008, the Penguins have clamped down in their own zone and played tight hockey in front of some hot goaltenders. Ty Conklin has been absolutely stellar between the pipes and Dany Sabourin earned a shutout in his first start of 2008 Saturday night in Montreal. Evgeni Malkin rose to the occasion in Crosby's absence Saturday and I'd expect him to do the same tonight." - Faceoff-Factor

"Let me preface this by saying that I was once a resident of Northern Virginia. Yes, I was one of those Penguins fans that all Capitals fans hate. You could count on me being at each and every game that the Pens came south to meet Washington, in my Lemieux jersey, agitating everyone around me to the point that my well being was threatened on many occasions. But those, as they say, were the days...

"The series is much better when both teams are competitive. Right now, the Caps are in a re-building stage and the Pens are at a much different stage of development. This alone should be reason enought that Pittsburgh will prevail. But, due to Sid Crosby's ankle injury, the plot has thickened. In the Pens most recent game, a 2-1 victory against the Canadiens, they proved to everyone, including themselves (and this may be the most important), that they can win without #87 in the lineup. They did so by playing sound defense, finishing checks and eliminating costly mistakes. Does this sound like a typical Penguins team? No. And this is the same team that the Capitals will face tonight. If Washington is not prepared for a gritty, hard nosed game then they will not end up on top when 60 minutes have been played. If they are prepared, which I believe they will be, it should be a very tight contest with the Pens winning in OT 3-2." - Home of the Penguins

"The Penguins will win because it's not just about Crosby, it's about Malkin. The Pens supporting cast (Malone, Sykora, Gonchar) is more skilled, experienced than the Caps. The Caps have given up three or more goals 5 times in calender year 2008 already; the Penguins just once. The Pens will win because role players like Jarrko Ruutu and Georges Laraque spend more time on the cycle than Lance Armstrong. But mainly the Pens will win tonight because they've beaten the Capitals six times in a row, it's just one of those things that's meant to be." - The Sweater Ted

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

On this national holiday, I wonder how Donald Brashear and George Laraque plan to honor the memory of famously pacifistic Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.... Mathieu Perreault is on a 17-game point-scoring streak (only 44 games to go to tie Mario Lemieux's record) and is tied for sixth in the Q in scoring with 64 points in 40 games (three points behind fellow Caps prospect Francois Bouchard).... Maybe the Caps are scouting the Jax after all.... Another Canadian writer thinks Alex is overpaid. Surprise.... Short blurb on Flash.... Finally, a special welcome to our puppy-stealin' friends to the north. Make yourselves at home.

Daily Awards

• Hart: John Madden (2G, including the game-winner, +1, 5 SOG)
  
• Ross: Scottie Upshall, Braydon Coburn (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Braydon Coburn (G, 2A, +3)
  
• Vezina: Tim Thomas (W, 30 saves on 31 shots against)
  
• Richard: Brenden Morrow, Niklas Hagman, John Madden, Scottie Upshall (2G each)
  
• Calder: Andrew Cogliano (A, +2)
  
• Aiken: Martin Gerber (L, 4 goals allowed on 14 shots against in 39:51 of work)
  

Sunday Open Thread

Rock it, Erskine style.

Photo: AP

Saturday Roundup/Gamenight: Panthers @ Caps

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

The Florida Panthers make their third visit to our nation's capital on Saturday night and the Caps will try to be something other than the gracious hosts they've been through the first two games, a pair of one-goal Panther wins.

The Kitties are coming off a thrilling 2-1 win over the Devils in Jersey on Friday night (yawn), as Craig Anderson outdueled Martin Brodeur between the pipes. Seriously.

With Anderson going last night, the Caps can expect to see Tomas Vokoun on Saturday. Vokes is 1-7-1 with a 3.31 goals against average since December 28, but is 3-1-0 with a 1.72 GAA and .947 save percentage against the Caps on the year. Memo to Caps skaters: remember that this guy catches with his right hand - aim accordingly (interestingly, right-handed catching goalies - Vokoun, Rick DiPietro and Jose Theodore - are 5-3-0 with a 1.85 GAA and .930 SV% against the Caps on the season). At the other end of the ice will be Brent Johnson (a decision documented more extensively here).

Things are lining up in the Caps' favor for tonight. The Panthers are 3-4-2 in the second of back-to-back games on the season (and are coming off that surprising win at Jersey in which they were outhit 19-3); the Caps are 10-8-3 with one day off. The Panthers are 2-10-2 on weekends, while the Caps are 7-5-1 in Saturday/Sunday games. And so on.

The Panthers are just what the Caps need in an opponent tonight - a beat-up, soft team with a cold goalie that can't score coming off a tight road game the night before. So why does this game scare the hell out of me?

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Have the Blue Jackets been scouting the Caps? Probably not.... The current installment of NHL.com's Southeast Division Notes focuses on Nicklas Backstrom.... The sky is falling! A Southeast Division team is guaranteed the third seed in the East!... Holy crap - a writer in Montreal might be on the verge of almost considering possibly thinking about taking the Caps seriously.... Oh, and if you were planning to take Metro to and/or from tonight's game, you might want to reconsider.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Drew Stafford (3G, including the game-winner, 2A, +3, 6 SOG)
  
• Ross: Drew Stafford (5 points)
  
• Norris: Dmitri Kalinin (3A, +4, 4 SOG)
  
• Vezina: Johan Holmqvist (27-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Drew Stafford, Derek Roy, Daymond Langkow, Eric Staal (3G each)
  
• Calder: Tobias Enstrom (+1 in 20-plus minutes of a 10-1 loss deserves recognition)
  
• Aiken: Johan Hedberg (L, 7 goals allowed on 28 shots against in 31:21 of work)
  

Uh Oh...

Link

Update (10:24): Gary Bettman has elevated the NHL Public Relations Disaster Advisory level to "Severe."


Update (10:28): President Bush has ordered flags to fly at half-staff tomorrow in recognition of a national day of mourning.

Update (10:31): Evgeni Malkin has begun sitting shiva.

Update (10:38): U2, Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen (sans E Street Band) are now confirmed for Saturday night's "Concert for Sidney" telethon.

Update (10:42): Barring last minute intervention from the Supreme Court, Paul Ranger is to go before a firing squad at dawn.

Update (10:48): Kanye West has issued a statement that reads "Sidney Crosby doesn't care about black people." Huh.

Update (10:51): Elton John has just released "Candle in the Wind 2008" in tribute.

Alright, I need to go drown my sorrows. Follow George's lead in the comments and keep me posted, will ya?

Boudreau Goes To Plan B

Since no one else is doing it, I guess I'll step up and connect the dots.

Less than a month ago, Caps head coach Bruce Boudreau "said he has no plans to reduce [Olie] Kolzig's workload."

Three weeks later, Boudreau said "It's important, quite frankly, to get [Brent Johnson] playing more down the stretch. As much as Olie is our No. 1, we'd like to give him a rest every now and again."

And now Boudreau is ready to "increase Brent Johnson's workload in the second half of the season" under the auspices of "an effort to keep Olie Kolzig fresh." But reading between the lines, it's clear that Boudreau is going to Plan B.

What's changed?

Since Boudreau took the helm on November 23, Kolzig has gone 11-6-4 with a 3.17 goals against average and a .879 save percentage. Over that same span, Johnson has gone 3-1-0 (and that one was a tough loss in which Johnny stopped 14 of 15 Philly shots in 34 minutes in relief of Kolzig) with a 2.07 GAA and a .922 save percentage.

Frankly, the numbers speak for themselves. Boudreau has shown Olie the deference he deserves by giving him every chance to rebound (pun intended) and sharpen his game, but Kolzig can't quite seem to do so - he has a 3.69 GAA and .867 save percentage in his last seven starts and has given up four or more goals in four of them.

The other day I asked if we were past "If we're going to make the playoffs, it will be with Olie in net" and at "It's time to play the hot hand." And while I don't think we're at the point of a goalie controversy quite yet ("get a grip, man," as Tarik said), I think that his two netminders have left Bruce Boudreau with no choice but to play the hot hand, whether it's Kolzig or Johnson.

It's too late in the season to just sit around and hope that Kolzig regains his form (his goals against average is up over last year's mark and his save percentage is down from .910 last year to .888 this season despite the fact that the Caps are giving up more than 5.5 fewer shots against per game).

It's too late to play a guy for sentimental reasons or because you feel you owe it to him as some sort of lifetime achievement reward.

Boudreau may not "understand" goalies, but he does understand winning. That's why Johnson will start Saturday night's game against Florida - likely the most important game of the season thus far, given the Division and Conference standings. And that's why Boudreau has announced that Johnny could go on Monday night as well.

Make no mistake - Brent Johnson is not the second coming of Ken Dryden. But he has been known to go on hot streaks before and has earned the chance to show whether or not he can do it again. If he can't, Olie Kolzig be back in net for the vast majority of games. If Johnny can get on a roll and carry this team for a little while, however, it will only serve to make an already potent team even better. And at that point, we can loosen the grip and start talking goalie controversy.

Friday Roundup/Caps 5, Oil 4 (SO)

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

Well that'll help Olie Kolzig's career shootout numbers.

And while I'm still trying to figure out what was the least likely occurrence from Thursday night - the Caps (two wins in their previous 18 shootouts) beating Edmonton (11-2 in shootouts on the season entering last night's game), Kolzig stopping a dozen straight shooters (he was 1-7 in shootouts and had stopped only 15 of 31 attempts since the beginning of last season prior to last night), or Matt Bradley scoring a shootout goal (it was his third career attempt and first success) - I do know this: the Caps are up to 11th place in the Conference and trail Southeast Division-leading Atlanta by only four points (with two games in hand). Baby steps, to be sure, but steps nonetheless.

Some thoughts on the game:

• 20, 22, 22, 23 - the ages of the Caps four goal scorers.
  
• Whatever Bruce Boudreau said to his team after a crappy first period worked, as the Caps fired 17 shots on goal in the second, four of which beat Oiler netminder Dwayne Roloson.
• The fourth line (Quintin Laing, Dave Steckel and Bradley) had a great shift to start the first period and another very early in the third.
• How is it that not a single one of Edmonton's 12 shootout shooters attempted the move on which all three Red Wings scored against Kolzig just a few weeks back? Gotta be poor scouting/coaching, no?
  
• Tom Poti's secondary assist on Alex Ovechkin's goal was a fantastic homerun pass to Boyd Gordon. See? Secondary assists aren't all worthless (Ales Hemsky's on Dustin Penner's second period goal was another great example of this).
• Jeff Schultz's primary assist on Robert Nilsson's goal was less impressive.
  
• Any coach whose team doesn't aggressively pressure the puck when the Caps are on the power play should be fired on the spot for either negligence in game preparation or sheer stupidity.
• Matt Pettinger played with a greater sense of urgency and did some good things out there (he had a team-high four hits), but the fact of that matter is that he has just five points on the season in 42 games and has just two points since October. Welcome to Suckville, Matt. Population: you.
• Mike Green was all over the scoresheet with a goal, three shots, four hits, three giveaways, two takeaways and five blocked shots in 31:13 of ice time. He now has six goals in his last seven games, which is wholly ridiculous for a blueliner.
• If Boudreau had any hair when he came to Washington, he wouldn't have any left by now after coaching Alex Semin for two months (Glen Hanlon must have had an orange rug).
  
• Tomas Fleischmann continued his solid (but now snake-bitten) play, and Boyd Gordon - the night's first star - had a couple of helpers. Still, I don't see either as long-term solutions on the second line.
• Nicklas Backstrom has now played in 46 games this season, equalling his single-(regular) season high in games played back in Sweden. He's showing no signs of hitting a wall, but he's entering uncharted waters, so it's something to keep in the back of our minds.
• If you blinked, you missed Steve Eminger's shifts.
• I don't care what he did in regulation and overtime, if an NHL goalie goes 12-for-12 in a shootout, he deserves one of the game's three stars.
  

Two points, a bit more confidence, and no new injuries - overall, a successful night by nearly any measure. Next up: the Kitties on Saturday night.

Oh, and since all three scored last night, you get the yard sign:


Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

On this date back in 1999, Peter Bondra became the second player in team history to score 300 goals for the Caps.... "With the parity in the East, they should be pushing for the playoffs and they are not." Huh?... J-God had a pair of goals in OHL action last night.... If you missed Rick Nash's goal from last night, do make sure to check it out. It was effing phenomenal (excuse my French).

Daily Awards

• Hart: Rick Nash (2G, including the game-winner with :22 left in the third, +2, 10 SOG)
  
• Ross: Shawn Horcoff, Ales Hemsky, Niklas Hagman, Rick Nash (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Dennis Wideman (2A, +2, 3 SOG)
  
• Vezina: Martin Gerber (W, 36 saves on 37 shots against)
  
• Richard: Mike Modano, Rick Nash, Shawn Horcoff, Dan Cleary, Antoine Vermette (2 G each)
  
• Calder: Peter Mueller (G, A, 8 SOG)
  
• Aiken: Cam Ward (L, 5 goals allowed on 32 shots against)
  

Mmmm...Hot Dogs

Next Thursday night's game against the Leafs is Dollar Dog Night. Olie will be there - will you?


And yes, this post was just an excuse to use this image. Again.

(h/t to Gustafsson for the pic)

Thursday Roundup/Gamenight: Oil @ Caps

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

When George McPhee stepped to the podium late last June to make the Caps' first selection in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft (fifth overall), many an expert thought he'd be calling the name of London Knights pivot Sam Gagner. McPhee didn't take Gagner, however (though it sounded like he might, up to and after the last second), he took Karl Alzner who, by all accounts, is having a terrific year (one that includes captaining Canada to a World Junior Championship gold and tallying 21 points and a plus-13 rating in 34 games for the WHL Calgary Hitmen), leaving young Sammy on the board to be snatched up with the next pick by Thursday night's visitors to the Verizon Center, the Edmonton Oilers (who, incidentally, haven't won in D.C. since January 26, 1997, a span that has included five Caps wins).

And while Alzner racks up the accolades and achievements, Gagner is making a name for himself as well in the best League in the world. In 44 NHL games, Dave's son has 3 goals, 13 assists and a minus-12 rating. Unfortunately for Gagner, seven of those points came in his first eight NHL games - he has scored just two goals and registered seven assists in his last 37 games and is pointless since December 13 (a span of 12 games). Perhaps Kevin Lowe is regretting the decision to keep Sam in Edmonton this year rather than sending him back to London. Maybe not. One thing is for certain, however - it's not the only decision that Lowe has made in the past year that has had people scratching their heads (for a fun stroll down memory lane, check out all our coverage of The Nylander Saga - some of our best work of last year, if I do say so myself).

But for all the criticism - justifiable and otherwise - Lowe's Oilers are a hot streak away from being right back in the thick of the playoff hunt in the West, thanks in large part to a breakout season from Shawn Horcoff (who is a hat trick away from tying his career high in goals), the sheer offensive wizardry of Ales Hemsky (who also starred in one of my favorite YouTube clips ever), and the revelation that has been Mathieu Garon (14-10-1, 2.37, .918 for a guy whose career numbers entering this season were 60-56-9-3, 2.87, .903).

Of course, you don't find yourself near the bottom of the Conference standings without your fair share of disappointments. Take, for example, Jarret Stoll. After averaging better than .80 points per game and a plus-three rating in the first two post-lockout ssasons, Stoll is disappointing both on and off the ice this year, with only 21 points in 46 games, a minus-12 rating, and one Alexei Yashin (it should be noted, however, that Stoll has been better of late... on the ice, at least). Free agents Dustin Penner (who also has stepped his game up in recent weeks) and Sheldon Souray have combined for 37 points in 68 man-games, and have done so at a cap hit of $9.65 million for the year (not to mention the first, second and third round picks in the 2008 draft that the Oilers will be providing Anaheim with as compensation for signing Penner). Dwayne Roloson - one of only three NHL goaltenders older than Olie Kolzig - is 7-12-3, 3.12, .901. Steve Staios is minus-13. Geoff Sanderson has two goals. You get the point.

On the season, the Oilers are near the very bottom of the League in goals per game, goals against average (though theirs is a fifth of a goal per game better than the Caps'), shots per game and power play percentage and have lost their last four road games. In other words, this is a very winnable game for the Caps, who have to keep winning the games they should win - which is probably exactly how the Oilers are thinking about this game as well. Let's just hope the Caps can finish things off in regulation - Edmonton has a League-high 12 wins in games that have been tied after sixty minutes, including an 11-2 record in shootouts.

Why The Oilers Will Win:

"As self-loathing Oilers fans (are there any other kinds, lately?), we believe the Edmonton Oilers will absolutely DESTROY the Washington Capitals in Thursday night's match-up. Why? Three words: Puppy Dog Eyes. After looking into the sad, sad faces of our young, floundering squad, the Caps hearts will be left broken and empty. We'll then go ahead and fill that void with goals, and plenty of them. Now who's crying? Nylander for one, but that's a whole other story. So stuff that in your pipes and smoke it you Washington fat cats, what with your smug Ovechkin having fanbase..." - Oilblobosphere

"[T]he Oilers already traded away their prize for finishing dead last this season so the Oilers don't have quite as much motivation to lose as the Caps." - The Real Deal Hockey

"Part of me wants to say karma after Nylander screwed Edmonton over and ended up in Washington. However, I actually like the Capitals and their very interactive owner. As a result I'll focus on where I think Edmonton has true advantages. First of all, both Oiler goaltenders have performed better than Kolzig this year. Garon especially is one of the hottest goalies in the league while Kolzig has struggled to regain his form. Edmonton has a better defensive core as well. The Caps have a couple of guys I'd love to see in the copper and blue (Green for one is outstanding) but 1-6 Edmonton has more depth. Up front there's no Ovechkin in the Oilers line-up, but a two-way forward group that includes Horcoff, Moreau and Pisani is a significant step ahead of the group in Washington. They should be much better at even strength and on the penalty kill, while Washington's forwards are more explosive and should be better on the power play. Finally, Edmonton has a veteran coach while the Caps are coached by an NHL rookie. - Oil Country, Ontario

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

An article on Horn Guy.... Hey, guys, it's not too late for you all to chip in and get me a birthday present.... This YouTube clip is obviously old, but it's new to me and is worth checking out if only to see Alex Semin not only smile, but laugh as well (h/t SSM12 on the link).

Daily Awards

• Hart: Rick DiPietro (W, 37 saves on 38 shots against)
• Ross: Patrick Kane, Kimmo Timonen, Dustin Byfuglien (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Kimmo Timonen (G, 2A, +1, 2 SOG)
  
• Vezina: Rick DiPietro (W, 37 saves on 38 shots against)
  
• Richard: Patrick Kane, Bill Guerin, Daniel Briere (2G each)
  
• Calder: Patrick Kane (2G, A, +2, 3 SOG)
  
• Aiken: Marek Schwarz (L, 5 goals allowed on 13 shots against in 38:55 of work)
  

Wednesday Roundup/Caps 4, Sens 2

[AP Recap - Game Summary - Super Stats]

Despite recent losses on the ice and in the lineup, the Ottawa Senators are still probably favorites to win the Eastern Conference (provided that Ty Conklin, at some point, returns to earth). That being said, I wonder who they're rooting against sneaking into the playoffs in the eight-spot.

The big guns were a-firin' for the home team Tuesday night at Verizon Center, and the result was another come-from-behind victory for the Caps over the visiting Sens. Some thoughts on the game:

• The Caps haven't lost back-to-back games in regulation under Bruce Boudreau (24 games).
  
• Tomas Fleischmann had a very strong game, and the shift on which he set up Alex Semin's second goal of the game was a great example of hard work combining with a touch of skill. It goes without saying that efforts like that will keep him in the lineup. On the night he had two helpers, a plus-one rating, three shots on goal (which tied him for the team high), four takeaways and no giveaways.
  
• Sticking with the second line, Semin's first goal was jaw-dropping Sasha circa '06-'07. The ice was littered with the jocks of both Wade Redden and Ray Emery.
• Did Brent Johnson earn a Thursday night start? Are we past "If we're going to make the playoffs, it will be with Olie in net" and at "It's time to play the hot hand"?
  
• Here's something that Caps and Sabres fans can agree upon: Chris Neil is ten pounds of monkey crap in a five pound sack.
• A little something for the ladies: Antoine Vermette was 13-for-15 (87%) in the faceoff circle and 1-for-1 in the shirt-off circle.
• Nicklas Backstrom was 4-for-13 (31%) in the dot and I don't have any topless shots of him.
  
• If my name was Cody Bass, I think I'd tell people it was short for Cody Badass.
• Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green scored goals, the sun rose, John Edwards' folks were millworkers, etc.
• Matt Pettinger's penalty was so stupid it hurt. Rest assured that it didn't go unnoticed - he only had four short shifts the rest of the game (excluding his first shift out of the box).
• Milan Jurcina had four blocked shots but no hits. Matt Bradley also threw a no-hitter, a rarity for him of late.
  

The Caps are now 6-2-0 against Canadian teams and, as luck would have it, get Edmonton on Thursday night. Last night's win got the Caps back on track, but this is a team that has to turn single wins into streaks. With a pair of second line wingers stepping up their game in the absence of their pivot, I wouldn't bet against such a streak starting right now.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

The first official Olie Kolzig retirement talk.... Nicklas Backstrom will participate in the Young Stars silliness.... Josh Godfrey is an OHL All-Star.... Complaining about a problem but offering no solutions always makes for a great article.... See if you can read the first two sentences of this post without laughing (then again, just getting up from this hit makes the assertion a little more understandable).... Finally, according to the Hockey Hall of Fame, on this date back in 1905, "'One-eyed' Frank McGee netted an all-time Stanley Cup record 14 goals in the Ottawa Silver Seven's 23-2 victory over the Dawson City Nuggets, who had travelled more than 4,000 miles by dogsled, boat and train to challenge for Cup." Chris Chelios was reportedly a healthy scratch for Dawson City.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Marian Hossa (First period natural hat trick, including the game-winning goal, 5 SOG)
  
• Ross: Ed Jovanovkski (4 points)
  
• Norris: Ed Jovanovski (G, 3A, +2, 5 SOG)
  
• Vezina: Jose Theodore (32-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Marian Hossa (3G)
  
• Calder: Peter Mueller (3A, +1, 3 SOG)
  
• Aiken: Chris Osgood (L, 4 goals allowed on 17 shots against in 27:28 of work)
  

Nylander's Done - Whom You Should Blame

So Michael Nylander is out for the year with a torn rotator cuff. Whether or not Nyls has been all that you hoped he would be thus far, you, as a Caps fan, are understandably disappointed and frustrated at this turn of events (unless you're one of the morons who think that the Caps won't miss the guy who's leading the team in power play scoring, is second in overall scoring and in ice-time among forwards and has taken the second most faceoffs on the squad... then again, if you are one of those morons, this probably isn't your blog of choice).

And since you're American, the obvious question is "Who can I blame for this crap hand I've been dealt?" Here, then, is a list of folks at whom to direct your anger:

• Michael Nylander. While I don't normally advocate blaming the victim, this is one instance where it might make sense. Did Nyls injure his shoulder attempting to sign one too many SPCs in the off-season? Is he faking the injury in attempt to duck Kevin Lowe whose Oilers come to town for a game Thursday night? Did dipping his shoulder on one thousand too many offensive-zone pirouettes do the harm?
• The New York Rangers. Did those bastards send a lemon into unrestricted free agency just to screw us? Is the curse of Jaromir Jagr alive and well?
• The Verizon Center Ice. It's been blamed for just about every other injury the team has suffered so far this year.
  
• Nolan Yonkman. It wouldn't be the first time...
  
• Me. Is karma paying me back for this morning's line about Dany Heatley's shoulder?

What are our other options? It can't just be bad luck, can it?

On a sidenote, a beer on me to whomever is first with the inevitable rumor of the Caps pursuing this guy to fill their newly found "veteran Swedish center" deficit.

[Note: In all seriousness, Nyls deserves kudos for playing through the pain as long as he did, even when other teams were targeting the injury. You don't typically think of him as a "tough guy," but he certainly demonstrated both guts and leadership to a young team - which is part of the reason he was brought to town in the first place.]

Tuesday Roundup/Gamenight: Sens @ Caps

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

The Sens are in town tonight for the final (regular season) meeting of the year between hockey's two nation's capitals. Will the Caps break out the brooms or will Ottawa salvage a win to avoid the sweep? Would you start Olie Kolzig (3-0-0, 3.34, .881 against the Sens this season) or give Brent Johnson the nod? And are Dany Heatley's teammates quietly grateful that it's his gear-shifting shoulder that's injured? One thing is for certain - it's time for an open thread. Have at it, people.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Evgeni Malkin (3G, including the game-winner, +2, 4 SOG, 2 hits)
  
• Ross: Evgeni Malkin (3 points)
  
• Norris: Sergei Gonchar (G, A, +1, 2 SOG)
  
• Vezina: Ty Conklin (W, 43 saves on 44 shots against)
  
• Richard: Evgeni Malkin (3G)
  
• Calder: Kris Letang (A, 2 SOG, 2 hits)
  
• Aiken: Henrik Lundqvist (L, 3 goals allowed on 22 shots against)