Week two already! Let’s delve deeper into the relationship between Shinny and her boyfriend, an enthusiastic young man who is blissfully unaware of certain hockey protocol. For example: there are certain gifts that should not be given to fans of teams who have not won the Cup.

It’s the fan version of the player superstition: one does not touch the Cup until one wins the Cup.

I’m not into superstition personally, but man oh man Rachel is. And so is Shinny, our titular mohawked hero. But more on that later. For now, we have to deal with the inchoate conflict between Shinny’s dad and her boyfriend. The PuckBuddys say the boyfriend is cute, and that cracks me up.

TRANSCRIPT

PANEL 1:  BF holds the gift box out to Shinny.

BF: As your boyfriend, I have learned that I am sometimes supposed to buy you things.

This is one of those things.

SHINNY: Tell me you didn’t…

PANEL 2:  She is aghast; BF is beaming with pride.

BF: …It’s an inflatable Stanley Cup!

We can put it in your bedroom, and you can keep your jewelry in it.

PANEL 3: Shinny is furious.

PANEL 4: BF is confused. Dad is stern.

BF: I did something wrong, right?

PANEL 5: Dad leans in on BF.

DAD: Until the Caps win the real thing, this abomination is like a black cat stapled to an albatross glued to a broken mirror. She won’t touch it.

…

Now what’s this about you in my daughter’s bedroom?

Sheepvechkin! (Illustration by Rachel Cohen)

Today is Halloween, which for me means less than one month until my birthday! Yay! Oh wait — I mean, dressing up, eating candy, and looking like a tool. To celebrate the holiday right, we figured we’d do a Halloween-themed post.

I’ll be honest: when I heard Chris Gordon‘s demand to solicit Caps-themed jack-o-lanterns, I thought we’d get maybe four images and this post would be a total disaster. Three days and 50 emails later, holy lord did you guys come through in a BIG way. (I guess that’s why he contributes to the New York Times, and I don’t.)

We’ve got Caps logos, we’ve got Ovi heads, and we’ve got 10 million Weagle-carved pumpkins. Follow me past the jump to check out the gallery.

Oh yeah. Homeowners, please remember: the more Mr. Big bars you give out to the kids tonight, the more goals Ovechkin will score on Tuesday. So don’t be stingy. And kids, show no restraint in eating your candy when you get home. Sugar is good for you, no matter what your parents say. Eat it all in one night. Dive into those Kit-Kats and Milky Ways like Alex Ovechkin dives into the boards after scoaring. Type II diabetes be damned.

The Creatively Carved Pumpkins

Justine K.’s Mike Green Painted and Carved Pumpkin

Katie W.’s Caps Pumpkins

Katie’s explanation of her submission cracked me up: “Go Caps!! … and Freddie Mercury. Freddie loves the Caps too.” Sure. Why not?

Chris Gardner’s RMNB-inspired Pumpkins

That last design is by @nazarcruce. Awesome!

Caps Painted Pumpkins by Josie G. (@jgoggs23)

Here’s Josie’s explanation on why she didn’t actually carve anything. “I only had a chance to paint… I KNOW it is nothing like that really cool RMNBesque jack o lantern of Ovi’s face, but I tried!” It’s like the hard hat the Caps give out after every game. Totally works!

Libby D.’s Caps-Carved Pumpkins Featuring a Special Guest

Creative and awesome because… Look at the cat! Also she totally sucked up in her email: “First off, let me just say that you are hands-down my favorite Caps blog. That’s not just ego-stroking so you’ll view my pumpkins more favorably (okay fine, maybe 80/20), I really enjoy reading your stuff – always so entertaining! The picture even includes a seasonally-appropriate orange kitty.” Thanks, Libby.

Chris C.’s Stanley Cup Pumpkin

To everyone in Chris’s neighborhood, please make sure to stay at least an arm’s length away from this thing!

Joey W. Gives Us Caveman Backstrom

The Ovechkin-Inspired Pumpkins

Linnea W.’s Angry Ovi Face

I literally almost fell out of my chair when I first saw this. Incredible work, Linnea!

Daniel C.’s beautiful Ovi Head

So good, I thought this was photoshopped at first.

Alli K.’s Tribute to our Website Header

In my heart of hearts, this is the grand-prize winner if we were to call this a contest. Which we’re totally not. But man, look at that detail. Thanks, Alli!

Jenna M.’s Half-Cut off Ovi Head

so sick hahaha))))

Justine K.’s Great 8 Pumpkin

The Caps Logo Pumpkins

Via Julie R. (@H8Crosby)

Via Morgan C.

Via Jamie N.

Via Cecilia V.

Via LuAyne B.

Via an Anonymous reader

Weagles, Weagles, and MORE Weagles

Behold! Neil Greenberg‘s first ever carved pumpkin.

We also assume Nicci U. had the primary assist here. Great job, guys.

Via Vivian F.

We loved the note she sent us: “Hey guys! Love the blog. I’m a student at McGill University – smack dab in the middle of Habs (ew) territory. Carved this one and set it right outside of my residence for all of Montreal to see. Let’s go Caps!” Awesome.

Via Wendi O.

Via Monte F.

Great photo!

Via Jackie Q.

Jackie tells us that she carved this with her girls. Great jorb.

Via Elana L.

Via Amsi H.

Amsi told us in her email, “I’m not too happy with it, but it’s my first pumpkin carving ever.” This is way better than anything I’ve carved in ten-plus years of trying. And I’m technically an artist. Great job!

Via Chad S.

Via Rebecca S.

Via Cecilia V.

Via Joshua G.

The Capitol dome’s a nice touch!

Via Laura S.

Haha. It looks like the pumpkin has newspaper shoes! I’m immature. Thanks, Laura. Ignore me.

Via Emily J.

Via Michelle P.

Via Allison C.

Via Scott M.

Via Scott W.

Via Brad P. (@StopTheHats)

Via Brendon D.

Via an Anonymous reader

And we can’t forget Hershey. Here’s SHOE‘s own Brian Mills and his Bears-0-lantern.

Which ones did you like the best? Let us know in the comments, and thanks to everyone who shared your pumpkins.

Suffice to say, Mike Green was snakebit last year. The Caps defenseman dealt with freak injuries to the shoulder, knee, and hip and also managed to miss 26 of Washington’s final 28 games in the regular season due to a pair of traumatic head injuries. Green’s 49 games-played were the fewest he’s totaled in a single season since he came up to the NHL full-time in 2006-07. His 24 points were also 52 short of his career-high set in 2009-10.

Tuesday, TSN’s Jermain Franklin caught up with Green after a workout in Calgary and the 26-year-old spoke optimistically about his health, his goals for the upcoming season, and George McPhee’s offseason moves. The two-time Norris Trophy finalist also responded to Matt Bradley’s recent comments about Alex Semin and the Capitals supposed lack of discipline in the locker room saying,”if you’re not going to be committed this year, you’re not going to fit in with our team.”

A partial transcript of the interview is below.

Green on what he’s focused on over the offseason.

“You obviously have to recover physically from the season with your injuries. And then mentally. You know, obviously, we didn’t go as far as we wanted to. It’s been a bit of a disappointment throughout the last few couple of years in the playoffs. But, it’s over and done with. You put it behind you and it’s time to move forward.”

His thoughts on George McPhee’s offseason additions to the Capitals line-up.

“I think we added some depth. We got Troy Brouwer, Ward. We got a great defenseman in Hamrilk. And to top it off: a new goalie. Vokoun is experienced. Maybe that’s what we lacked a little on the backend was experience. And we got that now. Not only that, I think guys like myself, Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Semin need to be the leaders and step up. It’s time that we get committed and we get focused on the grand prize. Other than the travel and the physical side of the game, it’s trying to stay healthy throughout that 82 games. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it. I only made it half-way through. The important thing is I’m healthy now and I’ll make sure I stay healthy this season.”

On why his numbers declined last year.

“When you’re producing and your production is coming throughout the season, it’s usually in a flow and comes in long periods. Anytime you’re out and you’re in, you can’t get that feel for the game as well. Not only that, we switched our game plan up a little bit, and I personally wanted to be stronger defensively. That maybe affected the production. You know, I’m still learning, still adjusting to try and become that complete defenseman. That was one step I needed to take to get there. So now hopefully I can put it all together and be able to do both.”

On his recovery from last year’s concussions.

“Now that I’m better you really realize the symptoms and how scary it is. I’m 100% right now and I’m happy with that. I’m not trying to think about if I get another one or if I put myself in that position.”

On Matt Bradley’s comments about Alex Semin.

“We know as an organization what Semin is about. He’s one of the best players skill-wise in the NHL. Again, it goes back to everyone being back on the same page. I feel that if you’re not going to be committed this year, you’re not going to fit in with our team. I think that’s important that we address that and Matt Bradley definitely brought it out in the media. It’ll be dealt with when we get back for the season.”

Green’s goals for the upcoming season.

“The main goal is the Stanley Cup. In the past, we’ve been great obviously during the regular season and maybe a little too confident or whatnot going into the playoffs. You know, starting on day one, we have to prepare ourselves for the playoffs mentally and physically. I think enough is enough. We’ve wasted enough time here. We feel like our time is now, and we don’t want to let [our chance to win a championship] slip away.”

Click here to see TSN’s entire video interview Green.

Brooks Laich is right to be angry. His team has lost four of its last six games when it should be building momentum for the post-season. But I have to respectfully disagree with his argument; the Washington Capitals are indeed coasting.

In the first period of their last two games, the Capitals have mustered only four shots on goal. This statistic is compelling evidence that the team is not focused on the games in front of them.   If someone says that the team is “sailing through to the postseason”, that’s what they’re talking about.  When the boys start climbing out of the two- or three- goal holes they dig themselves, they play like heroes again. That’s great, but why are they floundering in the first period at all?

Since the streak ended, and the Olympic break puncuated the season, the Capitals have made clear that their only goal is the Stanley Cup. I submit that the team’s focus on the playoffs is sabotaging them right now. Put another way: if the Capitals’ eyes remain fixed on the horizon, they’re going to keep tripping on their own laces.

The best coaches teach us that achievement is measured in tiny increments. To aspire to the greatest trophy in sports is admirable, but the rigors of attention must be dedicated to little things. The geometry of a perfect pass, that predatory instinct to find a weak spot, the prescience to anticipate your opponent’s next move; these are the achievements that really matter. Without the little things in abundance, nothing great can ever be accomplished.

I will never accuse our team of being lazy, but a sober assessment must conclude that they are focusing on the long term at the expense of the short term. I sympathize. We know that the Capitals had problems with injury and fatigue in the post-season last year, and no one wants a repeat of that. The team’s best strategy heading into the playoffs is to continue doing what got them here in the first place: WIN.

The triumphant passion, the bloodlust for goalies, the competitive exuberance that characterizes the Washington Capitals must return. And it will come not by focusing on June, or the playoffs, or the next week, or the next game, or even the next twenty minutes.  It comes from Right Now. It comes from tiny moments like this one. Or this one. Or this one. Or this one. You get the idea.

http://www.behindthenethockey.com/2010/1/19/1185179/taking-a-beating-league-leaders-in

“We all know who the big hitters are, but have you ever wondered who gets hit the most?”

Looking only at roads hits to remove some of the scoring bias, Stephane Robidas (191) and Douglas Murray (187) are the guys who have gotten hit the most over the last two years.

Recently departed Capital Michael Nylander is 6th in getting hit ratio, having dished out just 7 hits while taking 53 himself. No Caps were amongst the top 19 in hit ratio, with Trent Hunter leading the pack there (153 hits, 63 hits against).

With the high-powered offense, there isn’t a ton of need for Washington to be overly physical.

http://hockproject.blogspot.com/2010/01/save-percentage-adjusted-for-penalty.html

While save percentage may be one of the better stats for goalies, it still doesn’t take into account the quality of the shots faced. That issue can be ameliorated a bit by adjusting for how well and how often goalies face the penalty kill.

“As of now the top ten goalies in SV% with at least ten games played are:

1. Ryan Miller .936
2. Tukka Rask .930
3. Jimmy Howard .928
4. Jaroslav Halak .927
5. Mikka Kiprusoff .926
6. Henriq Lunqvist .926
7. Peter Budaj .925
8. Evgeni Nabokov .925
9. Seymon Varlamov .924
10. Tomas Vokoun .924

What I’m going to do though is make an adjustment for the Shot Quality effect on the PK, and thus make an adjusted SV% for that situation; here are the top ten in that stat:

1. Ryan Miller .941
2. Seymon Varlamov .941
3. Peter Budaj .938
4. Jimmy Howard .937
5. Tomas Vokoun .937
6. Mikka Kiprusoff .933
7. Henrik Lunqvist .932
8. Martin Brodeur .932
9. Tukka Rask .931
10. Evgeni Nabokov, Jaroslav Halak and Ilya Bryzgalov .930″

Varly hasn’t done particularly well on the penalty kill (.844 SV%), so when making an adjustment for that he vaults up to virtually the top of the rankings. Now if he could spend more time on the ice, that would be fantastic.

http://www.behindthenethockey.com/2010/1/14/1250611/the-nhls-best-even-strength

Hawerchuk “estimated the expected number of goals that each player should have scored each year based on the locations of the shots he took – because rebounds are high-percentage shots… only looked at initial shots to assess pure shooting” and then compared to the actual number of goals scored. Ilya Kovalchuk was easily tops, having scored about 51 more goals than would be expected. The Capitals’ two Alexanders were 7th (Ovie, 27 more goals) and 12th (Semin, 19 more goals). Nice to have a couple of sharp-shooters like that on one’s team.

http://www.puckprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=426

The Western Conference has been stronger than the Eastern Conference this year:

“Through last weekend, in head-to-head matchups between Eastern and Western teams this season, the West has won 70 in regulation and 16 more in overtime or shootouts, compared to the East’s marks of 47 wins in regulation and 17 in overtime. In those games, the West has outscored the East by a total of 44 goals and outshot them by 155 shots…

While the worst team in the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes, has an address on the East Coast, even the better teams in the Eastern Conference have trouble with the top Western teams: of the 42 East-West games between the top eight teams from each Conference, the West has won 29, the East just 13.

This is not to say that the Eastern Conference is without elite teams. The New Jersey Devils may be the most complete team in the NHL, the Washington Capitals have the most explosive offense, the Buffalo Sabres have the best goaltender and the Pittsburgh Penguins are the defending Stanley Cup champions. But of the three teams that can lay claim to being at the head of the class at the halfway point of the season, two reside in the West, with the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks joining New Jersey.”

Despite having to go through the tougher competition, the Blackhawks are still the team with the best odds to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.

"Team       Odds
Blackhawks 31%
Devils     29%
Capitals   21%
Sharks     19%
Sabres     16%
Canucks    15%
Flames     11%
Penguins   10%

“Ultimately, you have to beat the other conference’s top team to win the Cup and the two favorites both reside in the West. Both the Blackhawks and the Sharks would be favored in a head-to-head matchup with any Eastern team, while the Canucks (predicted to pass over the Avalanche in our projections) and Flames would be underdogs to the Devils and Capitals, but favorites against the Penguins or Sabres.”

(Almost) anything can happen in a short series, and being one of the top few contenders for the Cup is about as good as any team can reasonably expect.

As an artist, do you know what I love? Flash. No not, Tomas Fleischmann, you fool. I love flair. I love skill. I love sick moves and highlight reel goals. I love potential and thinking I have it all.

When I think of Alex Semin, I think I have the most talented hockey player in the world. I love seeing that. I love knowing that. I love telling my hockey friends in other NHL cities that he’s more talented than Alex Ovechkin and having them laugh at me like I’m some kind of disturbed fool.

But tell me, Can Crosby do this?

Can Malkin do this?

Can your favorite player on your favorite NHL Team do this?

No. The answer is no. And if they’ve done it once, they can’t do it night in night out like Sasha can when he’s on.

Some say Alex Semin is disinterested and inconsistent. To you I say, maybe we just don’t understand him. Maybe he doesn’t have the same goals we think he should have. Maybe he’s a loner, an opinionated, emotional guy. Maybe he has been shy with the media because he knows the only answers he has are generally truthful and shocking – which would be a distraction to the team. Maybe he’s not some Americanized NHL Player who says cliche after cliche, honed from years and years of watching SportsCenter learning what to and not to say. Maybe he only speaks through a translator to the media because he’s trying to be as careful as he possibly can with his words to protect himself. Maybe he’s done enough self-reflection to know that he can be immature and sound selfish.

Honestly, nobody really knows and very few really get him. That’s why he’s the most polarizing player on the Washington Capitals and the most interesting.

But there’s one thing I do get, after watching almost every game Alex Semin’s played in a Capitals uniform: he’s fiercely competitive. Semin wants to be the best. In the preseason, when he was asked what his aspirations were for the upcoming season, he said “Score more goals than Ovie,” in English, with a smirk on his face. Okay, jackass. But before he was interviewed, Washington Post reporter Mark Giannotto noticed he was meticulously studying his year by year statistics in an NHL Media Guide. Ah, the truth. He does care!

The best way to understand Semin’s competitive nature is by examining the terrible mistakes he makes. His third period penalities in the offensive zone? Bruce hates them. Nobody really gets it watching at home. But what are they really? Are the penalties a lackadaisical, lazy hook or hold? No, they’re generally over-aggressive stick fouls where Semin’s trying to win a personal battle for the puck and goes a little too far. That’s passion and refusing to give up. That’s losing your composure and being young. That’s evidence that he needs to learn how to pick his spots better.

Alex Ovechkin has even said as such: “I think he’s top 10 player in the NHL. Sometimes he gets so excited and he just wants to win battle and he just makes . . . bad penalty. But it is what it is, and I can’t say he can do something else.”

Everybody tries to find the answers with Sasha, because everybody wants to know what they really have. But maybe Alex Semin isn’t meant to be understood. Maybe he’ll always be this off and on player. Maybe he’ll always take stupid penalities, sulk when he’s not playing on Ovechkin’s line and screw up simple things other marginal players do right every time. But I love him for his potential and his flair. I love him for the drama he brings to the team. I love him for his ability to completely take over games and even an entire playoff series.

And as a ruthless hockey fan, I love the fact that I think the Capitals have the ability to sign him to an affordable long term deal that’ll probably be fair to both him and the team. Why do I believe this? He’s stated in interviews that he loves playing for the Capitals and hopes to be back. He’s best friends with Alex Ovechkin. Don’t believe me? Here, Here and Here. Warning: the Bromance level in these links might be overwhelming to most normal human beings.

Sasha is a home grown player. I’ve seen him play his entire career here. I find him extremely likable, and though i don’t trust him in key situations sometimes, I can’t stomach the thought of him growing into what I think he could be on another NHL team. So I hope the Capitals resign him sometime this year before he’s a restricted free agent. I hope the Capitals keep him here with Ovie for the long haul. And I hope the Capitals have faith in the other players they’ve drafted like Karl Alzner, Semyon Varlamov & John Carlson to be the key elements of an offensive AND defensive minded team that wins a Stanley Cup in the foreseeable future.