[Ed. note: Capitals During Wartime is a series analyzing Washington's struggles before the 2012 trade deadline. We've discussed weakness at center, a poor road record, and negativity among fans so far.] 

In the latest edition of Capitals During Wartime, I mused about how and why we discuss the negative stuff going on with Capitals right now. Concluding, in short, that our foremost responsibility is to the Truth, and not just Good Feelings, I promised not to shy away from D.C.’s ongoing hockey bummers– but also not to drench that analysis in hyperbole.

This article is a statistical rundown of the Washington Capitals through 54 games for the purpose comparing the tenures of Bruce Boudreau and Dale Hunter head to head. But I will not be offering any commentary. My voice is limited to the selection of statistics below. Any conclusions you make or narratives you perceive are your own. I have included traditional stats, some advanced stats, and some individual curiosities that we’ve discussed recently on the site.

So obviously there’s some author bias present in the figures I chose to present. I chose stats that I thought would be illuminating or provocative in comparing the two. The stats are not uniformly flattering of either coach, and the actual efficacy of the coach upon many of these numbers should be debated. But I’m not going to do that for you– because that would be far too depressing.

No, basically this is like what the editor at the The New Frontiersman says to the intern in that last scene from Watchmen: I leave it entirely in your hands. 

What do the numbers tell you?

Thanks to Ian for suggestions and Neil Greenberg for planting the seed. Check out Arctic Ice Hockey’s item on Alex Ovechkin’s possession and conversion under the two coaches for a similar digestion. 

Joel Ward screens Ondrej Pavelec (Photo credit: Mitchell Layton)

The Washington Capitals summoned the Winnipeg Jets to end their residency at Verizon Center. It was supposed to be a pitched battle for alphabetical inferiority, another explosive game that Dale Hunter would compare to the playoffs. Instead we got a flurry of neutral-zone skirmishes and perfect moments by both goaltenders for 50 minutes and sheer insanity for 10.

The game’s first period was sleepy and scoreless, the second the same. But 10 minutes into the third, Alex Ovechkin sent a puck acutely netward during 5-on-4 play. Ovechkin hooked up Semin for another PP tally a few minutes later. Somebody on the other team scored, and we didn’t care. Then Dustin Byfuglien got a weird bounce to knot the game 12 seconds later.  Overtime came and went. Jets beat Caps 3-2 (Shootout)

 How tight was this game? Let’s ask Ferris.

• Zounds, this was not the playoff-type game we were promised. This was an often-sleepy game that we might’ve expected from two expansion teams meeting in October rather than rivals jostling for the division lead in February. Still, the Capitals tapped into bursts of intensity before kinda falling apart late in the third.
• But Tomas Vokoun was exemplary each time his team demanded it of him… mostly. When defensive mistakes and broken breakouts mounted up in the third period, Vokes was a sieve. Unless a sieve is a bad thing, in which case he was most definitely NOT a sieve.
• Listen. A sieve is a thing that lets some things through and other things not through. It’s an awful way to describe a bad goalie. It’s an awful to describe anything. See? Aren’t jokes so much funnier once they’re explained?!
• So Vokoun was perfect for like 117 minutes. And another 60 minutes a few games back. But then he gives up 2 goals in 12 seconds, one of which I could have stopped while sick with the flu. This is why we can’t have nice things.
• At least the Caps’ power play was stunning. The first opportunity was full of smart positioning with a couple of doozies on Pavelec’s net without result. Alex Ovechkin rang iron on that one, but scored on the next– quickly. Ovi hooked up his buddy Alex Semin for the game’s second PP goal. The Capitals probably have the best home power play in the NHL right now.
• But Dustin Byfuglien, what the hell, dude? A nonchalant dump-in from center ice takes a weird bounce and beats Vokoun. What a scam.
• Brooks Laich played another game, but was a tad bit ginger on his knee, which is apparently not 100%. Brooks recorded only 7:25 TOI, so perhaps Brooks would benefit from a game off? Put another way, wouldn’t another player benefit from a game on?
• No blame on BL21 for that sucky penalty. Brooks didn’t seem to know his stick had been broken just before he played the puck.
• The Capitals squeaked by with a possession win against a tea, whose offense has disintegrated since the new year. But more importantly: the Caps cracked 30 shots again– for the second time in three games (and second time in the last 27 games as well). Somebody call Angela Bassett, this team may finally be getting its groove back.
• The Jets committed two penalties in the last 20 seconds of overtime. Nothing you can do about that, I guess, but it feels like you can get away with murder that late in the game.

Joe B suit of the night

The Florida Panthers will probably win tonight as well, so the Caps lost some important ground in the playoff race. Looks like a virtual tie for the division lead, which due to the tiebreaker rule means we’re back in 9th place. Dammit.

The Caps let a good lead slip and their goalie’s shutout vanish. Unacceptable.

And despite all of the good signs, I recommend restraint on the team’s overall prospects until they can look as good at even strength as they do when a man up.

Off to MSG on Sunday to play the league’s best team, supposedly. And look: we didn’t even mention Knuble once!

Photo credit: Mitchell Layton

The Washington Capitals were at the lowest of lows before the defending champion Boston Bruins came to town. This being the last game before the All-Star break and the first game of Alex Ovechkin’s suspension, expectations were barometrically low.

Rich Peverly tried to go around Karl Alzner, who knocked in the goal from his belly.

It was a 5-goal second period! Joel Ward set up Cody Eakin, whose shot trickled past Tukka Rask.  41 seconds later, Mathieu Perreault executed a give-and-go with Alex Semin to score. John Carlson surrendered a pathetic giveaway, and Tyler Seguin roofed it. Mathieu Perreault scored his second of the night on a blistering breakaway. That “little ball of hate”, Brad Marchand, caught a lucky bounce in the crease and tied it back up.

Mathieu Perreault recorded his hat-trick goal in the third period while fighting off a dozen men in the paint who were armed with flaming swords and guns that fire sharks. It was the game-winner. Dennis Wideman got the empty netter. Caps beat Bruins 5-3.

See: Mathieu Perreault gets pied by Alex Ovechkin during the post-game interview

• No Green. No Backstrom. No Ovechkin. NO EXCUSES.
• The CSN-DC crew chose Mathieu Perreault as the player to focus on with the isocam. NICE MOVE. The ol’ canucklehead summoned up ancient French Canadien magicks to slay Boston. Fickle are the fates that allow a player like Perry to be scratched last week and soar now. His hat trick was the first of his career.
• No less impressive was Perreault’s high stick on Zdeno “would you like a peanut?” Chara, who has 11 inches on the kid. [UPDATE: Via this @SWhyno tweet, Perry is 5'8". Make it THIRTEEN INCHES.]
• Following the Penguins game on Sunday, Matt Hendricks’ ear needed some time in the garage. Hendy took a puck to that same ear on Tuesday, but he hardly missed a shift. What a hardy dude. But the goatee has gotta go. Whattaya think?
• The 2011-2012 Capitals are supposed to be a grind-em-down kinda team– particularly since Coach Hunter came to town. But all three second period goals came on the rush, right after zippy zone entries. While Mike Knuble is executing the cycle game plan fastidiously and getting nothing from it, players like Semin and Perreault are entering the OZ like lightning, filling up the lanes, and reaping the benefits.
• Mike Knuble set a good tone for this one early. Old man Kanooble even attempted a wraparound. Seriously. A wraparound. From Knuble. Like a cat walking on two legs.
• Alex Semin‘s give-and-go with Perreault made for a pretty goal, but Semin was masterminding offense all night. He was rushing the crease after offensive-zone faceoffs, setting up drop passes to put traffic up front, and playing like the quarterback he could and should be every night.
• Joe Corvozzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
• Sorry, dozed off there for a second.
• Meanwhile, John Carlson‘s tailspin continues. Choking in his own end gave Seguin a giftwrapped goal. Karl Alzner‘s own-goal was embarrassing too, but those things happen in pro hockey.
• Tomas Vokoun, made of granite, kept his net sacrosanct. 29 saves and one fantastic win.
• The Capitals slayed the giant. Boston is the best offensive team in the league, stretching out miles beyond their peers. And the Capitals felled them like any anonymous foe.

Joe B suit of the night

The Washington Capitals are supposed to be a trainwreck right now. Their offense is gone, and their stars are injured and suspended. They’re supposed to suck.

No one told them.

They Caps played like champions tonight. They didn’t play the quiet, restrained game of a shellshocked hockey team. This was the rowdy, dynamic, obstreperous, and just-freaking-fun-to-watch style of play that made Washington a great franchise.

It’s a shame Ovi had to sit in the press box for this one, but at least he got a good view of something remarkable.

And someone, please, for crying out loud, buy Mathieu Perreault a beer. Pat ‘em on the back and tell him that he just had his moment.

Now get out there and have another.

Can you think of a better way to head into the all-star break?

Craig Brownstein of Puck Buddys provides this pregamer. All Free Citizens should follow them.

The Pregame: With Doug on IR (day-to-day, lower body – but we won’t say how low), I’ll take a stab at pregaming what could be one of the more critical games on the Caps schedule. And by take a stab, I mean a stabby-stabby and hate-fueled screed. Belittling all things Bay State is one of our favorite indoor sports, but there are so many Boston hFadlines today, we hardly know where to start.

Monday afternoon’s Bruins visit to the White House elicits only groans from us. We all know our Kenyan Marxist president would rather be honoring a Canadian team. As everyone knows, Canadians are generally far more receptive to Obama’s brand of socialism, with their noted embrace of socialized healthcare and flamboyant homosexual hockey fans .

Had the Canucks won the Cup, Michele “Let’s Move” Obama would’ve been swanning amongst the tables of a Canucks State Dinner (music by Nickelback), but instead, the Bruins were shunted off to the side, virtually ignored, and allotted only a crappy POTUS photo op that saw just about any scribe ::cough wyshynski cough :: getting credentialed for it. We’d give anything for the chance to hear those long gone, Grande Dames of the briefing room, Helen Thomas, Sarah McClendon, and Trude Feldman shriek at Claude Julien! More on the missing Bruin later.

Speaking of pucks and politics, we can only hope the Bruins will soon follow the trajectory of another Massachusetts Miracle, former Governor Mitt Romney. The South shall rise again, and rise it did over the weekend, by raining all over Mittens’ inevitability parade in South Carolina. Now limping around the Sunshine State, Mitt Romney, high-sticked plenty for his faux Bruins fandom (no record of him ever attending a game while Governor), just may end up following in the footsteps of other successful Massachusetts Commanders –in- Chiefs: Presidents Dukakis and Kerry. [Note to David Axelrod: Get Barry to the Booth if you want to sew up the hockey vote, and consider hosting a Dem Caps fundraiser and auction the rights to burn that schmata of a Bruins sweater that they gave your boss].

Yesterday’s heart-breaking OT loss to the Pens was followed by the Ravens debacle (cue more Beantown braying). Even from our hardened underground bunker, we could hear the shrill, self-satisfied bloviating of Boston fans everywhere. We’ll have to endure two more weeks of their unnerving smugness, but a Caps win on Tuesday night may be just the thing to shut their five-holes. On February 5, Stupor Bowl Sunday, we host the Bruins again at Verizon and we recall last year’s NFL Championship day, one that saw the Caps downing the Pens – ominous foreshadowing of what would happen to the Steelers later that day against the Pack.

Jeez, I’ve riffed so much on the Boston sidebar stories, there’s little room left to talk hockey. Consider yourselves lucky. We’ll deviate from the normal format a little because I’m… a deviate?

The Puck Drop

Against the backdrop of the ever-shaky Caps having to face the top team in the L’Eastern Conference (31-13-2, OK – 2^nd place, tied for points with the Rags, whatevs Mr. Fancystats), we’ve got injuries galore: (Nicky, Greenie, do we even mention Poti anymore?); illness with Po MoJo and weirdness (Sasha “uncomfortable” at the end of the bench yesterday – and by uncomfortable, we don’t mean those awkward hugs). And now we’ve had a brush with the law. Sheriff Shanahan, farming out the Ovi decision to the Casey Anthony jury, nailed our captain with a severe and draconian 3-game suspension.

Did Ovi leave his feet on that Zbyxněksickhahahah Michálek hit on Sunday? Maybe a little. Regardless of Shanahan’s Kangaroo Courtfindings, let’s put that controversial hit into much-needed perspective: 1). Despite the altitude achieved, to us (always the kneejerk Caps apologists), it looked like a hockey hit plain and simple, demonstrating Ovi’s leadership on the ice. 2.) Remember the Prague Spring? Russians are sooo loving of the Czechs that they sometimes get carried up, up and awayyyy. Ovi could’ve called in a column of tanks, but instead opted for an air strike. Michálek was so unfazed by the Ovi hit that he went head hunting for Hendy later in the game, and got off with nary a finger-wagging from Brendan “Bull Connor” Shanahan.

Even before the Pens game, we thought that Ovi should take a pass on the ASG – that the time would be better spent team building, sack grabbing and getting everyone’s heads and asses wired together. Eighth is too tenuous a spot in the standings for the Great 8 or his team. Captain Crunch could also use the time moving into his new digs. He just bought into the charming hamlet of McLean (5BR, 7.5BA, 11,000sf, $4.4M), increasing his commute but removing himself from the urban rat race that is Arlington.

What Makes Them Hot

1. The Whole Megillah: What can you say about a defending champion team that shrugged off their Cup hangover pretty quickly and has been playing excellent hockey? Let’s just leave it at that. These guys scare the crap out of us and for good reason – what they lack in individual goal and points leaders, they make up in depth, deep depth, very scary deep, dark and foreboding depth. In fact, we have the bends as we scribble this out. While the Bs have the best goal differential in the NHL, none of the top-20 point scorers call Boston home (Tyler Seguin is #25). As far as overall points, Tyler leads the Bruins as well and is in 24^th place, just ahead of our dear Angel, the ailing Nicky Backstrom. As an aside, leaving Steven Tyler out of the equation, are there any Tylers that aren’t hot?

2. Rasputin: Zdeno Chara is so big he blocks the sun and so heavy that he has his own gravitational pull. He’s so ugly, he’s got ugly he hasn’t even used yet. We can’t stand this guy and if it was up to us, we’d give the go-code to Hendy, Erskine and maybe Dale kick the crap out of him. It might take all three.

3. Net Positive – Nut Roots: We don’t know who gets the call for Tuesday, but either of Boston’s netminders would be formidable. Are we the only ones who scream “TIMMAY,” in our best South Park voices whenever he’s between the pipes? My God, we hate Tim Thomas and that was before he snubbed the President on Monday. Turning down a White House visit, no matter who resides there, is classless, and Glenn Beck fan or not, hockey should trump politics. Timmy should get his ass run mercilessly on Tuesday night for that serious breach of good manners and protocol. Timmy’s Crayola’s communique to explain his absense did little to help his cause. The brain-addled Unabomber scribbled out a far more coherent statement than the jibberish Lil Timmy posted on Monday. [Note to Timmy: The Bay State goes Deep Blue in November, despite your childish theatrics and temper tantrum, and the Dems probably pick up a Senate seat, too].

What Makes Us Hot

1. Out of Body Experience: Was that our Sasha with the Knublian-style, greasy goal from the doorstep against the Pens? Was that our Sasha getting in on a skirmish, too? Whoever that was, keep it up! Love that dirty water? Make it filthy, Sasha. You’re due and there’s no one better to humiliate than the Bruins. With Ovi out, it’s time to step up. Sasha – it’s your time, it’s your calling, it’s your destiny.

2. Czech Mates: It’s hard to fault either Vokoun or Neuvy lately, and we’d be comfortable with either getting the call on Tuesday night. They’ve been bringing it, far more consistently than earlier in the season, but still need help in front of them. Had the Hammer not been so far out of position against Geno during the OT, the Caps may have exited CONSOL with the two points. We say give the start to the Raccoon – and we say to the rest of the team, protect him at all costs. Tuesday night would also be ideal for a goalie fight (hint – hint).

3. Screw Tim Thomas. Go back to Bumtown, you bum!

Blame @thatwilcoxguy for this image.

Keys to the Game

Bruins: OK – maybeee I had some help putting this together. Besides the gentle nudges to include some stats and hockey things from a colleague (Hi Peter!), noted Bruins blogger, Sarah Connors of Stanley Cup of Chowder gave us some insight on what the Bruins need to do to win the game:

First and foremost discipline – when the Bruins keep their cool instead of retaliating like idiots, they win by a ton every time. Case in point: yesterday’s s-show (6-5 SO win over the Flyers) and the Canucks game (4-3 loss) are two good examples of them being idiots. We haven’t played the Caps since 2010; there were no Bruins/Caps games in calendar year 2011.

Sarah also laid down a challenge for Tuesday night, but we did not pledge RMNB to this, however: Whoever loses the game has to swap out their twitter avatar for a week, with the winning team’s logo. For the love of God and all that is holy and Leonsis, please Caps, SCOAR MOAR GOALS, CRASH THE NET, PLAY 60 MINUTES OF FLAWLESS HOCKEY, HIGH STICK – LOW STICK, WIN BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!!!

Caps: We can only repeat what Alan “The Oracle of CSN” May, has been saying, tweeting and screaming, “SHOOOOOOOT!”

Meme of the Day

A historic Twitter moment.

Over the weekend, the internet embarrassed itself once again when a Penn State student website called the Onward State prematurely reported Joe Paterno’s death. At 8:45 PM on Saturday, the website tweeted: “Our sources can now confirm: Joseph Vincent Paterno has passed away tonight at the age of 85.” CBS Sports, The Huffington Post, and SB Nation — all in a rush to get their stories up first to rank well in Google — posted stories of their own minutes later without attributing their information or checking their own sources. The Paterno family debunked the news shortly thereafter and a lot of yolk was on a lot of peoples’ faces.

The student editor of the newspaper stepped down hours later, but the aftermath has spread far beyond that, not the least of which has been the many voices blaming Twitter for the spread of false information. Ronnie Ramos of the National Sports Journalism Center offers a counterpoint here, positing that the problem is not with Twitter itself, but with simply reporting responsibly in any medium.

We here at Russian Machine happen to think that Twitter is awesome. While of course there are pitfalls to such a rapid-fire, scoop-obsessed form of news sharing, that speed itself and the ways in which information is able to be shared are changing news media every day. Mistakes happen–especially when information is not properly sourced and credited, which is a lesson that we learned again this weekend–but the sheer volume and accessibility of information is at an all-time high, even for the casual newsreader, or the casual fan.

Where Twitter has at least as much, if not even more value, though, is as a community-building tool–you can find those who share your interests by doing no more than simply clicking a hashtag. It can be great for concise, short-form discussion (CROSBY SUX!!1 / NO OVECHKIN SUXX!!), great for a communal joke (#Sh*tCapsFansSay)–and absolutely unbeatable for venting and reacting in the moment. Ravens choked at the last moment? Yell “NO! NOOOoooooo” on Twitter, as well, my entire feed did Sunday afternoon. Mad about Alex Semin’s latest stick penalty?

Commiserate with a thousand of your closest friends. (Video via Peter Robbio of Chirps From The Ledge)

Mistakes and incorrect stories are hardly a new phenomenon in journalism, and it’s worth noting that as quickly as an erroneous story can be spread on Twitter, it can just as quickly be corrected, as it was in the Paterno story in that same wildfire social-media way. We love Twitter because we love you guys, all six thousand of you — it’s not quite like being able to watch a game in a stadium and talk to every single other person there, but it’s getting very close.

Additional opining by Ana Hansen.

Doug Johnson of Puck Buddys offers this game preview. @PuckBuddys.

[Ed. note: for coverage of Rene Bourque, uhhh... check out RMNB on Wednesday morning.]

The Pregame: Fun game! Everyone from a malfunctioning family, raise your hand. Or, if you’re in a public place, just give a little squee inside. Yeah, we thought so. Show me the person who says their family is perfectly normal and I’ll show you a glue-sniffing, trick-turning, psychopathic cat hoarder. You know: like [fill in hated politician here] Oh, biting wit!

And speaking of glue-sniffing (bet you thought it’d be sociopathy), we come to Wednesday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. Les Habitants. You know: the Baldwin family of contemporary hockey. Or should that be the Donner Party? Either way, they eat their own to the amusement of all.

Oh you bet, we’ve all had a hearty laugh – a long, hard laugh – at the goonish antics of our Quebecois neighbors of late. Like watching the Spuckler family argument spill out onto the un-mowed back lawn, hurling rotting plastic chairs at one another as they jockey for “superiority” amid the weeds and used Timmy Hos coffee cups. Too much back bacon, eh?

The Puck Drop

Andrei Kostitsyn

Where to begin, presented with such a luxe buffet? Start with a hearty slab of Cammalleri’s trade… mid-game. Larfs! Kris Humphries divorce ended more graciously (or should that be John Huntsman? Oh… oops, that’s right… nevermind.)  Then again, at least according to PuckBuddys’ Habs correspondent Matt Skolnikov, Cammalleri “…was a prima donna that was all chiseled good looks and bags of beauty products in the locker room for touch-ups during intermissions but not, in my opinion, much of a hockey player.” Snaps high, girlfriend.

Beyond the other – many other – examples we could cite, the key point is that the Habs blow this season. Like [redacted, sorry guys!] blow. Les Canadiens (17-20-8) are at the bottom (ahem) of the Northeast Division, behind (heh-heh) the Sabres for Crimminy’s sake. They stink at home (8-8-1); they stink worse on the road (9-12-1); shorthanded goals have deviled them; and while they have a sorta decent PP, they munch at their primary job: goals in net (a lame 115).

Still, we – your humble PuckBuddys – have resolved to not face-wash Les Lame-o’s we’re playing, nor wriggle with delight at our opponents troubles. Which makes this whole enterprise rather comical. Whatever, here we go with

What Makes Them Hot

Lars Eller

1: Tish, I Love French!  Brian Gionta, gap-toothed menace Ryan White, and the seasoned Andrei Markov are all out on injuries, leaving the Habs to seriously regroup. Among those stepping up, center Scott Gomez. At 0G/5A, minus-2, he may not seem like a threat, but watch this kid; he’s been hot of late. Another colleague, Max Pacioretty (15G/17A, minus-1) sounds like something we’d put on a pizza, but of late he’s eating opponent’s lunch.

2: Bargain Bin. Carey Price is exactly who he is. His GAA of 2.551 isn’t King Lundqvist worthy (but almost exactly Racoon-worthy) but his .913 SA puts him right up among the best this season. Too bad he may not be playing for the Habs next season, or not. Halak or Price? It sounds like the Canadiens management may be lining up behind Price for contract renewal – perhaps at a large (don’t say it) price.

3: Loose Change: Erik Cole (17G/16A, plus-5), Danish treat and recent hattie Lars Eller (8G/9A, plus-1), and others; they all help. But Montreal’s forward play has been, ummm…lacking. So what if you’ve got hotties on the ice – can they score?

Why They’re Not

1: Home town! Teams are expected to play well at home. Teams from the elite of hockey are expected to whip opponents at home. Teams like the Habs – strike that, there is no other team like the Habs – are demanded to perform in front of the hometown audience… which means, win. This season, at le Centre Belle, the Canadiens have turned in a cringe-inducing 8-8. Hé Grenouilles, votre équipe pue!  (And by that, we mean Le Pew!)

4-time cup winner Gilles Tremblay

2: Shadows of Glory. This, even for us, is something we come to with humility. The Habs were (and we expect will be, some year) a fixture of hockey’s glory. Maybe it takes an original six fan to say this, but Montreal has been a hated favorite of mine. Boston? Dirty-playing dirt dicks, frankly. Les Habs? Right up there with the Wings: class, class, classy-class-class. Gordie Howe, meet Gilles Tromblay. Steve Yzerman? Jack Laviollette. Sergei Federov, here’s Guy Lafleur. Here’s the point, other than slobbering in fanboy daydreams: the Habs are a team of tradition, of longevity, and of class.

It is a sad fact that today, however, that tradition is rendered as little more than clown car. That, mes amis, will not end before this season. Nos bras meurtris vous tendent le flambeau, à vous toujours de le porter bien haut. Flambeau away, dear Habs; flambeau away.

3: One Word: Sasha-stacular! H8rs, the line forms somewhere between the men’s room and the exit sign. Our other Russians have mixed results – Ovi, who totes gets the whole “crash the opponent” thing, and the “crash the net” thing, too, except for the part where he actually gets the puck IN the net; and Dima – SCOARLOV! – who is showing every bearish sign of moving up and up save for the fact that he’s barely out of shortpants and is still a class act.  But we have to come back to Sasha Major. 11G/13A, plus-1? That doesn’t even start to tell the story of our heavy-metal, pipes-crashing, sniper-tastic Sasha of late. Good Sasha, you may take the stage.

Prediction

Because we’re dopes, we go out on the line. Caps 4, Habs 3.

The OT

The PuckBuddys, and the RMNB family, welcome a new addition this week. Specifically a huge, black-furred, long-snouted girl, with the adoption of retired greyhound racer and brood-mom, Uma. A home with boys isn’t quite complete without a a boy’s best friend, so we welcome her in all her giant rat-snaring, couch-hogging, mess-making fuzzy glory. Rats of DC beware: Uma is on the prowl. We <3 U.

Meme of the Night

Vokoun isn’t sure when this hug is going to end. (Via carrotbazooka.tumblr.com)

Coming into tonight’s game, the Capitals have won six straight at home. During that stretch, they’ve outscored their opponents 19-7 and have never trailed. Their recent dominance in front of their home fans has put the Caps back into contention for *gasp* — not only a playoff spot — but the Southeast Division lead as well. In fact, with a win tonight, the Capitals overtake world-beating Florida.

After a scoreless first period, Brooks Laich Alex Semin started the scoring off in the second period with a high, short-side blast by Cam Ward. 2:46 later, Jussi Jokienen knocked in a pinballing puck on the power play. Dmitry SCOARlov scored his first NHL goal in the third period. And that, my friends, would be the game-winner. Caps beat Canes 2-1.

Joe B on Cam and Joel Ward: 'No relation.'

• The Caps now lead the Southeast Division for the first time since mid-November. They would also be the third place team in the Eastern Conference if the playoffs started today. Thanks, Dale.
• In Tomas Vokoun‘s ninth straight start, the 35-year-old Czech net minder came up huge, stopping 43 shots, 18 of which came in the third period. Maybe Bruce Boudreau switching his goalies every other game was, in fact, a bad idea.
• The Caps are now 8-0-1 in last nine games against the Hurricanes.
• Brooks Laich‘s second period no-goal in the second was, um, a goal. Laich went strong to the net, and as the puck deflected off Cam Ward’s shoulder, Brooks knocked the puck home from his knees. Ward was maybe swiped. Yet, the on-ice officials deemed the game’s first tally null-and-void because of incidental contact with the goalie. Oh, if only Eric Furlatt and Kyle Rehman were officiating when the Flyers knocked the Caps out of 2008-09 playoffs. Maybe we’d have a Cup by now.
• Undaunted after hitting the post for the third time in two games, Alex Semin hit the back of the twine with one of his patented rocketships. It was 11th goal of the season.
• Hey, Ovi! You have to score with the puck, not yer body, silly!
• The best part of Dmitry Orlov‘s first NHL goal was the look of pure joy on his face after he realized he scored. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of that as the season goes on.
• Marcus Johansson had another fine effort centering the Capitals’ first line. He finished with an assist in 19:44 of playing time. What’s concerning is his penchant for losing face-offs. Tonight, he was six of 17. Nicklas Backstrom can’t return soon enough.
• Via Ben Raby, Mike Green’s first career game, Michael Neuvirth’s first career shutout, and John Carlson, Cody Eakin, and Orlov’s first career goals have come against the Canes.

Joe B suit of the night

The Capitals will now turn their attention to the New York Islanders on Tuesday and try to finish their four-game homestand undefeated.

Finally, we have to give a shoutout to Alan May, who was inside the glass for the broadcast team tonight. Besides giving his usual straightforward insight, he also pretty much served everybody. While the Caps had an odd man break and Joe B and Locker were chatting, May interrupted, “Hey! I’m trying to pay attention to the game down here, guys.” After the Great 8 told an on-ice official to “check the replay” after a non-call, May responded, “Ovi was a lot nicer to the referee than if I would have been talking to him.” CSN, keep this man right here. We like it.

Brouwer celebrates the hatty! (Photo credit: Nick Wass)

Coming into tonight’s game, the Capitals had scored on five of their last 12 powerplays. Meanwhile, Tampa was playing their second game in two nights on the road.

Right off the hop, Alex Ovechkin took advantage of Tampa’s tired legs, scoring on the powerplay via a blast from the point. The goal, courtesy of a screen orchestrated by Troy Brouwer’s rear, was Ovi’s 18th on the year. The Hockey Gods then rewarded Troy’s hard work with a goal of his very own 1:53 later on the brouwerplay.

In the second period, Brouwer went to the second power, pushing a rebound past 42-year-old Dwayne Roloson. With 2:54 left in the second, the Lightning got their first of the night when Mike Knuble had his pocket picked by Martin St. Louis. That freakin’ gnat then dished to Tom Pyatt who one-timed home his fourth goal of the season.

Steven Stamkos gave Tampa’s comeback some steam with a powerplay goal in the third period to make it 3-2. But Troy Brouwer then responded by collecting a hat trick with an empty-netter. Still the Lightning wouldn’t die as Vincent LeCavalier deflected home a St. Louis shot with 11 seconds left. After another wild deflection in front of the net almost got past Vokoun, the buzzer finally hit zero. Caps beat the Lightning, 4-3. WHEW.

• The Capitals came out hard tonight and put Tampa on the ropes early, earning 3 powerplays in the game’s first five minutes. After failing to get a shot on net on their first powerplay, the Capitals scored immediately on their next two. The game never really seemed in doubt until…

• Mike Green tweeted and set in motion the most bizarre set of hockey plays the world has ever seen. Let’s recap.
• Jason Chimera took a puck to the face and bled in front of the cameras.
• Alex Semin hit the post twice on the same shift.
• Karl Alzner, I repeat, Karl Alzner dropped the gloves with Steve Downie and landed the only punch.
• Troy Brouwer got called for boarding on a counter hit because Martin St. Louis weights 30 pounds.
• In defense of his fallen midget, Steven Stamkos dropped the gloves and tried to fight Brouwer.
• This happened.

• For those of you who still don’t believe in the wicked power behind Friday the 13th, I sure hope you do now. And if you still don’t, I guarantee a piano will fall on your head the next time you go outside.
• Anyways, other fun stuff happened tonight as well. Troy Brouwer had the game of his life, notching his first career hat trick. In two games against the Lightning this season, Brouwer has four goals. This was his fifth career multi-goal game.
• Dennis Wideman had two assists a day after being named an All Star for the first time. During CSN’s first intermission interview, he was still humbled by the selection telling Al Koken, “it’s something I wasn’t sure was ever going to happen [in my career].” Wideman tallied his fifth multiple-point game the season and skated a team-high 27:29.
• Beyond his first period goal, Alex Ovechkin‘s most noteable moment of the night was the peace sign he flashed to the crowd when the Capitals honored him for being named to his fifth All-Star game on the jumbotron.
• And personally, I’m just a huge fan of this Alex Semin hug.

Joe B suit of the night

With the win and Florida’s loss tonight, the Capitals are now two points behind the Panthers for the Southeast division lead with a game in hand. After everything that happened in the first half of the season, this seems incredible to me.

After a 11am practice Saturday at Kettler, the Caps will face the Carolina Hurricanes at home Sunday night. And just as a heads up, it’s a funky 5pm start because of the Ravens game that day. We’ll see you then!

The Capitals’ 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins was their 41st game of the season. The halfway point.

Let’s take a quick moment, without any pomp or heavy opinions (except GIFs), to appreciate where the Caps are right now.

Overall Record

Overall: 22-17-2
Home: 15-5-1
Road: 7-12-1
Standings points: 46

The Capitals currently sit 8th in the Eastern Conference, essentially tied with Pittsburgh.

They are second in Southeast Division, one point ahead of the Winnipeg Jets and four behind the Florida Panthers. The bright side is that the Caps have played one game fewer than those teams. Still, the Caps are battling for standing in the division that used to be their feeding ground.

As Neil Greenberg pointed out on the Post Tuesday, the Caps’ home record is 5th best in the league. Their road record is 24th.

Special Teams

Power Play: 19.0% (8th)
Home: 23.9% (2nd) ; Road: 13.6% (25th)
Penalty Kill: 82.1% (19th)
Home:  90.2% (2nd); Road: 76.0% (25th)

When they hit the road, the Caps fall 23 spots in special teams ranking. They are elite in Verizon Center when cheered on by you. They are meek anywhere else.

And don’t let the ranking of the overall PK scare you; this is a very dense field. Only 3% separates the Capitals from 8th place. One bad night can send a team down several spots. Boston, in their infinite awesomeness, leads the NHL with a PK north of 91%.

Remaining Schedule

Home games: 20
Road games: 21
Games vs playoff teams: 22

The Caps do not have an easy finish. They’ll be running into clusters of tough games– on the road. There’s a bunch against Division leaders like Florida, Boston, and New York, plus a back-to-back with Detroit and Chicago after St. Patrick’s Day.

Goals

Goals for: 119 (9th)
Goals against: 120 (16th)
Differential:  minus-1

Before shutting out Pittsburgh, the Caps’ 120 goals against had earned them 23rd place ranking. By plugging up their leaky net for one night, the Caps jumped up six spots in a dense field. On the other end of the ice, Alex Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom, and Troy Brouwer own 41 of the Caps’ goals, or about 35% of their output.

Puck Possession

Close Fenwick: 51.02% (9th)
Fenwick Down 2: 51.95% (26th)
Fenwick Up 2: 35.32% (29th) 

These percentages represent the sum of non-blocked pucks directed at the net. When the score is close, the Capitals have a modest tilt in their favor. But when the Capitals are down, they just aren’t shooting enough to change the course of the game. When the Capitals have a good lead, they sit back more than almost any other team in the league (Minnesota’s trap is 30th). [Source: Behindthenet.ca]

Alex Ovechkin

Goals:  17 (17th)
Assists:  16 (96th)
SC diff: plus-16

Alex Ovechkin has a tough path ahead of him to hit 30 goals. Those who expected him to hit 50 were quixotic, but those who expected him to hit 30 have a right to be disappointed. [Source: Neil Greenberg, 1/5/2012]

Dmitry Orlov

Games: 23
Cume shots: 14
Goals: 0
SC diff: minus-10

Dmitry Orlov is a very, very young player. He’s styled as a Mike Green-type defenseman, but he hasn’t shot enough to prove it yet. He’s got time. [Source: Neil Greenberg, 1/5/2012]

Alex Semin

Major penalties: 0
Goals: 10
Contract: $6.7 M 

Semin has not committed a major penalty, but he is only five penalty minutes behind the team PIM leader/tough guy, Matt Hendricks. He is on track for 20 goals (assuming he stays healthy), which would lead to a payment of about $335,000 a goal.

Mike Green

Games, this season: 10
Games, last season: 49
Games, 2 seasons ago: 75 

It’s easy to convince someone that Mike Green is a great hockey player, as long as you first convince them that he actually is a hockey player. We all wish Mike the best, but knowing that upon his return he will be immediately targeted for hits is worrying.

Carlzner

It’s hard to bundle up a stat to tell the story of John Carlson and Karl Alzner. They began the season as team’s best defensive pairing, but have become liabilities recently. Neil does a good job telling the story with this chart, plotting the pair’s precipitous decline.

Tomas Vokoun

Goals Against: 69
Save %: .915 

Vokoun is recovering his goalie stardom, now floating just .02 under his lifetime average save percentage. And yes, the goals against count was included just to use this Paramore gif.

There are 41 games and 82 points remaining in this season. The playoffs are possible, but not certain. Given the team’s woeful performance away from D.C., will George McPhee hazard the road with his current roster? Or are the Washington Capitals about to undergo their largest upheaval since the lockout?

Careers are on the line.

That surfing Pikachu image is from brotherbrain.

Photo credit: Mitchell Layton

After the Capitals’ somewhat easy 4-1 victory over the Eastern Conference’s best team Wednesday, Nicklas Backstrom spoke to Versus’ Pierre McGuire. In explaining the team’s troubles this year, Backstrom said, “I think we haven’t been working hard enough. Everybody has to commit and do their job, and that’s what we haven’t been doing.”

It’s hard to express optimism that the Caps have finally turned the corner, if they can’t string a couple of solid victories together, and — you know — actually turn the corner. Would they bring the energy again in their second match-up in three games against the Buffalo Sabres, a team who has given the Caps fits all year?

You tell me. Photo recap time!

First photo! After Jason Chimera is slammed face-first into the glass by Mike Weber, the Caps are awarded a power play 27 seconds into the game. Not shown but worth keeping in mind: Chimera returned to the bench really, really mad. (Photo credit: Mitchell Layton)

Ovechkin goes for a skate and avoids a hip check on the subsequent power play… (Photo credit: Patrick McDermott)

And scores! It’s the quickest Caps goal of the season, and a complete role-reversal of Monday’s dreadful game against the Sabres. (Photo credit: Nick Wass)

11 minutes later, after a stoppage in play, Chimera skates over to Weber and the two drop the mitts.  Despite the fact Chimmer looks to be suckling here, everyone in the arena got the message that he shouldn’t be messed with. (Photo credit: Patrick McDermott)

Oh wait, Ryan Miller didn’t. Time to resort to primitive gestures! (Photo credit: @STLSpidey)

A few minutes later, the chippy play continues as Troy Brouwer fights Christian Ehrhoff. Brouwer’s MMA-style hug (get a room you two) incredibly gives Ehrhoff an upper-body injury. He does not return. The Sabres Twitter account later says Ehrhoff could be out “weeks.”  Brouwer after the game says, “I wouldn’t even put that down as a fight.” Awesome. (Photo credit: Mitchell Layton)

3:52 into the second period, the Capitals score their second goal of the night. Look at Alex Semin hustling.

The tally, Backstrom’s 13th, ties him for the team-lead in goals with Ovechkin and Mr. About-to-be-fined. (Photo credit: Nick Wass)

It was also Backstrom’s 100th career goal. (Photo credit: Ben Guerrero)

After the Sabres dominate the final ten minutes of the second period, Jochen Hecht scores in front of the net to pull Buffalo within one. (Photo credit: Patrick McDermott)

During the intermission, Joe B photobombs Locker. (Photo credit: @skeebs17)

Laughlin finally realizes Joe’s behind him… (Photo credit: @jennrubenstein)

And then notices the hideous dress shirt Joe B’s wearing under his suit of the night. (Photo credit: @jennrubenstein)

Have to have one for the ladies. (Photo credit: Mitchell Layton)

Ovechkin then clinches the victory in the third period. No goalie in the world could stop this.

It’s his second goal of the night and his 14th of the season. Per Neil Greenberg, the Capitals are now 17-2-0 when both Ovi and NB19 score and 16-1-2 (since the 2009-10 season) when Ovi scores twice. (Photo credit: Patrick McDermott)

Two-straight wins! WOOOOOOOOO! (Photo credit: Nick Wass)

That was fun. Photo recaps rule. Well, make sure to go check out the Hershey Bears’ New Years and Outdoor Game jerseys exclusively on our sister site Sweetest Hockey On Earth! We’ll be back tomorrow night for the Caps game in Columbus. See you guys then! (Photo credit: Kyle Mace)