Stat Of The Day

From the folks at Elias Sports Bureau (via the NHL):

"The Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin had only eight points (2 goals, 6 assists) in his first 11 games this season but he’s scored 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) in the team’s last four games, with at least one goal and two points in each game. Ovechkin is the first Capitals player to register at least one goal and two points in each of four consecutive team games since Jaromir Jagr had two such four-game streaks in the 2001-02 season. The only player in Capitals history with a longer streak of that kind was Dennis Maruk in 1980-81 (five games)."

Hey, That Quick Chat Looks Familiar...

Kitt Amundson "has been covering the NHL for over 12 years and is a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. In addition to keeping you up to date with the latest happenings in the NHL, she'll take you behind the scenes and in the locker room."

Know what else she'll do? Allow her name to be attached to something that tries to pass off a conference call transcript as a one-on-one interview (or, at the very least, is intentionally misleading to that end).

Here's Kitt's file from Monday and here's Alex Ovechkin's conference call from last Thursday. An introductory paragraph here, a little editing there and, voila - original content!

To recap - these were not her questions and there's no disclosure anywhere that the Q&A was a conference call via the NHL. This is no different than if a political reporter published portions of a Presidential press conference under her byline with the headline "A quick chat with George W. Bush."

And the PHWA is worried about bloggers lowering journalistic standards?

H/t Nate in the comments to this morning's post

Getting Ready For Russian Heritage Night

Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Sergei Fedorov and Viktor Kozlov will be warmly received when they hit Hollywood on Thursday night (and I'm not just talking about Calabasas resident Alyonka Larionov's reunion with AO), as the Kings host Russian Heritage Night at Staples Center.

Catching up with three of the Capital comrades this afternoon was LAKings.com's Heidi Androl. Have a look:
H/t Kukla's Korner

Alex Ovechkin Conference Call Transcript

Via the NHL, today's conference call with Alex Ovechkin:

Q. Can talk about your line with (Nicklas) Backstrom and (Alexander) Semin and whether you're having as much fun as you've ever had in the NHL?

ALEX OVECHKIN: We have so much fun out there. And we just control the game. I think we pass to each other and we create some moments. We play all the time in the attack zone. If something happened with me or Semin or Backstrom, like someone doesn't feel great, different guys take the game and control the game. So it's very cool.

Q. What are your thoughts on Alex Semin, who has had a breakthrough this year in terms of his production?

ALEX OVECHKIN: What I can say about his game, he's great right now. And I wish he'd go push for it all the time. And we've played only 15, I don't know how many games, but just the beginning. And I hope he's going to play the same way all year.

Q. I was just wondering if you think you can win the East or is the team too young? I know it's a formidable task, but do you think you guys could do it?

ALEX OVECHKIN: Well, we want to win everything. And our goal is not just to be playing, but we want to be the top team in the League.

Q. Who do you think is going to be the toughest to pass, Montreal, Pittsburgh, the Rangers?

ALEX OVECHKIN: It's just the beginning of the year. We have a goal and we want to go there, and we don't care about a team like Montreal or Pittsburgh. They have a great team, great young guys, great talent, but we think about ourselves and we think about our game.

Q. I'm just wondering, over the last few years since the lockout we've seen guys like you and Sidney (Crosby) and Patrick Kane have excellent rookie seasons and some of the rookies this year have had a tougher time. I was wondering what is the toughest part for a rookie to adjust to the NHL?

ALEX OVECHKIN: I think the change in game, change in mentality. You go to the team and you know this is the NHL and probably all the young guys dream to play in NHL, and it's hard to realize that you're in the NHL. It's no more little kids, no more take the puck, beat five guys and the goalie and put it in the net.

It's hard work here, and nobody gives you easy ways. You have to fight. You have to live for this, you know.

Q. What do you remember about your trip to the West Coast as a rookie, and are you looking forward to that trip?

ALEX OVECHKIN: Yes, I'm looking forward to this trip. It's a great city, Los Angeles, and San Jose. We don'tt play a lot against these teams. But it's going to be pretty cool time for our team.

Q. Talk a little bit about the Southeast Division. Since your rookie year, do you feel as though the division has improved? Has it become more of a force in the League?

ALEX OVECHKIN: Well, of course. Like you can see our team, first of all, is moving forward all the time. We are just going up. And so I think right now we are doing well.

Q. With the addition of Sergei Fedorov last year, you've had the opportunity now to play with him for a year. How has Sergei helped your game on or off the ice?

ALEX OVECHKIN: You know, first of all he's Russian and we can speak the same language. And we can speak about everything, about hockey and about life. And he's won everything. He won the Olympic gold, World Championships, Stanley Cup. And he's one of the greatest Russian players in history. And to play with him on the same team, same line, it's a big honor me.

Q. I was wondering how you're feeling now. Your season got off to a bit of a slow start and then you had to go back to Russia for family reasons. Was that all part of the start of the season and now how do you feel now kind of coming out of it?

ALEX OVECHKIN: I feel great. I feel free right now, and I'm right now enjoying my time again. I just think about the game and I think about the team, and I think about what I have to do better.

Q. Was that weighing on your mind early in the season, was that a part of it?

ALEX OVECHKIN: Yes, it was a hard time for me. Always thinking what's going on over there. But right now it's done and I know it's fine. I know he's probably better. But it's life. And I tell myself you can do nothing, just pray for him. But you can do nothing right now.

Q. I wanted to ask you about your CCM Vector sticks. How many do you go through during a season?

ALEX OVECHKIN: I go through a lot. And like last year was good, but this year they're breaking again. But I don't know what's going to happen. But they are just broken and I don't know what I have to do.

Q. Follow-up question. During a key penalty kill or a power play during the playoffs, would you ever consider switching over to a wooden stick?

ALEX OVECHKIN: A wood stick?

Q. Yes.

ALEX OVECHKIN: No. It's not the same as - it's not the 60s, the 70s, it's right now 2010. Not 50 years ago, old sticks and stuff.

Q. What do you think about Nicklas Backstrom so far this season?

ALEX OVECHKIN: He had a slow start like me. I don't know the reason why. Right now he just wake up and he makes great passes, makes some points, and I think he'll wake up again.

Q. What does it mean to have Michael Nylander back on the team after missing him last season?

ALEX OVECHKIN: Mike's an experienced guy. Working hard all the time. And he's a special player. And you have to get open for him.

Q. While you were gone in Russia you missed quite a bit of controversy after your linemate talked about Sidney Crosby. I wonder if when you came back to Washington if you were a little surprised and what you think of all that, when Semin made those comments about Crosby through the translator?

ALEX OVECHKIN: I think it's just the translator and about media guys, about you. And you always want to say something to fire up somebody. I talked to him about it. And he said it was just a bad translation. And if nothing is happening, you just want to show something to the people to read the newspaper, go to the Internet, talking about it and something like that. I think everybody knows who Sidney Crosby is and how he can play hockey and how he's good.

Q. But I guess regardless of whether he meant to say it or not, it added another kind of layer of the rivalry between the two teams. The games between Washington and Pittsburgh are fun to watch. And I guess it should be much the same on January 14 when you guys play again.

ALEX OVECHKIN: Yeah, it's always fun to play against a great team. And especially against a great player. And it's always a big challenge for you. It's always a big step. And it's always, you can see how good a team you are and how personally you are good.

Q. You mentioned 2010 and soon it will be 2010. What are your thoughts for playing Russia in the Olympic Games?

ALEX OVECHKIN: I think everybody wants to play in the Olympics, first of all. I want to play over there. I think everybody wants to represent their country in the Olympics, doesn't matter where. Whether it's a championship, wherever you are, you still represent your country, where you're from.

I think it's always good when you have a chance to play for a country and always good when you just go somewhere and see the people, see your old linemates, old friends, and you can talk to them and have fun over there.

Q. Which team do you think is favored? Do you think Russia is?

ALEX OVECHKIN: In the Olympics, you never know. In the world championships you can say like probably five teams, fight for the gold medal. But in Canada, I don't know.

Q. I was just wondering, goaltending is such an important position in the NHL. How confident are you with the consistency you can get between the two goalies you have in Jose Theodore and Brent Johnson, considering both have had two strong games recently, including Theodore, who relieved Johnson last night. How confident are you in your ability to get consistency in the net from those two guys?

ALEX OVECHKIN: Johnny (Brent Johnson) played, I think, four games and got injured. Theodore goes into the net he makes big saves. And we feel like we have two pretty good goalies and they can save us.

Q. Just to go back a few questions. You mentioned the slow start from Backstrom, and you also mentioned yourself as well. Is there a reason for that? How do you see yourself getting out of that?

ALEX OVECHKIN: How can I see it? Just push myself to work hard. I still, like you saw in that game, I still have lots of shots. I still have hits. I still have a moment to score goals. But we just didn't score goals. And this is the reason why I think we have a slow start. And I think we don't have slow start, we have a nice start, but we didn't score.

But now it's changed. And Backstrom scored, made points. I scored. Semin had a tremendous game. And I think we just tore it up, and we just scored goals.

It happens sometimes. You have some periods in the season like you can score, you can make some points. You just start thinking about what do I have to do better, what do I have to do something special, maybe, you just concentrate about your personal game. But it's just a couple games.

Q. Do you think after last year's phenomenal season that more teams are just focusing on you after the 60-plus goal season?

ALEX OVECHKIN: I don't know. Maybe. But I told you I still have a great chance to score goals and it's more important.

How Barack Obama Will Hit Alex Ovechkin

Starting next season (for the sake of convenience), Alex Ovechkin will pay $405,000 more per year in income taxes under President-elect Obama's proposed tax plan than he would have under the current tax code, and $450k more in the out-years of his contract (assuming that the proposed tax plan is enacted and still in effect). Over the 12 years remaining on his current contract, that's an additional $5 million-plus headed into Uncle Sam's coffers instead of AO's bank account.

We, as Americans, say thank you, Alex.

H/t to Forbes.com

Thursday Roundup/Caps 5, 'Canes 1

[AP Recap - Game Summary - Event Summary - WashingtonCaps.com Postgame]

On a night when the Caps faced off against the Hurricanes in Raleigh with first place in the Southeast Division on the line and utterly trounced their gracious hosts, one was left with a singular and somewhat frightening impression: this Caps team can be better.

In fact, outside of the top line and d-pairing, nary a Cap had a point, or even a plus. The third defensive pairing took four minor penalties. The power play took only seven shots in 7:49 of time with the extra man. And so on.

As thorough a beating as the Caps handed the 'Canes, it wasn't a sharp, 60-minute effort, and it wasn't this team at its best. Granted, the score (and Carolina's desire to roll over and play dead rather than put up any sort of fight) allowed the visitors to ease up a bit, but what we saw last night was still just a (rather large) handful of glimpses of what the Caps can be - and what we're all waiting on.

A few quick thoughts on the game:

• As good as the top line was on the scoresheet, they were again guilty of being overly cute at times and guilty of poor defensive coverage often (and throw in a couple of "vintage" Alex Semin hooking penalties for good measure). For as dominant as the line appeared to be (and, as far as finishing goes, was), would you believe the line had the second-worse Corsi Rating of any of the Caps' threesomes? I would. And while I'd take that on any night if they're going to finish with a combined plus-12 rating and a dozen points, that's not going to happen every night. A bit of a curious night, statistically, to say the least.
• Alright, that last point came off a bit negative. Here's the positive - three Semins and a Malkin. Don Cherry just crapped his Depends. By the way, check out the League's top five in plus/minus, but make sure you didn't just take a sip of coffee.
  
• Back to the negative, Semin's "tribute to Richard Simmons" goal celebration was awkwardly wonderful.
  
• I don't think I've ever seen a "superstar" have a worse period than Eric Staal did in the first. He botched tap-ins on an extended 5-on-3, lost a key defensive zone draw that led to the Caps' second goal, and just flat out stunk the building up. It's probably a different game if he has a better opening stanza.
• Sticking with picking on the 'Canes, Niclas Wallin's attempt at defensing Alex Ovechkin on his goal was shameful.
  
• "Secondary" Nicklas Backstrom had a trio of other-than-primary assists and a lay-up of a goal. Suddenly he's not off to that bad a start, with 10 points in 15 games.
• Milan Jurcina's game went from bad to worse, as he had three penalties (though the refs were whistle-happy all night) and little confidence by the time the final buzzer sounded. If Shaone Morrisonn can go Friday, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Juice in the press box.
• Back to everyone's favorite stat, Chris Clark, at minus-three, had the Caps' worse CR (and only negative rating), and Mike Green's plus-17 was best on the squad. He was stellar.
• Brent Johnson came up huge late in the first period before exiting with a hip injury, and Jose Theodore did a great job in relief, especially considering he hadn't played in ten days.
• Memo to Fox Sports Carolina: The Caps haven't used the eagle logo since Rod Brind'Amour was good. If you want to be taken seriously by the rest of the League, you've got to be within a year or so of current on your graphics, mmm'kay?
  

And so we'll wait. We'll wait for a home-and-home series with a shaky Devils team that commences tomorrow night. We'll wait for Morrisonn and Sergei Fedorov (and perhaps Johnson) to get healthy, and we'll wait for the power play to click. We'll wait for the other number one goalie to get hot and we'll wait for the MVP to be the MVP. We'll wait to see what this team can do when they're firing on all cylinders.

But in the meantime, this ain't so bad, is it?

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Go vote for All-Stars if you're into that sort of thing.... Your weekly Power Rankings find the Caps up three spots to 12th at SportingNews.com, up seven to 9th at The Hockey News, up five to 9th at CBSSports.com, up four to 13th at Sportsnet.ca, up 14 to 4th (?!) at CBCSports.ca, up ten to 13th at TSN.ca, and up six to 9th at The Detroit News. Are the still a "bad team," Kelly?... The Caps collected more than a ton of food at their annual canned food drive on Saturday. No word yet on how much of that made it to the intended charity and how much was intercepted and eaten by Nick Backstrom along the way.... Via CapsChick, a hearty welcome to the 21st Century blogosphere to the Caps Media Staff.... Finally, via the Caps Message Board, if you're headed to the VC for Friday night's game, check out Dr. Gridlock for street and Metro closures.

Wednesday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ 'Canes

[AP Preview]

Just six days after Alex Semin's late heroics saved the Caps from falling six points behind the 'Canes in the Southeast Division, Washington heads to Raleigh tied for first place with a game in hand (note: first "game in hand" mention of the season). And while the Caps have enjoyed the comforts of home thus far this season (they're the only Eastern Conference team without a regulation loss in their own building), they've found the road to be considerably less friendly - their five points away from home are tied for the fewest in the East; they have scored 3.57 goals per game as hosts, but just 2.43 away from the VC and have allowed an average of just two goals against per game on their slushy sheet, but 3.71 on the road. Basically, the Caps have been The Stone Roses' eponymous debut album at home, and their brutal follow-up record on the road.

But with a bounce here or there, the story could be much different - three of the Caps' five road losses have been by a single goal, a trio of 2-1 decisions (the other two losses are never again to be spoken of).

So what does the team need to do to get over the hump and starting picking up some W's on the road? One big question revolves around the top line. The trio of Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin and Nicklas Backstrom (and, before he got injured, Sergei Fedorov) has produced five of the Caps' last eight even strength, non-empty net goals, but were singled out as being "too cute" on Monday night. Perhaps more importantly, the line's successes have come on a three-game homestand, where line matching was in Bruce Boudreau's favor. If they take this show on the road as is, however, they can expect a heavy diet of Rod Brind'Amour, Tim Gleason and Carolina's other top defensive players, raising the obvious question as to why you'd want to put your two best scorers on one line and rather than forcing Peter Laviolette to pick his poison? I'm on record as being against the regular use of an "Eggs" line (i.e. any line with both Alexes on it), especially on the road, but I have about as much influence on the Caps roster as I do on U.S. foreign policy ("Mr. President, that briefing you requested on the deportation of Sidney Crosby..."), so we'll see how the man in charge rolls.

The Caps would also help their chances at victory if they can get the power play going - they're stuck in a 1-for-16 (6.3%) rut with the extra man over their last five games, and lately have had incredible trouble entering the zone and/or establishing possession once there. It's a much larger problem than any one player, but there's one guy who got a big contract this summer because he makes the power play go, and it's been stuck in neutral for nearly a month. Put another way, how the hell can the season be 14 games old with Mike Green still looking for his first power play assist and Alex Ovechkin still looking for his first power play goal of the campaign?

For their part, the 'Canes are getting healthy (for them, at least), and having Matt Cullen as a second shut-down center should Gabby keep the Alexes paired isn't a bad option (to say nothing of how much he and Joni Pitkanen will help Carolina's power play). Expect to see Michael Leighton between the pipes for the 'Canes (the 27-year-old netminder has never faced the Caps), and Eric Staal flopping around on the ice like a fish on deck.

The bottom line on tonight is that it's never too early for a statement game, and after last week's win over Carolina, taking two points in Raleigh would certainly make a bold proclamation as to who this year's beast of the Southeast is. But no one's going to be too scared of a team that can't win on the road.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Matt Cooke on being a teammate of both AO and Sid the Kid.... Bear Tracks, Bear Tracks!... If you're wondering about Hershey's line combos, wonder no longer.... John Carlson: elite player (scroll about halfway down).

Pucks, Pucks And More Pucks

One of the great sports collectibles of all-time is the hockey puck. They're cheap (well, not always) and small (well, not always), and come in more varieties than you can imagine, which is why the Virtual Puck Museum is such an awesome website.

As UniWatch notes:

The puck museum, which was recently brought to my attention by reader Jeff Pudlo, is pretty much what it sounds like: a huge collection of hockey pucks, nearly 20,000 in all, each with a unique design. And while it’s fun to see the familiar NHL logos, the site’s real value is in its documentation of other leagues — minor, junior, collegiate, European, recreational, women’s, and more. Plus there are pucks made for weddings and other special occasions, coporate pucks, puck printing stamps and boxes, and lots of historical background. Frankly, I hadn’t given much thought to puck design until now, but it turns out to be an extraordinarily deep rabbit hole. There are even certified goal pucks!

The site itself could be a little better organized, but is a great time waster. For Caps fans, in addition to team logo pucks, you'll find individual player biscuits ranging from Clint Malarchuk to Olie Kolzig, from John Druce to Peter Bondra and many, many more (Al Iafrate or Dino Ciccarelli, anyone?).

Inspired by the VPM, then, here are a trio of favorites from my own collection (Rod Langway-, Kolzig-, and Alex Ovechkin-signed, respectively):

If you've got any special pucks, let's hear about (or see) 'em in the comments - winner gets an OFB mug.

Alex Ovechkin Calls His Shot

At yesterday's morning skate, Alex Ovechkin was asked about facing his former teammate, Olie Kolzig, and noted that "it's good he's going to play because we know where to shoot on him." Upon being further prodded, AO smiled and clarified: "Head high."

When made aware of those comments, Kolzig responded, "The difference was, in practice, when it was head high, I couldn't take any liberties because he was my teammate. Now? Heads up."

So how'd it play out during the game? Fast-forward to around the 1:50 mark of this clip:

You can't say he didn't warn you that he was coming upstairs, Olie. Oh, and we're still waiting on those "liberties."

Friday Roundup/Caps 3, 'Canes 2

[AP Recap - Game Summary - Event Summary - WashingtonCaps.com Recap]

Like many a fan from Bethesda, the Caps rode the Red Line last night. And, like the Metro's version on many nights, the Caps' Red Line broke down before the end of the night, as the elder statesman of the Russian trio left the game early with a "lower body" injury.

Painfully tortured analogies aside, the Caps' 3-2 come-from-behind win last night - snatching victory from the proverbial jaws of defeat - is just the kind of win this team needed. Emotional. Hard-fought. Confidence-building. There's plenty to discuss, so let's get to discussin':

• Alex Ovechkin is now in the midst of the longest goal-less streak of his NHL career, but he was an absolute force out there, with the primary assist on all three Caps goals and a game-high seven hits (despite the playmaking prowess, however, you've got to shoot on that first period mini two-on-one next time, 'kay, Gretz?).
• When Alex Semin plays like he did last night, he can say whatever he wants about whomever he wants. Then again, he can say whatever he wants about whomever he wants no matter how he plays, as far as I'm concerned.
• Caps penalty killers have now killed off 38 of their last 41 disadvantages (88.4%), including the full 1:03 of Carolina's two-man advantage last night. The power-play, however, still stinks.
  
• The Tomas Fleischmann-Michael Nylander-Chris Clark line was pretty atrocious (and man, was Nylander lazy in his coverage on the 'Canes first goal). The trio was a combined minus-16 in Corsi Rating, minus-five in plus-minus, and only attempted three shots on goal (one of which missed). Perhaps Clark needs to go see a specialist about his lingering groin injury (wink wink, nudge nudge).
  
• That said, Nylander and Nicklas Backstrom (who had his strongest game in recent memory remains without an even strength point or a goal) need finishers (i.e. Alexes). And despite reasonable success on the night, Sergei Fedorov is not a good enough playmaker to deserve both Alexes.
  
• For the fourth time this season, the Caps opponent scored on its first shot of the game. Coincidence or poor prep? The jury's still out.
  
• Brent Johnson made some great saves on the night - and 32 overall - but the two that did get by him, he might want back.
  
• I simply cannot be convinced that John Erskine is not a horrible, horrible hockey player.
• Let's give some credit where it's due - Cam Ward was awesome.
• Remember when the Caps used to forecheck? That's one thing - check that, the one thing - I miss about Matt Cooke.
  
• You'd think after fighting him a couple of times, Wade Brookbank would know that Donald Brashear is left-handed. Apparently, you'd think incorrectly. Then again, this is a guy who crushed a guy wearing the same colored sweater as his last night, so he's probably not the brightest bulb in the chandelier.
  
• I know I don't have the best grammar in the world, but Jesus H. Christ, at least I don't say "whole 'nother." With ads like that, I'm glad Circuit City's business is in the crapper.
• Milan Jurcina's hit on Scott Walker was highlight-reel quality. We need to see him play a few games with someone other than Erskine before we can say, definitively, that he blows.
  
• Gutsy job by Brooks Laich breaking up a pass and getting to bench on the PK after a sickening-sounding blocked shot.
• The Caps won 64% of the game's faceoffs, which is a ridiculous number when you consider that Rod Brind'Amour was 12-for-18 for Carolina (Eric Staal continues to stink in the dot, winning just seven of 23 draws on the night (30%), and Dwight Helminen (whoever the hell that is) was 0-for-8).
• One final note on faceoffs - with Fedorov out, the Caps were suddenly quite shallow down the middle in terms of guys who could take a defensive draw, and Laich ended up taking - and losing - one to Staal with 1:12 left. If for no other reason, that situation made it clear that, right now, David Steckel is more useful and valuable in the lineup than Clark is.
• The ice at the VC cost the Caps two minutes (when Johnny tried to clear a puck on the PK), countless scoring opportunities, and perhaps two players. Why pay more than $5 million per year on perhaps the best skating blueliner in the game when he has to slog through that mush 41 times a year? Then again, the Caps haven't lost at home since Backstrom scored the game-winner for Pitt, so...
  

So we wait and see how Shaone Morrisonn's and Fedorov's health is, await a visit from our good friends from Gotham on Saturday night (it won't be the same without #68 in blue, will it?), and see if this Caps team has turned the corner. What do you think?

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Hershey's special teams haven't been good so far this season, especially the PK.

Of Eggs And Baskets

Tarik is reporting that the Caps top line at practice this morning is Alex Ovechkin, Sergei Fedorov and Alex Semin.

You might recall that this combo was wildly successful at the World Championships last spring. You might also recall that that Russian team had a guy named Ilya Kovalchuk on the second line to divert at least a little attention away from the top line.

So do you buy or sell this line combo (and the implicit second-through-fourth lines) working for the Caps overall?

Update: Those "implicit second-through-fourth lines" are now explicitly Laich-Backstrom-Kozlov, Flash-Nylander-Clark, Brashear-Gordon-Bradley.

Thursday Roundup/Gamenight: 'Canes @ Caps

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

Ah, the Southeast Division.

If the Caps were in the Atlantic and facing the division leader tonight, a loss would drop them to eleven points out of first place. In the Pacific, a similar hypothetical would find them an even dozen points out of the top spot. In the Northeast, another loss would have the Caps sitting in the division's basement.

But not in the Southeast, baby. With a loss tonight, the Caps would be a half-dozen points out of first place, and with a win? Second place, just one win out of first.

For all the mediocrity we're seen out of the Caps so far this year - an MVP scoring champ who can't score, a high-priced goalie who can't stop pucks, a Calder Trophy finalist who couldn't find the net with a map and a compass, a defense that has collectively regressed since last Spring's run to the playoffs, and so on and so on - the Caps are still right there, regardless of tonight's result.

That is, of course, not to say that this evening's match-up with the 'Canes at the VC is meaningless, because it is anything but. It is, after all, the Hurricanes, and a four-point swing in October could be the difference between the playoffs and the links in early April - just ask them.

Carolina comes into the game scoring in bunches, but also allowing plenty of goals (especially lately, allowing four goals to Toronto in each of their last two games). They're 5-1-1 against the Eastern Conference, 5-1-2 on the road (let's hope they leave the bandwagon down in Raleigh), and 2-0-0 within our beloved Southeast Division. They've been good five-on-five, but in the lower-middle of the pack with a man (or two) advantage or disadvantage. Bottom line: these are the Carolina Hurricanes. You know them - always injured, always diving, always a tough out (and for more from their side of things, head over to CanesCountry).

The Caps will turn to their number two netminder (yes, he's still number two) tonight, and hope he can replicate his 42-save effort of Tuesday night. But if he doesn't, he doesn't - as Bruce Boudreau said yesterday, "If Brent goes in and is crappy tomorrow, then obviously I am going to use [Theodore] Saturday against the Rangers."

See? No drama. No "must-win" vibe. No real sense of urgency (whether one is needed yet or need be projected in any case is debatable).

And therein, perhaps, lies the problem. Because while everyone knows that Alex Ovechkin will score more than the 14 goals for which he's currently on pace, many of this team's issues are looming larger every day... and time's a-wastin'.

Quick Rehashed Notes on Tonight's Game:

When Rod Brind'Amour and Sergei Fedorov first played against one another in an NHL game, Bruce Boudreau was en route to a 40-goal/120-point season in the IHL, Glen Hanlon was one of Fedorov's teammates and Karl Alzner (remember him?) had just turned two-years-old. Chris Chelios, mind you, was in his eighth season in the League.... The Caps have more hat tricks (8) against Carolina/Hartford than against any other team in the League other than Philly (9), but Alex Semin (who has scored more goals against the 'Canes (13) than he has against any other team in the League) is the only current Cap to turn the trick against the 'Canes as a Cap (did somebody say Russian hat trick?).

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

The boys at The PensBlog will no doubt love to hear about Semin and Alex Ovechkin being "young and passionate" pillow fighters.... This is what passes for journalism in certain Russian circles.... In case you're wondering where the Caps stayed while in Buffalo last weekend, here's a picture.... Puck Daddy looks at the brawler bargains around the League. Colton Orr? The Donald is not impressed.... The dude whose nut Mike Green nearly exploded in the playoffs last season is doing well for himself over in Switzerland.... An old timey Cap is going to be erased from the record books this weekend. Thanks for sucking, Olli Jokinen!... Caps prospect Eric Mestery has been traded (but is still Caps property).... Finally, you've gotta love HFBoards when it hooks you up with something like this (only 0:38 for me).

Who's Got The Better Bobblehead?

We've seen the Bruce Boudreau bobblehead. Now we get a sneak peak at Alex Ovechkin's (to be given out to the first 15,000 fans at the December 18 game against St. Louis).

The question, then, is which one (pictured below) is the more faithful representation of its subject? More importantly, which would you rather have?

Tuesday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ Sens

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A week ago today, we mentioned that Alex Ovechkin's two-game absence from the Caps lineup presented opportunity aplenty for both the Caps and AO. Some players took advantage (at least for one night). Others did not. Now we'll see if the Great Eight can himself make the most of the opportunity to once again show everyone in the League why he is the reigning MVP and get his game, and more imporantly the Caps season (too dramatic?), back on track.

And what better team for Ovechkin to face in this effort than the Ottawa Senators, a squad he positively torched last season to the tune of six goals (including his first career four-goal game) and four assists in four games? For his career, AO has ten goals and nine assists against the Sens in twelve games (his third-highest points-per-game rate against any opponent he has faced more than three times, behind only Philly and Atlanta).

In fact, for one reason or another, the entire Caps team (other than the new guy between the pipes) has fared well against Ottawa recently, going 7-2-0 in their last nine games (after being winless in their previous eight) and outscoring the Sens 37-25 along the way (including 22-12 in last season's four-game sweep).

The current Senators squad comes into the game with a 4-5-2 record, thanks in no small part to a horrid five-on-five goal ratio (both their power play and penalty kill have been strong, however) and weak goaltending from incumbent number one, Martin Gerber... who won't starting tonight. Instead, the Caps will face the red hot Alex Auld, who is 3-2-1/2.15/.931 on the season and has had only one game with a sub-.921 save percentage thus far (so he's due for a shellacking, eh?).

On offense, the Sens are led bythe usual suspects, with Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, Filip Kuba and Daniel Alfredsson all playing at a point-per-game clip or better.

Wait, Filip Kuba? Heh. (He's no Andrej Meszaros, is he, Brian Lawton?)

So here it is Election Day, and the Caps will get their leader back (talk about the change we need) leaving us with one question: Can we enjoy a Caps win tonight? I've got all the hope in the world that, indeed, yes we can.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Pierre LeBrun weighs in on Semin/Crosby and includes some damage control from Ted Leonsis. Good stuff, though there's no way Ray Shero could take GMGM.... Speaking of the Pens, take a look at this eight-step program to better our friends from Pittsburgh and tell me how many would apply to the Caps (I count a bare minimum of five).... Still sticking with the City at the confluence of the three rivers, LCS Hockey thinks Alex Semin is a stooge, but that Sidney Crosby isn't progressing as a player and right now is just "a fast Adam Oates," which I thought was more or less Semin's point.... The Caps are enjoying the second largest attendance boost over last year's numbers in the League.

D&G Time Or Ovi Time?

Flipping through the wife's copy of Glamour (hey, the Executive Reading Room doesn't exactly have the Library of Congress catalog of periodicals on hand), I stumbled upon the following ad for Dolce & Gabbana watches and thought the pitchman looked familiar:

Now, it's not you-know-who, but given his well-documented love of the brand, perhaps the company is trying to take advantage of an implied endorsement. Or perhaps it looks nothing like him and he's just been away so long I've forgotten what he looks like. Probably the latter.

Saturday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ Sabres

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When Alex Ovechkin misses games, nearly everyone misses him. The Caps miss his offense and his leadership. Those watching miss the chance to see perhaps the greatest player in the game. And, in Buffalo, fans miss the chance to jeer one of their favorite villains (too bad Puck Daddy didn't ask Alex Semin what he thought of Thomas Vanek, eh?).

But missed the Great Eight will be tonight when the Caps take on the Sabres, and that's unfortunate - the Caps sure could use him. Buffalo comes into the game at 6-2-2 (but losers of three straight) and should be salty after an embarrassing 5-2 home loss to the Bolts on Thursday. Vanek leads the League in goals, Ryan Miller is 5-1-1/2.07/.928, the Sabre power play is humming along at 21.4% (so discipline, as we talked about yesterday, will be key if the Caps are going to have any chance), neither Caps goalie has a career save percentage above .900 against the Sabres, and the Caps are 1-5 in Buffalo since the lockout.

So, um, yeah... tough test tonight (and for more from the other side, be sure to stop by our good buddies at BfloBlog).

But here's your "glass is half full" stat of the day: Jose Theodore's career GAA and SV% in October are worse than any other month of the year. We all changed those calendars overnight, right?

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Following a 38-goal campaign, Alex Semin's 26-goal 2007-08 "made you wonder just a bit" (presumably about whether he was any good or not), according to Pierre LeBrun. LeBrun's cursory look at Semin's stat line made me wonder just a bit whether or not he realized that Semin scored at a 41-goal pace over his last 47 games last season (i.e. once he was healthy).... Speaking of Semin, more fallout from his comments on Sid the Kid here (and still no one mentioned the word "blog" in their story).... TH has the translation on a Sergei Fedorov interview from a few days ago.... And speaking of Sid, Fark has an update on his injury.... DMG catches us up on how a bunch of Caps prospects are doing so far this season.... A Kris Beech Calgary Hitmen sweater is my confession/entry into this conversation (h/t Caps Message Board).

Tuesday Roundup/Gamenight: Preds @ Caps

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So Mr. O is taking a few days off to be with his ailing grandparent far away - and I thought that was last week's news.

While the Caps haven't won a single game without Alex Ovechkin in the lineup since March 30, 2004 (they lost the only game he has missed in his NHL career so far), one could easily view the current melancholy situation as one that presents somewhat muted silver linings for both the player and his team.

For the Caps, the opportunities abound for every player on the team to step up where they might have thus far been over-relying on the League's best player, consciously or otherwise. It's an opportunity for Nicklas Backstrom to re-assert himself as an offensive threat and register his first goal... or even strength point... or primary assist of the season. It's an opportunity for Chris Clark to get into the goal column. It's an opportunity for Tomas Fleischmann to continue his development as a scorer and for Alex Semin to prove that he can be every bit as good as he has been when he's the primary focus of an opposing defense. It's an opportunity for the defense and goaltending to tighten up a bit and win a game in which the offense doesn't provide four or more goals of support. It's an opportunity for every single player to raise his game a notch or two - it's in situations like these that players' mettle is tested. We'll see who responds.

For Alex Ovechkin, a little time away from the game to focus on what really matters might be just what the doctor ordered (albeit the result of horribly trying circumstances). Only Alex knows how much his grandfather's health has been weighing on him these past days and weeks, but everyone who has been watching him knows how much his own on-ice struggles have impacted his play. Perhaps this trip and a taste of home will reinvigorate the Great Eight, and if he takes the inspiration to re-dedicate himself to the game in his grandfather's honor, well, look out once he returns. And, if as some suspect there's something slightly off with AO physically (left over from when he left practice early a few weeks ago, perhaps), a few days away from the rink won't hurt on that front either.

Fortunately, tonight's opponent - Nashville - is a team that the Caps should be able to beat, with or without Ovechkin. The Preds are the very picture of mediocrity so far - four wins, four losses; they're scoring a lot but allowing a lot of goals too (thanks, in part, to sub-par goaltending); and their special teams have hardly been special at all. Sure does sound familiar, doesn't it? But the Preds are 1-3 on the road and the Caps are 2-0-1 at home - this is definitely a "should win" for D.C.

So expect an entertaining game (too bad you won't be able to see it without buying a ticket), and pay particular attention to who steps up and who disappears in the absence of AO - it'll tell you a lot about those players.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Wade Belak thinks Donald Brashear is tough, and he would know.... Weekly Power Rankings are up at CBC (Caps down two spots to 12), CBS (down two spots to 11), The Hockey News (down five spots to 10), and SportingNews (down two spots to 10).... What's the most impressive record in Caps history? Given the current state of the game, I went with Olie Kolzig's 301 wins.... As promised, KCK's Flickr album from a weekend in Hershey. Very nice.

An Ounce Of Perspective

Alex Ovechkin - who has two goals through seven games so far this season - scored 65 times in 2007-08.

Five times he had seven-game stretches in which he scored two goals or fewer, including a seven-game goal-less drought, and he had a single nine-game span during which he had only a pair of tallies.

Ovechkin's Slow Start

Well, it's taken seven games for the "what's wrong with Alex?" columns to start. Ken Campbell chimes in with his thoughts:

"Ovechkin is undoubtedly the most elite physical player in the NHL. Perhaps he is too focused on playing a rugged game and is looking for the big hit too much. With 22 hits in seven games thus far, Ovechkin is on pace for 258, which would be the fourth-highest total among forwards since the NHL began tracking hit totals."

Interesting theory, Kenny Boy, and it certainly is one to which someone who only watched the Pens game might subscribe. But Ovechkin had 220 hits last year - is an increase of less than half a hit per game really an indication that Alex is "too focused on playing a rugged game and is looking for the big hit too much"?

My thoughts in six words or less? He's trying to do too much. But given the way that Nicklas Backstrom and Chris Clark have been playing as his linemates, can you blame him?

Bonus (and more important) thought: Don't worry about Ovi. He'll be fine.

Ten-Inch Ovechkin Coming To A Retailer Near You

You might recall last year that Upper Deck released a limited number of Alex Ovechkin action figures as part of their All-Star Vinyl line. Now comes word via Beckett Behind The Scenes that the line (including a new Ovechkin figure) "soon will expand into a larger series of 10-inch figures available at retail stores."

This is good news for collectors and anyone who would want one of these (for their kid, of course):

Make sure to check out the whole set of figures (the Roberto Luongo one is particularly frightening).