Playing the Red Wings, one knew that the Caps would have to play a solid game and keep the mistakes and especially penalties to a minimum. For the most part they accomplished it, with Theordore having a very good game in goal, the defense played much better, and the 3rd and 4th lines stepped up and produced both of the Capitals goals. Unfortunately, the Capitals had some lapses with Semin taking two penalties, and Green committing a very costly and unnecessary penalty in the third period. While Semin is one my favorite Cap players with fantastic offensive skills, he unfortunately has the habit of committing some bad penalties. It may just be something that the Caps and Boudreau will have to live with, knowing that on any given night he can win a game for you with his offensive talents, but unfortunately, he can and will hurt you from time to time on the other end. Green on the other hand seems to be completely out of it and his head just doesn't seem to be in the game, as he's making stupid defensive mistakes and contributing nothing offensively. Hopefully, this won't continue much longer, and he'll find his scoring touch, and get back on his game.
While it's early in the season, the Capitals have shown some defensive deficiency's and again this year seem to be penalty prone. They are going to have to change that as the season progresses if they hope to win against the top tier teams such as Detroit.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Solid Game but Penalties Continue to Kill Caps
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Offensive Talent on Display
Watching last night's hockey game between the Capitals and Flyers, you couldn't help but marvel at the talents of some of the key players in the game. They say that great players rise to the occasion and Mike Richards certainly did that scoring a hat trick and going one better than Ovechkin's two. Richards has averaged about 30 goals and 80 points his last two seasons and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he doesn't surpass both easily this year. As for Ovechkin, he's already way ahead of his start last season with 5 goals in 3 games. Watch for Ovechkin to break 70 this year. The other player that for now seems to slip under the radar because he's playing on the same team as Alex Ovechkin is Alexander Semin. This guy has the best hands on the team, and the way that he can curl and drag the puck is amazing. If he can stay healthy, and stay away from the injury bug, he will easily score 50 goals this year. These teams both seem loaded and I fully anticipate either or both going deep into the playoffs next year. For now, it's a lot of fun for a hockey fan to watch these teams and superstars play each other, although the respective goaltenders might disagree.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Maple Leafs Return To Their Old Ways
With the Maple Leafs coming to town Saturday, Cap fans(and especially players)should be in store for a rough and tumble physical style game since one of the primary objectives for the Maple Leafs in the off-season was to return to the physical style play they were known for in past years. With the Maple Leafs bringing in several "tough" guys to make them the kind of team that other teams hate to play against like the recent "old" Maple leafs when they had guys like Gary Roberts, Domi, Wade Belak, Darcy Tucker. etc., they seem to have accomplished just that. After Watching some of the Canadians-Maple Leaf game last night, it was apparent that teams should expect to be ready to rumble when they're playing the Maple Leafs. The Capitals on the other hand are a team that has a lot of skilled young players and seem to be moving away from the physical style game. It should be interesting to see how much the Maple Leafs try to impose their style of play upon the young Caps. One thing is for certain, John Erskine should make sure he gets plenty of sleep on Friday night as he may be called upon several times to answer the bell.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Caps Start Off Regular Season in Grand Style
The Capitals started off 2009 with a bang by completely dominating the Boston Bruins, and even worse, this butt-kicking happened in the Bruins's house. The Capitals got two goals each from Alex Ovechkin and Brooks Laich, and Theodore gave up just one goal late in the game, when the game was pretty much decided. Not only did the Capitals dominate on the scoreboard, but they also shutdown the Bruin's considerable offense, only allowing them 20 shots for the game, and only 3 shots on goal in the third period. While one game does not make a season, if tonight's game was any indication, it should a very entertaining and successful one.
P.S. With Donald Brashear having departed for the big Apple, it looks as if John Erskine will be called upon to drop the gloves much more this year. His fight in the 3rd period was very entertaining, and he gave a good showing of himself against Shawn Thornton, who trained in the offseason with a boxing trainer.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Not Much Room in the Inn for Baby Caps
The Washington Capitals have developed one of the best minor league hockey systems with that being evidenced by two of their affiliates winning their respective championships last year. The Capitals future is looking bright indeed with the current lineup of young stars and a developmental system that has produced a goodly amount of talent the last few years. As with all things in life there is usually a downside to all positives and although many teams would love to have the Caps problem, the fact is there is little room at present for players to move up from the AHL, EHL, or other places because there just isn't a lot of roster spaces available. While Simeon Varlamov is certain to have a spot, there are quite a few players looking to fill one or two open spots. Who are some likely candidates to make the team? While Alexander Giroux had a fantastic year last year at Hershey scoring 60 goals in 69 games and has great offensive skills, the Capitals are in pretty good shape in that area with players such as Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom and Green. Some think that Karl Alzner will be spending most of his time with the Capitals this year but the Capitals at present have 7 defensemen from last year that will probably be on the roster on opening night, so unless there's a long term injury or two to Caps defenders, the house will be crowded there as well. Caps management are also high on John Carlson, but at 19, he'll most likely spend the year at Hershey. Bottom line; there's not a lot of room in the Inn at present and many of the up and coming Caps may be spending the majority of the year in Hershey again.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Knuble Should Make Power Play Even More Dangerous
While the Capitals were virtually non existent in the Free Agent market in the offseason, their one major pick-up was an excellent one. Mike Knuble, was picked up from the Philadelphia Flyers and should make one of the top Power Play units in the league even more potent. For while the Capitals have a few players that are willing and able to put the puck on net, the one major thing that they have lacked is the big physical player that is willing to stand in front of the net, take a beating and be in position to put any rebounds on the net. While Chris Clark filled that role well a couple of years ago, injuries have kept him from playing much the last couple of years, and the Capitals just don't know what Clark has left in him. In any event, while Knuble is 37, he has been a workhorse for Philadelphia the last few years, and will be a great addition to the Caps on either the first or second line, and especially valuable on the P.P.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Capitals Lacking an Enforcer
It seems apparent to me that the Capitals brain trust has decided to take the Detroit Red Wing path of building a team around skilled players and seem to want to move away from the physical play after letting Donald Brashear flee to the friendly confines of Madison Square Garden. Without the 'Donald' it seems to me that the Capitals are quite likely to be pushed around a bit by some of the more physical teams in the East such as the Flyers, Maple Leafs, and pretty much everyone else. While Erskine will mix it up on occasion, that isn't the primary role he fills on the team. Others such as Matt Bradley pretty much serve as a punching bag for other teams, and although willing in spirit, when he mixes it up, quite often there's a bloodletting on the ice, and he's usually the main contributor. I would just hate to see the Caps skilled players bullied about, and hope that the Caps will address the issue quickly, if it becomes necessary.
