Early this morning was, I believe, the first time this season that the temperature outside has been low enough that I've been able to see my breath upon a deep exhale. From time to time upon such an occurrence, I'm reminded of one of my all-time favorite hockey photos:
This year, of course, that photo has a little more meaning, considering that its subject is now "one of ours."
A lot has changed in the five years (from next Saturday, in fact) since that pic was snapped - outdoor games are still special, but no longer unique events; Jose Theodore has changed teams twice; the Caps have changed uniforms and an entire roster (with the exceptions of Alex Semin and Boyd Gordon) - and Theodore's fortunes have changed as well. Just take a gander at the numbers before and since that ridiculously cold Edmonton evening:
Before: 298 games played, 116-134-30 record, 2.53 goals against average, .913 save percentage
Since: 147 games played, 70-65-10 record, 2.90 GAA, .896 SV%
As his averages have gotten worse, his record has gotten better. Huh.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see if the five-year anniversary of The Heritage Classic receives much attention around the hockey world, perhaps with a couple of predictable and cliche interviews with players who were on the ice that day spread across the internet or a "where are they now?" segment on Hockey Night In Canada. One thing is for certain, however - Jose Theodore is not now where he was then, and until he gets back there, Caps fans will be waiting to exhale.
It's hard to recall a game in which the starting netminder match-up was of as much interest to Caps fans as tonight's tilt between the Bolts and the host Capitals.
For the locals, the question of who the number one goalie is hasn't been as unclear as it is currently since, well, the guy who will likely be between the pipes at the other end of the ice tonight lost his last job, and it makes for a somewhat difficult decision for head coach Bruce Boudreau - if he starts Brent Johnson, it will be four straight starts for B.J. with a likely tougher opponent (Carolina on the road) looming on Wednesday night before a weekend home-and-home with the Devils; if he starts Jose Theodore and JT60 lays another egg, Gabby's an idiot for not playing the guy who was 2-0-1/1.63/.953 last week (on the other hand, a strong start by Jose and you've got a team with a ton of confidence and two goalies playing well heading into an intra-division roadie).
So this Monday night in November brings us our first chance to see (with a ticket or Versus, that is) the first overall pick from this past summer's Entry Draft, Steven Stamkos, former Caps Matt Pettinger and Steve Eminger, and long-time nemeses Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. But most importantly to nearly all Caps fans, it's a chance to see an old friend:
With tonight's 28-save, 3-1 victory, Brent Johnson is now 9-3-3 with a 2.19 goals against average and a .925 save percentage as a starter under Bruce Boudreau.
Since the lockout, the Caps and Flames have tangled but twice - once on each team's home sheet of ice - meaning that of Alex Ovechkin's 250 career NHL games, residents of Calgary have had the chance to see him in their building exactly once, which is, of course, how many times Jarome Iginla has visited the Verizon Center in the past three seasons. But each of those meetings has been something special, no doubt leaving fans longing for more.
In the first meeting between these two elite power forwards (October 30, 2006), Ovechkin's Caps left the Saddledome with a 4-2 win, thanks to a big night in net from Olie Kolzig, a pair of goals apiece from Richard Zednik and Dainius Zubrus (sidenote: which, if any, of those three would make the current Caps roster?), and AO blowing up Dion Phaneuf.
Ovechkin hasn't yet scored a goal in the Saddledome, one of seven NHL cities in which he has been held goal-less (Chicago, Edmonton, L.A., Minnesota, San Jose and St. Louis are the others).
Throw out the first period against Atlanta and Jose Theodore has a 2.79 GAA. Throw out his three first periods overall and he has a 1.35 GAA. Five of the nine goals he’s allowed have been on the PK. Of course, goals allowed are goals allowed, but I think the concerns over Theodore's play so far have been greatly overstated and aren't far from being respectable (that said, the fact that Brent Johnson has played more minutes through five games is noteworthy).
JT60 has a career 9-7-2 mark against the Flames with a 2.15 GAA and .922 save percentage (don't forget Theo's Avs are in Calgary's division). Last season, Jose was 5-3-0/1.95/.928. Stout.
Michael Nylander had 17 goals and 36 assists in 93 games for the Flames and Chris Clark had 53 goals and 53 assists in 326 games for Calgary (who drafted him in the third round, 77th overall, in 1994).
Sergei Fedorov has 22 goals and 29 assists in 56 career games against Calgary.
Jarome Iginla has been a staple on my fantasy team for years now, so if someone's gotta score for the Flames...
So the Caps open their three-game road trip in Calgary (birthplace of Washington blueliners Mike Green, Jeff Schultz and Tyler Sloan), where they haven't lost since March 13, 1999 (when Nicklas Backstrom was 11-years-old). Might as well keep that streak going, eh?
An interesting note from down in Tampa, where the Rays are on the verge of one of the biggest chokes in sports history Bolts are still looking for their first win and Steven Stamkos is still looking for his first point:
Lightning goalie Mike Smith on Saturday wore a mask... the team hopes will become a collector's item for fans of the grisly Saw movies. On one side, a picture of the creepy clown doll that taunts the movie's victims and police, on the other, the evil Jigsaw and his female accomplice, the architects of the bloody on-screen mayhem. Chains on both sides of the mask appear to pull apart a mouth.
Owner Oren Koules is the Hollywood producer responsible for the series that continues Friday with the release of Saw V. Goalie Olaf Kolzig also will wear a mask depicting the movie, but it has yet to arrive.
"It was unclear how many times the masks will be worn. Smith's will be auctioned to benefit the Lightning Foundation. Kolzig's will be auctioned to benefit Athletes Against Autism.
Now, it's for charity, so I can't knock it. But if we catch Jose Theodore sporting a Kicking It-themed mask, I may have to say something.
The Caps' Conference-leading offense will be put to the test tonight as Martin Brodeur (he of the 1.23 GAA and .944 save percentage) and the Devils visit the VC.
Brodeur's mastery of the Caps, while by no means exclusive to the boys from D.C., of course, is substantial - the Quebecer is 32-12-0/2.11/.913 against them in his career, including 2-1-0/2.28/.923 in 2007-08 (and he's had Number Eight's number, too - Alex Ovechkin has just three goals in 12 games against Jersey).
And guess what? In the early goings this season, the Devils are winning games but not scoring goals (shocking, I know). Somehow Jersey is 3-1, despite having scored only six goals and sporting a woeful 14.3% power play efficiency, which makes them the perfect team for Jose Theodore to face to try to gain a bit more confidence before heading out for a Western Conference road trip.
What's that you say? Brent Johnson's getting the start? Well, I'm not the reigning Jack Adams winner, so I'll defer to Gabby, but this sure seemed to me like a good spot in which to play your number one netminder... which brings us to a new feature - the Japers' Rink JOdometer, an index of our collective confidence in JT60 with a range set between the terrible - his two-team 2005-06 season - on the left and the exceptional - his Hart and Vezina season of 2001-02 - on the right: Am I being too kind? Too harsh? Frankly, I think he's been more or less "good enough" overall (and trending upwards), with the obvious exception of the Atlanta game, hence the left-of-center rating.
Anyway, back to tonight's game, it's yet another good early season test, chock full of questions: Will the Caps show up for the first period? Which will win out - the Devils' meager power play or the Caps' poor PK? Will Sergei Fedorov seek vengeance on Jersey for cutting his baby bro? Will Dainius Zubrus do anything that makes us miss him? Most importantly, of course - will the Caps leave for a three-game road trip (and a five-of-six away from home stretch) at 4-1 with four wins in a row, or at 3-2 with a long flight to Calgary to think about it? Answers coming soon.
Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:
Hey, look - the WaPo knows we want more coverage (so that means it's not neglect, but rather a concerted effort to screw us).... ESPN.com's Power Rankings came out the other day and the Caps are numero ocho.... In case you missed it, Michal Neuvirth has been assigned to South Carolina of the ECHL.... There was a time when I thought that a headline like this would make me smile. But it doesn't.
Yesterday we pointed out a handful of early-season observations, a few of which came a little closer to becoming trends last night: the offense is still clicking (especially at five-on-five, where all four Caps goals were scored); the penalty kill is still sucking (allowing all three of Pittsburgh's goals in six chances); Alex Semin is still scoring; and the goalies are still crappy early (Jose Theodore now has a 7.00 first period GAA).
At some point soon, this team is going to need to address it's slow starts, unquestionably a matter of focus. Luckily, they have players and coaches who should be able to fix that problem. A few notes on the game:
If Tom Poti is out for any significant period of time with his groin pull, it's a huge loss (though the guys at CSN might not notice it for a while - zing!).
It bears repeating - the Caps positively dominated that game at even strength, out-shooting the Pens 27-16 and out-scoring them four to zippy. In other words, cut out the penalties (or get better on the kill) and we're on to something.
Tomas Fleischmann? Awesome. [Someone get a screen grab of that - I don't often bring the Flash love, but it was well-deserved on this night, and had he converted on that diving stab at a cross-crease pass, he'd have been a household name by noon today.]
Sergei Fedorov continues to do it all (including putting up astronomical Corsi's), as he notched another plus-2, mostly from the blueline.
Evgeni Malkin provided the perfect example of how reputation-based and inconsistent the League's officiating is. Awful.
Boyd Gordon knew it was in. Mellon Arena knew it was in. Why didn't the guys wearing the stripes?
I've been a frequent critic of Donald Brashear's, but his absence was notable, to say the least. Matt Bradley as enforcer = epic fail ("A" for effort, though, and it apparently sparked the team).
Shaone Morrisonn had a horrendous first half of the game - two minors, the third goal off his leg - but got better.
Y'know that silly in-game "entertainment" at the Verizon Center where two folks out of the stands compete to see who can do a better job calling the play-by-play 20 seconds or so of live action? I'm not sure Al Koken would have a .500 record if he participated on a nightly basis.
It's a toss-up as to who's having a harder time getting going this year between Nicklas Backstrom and Chris Clark (and at least Clark has an excuse).
Alex Ovechkin was trying to do too much. Similarly, the power play is way too cute right now. Plant someone in front and bomb away.
Mike Green's hip check on Malkin was tasty.
Finally, if Sidney Crosby needed a one-stop shop on his way home from the rink...
So there's plenty yet to work on, but plenty with which to work. Nice to have a Jack Adams winner at the helm, eh?
"The Caps should have found the way to keep Cristobal Huet rather than signing free agent Jose Theodore...." - Larry Brooks
In other news, the Caps also should have found the way to sign Alex Ovechkin to a 13-year, $13 million deal, to win the Stanley Cup last year and to distill Brooks Laich's sweat into a cure for cancer.
Twenty-six seconds into last night's 4-2 win over the Blackhawks, I doubt there was a single person associated with the Caps - from ownership and management to the fans, from the media to the peanut vendors - who didn't ask her or himself, "What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?"
Luckily, however, Jose Theodore rebounded from an awful early goal (or two) and shut down the 'Hawks over the game's final 48 minutes, making a couple of big saves (and getting a helper) along the way. A 2.00 GAA and .904 save percentage? Good enough, Jose.
Some thoughts on the game:
1-1 is a whole hell of a lot better than 0-2, especially with Roberto Luongo up next.
The Caps fired 34 shots on goal (John Erskine was the only player not to register a single one) and another 25 that missed or were blocked. The sites still need a little fine tuning.
The power-play was 0-for-4 and only had eight shots on in eight minutes with the extra man. That's will not do.
The Caps were better in the dot than on Friday night, winning half of the game's draws, but David Steckel (37.9% through two games) and Nicklas Backstrom (28.6%) continue to struggle there (is there such thing as a sophomore face off slump?). On the plus side, the Caps won 63% of the faceoffs when on the power play and 64% on the penalty kill.
The 'Hawks showed no killer instinct, which isn't surprising from a young team (and was in many ways somewhat reminiscent of the Caps until not long ago).
Are the Caps cheerleaders really called The Red Rockers? Maybe (maybe?) I'm juvenile, but this is what comes to mind.
Alex Ovechkin is still good at hockey (and is on an 82-goal/50-in-50 pace), and lead all forwards in SH ice time.
A day after noting that "I'd like to see more of The Captain," Chris Clark played just 10:40, second-lowest total to Donald Brashear. Easing him back in? Is he not 100%?
My eyes told me that Tomas Fleischmann was doing some good things, but his Corsi Rating (CR) says otherwise - for the second consecutive night, his CR was the worst among the forwards and is now a team-worst -18. In fact, his entire line has been in the red for both games. I don't see how the trio can stick together if this trend continues.
Perhaps the best thing to come from last night is that the Southeast Division Champs banner has been raised, Cristobal Huet has come and gone, and now everyone can forget about last year and focus on 2008-09. As Bruce Boudreau said last night, "The more we start thinking about last year, then you have results like you have [Friday] night. It is time to put that behind us. It is a great honor and they deserve it, but once that is done let's focus on what is at hand."
Prior to last night, Jose Theodore's teams had lost (in regulation) 12 of the 115 games that he started and in which the offense scored four goals or more.
USA Today's Ted Montgomery is asking, analyzing and answering a handful of burning questions heading into the 2008-09 season, and his last query focuses on the Caps:
Will the Washington Capitals build on last year's success and continue to improve, perhaps even enough to have a long playoff run?
The case for: The Caps are now one of the most exciting teams in the league, and should have a fine season. Having Michael Nylander healthy again and bringing back Sergei Fedorov shores up the center position, with Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom providing the offensive fireworks. Mike Green is just coming into his own as a premier defenseman. This team is loaded, and should sail through the regular season without too much trouble.
The case against: Is Jose Theodore the answer in goal? And which version of Theodore will show up in Washington? If he struggles like he did for a few seasons in Colorado, the Caps could be in trouble. If he plays as well as he did at times last season, they should be OK in goal. The Caps are rolling the dice on this one.
My verdict: The Caps will win a couple of rounds in the playoffs, but will not make it past the conference final. Their time is coming, and soon.
So it may not count for all that much in the grand scheme of things, but for the first time since last April, the Washington Capitals (or some approximation thereof) will take to the ice tonight against an NHL opponent (or some approximation thereof) as they head to Raleigh to play the Hurricanes (or some approximation thereof).
Remember the last time these two teams met? If not, here's the recap and the video evidence:
Back to the here and now and on to tonight's the rosters, Tarik reports that Bruce Boudreau et. al. will choose from among the following players when putting together their lineup:
Defensemen: Jurcina, Morrisonn, Cutta, Lepsito, Alzner, Schultz, Godfrey and Carlson.
Presumably this means that a trio of Russians and the new netminder, among others, will be available for the preseason home opener when these two teams meet again on Thursday night. Also, is it odd that Viktor Kozlov is on the list (but neither of his expected linemates is), while Michael Nylander and Tomas Fleischmann's expected right wing (Chris Clark) isn't on this roster? Probably not.
Sergei Samsonov - Matt Cullen -Drayson Bowman Ryan Bayda - Jeff O'Neill - Scott Walker Chad LaRose - Brandon Sutter - Dan LaCouture Matt Murley - Dwight Helminen - Jakub Petruzalek
Joni Pitkanen - Tim Gleason Niclas Wallin - Joe Corvo Casey Borer - Brett Carson
As for the game itself, Bowman and Sutter are probably the 'Canes two best forward prospects, so keep an eye (or whatever) on them, and note that those top four defensemen and the starting netminder will all be in Carolina this year, so it will be interesting to see what an Alex-less, Backstrom-less, Green-less offense can do against them.
Note: Per the team, audio of all seven preseason games will be available on WashingtonCaps.com, and fans in the D.C. market can watch the three preseason home games live online. The final four preseason games (starting Sept. 29) will also be available on WFED 1500 AM and WWFD 820 AM.
[Note: I normally wouldn't pimp a commercial site (especially one from which I get no kickback), but HockeyAttire.com has some great deals, on top of which you'll get 50% off if you enter "alloff50" in the coupon code. Unfortunately, most of their Caps stuff is old logo, but I picked this up for $84.87 total and it arrived in less than a week and is a money replica (and it actually has the correct white lettering, not the black lettering shown). H/t Dunzy.]
One month from tonight, the Caps will be in Atlanta to open the season against the Thrashers... but for today, you get a link dump.
The National Postwrote the same article that EMac wrote three weeks ago, and in it they referred to Donald Brashear as "a reigning heavyweight champion." Edward Fraser of The Hockey News isn't as easily impressed, as he didn't list The Donald among his ten fighters worth talking about, but Steinz has no problem posting a picture of Lindsay Czarniak talking about the Caps' enforcer (and, of course, neither do I).... Caps prospect Dmitri Kugryshev is adjusting quickly - and very well - to the North American game.... You knew Viktor Kozlov was a stud in the shootout, but did you know that Jose Theodore has the highest career shootout save percentage "among goaltenders likely to be on NHL rosters at the start of the season?" I bet you a nickel no team this season beats him on three consecutive attempts using the exact same move.... Finally, our buddy Pepper at the red skate emailed me yesterday noting a couple of points from my "Thinking Inside The Box" post. In it, I quoted Ted Leonsis as stating that "Our defense is going to be really good in a couple of years with [Mike Green], Eminger, Morrisonn and Schultz," asking, "Can you believe Boston gave us Morrisonn and [the pick that became] Schultz for Gonchar?" and noting that "I really like Laich. He's going to be another Konowalchuk-type guy." That was more than two-and-a-half years ago. Pretty prescient, no?
ESPN's FHL 2009 Rankings and Projections are up and there are some pretty highly ranked Caps, including Alex Ovechkin (top forward, second overall) and Jose Theodore (#3 goalie, seventh overall).
Now is not the time to remind me that the Worldwide Leader knows jack squat about hockey, not when they're writing things like this:
"The Capitals are betting that the old Theodore is back, and we agree. The upside with Theodore behind this emerging Capitals team really is quite astronomical. He looked every bit the Hart Trophy winner he was in Montreal. The Capitals have all the pieces in place to be near the top of the standings and Theodore should be one of the biggest beneficiaries for fantasy purposes."
Sigh. They call it "fantasy" for a reason, don't they?
Early this morning was, I believe, the first time this season that the temperature outside has been low enough that I've been able to see my breath upon a deep exhale. From time to time upon such an occurrence, I'm reminded of one of my all-time favorite hockey photos:
This year, of course, that photo has a little more meaning, considering that its subject is now "one of ours."
