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Thursday Caps Clips: Green Good to Go

J.P. — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:44:58 -0000

via the shoebox next to my desk

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Your savory breakfast links:

Mike Green skated yesterday, looked "none the worse for wear," and expects to play tomorrow, but the debate as to whether or not the Caps need an enforcer rages on. [Washington Post]
A couple more takes on David Koci's hit from Puck Daddy, Peerless and Hockey Or Die!
Craig MacTavish thinks that Bruce Boudreau was mean-spirited when he belittled Koci's skill-set. Seriously. [TSN]
"For their rookie dinner in October 2006, David Steckel and Jeff Schultz dressed up as the two main characters from 'Blades of Glory,' Chazz Michael Michaels and Jimmy MacElroy." Pretty sure that's my new favorite story ever. [In The Room]
Alex Ovechkin: Caveman. Villain. Whatever. [Denver Post]
Karl Alzner has come home. [Washington Times]
Brendan Morrison, too (in more ways than one). [Kelowna.com]
James Duthie has Green being on the outside looking in on Team Canada (btw, on December 17, 2008, Green had eight goals - two more than he has right now - not twenty). [CTV (at 2:10, 2:54)]
"Being Alex Ovechkin" is not nearly as entertaining as "Being John Malkovich," which is ironic, as being Alex Ovechkin is almost certainly more fun than being John Malkovich. [The Hockey News]
The Caps' Russian trio hung out with a fellow Russian - and a top-10 women's tennis player, at that - last week. [Sony Ericsson WTA Tour]
Caps' radio voice Steve Kolbe "enjoys fishing and archery." If that means he shoots fish with a compound bow, he's my new hero. [PressBox]
Cody Eakin and Stefan Della Rovere will have to wait a little longer to play a game as teammates - the former was cut from Team Canada's WJC squad yesterday. [CBC]
More on Delly. [SLAM!]
John Carlson gets ready to represent the red, white and blue. [London Free Press]
Happy 44th birthday to Craig Berube and happy 51st to Dave Poulin.
Finally, we've obviously disagreed with some of Jim Kelley's recent musings, but we wish him nothing but the very best of luck in his battle with pancreatic cancer.

Pick 'Em: Best Capitals Draft Pick of the Decade

David M. Getz — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:00:27 -0000

by Nick Wass - AP

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Readers who venture outside the friendly internet confines of the the Rink may have noticed that, in anticipation of ~~the end of the decade~~ 2010, Puck Daddy has been compiling the best and worst of the last decade, including the ten biggest goon moments, the best and worst contracts, and NHL's best and worst decisions. Yesterday saw Ryan Lambert of The Two Line Pass take a look at the five best and five worst draft picks of the last ten years.

Being a Capitals blog we figured it would make for some interesting discussion to ~~pilfer the idea~~ alter their framework every so slightly to suit our favorite team and take a look at some of studs and duds of recent Washington draft classes. To make things a little more interesting, we decided to eliminate lottery picks, which in essence means no Alex Ovechkin, no Nicklas Backstrom, and no Karl Alzner.

To start things off, let's take a look at the five worst:

5. Jakub Cutta (Defense, 2nd round, 61st overall, 2000)

Cutta was billed as a guy with an ideal frame, but a project nonetheless. At the time of his draft people knew there were questions about his skating, his ability to move the puck out of the zone at the next level, and whether he would ever use his 6'3'', 214 frame as effectively as possible. The problem was, nothing ever really panned out. The skating never became NHL caliber, there wasn't any offense to speak of as a pro, and while Cutta laid out a big hit every once in a while, he was far from an intimidating physical force. All told Cutta saw action in eight games over the course of three seasons with the Caps, earning himself a minus-5 rating. By 2006 Cutta would be back in his native Czech Republic, and he's been splitting time between his homeland and Russia for the past few years. It's not always fair to look back and evaluate a pick using 20/20 hindsight, but the fact that Paul Martin was taken with the 62nd pick certainly doesn't make this one any easier to swallow.

4. Josh Godfrey (Defense, 2nd round, 34th overall, 2007)

Yeah, it's still early, but thing don't look very good for Godfrey, who's now in his second season with the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays. Part of us wants to say that the blue line is stacked at Hershey, that Godfrey's still young, and that he was drafted as an offensive defenseman who would have to spend a lot of time working out the kinks in his own end before he had a chance at the NHL. Another part of us says that guys who spend more than one season in the ECHL don't usually do much at the NHL level - and that's not enough for someone picked 34th overall. The fact that, other than Kings prospects Wayne Simmonds and Oscar Moller, no one picked after Godfrey has seen much NHL playing time helps keep him from rising on this list - for now.

3. Keith Seabrook (Defense, 2nd round, 52nd overall, 2006)

Also an offensive defenseman, the Capitals were hoping Seabrook would one day be a powerplay quarterback, or at least an offensive threat from the blue line. However, Seabrook underwhelmed offensively, first by scoring 13 points (two goals) in 37 games at the University of Denver and then by scoring 17 (four goals) in 59 games with the WHL's Calgary Hitmen - all while failing to make marked progress in his own end. In 2008-09 Seabrook finally became the offensive force people thought he was capable of being by registering 55 points (fifteen goals) for the Hitmen, but questions persisted about whether it was because he was growing in to his talent or because he was an overage player. Currently in the Calgary Flames organization, Seabrook still has a chance to become an NHL player, but never came close to getting a contract, let alone a game, with the Caps.

2. Joe Finley (Defense, 1st round, 27th overall, 2005)

The Caps would eventually sign Finley in the summer of 2009, but his future seems to be up in the air. After playing as a forward in camp, Finley's back on the blue line with South Carolina this season. If Finley ever makes it to the NHL, it's almost certainly going to be in a limited role as an enforcer...and you don't aim to draft a part-time enforcer in the first round. 36 of the first 45 players taken in the 2005 draft have played in the NHL, and has four of the five and seven of the ten taken after Finley. The issue at this point wasn't the talent pool. It was the selection.

1. Sasha Pokulok (Defense, 1st round, 14th overall, 2005)

How could it be anyone else? There's no way the Caps should have been picking 14th in 2005, but they sure didn't do themselves any favors in picking Pokulok. Billed as a physical specimen with skating ability and offensive upside, Pokulok was beset by concussion problems each of his three years in the Capitals organization. In the end, Pokulok wasn't able to stick in Hershey, let alone Washington, earning himself the dubious (and unfortunate) title of "Worst Capitals Pick of the Decade".

Honorable Mentions: Steve Eminger, Ted Ruth, Maxime Daigneault, Boyd Gordon

Now that that's over, let's take a look at the five best:

5. John Carlson (Defense, 1st round, 27th overall, 2008)

He's played just three games at the NHL level thus far, but is there any reason to think Carlson won't be a very, very good NHL defender? With size, skill, and smarts he's bested every challenge thrown his way since the draft, finishing second in the OHL in scoring among defensemen and second among rookies last year, and registering 18 points in 24 games for the Bears this year. Carlson may very well be a top pairing guy in the very near future, and in a league that prizes two way defensemen as highly as the NHL does that's a heck of a return on the 27th pick.

4. Johnny Oduya (Defense, 7th round, 221st overall, 2001)

Hey, we said these guys were going to be Capitals draftees, we never said anything about whether the team signed him. With only one point and an minus-1 rating, Oduya's slumping this year but he's nonetheless a legitimate top-four guy defenseman in the NHL, something that can only be said for a handful of the 200 players taken before him.

3. Alexander Semin (Left Wing/Right Wing, 13th overall, 2002)

At September's Capitals Convention members of the team's scouting staff were insistent they'd been lucky with Semin, who has grown three inches and added thirty-five pounds since the time he was drafted. Even if there was some luck involved, Semin is a elite offensive player who may just be the most naturally talented guy in the NHL. Picking thirteenth overall you expect to get an NHL caliber player - but getting a guy with Semin's ability in that spot is a steal. He might not have the career top 2002 pick Rich Nash will, be there's no doubt Semin was the most talented player available at the this spot - and your GM picking that guy is all you can ask for.

2. Semyon Varlamov (Goalie, 23rd overall, 2006)

We'd be lying if we said there wasn't a part of us that was still scared Semyon Varlamov was going to burn out (insert obligatory Jim Carey reference here), but what he's doing at his age, well, that just doesn't happen very often. The Capitals get credit here for being willing to use their first round pick to take a netminder in what was regarded as a weak draft between the pipes. The next time you want to criticize George McPhee for going off the board, remember that sometimes the risk pays off.

1. Mike Green (Defense, 29th overall, 2004)

Twenty-ninth overall isn't exactly scraping the bottom of the barrel, but no one expected this. Fifty-one goals and 159 points in his last 180 games, a historically great season, a Norris Trophy nomination at age 23, and comparisons to Paul Coffey would make Green a great pick just about anywhere, but at the end of the first round it's practically criminal. Thank the Lord the Stars saw something they liked in Mark Fistric.

Honorable Mentions: Mathieu Perreault, Oskar Osala, Braden Holtby

While the issue of the worst draft pick seems pretty cut-and-dry (seriously, if anyone thinks it's someone other than Pokulok, we'd love to hear why), the best pick is up for debate - and we want to know what you think. Vote in the poll, and let us know who you picked in the comments section.

Poll

So, who's the best Capitals draft pick of the decade?

Friday Caps Clips: Freed Alex... Semin, That Is

J.P. — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:43:22 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

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Your savory breakfast links:

Recaps and other assorted musings on last night's cakewalk from Corey (blog, article), Tarik (blog, article), Vogs, Joe B., Ed Frankovic, Peerless, Examiner, Fight For Old DC, TTT Hockey and Caps In Pictures (photos) and Litter Box Cats (show 'em some love, peeps).
Quote of the night: Mike Duco: "I thought [Alexandre Giroux] was going to get back at me after last year, we had a couple battles." Giroux: "I don't know who he is." Maybe Duco mistook Giroux for Greg Amadio or Kyle Wilson. [@abramfox]
Moron, err, more on Duco. [OFB]
Thanks to everyone who rocked the "Free Alex" signs (including some of the guys who literally make this all possible). Very cool. Some screen grabs (pulled from the open thread) and pics after the jump.
Jim Kelley is in the Hockey Hall of Fame for his writing, so you wouldn't expect an inaccurate, irresponsible and outright malicious piece of garbage from him. And yet, here's one on Alex Ovechkin. [SI.com]
On the flip side, George McPhee presents a measured defense of his superstar. [D.C. Sports Bog]
Given the comparisons made in the Kelley hit-piece, "Chris Pronger" doesn't sound all that bad. [NHL.com]
But let's hear from the man himself: "They call me caveman because I don't care what others think of me. I couldn't care less about anyone or anything." So. Very. Awesome. [Uh... here. But you might have missed it in the overnight]
Word of advice: if you want to be taken seriously when writing about a legitimate question (specifically whether or not the Caps should trade Alexander Semin), lose the phrase "[e]ver-improving Tomas Fleischmann." [The Hockey News]
Some love for Eric Fehr over at my old stomping grounds. [FanHouse]
Speaking of FanHouse, thanks to Bruce Ciskie for having me on his podcast earlier in the week. Check it out if you want to here me say pretty much what I've already typed here in the past. [FanHouse]
Sticking with self-promotion, our very own Becca is one odd woman, and is finally being recognized as such. Or something. [Cycle Like the Sedins]
John Carlson talks World Juniors. [Patriot-News]
So does Stefan Della Rovere. [Barrie Examiner]
The AHL has named Graham Mink and Nolan Baumgartner captains for its All-Star teams. Interestingly, both men played their first NHL game for the Caps. [AHL]

(Those two via renstar)

(via Fight For Old DC)

(via kman8924)

Thursday Caps Clips: Panthers @ Caps Game Day

J.P. — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:35:58 -0000

More photos » by John Bazemore - AP

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Your savory breakfast links:

Previews of tonight's Southeast Division match-up between the Caps and Keith "Sunrise Swinger" Ballard and the Kitties from NHL.com and Peerless and be sure to check out our SB Nation partner (and one of the hardest working blogs in blogbiz) Litter Box Cats for coverage from the other side of tonight's match up.
If you're going to the game tonight, might I suggest a "Free Alex" sign?
Whomever's in goal for the Caps tonight... beware. [FanHouse]
"NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell didn't find it difficult to suspend [Alex] Ovechkin" ~~with the Caps facing his son's team next~~ ~~with the Caps not scheduled to be on national television any time soon~~. [NHL.com]
But A.O. ain't changin'. And he's mad. You wouldn't like him when he's mad. Unless you're a Caps fan, in which case you'll probably love him when he's mad. [Capitals Insider]
More thoughts on the suspension and the way he plays the game from The Washington Times, Dan Daly, Ed Frankovic, The Examiner, Elliotte Friedman, the Pittsburgh Penguins (as if you care what they think), the late Johnny Cash (wait, what?), and Ted Leonsis.
Great stuff on Eric Fehr, including the secret to his offensive surge: switching to A.O.'s sticks (we're still awaiting confirmation as to whether Tomas Fleischmann has been using John Erskine's twigs). [D.C. Sports Bog]
James van Riemsdyk's four goals and nine points in 12 games earned him Rookie of the Month honors for November, because apparently that's more impressive than Semyon Varlamov's 5-1-2/1.85/.936 month... [NHL.com]
... even though Varly was the most clutch goalie in the League - rookie or veteran - in November. [USA Today]
Caps prospect Dmitri Kugryshev is currently in the top 10 in the QMJHL in assists, and his favorite player is... Alexander Semin. [FanShot]
"Washington Capitals prospects Stefan Della Rovere and Cody Eakin have been invited to attend the 2010 Canadian National Junior Team Selection Camp, Hockey Canada announced today, while a third Capitals prospect, John Carlson, has been named to the preliminary roster for the 2010 U.S. Junior National Team, USA Hockey announced today." Go get 'em, boys. [Press Release]
Junior Seau talks pucks. Sorta. [Puck Daddy]
Sticking with football, the Caps have a fan in Philly. [D.C. Sports Bog]
Part of me thinks this is a little bit awesome. That part isn't allowed to blog. [eBay via First Cuts]
The Washington Times is "reducing staff by at least 40%. Sports likely to be gone, though nothing official." This is simply terrible news for Caps fans. Not sure what else to say. [@TimLemkeTWT]

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.

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.

Recap: Canadiens 3, Caps 2

J.P. — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:27:09 -0000

More photos » by Luis Alvarez - AP

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

The Caps are a phenomenally skilled hockey club (even without perhaps their most skilled player, Alexander Semin), and when Bruce Boudreau turns his boys loose, they're an absolute joy to watch... on most nights. Trouble is, there are certain teams and styles against which run-and-gun just won't necessarily work. Who are these teams? Well, chances are, if a team has a guy named Jacques behind the bench, they're one of these teams.

And Montreal's got a guy named Jacques behind the bench.

The Caps were stifled in the neutral zone and in the middle of the ice all night, they didn't adjust, and they didn't win. Their two goals were both the result of hard work in the offensive zone - not mad dashes up ice - but in the end, it was too little of that and too much trying to take what just wasn't there.

Ten more notes on the game:

John Carlson's NHL debut was solid, if unspectacular. He got caught out too long on each of his first two shifts (averaging 1:42 on the two), but settled down, rang the crossbar, led the team in hits with five, and finished third among the rearguards in ice time with 17:24, all but four seconds of which came at even strength.
In goal, Michal Neuvirth was victimized by a couple of unlucky (for him) deflections on the first two goals, but wasn't tested much on the night - his teammates outshot the Habs 27-8 over the final two periods.
Speaking of Carlson and Neuvirth, they were two of four Caps (Jay Beagle and Tyler Sloan being the others) who were in Hershey Bears uniforms on the night they won the Calder Cup last year.
Any lingering concerns about Alex Ovechkin's left shoulder entering the game had to have been all but gone after seeing him lead with that shoulder on a big collision with Max Pacioretty just 38 seconds into the game.
Is it a coincide that on the night that another promising young blueliner makes his Caps debut, John Erskine drops the mittens with the toughest guy in the NHL? One gets the impression that Big John knows there's one and only one way he's going to stick around this club... and even that may not be enough.
Mathieu Perreault creates. It's what he does. It doesn't matter what kind of ice time or linemates he has - he works and works and chances happen. Keeper.
As mediocre as Carey Price's numbers are on the season, he's now 4-2-0/1.95/.941 in his last six starts. How 'bout tweeting that, @walsha?
Another game, another injury, this time Tom Poti. No word yet on the particulars (though it sounds like he's out for tomorrow night).
If you thought the Caps had a hard time getting pucks to the net tonight, imagine if Andrei Markov and Hal Gill were healthy.
Three minor penalties taken on the night is a good number overall... except that all three were taken in the third period. That said, the officiating was a bit shaky, to be generous.

And so the Caps head north to take on the Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada. Battered and bruised, trapped and tripped... but at least the game should be a bit more wide open, and thus to their liking.

Game highlights:

Friday Caps Clips: Canadiens @ Caps Game Day

J.P. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:46:45 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

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Your savory breakfast links:

Previews of tonight's Caps/Habs tilt from NHL.com and Peerless, and be sure to check out our SB Nation partner Habs Eyes On The Prize for coverage from the other side of tonight's match up.
The Caps will be without Alexander Semin, Mike Knuble, Boyd Gordon and Quintin Laing tonight, and will likely also not have Jose Theodore, Shaone Morrisonn and Milan Jurcina available.
Prized blueline prospect John Carlson is set to make his NHL debut tonight after being recalled yesterday. [Dump and Chase, CSN Washington, Washington Post, Washington Times]
More on Theodore. [Washington Times]
A couple of Verizon Center thrillers and a Jose Theodore picture that never gets old are among the highlights of the decade's ten best games. [Puck Daddy]
Matt Bradley Week continues #needsmorebradley. [D.C. Sports Bog, Peerless]
Some (more) well-deserved praise for Brendan Morrison. [CBC]
From the "If you say so, Larry" file: Brian Pothier is one of at least four mean Capitals defensemen. [NY Post]
You had me at "Washington Capitals Sparklines." [Missing Monkey Head]
Wondering where the Caps stack up in terms of man-games lost to injury so far? [From the Rink]
A tender moment, captured and uploaded. [Flickr]
Speaking of candids, the three most outgoing Young Guns attended Wednesday night's Wiz game. [D.C. Sports Bog]
A look at the Caps at the quarter pole. [Puck Prospectus]
Arturs Irbe was back in his native Latvia to take part in the NHLPA's Goals & Dreams "10 countries in 10 days" tour. Wait, there's still an NHLPA? [NHLPA Goals & Dreams]
The words say "Malkin is FAR more important than Ovechkin," but what I read is "Crosby stinks." [Rock The Red.net]
Braden Holtby is back in Hershey and has a new mask. Spoiler alert: no more chocolate bars. [John Walton Hockey]
The Bears' special teams are the opposite of the Caps': awesome PK, lousy PP. [LDN]
Eric Mestery is back in Tri-City. Sweet? [Tri-City Herald]
Kids, Navy, Sylvain Cote and, of course, hockey. [The Capital]
Russia: gold medal favorites. Canada: wanting so badly to be able to play the underdog card. [The Hockey News]
Finally, per the HHoF, on this date ten years ago, the Caps "set an NHL record by going 12 consecutive games without allowing a power-play goal, in a 3-0 win at Boston. Craig Billington recorded his 100th career victory (and 8th career shutout)."

November Prospects Update: Goalies and Defensemen

David M. Getz — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:30:31 -0000

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With the first month of the hockey season gone, we've reached a point where performance and statistics, while still suffering from the problem of small sample size, have enough validity that they can be fairly analyzed. With that in mind, we thought it might be a good time to check in on the Capitals organization's prospects and see how they've started the season off.

Below are the team's goaltender and defenseman prospects and how they've performed so far this year:

Goaltenders

Dan Dunn - Dunn, a tall netminder whom the Capitals picked in the sixth round of the 2007 draft, is in his third season with St. Cloud State. The good news is that he's playing more than he has in his first two and his numbers look pretty good. The bad news is that he's still not starting in goal for the Huskies, currently splitting time with freshman Mike Lee.

Dan Dunn	Lge	GP	MIN	W	L	T	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
St. Cloud State	WCHA	3	182	2	1	0	6	1.98	79	73	.924	0

Braden Holtby - Holtby started the season in Hershey, moved to South Carolina when Michal Neuvirth got healthy, and even spent a couple of days in Washington (albeit for salary cap purposes). He started off hot in Hershey but hasn't done as well with the Stingrays.

Braden Holtby	Lge	GP	MIN	W	L	O	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
South Carolina	ECHL	3	183	1	1	1	11	3.60	101	90	.891	0
Hershey	AHL	3	178	2	1	0	3	1.01	90	87	.967	1

Michal Neuvirth - Most Caps fans are, at this point, painfully aware of Semyon Varlamov's early season struggles, last night's solid performance notwithstanding. What they might not be aware of is that Neuvirth is having problems of his own down in Hershey. There's no reason to worry at this point, and the young Czech will almost certainly start putting up better numbers before too long, but it's hard not to be a little bit disappointed.

Michal Neuvirth	Lge	GP	MIN	W	L	T	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
Hershey	AHL	5	299	2	3	0	15	3.01	136	121	.890	0

Defensemen

Karl Alzner - Alzner's numbers aren't eye-popping, but when are they ever? Better question: why isn't he in the NHL yet?

Karl Alzner	Lge	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG	PCT
Hershey	AHL	12	0	1	1	7	4	0	0	0	8	0.0

John Carlson - Carlson just keeps on impressing at every level of play and he's been a beast in the AHL so far this year, putting up eight points to go along with a nice plus-6 rating. Not to mention he has yet to take a single penalty. I'd say we should expect the Capitals to find a spot for him in 2010-11, but this time last year I would have said the same about Alzner for the 2009-10 season.

John Carlson	Lge	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG	PCT
Hershey	AHL	12	1	7	8	6	0	1	0	-	30	3.3

Josh Godfrey - Godfrey hasn't been able to stick in the AHL which, although owing in part to the depth of the Hershey blueline corps, is not a good sign. We've recently criticized George McPhee's asset management and with Mike Green, Jeff Schultz, John Carlson, and Karl Alzner looking like the defensive core of the future and Godfrey struggling to make the AHL team, it might be time to look into trading him for a draft pick or grit in the bottom six.

Josh Godfrey	Lge	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG	PCT
South Carolina	ECHL	7	0	2	2	-3	10	0	0	0	10	0.0

Eric Mestery - Mestery didn't look very good in this summer's prospect camp, but the 2008 second rounder has always been considered a project. He's currently playing his trade for a mediocre Lethbridge Hurricanes team, for whom he sports a team-worst minus-8 rating, though is also chipping on offense.

Eric Mestery	Lge	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG	PCT
Lethbridge	AHL	16	2	5	7	-8	21	2	0	-	-	-

Patrick McNeill - Relatively unheralded and definitely overshadowed, McNeill's put up some pretty good numbers for Hershey over the last couple years. His NHL prospects aren't very strong, but he's a nice guy to have in the organization.

Patrick McNeill	Lge	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG	PCT
Hershey	AHL	11	1	4	5	1	4	0	0	-	19	5.3

Dmitri Orlov - The Caps second round draft pick from last season impressed both the team and fans in camp over the summer. At the moment he's in the KHL, playing with Novokuznetsk Metallurg, but expect him to be in North America (though not a Caps uniform) next season.

Dmitri Orlov	Lge	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG	PCT
Novokuznetsk Metallurg	KHL	19	1	1	2	0	8	0	0	1	21	4.8

Patrick Wey - Drafted out of the USHL and now playing at Boston College, Wey is a defenseman capable of moving the puck in an already-big (6'2'', 200 pounds) and very projectable frame. Given that he was a fourth round pick and has only played a handful of games so far we can't draw too many conclusions, but it is nice that he's cracking the BC lineup.

Patrick Wey	Lge	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG	PCT
Boston College	HE	4	0	0	0	-	2	0	0	0	2	0.0

Be sure to check back tomorrow for an update on how the organization's forwards have fared in the young season.

Wednesday Caps Clips: 'The Graph Is Going Up'

J.P. — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:42:34 -0000

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Your savory breakfast links:

Bruce Boudreau went over the tape of the Devils game and feels better about the game than he did in its immediate aftermath. [Capitals Insider]
The Caps need to be better when the game's on the line. [Washington Times]
Jose Theodore feels great (it's early, of course, but if Brian Pothier was last season's "feel good" story, JT60 sure would make a great one for this year).[Washington Post]
Vogs brings the optimism. [Dump and Chase]
Plenty of coverage of last night's Season Ticket Holders event at Six Flags. [@washcaps, SBN, Alex Ovetjkin, @onfrozenblog, OFB]
Alex Ovechkin is #48 on GQ's list of "The 50 Most Powerful People in D.C." Of course, all the people on the list only have power because Brooks Laich allows them to have it. [GQ]
Set aside an hour to listen to NPR's "Hockey Diaries," featuring Laich and Karl Alzner. It's well worth the time. [Welcome To The Show]
The Caps are down one spot to 11th in ESPN's weekly power rankings, down eight to 13th at TSN.ca (with an astute, if obvious observation), down four to seventh at CBSSports.com, down six to eighth at CBC.ca (where they offer the very insightful "Need to fix a few things, but will be fine"), and down four to fifth right here at SBN.
"10 Burning Questions" with Boyd Gordon. Allow us to add an eleventh: What's with all the flippin' bad penalties, Gordo? [Capitals]
Whether or not it's time to panic, I can't stand being told whether or not it's time to panic (right, Chief?). [Cap Centre]
Really harsh criticism of Alex Semin, who apparently is "a slightly more skilled version of Miroslav Satan or Maxim Afinogenov." Ouch. [Storming the Crease]
The Bears have killed all 17 penalties they've faced so far this season, thanks to "a system similar to what Bruce Boudreau ... used during the 2005-06 Calder Cup season." Maybe they should try that here. [The Patriot-News]
Speaking of Hershey, they've sent Braden Holtby to South Carolina, meaning a) Michal Neuvirth is good to go, and b) the Caps have some serious prospect depth in goal (but we knew that). [The Patriot-News]
And speaking of Holtby, he makes this week's Hot List. [The Hockey News]
We all know that Dobber moves fantasy hockey markets, so when he says buy now on John Carlson, you know what to do. [The Hockey News]
Interesting take on the re-birth of Russian hockey. [SI.com]