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Capital Ups and Downs: Week 12

J.P. — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:00:20 -0000

by David Zalubowski - AP

Our weekly look at individual Washington Capitals' ups and downs:

Goalies	Trend	Notes
Michal Neuvirth		Quietly solid in a huge bounce-back win in Edmonton.
Jose Theodore		A good game and a not-as-good game, but just two even strength goals against and 1-1-0/2.02/.917 week are solid numbers.
Semyon Varlamov		Sounded close to returning before a hopefully minor setback.

Defensemen
Karl Alzner		Plus-two for the week and victimized by a bad bounce in Edmonton, Alzner's development should continue to benefit from being paired with the likes of John Erskine and Tyler Sloan. Ahem.
John Erskine		A monster night in Colorado (assist, plus-three rating and 17 penalty minutes earned for sticking up for Mike Green), tougher time in Vancouver and a scratch in Edmonton.
Mike Green		Just one assist and six shots on goal for the week. Of course, he did miss half of the Colorado game because he forced David Koci to skate halfway across the ice and board him. Bad Greenie.
Milan Jurcina		Scratched twice, looked hungrier against Edmonton, leading the team in hits.
Shaone Morrisonn		Missed most of the Colorado game, returned to lead the team in hits against Vancouver, back out of the lineup Saturday night. Hmm...
Brian Pothier		Despite seven points from blueliners this week, the Caps miss his puck-moving ability on the back-end.
Tom Poti		Three games, plus-three rating, but a whopping four third period penalties (at least one in each game), including an inexcusable unsportsmanlike in Vancouver.
Jeff Schultz		Want a microcosm of Schultz's career? Look no further than this week - a couple of memorable bloopers but a great job shutting down the Sedins and a positive plus-minus (though it should be noted that he was on the ice for four of the six goals the Caps allowed in the three games).

Swingman
Tyler Sloan		Scratched twice, returned and notched an assist on the insurance tally Saturday night, but let's be honest - his NHL time is running out.

Forwards
Nicklas Backstrom		A couple of goals, an assist, a plus-one rating and nine shots on goal and 57% in the dot are all nice, but he's got to take some of the blame for a power play that was just 1-for-9 on the week.
Matt Bradley		A goal, an assist and a plus-two rating in Colorado highlight the week for a guy who's two-thirds of the way to tying his single-season best in goals.
Chris Clark		A Gordie Howe Hat Trick (ok, it took him three games to get it), an extra assist and a plus-three rating. Good stuff, Cap.
Eric Fehr		A couple of helpers and a plus-three rating for the week are nice, but Fehr has gone six games without a goal and only had five shots on goal for the week. Go to the net, young man.
Tomas Fleischmann		Three goals on the week (including Saturday night's game-winner), but a bad penalty in Edmonton and being on the ice for half of the goals the team allowed in the three games take a bit of the shine off.
Boyd Gordon		On a conditioning assignment in Hershey, Gordo's return looks imminent.
Mike Knuble		With a goal and an assist, Knuble seems to be getting his timing back.
Brooks Laich		Another week passes without Laich finding the net, something he's only done once in his last 15 games (and his assist in Vancouver is his only point in his last seven games).
Quintin Laing		Q ate a steak this week and played an NHL game - he gets an up arrow.
Brendan Morrison		Just one assist on the week, his only point in the last seven games (oddly coinciding with Alex Ovechkin's return to the lineup).
Alex Ovechkin		Every now and then (weekly, usually), you're reminded why AO is the best player in the game. Saturday night's third period was one such reminder.
Alexander Semin		Beat Roberto Luongo on a knuckler from near Whistler on Friday night, but was stuffed on a penalty shot later in the game and didn't find his way onto the score sheet for the rest of the week (despite being on the ice for all three goals the top line scored on Saturday night).
David Steckel		A goal, plus-three rating and 7:59 of short-handed ice time without being on for a goal against. Can't ask for much more from the guy, can you?
Kyle Wilson		Made his NHL debut on his 25th birthday with two assists and a strong all-around game. Wasn't as good in Vancouver, was scratched in Edmonton, then reassigned to Hershey, but he looks like yet another fine fill-in. He'll be back.

Recap: Canucks 3, Caps 2

Becca H — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:16:22 -0000

More photos » by Darryl Dyck - AP

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[AP Recap - GameCenter - Game Summary - Event Summary]

Just three nights after putting together a dominant team win over Colorado, the Capitals failed to connect, failed to perform as a team for 60 minutes and failed to collect two points.

It wasn't all bad. A few individuals played well, and the first period in particular was filled with energy and a ton of cycling in front of Roberto Luongo - along with a 2-1 lead. But we all knew that a one goal lead against a Canucks team that can certainly score was just not going to hold without a superhuman defensive performance tonight, and the Caps had neither the offensive mojo nor the superpowers to hold off Vancouver for 60 minutes.

Despite all that, there's no question that the theme of the night was missed opportunities. It started early with Backstrom whiffing on an open net way back when it was still a 0-0 game. Then there were the blown chances with the extra man, the failed penalty shot, the extended attack time in the first period - all of which could have changed the course of the game. They didn't, and the game goes into the books as a loss.

Ten more notes on the game:

The power play was abysmal. There's no other way to look at it. The Caps were trying to be too fancy and too fine in their passing, and while Vancouver did a good job of slowing them down, the Caps certainly didn't test them much. And here's a boggling stat - with all the firepower the Caps have, they generated one - one - shot in 8 minutes with the extra man...while giving up 3 shots to the shorthanded Canucks.
Most of the top forwards for the Caps looked off tonight, but the exception was definitely Alexander Semin. As invisible as his teammates were, he seemed to be everywhere and finished the night with a goal, 7 shots, 4 others that missed or were blocked, a takeaway and a great shorthanded chance.
It was a weird night for the goalies. Both gave up fluky goals and had some big rebounds, but both also made some high quality saves - Theodore early on, Luongo late in the game. Luongo ultimately won the battle, such as it was, but it's tough to pin too much of the blame for the loss on Theodore all the same.
Karl Alzner had exactly the kind of night Karl Alzner needed to have - calm, cool and solid, despite playing his first NHL game in his hometown. Just over 15 minutes of work and a solid, if quiet, performance for Alzner.
Also quiet tonight was Alex Ovechkin...except for him, quiet equals bad. There were brief moments, a few moves here and there, some sneaky shots that are just vintage Ovechkin - but mostly he was invisible, and didn't have a shot on goal until late in the third. Whether it was some nagging injury or the coverage by the Canucks or a combination, it's hard to say. Even superhuman beings have off nights, though, right?
Of all the people who would have stepped up on a night like this, Chris Clark might not have been anyone's first (or second...or tenth) choice. He did have an excellent night, though - when he was on the ice. So why did he only get 8:31 of ice time?
The whole game seemed to be in anticipation mode, with both teams keenly aware of the firepower on the other side and therefore hesitant to make mistakes. Lots of neutral zone play, lots of tiny battles along the boards, and not a ton of shots on either side - especially for Vancouver, who finished the night with just 20.
Nicklas Backstrom was 10-for-16 (63%) in the faceoff circle tonight. He was the only Cap to finish above 50%, and the only Cap who took more than two draws to finish above 40%. And no, none of that is a typo.
As visible and effective as Kyle Wilson was the other night in Denver, he was the complete opposite tonight - and somehow managed to be a -1 in just over 8 minutes of work. One up, one down. He's fitting in just fine.
Is it crazy to say that John Erskine had a pretty decent night? He seemed to be moving his feet (as much as Erskine ever moves his feet) and was in good position more often than not.

So blown opportunities lead to a blown game on the road - and there's no rest for the wicked, as the Caps return to action tomorrow night against a struggling Oiler team.

And maybe that's a good thing. Maybe getting right back in the saddle will erase the bitter taste this one leaves in all of our mouths. Maybe they'll be as angry and frustrated as we are and want to make up for it against a team that's ripe for the picking. Maybe they'll take their performance in the opening twenty minutes against Vancouver and stretch it into a full game.

They'll have to try - because sitting on top of the league like they've been doing, there's only one way to go. No ifs, ands, or maybes about it.

Game highlights:

Capital Ups and Downs: Week 11

J.P. — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:00:16 -0000

by Chris O'Meara - AP

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Our weekly look at individual Washington Capitals' ups and downs:

Goalies	Trend	Notes
Michal Neuvirth		Didn't get much help Saturday night... and needed an awful lot the way he played. Now an ugly 0-2-0/4.56/.845 on the (NHL) season.
Jose Theodore		He'll need to be better than 1-1-0/2.97/.872 in Varly's absences, whenever they are.
Semyon Varlamov		Followed up a 26-save shutout - his second whitewashing in four starts - with a trip to the IR. On the plus side, the Caps have the luxury of being extra cautious with him... for now.

Defensemen
John Erskine		The wear and tear is wearing and tearing Erskine down to the point where he seems nearly worn and torn out.
Mike Green		The return of "Game Over" Green Friday night couldn't save a week full of turnovers and blown assignments... with Team Canada no doubt watching.
Milan Jurcina		After a minus-eight stretch in his previous six games, an even week (with a scratch thrown in) may qualify as a "good week," but the Caps need more out of Juice.
Shaone Morrisonn		Returned from injury with a zero-point, one shot on goal, minus-one week in which he averaged under 18 minutes of ice time. Sounds about right.
Brian Pothier		On injured reserve with a rib injury. It's a shame, as he was coming off a three-goal, four-assist, plus-11 November.
Tom Poti		Minus-three for the week (and that includes a plus-one in Tampa), and on the ice for six of the 12 goals the team allowed for the week.
Jeff Schultz		A plus-two week has him fourth in the League in plus/minus, and three four-block games speak further to the blueliner he's becoming.

Swingman
Tyler Sloan		Scratched twice, Sloan's NHL time is running out with Laing's pending return and perhaps a recall of Karl Alzner for the blueline.

Forwards
Keith Aucoin		His most recent recall was short and relatively unproductive, which, fittingly, makes it the Keith Aucoin of recalls.
Nicklas Backstrom		Two goals, two assists, plus-four and an epic OT shift against Carolina, the "wow" moments are coming with greater frequency with each passing week.
Matt Bradley		A happy and healthy new baby gets an up arrow, especially when supplemented with a great interview.
Chris Clark		If the captain isn't contributing on the scoreboard, he's gotta be doing other things... like not letting his team put up three poor efforts in a row (including a pair against the League's two worst teams).
Eric Fehr		A goal in Tampa followed by three point-less games, Fehr will look to go from scorching hot to cold to just plain consistent.
Tomas Fleischmann		Another Cap forward looking for consistency, Flash posted a goal and three helpers this week and now has seven points in his last six games (after picking up just one in his previous six).
Alexandre Giroux		If it wasn't for Nylander's departure, Giroux being returned to Chocolatetown would qualify as great news. As it is, it's merely very good news.
Boyd Gordon		In the past two months, Gordo has played 5:55 of hockey. Sigh.
Mike Knuble		Off to a slow start since returning from the IR with a minus-three rating in two games. No doubt it takes some time to get back to game speed, but a finger injury shouldn't inhibit one's ability to crash the net.
Brooks Laich		Like his new-found mentor Knuble, Laich had no points and was minus-three for the week... but he played all four games.
Quintin Laing		Q's getting closer to returning, but when he comes back, who sits?
Brendan Morrison		No points, three shots on goal and a celebration on a puck he shot wide... ouch.
Michael Nylander		Hasta la vista, baby.
Alex Ovechkin		Returned from suspension with three multi-point games (seven points overall) and 23 shots on goal in four games.
Mathieu Perreault		Food poisoning sidelined him in Buffalo and one point in his last ten games might sideline him a little more frequently going forward. Update: Perreault has been returned to Hershey.
Alexander Semin		Two goals, three assists, plus-four and 20 shots on goal in three games, a "passenger" in the fourth. That's our Sasha!
David Steckel		Followed up his first goal of the season with no points, a minus-two rating, two shots on goal and diminishing ice time (less than ten minutes per game for the week) in four games. The face offs are still there, though (67.4% for the week).

Recap: Caps 4, Hurricanes 3 (OT)

David M. Getz — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 03:37:47 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

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[AP Recap - GameCenter - Game Summary - Event Summary]

In a nutshell, the story of tonight's game was pressure. For the game's first thirty minutes (and then some) the Capitals weren't generating much in the way of sustained offense because they weren't making things nearly difficult enough for the Hurricanes. Carolina was allowed time to clear the puck out of their own end, to skate through the neutral zone, and to move the puck deep in Caps territory without too much resistance - and that's simply not going to win you many hockey games. Every team in the NHL has enough skill that they're not going to makes mistakes if you don't pressure them, and it's awfully hard to win when you let the other team do what they want. On one hand you can be frustrated it took the Caps so long to ramp up the pressure they needed to. On the other hand you can be happy they were able to do it - because that's imposing your will in your opponent, and that's what great teams do.

Ten additional notes on tonight's game:

First things first: if anyone knows the story behind the guy dressed as an astronaut at tonight's game, lay it on us. Please.
Friday night/Saturday morning Pick 'Em: More Impressive: Alexander Semin's ability to put a puck in a teacup from fifty feet away or his incredible poise in front of the net?
Speaking of Semin, his first goal was created by a nifty blue line keep-in on the part of Jeff Schultz. Goes to show why discounting the secondary assist can be a mistake. Plus it almost makes up for Schultz doing...whatever it was he was doing on the play that led to Eric Staal's goal.
The Capitals had 40 shots on goal tonight. The Hurricanes attempted 37.
We've been pretty vocal about the number of hard hits Mike Green has taken this year and whether or not something needs to be done to try and dissuade opposing players from taking those liberties. Well, if Green is going to respond to getting hit hard like he did tonight, maybe we'll pipe down (though we will note that there's no reason to wait to get hit before you start dishing them out, Greenie).
I don't care who you are, taking a puck off the mouth and coming back to the game to score a shorthanded, game-trying goal on a wicked slapshot off a nice interception is simply bad ass.
You can critique Chris Clark's play, be frustrated with his offensive output, wonder if he's worth his cap hit, and even question if he should relinquish the captaincy, but you can't not love the fact that he doesn't take any crap from anybody. Ever.
If you're trying look for answers as to why Tomas Fleischmann either seems to be invisible or generating high quality scoring chances, look at his play away from the puck. When he's moving, he creates chances. When he isn't, he doesn't.
Fans in attendance got their money's worth tonight. I mean, it's not too often you see seven goals in a game played under pre-lockout rules.
It was only forty degrees out today - how could the ice possibly be as bad as it seemed?

Tomorrow the boys will be up in Canada to take on the Leafs in a Hockey Night in Canada show down. Here's hoping they used that energy they saved in the first half of tonight's game to pull out a win.

Game highlights:

Capital Ups and Downs: Week 10

J.P. — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:00:16 -0000

by Matt Slocum - AP

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Our weekly look at individual Washington Capitals' ups and downs (and yeah, we've used this picture before, but it's so nice it deserved to be used twice):

Goalies	Trend	Notes
Jose Theodore		After having not played in more than two weeks, Theo came back strong with a pair of road wins, a 2.00 GAA and a .947 save percentage for the week. The better he is this winter, the fresher Varly will be in the spring.
Semyon Varlamov		Seemed to lose his concentration a bit late against Florida, but 1-0-0/2.01/.929 keeps the train rollin'.

Defensemen
Karl Alzner		Was on the ice for four of the six goals the Caps allowed last week. With the blueline getting healthier, Alzner once again finds himself the odd-man out - and on his way back to Hershey.
John Erskine		A plus-four rating for the week and not on the ice for a single goal against in 51:38 of ice time, which included 5:37 shorthanded.
Mike Green		Five points and a plus-four rating in three games, including four power play points on a unit that has scored seven times in the last two games.
Milan Jurcina		How do you end up with a minus-two rating for a week in which your team outscored its opponents 17-6? By being on the ice for five of those six goals against.
Shaone Morrisonn		On the trip to Tampa, so perhaps his return to the lineup is near.
Brian Pothier		Plus-two against Carolina, scratched against Philly. Huh.
Tom Poti		Returned to the lineup against the Flyers with twenty minutes of ice time and a pair of assists.
Jeff Schultz		Plus-three for the week, Jeff Cincocinco has only had two minus games since October 17 and is now in the top ten in the League in plus-minus (and is 12th among NHL blueliners in the stat since the start of the 2007-08 season).

Swingman
Tyler Sloan		A penalty in each of this week's three games, two of which were coincidental minors and one of which occurred with the Caps on the power play.

Forwards
Nicklas Backstrom		Four goals, five assists and a plus-four rating in three games including a five-point game in Philly.
Matt Bradley		Scored his fifth goal of the season against Florida, equaling his goal total from a season ago, and took one for the team in a big way on Saturday night.
Chris Clark		A goal and an assist on the week, The Captain now has half as many goals and is one helper short of his production over the previous two seasons combined. Of course, that's not saying much... other than that Clark is finally healthy.
Eric Fehr		Five points in three games, a six-game scoring streak (multi-point games in three of four), and 13 points in 13 games since returning from injury.
Tomas Fleischmann		Three goals in his last two games, he now has eight tallies in games which AO has been out of the lineup and just two when the Great Eight has dressed. Solution? Scratch him when AO's a go. Just kidding. Sorta.
Alexandre Giroux		Ten shots on goal in the last two games, a plus-three rating and a helper in Carolina... but really, we've seen more than enough.
Boyd Gordon		Looking more and more like a lost season for Gordo.
Mike Knuble		Targeting a Wednesday return, but the way the team's playing, no need to rush.
Brooks Laich		Three points, including a couple on the power play as Laich became the fourth Cap to hit double-digits in goals on the season (no other team has more than three, and several teams don't have a single 10-goal guy yet).
Quintin Laing		Getting closer, which might spell the end of Tyler Sloan's time in D.C.
Brendan Morrison		Four points on the week and more points on the campaign than he had in 62 games for the Ducks a season ago.
Michael Nylander		If Nylander was a classic SNL skit, I'm pretty sure he'd be this one.
Alex Ovechkin		Just one goal in the three games the Caps played last week- anyone hear anything to explain why his production was so limited?
Mathieu Perreault		Seven games without a point (granted, his linemates haven't been the type with which skill pivots normally succeed), but he's still doing some things... little things.
Alexander Semin		Has returned to the lineup with six points in two games, including four on the red-hot power play. Key stat: the power play is 30.3% successful in Semin's twenty games played and at just 9.1% in the nine he's missed.
David Steckel		The monkey's off his back... now let's see some more.

Capital Ups and Downs: Week 9

J.P. — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:00:12 -0000

by Graham Hughes - AP

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Our weekly look at individual Washington Capitals' ups and downs (with special thanks to winterion for the icon set):

Goalies	Trend	Notes
Jose Theodore		Hasn't played a second since November 14 in Jersey; Gabby's got to get him back out there soon.
Semyon Varlamov		Varly went 2-0-1/2.27/.919 with a shutout this week but was probably even better than those impressive numbers would indicate.

Defensemen
Karl Alzner		The up arrow might be a little generous, but think of it more as "Alzner's an upgrade over some of the Caps' regulars on the blueline" rather than a direct comment on his two-game performance (which has been solid if unspectacular).
John Carlson		Held his own in his first NHL tour of duty.
John Erskine		Averaged 18:44 of ice time per game this week, which is too much time for a marginal NHL defenseman and may be why he's been looking so slow of late. Or maybe it's just that he's so slow.
Mike Green		Had the shift from hell in overtime on Monday night, but had nice assists on Monday and Wednesday. In other words, his offense isn't the problem... and never has been.
Milan Jurcina		Getting big minutes on a struggling penalty kill; six blocks and four hits in two games.
Shaone Morrisonn		Perhaps his absence is impacting his usual partner Green's play.
Brian Pothier		Adding a bit of physicality to a game that's really coming around nicely.
Tom Poti		Missed on the penalty kill.
Jeff Schultz		Assist, plus-two rating for the week. Ho hum.

Swingman
Tyler Sloan		Plus-two as a defenseman against the Sens, nothing as a forward against the Sabres.

Forwards
Nicklas Backstrom		As Ovechkin returns to form, so to does Backstrom (even if the numbers don't show it... yet). The big face-off win with 15.5 seconds left in Montreal and the shootout-deciding tally earn an up arrow.
Jay Beagle		Scored his first NHL goal in Ottawa, but took a bad penalty in Montreal. Decent short-term fill-in.
Matt Bradley		Not much to report - he must be in the "taking names" portion of "kicking ass and taking names."
Chris Clark		Scored in Ottawa, but is struggling a bit out there.
Eric Fehr		Three goals and an assist, a plus-three rating and ten shots on goal. Most importantly? His three goals totaled 63 feet from stick-to-goal line (and I'll take the under). Keep up the Knuble, Laich impression, Fehrsie.
Tomas Fleischmann		It's been a half-dozen games since Flash scored, and he's actually losing ice time (gasp!) to Fehr, among others.
Alexandre Giroux		Look at the Corsi. Look at the rate at which he's taking penalties. Tell me he's not the worst player to don the red, white and blue so far this season.
Andrew Gordon		A quick cup o' coffee and see ya later.
Boyd Gordon		No news ain't good news.
Mike Knuble		Skating again, which is a good sign (even if it is a finger injury).
Brooks Laich		An assist in Montreal, but only one shot on goal in three games for the week. Looking good, though, on a line with Morrison and Fehr.
Quintin Laing		Did an in-game interview on Comcast Sportsnet despite having his jaw wired shut. Seriously.
Brendan Morrison		Goal, assist, plus-three and 53.8% in the dot. In 50:02 of ice time for the week, he was on the ice for three goals for and none against.
Michael Nylander		Yawn.
Alex Ovechkin		A pair of goals, a pair of assists and a pair of penalized hits; AO's really got to be careful regarding that last number.
Mathieu Perreault		Pointless in five and only two shots on goal and a 38.7 win percentage in the dot for the week.
Alexander Semin		Caps offense scoring .74 fewer goals per game without Semin this season (but also giving up .68 fewer goals per game), and power play efficiency drops from 28.2% with Sasha to 10.7% without.
David Steckel		A 14/15 face-off performance against Buffalo saves the week for the snake-bitten Steckel, who is one of a half-dozen NHL forwards who have played 25 games this season without scoring a goal.

The Mathieu Perreault Effect

David M. Getz — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:07:33 -0000

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In the ten games he's played with the Washington Capitals, Mathieu Perreault's made quite an impression. He notched two assists in his first NHL game, and added his first tally two games later. His scoring pace may have dropped off but his presence is being felt on almost every shift he takes, and he creates chances and his energy forces opponents to work hard, in turn contributing even when he isn't getting on the scoresheet.

There are a lot of ways to be a productive hockey player. Naturally some are flashier than others. A goal is a heck of a lot more likely to make it on a highlight reel than the battle in the corner that allowed the goal to happen; you're more likely to see a big hit than a pokecheck, even if the latter was more effective. Television programs, written recaps, and personal memory all tend to towards the creation of a narrative, and creation of a narrative usually means keying in of brief moments. There's nothing wrong with that, but it does mean subtler contributions can get lost in the shuffle.

The result is the chronic underrating of what is arguably hockey's most valuable skill: the ability to make the players around you better. A guy can get attention for a great pass, but for most players in that category the pass is just one example of the dozens of decisions they make every game, shift in and shift out. For a player like that, the effect doesn't just show up in his numbers, it shows up in his teammates' numbers as well. In his brief time in Washington, Mathieu Perreault has been that type of player.

With that in mind, we thought we'd take a look at how Perreault's most frequent linemates have fared since his arrival:

Chris Clark	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SOG	PCT
10/1 - 11/1	14	1	2	3	-6	11	0	12	8.3
11/4 - 11/23	10	1	5	6	0	9	0	25	4.0

Eric Fehr	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SOG	PCT
10/1 - 11/1	6	1	0	1	0	0	0	8	0.0
11/4 - 11/23	8	2	3	5	4	0	0	12	16.7

Tyler Sloan	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SOG	PCT
10/1 - 11/1	6	0	1	1	-2	2	0	4	0.0
11/4 - 11/23	8	2	0	2	2	4	0	8	25.0

Total	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SOG	PCT
10/1 - 11/1	26	1	3	4	-8	13	0	24	4.2
11/4 - 11/23	26	5	8	13	6	13	0	45	9.0

Of course, not all of the improved performance can be attributed to Perreault - he's assisted on two of the five goals his most frequent linemates have scored and been on the ice for four of them, so it's not as if they're wholly dependent on him to create chances for him. Still, the fact that Chris Clark, Eric Fehr, and (the ~~better~~ winger version of) Tyler Sloan have looked like legitimate offensive threats to the eye - and are scoring more often, taking more shots, and increasing their collective plus-minus - make it fair to conclude that Perreault's helping the older, more experienced players contribute more to the Caps.

What does that mean long term? Not a whole lot - yet. Getting off to a hot start is one thing; finding a way to have consistent success in the NHL is another. But at the very least it looks like the Capitals may have found a player with an decent amount of hockey's rarest attribute in the sixth round - and that's something no one can complain about.

Leveling the Playing Field

David M. Getz — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:15:08 -0000

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It's in the nature of just about every sports fan to analyze their favorite team. The problem is that the data to do so is oftentimes incomplete, unreliable, or just not there. Defense in hockey, for example, is notoriously difficult to measure. Point production is at least in part a factor of who a player plays with and against. Save percentage is a decent measure of goaltender performance - but a goalie playing behind a bad team's going to have a hard time putting up the same kind of numbers as a goalie playing behind a defensive juggernaut.

One way to try and compare data is to normalize it - to do whatever you can to make it so the players on a level playing field, so you can compare apples to apples. That's the logic behind a lot of what Gabriel Desjardins at Behind the Net does: sure Nicklas Backstrom has more goals than Eric Fehr, but given the disparity in playing time, power play time, and strength of teammates, is that disparity as big as the raw numbers make it seem? Does it exist at all? By turning ice time and goals in to goals per minute, you can get a little bit closer to the answer.

The problem is that when you do that, the numbers lose some of their relate-ability. When you say Alexander Ovechkin's 56 goals were an incredible achievement, people are right there with you. When you tell them he scored 1.57 goals per sixty minutes of five-on-five play they might assume it's impressive since it's Alexander Ovechkin, but they don't relate to it in the same way.

With that in mind, we've decided to normalize individual player scoring data and convert it in to run-of-the-mill statistics by assigning everyone on the team the same amount of "ice time". We decided to go ahead with 18 minutes a night, since that's more or less what a player who gets regular ice time but isn't a top line or top pairing guy gets. Each player is assumed to play 14:12 of even strength ice time and 1:57 of power play ice time per game i"in order to roughly correspond with how much time the player would get based on the amount of time the Capitals have spent in each situation so far this season. We also assume each player get 1:51 of penalty kill time, although this doesn't factor in to point totals since the team doesn't have any shorthanded goals. The method isn't perfect - it doesn't account for quality of competition or teammates, and obviously some players are hurt by the fact that in reality they play so rarely on the the power play. Still, it's an interesting exercise to see the effect of. standardizing ice time does on total production

Or, in other words, if everyone got the same ice time and scored at their current rates, what would their stats look like?

	G	A	P	ESG	ESA	ESP	PPG	PPA	PPP
Nicklas Backstrom	3	14	17	2	11	13	1	3	4
Matt Bradley	5	6	11	5	6	11	0	0	0
Chris Clark	2	10	12	2	5	7	0	5	5
Eric Fehr	7	8	15	7	5	12	0	3	3
Tomas Fleischmann	12	6	18	8	2	10	4	4	8
Boyd Gordon	0	7	7	0	7	7	0	0	0
Mike Knuble	7	13	20	6	11	17	1	2	3
Brooks Laich	7	11	18	4	9	13	3	2	5
Quintin Laing	4	0	4	4	0	4	0	0	0
Brendan Morrison	7	9	16	6	8	14	1	1	2
Alex Ovechkin	16	8	24	14	6	20	2	2	4
Mathieu Perreault	6	12	18	6	12	18	0	0	0
Alexander Semin	7	15	22	5	5	12	2	3	5
David Steckel	0	3	3	0	3	3	0	0	0

	G	A	P	ESG	ESA	ESP	PPG	PPA	PPP
John Erskine	0	2	2	0	2	2	0	0	0
Mike Green	2	13	15	2	10	12	0	3	3
Milan Jurcina	0	3	3	0	3	3	0	0	0
Shaone Morrisonn	0	3	3	0	3	3	0	0	0
Brian Pothier	4	5	9	2	5	7	2	0	2
Tom Poti	0	0	4	0	3	3	0	1	1
Jeff Schultz	1	5	6	1	5	6	0	0	0

So what've we got?

Mike Knuble was in large part brought in to help the team's power play, but he's tied for seventh in power play points among forwards and doing most of his damage at even strength.
Shaone Morrisonn makes $1.975 million, is tied for the worst GAON/60 on the team, and has done nothing offensively despite playing most shift with Mike Green. If the Capitals want to free up cap space and are tired of waiting on Michael Nylander, I have a suggestion for them...
David Steckel...oof.
Matt Bradley's more productive at even strength than Tomas Fleischmann. Take it for what it's worth (hint: not much).
At even strength Mathieu Perreault is outproducing Nicklas Backstrom, and Brendan Morrison and has been equal to Tomas Fleichmann and Brooks Laich. Très bien. Now how 'bout some power play time for the kid?
Jeff Schultz has been the team's third most productive defenseman. As much as I like Sarge, that's not good. Maybe instead of pining for that "big, crease-clearing" defenseman we should be hoping that Caps find away to get another puck mover on their roster. Or that Tom Poti starts bringing the kind of offense he's capable of. Either/or.
Eric Fehr is third in even strength goals and twelfth in even strength ice time per game.
Chris Clark has as many or more power play points per minute as Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Nicklas, Backstrom, Mike Green, Brendan Morrison, Mike Knuble, or Brooks Laich, raise your hand. Maybe we can cut him a little slack in terms of raw numbers?

What jumps out at you? Who might deserve a few more minutes each night to showcase what they can do? Just as importantly, whose numbers do you really think are indicative of their talent, and whose numbers aren't telling the whole story?

Senators score three straight in 4-3 OT comeback victory over Capitals

DarrenM — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:33:12 -0000

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If you turned off the television after two periods, you missed one heck of a finish, as the Sens posted an incredible comeback to take the game 4-3 in overtime thanks to a beautiful tip-in goal from Mike Fisher.

To be completely honest, after the second period I started typing this up with the title already stating that the Sens had lost. In my mind, the game was out of reach. The Ottawa Senators were outplayed for the first 40 minutes by the Washington Capitals, entering the third period down 3-1 and getting outshot in those two periods 25-15. Yet the Senators absolutely exploded in the third, getting two goals and putting up 18 shots in the process while holding the Caps to 3 shots. Overtime lasted just over a minute, as Chris Phillips carried the puck into the Caps' end, threw the puck on net where Mike Fisher showed great hand-eye with a spectacular tip-in.

The first goal of the game also came from the Sens, a Peter Regin goal off a feed from Jesse Winchester. Truth be told, the line of Regin, Winchester and Shannon was likely the best of the night for the Sens, especially in the first two periods. In fact, Regin and Shannon ended up promoted to the second line with Fisher by the middle of the third, where their speed and takeaways stumped the Caps' defense. Chris Neil got his fourth goal of the year, already giving him more than his total output from last year.

(Read more for more analysis and video...)

Other players who had great games for the Senators include Brian Elliott, who made a handful of spectacular saves and was solid throughout the game; Filip Kuba, who quietly posted three assists, giving him 8 points in the last 3 games; and Alex Picard, who had a number of great blasts from the point during the night. Players who didn't have their best night include Jonathan Cheechoo, who helped create the Caps' third goal with a bad giveaway; and Pascal Leclaire, who left midway through the second period after getting hit in the face by a puck while sitting on the bench. He didn't return.

After first two periods, the Senators would have considered themselves lucky to come out of this game with one point. Coming out with two points has to be seen as a fluke, and something that the Senators cannot hope to repeat. Still, you have to hand it to this team for sticking in it and battling while down two goals to post such a great comeback.

Thanks to the two points from this win, the Senators are now first place in the Northeast Division.

Peter's take:

First off, Peter's glad he got to go to this game, no matter how torturous those first two periods were. I attribute the third-period comeback to this interesting fact: In the final frame, Cheechoo was only given 2:08 TOI, Nick Foligno was only given 1:45 TOI, Brian Lee was only given 2:50 TOI, and Chris Kelly was only given 3:56 TOI. Lee and Cheechoo gift-wrapped Jay 'Voyage of the' Beagle's first NHL goal mid-way through the second, Kelly took two stupid (if perhaps undeserved) penalties, and Foligno continues to look lost so far this season. On the other hand, Fisher was given (or, more honestly, earned) 7:10 TOI, Shannon was given 6:25 TOI, Regin was given 6:10 TOI, and Kuba was given 9:19 TOI. Going into the third period, Chris Neil--who was instrumental in the comeback, not only with his tip-in goal, but also a couple big tide-turning hits, said that not everyone was on the same page through the first two periods. Coach Cory Clouston rectified that by benching those who weren't.

Although I'm a little unsure why Jesse Winchester was only given 1:33 TOI in the third; he played like a man possessed tonight, and was benched seemingly because his line played so well and served as a good spot for Fisher.

Although the first two periods looked bad, the three goals could be traced pretty cleanly to personal errors. Chris Clark's goal (which was total B.S. anyway, because it was blatantly kicked in) came after Kuba left his position to give Alex Ovechkin (who was actually quiet, for the most part, tonight) a love-tap, while Brendan Morrison's goal came after Chris Campoli decided to take a Sunday skate and completely left his man unchecked, and the aforementioned Beagle goal was just U-G-L-Y ugly. But hey, it all worked out in the end, I guess.

I'm not sure what's wrong with Jason Spezza, but he looked off tonight, too. Not just because he missed two glorious (yes, Darren, GLORIOUS) chances to end the game in overtime, but he doesn't quite look comfortable in his skin out there. Let's say Clouston had good reason he was demoted to play alongside Neil and Foligno in the second period. Again, not sure what it is, but tonight might have been his worst game of the season.

I'm sure you all know this already, but if you look up "clutch" in the Ottawa Senators Dictionary, it's spelled F-I-S-H-E-R. The guy's Ottawa's all-time leading overtime scorer with five regular-season overtime winners and he's got one playoff overtime game-winner, too (which was against the dirty Leafs, to boot). How good is this guy this year?

UPDATE: Oh yeah, I want to talk about the Capitals a bit, too. Tonight, I learned who the second-dirtiest player in the NHL is, behind only Chris Pronger: John 'The Lumberjack' Erskine. Anyone else see him completely hacking, slashing, cross-checking everyone anywhere on the ice? It was ugly. He took one minor in the game, but on the shift where he took that minor, he could probably have been assessed five or six individual penalties.

You know who might have been Washington's best player, though, aside from Semyon Varlamov? Rookie Mathieu Perrault. This kid's got skills, and I was actually pretty impressed with his strength, quickness, and defensive and offensive awareness. He's a gamer.

Capital Ups and Downs: Week 8

J.P. — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:00:13 -0000

More photos » by Darren Calabrese - AP

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Our weekly look at individual Washington Capitals' ups and downs:

Goalies	Trend	Notes
Michal Neuvirth	-	A home loss and unimpressive numbers in his NHL season debut don't tell the whole story of Neuvy's Friday night, but he'll certainly want to show more in his next recall.
Jose Theodore	?	Difficult week for Theo off the ice, is back with the team now and looking to get back on track.
Semyon Varlamov	▲	A 1.44/.949 week should result in nothing but wins. Alas, Varly will have to settle for a win Tuesday and the knowledge that he's the only reason his team got a point on Saturday night.

Defensemen
John Carlson	-	Led the team in hits in his NHL debut and isn't shy about shooting the puck or skating it into the offensive zone. There's a reason his arrival has been eagerly anticipated.
John Erskine	-	Dropped the gloves with Georges Laraque, but seems to be getting slower (at least by comparison to his fellow rearguards) every game. Correlation?
Mike Green	▲	Five points (all assists) in three games to take the lead among all NHL blueliners in points, but needs to be less generous in distributing the puck to opposing teams.
Milan Jurcina	+	Missed all three games - as many as he didn't play in all of last season.
Shaone Morrisonn	+	Got his bell rung in Wednesday night's game and missed the weekend.
Brian Pothier	▲	Took six shots and blocked nine in three games. Solid.
Tom Poti	+	.Missed much of Friday night's game and all of Saturday's; just three shots on goal in his last eight games.
Jeff Schultz	-	A pair of three-hit games and a plus-one rating for the week - big minutes and few stats to show for 'em.

Swingman
Tyler Sloan	-	Scratched in New York, started on the wing Friday night only to be shifted back to the blueline for most of the game and all of Saturday night. The versatility was nice; the play on the blueline less so.

Forwards		.
Nicklas Backstrom	▼	One assist in his last five games, no goals in his last nine, no shots in his last two... needs to get back on track.
Jay Beagle	-	Got his first NHL point on Tuesday night, but not much else to speak of in limited minutes.
Matt Bradley	▲	No, he didn't do much over the weekend, but Brads did more than enough on Tuesday to earn an up arrow for the week. #needsmoreBradley
Chris Clark	▼	Got a shot at top line RW, but couldn't stick. Saturday night's game was his first in five without a minus-one rating.
Eric Fehr	-	Sniped a nice goal Friday night, but just four shots on goal for a week that included some better-than-usual minutes.
Tomas Fleischmann	-	Nine-game point streak snapped Friday night, has now gone four straight shots on goal without scoring, killing his shooting percentage.
Andrew Gordon	-	Blink and you missed his eight-shift season debut.
Boyd Gordon	+	Gordon's missing a lot of time in an important season for the RFA-to-be.
Mike Knuble	+	Tuesday night's battle in Manhattan was exactly the kind of game for which you want Knuble in the lineup, but there will be plenty of those come spring.
Brooks Laich	▲	Goal, assist, plus-two, 11 shots on goal and can play on any line or in any situation (he's the only Cap forward averaging more than two minutes per game on each of the special teams units). Bless you, Brooksie.
Quintin Laing	♥	A well-deserved purple heart for Q.
Brendan Morrison	-	A nice goal late against Montreal, but penalties in each of the three games, one the ice for both power play goals the Caps surrendered (and four of six goals against overall) and neither of the extra man tallies they scored.
Michael Nylander	●	Zzzz...
Alex Ovechkin	-	For anyone else, two goals in three games would be a great week. But for The Great Eight, the bar's set higher. And he can be better.
Mathieu Perreault	-	Continues to produce in limited ice time (he's between Ilya Kovalchuk and Alex Ovechkin in 5-on-5 points per sixty), and even won 54% of his draws this week.
Alexander Semin	+	Could've used him against the Leafs. And the Habs. And the Rangers.
David Steckel	-	Keeps doing what he does best (winning faceoffs and killing penalties), but no forward in the League has taken more shots without scoring a goal than Stecks.