Pothier Update

Despite the upbeat headline, the latest on Brian Pothier is neither particularly encouraging (from a hockey standpoint) nor surprising: "Running, weights and skating are a long way off for now, but Pothier is excited that his mind is strong and his body is, albeit slowly, following."

And while that's good news in terms of his cognitive skills and whatnot, it's nearly gut-wrenching to read that a guy who one year ago was among the best-conditioned men in the world was bed-ridden for a week not long ago because he tried to jog a couple of blocks.

It has already been a long road to recovery (or some semblance thereof) for Pothier, but his priorities certainly seem to be in the right place. "I'd be lying if I say (retirement) didn't cross my mind," he said. "I've got a wife and two small boys at home that you want to function for when you're fifty." Amen to that.

The Curse Of "The Unveiling Four"

One year and one day ago, the Caps hosted a joint Draft Viewing/Uniform Unveiling event out at K-Plex. A good time was had by all, etc., but no one could have known then that the participants in the night's festivities were, in fact... doomed.

Below is a snapshot of "The Unveiling Four," Ben Clymer, Brian Pothier, Chris Clark and Jeff Schultz, from left to right.


Each has faced his own unique set of circumstances since that night:

• Pothier's career is in jeopardy after being on the receiving end of a Milan Lucic hit back in early January. He played 38 games in 2007-08;
• Clark played in only 18 games in 2007-08 as he took an Alex Ovechkin slapper to the ear in October which cost him eight games and is still battling a nagging groin injury from late November that has cost him 56 games plus the playoffs;
• Schultz missed five of the Caps' seven playoff games with a back injury; and
• Clymer, who was placed on waivers today for the purpose of being bought out ($250,000 cap hit this coming year, $366,666.67 cap hit next season and a $366,666.67 savings to the team), spent the entire season in the AHL.

And here I thought the hockey gods would be honored by the commitment of some fans that night. Guess not.

2007-08 Rink Wrap: Brian Pothier

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

Contract Status: 2008-09 salary of $2,500,000; UFA after 2009-10 season
Age (as of October 1, 2008): 31
NHL Seasons (including 2007-08): 4+
2007-08 Regular Season Stats: 38 games played, 5 goals, 9 assists, +5, 20 PIMs
Key Stat: Pothier was one of two defensemen on the team (Tom Poti being the other) to average more than 15 even strength minutes, one power play minute and one shorthanded minute per game.
Quirky Stat: Had no points on Fridays, despite playing nine Friday games and having more than twice as many shots on that day than on any other.

The Good: Pothier was on pace for a 10-goal/19-assist/plus-10 campaign (which would have been career bests in goals and points, and the five goals he did score tied a career best) when his season was derailed by Milan Lucic. His 7.7 shooting percentage was tied with Mike Green for second among the team's blueliners, he drew the second most penalties per sixty minutes of a Caps rearguard, and even though he played less than half the season, he ended up fourth among the D-corps in points. Pothier had the best plus/minus relative to his team of any Caps defenseman, the second best takeaway-to-giveaway ratio of the group, and had four goals in 17 games under Bruce Boudreau.

The Bad: Pothier had two points (no goals) and a minus-3 rating in 15 November games and had just one goal in his first 26 games. He also had the second-fewest hits-per-game of any Caps defenseman (Poti had the fewest).

The Head: Pothier's health is improving, but he's still symptomatic as he tries to recover from what is at least his fifth concussion.

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

The Questions: If Pothier gets better and can play, what role do you see him having on the 2008-09 Caps? What will it take for him to earn a 10 rating next year?

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

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

Tuesday Roundup

So, umm... Brian Pothier's done, right?

I mean, he's not coming back - ever - is he?

Pothier has missed the last 19 games with a concussion (or post-concussion syndrome) and apparently hasn't even been seen around K-Plex in a month or more after getting crushed by Boston's Milan Lucic on January 3rd (the hit is at around the one minute mark of this clip).

If this was Potsy's first concussion, there'd be reason for concern and the expectation that he'd return at some point. But this isn't his first concussion. Or his second. In fact, it's (at least) his fifth as an NHLer (and who knows how many more he might have had before arriving in the show or that have gone undiagnosed). A quick rundown of the five:

1. March 22, 2002 (season-ending, missed 10 games)
2. December 13, 2003 (missed 10 games)
3. December 28, 2005 (missed no games, but they called it a concussion, so we're calling it a concussion)
4. January 18, 2007 (missed 10 games)
5. January 3, 2008 (missed 19 games... and counting)
   

Five concussions, three in the last 26 months (and even if we don't count that curious December, 2005 noggin knock, it's two significant concussions in the last year). When is enough enough? That's up to the individual player, of course, but given that he's at least five-eighths of the way to Eric Lindros's reported concussion total, there's got to be a good chance that if Potsy's mind isn't made up already (and it probably should be), the doctors (and/or Jesus) will be recommending that the 30-year-old blueliner hang up the skates... before it's too late.

On the "cold, hard reality" side of things, Pothier has 2 years and $5 million left on his current contract and the Caps will continue to make a go of things, for the time being as they have for a month-and-a-half: without one of their top four defenseman. Potsy is one of three blueliners on the squad to be averaging more than a minute of ice time on both special teams units, is the team's second highest points-per-game rearguard on the season and leads the defensemen in plus-minus.

The team has gone 14-6-2 without Pothier in the lineup, which isn't necessarily remarkable in and of itself - he had been benched earlier in the season for poor play - but combining his absence with Tom Poti's recent and potentially lingering injury leaves a couple of gaping holes on the blueline that aren't easily filled and start to look a little bigger than the sum of their parts.

Which brings us back to Pothier's future. If he is to retire, the Caps would have both a need on the blueline (as if they don't already) and the internal cap space to satisfy it. Which, with just a week to go before the trade deadline, makes the status of Brian Pothier's career among the more important questions that we'd like to see answered.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

One game, 2,473 goals. What is "Gary Bettman's dream," Alex?... Did the Caps almost trade Chris Clark for Nik Antropov last summer?... Here's a better idea - don't like two-minute penalties in OT? Don't commit 'em.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Radim Vrbata (G, 2A, +2, 4 SOG)
  
• Ross: Pavel Datsyuk, Radim Vrbata (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Ed Jovanovski (Game-winning goal, A, 3 SOG, 2 hits)
  
• Vezina: Mikael Tellqvist (34-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Henrik Zetterberg (2G)
  
• Calder: Daniel Carcillo (G, +1, fight, 2 SOG, 2 hits)
  
• Aiken: John Grahame (L, 5 goals allowed on 26 shots against)
  

A Trade Rumor That Doesn't Involve Ovechkin (Or A Trade Rumor, Really)

Thanks to a recent hot streak, Caps blueliner Brian Pothier is now on the trade rumor radar in a League starved for two-way defensemen. But with another two years and $5 million left on his current contract, even if the Caps were to fall out of contention, I'd be surprised if they would move the 30-year-old rearguard, who seems to finally be settling into his role on this team as a solid second-/third-pairing defenseman who can play in all situations. Of course, perhaps a trade is part of the bigger plan, so what do I know (I'm still waiting on an explanation of how he went from week-to-week with a broken thumb to missing one game)?

Incidentally, Potsy is the third Caps defenseman this season to go on a three-goals-in-five-games streak (Mike Green and Jeff Schultz being the others) as we all still anxiously await Tom Poti's first one-goal-in-one-game streak of the year.

Friday Roundup/Habs 5, Caps 2

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

On some nights, you're the big dog. On others, you're the fire hydrant. Thursday night at the VC was a bit more of the latter for the Caps as they ran into a hot goalie, had trouble on the penalty kill and missed converting a couple of chances of their own en route to a 5-2 loss. Some thoughts on the game:

• Jeff Schultz played the Alexei Kovalev/Tomas Plekanec first period 2-on-1 beautifully.
• Shaone Morrisonn can't leave his man alone on top of the crease with the puck behind the net on a power play, or you get what you got on the Habs' first goal.
  
• Chipchura sounds sounds like something I'd order at Taco Bell.
• The Habs scored on their second power play with Tom Poti in the box, but I blame the penalty on Tomas Fleischmann's brain cramp giveaway at the blueline.
• Was I the only one expecting Mike Green to stop to fix his hair after Mike Komisarek separated him from his helmet? Green had another solid game, finishing with seven shots on goal, an even rating and only one giveaway in a game-high 30:12 of ice time (nearly eight minutes more than any other Cap).
  
• Losing Brian Pothier for a few weeks with a broken thumb will hurt. Say what you want about him, but he's a 19-minute guy who can play in all situations, and the Caps sure don't have six more of those. Heck, do they have two? Sidenote: Here's hoping Steve Eminger gets a sweater tomorrow night and not John Erskine, though I'd be shocked if that's what happens.
  
• Apparently Locker's favorite new phrase is "soap on a rope." Personally, I'm waiting for him to drop "Soul on roll, but you treat it like soap on a rope 'cause the beats in the lines are so dope."
• Michael Nylander and Nicklas Backstrom swapped lines in the third period and the Backstrom-centered second line produced instant dividends (the Alex Semin goal). One wonders if the new combos will stick.
• Speaking of Backstrom, he's now only nine points out of the rookie lead in scoring.
• Alex Ovechkin seemed to be off his game a bit, especially after his third period tripping call. He whiffed on an open net thereafter and didn't exactly shine in his brief tryout as a blueliner. He finished minus-three on the night and had nine shots either miss the net or get blocked. Maybe Andrei Markov and company are in his head. Or, perhaps, the Matt Pettinger as a top line winger experiment just isn't working - AO is minus-eight in his last four games (Backstrom is minus-six and Pettinger minus-five - it sure would be nice to get Chris Clark back in the lineup or, better yet, a legitimate first-line right wing).
  
• Red, white and blue is still better than bleu, blanc et rouge.
• Fact: Guillaume Latendresse is the only player in NHL history to wear the number 84. For another bizarre Latendresse fact, check this out.
• A lot of bad news for scoreboard watchers, as the four teams directly ahead of the Caps in the Eastern Conference who played last night - Tampa, Atlanta, Florida and Pittsburgh - all won and the Bruins picked up a loser point.
  

So it's off to Long Island to try to snag a win and, with it, a merrier Christmas.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Let's give credit where credit's due, and it's due Sidney Crosby on the occasion of his first career Gordie Howe Hat Trick (and he handled himself a hell of a lot better when the rough stuff started than the Great One did).... Sure, you can play in the World Junior Championships at age 16 (and spell your name with almost as many umlauts as Mötley Crüe and Löwenbräu combined), Magnus Svensson-Pääjärvi, but Viktor Alexandrov would like to know where you've been the past two years.... I was catching up on my Mirtle and really digging this post when I recalled having seen this article in The Windsor Star - dated a day later - that had a handful of noteworthy similarities to Mirtle's post. Was it coincidence? Inspiration? Did Tom Layberger move to Canada and change his name to try to escape his shame?... Finally, on this date in 1929, the "NHL implemented the new 'offside' rule for the first time in league play. Forward passing would now be permitted inside all three zones, but not across the blue lines." At the time, Chris Chelios thought this would be a great way to increase offense, and, as it turns out, he was right.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Marian Gaborik (5G, but not the game-winner, A, +2)
  
• Ross: Marian Gaborik (6 points)
  
• Norris: Ed Jovanovski (2A, +1, 6 SOG)
  
• Vezina: Karri Ramo (W, 30 save on 31 shots against)
  
• Richard: Marian Gaborik (5G)
  
• Calder: Karri Ramo (W, 30 save on 31 shots against in first NHL start)
• Aiken: Henrik Lundqvist (L, 6 goals allowed on 18 shots against in 52:04 of work)

Sunday Open Thread

Rock it, people.

Photo: AP

Moron, Err, More On Accountability

As we discussed earlier today, Bruce Boudreau isn't afraid to name names and hold players accountable for their transgressions. The latest example of this new-to-the-Caps attitude? Brian Pothier will be a healthy scratch tonight.

The Shot Heard 'Round The... Well, Nowhere

Picking up on Joe's comment here, one wonders how Brian Pothier was not credited for a shot on goal for his blast from the point that Rick DiPietro couldn't handle and which Brooks Laich corralled and deposited behind the Isles netminder.

According to the NHL's play-by-play, Mike Comrie turned the puck over and then two seconds later, Laich scored... without any intervening action. The AP recap describes the play more accurately:

Michael Nylander intercepted Comrie's clearing attempt, and played keep away from the Islanders near the blue line. He set up a shot by Brian Pothier, that was stopped by goalie Rick DiPietro, but the rebound came to Laich.

You can see it for yourself by clicking on the link in the AP Recap (it's at around the two minute mark). The Pothier shot is clearly on goal, no?

It's not a big deal, of course, but it serves as a reminder that even official statistics are only as good as the human beings keeping them, and that maybe yesterday's game didn't feature the fewest shots on goal in a Caps win after all.

Eight Questions With Brian Pothier

Be sure to check out Tarik's quick interview with Brian Pothier in which Potsy compares Tom Poti to Bryan Muir (but don't worry - "Poti is more skilled and sees the ice better than Bryan"), discusses how Poti's presence will help Mike Green's game, the team's goals, and how much more convenient Ballston is than Ashburn.

Not-Totally-Random Pothier Love

Since teams from opposing Conferences play each other only twice every three years nowadays, there's very little familiarity between the two Stanley Cup finalists (who didn't play during the regular season) and maybe even less familiarity for their respective fan bases with respect to their opponents. To ameliorate some of that, Earl from Battle of California and Ben from Sens Army are educating one another on their teams' strengths and weaknesses leading up to the start of the Finals on Monday.

Anyway, Earl had 10 questions which Ben has answered, including this:

9. Random question--but if you could have one former Senator back for this series (one who left within the last year or so), who would it be and why? I think I'm asking a "Chara or Havlat" question, but if you have another guy in mind that works too.

Chara and Havlat each have their niches, and my initial response was Chara – he’s such a presence on the ice. But we had them both last year and were beaten out in the second round, so I’m going to skip them and say Brian Pothier, he was a free agent who left last summer – he got 12 minutes a game with the Sens, and now playing in Washington he gets 20+ minutes per game. He was a gem with the right attitude that the Sens could put to good use today.

Sure, there are personnel reasons for the ice time disparity from last season to this one, but Potsy is often a whipping boy for Caps fans, so it's nice to see him get some love, especially from a fan of his former team. I've said it before and will again - in the right role (i.e. second defensive pairing), Pothier will be a perfect fit for this team. Maybe I'm not the only one who thinks so.

U.S., Russia Cruise At Worlds

In Day One action over in Moscow Russia pounded Denmark, 9-1 (Alex Ovechkin, with a goal and an assist, was named the Player of the Game) and the U.S. beat up on Austria, 6-2 (Team USA Captain Chris Clark had a goal, Brian Pothier an assist). Elsewhere, the Czech Republic crushed Belarus, 8-2 (Jiri Novotny was held off the score sheet for the Czechs) and Finland shutout the Ukraine, 5-0.

Read much more on the tourney over at Mike Vogel's blog throughout the fortnight.

A Capital Christmas

As hockey fans all over the world celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus today, I'd like to send belated Happy Hannukah wishes to Jeff Halpern, Mike Cammalleri, Mathieu Schneider and, of course, Gary Bettman.

But I have Christmas wishes to pass along as well. I have gifts, too. Well, not really, but if I could, I'd hand out the following gifts to each member of the 2006-07 Washington Capitals:

Beech, Kris - Passion to match his raw skills
Bradley, Matt - A comfortable seat in the press box
Brashear, Donald - Someone to dance with every night
Clark, Chris - His two front teeth
Clymer, Ben - plus-14
Eminger, Steve - Confidence and a healthy John Erskine
Erskine, John - Better skating ability
Giroux, Alexandre - A bus ticket back to Hershey
Gordon, Boyd - Fewer penalties to kill
Green, Mike - More shots on goal
Heward, Jamie - Better defensive-zone coverage
Johnson, Brent - A few more starts
Klepis, Jakub - Kris Beech's ice time (and faceoff ability)
Kolzig, Olaf - Five more years in the League
Laich, Brooks - Skills to match his hockey sense
Morrisonn, Shaone - Better passing ability
Muir, Bryan - More effective use of his size
Nycholat, Lawrence - A flight back to Hershey (hey, he's older than Giroux)
Ovechkin, Alex - A playoff game (can you imagine how good he'll be once he makes the playoffs?!)
Pettinger, Matt - Alex Semin's shot total
Pothier, Brian - The broadside of a barn at which to practice shooting
Schultz, Jeff - Zdeno Chara's career path for a big man
Semin, Alexander - More effective play without the puck
Sutherby, Brian - A second goal for the year (we'll work on the third, etc., from there)
Zednik, Richard - Good health so the Caps can get something for him at the trade deadline
Zubrus, Dainius - Nothing (he's got Ovechkin - what more does he need?)

There you have it. Merry Xmas to the Caps and their fans and more importantly, to my readers and friends.

J.P.

Steve Eminger: Stud Or Stiff?

Caps blueliner Steve Eminger would be the first to tell you that he stunk on ice last night against Tampa (actually, I might be the first to tell you that and Steinberg might be the first to tell you that I'll tell you that, but I digress).

Through 29 games this season, Emmy, now in his third full NHL season, has no goals, five assists and a minus-8 plus/minus rating, putting him on pace for a 14 assist/minus-19 campaign, this on the heels of a five-goal, 13-assist, minus-12 season last year. Per TSN.ca's scouting report, Eminger "[h]as the tools to quarterback the power play," "[d]isplays plenty of offensive acumen," and "can also be a solid defender," but it's simply not translating on the ice. By most accounts, he has taken a big step backwards this year, and the numbers would seem to back that up (though he has played better since being paired with John Erskine).

Speaking of numbers, let's take a look at some, shall we? Currently, he's third among the team's defensemen in time-on-ice-per-game (18:22) and shorthanded ice time per game and getting next-to-no power play ice time. Contrast that with last year, where he was second among blueliners in TOI/G (21:20), third in SH TOI/G and actually got power play minutes. Obviously minutes are earned and not handed out like candy on Halloween and the signing of Brian Pothier and emergence of Mike Green have cut into Emmy's minutes as well, but part of the decrease in production is no doubt the result of the two-plus minutes of power play time per game that he has lost.

So how should we measure Eminger's progress (or lack thereof)? How about comparing Eminger to other blueliners drafted after back in 2002 (excluding top-five picks Jay Bouwmeester and Joni Pitkanen who are quite simply another level of defenseman). Because of the Caps' rebuild, Eminger has played more games than any of them and has outscored them all too (though Chicago's Duncan Keith is about to pass him [sidenote: never trust a man with two first names]). But is there a blueliner taken after Eminger that you'd rather have right now? Any Trevor Daley fans out there? Perhaps Keith, and I've heard good things about Grebeshkov, Babchuk and Koltsov, but haven't been impressed. Point being that it's too early to tell on these kids.

What about defensemen drafted in a similar spot in the draft? Here's a list of all the defensemen taken between tenth and 15th overall in the five years leading up to the 2002 draft (in which Eminger was taken 12th): Brad Ference, Branislav Mezei, Jeff Jillson, Ron Hainsey, Dan Hamhuis and Igor Knyazev. Do you see anyone there who Eminger can't be better than in the next one-to-five years? Maybe Hamhuis?

Emmy's points-per-game might not be where you'd like, but the experience he has gained in the NHL at such an early age should prove invaluable down the road. And that's wherein the problem lies. How long will it be until we reach that point down the road where Eminger is the "top two defenseman" TSN think he can be?

It's no secret that defensemen take longer to develop than forwards, so let's take a look at some other very successful "top two" blueliners. Through 124 NHL games, Eminger has five goals, 24 assists and is minus-33. Dan Boyle? Through 129 games in the show, Boyle had 10 goals, 29 assists and was minus-17 for the Florida Panthers (of course Boyle was signed as an undrafted free agent, so expectations were lower). Sheldon Souray? Through 130 NHL games, Souray had four goals, 14 assists and was +23 for stingy Devil teams. Bryan McCabe? 162 games, 15 goals, 36 assists, -26 for the Isles. Philippe Boucher (who was taken 13th overall back in 1991)? 124 games, 15 goals, 32 assists, -26.

You get the point.

The bottom line is that at barely 23 years old and with less than two full NHL seasons' worth of experience it is far too early to give up on Eminger and call him a bust. What is most troubling, however, are the mental errors that are so apparent in his game. Whether it's not knowing when to step up to play a puck versus backing off to play the man or flipping a puck over the glass from the defensive zone, these mistakes have been killers and have been quite disappointing. But there have been plenty of extremely successful hockey players who have compensated for a lack of natural hockey sense with hard work and raw skill. Hopefully Eminger has enough of the former to develop the latter and make him a reliable top-four defenseman someday in the not-too-distant future.

Stat Of The Day

Per NHLPA.com, Bruin defenseman Zdeno Chara will make $7.5 million in 2006-07, whereas the Capitals top seven defensemen - Brian Pothier, Shaone Morrisonn, Steve Eminger, Mike Green, Jamie Heward, Bryan Muir and John Erskine - will make a combined $7,067,912.

For the record, Chara has 3 goals, 7 assists and a -5 plus/minus in 14 games for the 5-7-2 Bruins, while the seven Caps listed above have combined for 5 goals, 26 assists and a +13 plus/minus for the 8-5-4 Capitals.

(Hat tip to the folks in this thread)

Sunday Roundup/Caps 3, Rangers 1

[NHL.com Recap - WashingtonCaps.com Postgame Coverage - Official Scoresheet - Official Super Stats]

Last night's crowd of 16,263 - a legitimate 16,263, the largest crowd of the season - saw the Caps take care of business by playing a physical and up-tempo game against a team that had played a similar game the night before. Despite being 0-for-7 on the power play before the Rangers even got a man advantage of their own, the Caps got an early goal from Boyd Gordon, a couple of softies from Alex Ovechkin and Matt Pettinger that went through Henrik Lundqvist's gaping five-hole, and phenomenal goaltending from Olie Kolzig en route to the 3-1 win. For those of you keeping score at home, the last four Capitals wins have come against teams that had 100 or more points last year (New York, Ottawa, Philly and Calgary).

The WaPo has their recap here, the WTimes here, but there were a couple other points from last night that deserve mention:

• Besides scoring his first goal since Christ was in diapers (Oct. 11, 2003 to be precise), Gordon was 9-for-11 (82%) in the faceoff circle. In fact, the Caps dominated the night in the dot, winning 34 of the 56 draws (61%). Dainius Zubrus was a very impressive 17-of-25 (68%).
• The defensive pairing of Brian Pothier and Shaone Morrisonn did a fantastic job containing the Jaromir Jagr line, and Morrisonn was acknowledged for his efforts with the game's third star, despite being held off the score sheet. Pothier logged an NHL-high 30:35 last night.
• The Donald finally dropped the gloves for the first time this season, and he made quick work of Colton Orr. When my wife asked why it took him so long to get into a fight this year, I told her that when you're that good a fighter, you don't need to fight very often. Certainly the case with Brash. UPDATE: Video, via OWO:
  

• John Erskine looked pretty good and even picked up a helper on the Ovechkin goal. It was only the third sixth point of Erskine's career (all assists) in 143 NHL games.

Stat of the Day

• The Caps have five regulation losses so far on the 2006-07 season and each of those has been followed with a win in the next game.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

• On October 28, Secondary Sid netted a hat trick against the AHL Philadelphia Flyers. Since then, he has taken 8 shots on goal in six games and hasn't scored a goal. He does, however, have seven assists over that stretch - three primary and four secondary. Must be nice having Evgeni Malkin to carry your water, eh, Sid? Perhaps not coincidentally, Pittsburgh is 1-3-2 over the six game span.
  

Daily Awards

• Hart: Daniel Briere (Game-tying and OT-winning goals, +2, 6 SOG)
  
• Ross: Bryan McCabe, Tomas Kaberle, Kyle Wellwood, Petr Nedved, Slava Kozlov (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Bryan McCabe (2G, A, 3 SOG, 3 hits, 1 takeaway, 0 giveaways, 1 blocked shot)
  
• Vezina: Olie Kolzig (W, 41 saves on 42 shots against)
  
• Richard: Marian Hossa, Glen Murray, Daniel Briere, Chris Neil, Randy Robitaille, Bryan McCabe (2G each)
  
• Calder: Drew Stafford (G, 3 SOG)
  
• Aiken: David Aebischer (L, 4 goals allowed on 28 shots in 37:33 of work)
  

Saturday Roundup/Gamenight: Rangers @ Caps

[NHL.com Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview - Official Gameday Thread]

Tonight the Caps welcome J.J. and the Broadway Blueshirts to the VC. The Rags had a physical battle with Atlanta last night (which they won handily), while the Caps come in well-rested as they haven't played a game since Monday night's comeback win against Ottawa (and yes, that includes Thursday night's game at Carolina that was on the schedule but for which they didn't show up), so look for the hosts to have a little more jump from the first puck drop.

The Rangers have three of the NHL's top seven scorers, the seventh best powerplay and the third most potent offense in the League. Needless to say, it will be absolutely critical to stay out of the box and keep the shots against down: Stupid is Death.

Thread of the Day:

• Pothier Is Killing Us ---- AGAIN
  

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

• We're #30! According to Forbes (via OFB), the Caps are the least valuable franchise in the NHL. Now this valuation is largely based on the current arena deal, and since the Caps are renters, it's not surprising that they'd be way down the list. At some point, I assume Abe Pollin will sell the building to Ted Leonsis et. al. and the Caps will be worth a heckuva lot more, so fret not.
  

Daily Awards

• Hart: Jason Spezza (G, 2A, +4, 69% faceoffs won)
  
• Ross: Michael Nylander, Jaromir Jagr, Jason Spezza (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Wade Redden (G, A, +3)
  
• Vezina: Miikka Kiprusoff (37-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Ryan Smyth, Dany Heatley, Radim Vrbata, Tomas Vanek (2G each)
  
• Calder: Evgeni Malkin (G, A)
  
• Aiken: Colby Armstrong (-4, 0 SOG, 0-for-2 on faceoffs)
  

Shots On Goal And Shots At Goal

As Wayne Gretzky famously said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." Well, you also miss 100% of the shots that never make it on net. In this morning's Roundup I noted that "[t]he Caps need to work on getting pucks to the net on the powerplay. Too many shots either don't get through or are off target." A quick look at the stats from last night's game confirmed what my eyes had told me - that Brian Pothier couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat (he was "credited" with five missed shots). A deeper look at the numbers (again, me messing around with Google spreadsheets) shows that Pothier's lack of accuracy is perhaps troubling for an alleged powerplay quarterback.

We all know that Brian Pothier doesn't have a goal yet on the season. But did you know that of the 38 shots he's taken through 13 games, only 19 (50%) have even been on goal? In fact, Pothier is 6th in the NHL among defensemen in missed shots, and has fewer shots on goal than any defenseman in the fifteen in missed shots.

Now, this doesn't mean that Potsy isn't a good point man on the power play. In fact, he's only one back of the League lead in power play assists among blueliners, and this is an admittedly small sample. But if more of his attempted shots were either not getting blocked out front or going wide of the net, there would almost definitely be more rebound opportunities for the forwards crashing the net up front, and then the guys with the good shooting percentages could help Pothier's assist totals - and more importantly the Caps' power play - get even better.

(Cross-posted at Southeast Shootout)

Friday Roundup/Thrashers 4, Caps 3 (OT)

[NHL.com Recap - Official Scoresheet - Official Super Stats]

A second period that was a mirror image of Wednesday night's miserable middle frame and Brent Johnson's stellar goaltending earned the Caps a point in a fifth straight game, but in the end there was just too much Kari Lehtonen and the Caps fell to Atlanta 4-3 for the second time in six days. Read all about the game here.

Even though it's disappointing to lose a lead in the last minute of regulation and then the game minutes later, I'll take three points out of every back-to-back set of games, especially with the second game coming against a division leader who's been resting for nearly a week. Losses like this hurt, but hopefully they motivate even more.

A couple of notes from the game:

• Brian Pothier had more ice time (30:39) than Bryan Muir, Jakub Klepis, Rico Fata and Donald Brashear combined. Why is Klepis - 3:48 of ice time - even in the NHL right now?
• Brooks Laich was 1-for-8 on faceoffs and finished -2 for the game (and when the other team only scores two even strength goals, that's something). Steve Eminger was also a very stinky -2 and was Ilya Kovalchuk's slalom gate on multiple occasions.
  
• On the flip side of that coin, the entire first line and Pothier were on the ice for both Caps even strength goals and all four skaters ended up +2 for the night.
• The penalty-kill was strong again, successfully killing 6 of 7 penalties including a long 5-on-3.
  

Thread of the Day:

• Poll: We or They? How do you refer to your favorite team?
  

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

• NHL.com has a great profile of Brian Sutherby up.
• Got Stats? Hockey-Recap does.
  

Daily Awards

• Hart: Marian Hossa (2G, including GTG with :33 left, A, shootout game-clincher, +2, 7 SOG, 3 takeaways, 0 giveaways, 1 blocked shot, J.P.'s jealous hatred)
  
• Ross: Sidney Crosby, Alexei Yashin, Brian Gionta, Patrik Elias, Patrick Marleau, Milan Michalek, Marian Hossa (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Sergei Gonchar (GWG in OT, A)
  
• Vezina: Mathieu Garon (40-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Glen Murray, Patrick Marleau, Marian Hossa (2G each)
  
• Calder: Evgeni Malkin (GTG, A, +1)
  
• Aiken: Derian Hatcher (-3, 2 giveaways - though he did take the penalty on which the Flyers scored their only goal, shorthanded; Hatcher is now dead last in the NHL in +/- by a mile)
  

Saturday Roundup/Gamenight: Thrashers @ Caps

[NHL.com Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview - Official Gameday Thread]

Tonight the once-beaten Atlanta Thrashers come to town for a Southeast Shootout (why do I keep saying that?). Prior to the game, the Caps will be honoring Alex Ovechkin's Calder-winning season and giving out commeorative AO coins that will be quite valuable (perhaps even moreso than these) when we shift to an all hockey-player-coin-based economy.

Today's WaPo discusses the Caps' proclivity for taking penalties (shocking), AO's shootout woes (not something to get too worried about), and Brian "Potsy" Pothier's ice time (it's a lot) and the WTimes (nice of you Moonies to resume your Caps coverage, btw) covers tonight's ceremony and generally previews the game.

Oh, and I can't make tonight's game, so if anyone is going and can snag an extra magnetic schedule for me, I'll be forever in your debt (or at least I'll pay postage and buy you a beer or something). Danke.

Thread of the Day:

• Poll: Crosby Vs Ovechkin:who Will Have Better Year?

Daily Awards

• Hart: Ryan Miller (41 saves on 43 shots against through OT in shootout win to keep the Sabres perfect)
• Ross: Henrik Sedin, Kevin Bieksa (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Kevin Bieksa (G, 2A, +1)
  
• Vezina: Ryan Miller (41 saves on 43 shots against through OT in shootout win)
  
• Richard: Jason Williams, Jon Sim, Craig Adams (2 goals each)
  
• Calder: Matt Carle (A, +2)
  
• Aiken: Roberto Luongo (L, 6 goals allowed on 37 shots against)