Game #39 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Washington Capitals

Where: Verizon Center, Washington, DC

When: January 1, 2009 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 13-6-3-1
Caps Game 39 Record: 14-13-5-1
All-Time vs. TAM: 49-24-6-4
All-Time home vs. TAM: 26-10-4-2
Last Season vs. TAM: 6-2-0
Last Meeting: 11/10/08, WAS 4 TAM 2

This Year:
WAS Record: 24-11-3
Standings Points: 51
Division Rank: 1st
Conference Rank: 2nd
Last Game: 12/30/08, WAS 4 BUF 2
Streak: Win 4

TAM Record: 10-16-10
Standings Points: 30
Division Rank: 4th
Conference Rank: 13th
Last Game: 12/30/08, TAM 1 MON 2 (OT-SO)
Streak: Loss 1

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 25 KOZLOV
Forward Line 2: 33 GIROUX, 92 NYLANDER, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 3: 39 STECKEL, 21 LAICH, 16 FEHR
Forward Line 4: 87 BRASHEAR, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY
Defense Pair 1: 55 SCHULTZ, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 2: 23 JURCINA, 27 ALZNER
Defense Pair 3: 62 COLLINS, 26 MORRISONN
Goalie: 60 THEODORE
Back-up Goalie: 1 JOHNSON

Tampa
Forward Line 1: 12 MALONE, 4 LECAVALIER, 26 ST. LOUIS
Forward Line 2: 24 PETTINGER, 38 SZCZECHURA, 8 RECCHI
Forward Line 3: 20 PROSPAL, 11 HALPERN, 76 ARTYUKHIN
Forward Line 4: 36 JOKINEN, 91 STAMKOS, 18 HALL
Defense Pair 1: 14 MESZAROS, 54 RANGER
Defense Pair 2: 44 EMINGER, 22 MALIK
Defense Pair 3: 2 KRAJICEK, SMABY
Goalie: 41 SMITH
Back-up Goalie: 37 KOLZIG

Injuries:
Washington – 2 POTHIER (concussion) IR, 91 FEDOROV (ankle) DTD, 4 ERSKINE (concussion) DTD, 28 SEMIN (back) DTD, 3 POTI (groin) DTD, 14 FLEISCHMANN (illness) DTD

Tampa – 33 KOCI (broken hand) IR, 10 ROBERTS (lower body) IR

Caps Milestones:
Mike Green will play in his 200th career NHL game.
Brooks Laich needs 1 points to reach 100 in his career.
Mike Green needs 6 points to reach 100 in his career.
Tom Poti needs 9 points to reach 300 in his career.
Viktor Kozlov needs 6 goals to reach 200 in his career.
Alex Ovechkin needs 12 goals to reach 200 in his career.

Preview:
The Capitals have won 4 in a row and 9 of their last 10 games but needs to be weary of a Tampa team that visits the Phone Booth for New Year’s. Tampa is on a roll of their own winning 3 of their last 4. Tampa is looking like Washington South with former Capitals Jeff Halpern, Matt Pettinger, Steve Eminger, Jamie Heward and Olie Kolzig in the lineup. The Caps must maintain focus and give the Bolts the same Washington welcome we’ve grown accustom to seeing this season. The Caps are 15-1-1 at home this season. Look for a physical game as the Blots try to mirror the toughness of Head Coach Rick Tocchet. Watch Matt Bradley and David Steckel who both have career highs in points against Tampa. If the Caps play true to form, I think they win going away.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 5 TAM 1

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Game #38 Recap - Capitals 4 Sabres 2

For the second time in five days the Caps beat the Sabres. For the Caps it was good to get a win on the road in a building that has always given the team trouble. The Caps took a 2-0 lead in the first period and would not allow the Sabres to get on track the rest of the game. The Caps got another goal in the second for a 3-0 lead before Buffalo scored midway through the third. The teams traded last minute goals to closeout the scoring with a 4-2 final. The Caps are winners in 9 of their last 10 games and hold the fourth best record in the NHL.

Of Note:

• Nicklas Backstrom scored the game-winning goal and assisted on Laich's goal. The young Swede has 42 points on the season, 8 points in the last 4 games, and is 5th in the NHL with 31 assists. Remarkably, he only has 8,440 All-Star votes.
• Chris Bourque (47 votes) scored the first goal of his NHL career. Bourque was recalled to replace Donald Brashear (534 votes)who is out with a leg injury.
• Brooks Laich (1,381 votes) opened the scoring with a power play goal. For Laich, it was his 6th goal in the last 9 games.
• Stopping 31 of 33 shots, Jose Theodore (1,332 votes) picked up his 11th win on the season.
• Boyd Gordon (46 votes) picked up the 4th shorthanded goal of his career when he cleared the puck out of the Caps end of the ice straight into the Sabres empty net.
• Viktor Kozlov (122 votes) had another impressive game. The big Russian picked up 2 assists and has 8 points in his last 9 games.
  
• With an elbowing call in the second period Chris Clark (140 votes) hit a career milestone of 600 penalty minutes. He's only 1,900 behind the Donald.
  

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Event Summary

Game #38 Washington Capitals at Buffalo Sabres

Where: HSBC Center, Buffalo, NY

When: December 30, 2008, 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 6-6-5-0
Caps Game 38 Record: 14-15-3-1
All-Time vs. BUF: 34-76-15-1
All-Time at BUF: 17-40-6-0
Last Season vs. BUF: 1-3-0
Last Meeting: 12/26/08, WAS 3 BUF 2

This Year:
WAS Record: 23-11-3
Standings Points: 49
Division Rank: 1st
Conference Rank: 2nd
Last Game: 12/28/08, WAS 4 TOR 1
Streak: Win 3

BUF Record: 17-14-5
Standings Points: 39
Division Rank: 3rd
Conference Rank: 8th
Last Game: 12/27/08, BUF 4 NYI 3
Streak: Win 1

Game 1: 11/01/08, WAS 0 BUF 5
Game 2: 12/26/08, WAS 3 BUF 2

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 25 KOZLOV
Forward Line 2: 33 GIROUX, 92 NYLANDER, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 3: 39 STECKEL, 21 LAICH, 16 FEHR
Forward Line 4: 87 BRASHEAR, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY
Defense Pair 1: 55 SCHULTZ, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 2: 23 JURCINA, 27 ALZNER
Defense Pair 3: 62 COLLINS, 26 MORRISONN
Goalie: 60 THEODORE
Back-up Goalie: 1 JOHNSON

Buffalo
Forward Line 1: 26 VANEK, 9 ROY, 21 STAFFORD
Forward Line 2: 41 MACARTHUR, 55 HECHT, 29 POMINVILLE
Forward Line 3: 20 PAILLE, 22 MAIR, 12 KOTALIK
Forward Line 4: 76 PETERS, 37 ELLIS, 61 AFINOGENOV
Defense Pair 1: 6 SEKARA, 44 SPACEK
Defense Pair 2: 5 LYDMAN, 10 TALLINDER
Defense Pair 3: 27 NUMMINEN, 34 BUTLER
Goalie: 30 MILLER
Back-up Goalie: 40 LALIME

Injuries:
Washington – 2 POTHIER (concussion) IR, 91 FEDOROV (ankle) DTD, 4 ERSKINE (concussion) DTD, 28 SEMIN (back) DTD, 3 POTI (groin) DTD, 14 FLEISCHMANN (illness) DTD

Buffalo – 52 RIVET (shoulder) IR, 42 GERBE (upper body) IR, 15 CONNOLLY (ribs) IR, 28 GAUSTAD (mouth) DTD

Caps Milestones:
Brooks Laich needs 2 points to reach 100 in his career.
Mike Green needs 7 points to reach 100 in his career.
Tom Poti needs 9 points to reach 300 in his career.
Chris Clark needs 2 penalty minutes to reach 600 in his career.
Viktor Kozlov needs 6 goals to reach 200 in his career.
Alex Ovechkin needs 12 goals to reach 200 in his career.

Preview:
The team heads to Buffalo to face the Sabres with a very different look from when the two teams met 2 games ago. With Mike Green and Jeff Schultz back in the lineup the back line goes from 4 Hershey call ups to only 2. Of course, you must acknowledge how well the players called up have performed since the Caps starters started dropping like flies. After the Minnesota game on Nov. 24 to now, the Caps made 20 recalls (that I can count) from Hershey and went 12-4-0 over that span, pretty impressive. Granted the Caps have not been fielding the team they would like but learning curve has been relatively short and they have been getting the job done. Tonight’s match is one that gives me a bit of concern. The Caps are playing decent hockey and just beat the same Buffalo team on Friday. However, the Caps have suffered big time playing at Buffalo in their history, winning only 17 of 63 meetings, the latest a 5-0 loss back on Nov. 1. Look for the Caps to play an aggressive game and put the body to the smaller, speedier buffalo forwards. They need to wear these guys down throughout the game. The Caps need to get some offense early and keep sustained pressure on the Sabres. Watch the Caps top line tonight, Alex Ovechkin didn’t get the NHL’s 1st Star of the Week for nothing.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 5 BUF 3

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Alex Ovechkin Named 1st Star of the Week

Per TSN,

"NEW YORK - Left-winger Alex Ovechkin, who registered six points in three games for the Washington Capitals, was named the NHL's first star of the week Monday.

Atlanta Thrashers centre Bryan Little and Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick captured the second and third star honours respectively.

Ovechkin recorded five goals and an assist as the Capitals (23-11-3) won all three games to extend their Southeast Division lead to 10 points.

He had two goals and an assist as Washington rallied from a 4-0 deficit to defeat the New York Rangers 5-4 in overtime on Dec. 23. Ovechkin added the winning goal in a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday, then scored twice in a 4-1 decision Sunday against Toronto.

Ovechkin has 44 points (23 goals, 21 assists) in his last 28 games and is second in NHL scoring with 49 points (25 goals, 24 assists) in 35 games.

Little had an NHL-high six goals last week, including two in a 4-2 win over the New York Islanders on Dec. 23. He recorded his first NHL hat trick in a 5-4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday before recording Atlanta's lone goal in a 2-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Sunday night.

Little, Atlanta's first pick (12th overall) in the 2006 Entry Draft, had a team-high 18 goals and is fourth in club scoring with 30 points.

Quick posted a 2-1-0 record, 0.67 goals-against average and .958 save percentage with two shutouts in three games for the Kings.

He stopped 24 shots for his first NHL shutout in a 3-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 23, then made 24 saves in a 2-1 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes on Friday. Quick then turned aside 26 shots in a 4-0 victory over the Coyotes the following night."

Game #37 Recap - Capitals 4 Maple Leafs 1

On a night when Mike Gartner's #11 jersey was raised to the rafters, the Capitals took care of business by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1. During the pre-game skate the team all wore #11 retro jerseys to honor the Hall-of-Fame winger. The Caps extended their home winning streak to 5 games and have compiled an Eastern Conference best 15-1-1 record at home. Brooks Laich and Alex Ovechkin took care of the scoring. Each picked up 2 goals while Jose Theodore stopped 23 of 24 shots win his 11th game on the season. Mike Green and Jeff Schultz both returned to the Capitals lineup after missing 2 and 15 games respectively. On a night when the Caps paid tribute to a truly class individual, it was good to see the team respond with a workmanlike effort that would make him proud.

Of Note:

• Ovechkin now has 188 career goals, tying him with Bobby Carpenter for 6th place on the Caps All-Time Goals Scored list. He also got the game-winner moving him 1 ahead of Michal Pivonka for 6th most in Caps history. Ovechkin has 5 goals in his last 3 games.
• Brooks Laich had his 1st multi-goal game of the season and he is 1 of 4 Caps to appear in all 37 games this season.
• The Caps were 1 for 1 on the power play and held the Maple Leafs without a goal in 2 attempts.
• David Steckel was money in the face-off dot winning 11 of 14 draws. The Caps won 30 and lost 25 draws overall.
• Nicklas Backstrom picked up 2 assists in the game and has 6 assists in his last 3 games.
• The Caps have won 3 in a row and 8 of their last 9.
  

Official Recap
Game Summary
Event Summary

Game #36 Recap - Capitals 3 Sabres 2

What can you say about Alex Ovechkin? The guy is absolutely unbelievable. If you haven't seen his goal from last night then check it out here. It was just another reminder of how good this guy can be. And that goal proved to be the game-winner for the Caps. The Caps won 3-2 over the Sabres and have won 9 of their last 11 games. The Caps also got their Captain, Chris Clark, back from injury. He played on the forth line and delivered 4 hits. It is inconceivable how this team has responded to the injury situation. Even with 7 regulars out of the lineup the Caps have moved into 2nd place in the Eastern Conference and hold a 14-1-1 record at home. It is a true testament to the depth of the organization and the ability of their head coach to make all the pieces fit.

Of Note:

• At 14-1-1 the Caps hold the 2nd best home record in the league only San Jose, at 18-0-2, is better.
• Viktor Kozlov scored his 4th goal in 4 games on a blazing slap shot from the right wing, Mike Gartner would be proud.
• With 2 assists on the night, Bryan Helmer was named the 1st Star of the Game.
• Boyd Gordon deflected a point drive from Milan Jurcina for his 3 goal of the season.
• The Caps gave up 1 goal on the power play and had one of their own disallowed because of goalie interference.
• Alex Ovechkin is a shooting machine. He recorded 8 shots on goal, had 8 attempts blocked and missed the net on 3 others. Add in his disallowed goal shot and that's 20 attempts in this game. In the last 3 games he has taken 33 shots on goal and moved ahead of Michal Pivonka for 6th most shots on goal in Caps history with 1,479.
• Jose Theodore stopped 22 of 24 shots for his 10th win of the season.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Event Summary

Game #36 Buffalo Sabres at Washington Capitals

Where: Verizon Center, Washington, DC

When: December 26, 2008, 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 9-12-3-0
Caps Game 36 Record: 14-13-5-1
All-Time vs. BUF: 33-76-15-1
All-Time home vs. BUF: 16-36-9-1
Last Season vs. BUF: 1-3-0
Last Meeting: 11/1/08, WAS 0 BUF 5

This Year:
WAS Record: 21-11-3
Standings Points: 45
Division Rank: 1st
Conference Rank: 3rd
Last Game: 12/23/08, WAS 5 NYR 4 (OT)
Streak: Win 1

BUF Record: 16-13-5
Standings Points: 37
Division Rank: 3rd
Conference Rank: 8th
Last Game: 12/22/08, BUF 3 PIT 4 (OT)
Streak: Loss 2

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 25 KOZLOV
Forward Line 2: 33 GIROUX, 92 NYLANDER, 63 A. GORDON
Forward Line 3: 14 FLEISCHMANN, 21 LAICH, 16 FEHR
Forward Line 4: 39 STECKEL, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY
Defense Pair 1: 62 COLLINS, 26 MORRISONN
Defense Pair 2: 23 JURCINA, 27 ALZNER
Defense Pair 3: 89 SLOAN, 43 HELMER
Goalie: 60 THEODORE
Back-up Goalie: 40 VARLAMOV

Buffalo
Forward Line 1: 41 MACARTHUR, 9 ROY, 21 STAFFORD
Forward Line 2: 26 VANEK, 55 HECHT, 29 POMINVILLE
Forward Line 3: 20 PAILLE, 22 MAIR, 12 KOTALIK
Forward Line 4: 76 PETERS, 37 ELLIS, 61 AFINOGENOV
Defense Pair 1: 6 SEKARA, 44 SPACEK
Defense Pair 2: 5 LYDMAN, 10 TALLINDER
Defense Pair 3: 27 NUMMINEN, 34 BUTLER
Goalie: 30 MILLER
Back-up Goalie: 40 LALIME

Injuries:
Washington – 2 POTHIER (concussion) IR, 91 FEDOROV (ankle) DTD, 55 SCHULTZ (broken finger) IR, 4 ERSKINE (undisclosed) DTD, 17 CLARK (forearm) IR, 28 SEMIN (back) DTD, 52 GREEN (shoulder) DTD, 87 BRASHEAR (leg) DTD, 1 JOHNSON (illness) DTD, 3 POTI (groin) DTD
Rangers – 52 RIVET (shoulder) IR, 42 GERBE (upper body) IR, 15 CONNOLLY (ribs) IR, 28 GAUSTAD (mouth) DTD, 36 KALETA (head/neck) DTD

Caps Milestones:
Brooks Laich needs 4 points to reach 100 in his career.
Mike Green needs 9 points to reach 100 in his career.
Tom Poti needs 9 points to reach 300 in his career.
Chris Clark needs 4 penalty minutes to reach 600 in his career.

Preview:
The Caps head right back into the fire after the 2-day Christmas break with a game against Buffalo. The Caps hope to build upon the 5 goal come from behind effort on Tuesday in New York. Traditionally, the Sabres have given the Capitals very tough games including a 5-0 whitewashing earlier this season. The Caps are still without half their regular lineup but have managed to go 8-2-0 in their last 10 games. In this game look for the Caps top line to try and take control early. The Caps defense tightened up well after giving up 4 goals to the Rangers so watch for them to continue to work as 5-man units to keep the scoring chances down. I am expecting another high scoring affair but the Caps have proved they are a force at home so I am looking for a Washington victory.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 6 BUF 4

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