You Know Your Car's A Piece Of Crap When...

... they're making fun of it on the other side of the world.

A huge tip - no, doffing - of the hat to our friend TJ at the Alex Ovetjkin blog for translating and posting two lengthy interviews, one with each of the Caps' Alexes, that would be must-reads during the season, but are more or less life-sustaining this time of year.

Some highlights from the Alex Ovechkin interview:

On Glen Hanlon: "[It is nice] when you don't expect good words from a man and he starts to praise you. One example would be Hanlon, our former head coach in Washington. At one moment he is shouting at you and tells you that you are doing everything wrong, the very next moment he calls you the best. One could never guess.... Hanlon is a surprising person. It was a great pleasure to work with him. It is a pity it didn't work out for him in Washington."

On his teammate whose "inner strength surprises" him: "We all have character, all of us. But the most unusual is [Quintin] Laing. He blocks shots, any shots. Sometimes it is impossible even to imagine, is he going to block this one too? A charismatic fellow. He'd never make into NHL, if not his heroism."

On his teammate with the crappiest ride: "Perhaps Jeffrey Schultz. He drives a strange vehicle that looks like a minivan, but it is two seated and has an open trunk. I've learned that his rattletrap cost eight thousand dollars."

Really, there's much, much more there, so make sure to set aside some time to read it and the Alex Semin interview, which includes these nuggets:

On the best player in the NHL: "At the moment? I'd select Pasha Datsyuk. This is a player I like for a very long time. He has the best hands."

On his future: "I am not a fan of changing the environment. I am such a person that I am satisfied with everything in Washington. Never thought about leaving."

On his 2007-08 season: "At first my season started as a failure. I was injured. I didn't play for 2.5 months. And then everything went on. When there were 15 games left before the playoffs, I started to get in shape. And the worlds were later. I peaked. And it all got together."

On whether Ovechkin changed after signing his huge contract: "After he signed it he became more motivated or something, I don't know... he started playing much better to be honest. He became more mean, aggressive. But outside of the game he was the same person as before, friendly, sociable."

You get the point. I'm going to stop writing now and you're going to go read these two interviews. See you back here in a bit.

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.

L'il Sarge On The Radar?

Much has been made of the bloodlines in this year's NHL Entry Draft (the ever-wonderful Joe Pelletier takes a deeper look at many of those same names), but one surname that isn't making those lists is Schultz, as in the Caps' Jeff Schultz and his draft-eligible baby brother Ian.

Ian, "a raw winger ranked No. 92 by the Central Scouting Bureau," recently completed his first full season for the WHL Calgary Hitmen, where he was a teammate of current Caps prospects Karl Alzner and Keith Seabrook. He finished the campaign with 15 goals, 15 assists and 128 penalty minutes (not to mention 18 fights and more PIMs than the elder Schultz had in four full seasons for the Hitmen) in 67 games.

The Caps apparently have shown some interest in the younger Schultz, but if they pass on the opportunity and the Schultz brothers end up opponents on the ice? "I'll make the best of it," says Ian. "I'll just make sure I hit him extra hard when I do play against him."

Wait... are we sure these guys are brothers? Really?

2007-08 Rink Wrap: Jeff Schultz

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, Jeff Schultz.

Contract Status: 2008-09 salary of $650,000 (cap hit of $763,888.89 or $750,000, depending upon whom you believe); RFA after 2008-09 season
Age (as of October 1, 2008): 22
NHL Seasons (including 2007-08): 1+
2007-08 Regular Season Stats: 72 games played, 5 goals, 13 assists, +12, 28 PIMs
Key Stat: Schultz lead all Caps blueliners in plus/minus.
Don't Forget: Schultz is more than four months younger than Mike Green and more than five months younger than Alex Ovechkin.

The Good: With just 38 NHL games under his belt entering the season, Schultz stepped in and lead the D in plus/minus (for a second conecutive season) averaged more than 18 minutes of ice time, tied for second among Caps defensemen in goals and was third in points among that group. Surprisingly (to me, at least), Schultz was on the ice for the fourth-most goals for per sixty minutes of ice time of any skater on the team, behind only Ovechkin, Viktor Kozlov and Nicklas Backstrom. And while it may not always look pretty, Schultz now has a career plus-17 rating in 110 NHL games (this after totalling a plus-21 rating in the AHL and a plus-45 career in the WHL). Back to 2007-08, Schultz's shooting percentage was tops among Caps rearguards, he was third on the team in blocked shots and had the fewest PIMs per game of any of the team's defensemen. Oh, and he tied for the team lead in faceoff percentage. Schultz had four goals in a six-game stretch in December and had a plus-rating in each of the season's final four months (and a plus-16 rating in his final 43 games if the regular season).

The Bad: Schultz had the second-worst takeaway-to-giveaway ratio on the club (only Milan Jurcina was worse) and took the fewest shots per game on the team. He is currently on a 45-game goal-less streak and was healthy-scratched four times (though only once after November).

The Vote: Rate Schultz 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: What role do you see Schultz 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.

Monday Roundup/Gamenight: B's @ Caps

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

It certainly wasn't the primary motivation for acquiring goaltender Cristobal Huet at the trade deadline last week, but with three of the Caps' last 16 games against the Boston Bruins, it doesn't hurt that Cristo has dominated the B's throughout his career. In three games against the Bruins so far this season, Huet is 3-0-0 with a 1.67 goals against average and .943 save percentage, and for his career he is 8-2-0/1.93/.940 with three shutouts (the most wins and shutouts he has against any opponent).

In fact, Huet has great career numbers against a handful of the Caps' remaining opponents: his best career GAA (1.08) and save percentage (.964) are against Florida, who Washington will face twice more; he's 2-0-1/1.73/.947 against Nashville (who the Caps play on March 18); he's 4-2-2/2.05/.932 against Atlanta, 6-3-0/2.24/.931 against Tampa and 3-2-1-0/2.37/.931 against the 'Canes (each of whom Washington will play two more times before the regular season wraps up); and he's 3-2-0/2.13/.915 against Pitt, who the Caps face at home next Sunday.

Sure, Huet is no longer playing behind Mike Komisarek, Andrei Markov et. al., but the fact that he has a career 29-13-1-4 record with a 1.97 GAA, .937 SV% and nine shutouts against the teams the Caps will play in 13 of their last 16 games has to count for something. Oh, and against those other three teams - Buffalo, Calgary and Chicago - Huet is 8-9-1-3/2.73/.909... maybe Olie Kolzig can get some work in in those games - he's 26-19-6-1/2.42/.914 against that trio of teams.

The flip side of the "Huet vs. the Bruins" coin is "Tim Thomas vs. the Caps." The B's netminder is 8-0-1 with a 1.82 GAA and .940 SV% in his career against Washington, thanks in large part to Zdeno Chara's ability to shut down Alex Ovechkin. For his career, the Great Eight has only five points - and only two goals - in nine games against Big Z's teams (Boston for this year and last, Ottawa in '05-'06) and three goals and four helpers in nine tilts against Boston.

So even though the Bruins come into tonight's game 7-0-1 in their last eight and the Caps have been playing around .500 hockey for the past month-and-a-half (8-6-3 since January 22), expect another tight game - since the lockout, only one of the nine games between these two teams (of which the Caps have won only one, by the way) was decided by more than one goal (this season's only meeting, January 3rd's 2-0 Boston win). Oh, and for those of you revenge seekers, a reminder that this will be the first time the Caps have seen Milan Lucic since he quite possibly ended Brian Pothier's career.

The Caps should have no trouble getting up for this game. Maintaining that intensity will be the challenge.

Why The Bruins Will Win:

"The Bruins will beat the Caps tonight because Tim Thomas does yoga. All bets on the Bs are off if Huet wears his old Canadiens helmet, though." - The Hockey (and Donut) Blog

"Right now, the Bruins are flat out clicking. Everything that can go right is going right, and Boston has six straight wins. Between the pipes, Tim Thomas has allowed just one goal in his last two outings. This alone is not a good sign for Washington, as Thomas is 8-0-1 in his career against the Capitals. A solid performance from Thomas and the rest of the B's could lead to seven wins in a row." - The Bear Cave

"The Bruins will win because they're on a 6-game win streak. Besides, the only quality players on the Caps' roster are Ovechkin and ...uh....that other....hmm. Well, at least they have Ovechkin." - The Spoked B

"The Bruins will win because they have won their last six games, and are planning to make it seven tonight to keep the streak alive." - WickedBruinsFan

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Happy 24th Birthday to Alex Semin and Happy 45th to Kelly Miller... H/t to Ted Leonsis for digging out this GMGM gem.... On this date in 1996, Jim Carey set the franchise mark with his sixth shutout of the season (and second in two days). He'd add another three before his Vezina-winning campaign was over, and the nine shutouts remain a Caps single season record.... On this date in 2004, the Caps sent Sergei Gonchar to Boston for Shaone Morrisonn and the picks that were used to draft Jeff Schultz and Mikhail Yunkov.... On this date in 1895, according to the HHOF, "The earliest recorded ice hockey game was played, with McGill University going against the Victoria skating club, at the Victoria Rink in Montreal. The two teams played with nine men on a side, and used a flat disk as a puck." Chris Chelios finished the game with a plus-two rating.... Finally, one year ago today, we wished Semin a Happy Birthday with some of his personal highlights and started our offseason free agent wish list by looking at the available centers.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Craig Anderson (53-save shutout win)
• Ross: Patrick Kane (3 points)
  
• Norris: Niklas Kronvall (2A, +3)
  
• Vezina: Craig Anderson (53-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Patrick Kane, Jeff Carter (2G each)
  
• Calder: Patrick Kane (2G, including the game-winner, A, +2)
  
• Aiken: Henrik Lundqvist (3 goals allowed on 8 shots against in just 19:40 (!) of work)
  

Monday Roundup

Rather than recap a couple of tough weekend losses - one more gut-wrenching than the other - I thought I'd use this space today to promote a good cause, namely a fundraiser for the Wilson High hockey team.

The long and the short of it is that Wilson is D.C.'s only public high school with a varsity hockey team and following the loss of their coach last winter to pneumonia, the program is on the verge of being dissolved (more details can be found over at OFB).

In an effort to help out a little bit, a group of bloggers (led by OFB) is hosting a fundraiser this coming Friday night at Clyde's of Gallery Place. For $10 a head, you can help out a great cause AND have a good shot at some great prizes (including items signed by Caps and Hershey Bears players).

So come on out for a good time, a good cause and maybe, just maybe, a Caps win.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Happy 22nd Birthday to Jeff Schultz.... Don't go over to Mirtle's site and vote on who should win Coach of the Year (he blamed me for Alex Ovechkin running away with the Hart in his last poll).... "Major bonus points" for Caps fans.... Finally, one year ago today we recapped a Caps/Devils game (how 'bout that?), noted a silly trade rumor from a silly rumor-monger, and looked at the market values of Dainius Zubrus and blueliners.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Teemu Selanne (3G, 2A, +3, 2 SOG)
  
• Ross: Teemu Selanne (5 points)
  
• Norris: Marek Malik (G, A, +2, 2 SOG)
  
• Vezina: Ilya Bryzgalov (35-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Teemu Selanne (3G)
  
• Calder: Jonathan Toews (3A, 2 SOG)
  
• Aiken: Patrick Lalime (L, 5 goals allowed on 25 shots against in 48:38 of work)
  

Wednesday Roundup

I'm short on time this morning (potato latke hangover?), so let's get right to our question of the day - the Pens have put Mark Recchi on waivers. Are you interested? On the plus side, he's a right wing on a one-year deal (he's owed a bit more than $1 million for the rest of this season) who brings a bit of grit and a ton of leadership along with any skill he might have left (he did have 24 goals and 68 points last year), and could fetch something in return at the trade deadline. On the minus side, he'll be 40 on February 1 and seems to be slowing down. And, of course, the Caps haven't exactly had great luck employing former Penguins. My vote is no (Tomas Fleischmann's vote is a big no), but what do you guys think?

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Fleischmann and Jeff Schultz will coach the Fort Dupont Cannons youth hockey team today, which is great for kids eager to learn the most direct route between D.C. and Hershey or how to pick out a tie to match your suit so you look presentable in the press box. But seriously, KB says he'll buy a beer for the first person with video of a ten-year-old laying out Schultz.... Dale Hunter certainly isn't closing the door on an NHL coaching gig some time in the future.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Pavel Datsyuk (2G, including the game-winner, A, +1, 4 hits, 3 takeaways, 0 giveaways, 1 blocked shot)
  
• Ross: Pavel Datsyuk, Daniel Alfredsson (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Tomas Kaberle (2A, +1, 2 SOG, 2 hits)
  
• Vezina: Vesa Toskala (W, 34 saves on 35 shots against)
  
• Richard: Pavel Datsyuk, Daniel Alfredsson (2G each)
  
• Calder: Dustin Boyd (Game-winning goal, +1)
  
• Aiken: Chris Mason (L, 3 goals allowed on 15 shots against)
  

Monday Roundup/Gamenight: Sabres @ Caps

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

Game Three A.H. brings a familiar foe to town tonight, namely the defending New York State Champs. Call it a hunch, but I'm guessing there won't be as many Sabres fans in attendance at tonight's game at the Verizon Center as there were back on April 7. Granted, it's a Monday night this time around (as opposed to a Saturday afternoon), but a .500 Buffalo team just doesn't bring 'em out of the woodwork the way a 30-games-over-.500 Sabres team does.

Anyway, the Sabres have been rolling of late, winning four straight (three of which were victories over Montreal) and outscoring their opponents 15-5 in those games to get back to .500 (10-10-1). Their power play has gone 4-for-12 and their penalty kill has been 12-for-14 over that stretch, which has certainly helped in piling up the wins. And, like the good Sabres teams of recent years, balanced scoring is the name of the game - despite being in the top third of the League in goals per game, they don't have a single player in the League's Top 70 scorers (Derek Roy's 17 points leads a team that has nine double-digit point-getters - contrast that with the Caps' four).

The Sabres have had trouble winning away from home - their three road wins is tied for the second-fewest in the League - but they'll face a Caps team whose three home wins are tied for the fewest in the League. Then again, the Caps are undefeated at home under Bruce Boudreau. Let's see if they can't keep the streak - and hope - alive.

Why The Sabres Will Win:

"Because Thomas Vanek has started taking over games and controlling play, even when he's not on the scoresheet. Because the penalty kill just held the top PP in the league to 1/9 over the course of two nights. And because the young guys are finally starting play like they really believe they don't need Drury and Briere instead of just saying it." - Top Shelf

"The Sabres will win the battle of the basement-dwellers for one reason: the turnaround has begun. Four games really is a winning streak. Lindy, and the Sabres will beat the Caps on the back of Thomas Vanek to move above .500." - In The Crease

"The Caps are on a coach-killing high...which might be cause for alarm if the Sabres weren't on an even more potent rediscovering-their-moxie-after-recovering-from-a-bad-break-up high. The Caps' journey toward self-discovery is just beginning, but the Sabres are back in the game for reals." - The Willful Caboose

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Michael Nylander isn't worth what the Caps are paying him. At least that's what a guy at ESPN.com says, so you know it's true.... Boudreau's just like John Tortorella with less hair.... Since was already throwing a Larry Brooks piece (of garbage) at you yesterday, I decided it would be too much to also make you read something from Bruce Garrioch, so I saved it for today. Apparently GMGM is the next in line to be fired (not that I wholly doubt the veracity of what Garrioch says on this point), and Olie Kolzig will soon be an Oiler. I'm sure.... Ten years ago tonight the Caps sent Rod Langway's number five to the rafters prior to the final game to be played at the Capital Centre in Landover. In that game, Peter Bondra became the second player to score 250 goals with the team (Mike Gartner, of course, was the first).... Finally, I think I stumbled upon a new marketing opportunity for Coach Boudreau(x) and, perhaps, Jeff Schultz.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Ryan Getzlaf (2G, +2, 4 SOG, 2 hits, 83% faceoffs won)
  
• Ross: Jamal Mayers, Todd Bertuzzi, Ryan Getzlaf, Francois Beauchemin (2 points each)
  
• Norris: Francois Beauchemin (2A, +1, 3 hits, 2 SOG, 2 blocked shots)
  
• Vezina: Roberto Luongo (27-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Jamal Mayers, Ryan Getzlaf (2G each)
  
• Calder: Mike Smith (W, 39 saves on 41 shots against)
  
• Aiken: Alex Tanguay (0 points, -2)
  

Thursday Roundup/Gamenight: Isles @ Caps

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

We all know what the Caps have been up to since they left Long Island last Monday, but in case you haven't been following the Isles too closely, they beat the Rangers, got pasted by the Leafs (with their backup 'tender in net) and lost to the Flyers. In fact, in each of the Islanders' last four games, the losing team scored only one goal, so getting off to a quick start at home will likely key for Glen Hanlon's crew, who will try to avoid showing any of the rust that plagued them in Manhattan last week after a similarly long lay off between games.

The Isles have made some personnel moves as well in the past week-plus, as they got Chris Simon back from suspension, signed power play quarterback/defensive liability Bryan Berard, and officially lost Cap-killer Jon Sim for the year to a knee injury. Their special teams have been very good, but, lo and behold, there they are with the same number of wins as the Caps (three) in one more game (interestingly, the Isles' three wins have come against the only two teams that have beaten the Caps in this young season, the Rangers and Sabres).

But enough about the visitors, let's talk about tonight's home team.

We all know that the injury bug has already paid a visit the Caps, and while it may not have hit too hard (yet), it has struck with surgical precision. For my money, aside from Olie Kolzig, Alex Ovechkin, Boyd Gordon may be the most important player on the team. In his absence, shots on goal against are way up and penalty-killing efficiency is way down (from perfect). Sure, the competition in Boyd's absence was better than it was in the games he has played, but his role on the team shouldn't be under-estimated, let's just leave it at that. Gordo may go tonight, but with Sid and the Pens coming up next, it's critical that he's as close to 100% as possible for Saturday night.

Also gumming up the works is the lingering Alex Semin ankle injury. Losing their number two scoring threat has hobbled the Caps' offense and left them with a pair of playmakers without a finisher which, in turn, allows opposing teams to key on the top line (on which the right wing du jour has been largely freeloading each night). The result has been a revolving door of wingers on each of the top two lines and tonight might very well see Joe Motzko and Tomas Fleischmann as the right wings on those units. Eric Fehr's chronic hip/back injury certainly is a notable part of this discussion as well, but the fact of the matter is that whether it's Motzko, Flash, Matt Bradley, Brooks Laich or whomever else Hanlon might throw out there does not belong on an NHL scoring line until they prove otherwise. Well, fellas, here's that chance (and for some of you, it may be your last).

On the blueline, the team has recalled Jeff "wake-up call" Schultz and he'll likely get a sweater in John Erskine's place tonight. Erskine looked awfully slow this past weekend and was on the ice for five of the ten goals the team allowed (and not a single one they scored). Brian Pothier - because I'm sure you were about to ask, "What about Pothier?" - was on the ice for three of the ten. Big John was definitely playing some tough minutes, but the way he was playing against some speedy and talented wingers, every minute was tough. Is Sarge better-suited for this duty? I guess we'll see.

Anyway, I'll be in the press box for the game tonight and down in the room after, so if there's anything you want me to ask about, let me know and I'll try to get some answers.

Why The Islanders Will Win:

We're debuting a new feature here at The Rink today that aims to shed some gameday light on the perspective from "the other side." To that end, we went out and asked some of the Isles bloggers why their squad would win tonight, and here are some of the responses we got:

"The Isles will win Thursday because Hillary Duff is hotter than anything Viktor Kozlov can pull. Isles over Caps 4-2." - The 2 Man Advantage

"Considering how sloppy the Isles have been on both offense and defense the past three games, Rick DiPietro looks primed for a game-stealing performance against Washington. Every time the team looked done for last season, DP always picked them up. Against a promising, revamped Capitals team, there is isn't a better time to do that. I'm sure DP knows that as well." - The Drive for Five

"The Caps are paying Jagr to play for the Rangers; the Isles are paying Yashin to play for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Clear win for the Isles." - Islanders Outsider

"[I]f the Islanders are to win, it will be simply because they have to win. After a great start, they've fallen asleep and need to prove to themselves, the league, and the fans that they can compete regularly. Also, we're looking for a little payback for last week. Heh.

"Look out for the Guerin-Comrie-Fedotenko line to hit the net hard, as well as Bryan Berard to pitch in more than usual. The Isles need goals before all else. Let's just hope they don't forget keep Alex on a tight leash. " - Islanders Castaway

"None of them want to endure another excruciatingly quiet plane ride home with Ted." - 7th Woman

"Kolzig always eats the Islanders for breakfast, maybe he'll choke on them this time." - SportSquee

"Honestly, I feel that the Isles will come out completely rested and fired up to earn two points in typical gritty Ted Nolan style. With a few shuffled lines and a long break, the Islanders will get back to what made them successful during the first week of the season." - Isles Blogger

"Because the Islanders led by captain Bill Guerin will sink the Capitals ship and Rick DiPietro will protect the buried treasure. " - Battle of New York

There you have it - why the Isles will win tonight. Take some time and check some of those blogs out, and don't be afraid to tell 'em why they're wrong - and why the Caps will get back in the win column to start this four-game homestand.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Last week it was the Calgary Hitmen, this week it's the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds atop the Canadian Hockey League's weekly rankings. Pretty sweet to have the top defenseman for each team in the pipeline, isn't it?... Perhaps GMGM should look to make a trade today. Why? On this date back in 1978 the team acquired Denis Maruk from Minnesota in exchange for the Pens' first round pick in 1979 (used to draft Tom McCarthy) and on this date back in 1983 the club acquired Larry Murphy from Los Angeles for Brian Engblom and Ken Houston. Maruk and Murphy combined to tally 497 goals and 1179 assists after being traded to D.C. (267 goals and 508 assists of which came for the Caps) while McCarthy, Engblom and Houston would total only 196 goals and 296 assists in the rests of their respective careers.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Zach Parise (3A, +1, 6 SOG, 54% faceoffs won)
  
• Ross: Zach Parise, Sergei Gonchar (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Sergei Gonchar (G, 2A, 3 SOG)
  
• Vezina: J.S. Giguere (W, 28 saves on 29 shots against)
  
• Richard: Travic Zajac (2G)
  
• Calder: Andrew Miller (Game-winning goal, +1, 3 SOG)
  
• Aiken: Ryan Malone (0 points, -2, 0 SOG, 0 hits, 2 penalties)
  

Wednesday Roundup

Not much news following yesterday's day off (and demotion of Jeff "They told me to get a residence here, so I did that" Schultz), but that doesn't mean there isn't speculation. Tarik believes Schultz was sent down to make room for a forward in case Alex Semin isn't ready to go this weekend which means Alex Semin isn't ready to go this weekend, and perhaps neither is Brian Sutherby (though the team may be looking to bring up a scoring-line forward - Chris Bourque, perhaps? - rather than continuing to bump up Brooks Laich).

The team gets back on the ice today (and likely back to work on the power play), so there should be plenty of news - or at least more speculation - coming out of K-Plex. Stay tuned.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks

The AP not-so-gently reminds us that the season is 82 games long (to which I remind them that two points in October count the same as two points in April).... On this date in 1987, Mike Gartner had his 13th career hat trick for the Caps in a 6-4 win over Chicago.... Speaking of history, it was on this date in 1989 that, for the first time, two Russian players faced each other in an NHL game (the Flames' Sergei Makarov and Sergei Priakin matched up against the Devils' Slava Fetisov and Sergei Starikov).

Daily Awards

• Hart: Matt Cullen (G, 2A, +1, 4 SOG, 54% faceoffs won)
  
• Ross: Matt Cullen, Justin Williams, Cory Stillman (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Dennis Seidenberg (A, +2, 3 blocked shots)
  
• Vezina: Cam Ward (W, 27 saves on 28 shots against)
  
• Richard: 8 players tied with 1G each
  
• Calder: Kris Newbury (Played... the only rookie that did Tuesday night)
  
• Aiken I: Vesa Toskala (L, 7 goals allowed on 39 shots against)
  
• Aiken II: The rest of the Leafs
  

Schultz Assigned To Hershey

The Caps have assigned Jeff Schultz to Hershey. The move comes as Steve Eminger is no longer listed on the team's IR and Alex Semin presumably doesn't have to head back there.

Update: Per Tarik, "Defenseman Steve Eminger remains on IR. The reason Eminger is no longer shown on NHL.com as being on IR is because the Caps have requested that the league no longer show the team's IR designations."

A Quick Look At Preseason Stats

With the enormous disclaimers that preseason stats mean very little (except for the players trying to make teams) and that the NHL's record-keeping to date has left a lot to be desired, here are some numbers that jumped out at me from the NHL's preseason schedule:

• Brent Johnson went 1-1 with a 1.14 goals against average and a .941 save percentage. Bravo.
• On the other hand, Olie Kolzig was 2-2 with a 3.49 GAA and a save percentage of .853. Not good.
• The powerplay only clicked on five of 48 opportunities, which is 10.4% and fourth-worst in the League. Given the lineups on many nights, this isn't too troubling, but given that San Jose's Devin Setoguchi also had five power play goals in the preseason, I figured it was worth mentioning.
• The penalty killers did their job 34 of the 40 times they were sent out there (85% - 14th in the League), thanks in no small part to Dave Steckel's work.
• Jeff Schultz was a team-worst minus-six in the preseason. Mike Green and Shaone Morrisonn were each a team-best plus-five.
• Michael Nylander and Nicklas Backstrom combined for two assists in 12 man-games.
• Matt Pettinger led the team with 17 shots on goal.
• The team's goals against average was 3.00. It's going to have to be lower if they're going to make the playoffs. Outshooting opponents 201-165 in seven games, however, is encouraging.
• Shots on goal were off 5% compared to 2006 preseason, with opponent's SOG down 15% - good news. And penalties taken by the Caps? They're down 24%.
  
• Finally, checking in with old friends, Kris Beech, Jiri Novotny and Bryan Muir combined for zero points in 12 man-games. Dainius Zubrus had two goals and no helpers in five games for Jersey.

Monday Roundup/Sens 2, Caps 1

[AP Recap - Scoresheet - Super Stats]

The preseason has come to an end with a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Ottawa Senators, but from all accounts, there were plenty of positives to take away from the game, namely the chemistry displayed on the top two lines, and the work in the faceoff circle (can Dave Steckel really get cut after winning every single one of his seven faceoffs?).

So how do the final cuts shake out? Corey reports that Jeff Schultz has all but made the team, and there's nothing but speculation past that for the last few roster spots. But there is this tease from Vogs: "It wouldn't shock me at all if I were to come off the course [at the Caps charity golf tourney today] to news of another deal on tournament day this fall." My money's on Clymer for a fourth round pick, but feel free to speculate in the comments.

One thing's for sure, however - these three guys will be in red, white and blue Friday night in Atlanta:

Photo: KBDaily Awards

• Hart: Corey Perry (2G, A, 5 SOG, 3 hits)
• Ross: Corey Perry (3 points)
• Norris: Kent Huskins (A, +1, 3 hits)
• Vezina: Jonas Hiller (W, 22 saves on 23 shots against)
• Richard: Corey Perry (2G)
• Calder: Jonas Hiller (see above)
• Aiken: Jason LaBarbera (L, 4 goals allowed on 25 shots against)

Saturday Morning Roundup

Before heading out today, make sure to read Tarik on Michael Nylander, Corey on Jeff Schultz and Tim Leone on Chris Bourque.

I'll be making my way over to K-Plex in a bit - hope to see you out there.

The Calgary-D.C. Connection

Last month we learned that Caps' prospect Keith Seabrook is headed to Calgary to join Karl Alzner on the WHL Hitmen's blueline. Now another Capitals/Hitmen tie seems all but assured as Jeff Schultz's little brother (I say little because he's both younger and "only" 6'2" - of course he's also only 17-years-old) Ian will likely make the team this fall and play for the team for which big brother played for four years.

The Calgary-Washington connection has been pretty strong over the years, as the WHL (and Calgary in particular) has been a favorite spot for GM George McPhee to find prospects. In addition to the elder Schultz, Alzner and now Seabrook, Caps prospects over the past seven years who played in Calgary include Matt Pettinger, Kris Beech, Stephen Peat and Owen Fussey (all but Peat were drafted by Washington).

Of course, with all of those fish coming from the same pond, Caps fans likely won't soon forget one Calgary Hitmen product that McPhee didn't draft when he had the chance to back in '03 - Ryan Getzlaf, the one that got away.

Jeff Schultz By The Numbers

If the Caps have an offensive lineman-type on their team, it's probably Jeff Schultz, and not because of his size (in fact, I'm sure "Sarge" would agree that he could stand to put a few pounds of muscle on his 6'6" frame).

No, Schultz is reminiscent of a football guard or tackle in that when he's playing at his best, he doesn't stand out. It's when he's doing something wrong - a shockingly rare occurrence in his rookie season last year - that he gets noticed.

For a 20-year-old blueliner to come into the League, play decent minutes for its fifth-most pourous team and finish the season with a plus-five rating is borderline miraculous (Shaone Morrisonn's plus-three in much tougher minutes is even more impressive).

Still, Schultz is by no means a lock to be on the Caps' opening night roster, in part because he can be taxied between D.C. and Hershey without having to pass through waivers and in part because, well, he'll have to earn a spot. While some of Schultz's stats show how good he can be, others show that there's still a way to go in the youngster's development (which, of course, is to be expected).

For example, no regular defenseman on the team had fewer minor penalties per shift than Schultz (that's a good thing for Jeff), who averaged more than 121 shifts in between minors - surprising for a young guy, especially one of that size and whose skating and grace will never be confused with Scott Niedermayer. Here's how the blueliners stacked up in shifts-per-minor:

1. Muir - 47
2. Morrisonn - 52
3. Erskine - 60
4. Poti (with NYI) - 61
5. Eminger - 62
6. Jurcina - 68
7. Green - 76
8. Pothier - 94
9. Schultz - 121

Sure, Schultz wasn't going up against the other teams' top forwards night-in, night-out like Mo or Poti, but there's still something to be said for his discipline (he skated twice as many shifts as Steve Eminger in between penalties, for example).

Another positive for Schultz is his shot-blocking ability (and we all know that the tallest guys are the best shot-blockers). Here are last year's shifts-per-blocked-shot leaders among the Caps' D-corps:

1. Poti (with NYI) - 13
2. Erskine - 14
3. Pothier - 15
4. Schultz - 16
5. Jurcina - 17
6. Morrisonn - 19
7. Eminger - 21
8. Muir - 26
9. Green - 33

Have I mentioned that I'm glad that Muir's gone? Anyway, back to Schultz, prorate his blocked shots over a full-season and he would have been near the very top in the stat among rookie defensemen - very encouraging.

Now, to the not-so-impressive stats. Let's start with the obvious, Schultz's offense. No one expects big offensive numbers from Schultz - it's just not his game. But let's take a gander at the Caps' rearguards' shifts-per-point from last year:

1. Poti (with NYI) - 51
2. Pothier - 74
3. Muir - 74
4. Erskine - 103
5. Eminger - 105
6. Green - 114
7. Jurcina - 125
8. Morrisonn - 173
9. Schultz - 324

Yikes. While the Caps simply didn't get enough production from the blueline as a group, Schultz's number here (which amounts to a point every 12.6 games) stands out in a big way, and is explained a bit by the next stat - takeaways-minus-giveaways-per-shift:

1. Poti (with NYI) - -.004
2. Muir - -.006
3. Morrisonn - -.010
4. Erskine - -.014
5. Jurcina - -.015
6. Eminger - -.018
7. Pothier - -.019
8. Green - -.020
9. Schultz - -.024

Some of the best players in the game are also your worst giveaway culprits. These are high-risk, high-reward guys, for the most part - the guys who are willing to break a few eggs to make an omelette, etc.. But that ain't Jeff Schultz. He needs to protect the puck better and make a good first pass. Improve that, and the point totals will rise as well.

Finally, we'll look at shifts-per-hit. As we know, despite his size, Schultz isn't a big hitter. Here's the statistical proof:

1. Erskine - 14
2. Jurcina - 15
3. Green - 16
4. Morrisonn - 20
5. Muir - 22
6. Eminger - 23
7. Pothier - 34
8. Schultz - 36
9. Poti - 37

It's difficult for fans to wrap their minds around the concept of a huge defenseman who doesn't play the body, but this is the NHL in 2007, so if the kid can continue to use his frame for effective positioning and shot-blocking, it shouldn't be a problem that he doesn't hit like other players of similar size.

So what do we take away from this? First of all, Tom Poti is likely going to be a great addition to this team. But regarding the roster spots, we know that Poti, Pothier, Morrisonn and Jurcina are mortal locks to make the team, and, if he signs, it looks like Erskine probably has a role as a sixth/seventh defenseman. Steve Eminger (if he's still here) probably has a spot in the final pairing, leaving one last spot for Schultz and Mike Green to fight over (of course, training camp can produce surprises, including Josef Boumedienne snagging that last spot).

The fact that both Schultz and Green can be sent down and called up without having to go through waivers may make this a moot question, but if it comes down to those two for that final roster spot, who would you rather see in the opening night lineup?

For more on the Caps' defense, head over to OFB for their excellent evaluation of each and every one of the top blueliners in the organization.

Hockey's Future: Capitals Top 20 Prospects

Hockey's Future has updated its Top 20 Caps Prospects (with a couple of paragraphs on each player) and the only thing that really jumps out at me is that Francois Bouchard has leap-frogged Tomas Fleischmann. Travis Morin's low ranking and the omission of Viktor Dovgan have some scratching their heads, but all in all, the list is rather unsurprising (and it's great to see two goalies so high on the list). Here it is, with a cherry-picked, not-always-in-context money quote for each player:

1. Nicklas Backstrom, C - "has the potential and maturity to center a first line as soon as next season"
2. Eric Fehr, RW - "with his impressive offensive prowess and ongoing success in the AHL, Fehr will not be a man with two teams for much longer"
3. Semen Varlamov, G - "quick legs, and a very quick glove, which lets him excel at breakaways, especially shootouts"
4. Francois Bouchard, C/RW - "he might not just contribute, but be an impact player"
5. Tomas Fleischmann, LW - "with great hockey sense, along with an impressive shot and playmaking ability, Fleischmann has excellent offensive potential"
6. Michal Neuvirth, G - "a well-rounded butterfly style goaltender who shines under pressure situations. Rarely getting rattled, his mental toughness is remarkable for his age."
7. Chris Bourque, LW/RW - "has all intangibles -- great hockey sense, excellent skating, leadership, competitiveness, and above all, the ability to put himself in the right positions to score"
8. Jeff Schultz, D - "all the physical potential to become a keystone defenseman at the NHL level"
9. Patrick McNeill, D - "has enormous offensive potential, and is defensively sound"
10. Keith Seabrook, D - "has an incredibly hard shot from the point, and an ability to find open shooting lanes"
11. Oskar Osala, LW - "has incredible offensive talent, and at 6'4 his great speed and skating ability is very rare"
12. Sami Lepisto, D - "One of the best young defensemen in Finland, Lepisto excels at puck control; with a very calm demeanor he makes good passes and exudes confidence with the puck."
13. Joe Finley, D - "His incredible size, mixed with a certain aggressiveness, gives him the ability to take control of a game from a defensive standpoint."
14. Maxime Daigneault, G - "With good size, and an aggressively challenging style, Daigneault covers a lot of space in the net and uses his butterfly technique and quick glove to stymie shooters."
15. Sasha Pokulok, D - "Out of all the defensemen in the Capitals prospect system, Pokulok may be the most well-rounded."
16. Andrew Gordon, RW - "Gordon has what every club in the NHL looks for in offensive players: consistency at a high level."
17. Travis Morin, C - "His great playmaking skills, matched with excellent puckhandling, makes Morin successful on the power play."
18. Mathieu Perreault, C - "has enormous offensive upside"
19. Stephen Werner, RW - "Werner is a good playmaker and makes good decisions. He has a hard shot and is good through traffic, but his calling card is his speed."
20. Jamie Hunt, D - "extremely quick and a very good skater for his size"

Thursday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ Panthers

[SeSo Open Thread]

Without a doubt, tonight's Caps/Panthers game is the premiere sporting event of the next week to be played in Miami. No? Oh well, I'll preview it anyway...

It's getting to be do or die time for the Caps. Assuming that the magic number to make the post-season is around 92 points (that's what it took last year in the East), the Caps would have to go something like 19-7-5 over their last 31 games to hit the big nine-two. Impossible? No. Difficult? Extremely.

Quite simply, if this team is going to make the playoffs, they need to win just about every game they "should" win and a bunch that they probably shouldn't. Tonight begins a stretch of five games - Florida, Pittsburgh, N.Y. Islanders, Boston and L.A. - that the Caps can win, if they play hard and smart for a full sixty minutes (the Panthers, Bruins and Kings all have fewer points in the standings than do the Caps). Unfortunately, "should wins" have been tough for the Caps lately, as the team is 1-5 in their last six against teams with losing records. But, as Alex Ovechkin said after a recent game against the Flyers, "History is history right now." Right.

The Caps' offense should get a boost from the return of Richard Zednik to the lineup. Zednik has been out since approximately November 1998 with a groin injury, but he's hot, what with goals in each of his last two games (and I'm sure that residual heat will carry over). Needless to say, the Caps will need to find some scoring from someone other than the new Goal Dust Twins if they're going to have much success in the coming weeks, and Zednik is one guy with the potential to pick up some of the scoring slack. Matt Bradley is also back with the team, but even if he plays Thursday night, he won't score (just a hunch).

The young defense continues to improve, but not without some speed bumps along the way. Jeff Schultz had another strong game against Ottawa, and Mike Green had one of his better games in recent weeks in Canada's capital city as well. How well those two play against the Cats may go a long way towards determining whether or not the Caps can leave South Beach with two points.

Finally, here's an odd stat for you - the Caps are 3-3-0 and 2-2-0 against divisional rivals Carolina and Florida, respectively, and in each of those ten games the final margin of victory was at least three goals. Huh.

Be sure to stop by SeSo throughout the day for more pregame thoughts and other assorted idiocy.

Thread of the Day:

• Share Your Best Cap Centre Memories
  

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

• Newsflash! There's actually an article in a Canadian paper about a Cap not named Alex Ovechkin (gasp!). Hell of a picture they used, too.
  

Daily Awards

• Hart: Andrew Raycroft (W, 37 saves on 38 shots against)
• Ross: Fernando Pisani (3 points)
• Norris: Ian White (A, +1, 4 SOG, 1 hit, 1 blocked shot)
• Vezina: Andrew Raycroft (see above)
• Richard: Raffi Torres (2G)
  
• Calder: Gilbert Brule (A, +1, 2 SOG, 1 hit, 2 blocked shots)
• Aiken: Ty Conklin (L, 5 goals allowed on 37 shots against)