Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad...

I'm a little late on this one (what else is new) but the Washington Capitals made it 2 out of 3 in organ-EYE-zation championships this past Friday as the team's AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, won their record 10th Calder Cup title with a 4-1 Game 6 victory over the Manitoba Moose. Goalie Michal Neuvirth was named the playoff MVP. Between Neuvirth and Caps playoff hero Simeon Varlamov, the Caps future in goal looks bright indeed.

So while the Pittsburgh Penguins may have gotten the guns, the Caps have the numbers with both the AHL and ECHL (South Carolina Stingrays) affiliates win their leagues. Here now is a cool YouTube clip, taken by a Moose fan, of the celebration and the Calder Cup presentation.


Best parts of these two vids? The classy applause from the Moose fans in Winnipeg and the videographer's "eh's?" Spoken like a true Canadian. Way to go Stingrays and way to go Bears! Your move Caps.

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...

Caps 4 Thrashers 3

A bounce-back win for the Caps tonight, if not a fairly up and down one. The Caps were dominant for most of the match, punctuated by a few brainfarts that turned a game they should have won handily into a one-goal game.

It looked like this one would be a laugher early. Just like Tuesday night's game with Philadelphia, the Caps jumped out to a 2-0 lead on power play goals by Alex Semin and Brooks Laich. But much like Tuesday, the opposition goalie (Kari Lehtonen in this case) settled in and the Thrash were able to get a power play goal of their own by Ilya Kovalchuk after a foolish roughing penalty by Alex Ovechkin (yes, Ovie was mad after the Thrash got away with a high stick, still no excuse to lose your mind and put the team shorthanded.) The defense had two breakdowns and both led to Atlanta goals.

Nonetheless, the Caps were able to take complete command of this sucker after Eric Fehr got his 10th goal, showing some stick-to-itive-ness on a blocked shot and dribbling one by Lehtonen. Mike Green got his 9th goal of the month, 23rd of the season and 15th on the power play. Greener also had an adventure of a shift in the 3rd period: He had a bad giveaway at the blue line, hustled back into his own end and absolutely creamed Colin Stuart with as good an open ice hit as you will see. I think I am starting to believe the Norris hype a little bit.

Michal Neuvirth played well in his second start, although, other than the two breakaways and Kovalchuk's power play goal into an empty net (set up by a pretty piece of passing by the Thrash) the Caps D did a good job of limiting the shots. Neuvirth did a good job of staying in front of the shoots he did see. I'm starting to think Bruce Boudreau should give the kid a few more starts, if for no other reason than the fact that the defense seems to protect him a little more than Jose Theodore. The Caps limited the Thrash to just 24 shots on goal.

However, the star of the game was Alex Semin. The guy flat out terrorized Lehtonen and the Thrashers D all night, going to the net, utilizing his superior puck handling ability and lightning quick release to create quality scoring chances. Semin finished with a goal and two assists. A motivated, hard-working Semin, like the one we saw tonight, can be absolutely lethal. Now if only we could get him to not look so tool-ish in his glamour shots...
Now we shall see how the Caps get up for the challenge of this weekend, with back-to-back games in Boston and home vs Florida. Jose Theodore should be back in net against Boston but I'd like to see Neuvirth against Florida. Since its two afternoon games, important afternoon games, Theo will probably be in net for both but I hope Coach Boudreau sees the difference in the team defense when the kid is in there and lets him play a few more games leading up to the playoffs.

So until Saturday, let's chalk up one more...for the good guys.