SB Nation User Blog: J.P.

The Washington Capitals: 99% Entertaining

J.P. — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:23:14 -0000

More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

Believe it or not, the Washington Capitals have plowed through nearly a quarter of their schedule already (didn't Rookie Camp end, like, last week?). And for Caps fans - who wake up this morning to see their team atop the Eastern Conference standings (and with the League's fewest regulation losses) - most of the first quarter of the season has been pretty enjoyable, at least from an entertainment standpoint.

How so? Besides the ever-entertaining cast of characters donning the red, white and blue on a nightly basis, the Caps have been in every game they've played and have kept fans on the edges of their seats... when they're not standing up cheering goals, that is (and at bargain prices, no less).

Consider that the Caps have played just over 1,097 minutes of hockey this season. For a shade over 223 of those minutes, they've had a lead of two goals or more and have been down two goals (but never more) for just under 14 minutes (including last night's stretch of 6:48 down a pair). What that means is that approximately 20% of the time this season, the Caps have had a cushioned lead, 79% of the time they've been either up or down a goal or tied, and just over 1% of the time, they've been behind by more than one Alex Ovechkin one-timer or Alex Semin laser.

The team's win percentage in one-goal games leaves something to be desired, but the Caps are a combined 6-0-0 in games decided by two or more goals and are one of only five teams yet to lose a two-goal game, one of only two not to get blown out by three or more, and the only one not to be beaten by two or more yet this season.

So while the Caps still have a lot to work on as a team, one thing they seem to have down pat is keeping their fans engaged game-to-game... even if some of that late-game excitement is self-created (and not in a good way).

Thursday Caps Clips: Captain Clinch

J.P. — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:29:34 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

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Your savory breakfast links:

Recaps and other assorted musings on last night's win from Corey (blog, article), Tarik (blog, article), Vogs, Joe B., Examiner (story, notes), Puck Daddy, OFB, Ed Frankovic, Peerless, Puckhead, Simply Sensational, Caps In Pictures, Lighthouse Hockey (Isles), and Fight for Old DC.
In other news, Michael Nylander to Minsk seems to be a done deal. [RDS]
Or not. [In The Room]
Gary Bettman spoke with local media prior to last night's game. [@washcaps]
It looks like the League is serious about addressing headshots. Money quote from George McPhee (who apparently softened his position on the issue): "Every once in a while, you have to sit back and say, 'That hit may be legal, but is there something wrong with it?'" Couldn't agree more. [Sporting News, From the Rink]
Mathieu Perreault on his first NHL goal: "I reacted silly." Hopefully there's plenty more silliness to come. [Patriot-News]
The Caps are the 20th most valuable team in the League, but take that with a huge grain of salt. [Forbes]
Eighteen skaters in the NHL faster than Mike Green? I'll take the under. [The Hockey Writers]
Goof on it all you want, but Alex Ovechkin making a cameo on TMZ says something mighty impressive about his star power. [Welcome to the Show]
AskMen.com counts down AO's Top 10 goals. Go for the list, stay for... well, other stuff. [AskMen.com]
Finding it hard to get out of work and make it to the games on time? Cutting out the wardrobe change might save a few minutes... and here's just the thing to help make that happen. [Puck Daddy]
Agent Steinz = bored. [D.C. Sports Bog]
"Vote for Sasha Pokulok as the Condors bobblehead!!" No snark needed. [Facebook]
Finally, happy 47th birthday to Mark Hunter.

Game Day Open Thread - Islanders @ Caps

J.P. — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:19:47 -0000

Next Game

New York Islanders
@ Washington Capitals

Wednesday, Nov 11, 2009, 7:00 PM EST
Verizon Center

Wednesday Caps Clips: Islanders @ Caps Game Day

posted by J.P. about 10 hours ago

222 comments | 0 recs

Complete Coverage >

Tonight's probable netminders:

	GP	MIN	W	L	O	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
Jose Theodore	12	655	5	2	4	0	31	2.84	336	305	.908	0

	GP	MIN	W	L	O	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
Dwayne Roloson	9	526	5	1	3	0	24	2.74	278	254	.914	0

Have at it, people.

Wednesday Caps Clips: Islanders @ Caps Game Day

J.P. — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:14:55 -0000

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Your savory breakfast links:

Previews of tonight's Caps/Isles game (Really? These guys again?) from Vogs, NHL.com, Peerless and Rock The Red.net, and be sure to check out our SB Nation partner Lighthouse Hockey for coverage from the other side of tonight's match up.
Infirmary report: Jeff Schultz is out, Mike Green is in, Alexander Semin has a brace on his wrist, Boyd Gordon is getting closer, and what's-his-name is "day-to-day" (unless he's joking again). [Capitals Insider]
Is today Michael Nylander Day, or just another tease?
Mathieu Perreault's NHL career is off to a nice start. [Washington Post]
The Morrison/Mike Knuble effect. [Washington Times]
Huge thanks to @chaddukes and @LaVarArrington (a.k.a. "The LaVar Arrington Show with Chad Dukes") for the shout out yesterday (discussing this post that we ran the other day regarding the risk of Alex Ovechkin's contract) and for providing islands of Caps coverage amid a sea of Redskins bloviating. Check it out, including a must-listen interview with Chris Clark in Segment 2. [Segment 1, Segment 2, Segment 3, Segment 4 (audio)]
Brendan Morrison compares AO to Pavel Bure. [Vancouver Sun]
Ovechkin is only the sixth-most valuable player (second among skaters) in the League so far this season... [Puck Prospectus]
... but he certainly is clutch (as are a trio of other Caps)... [The Hockey News]
... and is a dominant force in the offensive zone. [Behind The Net]
Of course, he's still an easy target for ~~xenophobes~~ haters. [Sportsnet]
More power rankings, with the Caps up a spot to third here at SBN and up four spots to second at CBSSports.com.
It's important to know your ABC's... or at least your A, U, W and X. [The Whig Standard]
Steve Kolbe "Takes 5" with Tyler Sloan. [Capitals (audio)]
Episode 2 of "Caps on the Fly" featuring Green and Bob Woods, for your viewing pleasure. [Caps365 (video)]
Nicklas Backstrom is a fantastic value... at the moment. [Puck Prospectus]
Speaking of Backstrom, even if you're not quite fluent in Swedish, there's some pretty cool stuff in this video (from about the 5:20 mark on). [Hockeykväll (video)]
Remember when AO wasn't suspended for his alleged slew foot in Atlanta? Well, Colin Campbell was just following the League's well-established guidelines for discipline. [Down Goes Brown]
Keith Aucoin had a nice homecoming last weekend (though he would rather have been traveling from Miami to D.C., we're sure). [New England Hockey Journal]
Courage! It couldn't come at a better time. [Hockey Mom]
The Florida man who claimed to have supplied the Caps with 'roids has pled guilty to Federal steroids charges. [Tampa Bay Online]
Cody Eakin on dangerous hits. [Edmonton Sun]
More than you could ever need to read about Sami Lepisto. [Hockey's Future]
On this day back in 1981, the Caps named Bryan Murray head coach. Murray still sits atop the franchise coaching leaderboards for wins, losses, games coached and ~~lispy post-game pressers~~ playoff disappointments.
Happy 55th birthday to Michel Bergeron and happy 37th to personal fave Steve Konowalchuk.
Finally, a very heart-felt thanks on this Veteran's Day to every man and woman who has put themselves in harm's way so that we can live the lives we live (and know that you're in our thoughts on the other 364 days of the year, too).

Michael Nylander "Heading to Russia"

J.P. — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:36:58 -0000

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Per Bob McKenzie on Twitter, "Nylander heading to Russia."

Update (12:24 PM): "Nylander makes the final call on whether he's going to Russia but it looks like he's prepared to do it. Not formalized just yet, though." - @TSNBobMcKenzie

(12:48 PM): "And since this Russian thing looked like it was going to get done a time or two before and didn't, we better wait for official confirmation." - @TSNBobMcKenzie

(1:17 PM): "[A] team official said it looks like there WON'T be an update on Michael Nylander's status today." - @cmasisak22

(1:49 PM): "Caps forward Mikael [sic] Nylander looks as though he's headed to Russia. The 37-year-old cleared waivers yesterday and, with his permission, he can now be assigned to a KHL team. That paperwork is still being finalized so the move is not yet official." - TSN

(1:50 PM): "An overseas move now seems imminent for former Washington Capital Center Michael Nylander. The 37-year old is reportedly weighing an offer from Dynamo Minsk of Russia's Kontinental Hockey League." - CSN Washington

More details to follow.

An Early Look at Penalty Plus‑Minus

J.P. — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:32:05 -0000

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"For us, discipline has been a problem all year, an Achilles' heel." - Brooks Laich, 5/12

"We need to remain disciplined, staying out of the box is a big key for our team." - Brendan Morrison, 10/20

"We need to take leadership and take ownership of the dumb things we're doing. We have to stop it." - Mike Knuble, 11/4

The more things change, eh?

Actually, yes, to a degree. Entering play last night, the Caps had committed the 12th-fewest minor penalties per game in the League, a marked improvement over a season ago, when only a half-dozen teams committed more minors than the Caps (in raw numbers, the Caps' minors-per-game is down from 5.05 in 2008-09 to 4.35 so far this season). And despite a couple of memorably bad back-to-back games (against Columbus and New Jersey), the Caps have faced three or fewer power-play-opportunities-against in five of their last eight games (going shorthanded just twice in four of those five). So even if the team individuals on the team need to work on the "when" and the "where" of the penalties, discipline overall has been improving.

At the same time, the Caps are drawing more penalties than they did last season, up from 19th in the League to 7th, from 4.11 power plays per game to 4.41. Now if only the extra man unit could catch fire...

But enough about this whole "team" concept - let's focus on the individuals who are taking and drawing these penalties.

Back in late March, we took a look at "penalty plus-minus," that is, simply, the difference between the penalties a given player has drawn and those he's taken - the power play opportunities he's creating and the penalties he's forcing his teammates to try to kill. It's all after the jump.

First, a look at the forwards, ranked by penalty plus-minus per sixty minutes of five-on-five ice time (and we're just looking at five-on-five non-coincidental penalties; PD is penalties drawn, PT penalties taken, +/- the difference and +/-Per60 the +/- per sixty minutes of five-on-five ice time):

Player	PD	PT	+/-	+/-Per60
Alexandre Giroux	2	0	2	5.9
Eric Fehr	2	0	2	2.0
Mathieu Perreault	1	0	1	1.8
Quintin Laing	4	0	4	1.8
Matt Bradley	5	1	4	1.4
Chris Clark	6	4	2	0.7
Nicklas Backstrom	5	2	3	0.7
David Steckel	3	1	2	0.7
Brooks Laich	2	2	0	0.0
Keith Aucoin	0	0	0	0.0
Alexander Semin	6	6	0	0.0
Alex Ovechkin	4	4	0	0.0
Boyd Kane	1	1	0	0.0
Tomas Fleischmann	0	0	0	0.0
Mike Knuble	7	7	0	0.0
Brendan Morrison	2	4	-2	-0.5
Boyd Gordon	0	4	-4	-5.3

And now the blueliners, same criteria apply:

Player	PD	PT	+/-	+/-Per60
Mike Green	5	5	0	0.0
Tom Poti	1	1	0	0.0
Brian Pothier	0	2	-2	-0.5
Shaone Morrisonn	3	6	-3	-0.7
John Erskine	1	2	-1	-0.7
Jeff Schultz	0	3	-3	-1.0
Tyler Sloan	0	2	-2	-1.1
Milan Jurcina	0	5	-5	-1.3

So what have we got?

Up front, to see checkers like Matt Bradley and Quintin Laing so solidly in the black thus far speaks to how well they've done been doing their jobs at five-aside.
Raise your hand if you'd have guessed that Chris Clark has drawn 50% more penalties than he's taken. Or that he's 25th in the League in penalties drawn (forwards only). Not too many hands raised...
Brooks Laich was a stud in this metric a year ago, drawing 23 penalties and taking only five. For whatever reason, he hasn't drawn 'em at nearly that rate this year (0.6 per sixty, down from 1.5).
In fact, most of the Caps' skill forwards aren't fairing too well here, with a nominal "top seven" (Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin, Knuble, Morrison, Fleischmann and Laich) having a combined rating of plus-one.
Of course, that may have been somewhat predictable, given that Ovechkin, Backstrom and Semin combined for an even rating last season, Flash was two in the red, Knuble took twice as many as he drew, and BMo was plus-one. Still, you'd like to see your skill guys drawing a lot more penalties than they're taking.
Only nine forwards have drawn more penalties than Knuble has thus far... but only four have taken more.
Boyd Gordon... tough start, buddy.
On the backline, Tom Poti is second among the team's defensemen in even-strength ice time and has played against the toughest competition, and yet has taken only one minor penalty (and has a plus-four rating). Pretty remarkable.
Mike Green is second among the League's rearguards in penalties drawn.
No surprise to see Milan Jurcina at the bottom of this list - it's where he was last season, too.

The takeaway from this is that the Caps, in general, seem to be getting with the program as far as discipline goes, and are also drawing more penalties than they did a year ago - in both areas, the team is trending in the right direction. So despite a handful of penalties and a few games that we all wish we could forget, it's important to step back and see the forest for the trees from time to time... and this forest is looking better than it used to.

Tuesday Caps Clips: Ovi Jokes, Nyles Clears

J.P. — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:33:10 -0000

via Caps In Pictures

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Your savory breakfast links:

So it was all a big joke. Ha ha? [ESPN.com]
Of course, that doesn't stop some writers from speculating that there's trouble brewin' between the Caps and their franchise player. Silly. [The Star]
In the other news of the day, Michael Nylander cleared waivers and George McPhee announced that... he'll talk about it today... [Caps365 (video)]
... which means it's time to see who's got sources. The leader in the clubhouse? Tarik El-Bashir (who did a great job all day at CI) with his Dynamo Minsk nugget.
Unrelated, one would assume, Minsk is the team by which Glen Hanlon was just recently canned. [FanShot]
Only one U.S.-based team is ahead of the Caps in season-to-date paid admissions. Amazing. [Ted's Take]
And that's with the Caps being a great bargain. [WTimes]
Speaking of the Times, big shake-up over there yesterday that had better not impact our hockey coverage. [Washington Post]
A new batch of power rankings are out with the Caps up three spots to fourth at The Hockey News, up one to second at The Sporting News, up three to second at the L.A. Times and holding at fifth at TSN.
Mike Knuble is a fab puck deflector... [Behind The Net]
... a skill that helped him net Hockey Night's First Star for the weekend. [CBC]
Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green and Boyd Gordon filmed a quick message for the ~~ladies~~ fans on Saturday night. [GreenLife52.com]
Semyon Varlamov is "fighting for the 3rd goalie spot" for the Russian Olympic Team. At this point, you've got to say he's got a worse chance to win that fight than Matt Bradley has to win his next tilt (and Brads is currently riding an 11-fight winless streak, per HockeyFights.com). [@dchesnokov]
"Tomas Fleischmann" and "fantasy" together in an article that doesn't use "Bruce Boudreau" to link the two. [ESPN]
Speaking of Gabby, if there's one thing we'd like to see more of in his "Behind the Bench" segment, it's specifics about the current team. We get our wish this week, and you'll never guess about whom he gushes. [Capitals]
Elliotte Friedman's weekly column is a must-read - click for the Alex Semin zinger, stay for the knowledge. [CBC]
Four American Caps honor the troops. [Capitals, Caps365 (video)]
The Caps have three of the top 19 players in the "Three Stars Standings." [NHL.com]
From the "No [Stuff]" file, the Caps are D.C.'s Best Team. [Express Night Out]
Peter Bondra's on the list of next year's first-time-Hall-of-Fame-eligible players. It would be a pretty major surprise if he was elected. [Slam!]
Bear Tracks! [LDN]
On this date back in 2001, the Caps traded Trevor Linden and a second round pick in 2002 to Vancouver for a 2002 first round pick with which they selected Boyd Gordon and a 2003 third rounder (that the Caps moved to Edmonton for Mike Grier and which the Oil used on Zack Stortini).
Finally, happy 53rd birthday to Greg Carroll.

Capital Ups and Downs: Week 6

J.P. — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:44:23 -0000

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

Goalies	Trend	Notes
Jose Theodore	▲	A strong performance on Friday night in Sunrise earned him Saturday's start in which he looked understandably less sharp. Still, a 2-0-0/2.51/.912 week keeps his hold on the #1 spot firm.
Semyon Varlamov	-	To the untrained eye, he looked pretty good in Jersey. But Bruce Boudreau didn't see it that way (calling two of the three goals allowed "iffy"), so Varly stays in Chez Bow Wow and doesn't get a start against a bad team in a back-to-backs when the #1 guy has a recent history of back spasms.

Defensemen
John Erskine	▲	Shaking off the rust after missing nearly a month, has a plus-five rating over his last four games.
Mike Green	-	Had his nine-game scoring streak snapped in Jersey, then was injured early in Florida. Get well soon, GreenLife52.
Milan Jurcina	-	Ugly minus-four on Saturday night (though his play wasn't as bad as that would seem to indicate), has still yet to find the back of the net this season and is pointless and averaging just one shot per game in his last ten.
Shaone Morrisonn	▼	Didn't register a single shot last week... except for the boarding late in Friday night's game.
Brian Pothier	▲	Responded to Wednesday's healthy scratch with a goal, three assists and a plus-six rating over the next two games (which included loads of PP time with Green out).
Tom Poti	-	An assist and a plus-three rating in Saturday's stat-padder, but wasn't credited with a shot on goal all week.
Jeff Schultz	-	Injured on Friday night, missed on Saturday.

Swingman
Tyler Sloan	▲	Versatility earns him his own position on this list. Had a pair of goals as a forward and played well when shifted back to D on Friday, but struggled on the blueline Saturday.

Forwards
Nicklas Backstrom	-	Seemed to get his groove back once paired with Fleischmann and Knuble, ended the week with three helpers, a plus-three rating and a 56.3% faceoff win rate.
Matt Bradley	-	A beautiful pass to set up Laing's goal (and some wrestling) on Saturday night highlight his week.
Chris Clark	▲	Helpers in each of the week's three games and a fight in Jersey. Good stuff, Cap'n.
Eric Fehr	-	Finally got back in the lineup Saturday and produced an assist in limited ice time.
Tomas Fleischmann	▲	Three goals, one assist and a plus-four rating for the week and five goals and seven points in his last five games overall. We are all, for the moment, seeing Flash as Gabby has always seen him.
Boyd Gordon	-	Still hurt (and the PK still misses him). His games played by season over the last three campaigns: 71, 67, 63. Expect 59 this year?
Mike Knuble	▲	Two goals, three assists and a plus-four rating over the weekend is how a veteran rebounds from a couple of bad games in a row.
Brooks Laich	▲	18 points in 17 games on the season, including four last week. Laich also hasn't taken a penalty in his last nine games and has just two minors on the campaign.
Quintin Laing	-	Had one more goal than and the same number of shots as Alex Semin last week. Another interesting Q stat: he's been credited with fewer blocked shots on the year than Knuble or Backstrom.
Brendan Morrison	▲	Called out by his coach for a bad penalty in Jersey, responds with two goals on Friday.
Michael Nylander	-	Has agreed to be put on waivers, still would have to agree to any loan to another league (KHL, AHL, etc.), but it's another step closer to what everyone wants.
Alex Ovechkin	-	Of the countless AO vids on YouTube, this has to be just about my least favorite. It's gonna be a long ~~4-5 weeks~~ wait...
Mathieu Perreault	▲	A burst of energy who has made Chris Clark and Tyler Sloan look like serviceable NHL wingers, which is no small accomplishment.
Alexander Semin	▼▼	One down arrow wasn't enough to capture the disappointment of what Semin is doing with his opportunity to be the team's top scoring threat. No points and as nearly many offensive-zone minor penalties (five) as shots on goal (six) for the week. Brutal.
David Steckel	▼	The only Caps forward still looking for his first goal of the season (minimum seven games played), Steckel was point-less on the week and was on the ice for all three power play goals the Caps surrendered in the three games. He did win 62.5% of his draws overall, however.

Monday Caps Clips: Another Week Begins

J.P. — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:42:14 -0000

via the shoebox next to my desk

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Your savory breakfast links:

Mathieu Perreault sure is a l'il sparkplug, ain't he? [CSN Washington]
Odd choice for a "Getting to Know" feature in a national pub. [The Hockey News]
CSN's Russ Thaler sticks up for buddy Dmitry Chesnokov on the "4-5 Weeksgate" front. [CSN Washington]
It's still anyone's guess as to how long Alex Ovechkin will be sidelined, but in case you were wondering, the fewest games played by a Hart Trophy winner (modern era, non-goalie, non-lockout year) in his MVP season? 60, Mario Lemiuex in 1992-93 (Le Magnifique had 69 goals and 91 assists in those 60 games).
How 'bout that Flash? [Examiner]
A look at the Caps' goaltending situation from a fantasy perspective (and by "fantasy," I don't mean "Jose Theodore fully recaptures his Hart/Vezina form"). [The Hockey News]
Keith Aucoin has scored five goals since being returned to Hershey and Michal Neuvirth seems to be finding his groove, having now won three-straight (saving 76 of 80 shots along the way), including Sunday night's win in Providence. [Bears]
The captain of Sweden's U-20 team, Marcus Johansson (yes, that one), isn't intimidated by playing on North American-sized rinks. Good. [The Charlatan]
Former Cap Pat Peake is now coaching 'em up and has brought in a former boxer to teach his players how to defend themselves. The kicker? His players are 14-years-old. [Detroit Free Press (h/t KK)]

Alex Ovechkin to Miss 4-5 Weeks? Not So Fast...

J.P. — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:36:08 -0000

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Earlier this afternoon, Puck Daddy's Dmitry Chesnokov published an interview in which injured Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin was quoted as saying that he "will miss 4-5 weeks."

Per a team spokesman, however, "The Washington Capitals dispute the validity of this report."

Stay tuned.

Update (9/9, 1:15 PM): Per @cmasisak 22, "Ovechkin says he feels better today and only hopes to be out a week. He says he was joking Saturday."