Game #60 Recap: Caps 2 Buffalo 1

In another low scoring game the Capitals found a way to pull out the victory. Mathieu Perrault connected off of a fluke bounce in the second period to put the Capitals up 1-0. Prior to that play it looked like the Capitals had run into another too hot to beat goaltender in Ryan Miller. In the first period the Caps were stopped on 4 power play attempts which included a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage. The Capitals pumped 16 shots on goal in the first and 18 in the second but only had 1 goal to show for the effort. Miller robbed Nicklas Backstrom on two golden opportunities. After Perrault's goal the Capitals' Brooks Laich took a goalie interference penalty and a screened Semyon Varlamov allowed a goal that tied the score at 1-1. In the third the Caps killed off an early penalty before drawing a power play of their own. The Caps continued to put pucks to the net and it finally paid off. Alex Ovechkin fired a slap shot on goal and the rebound when straight to Perrault who fired the puck into the net off Marcus Johansson who was in front of the crease. The Capitals held off the Sabres for the rest of the period for their 20th all-time win in Buffalo. The team now heads to Pittsburgh for the final game on the road trip.

Of Note:

• Semyon Varlamov stopped 28 of 29 shots in the win. He has a 10-8-4 record on the season with a 2.29 GAA and a 0.923 save%.
• Alex Ovechkin has points in 3 consecutive games with 2 goals and 3 assists in those games.
• Mathieu Perrault had 1 goal and 1 assist in the game. 
• Marcus Johansson got his first career power play goal and game winning goal.
• Jason Chimera and Matt Hendricks also picked up assist in the game.

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Game #60 Preview: Washington Capitals at Buffalo Sabres

Where: HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY

When:  February 20, 2011, 12:30 PM

History:           

Caps Record on this Date: 4-7-2-1

Caps Game 60 Record: 18-12-3-1

All-Time vs. BUF: 39-77-15-3

All-Time at BUF: 19-41-6-1

Last Season vs. BUF: 3-1-0

Last Meeting: 11/17/10, WAS 4 BUF 2

Season Series: 1-0-1

This Year:

WAS Record: 30-19-10

Standings Points: 70

Division Rank: 2nd

Conference Rank: 5th

Last Game: 2/17/11, WAS 1 SAN 3

Streak: Loss 1

BUF Record: 27-24-6

Standings Points: 60

Division Rank: 3rd

Conference Rank: 9th    

Last Game: 2/18/11, BUF 0 STL 3

Streak: Loss 2

Probable Line-Ups:     

Washington

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

Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 85 PERRAULT, 28 SEMIN

Forward Line 3: 26 HENDRICKS, 90 JOHANSSON, 25 CHIMERA

Forward Line 4: 39 STECKEL, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY

Defense Pair 1: 23 HANNAN, 55 SCHULTZ

Defense Pair 2: 27 ALZNER, 74 CARLSON

Defense Pair 3:89 SLOAN, 4 ERSKINE

Goalie: 1 VARLAMOV

Back-up Goalie: 30 NEUVIRTH

Buffalo

Forward Line 1: GERBE, HECHT, POMINVILLE

Forward Line 2: ENNIS, CONNOLLY, STAFFORD

Forward Line 3: VANEK, BYRON, MCCORMICK

Forward Line 4: GRIER, GAUSTAD, KALETA

Defense Pair 1: SEKERA, MEYERS

Defense Pair 2: LEOPOLD, MONTADOR

Defense Pair 3: MORRISONN, WEBER

Goalie: MILLER

Back-up Goalie: LALIME

Injuries:

Washington – 3 POTI (upper body) IR, 16 FEHR (upper body) IR, 52 GREEN (inner ear) DTD

BUF – 9 ROY (left quad) IR

Caps Milestones:

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

Brooks Laich needs 4 goals to reach 100 in his career.

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

Preview:

After a up and down week the Caps have a Sunday matinée meeting with the Buffalo Sabres. Historically, the Capitals have not fared well against Sabres especially in Buffalo. They won only 19 of 66 games in the wing capital. The team really needs a win and start putting together the pieces if they want to contend in the post season. The good news is that Alex Ovechkin is beginning to look like his former self. He is playing with reckless abandon and his goal total is rising. The Caps are still working on the power play but a goal with the extra man in two consecutive games is a foundation to build on. Ovechkin scored both of the power play goals and is the key to the unit. The Sabres are in desperation territory as they currently sit in ninth position in the East. They are 4 points out of the last playoff spot so expect a determined group to show up against the Caps. I expect this game to be low scoring and physical but the Caps special teams will determine the outcome. I’m looking for another power play goal from Ovechkin.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 3 BUF 1

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Game #59 Recap: Caps 2 San Jose 3

The Capitals started out strong but faded as the game wore on and after falling behind 3-1 in the third period could only muster one more goal for a 3-2 final. The Caps led the play for most of the first period but fell behind on a shorthanded turnover that ended up in the back of the Washington net. John Carlson lost his footing at the Sharks blue line allowing a two-on-one rush. The Caps responded 22-seconds later when Alex Ovechkin scored on the power play for the first time in 6 games. The second period was more balanced with both teams settling in for a more defensive game. The Sharks began to control the action in the third and took the lead on a blown assignment that allowed two Sharks to be free in front of the net and deposit a rebound into the net. San Jose extended the lead while on the power play when a point drive was deflected a couple times and found its way into the twine. The Capitals responded late with a goal from Nicklas Backstrom with 2-minutes remaining in the game. Unfortunately for the Caps it would be all the could get and the leave the West Coast with another loss. The team suits up again in Buffalo this Sunday.

Of Note:

• Alex Ovechkin played another good game picking up 1 goal and 1 assist for his second consecutive 2 point performance. He appears to be playing much more like he is capable of which leads me to believe he has been suffering from a nagging injury that has been bothering him from about the 18th game this season. We'll see as the rest of the season plays out.
• John Carlson, after is little stumble on the power play, picked up assists on each of the Capitals goals.
• The Caps went 1 for 1 on the power play and 1 for 2 on the penalty kill. 
• Michal Neuvirth stopped 25 of 28 shots on goal in the loss. He made several key saves late to keep the Caps in the game.
• Alexander Semin picked up an assist on the Ovechkin power play goal but was not as effective as he was in Anaheim. The Caps are definitely looking for a second line center to give him more to work with.

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Game #59 Preview: Washington Capitals at San Jose Sharks

Where: HP Pavilion, San Jose, CA

When:  February 17, 2011, 10:00 PM

History:           

Caps Record on this Date: 5-3-2-0

Caps Game 58 Record: 17-14-2-1

All-Time vs. SAN: 9-17-1-1

All-Time at SAN: 3-9-1-0

Last Season vs. SAN: 1-1-0

Last Meeting: 2/8/11, WAS 0 SAN 2

Season Series: 0-1-0

This Year:

WAS Record: 30-18-10

Standings Points: 70

Division Rank: 2nd

Conference Rank: 5th

Last Game: 2/16/11, WAS 7 ANA 6

Streak: Win 1

SAN Record: 31-21-6

Standings Points: 68

Division Rank: 2nd

Conference Rank: 5th    

Last Game: 2/15/11, SAN 2 NAS 1 (OT)

Streak: Win 1

Probable Line-Ups:     

Washington

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

Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 85 PERRAULT, 28 SEMIN

Forward Line 3: 26 HENDRICKS, 90 JOHANSSON, 25 CHIMERA

Forward Line 4: 39 STECKEL, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY

Defense Pair 1: 23 HANNAN, 55 SCHULTZ

Defense Pair 2: 27 ALZNER, 74 CARLSON

Defense Pair 3:89 SLOAN, 4 ERSKINE

Goalie: 1 VARLAMOV

Back-up Goalie: 30 NEUVIRTH

San Jose

Forward Line 1: 12 MARLEAU, 19 THORNTON, 16 SETOGUCHI

Forward Line 2: 17 MITCHELL, 8 PAVELSKI, 15 HEATLEY

Forward Line 3: 29 CLOWE, 39 COUTURE, 20 WELLWOOD

Forward Line 4: 55 EAGER, 21 NICHOL, 10 MAYERS

Defense Pair 1: 3 MURRAY, 22 BOYLE

Defense Pair 2: 44 VLASIC, 40 HUSKINS

Defense Pair 3: 7 WALLIN, 60 DEMERS

Goalie: 31 NIEMI

Back-up Goalie: 34 HUTTON

Injuries:

Washington – 3 POTI (upper body) IR, 16 FEHR (upper body) IR, 52 GREEN (inner ear) DTD

SAN – 30 NIITTYMAKI (undisclosed) DTD

Caps Milestones:

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

Brooks Laich needs 4 goals to reach 100 in his career.

Alex Ovechkin needs 4 assists to reach 300 in his career.

Preview:

The Caps went into Anaheim and got the win. Now they need to build on that victory as they take on the San Jose Sharks at the Shark Tank. The Caps exploded on offense last night but need to baton down on the defense as the Sharks boast one of the most talented offenses in the league. Look for this game to be another fast paced contest with special teams being the key to victory. The Caps were able to weather a power play goal on two attempts from Anaheim while failing to connect on two of their own. I expect the Capitals to come out with renewed vigor in this game and put up some goals early on and hold off the Sharks for the win.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 4 SAN 2

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Game #58 Recap: Caps 7 Anaheim 6

The Caps broke out of the scoring doldrums with a 7 spot against the Ducks, however, the defense didn't keep to their usual ways giving up six to the opponents. The Caps broke their 3 game losing skid and picked up 2 points in the standings to put them back into 5th place in the Eastern Conference. In a run and gun game that saw 13 goals scored on a total of 52 shots the goalies did not feel to welcome as deflections, bounces, turnovers and misplays were plentiful all game long. The good news for the Capitals is that their strategy of going to the net finally started paying off as all but two of the goals could be considered crashing type goals. The top trio of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble combined for 5 points and Alexander Semin scored a hat trick to lead the Capitals in a see-saw game that featured the score tied on 5 different occasions. The game winning tally came from Semin who brought the puck out of the right wing corner and fit a backhand shot between the body and arm of the Anaheim goalie with less than two minutes remaining in the game. For the Caps it was a good effort on the offense and they will need it again tonight as the head to San Jose for a rematch with the Sharks who shutout the Caps in Washington last week.

Of Note:

• Semin's hat trick was his forth of the season and tied him for the NHL lead in that category.
• Alex Ovechkin, Mike Knuble, Brooks Laich, and David Steckel each had 1 goal in the game.
• Karl Alzner had 3 assists on the night. Backstrom and Matt Hendricks picked up 2 assists each and Ovechkin, Boyd Gordon, Laich, Scott Hannan, and Marcus Johansson had one apiece.
• The goalies did not fare too well as Semyon started and played the first period giving up 3 goals on 9 shots and was relieved by Michal Neuvirth who played the final two periods giving up 3 goals on 12 shots but he got the win and that's all that counts.
• The Caps got their face-off groove back winning 37 and losing 25.
• John Carlson played a good game on the back end with a +4 rating and 3 blocked shots.

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Game #58 Preview: Washington Capitals at Anaheim Ducks

Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, CA

When:  February 16, 2011, 10:00 PM

History:           

Caps Record on this Date: 5-4-0-0

Caps Game 58 Record: 17-14-2-1

All-Time vs. ANA: 9-12-1-1

All-Time at ANA: 4-6-1-0

Last Season vs. ANA: 1-0-0

Last Meeting: 12/15/10, WAS 1 ANA 2

Season Series: 0-0-1

This Year:

WAS Record: 29-18-10

Standings Points: 68

Division Rank: 2nd

Conference Rank: 6th

Last Game: 2/14/11, WAS 2 PHO 3

Streak: Loss 3

ANA Record: 32-21-4

Standings Points: 68

Division Rank: 2nd

Conference Rank: 4th    

Last Game: 2/13/11, ANA 4 EDM 0

Streak: Win 4

Probable Line-Ups:     

Washington

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

Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 85 PERRAULT, 28 SEMIN

Forward Line 3: 26 HENDRICKS, 90 JOHANSSON, 25 CHIMERA

Forward Line 4: 39 STECKEL, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY

Defense Pair 1: 23 HANNAN, 55 SCHULTZ

Defense Pair 2: 27 ALZNER, 74 CARLSON

Defense Pair 3:89 SLOAN, 4 ERSKINE

Goalie: 1 VARLAMOV

Back-up Goalie: 30 NEUVIRTH

Phoenix

Forward Line 1: 9 RYAN, 15 GETZLAF, 10 PERRY

Forward Line 2: 33 BLAKE, 11 KOIVU, 8 SELANNE

Forward Line 3: 64 MCMILLAN, 14 LAPIERRE, 42 SEXTON

Forward Line 4: 28 CHIPCHURA, 22 MARCHANT, 16 PARROS

Defense Pair 1: 17 VISNOVSKY, 32 LYDMAN

Defense Pair 2: 4 FOWLER, 24 BEAUCHEMIN

Defense Pair 3: 5 SBISA, 25 SUTTON

Goalie: 1 HILLER

Back-up Goalie: 31 MCELHINNEY

Injuries:

Washington – 3 POTI (upper body) IR, 16 FEHR (upper body) IR, 52 GREEN (inner ear) DTD

ANA – JAFFRAY (knee) IR

Caps Milestones:

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

Brooks Laich needs 5 goals to reach 100 in his career.

Alex Ovechkin needs 5 assists to reach 300 in his career.

Preview:

The Capitals task is simple. Come out of Anaheim with a win. To do this they will need to play a tough disciplined hockey game and for God’s sake score on the power play. Washington’s power outage is has reached epic proportions with no goals in the last 4 games with 15 man advantage chances. This is the number one key and until they can consistently score on the power play they will be stuck in this position. Tonight’s opponent is on a 4-game winning streak and has been play some really good hockey. Expect a very physical game and look for the Capitals to continue to crash the net in search of goals. I think it will be another close contest with the winner prevailing on special teams.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 3 ANA 2

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Game #57 Recap: Caps 2 Phoenix 3

In a familiar refrain the Capitals fell to the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 in Glendale last night. The Capitals were unable to score on 5 power play attempts and Phoenix went 1 for 3 and that was the difference in the game. Washington came out with a great effort and Alex Ovechkin drew a penalty in the first shift. The power play generated shots and chances but the Caps just couldn't finish. It was a theme that played throughout the game as the Caps threw shots at the net and crashed into the crease but were unable to cash in. When the Caps did score the next shift was a defensive let down that allowed the Coyotes to tie the game. Phoenix went on the score three straight before the Caps responded in the third period. With the game within reach an errant hi stick from Nicklas Backstrom put the Caps in a bad spot. The team rallied but could not find the equalizer. The Caps head to California for back to back games with Anaheim and San Jose who both beat the Capitals on home ice earlier this season.

Of Note:

• Marcus Johansson open the scoring in the second period when his centering pass to Brooks Laich pin balled off the goalie's stick and was knocked in by a Phoenix defender. The effort by Laich to crash the net set the situation for the goal. The Caps will need more of this type of effort from Laich and company.
• Matt Bradley score his forth goal of the season to bring the Caps back within one goal.
• Michal Neuvirth took the loss stopping 15 of the 18 shots he faced. 
• The Caps took 31 shots on goal and their season shooting percentage has dropped to 0.084 which is tied for the lowest in franchise history.

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