VS
Well the dust has settled lots of happiness around the Caps Blogsphere today for Mike Green and Michal Neuvirth. Now the Caps will face the Panthers at 5PM this afternoon, no morning skate today, no news on any lineup changes yet...so this is all a guess but here's my guesses:
Lines:
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Semin
Fleischmann-Federov-Fehr
Laich-Nylander-Steckel
Brashear-Beagle-Bradley
Defense:
Morrisonn - Green
Poti - Erskine
Alzner - Jurcina
Goal: Start goes to Theodore; Backup Neuvirth
So we'll see how close I get there are really only a couple of gambles here the way these guys have been playing - the first two lines are pretty much "no brainers" given last night and the fact there isn't a pre-game skate. The only "guess" is will Jay Beagle get another game before being returned to Hershey, if he does the "Killer B Line" makes sense as they played well together before and there isn't a pregame skate. After that the question is who sits Nylander, Gordon, or Steckel? It won't be Laich unless he wants rest/is hurt, that's for sure, and at this point of the season that's unlikely against the second place FlaCats. On Defense, you have to figure Kronwall got his start last night and if we aren't shopping Schultz to the Panthers then it's Erskine, Alzner and Jurcina with Poti, Green and Morrisonn for the six defensemen since... You can't see ShaMo sitting after playing what could have been his best game of the season last night and since he's a guy Green is comfortable being paired with. Other than that if you were Coach Boudreau you'd want as strong a defense corps as possible out against the Panthers as it will likely be a tightly played game. That means Alzner who is as calm as any rookie defenseman has ever been and Erskine over Kronwall. The only choice then comes down to Jurcina or Schultz. If I were Coach I'd go with the size and physicality of Jurcina over the sound position play of Jeff Schultz, that along with how soundly Alzner & Jurcina have played together tips the scale.
Predictions:
CAPS WIN - 3-2.
Goals by Green, Semin and Fleischmann for the Caps.
So we'll see, it would be nice for the Caps to return from Florida with four points but Tomas Vokoun will be working hard to see that doesn't happen.
LETS GO CAPS!!!!
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3 comments:
It's really weird that Kitties are real threat and not just we-lose-if-we-don't-take-this-seriously-threat.
I think it's time for Fedorov to send Vokoun's Gatorade bottle to the roof
Am I the only one who wouldn't mind seeing the Kitties in the first round? It'd be good for the Southeast Division, good for the Panthers franchise and most of all, good for the Caps!
I would prefer NOT to play any team in our Division in the playoffs, especially the Panthers, either Vokoun or Andy could steal two or three games and what's to say you don't see having at least one off game to a team you could face 13 times in a season, including the playoffs.
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