CLS mini-blog: Capitals vs. Penguins

Pens Capture Game Seven

2009-05-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the best moment of game seven for the Caps was the last two minutes, when what was left of the sold out Verizon Center crowd put aside grave disappointment and gave the home team a well-deserved standing ovation for a great season. Following the game, and a longer-than-usual handshake line, the Caps remained on the ice to acknowledge the steadfast support.

By then, though, the Caps had long since napalmed their chances of moving onto the Eastern Conference finals. Other than Marc-Andre Fleury stoning Alex Ovechkin just two minutes into the game, the Caps got nary a quality scoring chance until Ovie netted one when the result had long since been decided. The Pittsburgh Penguins notched two goals in eight seconds (12:36 by Sidney Crosby on the power play followed by Craig Adams' first career playoff goal) and the rout had commenced.

"You gotta be ready every night. In the playoffs, if you put yourself in position like this, eventually you're not going to win games," Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We weren't able to get up that much emotionally, it looked like anyway."

Boudreau probably should have used his timeout at that point. But he didn't and things only got worse. Just 30 seconds into the second period, Bill Guerin made it 3-0 and Kris Letang added to the damage about two minutes later from virtually the same spot. That was the end of Simeon Varlamov's night and, quite frankly, the Caps' season.

At the midway point of the game, the Caps had eight shots on goal -- four of which came in the game's first 10 minutes. (The Pens had 22 at that moment.)

"It was definitely anti-climatic," Boudreau said. "It certainly wasn't the way I would have envisioned it, scripted it. You know, whether we won or loss, I never would have thought that we would have ended up in a game like it was tonight."

Amidst an ESPN reunion that only was missing Gary Thorne and Bill Clement comes this nugget: Viktor Kozlov and Donald Brashear are probably headed to the KHL next season. (Sergei Fedorov might join them or retire.)

The Caps, as currently constructed, will gather once more on Friday. Who is around for next season is something that will be the subject of a heated debate in the weeks ahead. And who stays in town (and who joins them) will determine if the Caps will be faced with a similar situation at this time next year.

Here Comes Game Seven

2009-05-12T09:06:00.001-07:00

It's unbelievable how many times the Caps under Coach Bruce Boudreau can come back when they're down and out. Tonight, facing elimination at the Igloo against a team that's given them nightmares for many, many years, the Caps pulled out a 5-4 OT win off a Dave Steckel deflection of a Brooks Laich shot.

The odds kept mounting for the Caps as the game progressed: down after one period, down in the second, tie game late, penalty kill in the last two minutes and a hit crossbar away from elimination in OT. But somehow they persevered and somehow they forced game seven.

Only once before had the Caps defeated the Pens in a playoff OT -- and the Steckel-Laich-Matt Bradley line was able to grind out a goal in the extra session. It's now onto another game seven at Verizon Center.

A quick stat pack: the Caps are 2-4 at home in game sevens while the Pens have never won a game seven after losing a game six in a series they led 3-2 (at least that's what Joe B. seemed to say at the end of the game broadcast).

How much more can the hearts of the Caps and their fans take? We'll find out Wednesday night at a loud, red-clad Verizon Center.

Could It End Tonight?

2009-05-11T06:18:00.001-07:00

In a way, stats have become meaningless and quotes irrelevant heading into tonight's game six against the Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m., CSN). The Caps need to win or it'll be the end of a very memorable season. Throughout their 19 postseason games under Coach Bruce Boudreau, the Caps seem to play better when facing these situations or, as Brian Pothier put it yesterday, showing "desperation and urgency."

Those characteristics should be prevalent in every playoff game. The Pens have played their best hockey over the last three games showing just that and, when the New York Rangers were backed to a wall in game seven of the first round, played better than they had in weeks.

Yes, it's hard to play like there's no tomorrow in game one or two of a series, but it's a necessity. The Caps did win the first two games against the Pens but they didn't outplay the visitors. In fact, many say that the Caps' game five effort was the best so far of the postseason.

The biggest disappointment of this series has been Alex Semin. His virtual disappearance in this vital series is not the first time he's gone away for long stretches, but it's certainly the most inopportune. If he doesn't elevate his game tonight, then what does that say about his mettle when nearly every other player on the active roster has stepped it up for this series?

The Caps need to treat every game like it's an elimination contest. Fortunately for the red, white and blue, tonight's visit to the Igloo is just that.

Busy Weekend Ahead

2009-05-08T09:00:00.001-07:00

For the second straight year, the Caps will be engaged in a two-city, back-to-back playoff set against a team from Pennsylvania. Just like last year against the Philadelphia Flyers, two straight wins by the Caps over the Pittsburgh Penguins will earn them a spot in the next round.

The Pens are feeling confident after their game three OT win and for good reason: they were the better team on Wednesday night. But the Caps must take that sickly feeling and turn it into 120 minutes (or more) of retaliation to make their season one of the best success stories in franchise history. (It only would be the third conference finals berth in franchise history.)

Before any eggs are hatched, though, the Caps must work like they've never worked before against a hungry Pens squad. Conventional wisdom suggests that the Pens can't duplicate their game three effort. But let's not forget that Pittsburgh reached the Stanley Cup finals last season with mostly the same squad that they're fielding. And they faced an elimination game in Detroit where they played a perfect game (that they won in OT) similar to Wednesday's effort.

So the Caps must work for everything, storm the crease and, perhaps most importantly, not let the Pens (especially Evgeni Malkin) roam free in their zone. It will take a total team effort, something they are fully capable of producing.

If the Caps try to skate by again (they clearly have not produced a 60-minute effort yet in this series), then their season might take a severe downturn over the next two games. If they put forth their best, then the Caps could be celebrating as early as Saturday night.

Pens Dominate, But Barely Edge Caps

2009-05-07T06:34:00.000-07:00

The fact that the Caps even had a chance to win last night's game three against the Pittsburgh Penguins was a minor miracle. If not for Simeon Varlamov's heroic performance, the Caps would have been blown out of the Igloo with so much to think about. And, on top of that, two of the Pens' three goals were the direct result of fortuitous bounces.

That being said, though, the Caps should be ill this morning, swine flu-like even. After a very strong first 10 minutes, the Caps had nearly nothing in the tank for the final 50 in the 3-2 OT loss. They took bad penalties, were sluggish, didn't play with any heart and, quite frankly, shouldn't have been even in the game. It's not time to panic, but it might be close.

"Well, [the Penguins] played great. They were going on all cylinders and we were watching them skate," Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "As far as penalties go, I hope I never hear them complain about penalties again, picks, and everything else. I think we might have deserved the penalties, but they sure as hell deserved a few more than they got."

The Pens' first goal was a gift off the stick of Milan Jurcina, who needs to learn how to block passes away from the goal instead of right back to the shooter. The third goal was a gift from Shaone Morrisonn, who probably should have slid instead of trying to block Kris Letang's GWG while upright. The second goal, by Evgeni Malkin, was a thing of beauty I admit -- but by then the Caps already had taken way too many penalties.

Malkin was the best non-goalie on the ice by far. This confirmed what has been known for a while: as Malkin goes, so goes Pittsburgh. The Pens also did a better job of neutralizing the Caps' dominant energy line of Dave Steckel, Brooks Laich and Matt Bradley.

The only good news? The Caps still are up 2-1 in the series and, if they can somehow correct their ills, could close it out this weekend with back-to-back wins Friday in Pittsburgh and Saturday at Verizon Center. A game four loss would give the Pens all the momentum going into what would amount to a best two-out-of-three.

The same cannot be said for the Boston Bruins, who lost by a 3-2 OT count last night in Carolina.

The Caps won't practice today but will have a meeting and media availability. The loss should stew with them all day, steam tomorrow and then energize them for game four. If it doesn't, then all the good gained in the first two home wins will be lost faster than Varly can make another breathtaking save.

Caps Look For Road Icing

2009-05-06T15:46:00.001-07:00

As great as the Caps have been playing at home lately, it is on the road that they've made their mark. Not only have they won two of three away from Verizon Center, but it was game three against the New York Rangers (a 4-0 win) that started the turnaround in that series.

Overall, the Caps have allowed just five goals (second fewest in the league) in three postseason games -- two of which were on the power play. Even so, against the Rangers, their power play (28.6 percent, sixth) and penalty kill (88.2, sixth) were pretty decent.

The red, white and blue have won three in a row in the regular season at Mellon Arena and is 3-0-1 in its last four visits. The Caps were 16-6-3 in their last 25 regular-season road games and 10-3-3 on the road after the All-Star break.

Simeon Varlamov leads the NHL in GAA (1.51, tied with Boston's Tim Thomas) and is second to Jonas Hiller in save percentage (.945).

Washington is 11-19 in Game 3, 8-9 when it is played on the road and 3-4 after it won the first two games. The Caps are 2-5 against Pittsburgh in Game 3.

Finally, the Caps are 3-0 when being outshot in these playoffs and 4-0 when their opponent has 25 or more shots on goal. Quite a difference from the regular season, eh?

Malkin panic mode in full effect

2009-05-06T13:29:00.001-07:00

Wow, could people overreact a little bit more? Even Spector, possibly the first hockey blogger I ever followed along with Mirtle, threw more logs on the fire by saying "he hasn't scored in 5 games."

True. He hasn't scored ... a goal. Just four assists.

There's no denying that Evgeni Malkin is struggling, but let's calm down a bit people. He scored a ton of points to start the series in Philadelphia and then slowed down, but he's still on a point per game pace in the playoffs. He took a bad penalty and had a bad game 2 but so did most of the non-Crosby Pens. Give him a little time (and hopefully some improved play from his ghost of a line mate Sykora) and everything should be fine.

Let's wait a few more games before we attach some goat horns.

Game Two Tonight

2009-05-04T07:19:00.000-07:00

All three of the higher-seeded, home-standing teams have lost game two after winning game one. The best way for the Caps to buck that trend is by leading after the first period. Washington has scored 10 of its 22 playoff goals in the first period, the most first-period goals in the NHL. The Caps have a 13.3 shooting percentage in the first period (10-for-75) and just 7.2 percent in the second and third combined (12-for-167). Washington is 4-0 when leading after the first period and 3-1 when scoring first.

The Caps also are 13-17 all-time in Game 2, 8-8 when it is played at home and 7-12 following a win in Game 1. The Capitals are 2-5 against Pittsburgh in Game 2.

For more great stats, check out this compilation by Peerless.

Meanwhile, the Hershey Bears beat the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 3-1, last night to take a 2-0 series lead. But the best part of the game was the AHL debut of John Carlson, of whom John Walton writes:

"This kid looks NHL ready NOW. His first pro goal in the first period was Mike Green-like, jumping up and scoring on a Mathieu Perreault rebound. He's in the lineup to stay, I think, after his performance tonight. Just incredible."

The Bears took the 2-0 series lead. Now the Caps have a chance to follow suit.

Time on Ice Tells Story

2009-05-03T08:10:00.001-07:00

Time on ice can be misleading sometimes, but in the yesterday's 3-2 Caps' victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins it was quite the telling stat. The time on ice tallies by some of the Caps' superstars in the third period reveals what could be a trend as the series progresses.

Alex Semin (3:27) and Nicklas Backstrom (3:59) weren't on the ice that much, while David Steckel (9:17) led the team in TOI in the decisive stanza. Other notable numbers: Alex Ovechkin (6:00), Brooks Laich (6:57), Matt Bradley (6:15), Shaone Morrisonn (8:16) and Mike Green (7:43). Compare that to Sidney Crosby's 10:07 and Evgeni Malkin's 8:58.

Coach Bruce Boudreau is going to let the grinders win this series for two reasons: (a) they crash the net, which is even more necessary as the playoffs progress and (b) the trio provides match-up problems for Crosby and Malkin.

This is a direct correlation to the Caps' method of victory. Yesterday, the path towards winning was led by Steckel, Bradley and Laich -- three guys are the type of players you need to, as Boudreau put it, "win the big prize."

"You're going to need secondary scoring anytime you're in the playoffs," Steckel said after the game. "It's our time to step up and help the guys out."

"We didn't want to get behind in another series, nobody likes playing seven games and waiting for a team that's fresh," he added. "They took it to us tonight in the first part of that period and then they came out in the second period and did it again. We were fortunate to come away with a win tonight."

And then there was Simeon Varlamov's save on Crosby. Firstly, if you haven't seen it yet, watch it now. And if you have, view it again. It was that good.

"Yeah, probably [was the save of the series]. I don't know how he can get the puck, it's hard to say," Backstrom said. "It's amazing and that reaction he has all the time, that's pretty amazing of him. Hopefully he can keep doing it and we can win some games."

Caps-Pens Preview: Hate Everything

2009-05-02T07:36:00.000-07:00

vs.

Hi.

Hate Sidney Crosby... because he's the poster boy nobody wanted. He whines, he doesn't square up when he fights, and he sucks in air through his teeth during interviews.

Hate Alex Ovechkin... because he's a blank slate, someone that gets lauded for not sticking to cliches only because he doesn't speak English. Also, he head hunts and doesn't backcheck.

Hate Evgeni Malkin... because his head looks like a block of wood and he enjoys elbowing people without consequence.

Hate Marc-Andre Fleury... because his name is Marc-Andre Fleury. Don't you have a joust to get to or some peasants to beat, you landed fuck?

Hate Simeon Varlamov... because his name was spelled "Semen" when he was drafted but they made up some fake excuse to change it so he could save some embarrassment. Fuck that, I want my jokes!

Hate Mike Green.... because he's 23 and he's going to win the Norris and I'm 23 and once pissed myself after drinking with a guy named Norris. Also, his hair.

Hate Sergei Gonchar... because he signed a massive 5-year, $25 million dollar deal that everyone laughed at and then lived up to it.

Hate Sergei Fedorov... because he has boned Anna Kournikova and now he looks like he has AIDS or tuberculosis.

Hate Brooks Orpik... because his name is Brooks. The hell is up with that?

Hate Donald Brashear... because he is a cheap-shotting trogolodyte that has no business in the NHL. Also, he ended Marty McSorley's career. (I'm not saying what Marty did was right, but I think we all know that Brashear probably deserved it.)

Hate Bruce Boudreau... because he was the AHL coach for the Kings when they were looking for a coach right after the lockout, but Dean Lombardi went with Marc Crawford instead. That's not really Bodreau's fault, but then again I'm stupid so there.

Hate Alexander Semin... because he's a Russian stereotype and generally deserves all the criticism that Ovechkin gets.

Hate Nicklas Backstrom... because he gets too much credit for passing to Ovechkin. Also, he looks like a lesbian.

Hate Brooks Laich... Goddammit, another Brooks?!? Where the hell are these people getting their names?

Hate Jordan Staal... because people are lazy and say, "Crosby, Malkin and Staal" when it should be, "Crosby, Malkin... and then that one weird albino with the pinhead." Also, hate him because Penguins fans refuse to admit they made a mistake drafting him instead of Jonathan Toews or Phil Kessel because he plays defense, which is like saying, "Yeah, I'm glad I went blind because now I have a good sense of touch." Wait, it's not like that at all. Moving on...

Hate Eric Fehr... because I don't know who he is but I'm sure he's a jerk. (Fehr: Hey, I just got here, what's going on?)

Hate Chris Kunitz... because he looks like a Garbage Pail Kid and he'll always have that Anaheim Duck stink to him. Plus, he's leeched off better players his whole career. To quote Hunter Thompson: "He was just another noisy little punk in the great legion of punks who marched between the banners of bigger and better men."

Hate Jose Theodore... because I'm pretty sure he once had sex with Paris Hilton.

Hate Bill Guerin... because he has 3 30-goal seasons in his life. Does that seem low? If it does it's because he scored 40 goals one season and then signed with Dallas, where everyone forgot about him and assumed he was good. He's not. He is a weiner and he looks like a monkey and I don't know why people still know his name.

Hate Mathieu Garon... oh, you can't hate Mathieu Garon. His story is a Greek tragedy.

Hate the Capitals and the Pengu..ins. because no one ever shuts up about them. Including me.

Prediction: Penguins in 6. Everyone hypes up Crosby vs. Ovechkin while Malkin quietly throws up 10 points.

E:60 profile on Alex Ovechkin

2009-05-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

Sure, it's more than a little contrived (the video editing and ... especially Rachel Nichols' intro) but here's a special video feature from the WWL on Alex Ovechkin.

(Anyone a little scared that Ovie's reckless driving might become a problem some day? No? OK, then.)

Five Questions (Caps Side)

2009-05-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

As was done with Caps-Rangers, here's a different kind of preview from Washington's perspective.

1. What will your team need to do to beat the Penguins?

If the Caps simply play like they did against the New York Rangers and expect to advance, they're kidding themselves. In fact, the only two games against the Rangers that were acceptable were the pair of 4-0 shutouts in games three and five. In those contests, the Caps stormed the crease, put pressure on Henrik Lundqvist and got into the Rangers' heads. They'll have to do that every game against a much better Penguins team.

2. What would need to happen for the Penguins to win?

Keep doing what they're doing. The Pens have been on a roll ever since Dan Bylsma took over as head coach and they're nearing the form that got them to the Stanley Cup finals last year. Whether they'll get there again is a debate for another day but this much is clear: they might be the better team in this series. Both teams will play their hearts out in a very heated rivalry and it might come down to a game seven overtime.

3. Fan Favorite

Simeon Varlamov. There's no doubt that the Caps' young goalie has captured the hearts of Washingtonians. He may not understand English (although he's working on it), he may not talk to the coach (who doesn't want to jinx anything) and may be oblivious to what he's accomplishing. However, there's no denying that the Goalie of the Future is now the Goalie of the Present.

4. Your Team's Goat-to-Be

Michael Nylander. He probably has played his last game with the Caps and sticks out like a sore thumb on the current roster. That's not to say there won't be other changes in the off-season, but Nylander had a horrible regular season (nine goals, 24 assists) and was invisible in the two games he played against the Rangers.

5. Top Storyline

History. It's impossible to ignore the fact that the Penguins have won six of the teams' previous seven postseason match-ups and caused more heartache for Caps' fans than any other franchise. Granted, the only player in this series that has participated in one of those match-ups is Sergei Gonchar (as a member of the Caps), but it's still the dark cloud that the Caps must escape. Until the Caps can consistently beat the Pens in the postseason, history will loom over the red, white and blue.

Series Preview (Caps Side)

2009-05-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

The Caps and Pittsburgh Penguins start their eighth playoff series tomorrow afternoon (1 p.m., NBC) at Verizon Center. A series preview:

Offense: Unlike the New York Rangers series, there is no mismatch when it comes to firepower. Regular season goal-scoring leader Alex Ovechkin (three goals, four assists) has been relatively quiet, but Alex Semin (five goals, three assists) leads the NHL in playoff tallies. Meanwhile, Sidney Crosby (four goals, four assists) and Evgeni Malkin (four goals, five assists) are in the same ballpark. But it doesn't end there. The Pens averaged three goals per game against the Philadelphia Flyers (fifth in the NHL), while the Caps were close behind (2.71, seventh). Both teams have offensive-minded defensemen (Mike Green, Sergei Gonchar) who can put the puck in the net but had a quiet first round. Advantage: Push.

Defense: The Caps found their defensive legs in the first-round against the Rangers, allowing just 1.57 goals per game (second in the NHL). The Penguins, who allowed 2.67 per game to the Flyers (eighth), will threaten the Caps much more regularly. In the regular season, the Caps outscored the non-flying birds, 18-12, in four games -- but overall the teams were pretty even in terms of goals allowed per game (Caps: 2.93; Pens: 2.87). The Caps need to continue the momentum they established in the first round and remain stout in their own end against a very dangerous team. Brian Pothier and Tom Poti also need to keep the form they displayed in the first round, while Milan Jucina and John Erskine need to keep improving -- something they did significantly against the Rangers. Advantage: Caps (by a nose).

Special Teams: The Caps (25.2, second) had an impressive regular-season power play, but the Pens (17.2, 20th) did not. Despite that difference, neither were dominant in first-round wins. The Caps (18.2, seventh) fared better than the Pens (12.5, 11th) in facing two very good penalty killing teams: the Rangers (best regular season PK) and Flyers (sixth), respectively. On the flip side, the Caps (87.1) and Pens (86.7) were virtually even on the PK. If both power plays fire as they are capable, the series will hinge on who can stay out of the sin bin. Advantage: Caps.

Goaltending: Both Simeon Varlamov (21) and Marc-Andre Fleury (24) are relatively young, but Fleury at least has the experience of a Stanley Cup run last season and 31 playoff games overall. In six playoff games so far, though, Varly has an impressive 1.17 goals against average and .952 save percentage -- first and second in the NHL, respectively. Fleury's numbers aren't too shabby (2.39, .922) and they were achieved against a much more potent opponent. Last spring, Fleury impressed with a 1.97 GAA and .933 save percentage (both second in the NHL) while playing every minute of the Pens' 20 playoff games. Advantage: Pens (by a whisker).

Intangibles: It's impossible to overlook the history. The Pens have won six of the seven previous series between the two teams -- although they haven't met since 2001. In fact, the only player in this series that participated in the teams' last meeting was Gonchar -- and he was on the Caps then. That being said, there are legions of fans (including yours truly) that still have nightmares about the old Caps-Pens series and this one will be full of subplots -- not to mention the budding rivalry between any combination of Semin, Ovechkin, Crosby and Malkin. The Caps are 6-1 in game ones -- but other than game five (5-2), the Pens are ahead for every other game. Caps Coach Bruce Boudreau is 4-1-1 against the Pens and the Caps took the regular-season series, 3-0-1. But it's all different in the playoffs. Advantage: Pens.

Overall: Ovechkin vs. Crosby. Varlamov vs. Fluery. Boudreau vs. Dan Bylsma. History vs. Present. It's all the makings of a great series between two teams that are sure to meet again and again in the postseason. Prediction: Caps in six.

Series Schedule

2009-04-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

You gotta start somewhere, so we might as well start with the schedule:

Game	Site	Date/Time	Network
Game 1	Washington	Saturday, 1 p.m.	NBC
Game 2	Washington	Monday, 7 p.m.	Versus
Game 3	Pittsburgh	May 6, 7 p.m.	Versus
Game 4	Pittsburgh	May 8, 7 p.m.	CSN-DC, Versus
Game 5*	Washington	May 9, 7 p.m.	CSN-DC, Versus
Game 6*	Pittsburgh	May 11, TBA	CSN-DC, Versus
Game 7*	Washington	May 13, 7 p.m.	CSN-DC, Versus
* if necessary

No word on Pittsburgh TV yet and I didn't include the Canadian networks. Much more coming soon!