In Search Of Win # 50 ....

I'll be at Verizon Center tonight as the Washington Capitals face off against the Ottawa Senators in their on-going quest for win #50 of the season. Once again the Caps will face a team with more to play for as far as the standings go then them. However, there is that one thing they have left to play for in these remaining seven (7) games - pride and bragging rights. Few teams ever get a chance to win 50 games in an NHL regular season, the Caps have it and they also can't like the results of the last two outings. Hopefully that will be enough to ensure they don't come out playing tentative or ever worse sluggish tonight. We all know the team is loaded, absolutely loaded with talented players and that when they play their game they are virtually unstoppable.

Ottawa is playing for two things - their magic number to seal a playoff spot is 2 - if they win two more games or the Thrashers loose two more games, the Senators are in. That's a far cry from how things were looking for them early this season. The Senators are currently in 5th place in the East and have won their last 4 games. This is the fourth and final meeting of the season between the Sens and the Caps, the last time the two met, on February 11th in Ottawa, the Senators won 6-5 in regulation. In the prior two meetings Ottawa won the first meeting in November up north 4-3 in OT and then the Caps bested the Sens 5-2 the last time they visited Verizon Center on January 7th. Tonight's game should be a good one, as long as the Caps come out ready to play and focused. It looks like Alexander Ovechkin's Senator shadow - Anton Volchenkov will miss tonight's game, that should give Ovie a little more room, perhaps enough to score a couple and surpass Sidney Crosby for goal scoring lead. Also out tonight for the Senators will be Filip Kuba and Milan Michalik. Out for the Capitals are: Milan Jurcina, Boyd Gordon, Brooks Laich, Scott Walker and Brendan Morrison.

Here's to Rockin' the Red tonight and cheering the Caps on and back to form - you know 60 minutes of fast paced, high-energy ice hockey. If the Caps do that we should finish the night with win #50 locked up. I'll be in Section 103 doing my part tonight - how about y'all?

LETS GO CAPS!!!

Have I Suddenly Become A Curse As A Hockey Fan?

It has to be me. Since my last post my favorite NHL team - the Washington Capitals - have posted two straight losses in regulation IN A ROW ...AT HOME, and my adopted NCAA Team the Bemidji State Beavers lost to Michigan in the NCAA Tournament. It must be me, it couldn't have been both of them, coult it? I mean a curse or something like it has to be at the center of the whole "flumux" that my hockey world has become.


First on Thursday evening 3/25 the Caps loose, AGAIN, to the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime 3-2. Then on Saturday, the BSU Beavers loose 5-1 in the first round of the NCAA Division 1 Men's Ice Hockey Tournament in Fort Wayne, IN to Michigan. Michiga, coached by former Saint Louis Blue Red Berenson simply overpowered the Beavers. BSU coach Tom Serratore was quoted as saying: "That's the hottest team in the country and it might be the best team in the country right now." after bigBlue tore up his Beavers. Just 24 hours later though the Blue had fallen to the Redhawks from Top Seeded Miami of Ohio, the team they beat in the CCHA tournament to earn their berth in the NCAA's. Oh well the Frozen Four is now down to: Miami of Ohio (last year's runner-up); who will face the Boston College Eagels in their Semifinal and the number 3 seed Wisconsin Badgers facing off against this year's Cinderella team, the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers at Detroit's Ford Field on April 8th. The final insult to my prowess as a "charm of a hockey fan" came yesterday when the Washington Capitals lost to the Calgary Flames at HOME in REGULATION 5 - 3 after having a first period that they finished behind 4-0.


So how do I feel today you might ask? Quite glad that I'm not one of those folks who gets too, too emotional about "their teams." Seriously I know folks who are Redskin fans that come into work depressed or mad on Monday's after the 'Skins loose the prior day. I just don't see that. I would say though, that I agree with Coach Boudreau, there's rarely, if ever, a reason to boo your team at home, let alone when they have what is really an infrequent off day/game; you really can't just "turn it on and off" that easily. What I mean is, isn't it about time to stabilize the roster with the one you feel will be "THE" roster for round one of the playoffs and start to let guys get in a grove? Sure I'd distribute the ice time more than you might otherwise do in the playoffs - no reason for ANYONE to play more than 21 minutes TOI in a game between now and April 11th. However, shouldn't the line-up be configured within maybe the occasional 1 person or two, if we count the goaltenders as well, of the expected/planned lineup for game 1 of the playoffs? To me, that means that Milan Jurcina, John Erskine and Tyler Sloan get little if any game time on the blue line right now. It also means the lines up front stabilize as much as possible so instead of shuffling the forward lines all around if a guy like Brendan Morrison is out, then the guy playing in his place plays "his regular line and regular shift" instead of shuffling the rest of the lineup, etc.


Fact, even though I'm a jinx and the Caps lost yesterday, they still clinched the Eastern Conference Championship thanks to the scores elsewhere around the league - in other words when the Devils lost 5-1 in Philadelphia yesterday that meant the Caps locked up the Conference Crown. Am I frustrated the Caps have failed to gain their 50th win of the season in their last two outings - yes. Would I like to see them have Home Ice Advantage throughout the ENTIRE playoffs, no matter how far they go - sure. However, right now the Capitals are locked for the # 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and are 5 points up on the San Jose Sharks and 10 points up on the Chicago Blackhawks for the "President's Trophy" - the Sharks have 6 games left to play, the Caps have 7 games left and the Blackhawks have 8 games left this season. My point is Boudreau is right, but as I said, not everything is rosy at Kettler and Verizon Centers. I'm all for the Capitals using these last 7 games to get ready for the playoffs, but maintaining that winning attitude and that "aura" of a really tough team to beat is very important. I think it's as important as anything else in the playoffs. Time and again, the team that finishes the season playing well and playing hard goes deep into the playoffs - look at how far Carolina went last season?


So it's settled, I'm a jinx and the Caps are aching and ready to turn things around. No need to panic, it is only two games but I'm sure the guys want that 50th win as bad as we fans do. I'm also sure the team next up - the Ottawa Senators are as motivated as the Calgary Flames were on Sunday. That means the Caps need to play like THEY not Ottawa are the 5th place team in the Conference fighting for their division title - after all that is what Ottawa is and will be doing. For sure they can't play a period of hockey as uninspired and unmotivated as Sunday's first period - well it's not impossible - but it is highly unlikely - thank goodness.


So let's all get with the "Zen" program, do a big cleansing breath as we get into the Lotus position and chant our mantra - sending positive vibes to the Capitals ....UMMM..UMMM....UMMM...


LETS GO CAPS!!!!


UMMM....

Last Night, Tonight, It's All Good....

Well last night was a two, that's a TWO Point night for the Capitals once again at Verizon Center. Those were points #107 and One-Oh-Gr8, as in a club record 108 regular season points for those of you that might be counting. So as I said, it's all good. Last night was another "never say die" night for the Capitals and it was a very good game to watch. First good thing - no one on either team got hurt, and had they that would have been a shame since the Caps are fighting for the virtually meaningless President's Trophy and the Penguins are fighting for the Atlantic Division Crown which will likely mean the difference between the 2nd and 4th seed in the Eastern Conference First Playoff Round. Certainly worth fighting for, but not worth having a good player injured for. Of course there is that other thing to fight for - Pride and/or bragging rights - and in a rivalry, that is something.

The Caps and Penguins will face each other once more this regular season, and now the Caps have are 3 for 3 in this regular season on the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Of course we all remember last season and last year's playoffs, so how much is that really worth come late April/Early May? Not much - there I said it, and we all should too. Sure rejoice, another victory on the way to that 50 win milestone, it's great! So is playing a solid game and executing on your game plan, that's how you ensure you are ready for the playoff quest that is upcoming. In the end I had three high points in the game,

#1) When Semin scored, right after I said to Jasper, our oldest Tibetan Terrier: "We could really use a shortie, right now." - I have a feeling, given my superstitions, Jasper might be hearing that after every Cap goes to the "Sin Bin" during the playoffs.

#2) When Theo stopped Crosby on the doorstep, stoned him solidly, on a powerplay in the third period keeping the Pens from going up by 2. I said it earlier this week, I'm over my "I hate Crosby, stage, really. I was just psyched that Theo kept the Caps within one, I had a funny feeling, it was "our turn" to hang around all night and come back and win against them. Oh, and there's still that "mancrush" I have going on Theo, too. and

#3a & #3b) Mike Knuble's TWO goals, don't make me pick between them. I can't.

Tied back for fourth would be Ovechkin and Semin's shootout goals. Fifth was watching Fleury slam his stick against the goalpost after Knuble's game winner, even though I suspect that will only fuel MAF's intensity against the Caps in upcoming games. It is a rivalry after all.

Tonight, the Caps take on the Hurricanes and they are playing well, they also match up well against the Caps. Sure the last game was all Caps but I wouldn't count on it this time. Still I see the Caps getting points 109 and 110 tonight, though not by more than a goal or two. I suspect we'll see the Caps have a good night and I also expect we'll see former Cap Brian Pothier have a good game too. Why? I don't know, just a hunch.

Prediction: Caps 4 - Hurricanes 2. Game Winner off of Corvo's Stick and Winning Goaltender: Varlamov.

LETS GO CAPS!!!

Sidney Crosby and Jimmy Howard Mix It Up At the Buzzer...

Well Caps fan, lots of chatter around the inter-webs today about Sidney Crosby's cross-checks of Herik Zetterberg and then mixing it up with Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard as the buzzer sounded at the end of last night's Red Wings - Penguins game. From my vantage point it's all much ado about nothing. Also, if we are ever going to be credible in our defenses of Alexander Ovechkin, then we ought to give Crosby a little slack on this for sure.

I watched the game, it was a good one, and Detroit won by a score of 3 - 1 if you didn't see it. Zetterberg spent much of the game about as close to Crosby as "white" gets on rice. In the last minute of the game, often not included in the pics and videos being posted, what you don't see is the jockeying for position in front of the Detroit net and the mixing it up going on between Zetterberg and Crosby for position. It was a physical matchup and really good hockey to watch, as was Crosby's driving the net and getting in Howard's face often during the night. However, even more interesting to watch was how Detroit in general and Howard in particular handled it all and kept Sid The Kid off the board and pointless all evening long. So I'm sure Crosby was frustrated at the end of the game, but the mixing it up with Zetterberg was all normal, playing hard ice hockey; I'm confident if there was 30 seconds left to play when he did it, he would have gotten a 2 minute minor for it. I'm also pretty sure given Crosby's driving the net all night long, Howard was more than happy to come to Zetterberg's aid and give "#87" a bit of a face-wash with his catcher. From my seat on the settee here in scenic Bristow, the on ice officials handled it all just right.

In the end it all works out and now if Detroit beats the odds and makes it to the Stanley Cup Finals as a #7 or #8 seed and Pittsbugh returns to the finals as well, the NHL will have another bitter rivalry to hype, in the sort of WWE fashion they seem to be gravitating towards. The moves by Crosby, the 22 year old Penguin Captain, weren't well advised. However, nobody got hurt and it was all in the course of a hard fought ice hockey game. If we Caps fans are going to credibly defend the actions of our own team's 24 year old Captain, when his youthful exuberance, passion for the game, and strong competitive nature drive him to make a poor decision, in the normal course of a game, we shouldn't fail to give Sidney Crosby the same consideration. If we act in such a manner, we really aren't credible when we air a legitimate beef. I mean it's not like either did anything universally reviled like punching someone below the belt or such.

My real question is had Zetterberg caught an edge and crumpled to the ice, breaking a bone or something, how many games suspension would Colin Campbell have given Crosby? I'm not being facetious, I think he would have suspended Crosby for the move. However, given the lack of any logic would Crosby have gotten just one game since he's not a repeat offender like Ovie is? My point is once again, in defense of Ovechkin, accidents happen sometimes. When they don't we should be happy and rejoice. When they do, we shouldn't scream for the other guy's head on a platter. Of course, just because you have a lot of money, doesn't make you immune from making stupid statements. Thankfully in the Crosby/Zetterberg tussle, nobody was hurt, no accidents happened and instead Zetterberg woke up named the #1 Star of the night in the league.

Next Pittsburgh, tomorrow at the Phone Booth...

LETS GO CAPS!!!