Game #22 Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Where: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia

When: November 23, 2007, 1:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 8-2-3-1
Caps Game 22 Record: 13-14-4-1
All-Time vs. PHI: 62-91-19-0
Last Season vs. PHI: 4-0-0
Last Meeting: 11/2/07, WAS 2 PHI 3

This Year:
WAS Record: 6-14-1
Standings Points: 13
Division Rank: 5^th
Conference Rank: 15^th
Last Game: 11/21/2007, WAS 1 ATL 5
Streak: Loss 5

PHI Record: 12-7-1
Standings Points: 25
Division Rank: 2^nd
Conference Rank: 5^th
Last Game: 11/21/2007, PHI 6 CAR 3
Streak: Win 1

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 25 KOZLOV, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 2: 43 FLEISCHMANN, 92 NYLANDER, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 3: 18 PETTINGER, 39 STECKEL, 15 GORDON
Forward Line 4: 87 BRASHEAR, 19 BACKSTROM, 21 LAICH
Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 55 SCHULTZ
Defense Pair 2: 2 POTHIER, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 3: 3 POTI, 4 ERSKINE
Goalie: 37 KOLZIG
Back-up Goalie: 1 JOHNSON

Philadelphia
Forward Line 1: 19 HARTNELL, 18 RICHARDS, 9 UPSHALL
Forward Line 2: 32 COTE, 48 BRIERE, 15 LUPUL
Forward Line 3: 55 EAGER, 20 UMBERGER, 22 KNUBLE
Forward Line 4: 17 CARTER, 53 TOLPEKO, 24 KAPANEN
Defense Pair 1: 21 SMITH, 44 TIMONEN
Defense Pair 2: 28 KUKKONEN, 5 COBURN
Defense Pair 3: 8 FITZPATRICK, 6 JONES
Goalie: 43 BIRON
Back-up Goalie: 30 NIITTYMAKI

Injuries:
Washington – 14 FEHR (hip) IR
Philadelphia – 2 HATCHER (knee) IR, 12 GAGNE (dizziness) IR, 3 RATHJE (hip/back) IR

Caps Milestones:
Matt Pettinger will play in his 300^th career NHL game
Alexander Semin needs 3 Points to reach 100 for his career
Chris Clark needs 1 Points to reach 100 with the Capitals
Matt Pettinger needs 5 Points to reach 100 for his career
Brian Pothier needs 5 Points to reach 100 for his career
Tom Poti needs 2 Assists to reach 200 for his career
Michal Nylander needs 6 Goals to reach 200 for his career

Preview:
The Capitals start a new era with Bruce Boudreau taking over as head coach. His uses an aggressive style to force opponents to turnover pucks and press the attack. After one practice will have to see how quickly the players pickup the new system. Look for the team to be a bit more lively this game. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Brashear fight in the first period.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 2 PHI 4

Official Preview

Capitals Glen Hanlon Fired As Head Coach

From the Capitals Website,

"ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have relieved Glen Hanlon of his coaching duties and named Bruce Boudreau the team’s interim head coach, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.

Boudreau, 52, has coached championship teams in the American Hockey League (AHL) and the ECHL and is in his third year as the head coach of the Hershey Bears, Washington’s AHL affiliate. He led the team to the Eastern Conference championship and the Calder Cup finals in each of his first two years in Hershey, winning the Calder Cup in 2006. Boudreau has compiled a 103-45-11-16 record with the Bears (a .666 winning percentage), including an AHL-best 51-17-6-6 record (.713) last season. Seven current members of the Capitals played for Boudreau with the Bears.

Boudreau becomes the 14th coach in Washington Capitals history. He will make his debut behind the Capitals’ bench tomorrow at Philadelphia (1 p.m., Comcast SportsNet, Talk Radio 3WT: 107.7 FM, 1500 AM, 820 AM).

Boudreau is in his ninth season as an AHL head coach, having compiled a 340-216-56-43 career record. He spent four years with the Manchester Monarchs and two years with the Lowell Lock Monsters before joining the Bears. Before ascending to the AHL, he was the head coach and director of hockey operations for the Mississippi Sea Wolves (ECHL), where he won the 1999 Kelly Cup championship.

After making his head-coaching debut in the Colonial Hockey League with the Muskegon Fury in 1992-93, Boudreau took over the Fort Wayne Komets of the International Hockey League (IHL) in 1993-94. The Komets advanced to the Turner Cup finals his first season at the controls, and Boudreau was named the 1993-94 IHL coach of the year.

Boudreau played parts of eight seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks, recording 70 points in 141 NHL games. A third-round pick of the Leafs in the 1975 NHL draft, Boudreau enjoyed one of the best seasons ever by a Canadian junior player during 1974-75. He picked up 165 points for the Toronto Marlboros, a Canadian Hockey League record until Wayne Gretzky surpassed the mark during the 1977-78 season.

An outstanding AHL player, Boudreau ranks 11th all-time in scoring in league history with 316 goals and 799 points. No AHL player in the 1980s notched more points than Boudreau, as he played for the New Brunswick Hawks, Baltimore Skipjacks, Nova Scotia Oilers, Springfield Indians and Newmarket Saints during that time. He won the 1987-88 John B. Sollenberger Trophy for leading the league in scoring, and was also a member of the 1992 Calder Cup champion Adirondack Red Wings.

No timetable has been set for naming a head coach beyond Boudreau’s interim status. The rest of the Capitals coaching staff will remain in place."

Capitals 1 Thrashers 5

Not much can be said about last night's performance. The Caps played well up until they scored the first goal. It was all downhill from there. Ilya Kovalchuk had a 4 point night and Toby Enstrom had 3 assists for the Thrashers who put the Caps away 5-1. Luckily, there is only one day to think about it or unlucky as the Caps play Philly on Friday.

Of Note:

• Alex Ovechkin scored a power play goal. It was his 112th career goal tying him with Dino Ciccarelli for 20th on the Capitals All-Time Goal List.
  
• Thats all I have today. Enjoy your turkey and tomorrow is a new day.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Super Stats

Game #21 Washington Capitals vs. Atlanta Thrashers

Where: Verizon Centre, Washington, DC

When: November 21, 2007, 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 7-5-2-0
Caps Game 21 Record: 16-9-7-0
All-Time vs. ATL: 21-14-5-4
Last Season vs. ATL: 3-3-2
Last Meeting: 11/6/07, WAS 1 ATL 2 (OT)

This Year:
WAS Record: 6-13-1
Division Rank: 5^th
Conference Rank: 15^th
Last Game: 11/19/07, WAS 3 FLA 4
Streak: Loss 4

ATL Record: 10-10-0
Division Rank: 3^rd
Conference Rank: Tied 9^th
Last Game: 11/19/07, ATL 4 TAM 3 (OT)
Streak: Win 3

Game 1: 10/5/07, WAS 3 ATL 1
Game 2: 11/6/07, WAS 1 ATL 2 (OT)

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 25 KOZLOV, 17 CLARK,
Forward Line 2: 43 FLEISCHMANN, 92 NYLANDER, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 3: 18 PETTINGER, 19 BACKSTROM, 21 LAICH
Forward Line 4: 87 BRASHEAR, 15 GORDON, 39 STECKEL
Defense Pair 1: 3 POTI, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 2: 26 MORRISONN, 55 SCHULTZ
Defense Pair 3: 2 POTHIER, 4 ERSKINE
Goalie: 37 KOLZIG
Back-up Goalie: 1 JOHNSON

Atlanta
Forward Line 1: 17 KOVALCHUK, 12 WHITE, 18 HOSSA
Forward Line 2: 13 KOZLOV, 11 PERRIN, 38 HAYDAR
Forward Line 3: 9 DUPUIS, 44 LITTLE, 27 THORBURN
Forward Line 4: 29 LARSEN, 16 HOLIK, 23 SLATER,
Defense Pair 1: 2 EXELBY, 22 KLEE
Defense Pair 2: 77 ZHITNIK, 28 HAVELID
Defense Pair 3: 39 ENSTROM, 7 POPOVICH
Goalie: 1 HEDBERG
Back-up Goalie: 33 PAVELEC

Injuries:
Washington – 14 FEHR (hip) IR
Atlanta – 20 Rucchin (concussion) IR, 32 LEHTONEN (groin) IR

Caps Milestones:
Alexander Semin needs 3 Points to reach 100 for his career
Chris Clark needs 1 Points to reach 100 with the Capitals
Matt Pettinger needs 5 Points to reach 100 for his career
Brian Pothier needs 6 Points to reach 100 for his career
Tom Poti needs 2 Assists to reach 200 for his career
Michal Nylander needs 6 Goals to reach 200 for his career

Preview:
The Capitals are mired in a 4 game losing streak and have won only 3 of their last 17 games. They take on the extremely hot Atlanta Thrashers who have won their last 4 games and got back to the .500 mark on Monday. I thought I saw a switch thrown in the 3^rd period of the Caps last game against Florida. It seemed like the team actually came to life. They believed they would score and they did. They put together a good period and hopefully it will carryover into tonight’s match up. I’m afraid to think what might happen if it doesn’t. Look for the Caps to be more aggressive around the net and try to put some goals on the board. Also look for the Alex and Alex show to make something happen. If they continue the play from Monday the Caps will win. That’s a bold statement for sure, but why not.

Joe’s prediction: Caps end streak, Caps 4 ATL 2

Official Preview

Capitals 3 Panthers 4

Another 1-goal loss as the Caps fall to the Panthers at the Phone Booth. After sleepwalking through the first two periods as the Caps have seemingly done for the past 16 games or so, something changed in the third period of last nights game. I'm not quite sure what it was but there seemed to be a belief that they could and would score. They had the Panthers reeling for most of the period and scored twice. Once by Alexander Semin at even strength and the other by Chris Clark on the power play. However, it was not enough to erase the deficit built over the previous two periods. We'll have to see if this will carry over into Wednesday's match with Atlanta, and I may be the only one who was actually encouraged by what I saw but let's hope that third period effort will continue.

Of Note:

• After missing 9 games with an ankle sprain, Alexander Semin scored his first goal of the year. He batted the puck out of mid-air past the Florida goaltender.
• Alex Ovechkin extended his most recent points streak to 5 games with an assist on the Clark power play goal.
• Michal Nylander recored 2 assists on the night.
• Brooks Laich has goals in back-to-back games. He scored a shorthanded goal, the second of the year for the Caps and the 4th of his his career.
• The Caps out shot Florida 30 to 26 but were out drawn in face-offs 31 to 24.
• The power play was 1 for 5 for the Caps, but they could not convert on a 5-on-3 in the second period. The PK did well stopping 3 Florida power play attempts.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Super Stats

Capitals Trade Sutherby to Anaheim Ducks

According to Dump and Chase, Brian Sutherby has been traded to the Anaheim Ducks for a 2009 2nd round draft pick.

Sutherby played in 5 games for the Capitals this season scoring 1 goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was taken by the Capitals in the 1st round, 26th overall, in the 2000 entry draft. He played parts of 6 seasons for the organization. He was a rough competitor and wore the Alternate Captain's "A" but with the depth at center there just didn't seem to be a place for him. He should fit in well with the Ducks who like to play a very physical style of hockey.

Sutherby's Capitals stats:
259 Games, 26 Goals, 35 Assists, 61 Points, 281 Penalty Minutes, -29 +/- Rating, 240 Shots on Goal, 1 Power Play Goal, 2 Shorthanded Goals, 158 Hits, 60 Takeaways, 50 Giveaways, 108 Blocked Shots, 73 Missed Shots, 1,022 Face-offs Won, 1,110 Face-Offs Lost, 0-1 in Shootout Attempts, 1 1st Star of the Game, and 3 3rd Stars of the Game.

Game #20 Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers

Where: Verizon Centre, Washington, DC

When: November 19, 2007, 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 5-5-3-0
Caps Game 20 Record: 12-15-3-2
All-Time vs. FLA: 32-27-9-5
Last Season vs. FLA: 3-3-2
Last Meeting: 11/15/07, WAS 1 FLA 2

This Year:
WAS Record: 6-12-1
Standings Points: 13
Division Rank: 5^th
Conference Rank: 15^th
Last Game: 11/16/2007, WAS 2 TAM 5
Streak: Loss 3

FLA Record: 8-12-1
Standings Points: 17
Division Rank: 4^th
Conference Rank: 13^th
Last Game: 11/17/2007, FLA 1 CAR 2
Streak: Loss 1

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 2: 43 FLEISCHMANN, 92 NYLANDER, 25 KOZLOV
Forward Line 3: 18 PETTINGER, 15 GORDON, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 4: 87 BRASHEAR, 39 STECKEL 21 LAICH
Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 4 ERSKINE
Defense Pair 2: 2 POTHIER, 55 SCHULTZ
Defense Pair 3: 52 GREEN, 3 POTI
Goalie: 37 KOLZIG
Back-up Goalie: 1 JOHNSON

Florida
Forward Line 1: 18 PELTONEN, 12 JOKINEN, 16 HORTON
Forward Line 2: 10 BOOTH, 15 STUMPEL, 14 DVORAK
Forward Line 3: 37 GLASS, 9 WEISS, 54 KREPS
Forward Line 4: 64 MEYER, 11 CAMPBELL
Defense Pair 1: 4 BOUWMEESTAR, 22 CULLIMORE
Defense Pair 2: 24 SALEI, 21 MURPHY
Defense Pair 3: 26 VAN RYN, 2 MEZEI, 7 MONTADOR
Goalie: 29 VOKOUN
Back-up Goalie: 31 ANDERSON

Injuries:
Washington – 14 FEHR (hip) IR
Florida – OLESZ (wrist) IR, WELCH (shoulder) IR, 53 MCCLEAN (hand) DTD, 21 MURPHY (shoulder) DTD

Caps Milestones:
Alexander Semin needs 4 Points to reach 100 for his career
Chris Clark needs 2 Points to reach 100 with the Capitals
Matt Pettinger needs 5 Points to reach 100 for his career
Brian Pothier needs 6 Points to reach 100 for his career
Tom Poti needs 2 Assists to reach 200 for his career
Michal Nylander needs 6 Goals to reach 200 for his career

Preview:
The Caps will again try and put their last game out of mind as they take on the Panthers in Florida. The hope is the return of Alexander Semin to the lineup will spark the offense. Semin will start on the third line with Matt Pettinger and Boyd Gordon. Florida comes in off a loss to Carolina and is trying to beat Washington for the second time in 5 days. Look for the Caps to continue to crash the net and throw a lot of shots at Tomas Vokoun. Watch for Semin to do something special, I think he’s going to have a big night.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 3 FLA 1.

Official Preview