Wednesday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ Ducks

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

The last time the Caps were in Anaheim, Alex Ovechkin potted his first career hat trick in a 3-2 Caps overtime win over J.S. Giguere and the Ducks, and that OTL still stands as one of only two blemishes on Jiggy's unbelievable 3-1-1/1.39/.951 resume against Washington. In fact, take away that night's "shelling" and Jiggy is an even more ridiculous 3-1-0/1.00/.966 against the Caps... of course, take away AO and a lot of goalies' numbers look much better.

Besides being the site of one of the Great Eight's many coming out parties, Anaheim was also home to Sergei Fedorov for just over a season - 85 games, to be exact - in which he scored 31 goals, had 35 assists and was forced to wear this (though SoCal was certainly not without its perks for Feds).

But enough about history, especially since eight Caps - Nicklas Backstrom, Eric Fehr, Tomas Fleischmann, Mike Green, Milan Jurcina, Jeff Schultz, Tyler Sloan and David Steckel - have never played an NHL game in the Golden State. Let's talk about the here and now.

The Ducks come into the game with a 6-2-2 record in their last ten... not quite as good as the Caps' 7-1-2 mark. They're scoring at a 2.95 goals per game clip... not bad, but not as impressive as the Caps' 3.24 goals per game. Their defense is allowing three goals per outing... slightly more than Washington's 2.76. The Ducks have been very good five-on-five... but not as good as the Caps, and they're in the top half of the League in shots per game... just a few spots behind D.C.

You get the point - the Ducks have been good. The Caps have been better.

But that's all on paper (and mostly with Alex Semin on the ice and not in the press box, where he's likely to be tonight). Also on paper? Giguere's current 0-2-1/4.51/.851 cold streak, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry's combined 37 points over the last 11 games, the year-to-date decimation of my 401(k), AO and Backstrom's combined 18 points over the last three games, Brent Johnson's 3-0-0/1.72/.939 streak, and so on and so on.

On the ice, however, the Caps will find a rough and tumble (though presumably no longer mighty) bunch - the Ducks led the League in fighting majors heading into last night's action - with a couple of Hall of Fame defensemen and enough fire power up front to set the region ablaze (too soon?). It's a potentially dicey match up for a relatively soft and banged up Caps team... but then again, that's just on paper - we'll see what happens when it plays out on the teevee.

Oh, and make sure to stop by BoC today and tell Sleek he's a douche (be careful, though - that might be actionable).

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

"Campbellnomics" is being met with plenty of resistance, but since it tells us that Alex Semin is the most valuable skater in hockey so far, we're buying it (the fanboy in us wins out over the economist today).... Speaking of Semin, James Duthie has him as an All-Star.... The Baltimore Examiner had a quick chat with AO.... More power rankings, with the Caps up six to sixth at SI.com, up five to sixth at ESPN.com, up four to seventh at Yahoo! and up two to eighth at Fox Sports.... Bucci likes the Caps a lot (but not as much as the Pens, of course).... Double O gets some love from The Hockey News.... If you missed the Lebanon Daily News profile of Karl Alzner yesterday, check it out (and catch him on the radio/internet later this morning).... Good stuff on Grant McNeill here.... Bear Tracks - awesome, as always.... "Goalie weenies" of the world, unite!... Finally, like most of the Caps, one would assume, I've got Anna K. in this one (twins freak me out a little, truth be told).

Getting Ready For Russian Heritage Night

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

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

Thursday Roundup/Caps 5, 'Canes 1

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

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

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

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

A few quick thoughts on the game:

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

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

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

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

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

Wednesday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ 'Canes

[AP Preview]

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

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

Still More From Alex Semin

Thanks to Tuvanhillbilly for passing along yet another installment of the interview that never ends between Dmitry Chesnokov and Alex Semin.

There's plenty of great stuff there, but my favorite quote from this new batch is easy: "It doesn't make any difference to Brashear with which hand he beats you."

Leading The Way

A quick glance at the League leader boards in various individual stats reveals the prominent placement of a pair of Caps:


Of course, none of those rankings is as sweet this morning as this one:

Stat Of The Day

From the good folks at Elias Sports Bureau, via the NHL:

"The Capitals trailed the Hurricanes, 2-1, but Alexander Semin scored twice in the final three minutes of the third period to pull out a 3-2 victory for Washington last night. Semin was the first player in Capitals history with a score-tying goal and a game-winning goal in the final three minutes of the third period in one game. Before Semin, the last player on any NHL team to pull off that feat was the Bruins’ Anson Carter on March 12, 1999 against the Rangers in New York."

Friday Roundup/Caps 3, 'Canes 2

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

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

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

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

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

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

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

Of Eggs And Baskets

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

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

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

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

Thursday Roundup/Gamenight: 'Canes @ Caps

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

Ah, the Southeast Division.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Quick Rehashed Notes on Tonight's Game:

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

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

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

One Last Political Ad...

From (who else?) Puck Daddy:

Semin, Aucoin Claim Top October Honors

Per the team:

ARLINGTON, Va., – Washington Capitals left wing Alexander Semin, who led the NHL with 16 points in October, has been named the league’s First Star of the Month, the NHL announced today.

In addition, Washington prospect Keith Aucoin of the Hershey Bears was named the American Hockey League’s Player of the Month for October, giving the Capitals organization a sweep of those awards for North America’s top two professional hockey leagues.

Semin’s 16 points in nine games included eight goals and a +7 rating as he recorded points in eight of nine games and goals in six of nine. He matched Dale Hunter (one goal, 15 assists in 1991-92) for the most points by a Capital in the first nine games of a season.

Semin becomes the sixth Capital to be named the NHL’s Player of the Month or First Star of the Month since the awards were first presented in 1980-81. Alex Ovechkin has won the awards three times (Jan. 2006, Jan. 2008 and March 2008).

New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and Nashville defenseman Shea Weber were the NHL’s second and third stars for the month of October, respectively.

Monday Roundup

Alright, it's time for Silver Lining Monday*, which today features the penalty kill. The Caps PK got off to a rough start, allowing seven goals against in its first 24 times shorthanded (70.8% effective), but has gone 31-for-36 (86.1%) since to raise the efficiency to a nice, round 80% on the season, which is still not great (it would have ranked 26th in the League last season), but it's certainly a significant step in the right direction.

Unfortunately, as the PK has gotten better, the power play has gotten worse, as shown below:

But as this is Silver Lining Monday, we're going to focus on the PK. What has been driving the improved kill efficiency? Well, statistically, it's hard to say - the amount of time shorthanded doesn't seem to be much of a factor, and neither do the total number of shots against or the per game average shots against per minute (I won't bore you with those charts, but note that since the PK started this turn around in Game 5, the Caps have had three games in which they've been shorthanded for more than 13 minutes - not good). But one major driver seems to be the goaltending (which likely includes the defense limiting quality chances against):

As you can see, GAA is down, SV% is up. Granted, both stats had plenty of room for improvement after that rocky start, but they have, indeed improved. In fact, heading into last night's game, the Caps were 17th in the League in four-on-five save percentage - plenty of room for improvement, to be sure, but far better than their rank in overall save percentage, a woeful 27th prior to last night (Colorado, Nashville and Dallas were worse).

Now, it may not seem like a great revelation to attribute a better PK to better goaltending, and indeed, it's no great epiphany. But given that the team isn't cutting down on the penalties it's taking and isn't limiting the shots against on the kill, it's good to know that the last line of defense is holding up its end of the bargain... shorthanded, at least.

* Just because it's Silver Lining Monday doesn't mean you can't piss and moan in the comments.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

The way the "Semin disses Crosby" quote has been covered is beyond annoying on so many levels. First of all, the mainstream media's attribution of credit for the quote is shameful, but unsurprising (recall their coverage of the Ovechkin Hart t-shirt story). Secondly, I must have mis-read the quote, because I don't recall Semin saying he was better than Crosby, and yet I see comparison's between the career accomplishments of the two everywhere, as if the only people who can criticize a player are those who are more skilled than the subject of their criticism. Finally, how big a stiffy did Don Cherry get (sorry for the visual) when he saw that a Russian claimed that an American is better than a Canadian? If a Swede had agreed, Cherry would have spontaneously combusted.... The Bears rookie line of Oskar Osala and "two Frenchies" was pretty awesome in the third period yesterday (and for a couple more prospect notes, head over to TRS).

Saturday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ Sabres

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

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

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

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

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

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

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

Today's Must Read: Puck Daddy Interviews Alex Semin

No further introduction needed - go read it.

Update: The "scoop of the season" is making waves up north...

Friday Roundup

Here's a stat for you: prior to last night's action, the Caps had taken the seventh-most minor penalties per game in the League at 5.8.

Here's another: prior to last night's action, the Caps had the 19th-rated penalty kill in the League at 78.8%.

And here's what happens when you put them together: no team in the League with a worse penalty kill than the Caps' takes as many minor penalties as the boys in red, white and blue - the team is taking a ton of penalties and not doing a terribly good job of killing them off.

So far this season, the Caps power play has been mediocre. The goaltending has been fair. But if this team's looking for a quick fix improvement (and at the risk of stating the obvious), it should stop taking so many penalties. Easier said than done? Perhaps. But it's also probably an easier route to allowing fewer power play goals against than hoping that a team that finished 25th in the NHL in penalty killing efficiency last year is suddenly going to collectively master that skill with largely the same personnel.

First to go? Cut down on the restraining fouls. Mike Green is tied for the League lead in hooking penalties with four, and Michael Nylander is just one behind. Shaone Morrisonn is tied for the League lead in interference minors with four. These are, for the most part, lazy penalties - move your feet boys (increased confidence in the netminder behind them should help here as well).

Next up? The bench minors. Two in nine games may not sound like many, but it's a pace that would have led the League in two of the last three seasons.

Look, penalties happen. But some teams can afford to take more than others; the Caps are not one of those teams. If they can get focused and show some better discipline, however, they'll likely see their efforts pay immediate dividends.

Here are a few more random stats floating around the hockey universe:

• Mike Green leads the NHL in average power play time per game with a whopping 7:12 per game.
• Alex Ovechkin is skating the longest shifts in the League (Green is fifth, Nicklas Backstrom 15th and Alex Semin 22nd).
  
• John Carlson is second in rookie defenseman scoring and tied for the best plus/minus of any rookie in the OHL.
• Braden Holtby leads the WHL in wins and is seventh in GAA and SV%.
  

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Bill Clement loves Sergei Fedorov. We love this Bill Clement Caps card.... Speaking of love, still more of it pouring in for Alex Semin (who is everyone's fantasy), but this article includes a brilliant lament from Matt Bradley that "It's kind of depressing knowing I'll never be able to do half the moves he does."... Tuvan Hillbilly has the translation of some good stuff from our buddy Dmitry Chesnokov on Semin and Viktor Kozlov following the Preds game.... The Falls Church News-Press thinks Jose Theodore is in for a good year yet.... Alex Ovechkin with a brunette? Now we've seen it all.... We hate the Pens more than they hate us. No surprise there.... That CHL All-Star team for which Stefan Della Rovere got snubbed? At least Joel Broda made the WHL squad.... Finally, since it's Halloween...

It's Like Déjà Vu All Over Again

As Caps fans delight in Alex Semin's scintillating start to the season, the rest of the League is taking notice of the "other" Alex as well.

Here's a sampling of what they're writing:

"Alexander Semin, goal machine. Most prognosticators expected a Russian ... to lead the Washington Capitals in scoring all season. But it wasn't Semin.... Nevertheless, there he is." - Adam Proteau, ESPN.com

"THAT a Russian named Alexander is leading the Washington Capitals in scoring should surprise absolutely no one. Except in this case the last name is Semen [sic], not Ovechkin." - Pierre LeBrun, Winnipeg Free Press

Wait, what's that you say? Those articles are both two years old?

Sure enough, two years ago today, Alex Semin was leading the Caps in scoring with eight goals and four helpers in ten games (Alex Ovechkin had six goals and four assists), and his "sweet hands" were the talk of the town.

Semin would go on to score 38 goals for the season, which was good for 13th in the League (and just eight fewer than Number Eight would score), but took a bit of a step backwards last year, due to injuries. He's a different player today than he was two years ago (thanks, Sergei!), but what's being written about him is hardly anything new.

Thursday Roundup

Back in late July, we posted the translation of an article from a Swedish paper regarding Nicklas Backstrom's summer, but the most commented upon aspect of the story needed no translating - for some, the pictures spoke for themselves.

Fast forward a few months to Backstrom's slow start (he's still looking for that first goal and even strength point) and Lisa Hillary's ice-level report during a recent game that casually mentioned that Backstrom had put on twenty pounds in the off-season, and one could easily waddle jump to a conclusion as to the cause of Nick's early season struggles (though his preseason injury, no doubt, has contributed).

Now, I haven't seen Hillary's report corroborated elsewhere, but here's what I do know - Backstrom was listed at 183 pounds in last year's media guide and 210 pounds this year (though he's still at 183 on the team's website):


It should be noted that Nick has apparently grown an inch over the year, and that he's still just 20 years old and filling out thanks to a weight training regimen that is probably unlike what you'd find over in Europe... but 27 pounds in one year?

Perhaps it's not as obscene as it sounds. After all, from Backstrom's draft class, Simeon Varlamov and Mathieu Perreault had weight gains of 18 and 24 pounds, respectively, over the same span, and Alex Semin gained 19 pounds from 2005-06 to 2006-07 (per the media guides). Still, 27 pounds...

You can draw your own conclusions as to whether or not there's any causation here. And this isn't to say that Backstrom is "fat" or out of shape - it may very well be the case that a bigger Backstrom may be a better hockey player in the long run and that his coordination needs time to catch up to his changed (changing?) physique. But the bottom line is that if Backstrom looks a little slower or less nimble than he did last season, there may be a reason for that.

Beefcake. Beefcake!

Update: As Empty points out, 183 pounds was also Backstrom's draft weight, a number that apparently wasn't updated until this year. So it's 27 pounds over two years, not one.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Some love for Alex Semin from up north.... Vogs and Brett apparently mentioned this on Capitals Report yesterday (and if this is Mr. Hanlon's Club, what does Mr. Cassidy's look like?)... Daren Machesney: pretty in pink (via Stack the Pads).... Forbes has some "Best Hockey Fighters For The Buck" silliness posted.... Finally, why don't you guys show this kind of dedication?

Wednesday Roundup/Caps 4, Preds 3 (SO)

[AP Recap - Game Summary - Event Summary]

Remember yesterday when we noted that Alex Ovechkin's absence presented an opportunity for every Cap to raise his game a notch and that how individuals perform with the MVP out of the lineup would tell us a lot about those players? Well, Alex Semin told us what we already knew: he's really, really good.

The Caps tried - and failed - to simply hold on to a third period lead, but the "other" Alex willed his team to victory like his more celebrated countryman has done on so many nights. Last night, Alex Semin became a man. Last night was Alex Semin's hockey Bar Mitzvah.

A few thoughts on the game:

• A dozen minutes into the first period, Viktor Kozlov deposited some loose change in front following a classic Mike Green rush to give the Caps a 1-0 lead and a 16-2 edge in shots (they'd end the period with a 19-4 shot on goal advantage and a 33-6 shot at goal differential).
• Unfortunately, the Caps used that all-important "shift after a goal" to take a penalty, which the Preds then used to tie the game.
• Unfortunately, the Caps used that all-important "shift after a goal" to take a penalty (yes, again), but this time Semin's brilliant blueline-to-blueline tape-to-tape pass sprung David Steckel on a breakaway, which he converted (and since there's no video evidence of it, he can claim he deked and roofed a backhander past Dan Ellis... and who's going to correct him?). And I'll admit to wondering aloud whether giving Steckel a sweater over Eric Fehr was a good idea.
  
• It may have taken 526:21 of game time (give or take), but Nicklas Backstrom finally registered a primary assist - a beautiful feed on Semin's power play goal. Backstrom's quest for an even strength point and a goal continues, however.
• Shaone Morrisonn continued his rapid regression with some poor defense and a horrible interference penalty with under five minutes remaining in the game (and speaking of late penalties, or, more precisely, a lack thereof, the refs missed an obvious Nashville check from behind on Green).
  
• The ice, after a week of horses trotting around the VC, was quite choppy by the third period.
  
• As alluded to above, the Caps were throttled in the third period, and Nashville's goal came on their 14th shot of the frame (to two for the hosts at that point).
• You'd have hoped for more from a veteran like Michael Nylander, but he turned in a two-stick-penalty/1 SOG/36% faceoffs effort... before scoring the game-winning shootout goal (OffWing Photo has a great pic of it, btw).
• Nylander, Tomas Fleischmann and Mike Green killed it in Corsi Rating. Boyd Gordon continues to struggle.
• Things happen when J.P. Dumont is on the ice at even strength. We knew he was near the top in both GAON/60 and GFON/60, and last night we saw why - he had the game's worst Corsi Rating (minus-ten), but was on the ice for Nashville's two even strength goals.
• Jose Theodore was solid, both in his play and his demeanor.
  

For the game, Alex Semin had a goal, an assist and a shootout goal (an Alex Semin Hat Trick?), five shots on goal (and another six that were attempted, blocked or missed), and a whopping 6:42 of shorthanded ice time (only Jeff Schultz, who also had a strong game, had more). He stepped up. Big time. Mazel Tov.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

A nice closeup of JT60's mask over at SI.com.... Alex Semin is clutch.... Michael Farber adds his two cents to AO's slow start (quick summary: it's Backstrom's fault).... A double dose of Dan Sernoffsky, first on Daren Machesney being "the man," then on assorted Bears miscellany.... If Olie Kolzig hadn't found an opportunity in the Southeast Division, he might have retired. Wait - he didn't retire?

When The Goals Go In The Other Net

Mirtle's got a post up taking a look at who's been on the ice for the most goals against per sixty minutes of even strength ice time (GAON/60) but the flip side of the coin, of course, is who's been on the ice for the most goals for per sixty minutes of even strength ice time (GFON/60), and towards the top of the list we find some very familiar names:

(Top 20, minimum four games played; stats via Behind The Net)

Given the Caps' strong play at even strength so far this season (with the exception of the top line), it's not surprising to see a bunch of D.C. boys high on this list (Alex Semin, by the way, leads the League in even strength points). It is worth noting, however, that Brooks Laich quite nearly makes Mirtle's list for highest GAON/60.

Also, Brian Sutherby? Really?