Just another night at the office for Ovechkin: a goal, two assists and the invention of a new dance. (Photo credit: Mitchell Layton)

Referee Bill McCreary is honored with his wife Mary Ann and daughter Melissa, along with Vice President and Caps General Manger George McPhee before officiating his final NHL game. (Photo credit: Mitchell Layton)

On Fan Appreciation Day, the Capitals certainly rewarded their supporters. In front of 18,398 deafening fans — good for the Caps’ 100th consecutive sellout — Washington pulled out a thrilling overtime victory, moving into the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Caps struck first and early when just 37 seconds in John Carlson fired a wrist shot that Buffalo Sabres goalie Jhonas Enroth failed to collect. The red-hot Mike Knuble then did his usual dirty work in the crease to net the opening tally.

Washington jumped out to a two goal lead at 4:41 when Alexander Semin — who was on the ice for eight chances for and three against — scored a similar goal to Knuble’s, tapping in Nicklas Backstrom’s rebound behind Enroth. PANIC!!!1 Timeout Buffalo.

Lindy Ruff’s T.O. would work wonders as just 1:51 later Tomas Vanek put the Sabres on the board as he tipped in Jason Pominville’s shot. At 9:28 Buffalo tied the game when Drew Stafford unleashed what appeared to be a weak, harmless looking shot from the point. After glancing off Jeff Schultz’s leg, the bouncing biscuit went five-hole on Michal Neuvirth, who appeared never to see it.

In the second, both team were even at 11 shots on goal for the frame, but neither converted on their chances.

The teams remained scoreless for most of the third period until Paul Gaustad broke in behind the Capitals defense and faked out Neuvirth to give Buffalo the 3-2 lead.

Less than two minutes later, however, Knuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuble netted his second goal of the match, as he deflected Brooks Laich’s shot from the point on the man advantage to tie the game once again.

But speaking of second goals, it was Stafford who struck again for the Sabres, scoring 2:31 after Knuble’s marker when Carlson ran into Neuvirth, preventing him from making the save. The head coach appeared enraged at rookie defenseman on television, yelling: “What the [Boudreau] was that?”. BRUCE MAD!

“I just talked to him about it,” Bruce Boudreau said after the game. “It’s under four minutes to go in the game and we’re killing a penalty and we didn’t have full control even. We’re just taking off. We can’t do that. And then we have to come back like a chicken with their heads cut off.”

With just 52 seconds left and Neuvirth pulled the Caps netted the tying tally in dramatic fashion as Jason Arnott backhanded home Alex Ovechkin’s rebound, his 400th career goal.

It was also the Capitals’ second power play marker of the game. The captain summed it up well.

“Power play worked today good,” Ovechkin said.

Boudreau agreed.

“Anytime we can score a power play goal it’s a beautiful thing,” he remarked.

“Good for our confidence,” said Marcus Johansson of the power play. “You feel you can score when you have to score.”

In overtime, well, you know what it was: Ovi Time. Ovechkin curled and dragged pass two Sabres before firing a wrist shot pass Enroth. Boom. First place. WINGS! IS PARTY NOW! WE WE WE SO EXCITED! Shall we dance? Caps shock Sabres, 5-4.

MISSING: Nicklas Backstrom bobblehead. This one and at least three others were stolen from the Verizon Center press box when media members were away in the locker room. No demands by the culprits have been made. Victim is approximately 0' 8," 1 lb. with long blond hair. Please contact with any information as to his whereabouts.

• Ovechdance! Ovechdance!
• Alex Ovechkin‘s 30th goal of the year came on his 11th game-winning goal and third OTGWG of the year. His other two overtime game-winners came on picturesque tallies against the Islanders on March 1 and the Senators on October 11.
• Ovechkin was on the ice for 11 chances for, had seven shots on goal and four hits. Oh, yeah… he had also had the primary assist on Arnott’s 400th career goal, a powerful point shot that Enroth had no chance on corralling, and the secondary assist on Knuble’s first period rebound goal. Despite his great offensive play, Ovi was on the ice for eight chances against, the seventh time this season he’s had such a game, explaining his minus-one on the night.
• One last bullet on Ovechkin. The enthusiasm he showed in his dance after the game-winner creates hockey fans for life. He is simply one of the most remarkable players in hockey history, combining Hall of Fame skill with a boyish enthusiasm. Everyday we watch him play, we consider ourselves lucky.
• “Protecting the lead, for most parts of this year, was a forte of ours,” said Boudreau. “But the teams that we play are in their playoff mode. And it’s a great learning experience of seeing how teams are ramping it up for the playoffs.”
• Bill McCreary officiated his final NHL game on Saturday, his 1,737th major league contest. McCreary’s started his career that spanned four decades on November 3, 1984, when the Washington Capitals hosted the New Jerseys Devils. He ref’d the most playoff games (297) and the most Stanley Cup Final games (44) in league history, along with two Winter Olympics goad metal games in 1998 and 2002.”He has probably seen it all in our game,” said Knuble.
• Speaking of McCreary, it was the first time since the 2004-05 NHL lockout that a referee tandem with him did not call a minor penalty through two periods. It was also the first time since 2008 that the Caps have played in a game with no minors called on either team in the first two frames.”I thought the refs did a great job,” Boudreau said. “It was a like a playoff hockey game, and they know what it means so they let the hacks and the slashes go while it was even”
• Jason Chimera played just 9:23 of ice time and was the ice for zero scoring chances for, one against. He was invisible out there.
• Matt Bradley had seven hits in under 11 minutes on the ice. That is all.
• Sean Collins, seeing his first NHL game in almost two season, was not too bad. Collins was on the ice for three chances for and four against in 14:07 of ice time. He also played nine (!) seconds on the penalty kill. Boudreau had this to say after the game: “I think he did really good. I think he moved the puck well. He competed. He did a really good job.”
• The Caps lost yet another D-man to injury when Tyler Sloan left in the second period after registering 10:52 of ice time. “He’s day to day,” said Boudreau, meaning it could be anything from a hangnail to a ruptured spleen.”He got his bell rung and we’ll see how it goes,” he added. It appears, however, that John Erskine will back for the next match.
• Despite giving up four goals, Boudreau prasied his rookie Czech netminder. “I thought Neuvy did a real good job of staying composed and not letting things get to him and juust battling the battle, and I thought we did a real good job of coming back and not hanging our heads and saying “oh well , let’s just wait till tomorrow,” he said. Guess we know who playoff starter is.


Joe B. Suit of the Night

• With Buffalo picking up the point tonight, they move into to sole possession of seventh place in the East, with the Caps now set to take on the New York Rangers in the playoffs as the seedings currently stand. YELP!

Games remaining: three.

Additional reporting by Neil Greenberg and Ian Oland.

(Photo credit: Luis M. Alvarez)

Risking dropping their second straight game to a sub-par team, the Washington Capitals were rescued by none other than Jason Chimera, a healthy scratch just a game ago.

For Chimera it was sweet redemption and “especially nice” that it came against his former team, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Despite the win, victory wasn’t easy for Washington with sloppy play plaguing the Caps throughout the night.

“We did not do a very good job tonight,” veteran center Jason Arnott said. “There were a lot of bouncing pucks, a lot of nonchalant plays that we don’t normally make … We have to clean up our own zone, it starts tomorrow with the video, and try to correct it and come up with a better effort to back our goaltender up.”

Head Coach Bruce Boudreau seemed to agree Arnott’s view that the Capitals must play better in front of young netminder Michal Neuvirth.

“The goals that went in he wasn’t going to stop,” Boudreau said. “When the game is on the line he is there. Doesn’t matter if you have five by him or one by him. He’s really good when the game is on the line, and he had to make some real good saves at the end to preserve it. To me, that is the sign of a real winner.”

The Capitals opened the scoring just 1:39 into the match when John Carlson tipped home the rebound off Chimera’s knuckling shot, which deflected off the catching glove of Jackets goalie Steve Mason. The puck ricocheted off numerous players, including Brooks Laich before Carlson got the lucky bounce. With three minutes remaining in the frame, John Erskine and Jared Boll dropped the gloves. Neither combatant landed many punches, but Boll appeared to get the better of the Lumberjack before the two went down. The Caps dominated in the first period, outshooting the Columbus, 16-4.

Midway through the second stanza, the crazy started happenin’. After a scramble in front of the net, Antoine Vermette popped one past Neuvirth. Just over a minute and a half later, however, Mike Knuble put Washington back on top when he Knuble’d the biscuit into the back of the net after a Nicklas Backstrom shot got past Mason. However, (are you noticing a pattern here) just 42 seconds later Columbus would knot it up once again when Fedor Tyutin fooled Neuvirth with a wrister. Not to be outdone for the second time in as many minutes, Arnott made the score three-two Washington after a great feed for Marco Sturm. Four goals. Two minutes and 17 seconds. Got all that? Didn’t think so.

The Capitals would hold that lead for 14 minutes and 23 seconds into the third, until Scottie Upshall held off both Karl Alzner and Sturm as they tried to remove him from the puck before rifling a wrist shot past Neuvirth. Tie game.

In overtime, well, you know the drill. Chimera chips it in and there’s your ballgame. Caps down Jackets, 4-3 (OT)

• With tonight’s two point performance, the Capitals went over the century mark for the third straight year. With four games left to play, the Capitals have 101 standings points, sitting only one point behind conference-leading Philadelphia. A month ago, if you told us that the Capitals would be challenging for first place with their top defensemen, franchise center, two-time league MVP and both of their star goaltenders struggling with injuries we would have called you crazy. But Washington has weathered the storm. In fact, the Caps have actually found their groove during that time, going 12-2-1 in the month of March, notching an impressive 25 out of a possible 30 standings points. That’s called, you guessed it, staying angry.
• The Capitals dodged a huge bullet before the game when it was announced that Rick Nash would sit due to an undisclosed injury. In eight career games against the Capitals, the Columbus captain has notched seven goals and four assists.
• TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported during the second intermission of the game that Dennis Wideman is in a Washington hospital with a significant leg hematoma as a result of a hit Tuesday by Carolina’s Tuomo Ruutu. After the game, Knuble confirmed the news, saying Wideman has sent pictures, with his leg looking like it’s out of a movie. ”It’s pretty grotesque how Dennis is opened up right now,” Knuble said. “I think he’s pretty much high all the time to deal with the pain.”
• News that Mike Green may participate in his first full Caps practice since suffering a second concussion February 25 blunts the news somewhat. That is, as long a you don’t do a Google image search about Wideman. Really, don’t do it. Don’t.
• How long will Wideman be out? Who knows? But CSN’s Jill Sorenson spoke with Matt Hendricks following the game, with Hendricks saying he suffered a hematoma during the NHL lockout and missed a total of two months.
• The entire Capitals defense was forced to shoulder an even heavier load than normal tonight with only five healthy defensemen available for the final two periods of the game after John Erskine suffered an injury. There were three particularly noteworthy performances. First, John Carlson. In Captain America’s 100th career game, he scored the game’s first goal, notched an assist and had four shots in 25:48 of ice time. Scott Hannan was also exceptional, logging a game-high 28:19, blocking six shots and dishing out three hits. Finally, Jeff Schultz stepped his game up, blocking three shots and being a plus-two in 26:35 of ice time.
• Despite playing just under six minutes, Erskine still managed to register a team-high four hits with his physical play, though one has to think that could be a possible cause for his ailment. Or maybe he suffered it during this completely unnecessary fight with Jared Boll. Most likely, we’ll never know.

• On the opposite end of the spectrum, Tyler Sloan was a minus-one in only 12:55 of time on ice. So essentially there were only four NHL quality defensemen out there.
• Per 106.7 The Fan’s Sky Kerstein, the Capitals have now won six of their last seven shootout or overtime games after losing eight in a row in that fashion earlier in the season.
• The net: crashed
  

  Per NHL.com’s play-by-play, the four goals were from 14, 12, 11 and 14 feet (from the end boards). In other words, net crashed.less than a minute ago via webJapersRink
  JapersRink

Joe B. Suit of the Night

Despite the win, the Jackets rallied three times while down by a goal against the Caps. To succeed in the playoffs you need a killer instinct, something Washington lacked against Columbus.

Four games. That’s all that remains until the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We’ll see you back here Saturday night, though it is Nicklas Backstrom bobblehead day, so we won’t blame you for heading to the game.

Additional reporting by Ian Oland and Neil Greenberg.

Photo credit: Rob Carr

Not all goals are created equal. A team scoring first has almost twice the win percentage of a team that trails first, while scoring an empty net goal almost always means the game was out of reach. But what about all the goals scored in between? Of all those goals that a player scores, how many contribute to victories and how vitally do they contribute?

There is a direct relationship between how many goals a club scores and allows to its won-lost record, often called the Pythagorean expectation. The formula is pretty simple: win% = GF^2/GF^2+GA^2 where GF = goals for, GA = goals against, and ^ means “raised to the power of”, in this case, 2.

For example, last year Washington scored 318 goals and allowed 233, for a Pythagorean win expectation of 318^2/(318^2+233^2) = .651 or 53 games out of 82. They won 54 games last year.

Using this we can weight the value of each goal scored this year to how much it increased the Capitals chance of winning. A goal scored in a 0-0 game has more of an impact on the outcome than the fifth goal in a 7-0 blowout. Scoring in one-goal games will always be at a premium. Washington has already matched their total of 1-goal games (41) from last year, making those goals even more meaningful. I will say there are obvious limitations, such as ignoring assists to give a better picture of who is contributing overall to wins and I am looking into adding this metric — as well as other improvements — to future iterations.

In the table below, goals are the skater’s current goal total this season through game 75. Total Win% Added is the cumulative sum of how much all his goals increased the teams chances of winning and W% added per goal is the average increase that player’s goal contributes to the team’s chances of winning.

Let’s start with the three skaters who have eight goals so far on the season: Jason Chimera, Matt Hendricks and Mike Green. On average, a goal scored by Chimera adds a 15.1% chance at a win, while Hendricks’ tallies add 16.6%. Then there’s Mike Green, who’s robust 19.5% shows us why his nickname is “Game Over.”

When Alex Semin scores a goal the Caps are 23-0, but a look at the table shows that he increases the chances of a Caps’ win by about 10% with each one — far less than some of the others atop the leaderboard. Here’s why: almost half his goals have no significant impact on winning. Ten have come when the Caps already have the lead, six when the score is tied and the rest when the Caps trail.

The most intriguing values, at least to me, are those of the centers. Across the board they seem to be higher than the other skaters prompting me to take a look at last year’s values as well. Backstrom’s average contribution is significantly higher this year (24.2%) than last year (14.9%) despite having almost twice as many goals, while Boyd Gordon is relatively even, seeing 26% this year vs. last year’s 30% average contribution. Which brings us to the rookies, Mathieu Perreault and Marcus Johansson, both of whom seem to score goals when it counts.

So what does this all mean? Perhaps this is a different way of looking at who has been “most valuable.” Perhaps Semin’s goals are just windrow dressing and have less impact on the game than we think. Perhaps we are one step closer to defining what “clutch” play truly is — or if it even exists.

Perhaps I just have too much time on my hands.

Photo credit: Mark J. Terrill

Let there be hats! (Photo credit: Mark J. Terrill)

[Ed note: This post is by the Carroll County Times' Brandon Oland, Ian's very own flesh and blood. Since he's accustomed to staying up until 4am, we figured he could fill in for us tonight. Take it away, Brandon.]

Doubts were creeping in. Could the Washington Capitals score enough goals to keep up with Anaheim’s freakishly talented top line? Could the Caps steal a pivotal road win against one of the NHL’s top teams? Could the underperforming Alexander Semin regain his finishing touch?

Yes, yes and yes.

Semin scored three goals, including the game-tying and game-winning tallies to lift the Capitals to a thrilling 7-6 victory in one of the most captivating back-and-forth battles in recent team history. That is, unless you are a fan of defense.

Semin notched his fourth hat trick of the season and seventh of his career. He also finished with a tidy plus four, officially breaking out of the longest goal-scoring slump of his career (17 games) in explosive fashion.

The goals came fast and furious in this defense-purely-optional imitation of the NHL All-Star game. Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf got the scoring started with a way-too-easy power play tally set up by a brutal interference penalty on Tyler Sloan. Getzlaf’s goal came with 15:50 to go in the first. Alexander Ovechkin responded six minutes later on a breakaway sparked by a tremendous outlet pass by Nicklas Backstrom. Brooks Laich gave the Caps a brief 2-1 lead with 3:53 left in the first frame, capitalizing on a horrible turnover by Teemu Selanne. After Saku Koivu worked past two waving Capitals defenders, Selanne redeemed himself with a nifty redirect just a few minutes after his lazy pass to tie the contest up. Toni Lydman gave the Ducks a 3-2 lead with 30.7 seconds left in the first, thereby ensuring Bruce Boudreau wouldn’t let Semyon Varlamov see the ice in the second.

The Capitals power play continued its recent struggles in the second period. Corey Perry scored on a breakaway short-handed goal with 13:39 to go in the second to put the Ducks up by two. The goal was set up, in part, because Ovechkin got caught being too aggressive from his point position. But, the Capitals’ blue-collar checkers would come to the rescue. David Steckel scored in front after a nifty centering feed from Boyd Gordon, making it a one goal game. The Caps would then tie it at four on Semin’s first goal since Nov. 28. He needed a 3-on-1 break to make it happen with just less than 10 minutes to go in the second period. Alas, the Ducks took yet another lead just four minutes later. Lubomir Visnovsky, who probably deserves some Norris Trophy consideration, scored on a wacky deflection to give the Ducks a 5-4 lead with 6:42 left. At this point, I contemplated offering my resignation to Ian, who owes me a Chipotle burrito for all this effort.

But after drinking some Sun Drop (it’s a poor man’s Mountain Dew!), I soldiered on.

After killing a penalty, the Capitals scored quickly to tie the score one minute into the third. Mike Knuble, doing his best Ovi imitation, deked his way past Anaheim goalie Curtis McElhinney (who was absolutely terrible) on a breakaway to make it 5-5. After the Capitals seemed to have momentum, Ryan scored in transition during a wacky series that started with the goal behind McElhinney becoming dislodged. The officials allowed play to continue on, leading to the Anaheim goal with 14:05 to go. The Capitals bench wanted an offsides call on the play. They didn’t get it. No matter. The Capitals tied it AGAIN on Semin’s second goal of the night, a backhand swat from close range. Credit Scott Hannan for pinching up and creating the opportunity. Semin’s game winner came with just fewer than two minutes to go on a goal that McElhinney absolutely should have stopped. The Ducks desperately need to figure out what is wrong with starting goalie Jonas Hiller (fatigue) because they can’t win a Stanley Cup with McElhinney back there. Yuck. Caps beat Ducks, 7-6.

• Forget about all the goals. The night’s most entertaining moment came when the Comcast Sportsnet cameras panned to the stands and spotted four rubes wearing presidential masks cheering on the Capitals. The Ronald Reagan mask was particularly hilarious for reasons I can’t fully explain.
• Huge props to John Erskine for immediately sticking up for Matt Hendricks following a blind-side blow near the boards by Andy Sutton. Erskine dropped the gloves and bloodied Sutton with a few haymakers. Advantage: Erskine. If you are counting at home, Sutton racked up as many penalty minutes (nine) as minutes played.

• Mike Green (inner ear) missed the game. Doubt we’ll see him against San Jose Thursday night. The Capitals desperately need him back.
• The Capitals power play continues to sputter. No power play goals tonight, and the Ducks managed an unacceptable short-handed tally in the second. Personally, I think it’s time to get Alex Ovechkin off the point and back up front. It’s worth a shot, eh?
• This seems odd to say in such a high-scoring affair, but Hannan played one of his best games as a Capital. He led the Caps in ice time (25:19), and played reasonably well against Anaheim’s crazy-good top line. Hard to believe the Caps got him for a forward who is now out for the year.
• Wait a second. They gave Corey Perry the number one star of the game and not Semin? That’s like throwing a party for Al Gore after he lost the 2000 election. Nice try. Good effort. Decent creativity. But a loss is a loss.
• Ian and I talked about it. We don’t think Semyon Varlamov deserved to be pulled. He wasn’t exactly conjuring up memories of Patrick Roy in his prime, but the Ducks were doing an outstanding job of blocking his vision. The Capitals, meanwhile, were doing a miserable job of just about everything defensively. What happened to the courageous, unselfish group that relishes blocking shots and playing it close to the vest? They’ve done it twice against the Penguins in 2011, but apparently they are merely picking their spots.
• 

  Joe B. Suit of the Night

  The Capitals matched a season-high with their seven goals tonight. They also scored seven against New Jersey (Oct. 9) and Calgary (Oct. 30). Here’s a shocker: The Caps are 3-0 when they score seven goals this year. Also, this was the most combined goals in any Capitals game this year. I’m pretty sure this is also the longest recap in Russian Machine Never Breaks history. What’s even more remarkable: I’m usually a concise writer. Just goes to show you how crazy tonight was.
• I’ll leave you with one final thought: Craig Laughlin likes his pizza with Canadian bacon and pineapple. Joe B does not. If they can’t share a pizza, can they truly be friends?

It’s off to San Jose. We’ll be back here tomorrow night, will you?

Additional reporting by Chris Gordon and Ian Oland.

It’s been another rip-roaring week of sifting through piles of your inane ramblings. Judging by reader letters, most of you seem to have gone off prescription medications recently. Cool. If you’ve got a question, a comment, or a paternity query, please feel free to shoot us a message!

Now follow us past the jump, where Neil does some slam poetry on the topics of faceoffs and Tyler Sloan.

Carolyn F. asks what we all wanted to know but were too afraid to ask:

How is a faceoff “win” determined? Direction of puck or who gets it? Seems inconsistent as far as what’s counted.

Great question. I had to consult the real hockey expert in my house, Nicci, to get the answer. According to her: “the first team that gains possession of the puck wins the faceoff. Kinda like your scoring chances, you know, no real rhyme or reason.”

# # #

Those clever bastards at PuckBuddys (which you should be reading) wanna know about booze and collective bargaining:

1. What’s your game night drink of choice?

2. Is there a Cliff Notes out there for CBA?  What’s a good resource to explain the process?  It’s seems sooo complicated!

My game night drink of choice, as everyone knows, is ginger ale. Ian likes beer, and Peter enjoys Kumis by the gallon [Nu-uh! I love me some Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter -Peter]. As for the CBA, I agree, whiskey tango foxtrot were they thinking?? Luckily we have Capgeek, who translates it to English.

# # #

Awkward photos are on the ellipsis-abusing mind of Mike F.

Do you think this prom picture circa 1994 was a good idea……..?

Sometimes what you think may be a good idea at the time just isn’t. Exhibit B:

# # #

Joanne X. (from the School for Gifted Youngsters) is worried about Tyler Sloan.

Tyler Sloan is back from his conditioning in Hershey. Is this the Caps-ocalypse?

Close, but not quite yet, although most fans would rather face an army of zombies armed with only a loaf of bread and a hula hoop than see Sloan get much ice time. He’s definitely been Washington’s weakest defender at even strength when it comes to scoring chances, but at 50% it doesn’t seem that bad. You have to look at the on-ice save percentage to get a real feel for how much he drags the defense down. When he is on the ice, the Caps’ even-strength scoring chance save percentage (say that three times fast) is .688. When he is off the ice, it is a robust .855. The chances of that being due to bad luck alone is about 200 to 1. Now, if injuries caused him to get anywhere near a consistent 10-12 minutes a game, then yes, start stocking up on canned goods.

# # #

Alright, friends. If you’ve got a question for us about the Monte Carlo machine, Alex Ovechkin’s sticks, or which root beers do not have caffeine, fire away!

Editor’s note: One year ago, Emily Karol gave a newborn RMNB a kick in the pants with her report on the first Casino Night. This year she does the same with the added bonus of Chris Gordon’s photos.

By the way, Emily is looking for a roommate. Available February 1st, she’s got a single bedroom with a private bathroom and a walk-in closet located just 3 miles from Kettler Capitals Iceplex. Email her if you’re interested. Awesome people only, please. Take it away, Emily.

When I learned that the 2nd annual CapsCare Casino Night and Auction would take place on January 9th, I couldn’t be more excited. I attended the first Casino Night and had a blast, but this year’s festivities hit on the birthdays of both Bruce Boudreau and me. Who could pass up the chance to wear a pretty dress, drink some cocktails, and schmooze with fabulous people on your birthday? Not me.

But this evening was very different from the first. I was a year older ,and even though I still attended alone there were many more people I knew and wanted to visit this time around. I purchased the VIP ticket again (hey, it’s for charity!) and was granted access to the coaches and players for a hour before the event really kicked off. I’m guessing the VIP room had fewer people this year; it seemed more casual and the players definitely mingled a lot more. All the guys I met were very sweet. I was surprised at how many of them didn’t know about the blog, Russian Machine Never Breaks. Regardless, they obliged to pose with friendly smiles when I asked, and a few even said they would look up the blog. Ian, Peter, and Neil: I will take my payment in cash or credit.

I made a point in the VIP room to wish Bruce Boudreau a happy birthday and apologize for the dirty looks. That comment provoked a double take from Bruce. I chuckled and said I was the girl in the Mercedes Benz commercials that glared at him during his bird calls and track suit dance. Bruce gave a big smile and said no worries and wished me a happy birthday right back.

The hour flew by quickly, and it was time to venture out into the the main ballroom for food, music, mingling, and gambling. The ballroom was set up completely different from last year, with the food all in the middle by the dance floor. The number of gambling tables doubled. After a quick introduction of the team to the crowd, the party really started. Fans and players scattered throughout the main ballroom and the lobby, which hosted Wii bowling, Rock Band, and the silent auction. I should note that Semyon Varlamov is a sweetheart, staying out in the lobby to sign autographs and take photos with fans for most of the event. Fans were not allowed to take posed photos or ask for autographs in the ballroom, so the fact that Varly stayed in the lobby for most of the time meant a lot to this fan.

I didn’t really partake in any events during the evening. I just wandered around and watched fans interact with their idols. I did see Schultz and Neuvy play on Wii Rock Band, and a year later Mr. Nasty is still intense about that game. Semin and Ovi seemed inseparable, and I loved the wives all hanging out at a poker table together trying to win some chips. The place was really hopping this year.

I’m eager to see what next year’s Casino Night will bring. Two years, two completely different experiences, both enjoyable in their own right. Thanks for reading!

Photos (Click to enlarge)

Nicky Backstrom can manage only a crooked smile after 16 games without a goal.

During a hand of NLHE, Alex Semin checks his wristwatch. It is apparently zebra o’clock.

BBBBBB (Bench boss birthday boy Bruce Boudreau) tells the Slap Shot story for the billionth time.

Karl Alzner: happy and wholesome. Tom Poti: sinisterly counting Karl Alzner’s stack.

Jason Chimera then unhinged his jaw and swallowed this partygoer whole to a smattering of applause.

George McPhee, on the button, raises pot value and then throws in D.J. King’s contract.

Marcus and Nicky pore over an Ikea catalog (out of frame). Billy the Bookshelf FTW.

Tyler Sloan and Jeff Schultz are either throwing dice or watching MoJo and Backy playing Twister.

Okay, Alex Ovechkin’s suit is sharp. No jokes. I need that thing. Fashion bugs: where can I get it?

Ovi’s ongoing Wii Bowling slump has him almost 20 strikes off his 2009-2010 pace.

John Carlson (not yet 21 here ) and Jay Beagle applaud for BBBBBB’s kegstand (not pictured).

The guy from the gaming commission had a stroke when he saw this picture.

Mathieu Perreault sits at the kids table. In the background, Ovi is clearly peeking at someone’s cards.

Alex Ovechkin shuffles his chips. The dealers haaaaaate when you do that, but c’mon: it’s Ovi!

Semyon Varlamov and Alex Semin recite a Plath poem from memory. JK, it was Russian.

Mr. Nasty and Mikey Neuvirth ditch the party for a Rock Band sesh. Band name: Puzzle Crotch.

“So Hendy was like, ‘if you blindside Crosby in the head, I’ll buy you a beer’, and now here we are.”

Beags and Carlson’s persistently cold rolls wiped out the entire table table in two orbits.

DJ Brett Leonhardt simultaneously checks Facebook and updates his iTunes playlist.

BBBBBB’s birthday wish was that this cake was made out of cheeseburgers.

Semyon Varlamov is unamused by BBBBBB’s “I’m not touching you! I’m not touching you!” taunt.

Capitals players and staff with a rousing rendition of Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way.”

It looked like an ordinary birthday high-five until Bruce went for the Top Gun follow-through.

Jason Chimera and Alex Ovechkin laugh at you. Damn, that suit is cool.

It’s not like the Washington Capitals have a hard time getting pumped up for a intra-division game. Facing the Atlanta Thrashers at home tonight, the Caps put a season-high 46 pucks on net (with another 20 attempted). But Ondrej Pavelec stood like a giant in the Atlanta net, turning away all but one of those pucks. At least it wasn’t a shutout.

Rich Peverly deflected a monster shot from Byfuglien to create the first goal of the night.  Penalty engine Alex Burmistrov recorded the second goal, a brilliant chip shot from no angle. At the end of a long shift in Atlanta territory, Alex Ovechkin ended his nine-game goal drought with a one-timer assisted by the other Alex. After David Steckel took a controversial kneeing penalty, Andrew Ladd took only eight seconds to score the game’s final goal. Bummer. Thrashers beat Caps 3-1.

• 

  Ovechkin ends the slump (Photo credit: Luis M. Alvarez)

  If Ondrej Pavelec were a car, he’d be firing on all cylinders. Last time we saw a goalie this hot, we had to invent a word for it: Halak’d.

• That said, the 46 shots stat might be misleading.  The Caps took a lot of their shots from outside and were not helped by friendly traffic in front of the net. It was way too easy for that nigh-invulnerable goalie to swat away pucks without imminent rebounds. The PP unit can cycle the puck in their sleep, but they falter when it comes to shifting into the slot.
• Alex Ovechkin scoars, thank goodness. I know we were all “he’s a playmaking, Russian assist machine now; who cares if he doesn’t score!”, but c’mon. He needed this. We needed this. In an interview with CSN’s Al Koken during the second intermission, Alex said it best: “My job is to scoar goals.”  Then Do Work, Son. Crosby’s got a hefty lead on you.

• This bullet is dedicated to all the ludicrous saves Pavelec made. That desperate swat of the glove to turn away Mike Green should be criminal.
• Personnel notes: John Erskine missed tonight’s game after a bad bump sustained on Thursday. In his place was Tyler Sloan, who mostly paired with winless Scott Hannan. It should not go unsaid that this pair was on ice for Atlanta’s game winner.
• The faceoff dot was unkind to the Caps. Of the players who were not dismissed from the circle entirely, pucks seemed to go the wrong away too often. Most at fault here is Nick Backstrom, who had an uncharacteristic 5-for-17 faceoff record.
• David Steckel collided knee-on-knee with Tobias Enstrom. After the ensuing fight with Jim Slater, the referees retroactively imposed a penalty on Stecks for the original contact, but did not penalize Slater for the instigator. What’s the point of the instigator penalty if it’s never used?
• I hate piling up on the zebras, but there’s more. Either the Capitals’ faces spontaneously generated some attraction for hockey sticks, or the Thrashers knew they weren’t gonna get called for it. Mike Green can testify to that. So can John Carlson. Jason Chimera could tell us about that three or four times, and the nasty gash on his lip would be exhibit A.

Joe B's suit of the night

But let’s put the whining aside. Just like last game, poor officiating is not the reason the Caps lost tonight. The refs are not to blame for the paltry offense we’ve seen lately. You can define lately as either “this week” or “since April”. There’s a killer instinct, a Bodhi-like hunger for adventure that is missing from the D.C. forwards. Until the Capitals get back in that zone, feeding free wings to the fans at every chance, they’ll continue to lose marginal games like this one.

Catch you guys on Monday, when the Caps will undoubtedly put the hurting on the wallowing Toronto Make-Believes.

Braden Holtby’s body language says it all. (Photo credit: Bill Kostroun)

Hendrick's fight fails to ignite the team (Photo credit: Bruce Bennett)

It was like the end of the Wild Bunch if the Wild Bunch look bored while getting massacred by the Mexican army.

Friends, I love you too much to recap this game fully. I usually detail the goals here, but I like you too much to subject you to that punishment. Suffice it to say the New Jersey Devils scored a lot and the Washington Capitals did not score at all. The goals were ugly and avoidable. This was a solid hour of embarrassment– if only the Washington Capitals were capable of embarrassment.

This was the worst game of the Bruce Boudreau era. Devils beat Caps 5-0.

$#!%

• The Caps mounted 4 shots in the first period, the first not until around 8 minutes in. Those shots came from the unusual suspects: Carlson, Fehr, Steckel, and Bradley.
• Braden Holtby is definitely on the hook for drifting out before Jason Arnott‘s wraparound goal. On the other hand, the other goals were mitigated by atrocious defensive plays and Braden did show remarkable resolve after the fifth goal. Let’s not pile on the rookie goalie. But a .666 save percentage against a team called the Devils? Wicked.
• Is the party line that Alex Ovechkin is frustrated? To me he seems uninterested. The GR8 had 5 shots and 5 hits in 22 minutes of sloppy, scatter-shot hockey.
• Tyler Sloan and John Erskine made life tough on Holtby, enabling to the second goal and the the penalty shot that became the third. Tyler Sloan did not return after the first period (total TOI 3:25), meaning he is either injured or has been fired. Unfortunately, it’s probably the former.
• Did the NJD blueliners show up for the first time in nine games? Awful timing. Maybe the Pat Burns commemoration before the game got their trap defense mojo working again. Or maybe the Caps forwards were that bad.
• Only two Capitals were on the positive side of the scoring chance differential: Mike Green and Marcus Johansson. Each was plus-1.
• That John Carlson won player of the game is unfortunate. He was on ice for six very dangerous shots against, but luckily no goals. Carlson should bring Braden Holtby along to that dinner at the Palm.

Alan May is a masochist

It’s inelegant to adopt the “wotta bunch’a bums!” sports-fan routine, but I understand it. Losing is bearable only when it’s done right, and this was not that. The Caps decidedly did not give a damn for way too much hockey. Those long, diagonal stretch passes through the neutral zone and ineffectual point-blank slapshots into traffic don’t just signify carelessness, they signify entitlement.

Does our team think they should win merely because they can?

It’s messy to judge someone’s intent. I don’t know what’s wrong with the Washington Capitals. It’s possible they’re still shell-shocked by last year’s playoffs and think of the regular season as an 82-game preamble to their chance at redemption. I hope that’s not true. If it is, Caps Nation might tune out until April.

Joe B's suit-of-the-night

I’m sorry this wasn’t a fun story, everyone. It wasn’t a fun night. It’s  kind of sobering to suspect that the fans cared more about this game than the players. Hopefully the team can rekindle their unholy eldritch magicks, drop some peyote and wander the psychic wilds with their spirit animals, or just munch on a damn Heath bar and play like they love the game again.

Please leave encouraging words and maybe a hug in the comments below.

Additional reporting by Neil Greenberg.

UPDATE: John Erskine tweeted this:

The honesty and accountability that John and goalie Braden Holtby showed are admirable. It seems that lack of shame I mentioned in the opening doesn’t apply to everyone.

A despondent Braden Holtby looks on after giving up the third goal of the night. (Photo credit: John Bazemore)

Ovi reacts after missing a shot in the second period. (Photo credit: John Bazemore)

When Joe B. and Locker finished their pre-game intros and CSN cameras zoomed in for the opening face-off, it was hard not to notice the rows and rows of empty seats in Phillips Arena. The Capitals, seemingly aware of their surroundings, lacked energy and focus and proceeded to play down to their opponents. After giving up three quick goals to Ben Eager, Nik Antropov, & Evander Kane respectively, Braden Holtby was quickly summoned to the Caps bench by an enraged Bruce Boudreau.

Michal Neuvirth was steady in relief, but unfortunately for the Capitals, they were never able to locate their game after the switch. The offense was blessed with quality scoring chance after quality scoring chance but all resulted either in a missed shot, a ping off the post, or a solid save by Thrashers goaltender Ondrej Pavelec.

Evil cheeseburger-eater Dustin Byfuglien then put the game officially out of reach, closing the second period with a nifty short-side wrist shot past Neuvy. And let’s not even talk about that Burmistrov goal. I’m still angry at Jeff Schultz, who stopped skating, got deked out of his jockstrap and resembled a giant, awkward pylon on the play. Whatever. Thrashers win 5-0.

Your Friday night bullets:

• How bad was Braden Holtby‘s night? He gave up three goals on five shots, and left the ice with a humbling .400 save percentage. The second goal he wandered way too far out of his crease, and paid the price. Nik Antropov took advantage of the broken play, and slipped a backhander past a kneeling Jeff Schultz, into a yawning net. Clearly frazzled, Holtby gave up another 15 seconds later. Caps-killer Evander Kane circled the net, saw the rookie goalie briefly glance to the opposite side of the ice, and proceeded to let go a no-angled shot from the corner. The puck somehow found a hole through Holtby’s pads and…
• Out came Lil’ Michal Neuvirth! Neuvy certainly did his best to try and get the Caps back into the game, stopping 29 of the 31 shots he faced. Really, if only the Caps could have scored a goal in that danged second period… I’m kidding.
• Tyler Sloan was um, terrible. He had 7 starts in the offensive zone (during 5v5), most of any skater, and still was on the ice for 4 goals against on 5 chances against. His turnover in the neutral zone also led directly to Byfuglien’s sixth tally of the year, the most amongst NHL defensemen.

• Another ugh for Schultz after I just relived video of that Burmistrov goal. What was that? It’s fine if you get walked. That happens. But don’t give up on the play! It’s embarrassing.
• Alex Semin‘s nine-game scoring streak is now kaput. Peace, yo.
• Mike Knuble just can’t buy a break. First, Alex Ovechkin hits him with a sweet pass, he’s wide open, and his shot clangs off the post. Next, the dude’s downlow creating havoc, being all Kanooblian, and Eric Fehr hits him square in the face with a shot. Knuble went to the bench clutching his bloody chin, then to the locker room for repairs, and did not return. Corey Masisak asked Bruce about the injury and it sounds like he may miss some games.
• Mike Green got The Palm tonight. For what you ask? He had two blocked shots and really “gave it his all.”
• Marcus Johansson sure skates fast. Still waiting for everything else.
• Seeing Flash and Byfuglien forechecking along the boards was probably the only comical part of the night. On one exchange during the third period, Dustin shoved Fleischmann from the corner boards to the faceoff circle. That’s Charmin soft.
• Alex Ovechkin was probably the third best Alex out on the ice tonight and has now had consecutive iffy games. That DVD sure is good, though!!

Joe B's suit of the night.

One of the things about the Caps that I love is that no opposing team’s lead is ever really safe. Last year, the Capitals offense came back from several three goal deficits and seemed capable of magical things. Tonight, however, they wilted. They looked defeated. At no point during the game did they ever have momentum. No one stepped up. They just took their beating and emotionlessly walked out of the Phillips Arena’s doors with their heads held low.

Tomorrow night, they will play at home against Conference foes the Philadelphia Flyers, where they’re 10-1-0. Will Bruce tinker with the line-up? Will our heros return with swagger. Does Mike Knuble still even have a chin?

I suppose we’ll find out tomorrow. Until then, enjoy your weekend!

Additional reporting by Neil Greenberg.

MG52 unleashes the fury! (Photo credit: Frank Franklin II)

Brooks Laich with the book-end goals. (Photo credit: Frank Franklin II)

Well, that was an ugly one. The Washington Capitals’ first appointment with the New York Rangers, hosted in the majestically gloomy Madison Square Garden, had all of the poetry of an alleyway brawl. 28 penalty minutes were distributed in the first period alone. Mike Green dropped gloves for crying out loud!

The Rangers got up to an early lead when Brian Boyle beat Jeff Schultz at the circle. All night the Capitals defense was spotty, and it seemed the Superfriends could not make up for it. Every time the Caps tied the score, the Rangers pulled ahead again. But the Caps found strength where we faithful knew it would be: depth. Brooks Laich recorded a pair, Mike Knuble finished the funk, Matt Hendricks provided the GWG, and even lovable John Erskine got on the board. Henrik Lundqvist lay defeated. Caps beat Rangers 5-3.

Las balas en los rojos pantoalones en la biblioteca con pollo.

• Whatever Craig Laughlin did to get exiled from Manhattan, we need to undo it. Eddie Olczyk weirds me out, talking all quiet and that hair.
• Any game in which Big John Erskine scores is worthy of regard. Let us revisit this in the spring.
• For the first time since opening night, Mike Knuble scores! And in a Knubley way no less: within spitting distance of the crease off an Ovechkin pass. That’ll do, sacrificed goat. That’ll do.
• Did Michal Neuvirth look tired to anyone else?
• Tyler Sloan had a rough one. Despite getting a primary assist on Erskine’s unlikely goal, Sloan balanced the scales with a timid whiff in the offensive zone that led to an easy breakaway and goal for Derek Boogard. Sloan should consult the team tailor; something about him in that Caps jersey looks wrong.
• Brooks Laich didn’t play the last period on Sunday night, so we were a pleasantly surprised he dressed tonight. Brooks provided the book-end goals for the Caps: a five-holer during a 4-on-3 and an empty netter in the last ten seconds.
• Props to 22-year old Brian Boyle of the Rangers, who emerged from relative obscurity to become one of NYR’s biggest producers this year. He scored two tonight.
• Boyle’s second one– to be fair– was a gift from Karl Alzner. A shame that this goal came at the end of power play, as Alzer deserved the minus rating and the other PK unit was terrific. Alzner and D-buddy John Carlson recorded -9 and -5 Corsi ratings respectively.
• Eric Fehr hit a wall.  He had a -4 scoring chance differential and a -2 Corsi.
• Let’s mark up the game-winner to an expert pass from Matt Bradley, giving Matt Hendricks a great opportunity to drop the puck off on the top shelf. Yeah, they’re tough-guy grinders, but they’ve got talent and gumption in equal portions. Let D.J. King (and his sub 4 minutes of ice time) take note.
• Post script on Matt Hendricks. He had a goal, an assist, and a fighting roughing penalty. Sorry, no Gordie How, buddy. And we were soooo close to getting a funny picture out of Ian.

• Mike Green fights Brandon Dubinsky? I don’t know if I’m gobstopped or nonplussed. I just dunno, man. What do you think?

Joe B's suit-of-the-night

The Caps continue to win close games through force of will. Even with several defensive goofs and the relative absence of the 8-19-28 line, the Capitals found a way to win through grit. This is only the second game, after Calgary (-2), that the Capitals have managed to win with a negative scoring chance differential (-1). That speaks to the kind of determination and win-lust other coaches speechify about, but only few teams possess.

Good win, boys. Enjoy a day off in NYC; we’ll see you back  in D.C. on Thursday.

Written by Peter Hassett in Baltimore.
Additional reporting by Neil Greenberg in Florida.
Ian Oland added pictures from Hanover.
Rachl Cohen illustrated from Connecticut.
Fedor Fedin should be asleep in Moscow.