Game #74 Recap: Caps 5 Philadelphia 4 (OT-SO)

The Capitals gave up a 3-0 advantage but pull out a 5-4 shootout victory against the Philadelphia Flyers. With the win the Capitals clinch a birth in this season's Stanley Cup playoffs. The Caps built 3-0 lead on 9 shots before Philly replaced their struggling goaltender 1:22 into the second period. From that point on the Flyers took control of the game putting up 4 consecutive goals to give them a 1-goal lead with five minutes left in regulation. The Capitals looked down in out but a clutch shift from Jason Chimera, Mike Knuble, Scott Hannan, Dennis Wideman and Marcus Johansson led to Johansson one-timing a Mike Knuble pass into the net for a 4-4 tie score with 3:19 remaining in the third period. The game would go to overtime and ultimately the shootout. All 3 Washington shooters hit the mark with Alexander Semin converting the game deciding goal and Michal Neuvirth stopped 1 of 3 to give the team a 5-4 victory. The two teams split the season series with 2 wins apiece and all 4 games decided in overtime or the shootout. The Caps are off until this weekend when they wrap up their 6 game road trip with a two games north of the border.

Of Note:

• For the second straight game Mike Knuble recorded 3 points. He had 1 goal and 2 assists and for the 8th consecutive season hit the 20 goal plateau.
• Marcus Johansson scored the tying goal and, along with Jason Chimera, assisted on the Knuble goal in the first period. 
• Washington went 1 for 2 on the power play with Dennis Wideman scoring his first goal as a member of the Capitals. The Caps penalty killers did the job by not allowing a goal on 3 Philly power plays.
• Michal Neuvirth stopped 29 of 33 shots for his 24th win of the season.
• In his second game back from injury Nicklas Backstrom got back on the score sheet with a goal and an assist. 
• Brooks Laich and Scott Hannan each had 1 assist in the game.
• In the shootout Matt Hendricks, Backstrom and Alexander Semin all beat Brian Boucher for a 3-2 win in the tie breaker.
• The Caps are now 36-0-3 this season when they score 3 or more goals.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Event Summary
Shootout Summary

Game Highlights

Game #74 Preview: Washington Capitals at Philadelphia Flyers

Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

When:  March 22, 2011, 7:30 PM

History:           

Caps Record on this Date: 7-7-1-0

Caps Game 74 Record: 17-12-3-2

All-Time vs. PHI: 70-94-19-3

All-Time at PHI: 30-56-6-2

Last Season vs. PHI: 1-2-1

Last Meeting: 1/18/11, WAS 2 PHI 3 (OT)

Season Series: 1-0-2

This Year:

WAS Record: 42-21-10

Standings Points: 94

Division Rank: 1st

Conference Rank: 2nd

Last Game: 3/18/11, WAS 3 NJ 0

Streak: Won 1

PHI Record: 44-19-8

Standings Points: 96

Division Rank: 1st

Conference Rank: 1st    

Last Game: 3/19/11, PHI 3 DAL 2 (OT-SO)

Streak: Won 1

Probable Line-Ups:     

Washington

Forward Line 1: 21 LAICH, 19 BACKSTROM, 28 SEMIN

Forward Line 2: 18 STURM, 90 JOHANSSON, 22 KNUBLE

Forward Line 3: 25 CHIMERA, 83 BEAGLE, 26 HENDRICKS

Forward Line 4: 17 KING, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY

Defense Pair 1: 23 HANNAN, 6 WIDEMAN

Defense Pair 2: 27 ALZNER, 74 CARLSON

Defense Pair 3: 55 SCHULTZ, 89 SLOAN

Goalie: 30 NEUVIRTH

Back-up Goalie: 1 VARLAMOV

Philadelphia

Forward Line 1: 15 NODL, 28 GIROUX, 17 CARTER

Forward Line 2: 19 HARTNELL, 48 BRIERE, 22 LEINO

Forward Line 3: 21 VAN RIEMSDYK, 18 RICHARDS, 10 VERSTEEG

Forward Line 4: 13 CARCILLO, 11 BETTS, 36 POWE

Defense Pair 1: 41 MESAROS, 25 CARLE

Defense Pair 2: 44 TIMONEN, 5 COBURN

Defense Pair 3: 24 BOYNTON, 6 O’DONNELL

Goalie: 35 BOBROVSKY

Back-up Goalie: 33 BOUCHER

Injuries:

Washington – 3 POTI (upper body) IR, (upper body) IR, 52 GREEN (head) IR, 8 OVECHKIN (undisclosed) DTD, 44 ARNOTT (undisclosed) DTD, 4 ERSKINE (undisclosed) DTD, 16 FEHR (undisclosed) DTD

PHI – PRONGER (broken hand) DTD, BARTULIS (shoulder) IR, LAPERRIERE (concussion) IR

Caps Milestones:

Jason Arnott needs 2 goals to reach 400 in his career.

Jason Chimera needs 4 goals to reach 100 in his career.

Alex Ovechkin needs 2 goals to reach 300 in his career.

Preview:

First and second place in the East meet on Tuesday but Washington will be without its superstar Alex Ovechkin for the first time this season as he will be sitting due to injury. The report from the Capitals is the All-Star left winger is resting a nagging injury and will be ready to go this weekend. That leaves another depleted line-up as the Capitals take on the Flyers. Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin will have to pick up the offense. Backstrom, who is in his second game back from injury and Semin has been producing below his normal output in the last 5 games will be the focus for the Flyers. Philly is trying to work itself out of a mini slump which has seen them win only 4 of its last 10 games. This should be another low scoring, grinding game. The Caps will need to capitalize on their power play chances and look for some help from the blue line. Dennis Wideman has been putting up points but hasn’t connected for a goal since coming over from Florida. I expect this one to come down to wire so watch for another 1-goal game.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 3 PHI 2

Official Preview

Game #73 Recap: Caps 3 New Jersey 0

In a different sort of game the Capitals come out on the good end of a 3-0 score. The Caps were thoroughly outplayed for the first half of the game. The Caps only had 3 shots on goal through the first 30 minutes of play but one of those shots was Jeff Schultz's first period point blast that beat All-World goalie Martin Brodeur for a 1-0 score. For Schultz it was his first goal of the season. The Caps added some insurance near the end of the second period when Alex Ovechkin found John Carlson sneaking in from the right point. Carlson faked a slap shot and passed the puck to Mike Knuble who was posted at the left side of the crease and he redirected the pass into the net for a 2-0 lead. The Devils clearly looked demoralized following that goal but were given life when Matt Hendricks was assessed a 4-minute high sticking penalty. The Caps hung strong and killed off the extended power play and never looked back. In the third period the Caps added one more goal to seal the victory when Alex Ovechkin faked a shot and found Mike Knuble on the right wing. Knuble connected on his second goal of the game. In the Washington net Michal Neuvirth stood on his head and stopped 33 shots for the shutout victory. The Caps now get a bit of a break before heading to Philly for a game on Tuesday.

Of Note:

• Michal Neuvirth was the game's #1 Star with his 4th shutout of the season. 
• Mike Knuble had a three point night with two goals and an assist on the Jeff Schultz goal.
• It was the first career game-winning goal for Schultz who hadn't dented the twine since February of 2010.
• The Caps stopped all 4 New Jersey power play but drew no penalties against the Devils. This was the second time this season that Washington failed to have at least 1 power play.
• Alex Ovechkin had a two assist performance but was held without a shot on goal for only the 4th time in 469 games.
• Washington recorded only 12 shots on goal in the game led by Knuble's 4 shots and Schultz's 2. No one else had more than one.
• John Carlson had two assists and Dennis Wideman had one.
• Marcus Johansson, Ovechkin and Knuble were all +3 for the game.
• For the Capitals the 3 goal mark is very telling. The team has scored 3 or more goals in 38 games this season. In those games the Caps have a record of 35-0-3.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Event Summary

Game Highlights:

Game #73 Washington Capitals at New Jersey Devils

Where: Prudential Arena, Newark, NJ

When:  March 18, 2011, 7:30 PM

History:           

Caps Record on this Date: 10-6-2-2

Caps Game 73 Record: 19-13-2-0

All-Time vs. NJ: 75-58-8-9

All-Time at NJ: 30-36-4-4

Last Season vs. NJ: 1-2-1

Last Meeting: 12/21/10, WAS 5 NJ 1

Season Series: 2-1-0

This Year:

WAS Record: 41-21-10

Standings Points: 92

Division Rank: 1st

Conference Rank: 2nd

Last Game: 3/16/11, WAS 2 DET 3

Streak: Loss 1

NJ Record: 33-33-4

Standings Points: 70

Division Rank: 4th

Conference Rank: 12th    

Last Game: 3/17/11, NJ 1 OTT 3

Streak: Loss 1

Probable Line-Ups:     

Washington

Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 21 LAICH, 28 SEMIN

Forward Line 2: 18 STURM, 90 JOHANSSON, 22 KNUBLE

Forward Line 3: 25 CHIMERA, 83 BEAGLE, 26 HENDRICKS

Forward Line 4: 17 KING, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY

Defense Pair 1: 23 HANNAN, 6 WIDEMAN

Defense Pair 2: 27 ALZNER, 74 CARLSON

Defense Pair 3: 55 SCHULTZ, 89 SLOAN

Goalie: 30 NEUVIRTH

Back-up Goalie: 70 HOLTBY

New Jersey

Forward Line 1: 17 KOVALCHUK, 19 ZAJAC, 32 PALMIERI

Forward Line 2: 12 ROLSTON, 26 ELIAS, 8 ZUBRUS

Forward Line 3: 21 TEDENBY, 16 JOSEFSON, 23 CLARKSON

Forward Line 4: 18 ZHARKOV, 25 STECKEL, 11 MAIR

Defense Pair 1: 6 GREENE, 29 SALMELA

Defense Pair 2: 7 TALLINDER, 34 FAYNE

Defense Pair 3: 5 WHITE, 28 VOLCHENKOV

Goalie: 30 BRODEUR

Back-up Goalie: 1 HEDBERG

Injuries:

Washington – 3 POTI (upper body) IR, (upper body) IR, 52 GREEN (head) IR, 1 VARLAMOV (undisclosed) DTD, 19 BACKSTROM (hand) DTD, 44 ARNOTT (undisclosed) DTD, 4 ERSKINE (undisclosed) DTD, 16 FEHR (undisclosed) DTD

NJ – CORRENTE (shoulder) IR, TAOMINA (ANKLE) IR, PARISE (knee) IR, SALVADOR (concussion) IR

Caps Milestones:

Jason Arnott needs 2 goals to reach 400 in his career.

Jason Chimera needs 4 goals to reach 100 in his career.

Alex Ovechkin needs 2 goals to reach 300 in his career.

Preview:

Two of the hottest teams in the league will tangle tonight in Newark. New Jersey is attempting to climb from last to playoff spot and has gone 23-4-2 over the last 29 games but a big loss in Ottawa last night will make this team even more desperate. The Capitals on the other hand saw their 9-game winning streak snapped in Detroit and have been losing players left and right. The Caps are missing 3 forwards, 3 defensemen, and a goalie but have been playing exceptional team hockey. It should be a playoff type atmosphere in Newark so look for a tight physical low scoring game. Once again for the Capitals they will need to concentrate on the special teams. The power play has been suspect so look for simplification there. I expect the Caps to get back to their winning ways and watch for a breakout game from Alexander Semin.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 2 NJ 1

Official Preview

Game #72 Recap: Caps 2 Detroit 3

All winning streaks must come to an end and last night the Caps had their 9-game ended in Detroit as the Red Wings pulled out a 1-goal victory against the Capitals 3-2. Washington put out an injury depleted lineup that was without Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom, Jason Arnott, and most recently Eric Fehr and John Erskine. The Caps gave up the lead three times in the game and at the end just couldn't break down the Detroit defense. In the first period the Red Wings struck first but the Caps answered 33 seconds later when John Carlson powered a slap slot into the Detroit net for a 1-1 tie. The tie was short lived as the Wings retook the lead two minutes later on a well placed redirection. In the second period it was vintage Alex Ovechkin. The big Russian winger took the puck down the left wing backing the defender into his own zone and then ripped a wrist shot through the defenders legs and past the goal for a 2-2 tie. The went back and forth from there with both teams trading possession in a really well played game. In the third period the Caps' Mike Knuble was called for tripping in the offensive zone. Then Henrick Zetterberg from zero angle threw up the most ridiculous backhand that beat Michal Neuvirth over the shoulder to give the Wings a 3-2 advantage. The Wings then clamped down on the Capitals and the two games in two nights appeared to be wearing on the visitors as they couldn't get a good look at the until the final seconds went Alex Ovechkin feed Alexander Semin and the Detroit blue line where Semin ripped a wrist shot off the cross bar and that was all she wrote. The Capitals now head to New Jersey for another tough road game with the Devils.

Of Note:

• In the loss Michal Neuvirth stopped 32 of 35 shots but looked a bit rusty in his first game back after having a shard of metal removed from his eye.
• Dennis Wideman was a force on the Caps back end and finished the game with 6 blocked shots and a +1 rating.
• Alex Ovechkin recorded his 29th goal of the season and had a team high 7 shots on goal.
• The Capitals special teams let them down in this one giving up a power play goal on 2 attempts and failing to score on 4 of their own chances.
• In his first appearance in a long time D.J. King chipped in an assist as did Alexander Semin, Scott Hannan, and Jason Chimera.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Event Summary

Game Highlights:

Game #72 Preview: Washington Capitals at Detroit Red Wings

Where: Joe Lewis Arena, Detroit, MI

When:  March 16, 2011, 7:30 PM

History:           

Caps Record on this Date: 11-6-1-0

Caps Game 72 Record: 15-13-5-1

All-Time vs. DET: 38-42-16-2

All-Time at DET: 15-21-11-2

Last Season vs. DET: 1-1-0

Last Meeting: 1/19/10, WAS 3 DET 2

Season Series: 0-0-0

This Year:

WAS Record: 41-20-10

Standings Points: 92

Division Rank: 1st

Conference Rank: 2nd

Last Game: 3/15/11, WAS 4 MON 2

Streak: Won 9

DET Record: 41-20-8

Standings Points: 90

Division Rank: 1st

Conference Rank: 2nd    

Last Game: 3/12/11, DET 5 STL 3

Streak: Won 2

Probable Line-Ups:     

Washington

Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 21 LAICH, 28 SEMIN

Forward Line 2: 18 STURM, 90 JOHANSSON, 22 KNUBLE

Forward Line 3: 25 CHIMERA, 83 BEAGLE, 16 FEHR

Forward Line 4: 26 HENDRICKS, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY

Defense Pair 1: 23 HANNAN, 6 WIDEMAN

Defense Pair 2: 27 ALZNER, 74 CARLSON

Defense Pair 3: 55 SCHULTZ, 4 ERSKINE

Goalie: 30 NEUVIRTH

Back-up Goalie: 70 HOLTBY

Detroit

Forward Line 1: 40 ZETTERBERG, 13 DATSYUK, 93 FRANZEN

Forward Line 2: 11 CLEARY, 51 FILPPULA, 44 BERTUZZI

Forward Line 3: 26 HUDLER, 90 MODANO, 8 ABDELKADER

Forward Line 4: 20 MILLER, 43 HELM, 96 HOLMSTROM

Defense Pair 1: 5 LIDSTROM, 23 STUART

Defense Pair 2: 52 ERICSSON, 55 KRONWALL

Defense Pair 3: 4 KINDL, 24 SALEI

Goalie: 35 HOWARD

Back-up Goalie: 30 OSGOOD

Injuries:

Washington – 3 POTI (upper body) IR, (upper body) IR, 52 GREEN (head) IR, 1 VARLAMOV (undisclosed) DTD, 19 BACKSTROM (hand) DTD, 44 ARNOTT (undisclosed) DTD

DET – EAVES (groin) DTD, RAFALSKI (back) DTD

Caps Milestones:

Jason Arnott needs 2 goals to reach 400 in his career.

Jason Chimera needs 4 goals to reach 100 in his career.

Alex Ovechkin needs 3 goals to reach 300 in his career.

Preview:

This will be the biggest test of the season for the Capitals as they head into Detroit to take on the Red Wings. The two teams are even in the standings and have the talent to match. The Capitals will look to extend their winning streak to 10 games and take over the top spot in the Eastern Conference. They are playing much more consistent hockey lately and have started score on the power play. This has been a thorn in the side of the team for most of the year and if they expect to compete with Detroit they will need contributions from the special teams. The Caps will be without Mike Green, Jason Arnott, and possibly Nicklas Backstrom so they will need a full team effort to prevail tonight. Look for a tight checking game with lots of speed. The key for the Caps is to win the board battles and keep the Wings to outside as much as possible. I expect this game to be very close but the Caps have been playing well and have lots of confidence so look for a third period breakout.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 3 DET 2

Official Preview

Game #71 Recap: Caps 4 Montreal 2

The Capitals played a perfect road game against the Canadians last night and pulled out a 4-2 victory with 2 goals in the third period. The game started a bit oddly as the Capitals' Marcus Johansson scored when a dump in around the glass took a awkward bounce and ended in front of the unguarded net as the Montreal goalie could watch from behind the net as the puck was deposited. Twenty seconds later the gift was returned as Braden Holtby got caught behind his own net with the puck and tried to rim it around the boards. Unfortunately, it was cut off by a Montreal forward and before Holtby could get back to the crease the puck was shot into the back of the net. Later in the first period, Karl Alzner hit Brooks Laich on a beauty of a pass through the neutral zone. Laich took the puck down the right wing, around the d-man, and deked backhand to forehand and into the net for a 2-1 Caps lead after one period. The second period saw the Canadians tie the score at 2-2. The Caps took control in the third period. At 6:43 into the period Alex Ovechkin hit Johansson with a pass from behind the goal line that Johansson backhanded in for a 3-2 lead. Mike Knuble added an insurance marker when he one-timed a pass home from Marco Sturm who had just emerged from the penalty box. The Caps now head to Detroit for a game with the Central leading Red Wings.

Of Note:

• Congratulations to Brooks Laich, who recorded career goal #100.
• Braden Holtby stopped 24 of 26 shots and added and assist on Marcus Johansson's first goal. The team extended its winning streak to 9 games and are within 1 point of East leading Philadelphia.
• Marcus Johansson scored 2 goals and was named the game's #1 Star.
• The Capitals went 2 for 5 on the power play and stopped all 3 Montreal extra man advantages.
• The Caps out shot the Canadians 41 to 26 in the game led by Laich and John Carlson who each had 6 shots on goal.
• Along with Holtby, Alex Ovechkin, Dennis Wideman, Marco Sturm, Karl Alzner, and John Carlson each had an assist in the game.
• Scott Hannan had another excellent game on the back end. He blocked a game high 6 shots.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Event Summary

Game Highlights: