The Former Whale 4 Caps 1

First off, here's the highlights from NHL.com:

For about 20 minutes the Caps played a solid road game. The defence held up in what was a close, hard-hitting game. The kind of game the Caps have been winning lately. But things turned in the second. The Caps D started fumbling around with the puck and giving it away. All three Carolina goals (the 4th was into an empty net) were the result of poor plays by defencemen. Mike Green was the culprit on the first 'Canes tally. He tried to do that thing where he anticipates the hit but no hit came and Carolina worked it around to a wide open Rod Brind'Amour for a perfect top corner shot and a 1-0 'Canes lead. It was part of an up-and-down game for Greener who looked like he didn't want to take any hits on that bad left shoulder. He looked a little tenative at times chasing the puck into his own end.

Green did tie it up late in the second on a Greener special: top shelf over Carolina goalie Cam Ward's glove. It looked like the Caps were going to reassume command of the game. But the 3rd period brought two more defensive breakdowns. First, I have no idea what Brian Pothier was doing on the eventual game winner by Joni Pitkanen. Looked like Pots got caught flat-footed and Pitkanen just outwaited Jose Theodore.

The worst though was Shaone Morrisonn's play on Anton Babchuk's clinching goal. ShaMoo got caught looking at the puck and Babchuk was Johnny-On-The-Spot, putting a rebound past Theo to salt it away. Just a terrible defensive play by Mo.

Other notes:

-Tomas Fleischmann is officially snakebit. Dude had a ton of good chances but Ward robbed him at least three times tonight. Flash has had a miserable 2009 after looking like he might pot 25-30 goals early in the season.

- I liked the line of Fleischmann, Eric Fehr and, dare I say it, Michael Nylander. They worked very well together and Nyls has been putting the effort in. He's not a total liability anymore, in fact, he's played well, I think, since he came back to the lineup.

- Alex Semin did a little too much DangleFest 2009 for my taste.

- The ice at RBC Center sucked tonight. The puck looked like a basketball bouncing around out there.

- Theodore deserved a lot better than what his defence gave him tonight. He made several nice stops and the goals Carolina scored he had very little chance to stop.

- As good as Theo was, Ward was better. This guy scares me in a playoff matchup. He can steal games all by himself.

- Ray Whitney is another guy that scares me on this 'Canes team. He reminds me of the way Martin St. Louis used to play against the Caps. Just a darting little menace. The sort of guy that would get my dad to say "Hit that little shit!" Can't hit what you can't catch though. Whitney made Morrisonn look foolish with a little drag move in the 3rd period. Then again, it hasn't been hard to make Morrisonn look foolish these days. He's not having a very good year.

- I love how Joe Corvo raised his stick like he knew what he was doing after he shot a 180-foot bank shot off the glass and into the empty net.

So all told a tough loss tonight. Caps could have reduced their magic number to clinch the Southeast Division to 2 games (if my math is correct. Keep in mind the reason I'm a writer is because I suck at math) with a win but now will have to play a little bit more hockey. They have an 11 point lead over the 'Canes with 8 games to play. If the season ended today, this would be your 1st round playoff matchup. Credit must be due to the former Hartford Whalers, they played well and earned the victory tonight. Until next time, say good night to da bad guys.

Good Guys Links- Capitals

Since the Caps are in the heart of NASCAR country to play the former Hartford Whalers tonight, I figured I'd throw a Ricky Bobby reference out there. Here's all the links that are fit to quit to get ready for tonight's Caps-Carolina Hurricanes match.

- Tank says Mike Green should be in the lineup tonight. Greener, as you may recall (or may not), suffered what looked like a nasty shoulder injury Thursday night in Tampa. Milan Jurcina looks to be scratched.

- Chris Bourque (son of Ray) will take the spot in the lineup vacated by Boyd Gordon and Quintin Laing. Let's hope Bourque lasts longer than poor Laing did.


- One more from Tank - former Chicago Blackhawks and current San Jose Sharks forward Jeremy Roenick has no problem with Alex Ovechkin's celebrations. High praise from the greatest video game hockey player ever and the man who made Wayne Gretzky's head bleed in "Swingers."


- Since we're talking Ovie and celebrations (again), here's Tom Boswell's take.

- Japer's has this translated interview with Ovechkin by Slava Malamud of Sport Express

- Peerless is calling for a 5-3 Caps win.

- A brief preview of tonight's game from da bad guys perspective.

Caps 5 Carolina 4 (SO)

I did not get to see last night's game due to being at the Burn Halo/Charm City Devils show in that noted hotbed for rock 'n roll: Laurel, Delaware.

Nonetheless, I did keep up with the score and was glad to see the Caps get back on the winning track at home. With the win, the Caps not have a 13 point lead in the Southeast Division with 12 games to play. Alas, New Jersey also won last night, so the Caps are still one point behind them for 2nd overall in the East. In addition, the Devils have two games in hand on the Caps. So if your a Caps fan your favorite teams are the Caps, and whoever is playing the Devils (as well as the Penguins and Flyers of course.)

"Lishen here Jershey, your luck has just changed. Now, start loshing New Jershey"

Anyway, since I didn't get to see the game, here's the highlights from Yahoo! (hope that link works, if not I'll go back and fix it when it gets on YouTube). And since I won't have an official game recap, here are some game recaps from Japer's, the WaPo, OFB and Yahoo!.

So that's it for this game. I'll be missing the next game as well, Monday night on Versus against Atlanta, due to my day job. For now, it's one more...for the good guys.

Carolina 5 Caps 2

Boy oh boy. Scarlett, I think I need your help again before I write this recap.

Hmm, not sure that's going to take some of the stink off this match. Marisa, little help here...


Ok, I think I can give it a shot. Ten days ago, the Caps were flying high. They had just destroyed the archrival Penguins on national TV. It looked like, with three Southeast Division foes coming to the Phone Booth, the Caps could polish off the division. A week and a half later, the Caps have been outscored 11-4 in two games against Carolina and Florida and look like a team that has plateaued. They look like a team that needs to shake things up at tomorrow's trade deadline. This club has looked lifeless for two straight games. Teams have figured out how to play the Caps: get a lead, clog up the neutral zone and stand them up at the blue line. This works because the minute they fall behind a couple of goals, the Caps go into Danglefest 2009 mode and try to skate through everybody and hit home run bomb passes. Something needs to be done to wake this team up and I don't think Bruce Boudreau shaking up the lines or skating the guys hard in practice is going to do it this time.

Other notes:

- Before I start picking the Caps apart I must give credit where it's due, Cam Ward and the Carolina D were outstanding tonight. The Caps put a ton of shots on Ward but the 'Canes D kept the quality shots down and when the Caps did get good chances, Ward came up with the saves. Carolina earned this one. They outclassed the Caps in every way.

- Two games in a row the Caps have given up a penalty shot. Jose Theodore stopped Florida's David Booth on Sunday but Eric Staal scored on Michal Neuvirth tonight. Penalty shots in back-to-back games is inexcusable and is a function of the defense (and the backchecking forwards) locked in on the puck and not having their heads in the game.

-Two shorthanded goals in one period is also inexcusable. Boudreau needs to get Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green off the point on the power play. Keep Green back there, put Sergei Fedorov on the point and have Ovie down low. Greener and Ovie play the power play with the same mentality: offense, offense, offense. Teams are now exploiting their aggressiveness and creating odd-man rushes because Greener and Ovie are halfway inside the zone all the time.

- Danglefest 2009. It needs to stop. Someone has to get it through these guys heads that dumping the puck in and chasing is the only way you are getting through the neutral zone trap-style defenses teams are setting up for them. Plus, too often tonight they were dangling with the puck instead of shooting it. Dangling looks good in a pick-up game and it will get you on Sportscenter if they don't have enough basketball highlights. But in the pros, 95 percent of the goals are scored "ugly." Tipped shots, rebounds, deflections. Yes, the Caps may score prettier goals than any other team in the league. But this ain't no beauty contest and teams that rely on pretty goals usually find themselves on the 12th green in May.

-That being said, Alex Semin's goal from his knees tonight was pretty damn sweet. A glimmer of fun on an otherwise miserable night.

- The Team Formerly Known As The Mighty Whale scouted Neuvirth well. They picked on his glove hand mercilessly tonight. Three of the TFKATMW's goals were either scored (Staal & Patrick Eaves' first of two) or set up (Ray Whitney hit the post and Chad LaRose scored on the rebound) by shots at Neuvirth's glove.

It's situations like this that have Caps fans clamoring for McPhee to acquire a veteran backup goalie. You hate to see a kid with as much talent as Neuvirth lose confidence if he were to get shelled like that again. Like closers in baseball or quarterbacks in football, playing goalie is all about confidence. When a goalie doesn't believe in himself, the rest of the team knows and plays with a little bit less of an edge. They play with the fear that every time they get beat its going to turn into a goal. Believe me, I speak from experience, having played in front of my share of shaky goaltenders.

- Look, I love Alex Ovechkin's "I must break you" mindset when challenged. I love how he's thinking goal every time he touches the puck. But when the Caps start losing (like they have the last 2 games) he's trying to hard to force plays and make something happen. Jesus, I'm trying to tell Ovechkin how to score goals?!?

-Finally, here's this game in a nutshell: Sergei Fedorov scores a goal with 1:46 left in the 3rd period to cut the 'Canes lead to 5-2. Almost all five guys on the ice, celebrating with Fedorov, fall down. They couldn't even celebrate a goal properly!

So that's it for this game. Trade deadline is tomorrow. Let's hope a veteran forward, a veteran back-up goaltender and physical defenceman are coming aboard. Next game is Thursday night at 7 pm against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Phone Booth. Until then, say good night to da bad guys...