Time

Games are 60-minutes long.  Someone should tell the Caps.

Ovie's First Game Back/Skins

This post is not new to the NHL community.  Avery should be given a lifetime ban from the NHL.  His presence on the ice is not becoming of a professional hockey player.  He serves no skill purpose and his act tonight only goes to show that he lowers the game of hockey.  Its "players" like him that keep the NHL from becoming a top 3 sport in the USA.  Tonight, Avery's punch to Varly's face that drew the penalty, that drew the second penalty that unfolded a solid 3 minutes of hockey that should never have been played and the PP goal really disgusts me.  It makes me want to not watch, not attend and not be a fan of the sport of hockey.  Its no surprise that the Rangers play a dirty game, which I honestly disrespect in any sport, but this man takes it to another level, dropping the NHL to a lower level.

As for the game itself, it was pretty intense throughout, thoughts:

• Mathieu Perreault.  I LOVE this guy.  I liked him the second he stepped onto the ice in his first game with the Caps.  He's got that joy in him that I love to see, and I couldn't be happier that our Hershey Farm boy is making a case for a permanent spot.  This is the kind of player we've been looking for from below and its such a joy to see it.  Heres hoping we see more of him, a lot more.  Did you see the passes he made tonight?!!?
• Ovie back, Ovie goal.  Smile.
• Scrappy D.  The Rangers are tough on the Caps when they're at home, but that last beating Varly took at the end was a little more than one would like to see.  The finish was what was needed though, a flip up, an empty net goal.

Skins win.  Not even sure what to say here other than its nice to see Hunter the Punter get another one.  He now has a perfect passer rating of 158.3.  This also makes me smile.  Maybe someone can help me on this, what do you see the skins accomplishing the rest of this season?

Ovie's First Game Out

This is a tough article to write.  I've got to say that with Ovie out and losing only 3-2 with one of those three being almost an "own goal" fluke off of Mike Green, this really wasn't a horrible game.  And honestly, for many players out there it wasn't all that horrible.  Thoughts:

1. Very happy to see Flash on the board again.  I would have liked one from Brooksie too but I'll take it.  The secondary scoring needs to increase and even if its only a trickle for now its nice to see some scoring all around.
2. Discipline!!!  OMG!  I really think we could have won this game, which would have been really great had we stayed out of the box in the third period.  4 Penalties in the 3rd period is NOT acceptable and I really hope BB rips the team a new one for that.  Those penalties alone led to the game winning goal(s).  Without those penalties and that fluke off of Green, Varly had a perfect game.  Unfortunately, that doesn't count for anything.
3. Semin............  Its rare that I wish a player had just "not shown up".  Semin, who was supposed to be the go-to guy with Ovie out, actually hurt the team.  As many penalties as shots on goal!?  Good god man!  And at horrible times too!  There was a post on Japers' a while ago about making a "bold move" and trading a top ranked player to shake things up for the Caps.  I threw my hat in that we should get rid of Green and got burned hard.  Most people suggested we get rid of Semin, to which I highly opposed, but its games like this (and last years playoffs) that make me see the light.  When the pressure is on Semin seems to cave and while I like his skill, hockey is all about the pressure being on.

Overall I'm actually not upset about this game.  MB is a good goalie so throwing down 2 goals isn't the worst outcome.  But I expected more from Semin, we all did.  Bring on friday!

Power of positive thinking

Leading their division by 8 points, 2nd in their conference only 2 points behind the "godly" penguins, 3rd best point total in the NHL, the most goals scored in the NHL and they clearly still have the best player in the world based on stats all through the first 14 games.

These are real results. I don't mean to completely shrug off your concerns about the caps because those issues definitely are also real, but I feel like you may be starting to nudge the panic button a little too early. I am actually glad that there are some exposed issues with the team that need to be addressed because we still have the whole rest of the regular season to address them, whether that be through trades at the deadline or an altering of how they prepare for games (Are you listing Brucie?), but the good news is that there is so much time to fix these problems.

And yes, when you sit with 20 points after 14 games, those issues ARE minor in the grand scheme of things. One of the things we have to remember is that we feel like the Caps are making so many more mistakes than other teams and such because we only FOCUS on the caps while watching a whole game. The truth is, every team in the league throughout the course of a game can take stupid penalties, make boneheaded plays, poor saves, etc. but we don't really see them. And yes, even the really good teams can do this.

Now, I'm not saying that we shouldn't keep these issues that they have in the back of our minds and look to find improvement as the season goes on. If they are still having trouble playing a full 60 minutes and if they still take too many costly penalties in April, THEN I will begin to panic because the course of the season did not help correct their issues. But don't forget what happened to Pitt last year. Half way through the season, they weren't even sitting in a playoff spot, then they turned it on in the last quarter and well...you know the rest.

Now, about Ovie's injury. Clearly, I want him back as soon as possible, but to be completely honest, I think that this could be a slight blessing in disguise for this team. They NEED to learn to come together as a team and compete as a team unit without relying on the fact that Ovie is the best player in the world and could single handedly win for them. Precisely what this team needs right now in order to help right themselves is 3-4 games without Ovie when they will have to rely on teamwork more. Whether or not they answer the call will have to be seen, but I am hopeful because this blog is filled with too much negative thinking about our teams. Think positive and lets assess this team's chances at the cup again at the midpoint of the season.

"Impeach Dan Snyder". Can we make a fortune selling these bumper stickers you think?

Capitals Woes

Two losses, Ovie injured.

The caps are in a precarious position.  For a team who is supposed to have their best chance for a Cup this year, they don't know how to play 60 minutes of hockey.  For the 14th game this year, whether it be a win or loss, the Caps are not playing like they are a playoff hockey team.  On any given night, anything can happen, and that's NOT how a playoff team plays.

Now, yes, I understand that its "early" in the season and our record is "pretty good" and Ovie has a better start than any season so far, but thats not how it looks out there.  Sloppy and inconsistent.  Some thoughts:

1. Ovie injured.  There is nothing more scary than this.  Lets hope its nothing serious, and doesn't come back to bite him through his career.
2. Brooksie with two goals.  This is also interesting.  Hes been hungry all season and been a little unlucky but also a little tame.  He needs to be more aggressive.  I think if he were, he'd be a great addition to this team's scoring.
3. Mistakes.  From Green's "shank pass" last night to Theodore's leaving the net and the bad bounce tonight, it seems like the Caps are playing too nonchalantly.  Many of these snafus are costing us goals.
4. Penalties.  I know we're lower on the "PIM/GM" list, but what that doesn't show is the timing of those penalties.  Taking a penalty when you are up 4-3 with 2:30 left in the game is how you lose games.

I've been told I hold the Caps to too high a standard.  Expecting them to win most games may not be wholly realistic.  I don't agree.  You get to the playoffs two years in a row, taking the best team in the league to a seven game series, its time for some real results.  President's trophy, Stanley Cup, these are the records this team needs, else 20 years from now, not many people will remember Alexander Ovechkin.  And it wont be his fault.