Game #29 Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs at Washington Capitals

Where: Verizon Center, Washington, DC

When:  December 6, 2010 7:00 PM

History:           

Caps Record on this Date: 7-6-1-0

Caps Game 29 Record: 19-12-4-0

All-Time vs. TOR: 56-49-10-4

All-Time Home vs. TOR: 36-21-4-1

Last Season vs. TOR: 2-1-1

Last Meeting: 11/3/10, WAS 5 TOR 4 (OT-SO)

This Year:

WAS Record: 18-8-2

Standings Points: 38

Division Rank: 1st

Conference Rank: 2nd      

Last Game: 12/4/10, WAS 1 ATL 3

Streak: Loss 2

TOR Record: 9-12-4

Standings Points: 22

Division Rank: 5th

Conference Rank: 13th    

Last Game: 12/4/10, TOR 3 BOS 2 (OT-SO)

Streak: Win 1

Probable Line-Ups:     

Washington

Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 22 KNUBLE

Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 90 JOHANSSON, 28 SEMIN

Forward Line 3: 25 CHIMERA, 15 GORDON, 16 FEHR

Forward Line 4: 26 HENDRICKS, 39 STECKEL, 10 BRADLEY

Defense Pair 1: 55 SCHULTZ, 52 GREEN

Defense Pair 2: 27 ALZNER, 74 CARLSON

Defense Pair 3: 89 SLOAN, 23 HANNAN

Goalie: 30 NEUVIRTH

Back-up Goalie: 1 VARLAMOV

Toronto

Forward Line 1: 16 MACARTHUR, 84 GRABOVSKI, 41 KULEMIN

Forward Line 2: 32 VERSTEEG, 81 KESSEL, 9 ARMSTRONG

Forward Line 3: 11 SJOSTROM, 42 BOZAK, 37 BRENT

Forward Line 4: 38 ROSEHILL, 43 KADRI, 28 ORR

Defense Pair 1: 2 SCHENN, 22 BEAUCHEMIN

Defense Pair 2: 8 KOMISEREK, 15 KABERLE

Defense Pair 3: 59 AULIE, 36 GUNNARSSON

Goalie: 35 GIGUERE

Back-up Goalie: 50 GUSTVASSON

Injuries:

Washington – 3 POTI (lower body) DTD, 4 ERSKINE (lower body) DTD

Toronto – 9 ARMSTRONG (finger) IR, BROWN (finger) IR, PHANEUF (leg) IR

Caps Milestones:

Jason Chimera needs 1 point to reach 200 in his career.

Mike Knuble needs 8 points to reach 500 in his career.

Preview:

The Toronto Maple Leafs come to Verizon Center to face a Capitals team that has lost two consecutive games where they failed to score more than one goal. Look for the Capitals to break out of the goal scoring slump. Alex Ovechkin broke his personal 9-game goalless streak with a goal on Saturday against the Thrashers. Ovechkin and the rest of the team need to get better shots on the net and that comes with hard work. The Caps put 46 shots on net but did not have many rebound or deflection attempts. Tonight’s game will be another hardworking game as Toronto never seems to go away and the Caps have struggled with them in the recent past. I expect the Caps to pour on the pressure early and try to get on the board first. Look out for Ovechkin who is due for a big game.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 5 TOR 2

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Game #28 Recap: Caps 1 Atlanta 3

The Capitals played a good game but were on the short end of a 3-1 score. Washington put 46 shots on Atlanta goalie Ondrej Pavelec but only got one behind him. Many are saying that this is the same thing that happened in the playoffs with the Caps falling to a hot goalie after not finding a way to get more than one in the net but I think that is a bit of a stretch. Sure the Capitals have lost every game they have score 1 goal or less but I don't think there is a team in the league that has a winning record scoring one goal or less. On the flip side, in games the Capitals have held the opponent to 1 goal or less they are undefeated so these generalizations are pretty useless. It was good to see the Capitals captain get back on the board as he wired a one timer into the net capping off a shift where they had the puck in the offensive zone for about a minute and a half. Semyon Varlamov was solid in net for the Caps with 30 stops on 33 shots and could not be faulted for the 3 goals against. In the last two games Washington has been on the wrong side of the referee's calls as they had a goal washed out in Dallas and there were at lease 4 hi sticking non-calls against the Thrashers last night. Just ask a bloody-faced Jason Chimera who took 3 sticks to the face but only one was called. The Caps next opponent is Toronto on Monday night at the Verizon Center.

Of Note:

• Alex Ovechkin ended his 9-game goal scoring drought. Over those 9 games, he assisted on 8 of the Capitals 29 goals. 
• Alexander Semin and John Carlson assisted on the Ovechkin marker. Semin has now gone goalless in the last 3 games. Start a new controversy...
• The Capitals pumped 46 shots on goal, missed the net 16 times and had 20 shots blocked. However they allowed 33 shots on their own net but only blocked 4.
• The defense is still not completely healthy as Tom Poti and John Erskine were both out and Tyler Sloan returned after missing 5 games. I think this has more to do with the Caps play this year than anything else. The Caps have lost 32 man-games to defensemen in 28 games and that has to have an effect on continuity in their own zone.
• For the first time in 14 games the Capitals were bested in the face-off circle. The Caps won 23 and lost 25 draws with Nicklas Backstrom having a real bad night winning just 5 of 17.
• The power play did not click at all for the Caps last night. The team went 0 for 5 with 15 shots on goal and they allowed Atlanta to score on 2 attempts.
• John Carlson continues to be impressive. In 22:51 of ice time, he assisted on the Caps goal, had 3 shots on goal, blocked 1 shot, and was not on ice for any of the goals against. He seems to get better with every game he plays and has to be considered an early favorite for the Calder Trophy.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Event Summary

Game #28 Preview: Atlanta Thrashers at Washington Capitals

Where: Verizon Center, Washington, DC

When:  December 4, 2010 7:00 PM

History:           

Caps Record on this Date: 8-8-1-0

Caps Game 28 Record: 15-18-2-0

All-Time vs. ATL: 36-20-5-5

All-Time at home vs. ATL: 22-7-3-1

Last Season vs. ATL: 6-0-0

Last Meeting: 11/19/10, WAS 0 ATL 5

Season Series: 2-2-0

This Year:

WAS Record: 18-7-2

Standings Points: 38

Division Rank: 1st

Conference Rank: 1st      

Last Game: 12/2/10, WAS 1 DAL 2

Streak: Loss 1

ATL Record: 13-10-3

Standings Points: 29

Division Rank: 3rd

Conference Rank: 8th    

Last Game: 12/2/10, ATL 2 PIT 3

Streak: Loss 1

Probable Line-Ups:     

Washington

Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 28 SEMIN

Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 90 JOHANSSON, 22 KNUBLE

Forward Line 3: 25 CHIMERA, 15 GORDON, 16 FEHR

Forward Line 4: 26 HENDRICKS, 39 STECKEL, 10 BRADLEY

Defense Pair 1: 55 SCHULTZ, 52 GREEN

Defense Pair 2: 27 ALZNER, 74 CARLSON

Defense Pair 3: 4 ERSKINE, 23 HANNAN

Goalie: 30 NEUVIRTH

Back-up Goalie: 1 VARLAMOV

Atlanta

Forward Line 1: 9 KANE, 8 BURMISTROV, 10 LITTLE

Forward Line 2: 16 LADD, 47 PEVERLEY, 18 BERGFORS

Forward Line 3: 21 EAGER, 80 ANTROPOV, 22 STEWART

Forward Line 4: 36 BOULTON, 23 SLATER, 27 THORBURN

Defense Pair 1: 33 BYFUGLIEN, 39 ENSTROM

Defense Pair 2: 29 ODUYA, 4 BOGOSIAN

Defense Pair 3: 6 HAINSEY, 3 SOPEL

Goalie: 31 PAVELEC

Back-up Goalie: 50 MASON

Injuries:

Washington – 89 SLOAN (undisclosed) IR, 3 POTI (lower body) DTD

ATL – None

Caps Milestones:

Jason Chimera needs 1 point to reach 200 in his career.

Mike Knuble needs 8 points to reach 500 in his career.

Preview:

The Capitals return home following a two game Western Conference road trip that saw the Capitals win one and lose one. Now they face the Atlanta Thrashers for the fifth time this season. The teams have won two games apiece with Atlanta blanking the Caps 5-0 in their latest match up. Washington appears to have lost Tom Poti off the defense for the third time this season but newly acquired Scott Hannan played well in his first game with Washington. Look for this game to be tight as the Capitals with need to play a structured game against the Thrashers. The hardworking Atlanta team has given the Capitals fits this season so the Caps better be prepared for a battle all night. I expect a low scoring affair with lots of neutral zone traffic but look for Alex Ovechkin to break out of his goal scoring slump with a big effort.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 3 ATL 1

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Game #27 Recap: Caps 1 Dallas 2

The Caps came away feeling they had been robbed. In the final seconds of the game with the goalie pulled, Washington appeared to have tied the game but the referee waved off the goal. The officials ruled that Alex Ovechkin had incidental contact with the Dallas goalie and this caused the goal. The replay showed a much different story and Head Coach Bruce Boudreau was incensed. He received a bench minor for abuse of the officials during the aftermath of the call. Ultimately, the Capitals fell 2-1 to the Stars. The game was very competitive from the start with both teams laying the lumber. The scored was tied 0-0 after one, but the Stars scored on their third consecutive power play in the second period. The Caps tied the score in the third when Mike Green found Mike Knuble open for a one timer while the Caps had the man advantage. Twenty seconds later the Capitals goaltender Michael Nuevirth was beaten on a innocent looking shot from the right wing. A rough night for the Caps but they are back in action at home on Saturday against Atlanta, again.

Of Note:

• Alex Ovechkin matched his career long with no goals in 9 games. Ovechkins last 8 points have been assists.
• Scott Hannan had a solid debut for the Capitals. In 19:02 on ice he had 3 hits, 2 giveaways, 4 blocked shots and an Interference penalty.
• Mike Green and Eric Fehr picked up the assists on Mike Knuble's goal. 
• The Capitals were 1 for 3 on the power play and killed off 5 of 6 Star's power play attempts.
• For the 13th game in a row the Caps were at 50% or above in the face-off dot winning 30 and losing 28.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Event Summary

Game #27 Preview: Washington Capitals at Dallas Stars

Where: American Airlines Arena, Dallas, TX

When:  December 2, 2010 8:30 PM

History:           

Caps Record on this Date: 9-5-2-0

Caps Game 27 Record: 17-13-5-0

All-Time vs. DAL: 6-14-1-1

All-Time at DAL: 3-9-0-0

Last Season vs. DAL: 0-0-1

Last Meeting: 3/8/10, WAS 3 DAL 4 (OT-SO)

This Year:

WAS Record: 18-6-2

Standings Points: 38

Division Rank: 1st

Conference Rank: 1st      

Last Game: 12/1/10, WAS 4 STL 1

Streak: Win 4

DAL Record: 14-8-1

Standings Points: 29

Division Rank: 1st

Conference Rank: 3rd    

Last Game: 11/29/10, DAL 4 CAR 1

Streak: Won 4

Probable Line-Ups:     

Washington

Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 28 SEMIN

Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 90 JOHANSSON, 22 KNUBLE

Forward Line 3: 25 CHIMERA, 15 GORDON, 16 FEHR

Forward Line 4: 26 HENDRICKS, 39 STECKEL, 10 BRADLEY

Defense Pair 1: 55 SCHULTZ, 52 GREEN

Defense Pair 2: 27 ALZNER, 74 CARLSON

Defense Pair 3: 4 ERSKINE, 3 POTI

Goalie: 30 NEUVIRTH

Back-up Goalie: 1 VARLAMOV

Dallas

Forward Line 1: 18 NEAL, 63 RIBEIRO, 21 ERIKSSON

Forward Line 2: 10 MORROW, 91 RICHARDS, 16 BURISH

Forward Line 3: 14 BENN, 29 OTT, 24 SEGAL

Forward Line 4: 17 PETERSON, 23 WANDELL, 13 BARCH

Defense Pair 1: 3 ROBIDAS, 6 DALEY

Defense Pair 2: 44 WOYWITKA, 2 GROSSMAN

Defense Pair 3: 37 SKRASTINS, 5 NISKANEN

Goalie: 32 LEHTONEN

Back-up Goalie: 30 RAYCROFT

Injuries:

Washington – 89 SLOAN (undisclosed) IR

DAL – FISTRIC (groin) IR

Caps Milestones:

Jason Chimera needs 1 point to reach 200 in his career.

Preview:

After a win in St. Louis last night the Capitals travel on to Dallas to take on the Stars in a battle of division leaders. Washington has not had much luck in Dallas losing 9 of 12 games played. The Stars turned a corner this season as they elected not to resign Marty Turco in favor of Kari Lehtonen in goal. Alex Ovechkin must be thrilled as he has scored more goals (16) on Lehtonen than any other goalie he has faced. The next closest is Cam Ward and Ryan Miller at 11 goals against, Look for the Capitals to push the pace on Dallas and get out to a fast start. Dallas has been playing tough as of late and this should be a hard hitting physical game. The Capitals defense will need to be on their toes and keep the big Dallas forwards to the outside and contain center Brad Richards. I’m thinking that the Caps big guns will bring too much firepower and their knowledge of the Dallas goaltender will lead Washington into the win column.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 5 DAL 2

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Game #26 Recap: Caps 4 St. Louis 1

The Capitals fought through some frightful ice conditions and came away with a 4-1 victory. Semyon Varlamov was excellent in net as he stopped 37 of 38 shots including several highlight reel stops. The Caps started a bit slowly but got on the board first period when Brooks Laich put a rebound past St. Louis goaltender Jaroslav Halak while Washington was on the power play. I am sure the play was pass from Nicklas Backstrom but Halak deflected the puck and Laich corralled the puck and put her home. In the second, the Caps went up 2-0 when Boyd Gordon scored on a funky bounce off the goaltender and a defensemen and into the net. It was the first goal of the season for Gordon. St. Louis came back to score in the last minute of the second period on a shot that Varly still hasn't seen. In the third period, the Capitals increased the lead when Backstrom put away a rebound from a Mike Knuble shot and then deposited and empty netter off a nice setup from Alex Ovechkin. Varlamov held down the fort stopping all 15 shots he faced in the period. Washington now takes its four game winning streak to Dallas for the second half of back-to-back road games.

Of Note:

• Semyon Varlamov was the games #1 Star and improved his record to 4-1-0 with a 0.939 save percentage and a 1.79 goals against average. 
• Nicklas Backstrom had another 3-point night with two goals and an assist. That gives Backstrom 30 points on the season and puts him 6th overall in the NHL. However, he still trails Alex Ovechkin 33 points, 3rd overall and Alexander Semin 31 points, 4th overall for the team lead.
• Ovechkin and Semin both picked up assists in the game. D.J. King picked up his first point as a Capital when he and Tom Poti assisted on Boyd Gordon's game winner. Mike Knuble and John Carlson also picked up assists in the game.
• Washington continued to perform well in the face-off dot. They won 33 of 63 draws and have been at 50% or above for 13 straight games.
• The Capitals killed off all four power play attempts by the Blues and have allowed only 1 power play goal in 16 attempts during this current 4-game winning streak. The Caps converted 1 of 2 power plays against the Blues and in the same 4-game span has gone 4 for 11 with the extra man advantage. 
• Jeff Schultz was +1.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Event Summary

Game #26 Preview: Washington Capitals at St. Louis Blues

Where: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO

When:  December 1, 2010 8:00 PM

History:           

Caps Record on this Date: 8-7-0-0

Caps Game 26 Record: 16-16-3-0

All-Time vs. STL: 35-36-12-1

All-Time at STL: 13-22-8-1

Last Season vs. STL: 0-0-1

Last Meeting: 2/13/10, WAS 3 STL 4 (OT-SO)

This Year:

WAS Record: 17-6-2

Standings Points: 36

Division Rank: 1st

Conference Rank: 1st      

Last Game: 11/28/10, WAS 3 CAR 2 (OT-SO)

Streak: Win 3

STL Record: 12-8-3

Standings Points: 27

Division Rank: 4th

Conference Rank: 8th    

Last Game: 11/30/10, STL 5 CHI 7

Streak: Lost 3

Probable Line-Ups:     

Washington

Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 28 SEMIN

Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 90 JOHANSSON, 22 KNUBLE

Forward Line 3: 25 CHIMERA, 15 GORDON, 16 FEHR

Forward Line 4: 26 HENDRICKS, 39 STECKEL, 10 BRADLEY

Defense Pair 1: 55 SCHULTZ, 52 GREEN

Defense Pair 2: 27 ALZNER, 74 CARLSON

Defense Pair 3: 4 ERSKINE, 3 POTI

Goalie: 30 NEUVIRTH

Back-up Goalie: 1 VARLAMOV

St. Louis

Forward Line 1:15  WINCHESTER, 10 MCDONALD, 22 BOYES

Forward Line 2: 32 PORTER, 20 STEEN, 42 BACKES

Forward Line 3: 57 PERRON, 21 BERGLUND, 36 D’AGOSTINI

Forward Line 4: 18 MCCLEMENT, 17 SOBOTKA, 26 CROMBEEN

Defense Pair 1: 4 BREWER, 27 PIETRANGELO

Defense Pair 2: 5 JACKMAN, 6 JOHNSON

Defense Pair 3: 64 NIKITIN, 28 COLAIACOVO

Goalie: 41 HALAK

Back-up Goalie: 29 CONKLIN

Injuries:

Washington – 89 SLOAN (undisclosed) IR

STL – 74 OSHIE (ankle) IR, 46 POLAK (wrist) IR

Caps Milestones:

Jason Chimera needs 1 point to reach 200 in his career.

Nicklas Backstrom needs 2 shots on goal to reach 600 in his career.

Preview:

Washington heads west for a back to back in the Western Conference. They first take on St. Louis then turn around for a tilt in Dallas. St. Louis like Washington has built an impressive home record. The Caps will remember the new Blues goalie Jaroslav Halak who thwarted them in the first round seven game series in last season’s playoffs. The Caps will look to build on their more consistent play in the last three games. In the meantime the Caps bolstered their defenses when they acquired Scott Hannan from Colorado for Tomas Fleischmann. It is unclear if Hannan will play with the team in St. Louis. As a team, the Caps have been getting off to better starts and have scored in the first period in three consecutive games. Prior to this current streak, Washington had only accomplished that in the first three games of the season. Watch for the play between the blue lines. With Tom Poti and Mike Green back from injury expect the Capitals to be much tighter on defense and that includes disrupting the play coming into the Capitals defensive zone. The penalty killing has tightened up as well as they have allowed only one power play goal in the last 12 attempts and that was two games ago. I am thinking this will be a tactical matchup that will be won or lost in the neutral zone and look out for the Capitals secondhand scoring to come through for the victory.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 4 STL 3

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