And so begins the [Brent] Johnson Administration, on the road in Tampa against the surging Bolts. Quick trivia: who is the winningest goalie in the NHL since January 7? Martin Brodeur? Bzzt. Marc-Andre Fleury? Good guess, but no. It's Tampa 'tender Johan Holmqvist with 11 wins, precisely 11 more wins than you and I... and Brent Johnson. Some numbers to chew on:
The Caps are 0-4 in their last four games as underdogs. The Bolts are 4-0 in their last four as favorites. Guess who's favored in this one.
The line of Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Vaclav Prospal has 14 points in Tampa's last two games.
Brian Sutherby is pointless in his last 14 games.
But there is good news that has nothing to do with saving money on auto insurance - both Brian Pothier and John Erskine have been cleared to play, so expect at least Potsy back in the lineup against the Bolts. Hopefully his return can help get the atrocious-of-late power-play back on track.
Sorry for the abbreviated preview, but the weather has conspired to give me limited (and intermittent) internet access. Head on over to SeSo for more analysis throughout the day, and, as always, check out Washington Hockey Daily to see what everyone else has to say about the Caps.
Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:
Thanks to Dan Steinberg for getting on the case of AO's artwork. He's like the love-child of Nancy Drew and Tarik El-Bashir, that Steinberg.
Shane Doan, who is on pace for fewer than 30 goals and 55 points, signed a five-year deal to remain in Phoenix on Wednesday. I'm sure Dainius Zubrus smiled when he heard that Doan's deal is worth more than $4.5 million per year, and that collective "Are you kidding me?" you heard was from owners and GMs, League-wide.
Wanna waste a lot of money on crap you don't really need? Go here.
I usually stick to hockey around here, but I've gotta ask - am I really to believe that a salad dressing cures homesickness? And if so, why didn't the Caps just hook Petr Sykora up with some Hidden Valley Ranch?
Daily Awards
Hart: Henrik Zetterberg (GWG, 2A, +3, 4 SOG in 3-2 win)
Ross: Patrik Elias, Henrik Zetterberg (3 points each)
Norris: Brian Rafalski (2G, including game-winner, 6 SOG, 2 hits, 1 takeaway, 0 giveaways)
Vezina: Martin Gerber (28-save shutout win)
Richard: David Backes (2G)
Calder: David Backes (2G, including game-winner, +2, 2 SOG, 2 hits)
Aiken: Vesa Toskala (L, 2 goals allowed on 5 shots against in just 10:02 of work)
At the turn (41 down, 41 to go), the Caps find themselves equidistant in the standings from the final playoff spot and from 13th place in the Eastern Conference. There is little doubt in my mind (and in Vogs') that they're much closer, figuratively, to the former, but that's why they play the games, right? [Ed. Note: I didn't do a "first-half recap" because I knew Vogel would do a great one - and I was right. Check it out].
Tonight the Caps welcome their good buddies from Hotlanta to the V.C. The Thrash blew a 4-1 lead last night to Phoenix (they lost 5-4 in OT), and perhaps more significantly, seem to have lost Slava Kozlov to injury. "Kozzie" joins Steve McCarthy (shoulder), Scott Mellanby (neck) and Andy Sutton (Brashearitis) on the Atlanta injured list, but the two big guns, of course, will still be in the lineup (three, if you count Kari Lehtonen).
Speaking of the Thrashers, I noticed something last night and it might be a little insight into why I almost-suddenly despise them so much (other than the Bob Hartley-related thuggery). Guess which team I'm describing:
Over a four year span, this team had two #1 overall and two #2 overall picks. Among these selections were the team's two best forwards (a North American and a Russian) and franchise goalie.
This team's mascot is a bird. Not an intimidating one (at all), but a bird nonetheless.
This team's head coach never played a second in the NHL.
Yup. The 2006-07 Pittsburgh Penguins are the 2002-03 Atlanta Thrashers. I wonder who Elbows Malkin will kill with his car next fall.
Anyway, back to tonight's game and the rest of the season ahead, if the Caps are going to make the playoffs, it's time to start that push now. It's time to start turning home ice into an advantage. It's time to start putting together some win streaks (the Caps are 18-44-6 in their last 68 games following a win). It's time to start winning some games within the Division (the Caps are 5-6-2 against their Southeast Division foes). It's time for the third line to start kicking in some goals and for the second line to start scoring at even strength. Really, it's now or never.
The depleted Caps dropped another game to finish the 2006 calendar year portion of the season at 16-16-7 (recaps galore here). But tomorrow is a new day and a new year. Clean slate. Tabula rasa. We all know that this past week has been brutal on the Caps health- and schedule-wise, so the losses are easily explained away, but the standings points foregone are not so easily parted with. Get healthy and get back to playing Caps hockey - there's plenty of time to right the ship and make the playoffs.
I don't want to spend too much time on last night's game, but did want to take a second to discuss the role Donald Brashear has taken on this team. He has become a fan favorite and undoubtedly a favorite of the guys in the locker room as well for his willingness to keep order at times when games might get out of hand (of course, that is supposed to be the referees' job, but their gross incompetence lately makes me question their ability to do so), and to try to provide a momentum-changing spark with his fists. He has five fights in the last five games, including a couple of absolutely punishing KO's.
But where was he last night when the Caps needed him? In the locker room after being excused for sucker-punching Aaron Ward. He'll likely be suspended for the hit, so there will be a couple more games where The Donald's intimidation won't be available to the Caps (and with John Erskine and Matt Bradley also injured, it leaves the team quite short-handed on the pugilism front).
Now, if the Brashear/Ward incident was sparked, as some are speculating, by Ward's use of a racial epithet, the Ranger defenseman is lucky that he didn't get more from Brash. That is, in many ways, even less excusable than most of the cheap shots thrown around the League on a given night. But if Brashear was incited by a little stickwork or run-of-the-mill trash-talking, he failed his team last night, for as soon as he was tossed from the game, Ranger "tough guy" Colton Orr started running around the ice like an idiot, knowing there would be no reprecussions for his actions; not from the referees and not from the Caps' bruiser.
Eventually, Orr cross-checked Alex Ovechkin across the lower jaw (when AO hadn't even been near the puck in ages), prompting flu-ridden Caps blueliner Shaone Morrisonn to jump Orr despite the knowledge that he would (and did) get his ass kicked. For his effort, Morrisonn got an instigator and a game misconduct in addition to his fighting major, while Orr got the fighting major and a charging minor. And since this incident occurred in the last five minutes of the game, guess what? Morrisonn could be suspended and Coach Glen Hanlon may receive the automatic $10,000 fine that goes with it. As Hanlon accurately summed it up, "Ovechkin gets his teeth loosened with a cross check and we get the instigator. I'm still trying to figure that one out."
I would strenuously argue (from precedent) that Morrisonn should not be suspended and that Hanlon should not be fined for Mo sticking up for his teammate in this instance, but the larger point is that it probably doesn't even come to this if Brashear had kept his cool and stayed in the game.
I like The Donald and think he's been a tremendous addition to this Caps team. But last night he didn't do his job and it's no different than a defenseman who blows his coverage or a goalie who lets in a soft goal - everyone on the team has a role and has to play that role to the best of his ability every night. Brash provides protection and a measure of security for the team's skill players. Can you imagine the liberties that other teams might have been taken without him in the lineup? No need to - you saw one last night and will likely get the chance to see more over the next few games.
UPDATE: Here's the video of the Brashear/Brendan Shanahan fight and the subsequent sucker punch. I didn't mention it above, but kudos to Shanny for challenging the big guy (and for having more guts than the rest of the Ranger roster combined):
[SeSo Open Thread]
