Thursday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ Bolts

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

Welcome to Tampa Basement, where the Bolts are doing everything in their power to up their odds of winning the draft lottery, most recently scratching goalie-of-the-future Mike Smith due to a very minor "sprained left ankle" and recalling Marc Denis (he of the 1-5 record, the 4.05 GAA and the .853 save percentage) on an emergency basis - the emergency being that Tampa was in danger of ending up with more points than Los Angeles, Atlanta and possibly St. Louis.

This, my friends, is called "Pulling a Yeats" - look out below.

But even Matt Yeats won a game back in 2003-04 (against the Pens, no less, thanks in large part to a pair of goals from Trent Whitfield... seriously), a reminder that games are played not on paper but on ice, so the Caps had better not look past this one. And to bring things full circle, the second star in that Caps/Pens tilt for the ages was none other than current Lightning pivot Jeff Halpern, who has caught fire since being traded back to the Southeast Division, racking up seven goals and eight assists in 13 games (apparently he didn't get the Yeats memo).

So the plan is simple: take care of business in Hockey Bay (whatever the hell that is), and- well, since the Caps shouldn't look past this one, I won't either.

Two points await in Tampa, boys. Go get 'em.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

If you thought Alex Ovechkin was going to be a Cap into the 2020s, think again - he's obviously going to go back to play in Mother Russia before then.... Luckily for the Flyers, Simon Gagne has decided that once his team has done the heavy lifting and gotten to the Stanley Cup Finals, he'll declare himself ready to play.... One year ago today we previewed that night's game and you guys added insult to my personal injury and saw that Sid really was thirsty, and two years ago today we looked at anti-left wing bias in the media and peeked into TSN.ca's mailbag. Finally, I hate to desert you guys at a time like this, but I have to head west for the weekend. I'll leave you in KB's capable hands, but it's on you all to keep things lively. Deal?

Daily Awards

• Hart: Milan Hejduk (2G, including the game-winner, A, +1, 5 SOG)
  
• Ross: Mikko Koivu, Milan Hejduk, Peter Forsberg, Peter Stastny (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Clay Wilson (G, A, +2, 3 SOG)
  
• Vezina: Jonas Hiller (31 saves on 32 shots against in shootout win)
  
• Richard: Milan Hejduk (2G)
  
• Calder: Jonas Hiller (31 saves on 32 shots against in shootout win)
• Aiken: Roberto Luongo (L, 5 goals allowed on 23 shots against in 31:31 of work)
  

Monday Roundup/Gamenight: Devils @ Caps

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

For the second time in four nights the Caps and Devils will meet as Jersey visits the nation's capital. This time, however, it's the Caps who come in on a high note (following Saturday night's 6-3 win over Atlanta) and the Devs who are looking to get back into the win column (after Sunday's 1-0 overtime loss to the Rangers).

If the Devils were ripe for the pickin' on Friday night - and they were - they're even moreso tonight, playing the second of back-to-back road games and the third of a three-games-in-five-nights set. In fact, Devils' bench boss Brent Sutter noted that the Caps were the "fresher" of the two teams on Friday night - and that was before last night's hard-hitting OT affair for his squad. Whether Martin Brodeur will be in net yet again or Kevin Weekes gets his first start since November 12 remains to be seen, but either way Jersey has got to be a tired team, and the 32 hits they absorbed in last night's loss will serve to weaken them that much more.

The Caps, for their part, should be playing with all the confidence they displayed on Saturday night and, if they come out guns a-blazin', could have another big night. Of course, "shoulds" and "coulds" have turned into "didn'ts" all season long for D.C., but Matt Pettinger's goal on Saturday night sure did feel like both he and the team had turned a corner, didn't it?

As every game becomes more important than the last for these Caps, Monday night's is certainly one that they should win - and hopefully tonight's "shoulds" and "coulds" turn into "dids."

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Random stat of the day: four Caps (Nicklas Backstrom, Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green and Jeff Schultz) are younger than the youngest player on the Devils roster (Travis Zajac), and two Caps (Donald Brashear and Olie Kolzig) are older than the oldest player in Jersey's lineup (Brodeur).... Backstrom has nine points in eight games (including two three-point efforts) under Bruce Boudreau and only has two fewer points over that span than the two players ahead of him among the rookie scoring leaders combined. If you'd written him off for Calder consideration, you'd better have an eraser handy.... Josh Godfrey had two goals and a pair of assists in Sault Ste. Marie's win over Sarnia last night. He's now third among OHL defensemen in goals and ninth in points.... Finally, gotta hand it to the WaPo - what a great picture they've got accompanying Tarik's article today.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Milan Hejduk (3G, 3A, +4, 4 SOG)
  
• Ross: Milan Hejduk (6 points)
  
• Norris: Andres Lilja (Game-winning goal, +3, 2 SOG, 3 hits, 3 blocked shots)
  
• Vezina: Martin Brodeur (28 saves on 29 shots against in OT loss)
  
• Richard: Milan Hejduk (3G)
  
• Calder: Dustin Byfuglien (G, A, 3 SOG, 4 hits)
  
• Aiken: Hannu Toivonen (L, 8 goals allowed on 25 shots against)
  

Friday Roundup

What do you guys want to talk about today?

Do you care who among Montreal, Toronto and the Isles gets the last playoff spot in the East, or whether Colorado can catch Calgary for the last spot out West?

How about our good buddy Jaromir tying Mike Gartner's record last night with fifteen 30-goal seasons?

What about Alex Ovechkin needing two goals tomorrow to hit an even 100 goals, 100 assists in his first two NHL seasons or Alex Semin needing a pair (if he even plays, which I'd imagine is doubtful) to hit 40 goals for the year?

Are you going to say a teary goodbye to Bryan Muir's career as a Capital or to the black sweaters tomorrow? Will it be Steve Eminger's last game as a Cap?

Basically, I've got nothing so I'll turn it over to you guys for now. The Rink... even more interactive than ever! Enjoy.

The Brilliant Musings Of J.P. You May Have Missed From The FanHouse:

• Nothing But Meaningful Games On The Schedule
• Perseverance and Dedication? Get on the Bus!

Daily Awards

• Hart: Milan Hejduk (3G, including the game-winner, +3, 10 SOG in 3-1 win at Vancouver)
• Ross: Milan Hejduk, Paul Stastny, Jaromi Iginla, Tom Poti, Thomas Vanek (3 points each)
• Norris: Tom Poti (3A, +1)
• Vezina: Nikolai Khabibulin (56 saves on 58 shots against in SO win)
• Richard: Milan Hejduk (3G)
• Calder: Paul Stastny (3A, +3, 2 SOG in 3-1 win at Vancouver)
• Aiken: Rhett Warrener (0 points, 0 SOG, -3 in 4-3 loss)