The Sedins Are No Stastnys

Thanks to the performances of Mary Kate and Ashley Sedin last night (and a query by Mirtle), Caps fans are reminded today of a record-setting performance from back in 1981. Unfortunately, the boys from D.C. were on the wrong end of the 11-7 score of a game in which brothers Peter and Anton Stastny combined for an unbelievable seven goals and nine assists, setting the record for the most points scored by a pair of brothers in a single game (incidentally, I think Anson Carter and Mike Grier hold the record for the most points scored by a pair of bruthas in a single game).

Wednesday Roundup/Bruins 3, Caps 2 (SO)

[NHL.com Recap - WashingtonCaps.com Postgame Coverage]

If you've recently watched any Caps games or visited WashingtonCaps.com or any number of other online sites where the Caps' ads are playing, you've undoubtedly heard of the "Caps Love Kids" promotion, wherein if you buy a ticket to any weekend home Caps game for the rest of the season, you get a free 10-year-old on exit (I may have the specifics of the program wrong). Not as highly-publicized but every bit as enticing is the "Caps Love Narcoleptics" promotion, on display last night at the V.C. (and kudos to the folks at Comcast for helping those of us watching at home to get the full experience by having Al Koken doing the play-by-play on the broadcast).

I really don't have much to say on this game. It was nice to see Brooks Laich and Eric Fehr score... It was also nice to see Bruins goalie Tim Thomas do a backwards somersault after the Fehr goal... And it's always nice, as a hockey fan, to watch Patrice Bergeron - an incredibly under-rated, under-sized and overly-skilled winger... Milan Jurcina again stood out on the Caps' blueline and continues to make one wonder why the B's parted with him so easily.

On the negative side of the ledger, it was not nice to see Alex Ovechkin go pointless for a career-worst third straight game and take the penalty that led to the game-tying goal (Ovechkin said of Tuesday night's game that it "was my terrible game of my whole career," which I believe is Ovie for "worst game ever".) With all the talk about Zdeno Chara lately, maybe, in retrospect the Caps should have signed him if for no other reason than that AO would never have to face him again... Another low-point last night was Alex Semin's lazy, stupid neutral-zone high-sticking double minor. He really needs to cut those out of his game.

So it's back to the drawing board for Thursday night's game against Anze Kopitar, Alex Frolov and the Kings. Perhaps it will be a big game all-around for Alexes.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Daniel Sedin (3G, 2A, +2, 4 SOG in 5-2 win)
• Ross: Daniel Sedin (5 points)
• Norris: Mike Weaver (G, A, +2 in 3-2 SO loss)
• Vezina: Curtis Joseph (28-save shutout win)
• Richard: Daniel Sedin (3G)
• Calder: Mike Smith (W, 15 saves on 15 shots against in 51:52 in relief of...)
• Aiken: Marty Turco (2 goals allowed on 7 shots against in just 8:08 of work)

Thursday Roundup/Habs 4, Caps 1

[NHL.com Recap - WashingtonCaps.com Postgame Coverage]

At the end of the first period of last night's 4-1 Caps loss to Montreal - a period in which the Caps outshot their opponents 14-7 and dominated play save for two defensive breakdowns that turned into Canadien goals - I turned to my wife and said, "I hope you liked that effort because that's likely to be as good as it gets tonight." I was more or less spot on, as the undermanned Caps ran out of gas and were able to muster up only a very late 5-on-3 goal to break Cristobal Huet's shutout bid.

A few noteworthy points:

• The Caps were again dominated in the faceoff circle, losing 57% of the 53 draws and a whopping 78% in the offensive zone. Dainius Zubrus (who has to be in the top ten in the League in being thrown out of faceoffs) and Kris Beech - the Caps' top two centers - combined to go 2-for-10 on offensive zone faceoffs. It's hard enough to score on the Habs when you have to gain the offensive zone first; not being able to take advantage of the opportunity to start in the zone makes life even more difficult. Boyd Gordon, who had an otherwise strong game, was 6-for-17 on draws.
• Brooks Laich looked good. I don't have any stats to back that up, but he was noticeable in areas other than the penalty kill, which has been rare for him.
• On the flip side, Mike Green was bad. I don't know if he's hitting some kind of wall, but his last two games have been among his worst this season.
• The line changes, especially in the second period, were particularly sloppy. At least twice, a Cap forward carried the puck across the blueline and dropped a pass to a teammate who had gone to the bench for a change, leading to a Canadien rush the other way.
• Olie Kolzig couldn't be faulted for any of the Hab goals (except for the empty-netter, for which Olie was horribly out of position). Saku Koivu's tip-in nail-in-the-coffin was a thing of beauty.
• Montreal's defense corps is everything the Caps' isn't - experienced, decisive and skilled at the break-out pass.
• Yesterday I mentioned the Habs' special teams and they were the difference last night as the Habs were 25% effective on the power play and 87.5% effective on the kill.
• It was a surprisingly large crowd for a mid-week game (during the holidays, no less), announced at 15,609 but didn't seem packed with Montreal fans. Huh. Could it have been the 7:30 start time (a half-hour later than usual)?
• The Donald absolutely soaked Aaron Downey's melon with haymakers (see video below - h/t to Off Wing). Psst... Aaron... he's left-handed.

After generating little offense against Huet and Les Habitants, it's off to the swamp to face Marty Brodeur and the Devils - that sure ought to cure what ails the team.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

• NHL.com has a little piece on Nick Backstrom playing in his final junior hockey tournament.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Jeff Halpern (Game-winning goal, 2A, 4 blocked shots)
• Ross: Jeff Halpern, Marian Hossa, Jere Lehtinen, Daniel Sedin, Mattias Ohlund, Wojtek Wolksi (3 points each)
• Norris: Mattias Ohlund (3A, +1, 2 blocked shots)
• Vezina: Cristobal Huet (W, 30 saves on 31 shots against)
• Richard: Kristian Huselius (2G)
• Calder: Wojtek Wolski (G, 2A, +1, 4 SOG)
• Aiken: Jose Theodore (L, 5 goals allowed on 22 shots against in 41:52 of work)

Wednesday Roundup/ Sabres 6, Caps 3Gamenight: Habs @ Caps

[NHL.com Recap - NHL.com Preview - The Score's Tale of the Tape - WashingtonCaps.com Preview - Official Gameday Thread (en Français, no less!)]

Well that didn't go exactly according to plan. Bad bounces, bad coverage and bad preparation all contributed to a 6-0 Sabres lead before the game was eleven minutes old. And while the Caps chipped away a bit to make the score respectable, the game was by no means as close as the final count - Buffalo looked like they could have hung 20 on the visiting Caps had they wanted to (and they probably would have had it not been for some outstanding goaltending in relief by Olie Kolzig).

A few notes, then we'll try to forget this one and focus on tonight's match-up against the almost equally-tough Montreal Canadiens:

• Memo to Brian Pothier: shoot the damn puck around the boards or carry it - don't tap it ahead ten feet towards the backside of your own goal so that when your man beats you to the puck (which he will) he can feed it out front for an easy tap-in goal.
• The forwards were seemingly unaware of the late man into the zone and Buffalo's affinity for hitting him and this led to several scoring opportunities, including the Brian Campbell goal.
• Someone tell AO that you don't do the Hulk Hogan hand-to-the-ear move when you're down 6-2. It's nice to embrace the role of villain, but at that point the goal was little more than lipstick on the pig.
• The Sabres took their foot off the pedal a bit and if it weren't for a few great saves by Ryan Miller (especially the one on Dainius Zubrus), the game could have gotten much more interesting.
• Diveial Briere's spear into AO's yambag wasn't very cool.
• The Caps got killed in the faceoff circle (40-24 or 63%-37%), perhaps an indication of how unprepared they were for the game.
• According to Sabres bench boss Lindy Ruff, AO "has a lot of jam." Out of context, I wouldn't have the foggiest idea what that means.
• Even with last night's loss, the Caps have been great on the road, to the tune of 8-5-4. That means that in better than 70% of their road games, they've gained at least a point in the standings.
  
• Maybe it was because the Caps were down big early, but Ovechkin and Alex Semin played together on Zubrus's wings more often than usual. I'd love to see that combination come out for a couple of shifts each period, particularly after a penalty kill.
• Read this follow-up to the father-son story I mentioned yesterday - truly heartwarming. Oh, and on a somewhat-related note, do me a favor and don't click on links here just to go trolling. If you want to be an asshole, do it on your own blog.
• According to Elias, only two teams have ever reached six goals in a game faster [than 10:57, the amount of time it took Buffalo to do so last night]. The Maple Leafs versus the Red Wings (10:33) on Jan. 12, 1946 and the Canadiens against the Blackhawks (10:35) on March 10, 1951. But...
• Buffalo became the fifth team in NHL history to score at least six times in the first period and be shut out the rest of the game. Take that!
  

But enough about Buffalo, let's talk Montreal, one of only six NHL clubs that weren't in action last night. Sweet.

Montreal enters tonight's game with a 21-9-5 record that's good enough for third in the Conference (ignoring seeding) and t-sixth in the League, and that sparkling record is the direct result of great special teams - the Habs have the NHL's best power play and second-best penalty kill. Interestingly, they've had the second-fewest power play opportunities in the League. Do I have to tell you how important discipline and taking advantage of whatever power play chances come their way will be crucial to a Caps win. If so, just re-read this paragraph.

As you know, the Caps are in the middle of a brutal stretch of games and have to get points when and where they can. With a day off before heading up I-95 for games at the Devils and Rangers on Friday and Saturday nights, two points tonight would be absolutely enormous.

Daily Awards

• Hart: David Vyborny (2G, including OT game-winner, A, all on the last three goals of the game, +1, 7 SOG, 2 hits)
  
• Ross: Chris Drury (4 points)
  
• Norris: Brad Lukowich (+3, 3 blocked shots in 3-0 win)
  
• Vezina: Rick DiPietro (28-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: David Vyborny, Sergei Fedorov, Chris Drury, Nathan Horton, Daniel Sedin (2G each)
  
• Calder: Travis Zajac (GWG, +1, 2 hits, 2 takeaways, 0 giveaways)
  
• Aiken: Brent Johnson (L, 4 goals allowed on 6 shots against in just 7:30 of work, one stick shattered on the crossbar)

Thursday Roundup/Caps 5, 'Lanche 3

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

Pens fans had a glimpse into their team's future on Tuesday night. On Wednesday night Caps fans got a similar sneak peek as Mike Green's rush and subsequent finish may have officially announced the young blueliner's arrival to the rest of the NHL.

But it wasn't all lollipops and puppy dogs for the Caps last night. Yesterday I said "when these Caps are challenged and excited, it usually means you can expect lots of penalties." Well, to no one's surprise, that's exactly how last night's game in Colorado started, as the Caps committed five first-period penalties including an offensive zone trip, a delay of game, a couple of hooks and a hold (the latter of the hooks and the hold resulting in a two-minute long five-on-three). Yikes. But great penalty-killing, blocked shots and solid goaltending helped the visitors to a 1-1 tie after one period (I hesitate to say "great" goaltending, despite Olie Kolzig's 17 saves in the opening stanza, because the goal on which the Avs scored was the result of a real juicy rebound - maybe Olie just wanted to get Joe Sakic's 1,500th point out of the way early).

The Caps owned the second period, tallying twice - Green at even strength and Alex Ovechkin on the power play - and outshooting their hosts 13-8 (not coincidentally, the Caps stayed out of the box for the entire twenty minutes) to take a 3-1 lead into the locker room.

The third period opened with a glass-shattering Ovechkin hit on Karlis Skrastins ("Wow, I'm stronger," Ovechkin said) and an early Sakic goal, followed by a great power move and finish by Dainius Zubrus to restore the Caps' two-goal lead. Incidentally, last night was Donald Brashear's best game as a Capital, and he was rewarded with his first point of the season on the Zubrus goal.

Anyway, with just over eight minutes left, Ovechkin was awarded a penalty shot after being hacked down on a breakaway and, well, he didn't score on it. Let's just leave it at that. A questionable tripping call (that the refs allowed the crowd to make) on Kris Beech later led to a third Avs goal, setting up a tension-filled final two-plus minutes... until Matt Bradley found the empty net to seal the deal. Exhale... until the camera zooms in on AO lying in a heap at the Avs' blueline with 2 seconds left (why was he even on the ice at that point anyway?). I won't speculate, but he could barely make it off the ice and was putting no pressure at all on that right leg. Very, very not good. Or it's a charley horse. I was prepared to say "what a great way to start a tough trip," but that will have to wait, as this could potentially be a horrible way to start a tough trip - we should know more today.

Back in 2004, on their march through the Stanley Cup Finals, the Tampa Bay Lightning had a team mantra - "safe is death." This year's Caps, if they're to have any success, must live by a similar mantra - "stupid is death." If this team can limit the turnovers and bad penalties (and for the love of Peeeete, keep the shots against way below 48), there's no reason they can't contend for a playoff spot. Well, there was no reason before AO went down.

UPDATE: According to ESPN.com, "no need to worry. Ovechkin was walking around just fine after the game." Exhale again. Big time.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Todd White (G, 2A, +2, 4 SOG)
  
• Ross: Todd White, P.-M. Bouchard, Mary-Kate Sedin, Ashley Sedin, Andrew Brunette, Chris Pronger, Marek Svatos (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Chris Pronger (3A, +3 in win over former team)
  
• Vezina: Roberto Luongo (32-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Brian Rolston, Jozef Stumpel, Mary-Kate Sedin, Ryan Getzlaf, Travis Moen, Jarret Stoll (2G each)
  
• Calder: Anze Kopitar (A, +1, 4 SOG, 2 takeaways, 0 giveaways, 1 blocked shot, 56% faceoffs won in 3-1 loss)
  
• Aiken: Marcel Hossa (-3 in 10:59 of ice time, on ice for all three even strength Florida goals in 4-2 home loss)

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)
  

My PlayStation2 Predicts The Olympics: Day 1

Games of Wednesday, February 15:

Canada 6, Italy 1 - Sakic 2 goals, assist; Heatley goal, 2 assists
Actual score: Canada 7, Italy 2

Switzerland 3, Finland 1 - The first upset of the tournament
Actual score: Finland 5, Switzerland 0

Czech Republic 4, Germany 2 - Zidlicky goal, assist
Actual score: Czech Republic 4, Germany 1

Sweden 5, Kazahkstan 1 - Alfredsson, D. Sedin goal, assist each
Actual score: Sweden 7, Kazahkstan 2

Slovakia 4, Russia 2 - Marian Hossa goal, assist; Chara 2 assists
Actual score: Slovakia 5, Russia 3

Latvia 4, United States 0 - Rough start for the Yanks
Actual score: Latvia 3, United States 3

Tuesday Roundup/Gamenight: Panthers @ Caps

[WashingtonCaps.com Preview - AP Preview - Official Game Day Thread]

The Caps host the Panthers tonight out at the MCI and as the team approaches the Olympic break (and before long the trade deadline) questions abound. Should the team trade Jeff Friesen? Which of the injured players, if any, will be healthy enough to go tonight? Which of the kids will be in the lineup? Will the Caps (0-3-1) beat Florida this year? If I had to guess, my answers would be yes, if they can; only Chris Clark; Eric Fehr and Mike Green (though it may be nice to see Doug Doull called up for these last three games before the break) and yes. But those would just be guesses.

As Mike Vogel notes, special teams will likely again be the key tonight:

Florida’s power play has eight goals in 19 opportunities (42.1%) against Washington. The Panthers have 35 power play goals in 264 chances (13.3%) against the rest of the NHL.

The Caps have scored only three power play goals of their own in the four games against Florida. Washington is 3-for-24 (12.5%) with the extra man against the Cats this season.

Step one: stay out of the box. Step two: kill off any penalties you take. Step three: take advantage of opportunities you are given. Easier said than done, I know, but at least it's a plan.

Elsewhere, 'roud the rinks:

• Henrik Sedin and Ryan Miller are your NHL Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively.
  
• Wonder why some high profile goalies are having trouble so far this year? Curtis Joseph explains that it has to do with the new rules. (Tip of the cap to Hayden84 on the find).
• Happy 38th Birthday to Caps all-time leading scorer Peter Bondra. Wish you were here, Petey, but not at the price you were asking.
• According to the Hockey Hall of Fame, on this day in 1876 "The first documented use of the work'puck' was mentioned in a story in the Montreal Gazette."

Daily Awards

• Hart: Martin St. Louis (Game-tying goal with just over a minute left in regulation, game-winning assist in OT, +3)
  
• Ross: Peter Schaefer, Robyn Regehr, Patrick Marleau, David Vyborny (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Robyn Regehr (3 assists)
  
• Vezina: Sean Burke (W, 2 goals against on 30 shots)
  
• Richard: Peter Schaefer, Ryan Smyth, Rick Nash (2 goals each)
  
• Calder: Corey Perry (Goal, assists, +1)
  
• Aiken: Marc Denis (L, 4 goals against on 10 shots before being pulled after one period, only to be forced back in for the third to give up another 3 goals on 12 shots)
  

Saturday Roundup/Caps 4, Leafs 1Gamenight: Caps @ Lightning

[Boxscore - Recap - Postgame Coverage / AP Preview - Pregame Coverage]

Coach Glen Hanlon called last night's game the team's "best overall effort this season" and on this night the efforts paid off as the Caps downed the struggling Maple Leafs 4-1. The game featured a little bit of everything, from key goals by youngsters (Brooks Laich and Mike Green) and grinders (Ben Clymer and Chris Clark), highlight reel hits and more than a little chippiness, including Olie Kolzig skating the length of the ice to engage his counterpart Ed Belfour as he mugged Alex Ovechkin. Said Kolzig of his nearly 200-foot jaunt:

"I have a lot of respect for Eddie Belfour. But I didn't want to see our guy -- the guy -- get a blocker to the face. So I went down there. I just wanted to take care of our superstar."

This team seems as tight-knit on and off the ice as any Caps team has in a long while, and games like last night's both exemplify that closeness and strengthen it.

We've got a bunch of media recaps today, from the WaPo, WTimes, TOSun, TOStar (but no word from TO himself) and the Globe and Mail.

In other Caps news:

• The Rink salutes Ben Clymer for notching the Caps' first Gordie Howe Hat Trick of the season, scoring the third goal, assisting on the fourth and chucking knuckles with some clown named Andy Wozniewski in last night's win.
  
• The team announced late last night that they have signed Chris Clark to a two-year contract extension that will pay him an average of just over a million dollars per year. Congrats to Clark, who certainly deserves it.
  
• Imagine being mid-flight and hearing "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking..." and it's Jeff Halpern. Did it almost happen?
• We told you that the Caps acquired Doug Doull yesterday for Dwayne Zinger. In his first game for Hershey last night Doull dropped the gloves twice and racked up 16 PIMs, to go along with an assist. See you next Saturday for the Pitt game, Dougie!
  

In other news from 'round the rinks:

• Happy 45th Birthday to Hall-of-Famer Denis Savard.
• Heck of a couple weeks for Craig Anderson, wouldn't you say? Good luck convincing him to unpack his bags.
• Coyotes winger Ladislav Nagy is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery. Nagy is quickly earning a reputation as a highly talented, but frail winger.
• Martin Brodeur became the third goalie in NHL history to record 100 shutouts in a career with his 3-0 whitewash of Carolina Friday night (Terry Sawchuk, with 115, and George Hainsworth, with 102, are the others)
  

Daily Awards

• Hart: Olie Kolzig (W, 25 saves on 26 shots against, studly defense of a teammate)
• Ross: Chris Gratton, Olli Jokinen, Daniel Sedin (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Mike Green (G, +2)
  
• Vezina: Martin Brodeur (28 save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Chris Gratton (2 goals)
  
• Calder: Ryan Kesler (Game-winning goal, +1, fight, 3 SOG, 2 hits, 2 blocked shots)
  
• Aiken: Tomas Kaberle (-2, 0 SOG, 0 hits)
  

Team Preview: Vancouver Canucks

Key additions: Dave Nonis, GM; Brent Johnson, G (FA - PHX); Richard Park, LW/RW (FA - MIN); Anson Carter, RW(FA - LA); Josh Green, LW (FA - NYR); Steve McCarty, D (T - CHI); Craig Darby, C (FA - TB); Sven Butenschon, D (FA - NYI); Lee Goren, RW (FA - FLA); Kirill Koltsov, D (D - 2002, 2/49)

Key losses: Brian Burke, President/GM; Marek Malik, D (FA - NYR); Brent Sopel, D (FA - NYI); Brad May, LW (FA - COL); Geoff Sanderson, LW (Waivers - CBJ); Magnus Arvedson, LW (FA - Europe); Marc Bergevin, D (FA); Johan Hedberg, G (FA - DAL); Artem Chubarov, C (FA); Martin Rucinsky, LW (FA - NYR); Mike Keane, RW (FA)

Key players unsigned: None

Forwards: In 2003-04, the Canucks fell to seventh in the League in goals scored after finishing first and second the previous two seasons, but would have been higher if their second-best goal scorer hadn't been suspended for 13 games for trying to kill a man on the ice. Put simply, the Canucks can flat-out score goals. Left wing Markus Naslund finished the 2003-04 season poorly (by his standards anyway), slowed by the mid-February hit he took from Colorado's Steve Moore, but the NHL's leading scorer over the past three seasons combined should be back in all-world form early in 2005-06. Speaking of Steve Moore, Naslund's linemate Todd Bertuzzi is back to face his share of boo-birds in opposing buildings as hockey's current number one villain. On the ice, however, there's nowhere to go but up for Bertuzzi who had averaged 41 goals and 91 points over the prior two seasons before 2003-04's relatively meager 17 goal, 60 point effort. Perhaps the best gig in hockey belongs to Brendan Morrison, the lucky stiff who gets to center these two scoring machines and who, as a result, has averaged better than 60 points per season over his past four NHL campaigns. The Sedin twins (pictured) will anchor Vancouver's second line. Through four seasons, center Henrik Sedin has emerged as the more physical of the two, with his brother (left wing Mary-Kate Sedin) the more productive offensively. Personally, we'd trade a few points to get phrases like "completely lacking in physical play" and "when the going gets tough, he tends to disappear" taken off of our scouting report, but to each his own. Regardless, both Sedins will probably achieve new career highs in points and direct-to-video movies in 2005-06. Babysitting the twins on right wing will likely be the well-travelled Anson Carter (they don't make 'em like that in Sweden, do they boys?). Carter, who played on three different non-playoff teams in 2003-04 (New York Rangers, Washington and Los Angeles), is two seasons removed from back-to-back 60 point campaigns and should easily improve on 2003-04's 28 point debacle. Other Canuck forwards who will see plenty of ice time are wingers Matt Cooke and Richard Park and center/wingers Trevor Linden and Ryan Kesler, all of whom will be counted on for double-digit goals and 30 or so points. Human annoyance Jarkko Ruutu will also stir the pot when necessary. With the top line returning to form, the addition of Carter and no significant losses up front, the Canucks will once again be one of the NHL's highest scoring clubs.

Defensemen: The losses on the blueline, however, are more significant. Gone are Marek Malik (league-leading plus-35 rating in 78 games in 2003-04) and Brent Sopel (42 points in 2003-04). They have been replaced by Steve McCarthy (minus-9 rating in 25 games in 2003-04) and Sven Butenschon (7 points in 2003-04) - not a good trade off. But the Canucks' big three blueliners - Ed Jovanovski, Mattias Ohlund and Sami Salo - are all back and, in Jovo's case, finally healthy (hopefully). Jovanovski played in only 56 games in 2003-04 (and only 67 in 2002-03), so he will be looking to stay healthy and return to the form that saw him post 46 points in just 67 games in 2002-03. Ohlund, like Jovanovski, has made himself into one of the better two-way defensemen in hockey, and one of these days Salo's point totals are going to catch up to the speed of his slapshot. When they do, watch out. Bryan Allen and Nolan Baumgartner will also see time on the Vancouver blueline, though neither is what those in the business refer to as "good," and if rookie Kirill Koltsov shows that he is ready for the show, he will undoubtedly find a spot in the top six defensemen. The Canucks will lean more heavily on their top three defensemen in 2005-06, but unless a couple of the other rearguards step up their game significantly or a trade is made, the defense will regress some.

Goaltenders: Dan Cloutier used to be on the New York Rangers, who won the Stanley Cup in 1994. There, we used "Dan Cloutier" and "Stanley Cup" in the same sentence. Don't expect to ever see it that way again, unless the words "no way in hell" are also in the clause. It's not that Cloots is a bad goalie. He's not. In 2003-04 he notched his third straight 30+ win season and finished 6th in both goals against average and save percentage (2.27 and .914, respectively) among goalies with at least 60 starts. His numbers in the playoffs were even better until he got hurt in Game 3 of the first round. But in his six seasons before 2003-04, Cloutier had never posted a goals against average better than 2.43 and only once had a save percentage higher than .908 (and that was in just 22 games). Was 2003-04 Dan Cloutier's breakout year or a fluke? Time will tell, but one thing is certain: come March (if not sooner), Canucks fans will be clamoring for a more proven goalie to lead the team into the playoffs. The battle to back up Cloutier (and, ostensibly, for a chance to unseat him should the opportunity arise) is between Alex Auld and Brent Johnson, with Johnson probably holding an early advantage.

Bottom line: With speed and skill up front, a couple of big hitters who can move the puck on the backline but an overall lack of backend defensive depth, and a somewhat unproven goaltender in the net, Vancouver will be one of the most exciting teams in the NHL to watch this year. They will score a ton of goals, but they will give up a bunch as well. With their talent alone they will cruise into the playoffs, likely with home ice advantage in the first round. Where they go from there depends largely on how the defense comes together and whether or not Dan Cloutier's 2003-04 was for real.