I watched today's Caps/Flyers game in two chunks; the first period live, and the rest of the game after the kids were in bed. And it kind of felt like two different pieces (well, maybe even three).
I didn't have a good feel, though, before it even started. First, Erskine was finally back from injury. Well, that one is a little mixed. But the other part was that Grabo was down with "flu-like symptoms". And that put Beagle up to the second line, which is not good. Beagle is where scoring chances go to die (for both teams); that's not bad on the fourth line, but you really don't want it happening on the higher ones.
The first period, it felt like the Caps were doing very well, mostly keeping play at the Flyers' end of the ice. And I think they mostly were, although Fenwick disagrees on that. It felt like they kept play there, and just didn't manage to control the puck cleanly and get shots away. Maybe that's a delusion, but that's how it felt. Fenwick says that the Caps were never ahead, though.
But they were putting pressure on, and got a second power play halfway through the period. And on this one, they got some sustained zone time (for the only time on the power play, all game). And after working it around, Backstrom sent a puck across the goal (from OV's normal position) and it was deflected in. It was originally credited to MarJo (who was waiting at the far post), but changed (after the game) to be credited to OV (who was charging in from between the circles).
It looked like the Caps were going to escape the first with that lead, but Giroux scored one in the final minute from out in front to tie the game up.
From there, it was pretty solidly the Flyers' game until about halfway through the third period. It got so bad, that I almost turned it off when Voracek scored to make it 4-1 early in the third. My normal rule is to watch until a four-goal margin, but since this was the third period, I almost broke it. And I'm glad I didn't, although it took almost eight minutes more for me to feel like that was even marginally a good choice.
That's when Green sent a fairly innocuous-looking snap shot into the net, blocker-side-high, from the point.
Five minutes later, Dima got his first of the season off of a draw, where the defenseman, Grossman, nicely screened Mason. Because of the screen, Mason didn't see it until it was only a few feet in front of him, and in it went, glove-side high.
Things were getting more exciting and stressful into the final minute. Gru had been pulled already, but went back in for a center-ice faceoff after the puck deflected onto the bench. The Caps won the faceoff, and sent it in deep. Gru ran for the bench as Mason went behind the net to play the puck. Mason's attempted clear went right to Ward, who passed in to the center (attempting to hit either Green or Carlson at the point, I think) and hit OV almost in stride. OV sent a quick wrister into the side of the net before Mason could get completely set to complete the come-back.
Despite the excitement of that, the remaining forty-eight seconds were mostly spent trying to lock in the automatic standing point with getting to overtime, although the Caps did get one more good chance.
But it went into overtime, with the normal Caps (2013-14 edition) result: a shootout. But this one, thankfully, was much more merciful than Florida. It was resolved in the normal three rounds, with Fehr and Backstrom providing the scores and Gru stopping two.
Although Gru getting the start surprised me quite a bit (yes, he's been good, but doesn't have nearly the record of Holtby), and despite the third goal being pretty bad, Gru had a solid game. He had two really amazing saves against Philly's power play, and generally looked comfortable.
OV didn't seem all that great, but still managed a pair of goals and a bone-crunching hit early in the first. And that game-tying goal was his 399th; let's hope he can get his 400th in Philly on Tuesday.
Dima had a really good game again; he should really be ahead of Erskine.
Erskine, though, to his credit, looked pretty good. At least, the few times I noticed him (and I figure it's a good thing if I don't notice him) he was making the right play. Honestly, though, I think I'd feel better with Schmidt. Sad, but true.
Anyway, that was the good and bad of the game. Next is the Flyers again, in Philly, on Tuesday. Go Caps!
Showing posts with label orlov. Show all posts
Showing posts with label orlov. Show all posts
20131215
20131214
Round and round and round and round and round...
Last night's Caps/Panthers tilt was definitely one of fits and starts. When it started, and they showed the goalie stats (Gru's save pct ten percent (not ten points, but actually ten percent) higher than Clemmenson's, I commented to my wife that the Caps ought to win by three, just based on that. Of course, I was forgetting how small the sample on Gru's stats is (mostly due to not noticing it being Gru until a moment later)).
Anyway, the game started out, and that seemed reasonable. Greenie had a goal disallowed when Erat tripped over Clemmenson's foot a second before the shot (although I think I watched it three times before I saw the contact, which says something about how disruptive it was). A minute later, the whistle was blown when the puck was on the ice behind Clem (OV tapped it in, not that it mattered).
Then it appeared things were going really well, as the Caps got a power play. But it was a pretty poor effort, as they were unable to maintain any zone time. And the next twenty minutes was pretty much all Florida, as they completely dominated possession. Actually, you could really say that the rest of the game was all Florida, as I don't think there was more than a shift or two for the rest of the game where the Caps really dominated.
Fortunately, Grubauer was killing it, and stopping just about everything. Despite shots being 16-7 in the first, the score was only one-nil. The second period was almost as bad, at 13-8, but thanks to some pretty wild penalties, the score ended up tied at two. And the third period didn't have a whole lot going on, as both teams were largely playing for the loser point (but still, shots were 9-6) and nobody managed to score.
That took it into overtime, which was end-to-end firewagon hockey (seven total shots on net), but again, no one was able to tickle the twine.
Which put the Caps back into a position with which they're very familiar: the shootout. It started out well for the Caps, as Fehr opened with a score, while Barkov was stopped. But then OV was also stopped. After that, the next five shooters scored. Then eleven (!) in a row were stopped before Kopecky won it for Florida.
All in all, a miserable game in which the Caps didn't deserve the standing point they got. It wasn't their worst of the season, by 5v5 Fenwick close, but it was probably their third worst (I can definitely think of two, anyway, although one of those was worse by less than a point).
And honestly, I'm a little surprised it was as close as it was. Gru had a fantastic game, and likely should have gotten the star of the game (thirty-nine stops). Dima might be the only skater for Washington to have had a good game (at least, he looked really good to me). Backstrom was also decent, as was Ward.
But the main point, of course, is that the Caps need to play more in the other end of the rink. They spent far, far too much time in their own D-zone, and had a lot of trouble clearing. Maybe those two good games really were just a mirage.
Things get a little tougher now, as a home-and-home against the Flyers in next. First, at home tomorrow at three. Go Caps!
Anyway, the game started out, and that seemed reasonable. Greenie had a goal disallowed when Erat tripped over Clemmenson's foot a second before the shot (although I think I watched it three times before I saw the contact, which says something about how disruptive it was). A minute later, the whistle was blown when the puck was on the ice behind Clem (OV tapped it in, not that it mattered).
Then it appeared things were going really well, as the Caps got a power play. But it was a pretty poor effort, as they were unable to maintain any zone time. And the next twenty minutes was pretty much all Florida, as they completely dominated possession. Actually, you could really say that the rest of the game was all Florida, as I don't think there was more than a shift or two for the rest of the game where the Caps really dominated.
Fortunately, Grubauer was killing it, and stopping just about everything. Despite shots being 16-7 in the first, the score was only one-nil. The second period was almost as bad, at 13-8, but thanks to some pretty wild penalties, the score ended up tied at two. And the third period didn't have a whole lot going on, as both teams were largely playing for the loser point (but still, shots were 9-6) and nobody managed to score.
That took it into overtime, which was end-to-end firewagon hockey (seven total shots on net), but again, no one was able to tickle the twine.
Which put the Caps back into a position with which they're very familiar: the shootout. It started out well for the Caps, as Fehr opened with a score, while Barkov was stopped. But then OV was also stopped. After that, the next five shooters scored. Then eleven (!) in a row were stopped before Kopecky won it for Florida.
All in all, a miserable game in which the Caps didn't deserve the standing point they got. It wasn't their worst of the season, by 5v5 Fenwick close, but it was probably their third worst (I can definitely think of two, anyway, although one of those was worse by less than a point).
And honestly, I'm a little surprised it was as close as it was. Gru had a fantastic game, and likely should have gotten the star of the game (thirty-nine stops). Dima might be the only skater for Washington to have had a good game (at least, he looked really good to me). Backstrom was also decent, as was Ward.
But the main point, of course, is that the Caps need to play more in the other end of the rink. They spent far, far too much time in their own D-zone, and had a lot of trouble clearing. Maybe those two good games really were just a mirage.
Things get a little tougher now, as a home-and-home against the Flyers in next. First, at home tomorrow at three. Go Caps!
20120313
Cardiac Caps, indeed
Well, the Caps have finally managed to make me regret turning a game off. The Caps weren't looking too good, and when they allowed an amazingly fluky goal nine minutes in, it really wasn't looking like their night. This goal deflected off a defender (or forward, it was tough to tell) to the side of, and above, the goal, bounced off the glass, and hit Neuvy in the stomach as he turned around to look for it. Next stop? In the goal. Ugh.
The Caps then allowed two more goals (both on the power play; one with twenty seconds left in the first, the second nine minutes into the second), and I thought about turning it off then. But the Caps cut the lead back to two twenty-eight seconds later (and now that I looked, they changed the scoring; they called this as a Wideman goal initially, but I guess Knuble did touch it for the deflection), so I left it on a bit longer. But when Tavares scored his second of the game two minutes later, I gave up.
And it appears I shouldn't have, now. OV got a tip-in from Laich with a minute left in the second to show a little life. And in the third, Dima scored two minutes in to make it close again. Eight minutes later, OV got another tip-in, this time from Coiner, to tie it up. And that was all the scoring.
I might need to queue up the rest of the video, though. It appears that Hendricks scored on the fourth Washington shoot-out attempt to win the game; I wonder if he used the same move as usual. Regardless, it's the first time Hunter has used Hendricks in the shoot-out; I wonder what happened. Semin, OV, and Dima took the first three, with only OV scoring.
In any event, Washington desperately needed this game, and I'm proud of them for not packing it in, and taking the game. And since the Islanders are out of the playoff picture, I don't even mind that we gave them a point in the process.
Underscoring how much the Caps needed it, Florida crushed Toronto to maintain their lead on the Caps.
Next up is Winnipeg on Friday, and again, the Caps need a win desperately, because after that come Chicago, Detroit, and Philly, all away. If they can win Friday, and come out of the other three games with two more points, I'll feel pretty good about their chances of getting into the playoffs. If not, they're toast.
The Caps then allowed two more goals (both on the power play; one with twenty seconds left in the first, the second nine minutes into the second), and I thought about turning it off then. But the Caps cut the lead back to two twenty-eight seconds later (and now that I looked, they changed the scoring; they called this as a Wideman goal initially, but I guess Knuble did touch it for the deflection), so I left it on a bit longer. But when Tavares scored his second of the game two minutes later, I gave up.
And it appears I shouldn't have, now. OV got a tip-in from Laich with a minute left in the second to show a little life. And in the third, Dima scored two minutes in to make it close again. Eight minutes later, OV got another tip-in, this time from Coiner, to tie it up. And that was all the scoring.
I might need to queue up the rest of the video, though. It appears that Hendricks scored on the fourth Washington shoot-out attempt to win the game; I wonder if he used the same move as usual. Regardless, it's the first time Hunter has used Hendricks in the shoot-out; I wonder what happened. Semin, OV, and Dima took the first three, with only OV scoring.
In any event, Washington desperately needed this game, and I'm proud of them for not packing it in, and taking the game. And since the Islanders are out of the playoff picture, I don't even mind that we gave them a point in the process.
Underscoring how much the Caps needed it, Florida crushed Toronto to maintain their lead on the Caps.
Next up is Winnipeg on Friday, and again, the Caps need a win desperately, because after that come Chicago, Detroit, and Philly, all away. If they can win Friday, and come out of the other three games with two more points, I'll feel pretty good about their chances of getting into the playoffs. If not, they're toast.
20120308
Cardiac Caps back!
Well, a few games ago I was wondering. Now I'm sure. They're back, for better and for worse.
I didn't really feel like writing about the Canes game. The Caps mostly played a good game. Unfortunately, the couple minutes (aggregate) that they didn't resulted in some very easy goals for Carolina, and the Caps lost a game they probably should have won. The only good thing about it was that at least they managed to get a loser point.
Tonight's game was much better. As usual, I could only watch the first with half an eye, but they seemed to be doing ok. And the numbers at the end of the period bore that out; shots were 15-13 and chances were tied at seven. And they got a nice deflection goal from Aucoin to take a lead into the break.
The second period did not go nearly as well. They were pretty well dominated with shots 8-3 and chances were... something like 5-1. And Tampa put two pucks past Neuvirth, both on the power play. The first was a pretty nice tic-tac-toe passing play, although Carlson deserves some blame for not being on Malone (the scorer) when the pass came towards him. The second one was more on Carlson, as he deflected the puck past Neuvy while trying to tie up his man.
Carlson definitely seemed on a mission in the third, and now that I see how he has to take most of the onus on both of those goals, I can understand why.
He and the rest of the team absolutely owned the third, with Tampa not getting a shot until after MarJo scored to tie it up with four minutes left. Shots in the period ended up 12-3, and that's actually closer than I would have guessed. The Caps did a good job of keeping play out of their own zone (although there was a lot more played at neutral than I would have preferred, still). Unfortunately, that one tally from MarJo (off a nice O-zone steal from Wideman (wait! what? yep)) was all they managed to muster.
So, again they went into overtime. And this time, they managed to keep their momentum from the third period, and took all four shots in the overtime. The final scoring play had Chimmer get a steal at neutral and dump to himself into the corner. He finally fought the puck free and fed it to Orlov in the slot. Dima took just enough of a fake to get the goalie to commit, then calmly fed it over to the opposite side, to OV. OV then coolly deposited it into the back of the net for the win (and his 12th career overtime goal).
So there was a lot to like in this game. The third period was extremely well-played, although some "credit" for that goes to Tampa, for playing so passively with only a one goal lead. But give the Caps credit for taking advantage of that; they didn't roll over and play dead.
And the other good news of the day was that Philly spanked Florida, five-nil. So for once, the Caps took advantage of that. Unfortunately, the last few games were the "easy" part of their schedule, and they didn't take advantage, so their odds of making the playoffs are pretty bad, despite the small number of points that they're behind.
But we'll see. Next up is Boston, in the city by the Back Bay, in early afternoon on Saturday. The Caps seem likely to get Marty Turco in goal, who's been out of the NHL for a while now, but came back as a late-season injury stop-gap. The Caps need to take advantage of that. That edge in net might just be big enough to give the Caps the edge, overall, in this match-up.
But Boston won't give it to them. If they expect to win just by showing up, they'll get their asses handed to them yet again. Let's hope that doesn't happen.
I didn't really feel like writing about the Canes game. The Caps mostly played a good game. Unfortunately, the couple minutes (aggregate) that they didn't resulted in some very easy goals for Carolina, and the Caps lost a game they probably should have won. The only good thing about it was that at least they managed to get a loser point.
Tonight's game was much better. As usual, I could only watch the first with half an eye, but they seemed to be doing ok. And the numbers at the end of the period bore that out; shots were 15-13 and chances were tied at seven. And they got a nice deflection goal from Aucoin to take a lead into the break.
The second period did not go nearly as well. They were pretty well dominated with shots 8-3 and chances were... something like 5-1. And Tampa put two pucks past Neuvirth, both on the power play. The first was a pretty nice tic-tac-toe passing play, although Carlson deserves some blame for not being on Malone (the scorer) when the pass came towards him. The second one was more on Carlson, as he deflected the puck past Neuvy while trying to tie up his man.
Carlson definitely seemed on a mission in the third, and now that I see how he has to take most of the onus on both of those goals, I can understand why.
He and the rest of the team absolutely owned the third, with Tampa not getting a shot until after MarJo scored to tie it up with four minutes left. Shots in the period ended up 12-3, and that's actually closer than I would have guessed. The Caps did a good job of keeping play out of their own zone (although there was a lot more played at neutral than I would have preferred, still). Unfortunately, that one tally from MarJo (off a nice O-zone steal from Wideman (wait! what? yep)) was all they managed to muster.
So, again they went into overtime. And this time, they managed to keep their momentum from the third period, and took all four shots in the overtime. The final scoring play had Chimmer get a steal at neutral and dump to himself into the corner. He finally fought the puck free and fed it to Orlov in the slot. Dima took just enough of a fake to get the goalie to commit, then calmly fed it over to the opposite side, to OV. OV then coolly deposited it into the back of the net for the win (and his 12th career overtime goal).
So there was a lot to like in this game. The third period was extremely well-played, although some "credit" for that goes to Tampa, for playing so passively with only a one goal lead. But give the Caps credit for taking advantage of that; they didn't roll over and play dead.
And the other good news of the day was that Philly spanked Florida, five-nil. So for once, the Caps took advantage of that. Unfortunately, the last few games were the "easy" part of their schedule, and they didn't take advantage, so their odds of making the playoffs are pretty bad, despite the small number of points that they're behind.
But we'll see. Next up is Boston, in the city by the Back Bay, in early afternoon on Saturday. The Caps seem likely to get Marty Turco in goal, who's been out of the NHL for a while now, but came back as a late-season injury stop-gap. The Caps need to take advantage of that. That edge in net might just be big enough to give the Caps the edge, overall, in this match-up.
But Boston won't give it to them. If they expect to win just by showing up, they'll get their asses handed to them yet again. Let's hope that doesn't happen.
20120304
Flying out of the playoff picture
Given the Caps road record so far this season, two games ago it was looking like the Caps would pretty much need to win all of their home games to have a chance to get into the playoffs. After losing the first two of those home games, they've got to win the rest of the home games, and play around .500 away. Sad that I don't think they can do it.
To be fair, though, the Caps looked quite good this evening. I actually missed the first part of the game, not realizing that the time change meant that my recording wasn't going to get the game (at least, I assume that's why the DVR didn't pick it up). I turned it on right after Brouwer crushed one of the Flyers into the bench, opening the door with the hit (and didn't get to see a replay until the period break). Apparently they picked up some momentum from that, and looked much better afterwards.
They were getting pressure, making chances, cycling well (actually, might have been the best cycling I've seen from this team all season), and getting a good forecheck. But they couldn't solve Bryz (which is amazing, considering how terrible he's been of late); he looked quite good.
Orlov had a particularly good game, with some really crunching hits and keeping the play away from the Caps net. Beagle also looked very good on the forecheck and the cycle, and created some problems for Philadelphia. Carlson and Alzner did nothing spectacular, but did a great job of shutting down Philly's top line.
But Philly was able to get one deflected shot off and past Neuvy, and was able to make that stand up.
It was not a fun game to watch, especially after that goal, but it wasn't a terrible one. I just kept expecting them to put one in the net, and it kept not happening.
Neuvy looked great; that one shot was a very, very difficult one, and he still almost made it. He was locked in, and didn't deserve the loss at all. Having said that, I hope he gets a rest next game; let's not tire him out, even if the odds of making the playoffs are tiny, at this point.
That's pretty much it for tonight. Next game is Tuesday against Carolina. I'm comfortable calling it a "must win" for the Caps.
To be fair, though, the Caps looked quite good this evening. I actually missed the first part of the game, not realizing that the time change meant that my recording wasn't going to get the game (at least, I assume that's why the DVR didn't pick it up). I turned it on right after Brouwer crushed one of the Flyers into the bench, opening the door with the hit (and didn't get to see a replay until the period break). Apparently they picked up some momentum from that, and looked much better afterwards.
They were getting pressure, making chances, cycling well (actually, might have been the best cycling I've seen from this team all season), and getting a good forecheck. But they couldn't solve Bryz (which is amazing, considering how terrible he's been of late); he looked quite good.
Orlov had a particularly good game, with some really crunching hits and keeping the play away from the Caps net. Beagle also looked very good on the forecheck and the cycle, and created some problems for Philadelphia. Carlson and Alzner did nothing spectacular, but did a great job of shutting down Philly's top line.
But Philly was able to get one deflected shot off and past Neuvy, and was able to make that stand up.
It was not a fun game to watch, especially after that goal, but it wasn't a terrible one. I just kept expecting them to put one in the net, and it kept not happening.
Neuvy looked great; that one shot was a very, very difficult one, and he still almost made it. He was locked in, and didn't deserve the loss at all. Having said that, I hope he gets a rest next game; let's not tire him out, even if the odds of making the playoffs are tiny, at this point.
That's pretty much it for tonight. Next game is Tuesday against Carolina. I'm comfortable calling it a "must win" for the Caps.
20120213
Shark-bit
Well, I can't say as expectations of the Caps winning were all that high coming into the game tonight against San Jose. Even if we were to ignore how the teams are doing lately, there's also the matter of how lopsided their head-to-head record is. Punctuated, of course, by the score of their last encounter. And seeing Holtby in net for the Caps, given his record in the AHL this season, didn't exactly help matters, either.
But the Caps did manage to come out punching, giving up some chances, but getting a few of their own as well. In fact, the first period ended pretty even; the Caps were down a goal, but were up one in shots. They were looking pretty good, actually, despite the score. And they managed to keep it that close despite being 2-0 in penalties given up. As I said, not too bad; especially against the Sharks and playing for the second night in a row.
But things went a bit wobbly pretty quickly in the second. Pavelski got his second goal three and a half minutes in with a complete fluke from center ice (doesn't that sound familiar?). The Caps continued to play well, but surrendered another with four minutes left on a deflected shot that bounced off Holtby's arm, and over his body, and was pushed in by Marleau (both of those goals were on the power play). I was about ready to turn it off when that one went in, since it seemed things were not going the Caps' way, but am glad I didn't. Orlov managed to put a slapper past Greiss with less than a second left in the period (it was nice to be the one scoring one of those, for once, instead of giving it up).
I'm not sure how they decided it, and under what rule, but they decided not to drop puck for the ensuing face-off, and declared the period over (to be sure, there was only about 3/4 second left, which wouldn't be long enough to score, even off a slapshot off the draw, but I still don't understand how they can just declare the period over).
The Caps really came out roaring in the third, getting seven shots in the first two and a half minutes, but none of them found the back of the net. When San Jose scored again, two minutes later, I decided that I had had enough. It appears that I missed a Marleau power play goal (I thought we had a good PK, at home... Tonight? Not so much), and Hamr and Sarge adding goals to make it look more respectable.
Recker was called up for the game, in a move that completely baffles me. He played only a minute and a half, and somehow managed to get a misconduct penalty while on the bench. Not bright. Was that worth the bench spot? I'm pretty sure Aucoin or Knuble woiuld have provided more value. Enough to win the game? Of course not, but it's all about giving yourself the best chance to win, and I can't see how Recker is that.
I'm getting more and more disenchanted with Hunter as a coach. I don't know whether his system rots, or he's just completely failing to get the team to play it, but things are not really going right. Offensively, they're supposed to play for very good chances, I think. At least, that's the only way to explain the dearth of shots (tonight was much better in that respect, but again, much of the edge there was when they were down two or more goals). And if you're going to do that, you bloody well better have a high shooting percentage. But the percentage has dropped under Hunter (not a lot, but they didn't start out with a large margin).
Their "success" under Hunter has all been predicated on awesome goaltending. As pointed out earlier on Japer's (see JP's comments), the Caps have allowed a total of one goal (yes, combined) in all of their wins in the last thirteen games. That's definitely not a recipe for success. They must score more consistently.
I've pretty much given up on the team even making the playoffs this year (especially given the utter lack of good news on Backstrom). Trade Semin (maybe the Kings will be sufficiently desperate), trade Wideman (unless they can re-sign him for next year, which I don't think they can), trade TVo. Whatever. Stock up on picks and young studs.
Of course, that still leaves them with a coaching situation to be addressed, and I have no idea what to do, there. I don't think Hunter's the answer, but I can't say that I have any better ideas. French, from Hershey? No clue if that's a good idea or not.
In the shorter term, we've got another Florida trip coming up, with the Panthers on Friday and the Lightning on Saturday. If they can't pull out all four points, I'm all for blowing things up, at this point.
Update: After sleeping on it last night, I think I juxtaposed a few things in my mind last night. Or, at least, I was a bit harsher than deserved, because of being disappointed with the result. The effort was really good last night, and I shouldn't be as down about the cause of the shot differential, because it was still about even when the game was close. I'm still pretty pessimistic about the season as a whole, but shouldn't be so down on last night.
But the Caps did manage to come out punching, giving up some chances, but getting a few of their own as well. In fact, the first period ended pretty even; the Caps were down a goal, but were up one in shots. They were looking pretty good, actually, despite the score. And they managed to keep it that close despite being 2-0 in penalties given up. As I said, not too bad; especially against the Sharks and playing for the second night in a row.
But things went a bit wobbly pretty quickly in the second. Pavelski got his second goal three and a half minutes in with a complete fluke from center ice (doesn't that sound familiar?). The Caps continued to play well, but surrendered another with four minutes left on a deflected shot that bounced off Holtby's arm, and over his body, and was pushed in by Marleau (both of those goals were on the power play). I was about ready to turn it off when that one went in, since it seemed things were not going the Caps' way, but am glad I didn't. Orlov managed to put a slapper past Greiss with less than a second left in the period (it was nice to be the one scoring one of those, for once, instead of giving it up).
I'm not sure how they decided it, and under what rule, but they decided not to drop puck for the ensuing face-off, and declared the period over (to be sure, there was only about 3/4 second left, which wouldn't be long enough to score, even off a slapshot off the draw, but I still don't understand how they can just declare the period over).
The Caps really came out roaring in the third, getting seven shots in the first two and a half minutes, but none of them found the back of the net. When San Jose scored again, two minutes later, I decided that I had had enough. It appears that I missed a Marleau power play goal (I thought we had a good PK, at home... Tonight? Not so much), and Hamr and Sarge adding goals to make it look more respectable.
Recker was called up for the game, in a move that completely baffles me. He played only a minute and a half, and somehow managed to get a misconduct penalty while on the bench. Not bright. Was that worth the bench spot? I'm pretty sure Aucoin or Knuble woiuld have provided more value. Enough to win the game? Of course not, but it's all about giving yourself the best chance to win, and I can't see how Recker is that.
I'm getting more and more disenchanted with Hunter as a coach. I don't know whether his system rots, or he's just completely failing to get the team to play it, but things are not really going right. Offensively, they're supposed to play for very good chances, I think. At least, that's the only way to explain the dearth of shots (tonight was much better in that respect, but again, much of the edge there was when they were down two or more goals). And if you're going to do that, you bloody well better have a high shooting percentage. But the percentage has dropped under Hunter (not a lot, but they didn't start out with a large margin).
Their "success" under Hunter has all been predicated on awesome goaltending. As pointed out earlier on Japer's (see JP's comments), the Caps have allowed a total of one goal (yes, combined) in all of their wins in the last thirteen games. That's definitely not a recipe for success. They must score more consistently.
I've pretty much given up on the team even making the playoffs this year (especially given the utter lack of good news on Backstrom). Trade Semin (maybe the Kings will be sufficiently desperate), trade Wideman (unless they can re-sign him for next year, which I don't think they can), trade TVo. Whatever. Stock up on picks and young studs.
Of course, that still leaves them with a coaching situation to be addressed, and I have no idea what to do, there. I don't think Hunter's the answer, but I can't say that I have any better ideas. French, from Hershey? No clue if that's a good idea or not.
In the shorter term, we've got another Florida trip coming up, with the Panthers on Friday and the Lightning on Saturday. If they can't pull out all four points, I'm all for blowing things up, at this point.
Update: After sleeping on it last night, I think I juxtaposed a few things in my mind last night. Or, at least, I was a bit harsher than deserved, because of being disappointed with the result. The effort was really good last night, and I shouldn't be as down about the cause of the shot differential, because it was still about even when the game was close. I'm still pretty pessimistic about the season as a whole, but shouldn't be so down on last night.
20120115
The winds of stasis
Was out of the house most of the day today, so I wasn't able to watch the Caps/Canes game until night time. It was a fairly frustrating game to watch, but perhaps not as unbalanced as it seemed.
Once again, the Caps were badly outshot (more than doubled, in fact, and that's before you account for blocked shots). The one good thing I saw was that scoring chances actually managed (through each of the first two periods, at least), to be in the Caps favor (3-2 after one, and 9-6 after two). If they can manage to do that with regularity, I'll stop worrying about whether they outshoot the opposition (but I have significant doubts about whether that is even possible, let alone achievable).
But I didn't like them seeming to be content to sit back in a shell when up by one goal. Up by three? Ok, I can deal with that. But just up by a goal? That's just not a way to win a game against a good team.
The cycle game, so far, seems more an end in and of itself to these Caps, rather than a means to an end. That's another thing that has to change. They need to do it more often (they only managed a couple of times, today), and they need to generate offense off of it.
Another tendency I'm seeing, that I'm not liking, is a lack of killer instinct at the end of games. When the other team has pulled their netminder, they aren't looking to see if they can score. It just seems like they're playing really desperate back there, and just looking for wild clears any time they get the puck.
I'm certainly liking the win today, of course, but it really didn't give me good feelings about this team, going forward.
Also, Hamr and WIdeman were together again several times tonight. I'd rather not see those two on the ice at the same time (except, perhaps, on the power play). They were the ones on the ice when the puck went in, though the team was short-handed at the time.
The only other news of note on the blue line was that Dima (Orlov) finally put one in the net. It wasn't on his wicked(ly inaccurate) slap shot, but on a put-in (off the back of Cam Ward, I think) of a bouncing rebound of a shot by Chimmer.
Semin had the other goal, a really beautiful shot from the right circle that hit the bottom of the water bottle. He also put one off the post, earlier in the game.
Laich also had a goal, but it was disallowed due to incidental contact with the goalie (oddly, not called until the zebra herd converged after ruling a goal being scored).
OV had some nice chances, a couple of beautiful hits (he demolished Ruutu, in particular), and generally looked quite good.
TVo also looked very good, but I hope he rests in the next game or two. Nine in a row is five or six too many, in my book.
On the Carolina side, Skinner returned after missing 16 games with a concussion. He looked good, but what surprised me was he took a couple of cheap shots on Caps (including a very dangerous, uncalled trip that sent Wideman into the boards very awkwardly. He was lucky not to be hurt on the play).
The Caps special teams were not great, tonight. The PK, as mentioned, surrendered a goal on four chances (with five shots before the last power play; that's too many). The power play only had one chance, but it had no shots with very little zone time. It seemed like they gave the puck away a few seconds after getting into the zone. Repeatedly.
But they did manage to squeak out another one-goal victory (in regulation, even), so it isn't all bad. The standings points also put the Caps into the division lead (via tiebreakers), and the team's goal differential is finally positive. It's just not looking good, for the future, though.
We'll see if they can do a bit better when the Islanders come to town on Tuesday. Given their relative records, it should be an easy game for the Caps, but the Caps aren't exactly past masters of dominating the games they should win. They usually manage to come out flat, and play down to the opposition.
Once again, the Caps were badly outshot (more than doubled, in fact, and that's before you account for blocked shots). The one good thing I saw was that scoring chances actually managed (through each of the first two periods, at least), to be in the Caps favor (3-2 after one, and 9-6 after two). If they can manage to do that with regularity, I'll stop worrying about whether they outshoot the opposition (but I have significant doubts about whether that is even possible, let alone achievable).
But I didn't like them seeming to be content to sit back in a shell when up by one goal. Up by three? Ok, I can deal with that. But just up by a goal? That's just not a way to win a game against a good team.
The cycle game, so far, seems more an end in and of itself to these Caps, rather than a means to an end. That's another thing that has to change. They need to do it more often (they only managed a couple of times, today), and they need to generate offense off of it.
Another tendency I'm seeing, that I'm not liking, is a lack of killer instinct at the end of games. When the other team has pulled their netminder, they aren't looking to see if they can score. It just seems like they're playing really desperate back there, and just looking for wild clears any time they get the puck.
I'm certainly liking the win today, of course, but it really didn't give me good feelings about this team, going forward.
Also, Hamr and WIdeman were together again several times tonight. I'd rather not see those two on the ice at the same time (except, perhaps, on the power play). They were the ones on the ice when the puck went in, though the team was short-handed at the time.
The only other news of note on the blue line was that Dima (Orlov) finally put one in the net. It wasn't on his wicked(ly inaccurate) slap shot, but on a put-in (off the back of Cam Ward, I think) of a bouncing rebound of a shot by Chimmer.
Semin had the other goal, a really beautiful shot from the right circle that hit the bottom of the water bottle. He also put one off the post, earlier in the game.
Laich also had a goal, but it was disallowed due to incidental contact with the goalie (oddly, not called until the zebra herd converged after ruling a goal being scored).
OV had some nice chances, a couple of beautiful hits (he demolished Ruutu, in particular), and generally looked quite good.
TVo also looked very good, but I hope he rests in the next game or two. Nine in a row is five or six too many, in my book.
On the Carolina side, Skinner returned after missing 16 games with a concussion. He looked good, but what surprised me was he took a couple of cheap shots on Caps (including a very dangerous, uncalled trip that sent Wideman into the boards very awkwardly. He was lucky not to be hurt on the play).
The Caps special teams were not great, tonight. The PK, as mentioned, surrendered a goal on four chances (with five shots before the last power play; that's too many). The power play only had one chance, but it had no shots with very little zone time. It seemed like they gave the puck away a few seconds after getting into the zone. Repeatedly.
But they did manage to squeak out another one-goal victory (in regulation, even), so it isn't all bad. The standings points also put the Caps into the division lead (via tiebreakers), and the team's goal differential is finally positive. It's just not looking good, for the future, though.
We'll see if they can do a bit better when the Islanders come to town on Tuesday. Given their relative records, it should be an easy game for the Caps, but the Caps aren't exactly past masters of dominating the games they should win. They usually manage to come out flat, and play down to the opposition.
20111207
Playing to completion
The Caps, tonight, played one of their most complete games of the season (not their most, but top 5, I think), downing the Senators 5-3. They came out strong, forechecking well to keep Ottawa from getting anything set up in the offensive zone. They also were constantly threatening, putting up fifteen shots in the first period. Unfortunately, that hard work didn't pay off, as Anderson did a stellar job in net, keeping the Sens in the game.
In fact, the penalty kill even looked great, getting a breakaway led by Chimera that led to two penalties. Unfortunately, the power play still couldn't solve Anderson, even with almost the whole two minutes of 5-on-3. But they did generate a number of chances (four, IIRC), so I can't say it was a terrible effort. They still weren't moving around as much as they should, but it wasn't terrible.
Early in the second, they finally put one past Anderson off a rebound of Brouwer's shot that Halpern managed to get his stick on, despite being tripped as he was shooting. Instead of giving the Caps momentum, however, they stopped forechecking as hard (or maybe just weren't as successful at it) and played more evenly for the rest of the period. And Ottawa had two pretty goals during that time, put in by Condra and Foligno.
The Caps didn't get too discouraged, though, and came out pretty hard in the third. It took them a while, but they finally managed to solve Anderson on the power play, with a pretty top-shelf shot by Backstrom off the rush. OV, then, finally managed to break through (he'd had a number of good opportunities earlier in the game) with a beautiful stop and shot that went five-hole. That was followed, fifteen seconds later, by MarJo setting up Brouwer on the doorstep for a third goal.
That looked like it was pretty much going to do it (some people started leaving the arena), but Ottawa got a power play (on Semin, increasing his lead for team PIMs) and scored five seconds later on a defensive breakdown and a nice play by Michalek.
That made things pretty tense for a while, especially when the Sens got another power play (on Ward, with his second slashing penalty of the period) with three minutes left. But Carlson managed to clear it all the way down right at the end of that power play (when Anderson had been pulled), and Halpern, on the returning breakout, deflected an attempted pass in right to Carlson. This time Carlson had a second to line up his shot, and stuck it right in the center of the net to provide the final margin with forty-five seconds left.
So, things looked good for the guys in white tonight. More particularly, Brouwer had an excellent game with the Gordie Howe hat trick. Carlson had a goal and two assists for his second consecutive three-point night.
And OV played his best game of the season, I think; he was threatening all night long and had seven shots. He also looked really happy when he scored the goal; we haven't seen enough of him smiling this season. His move to beat the defenseman (Karlsson, who's a very good skater in his own right), was a thing of beauty. He was going full-tilt away from the goal, stopped on a dime, turned, faked the slap shot, and then put a wrister between the legs. The only negative on the night was a cheap shot with his stick to the groin of Neil. Wasn't happy to see that, but I'm more ambivalent if that's what it's going to take to bring OV back.
Semin had a decent game. He got a good opportunity a minute or so in, going in alone on the wing, but lifted the shot high and out of play. He generally looked good after that, although the penalty wasn't a good one.
Dima Orlov looked very good, although I was disappointed when he failed to take advantage of a good hip-check opportunity on a Senator cutting to the net. But he was solid, and even had the second assist on OV's goal.
Schultz actually looked pretty good while he was in, but, for some reason, he was only in for four minutes on the night. Not sure what was going on, there. Alzner and Carlson were mostly the ones who picked up the slack, as they ended up with over 27 minutes on the night. I hope that isn't going to be a regular occurence; they're great, but will get worn down with that kind of workload. Come back soon, Greenie.
Anyway, that's about it for tonight. Let's hope the strong play continues Friday against Toronto, because they're playing very well at the moment.
In fact, the penalty kill even looked great, getting a breakaway led by Chimera that led to two penalties. Unfortunately, the power play still couldn't solve Anderson, even with almost the whole two minutes of 5-on-3. But they did generate a number of chances (four, IIRC), so I can't say it was a terrible effort. They still weren't moving around as much as they should, but it wasn't terrible.
Early in the second, they finally put one past Anderson off a rebound of Brouwer's shot that Halpern managed to get his stick on, despite being tripped as he was shooting. Instead of giving the Caps momentum, however, they stopped forechecking as hard (or maybe just weren't as successful at it) and played more evenly for the rest of the period. And Ottawa had two pretty goals during that time, put in by Condra and Foligno.
The Caps didn't get too discouraged, though, and came out pretty hard in the third. It took them a while, but they finally managed to solve Anderson on the power play, with a pretty top-shelf shot by Backstrom off the rush. OV, then, finally managed to break through (he'd had a number of good opportunities earlier in the game) with a beautiful stop and shot that went five-hole. That was followed, fifteen seconds later, by MarJo setting up Brouwer on the doorstep for a third goal.
That looked like it was pretty much going to do it (some people started leaving the arena), but Ottawa got a power play (on Semin, increasing his lead for team PIMs) and scored five seconds later on a defensive breakdown and a nice play by Michalek.
That made things pretty tense for a while, especially when the Sens got another power play (on Ward, with his second slashing penalty of the period) with three minutes left. But Carlson managed to clear it all the way down right at the end of that power play (when Anderson had been pulled), and Halpern, on the returning breakout, deflected an attempted pass in right to Carlson. This time Carlson had a second to line up his shot, and stuck it right in the center of the net to provide the final margin with forty-five seconds left.
So, things looked good for the guys in white tonight. More particularly, Brouwer had an excellent game with the Gordie Howe hat trick. Carlson had a goal and two assists for his second consecutive three-point night.
And OV played his best game of the season, I think; he was threatening all night long and had seven shots. He also looked really happy when he scored the goal; we haven't seen enough of him smiling this season. His move to beat the defenseman (Karlsson, who's a very good skater in his own right), was a thing of beauty. He was going full-tilt away from the goal, stopped on a dime, turned, faked the slap shot, and then put a wrister between the legs. The only negative on the night was a cheap shot with his stick to the groin of Neil. Wasn't happy to see that, but I'm more ambivalent if that's what it's going to take to bring OV back.
Semin had a decent game. He got a good opportunity a minute or so in, going in alone on the wing, but lifted the shot high and out of play. He generally looked good after that, although the penalty wasn't a good one.
Dima Orlov looked very good, although I was disappointed when he failed to take advantage of a good hip-check opportunity on a Senator cutting to the net. But he was solid, and even had the second assist on OV's goal.
Schultz actually looked pretty good while he was in, but, for some reason, he was only in for four minutes on the night. Not sure what was going on, there. Alzner and Carlson were mostly the ones who picked up the slack, as they ended up with over 27 minutes on the night. I hope that isn't going to be a regular occurence; they're great, but will get worn down with that kind of workload. Come back soon, Greenie.
Anyway, that's about it for tonight. Let's hope the strong play continues Friday against Toronto, because they're playing very well at the moment.
20111125
Jason Chimera goes for a swim...
Those were the words that came out of the receiver when I turned on the game, the other night (the projector was not yet warmed up). My first thought, "Crap, I left the set-top box tuned to that channel". I noticed the horn in the background, and my second thought was that the Caps must be doing well, maybe adding another goal in a blowout. Finally, I got the channel changed before any more words came out.
So I finally got the beginning of the game, and started watching. The Caps were looking pretty good, and the Caps got on the board first only five minutes in. Carlson hit a long pass to OV in the O zone, OV's first touch was a backhand pass to Semin streaking down the other side, and Semin buried it in the back of the net. It was very pretty.
As an aside, though, I had a weird reaction to seeing it. Growing up, I didn't think much of the pure goal scorers, thinking them selfish players unwilling to work with their teammates (not saying that was an educated opinion, just what I thought at the time). In any event, the first thing that went through my head when OV passed that one was that I really want to see him shooting. I always want that to be his first thought (not necessarily to follow through, but to consider it).
Anyway, as I said, odd reaction aside, it was a very nice goal.
The next twenty minutes felt a bit more like Vegas, though, as Ladd, Chimmer, Wellwood, and Backstrom each scored their seventh goal of the season. That was all the scoring for the next thirty minutes, until Little put it past Vokoun with about seven and a half left in regulation. Very disappointing.
Play went back and forth for the rest of the period, but nobody was able to get it to hit the twine. Finally, two minutes into overtime, MarJo, Wideman, and Chimmer combined to put it past Pavelec to win the game. And then I got to see Chimmer's celebration that led to the call I'd heard at the beginning. (Incidentally, I noticed that Chimmer got a number of shifts at the end of the game; Bruce rewarding his hard work, I guess.)
It was a nice finish to the game, and there were certainly positives to take away. I liked that the Caps were never trailing, and did a good job playing a decent amount in the Jets' end of the ice. But they kept letting Winnipeg back into the game; that needs to stop.
Semin had a pretty good game, coming back from his scratch. Orlov got his first point with an assist on Backstrom's goal (and generally looked good, as well; very physical). Carlson, Alzner, and Wideman also added assists from the blue line. OV got on the board. The PK was perfect (Perreault even looked pretty good in his one shift on the PK).
But there were definitely negatives, as well. Vokoun didn't look great. The power play wasn't.
But that's about it until today's matinee game against the Rangers.
So I finally got the beginning of the game, and started watching. The Caps were looking pretty good, and the Caps got on the board first only five minutes in. Carlson hit a long pass to OV in the O zone, OV's first touch was a backhand pass to Semin streaking down the other side, and Semin buried it in the back of the net. It was very pretty.
As an aside, though, I had a weird reaction to seeing it. Growing up, I didn't think much of the pure goal scorers, thinking them selfish players unwilling to work with their teammates (not saying that was an educated opinion, just what I thought at the time). In any event, the first thing that went through my head when OV passed that one was that I really want to see him shooting. I always want that to be his first thought (not necessarily to follow through, but to consider it).
Anyway, as I said, odd reaction aside, it was a very nice goal.
The next twenty minutes felt a bit more like Vegas, though, as Ladd, Chimmer, Wellwood, and Backstrom each scored their seventh goal of the season. That was all the scoring for the next thirty minutes, until Little put it past Vokoun with about seven and a half left in regulation. Very disappointing.
Play went back and forth for the rest of the period, but nobody was able to get it to hit the twine. Finally, two minutes into overtime, MarJo, Wideman, and Chimmer combined to put it past Pavelec to win the game. And then I got to see Chimmer's celebration that led to the call I'd heard at the beginning. (Incidentally, I noticed that Chimmer got a number of shifts at the end of the game; Bruce rewarding his hard work, I guess.)
It was a nice finish to the game, and there were certainly positives to take away. I liked that the Caps were never trailing, and did a good job playing a decent amount in the Jets' end of the ice. But they kept letting Winnipeg back into the game; that needs to stop.
Semin had a pretty good game, coming back from his scratch. Orlov got his first point with an assist on Backstrom's goal (and generally looked good, as well; very physical). Carlson, Alzner, and Wideman also added assists from the blue line. OV got on the board. The PK was perfect (Perreault even looked pretty good in his one shift on the PK).
But there were definitely negatives, as well. Vokoun didn't look great. The power play wasn't.
But that's about it until today's matinee game against the Rangers.
20110403
Taking it on the Run
We had friends over last night to watch the basketball games, so I didn't watch the Caps game until this morning. Unfortunately, I didn't set enough automatic recording for the basketball game, so when I came up to add more recording for basketball, I was stuck seeing a minute or so from the third period of the Caps game.
Because of that, after the Caps scored their second goal in the first five minutes, I fast-forwarded to the third period. I was astounded at how quickly the Caps let Buffalo back in the game, allowing two in the second five minutes. Then there was a whole lot of nothing (really; no scoring and no penalties) until the last ten minutes of the game.
Those last ten minutes provided time for four more goals, two for each side. The Caps twice went a goal behind, and then came back. In fact, the last of those goals was quite dramatic, coming on the power play, with the goalie pulled. OV took a shot, Arnott was camped in front of the goal. He smoothly took the rebound, pulled it over to his backhand, and calmly dumped it into the middle of the empty net.
The overtime was looking like it was also going to be a whole lot of nothing, but OV got the puck in the corner, wheeled out around a defender to the half-wall, then into the middle. Finally, he fired a shot that was headed towards the far corner when it deflected off a defender's stick, then off another defender's skate, and finally slid into the far bottom corner of the goal. I think I'd rate that as OV's second-most lucky goal of the season, behind only the one fairly early in the season that had missed the goal short-side, but the goalie stuck his stick out in mid-air (I still don't have any idea what the goalie was trying to do with that). The blade of the stick (vertical, at this point) deflected that one on goal; I can't remember if it hit the goalie again before going into the net.
The parts of the game that I saw looked pretty good, but it sounded like the intervening span did not, based on the Post's quotes of Boudreau. Certainly, that was more shots against than you want to see, and more pucks getting past your goalie. John Carlson had looked really good, earlier in the night, but one of the two later goals (I think Stafford's) was totally his fault, as he got trapped too far up ice, and was a little out of control getting back. He ended up hitting Neuvy, slipping the puck past him.
One definite positive of the game was that, not only did both power plays score, but they both looked good in doing so. I liked the strategy on the last power play, in particular (where Neuvy had already been pulled), parking Knuble and Arnott in front of the goalie. I don't know that there will be too many chances to replicate that, but it was very nice.
So, the win put the Caps in front in the East, although the Flyers caught back up in their overtime loss to the Rangers today. But tied on points and games (though not ROW, sadly) is still a pretty good place to be.
Now if we can just get some defensemen back, that would be nice. A third pair of Sloan and Collins (hadn't even heard of him before the game, I don't think) did not inspire confidence. I think I would have felt better if Orlov had been the call-up (despite him only having played 10-ish games in North America), although I think he's on a Hershey-only contract for the rest of this season, so I think he wasn't an option.
Hopefully, whatever the state of our blue line, we can take at least two of the remaining three. The last two being a home-and-home with Florida, currently mired in last place in the East, would seem to make that feasible. Well, that and that the Caps have generally done well with Toronto.
I guess we'll see about the latter on Tuesday.
Because of that, after the Caps scored their second goal in the first five minutes, I fast-forwarded to the third period. I was astounded at how quickly the Caps let Buffalo back in the game, allowing two in the second five minutes. Then there was a whole lot of nothing (really; no scoring and no penalties) until the last ten minutes of the game.
Those last ten minutes provided time for four more goals, two for each side. The Caps twice went a goal behind, and then came back. In fact, the last of those goals was quite dramatic, coming on the power play, with the goalie pulled. OV took a shot, Arnott was camped in front of the goal. He smoothly took the rebound, pulled it over to his backhand, and calmly dumped it into the middle of the empty net.
The overtime was looking like it was also going to be a whole lot of nothing, but OV got the puck in the corner, wheeled out around a defender to the half-wall, then into the middle. Finally, he fired a shot that was headed towards the far corner when it deflected off a defender's stick, then off another defender's skate, and finally slid into the far bottom corner of the goal. I think I'd rate that as OV's second-most lucky goal of the season, behind only the one fairly early in the season that had missed the goal short-side, but the goalie stuck his stick out in mid-air (I still don't have any idea what the goalie was trying to do with that). The blade of the stick (vertical, at this point) deflected that one on goal; I can't remember if it hit the goalie again before going into the net.
The parts of the game that I saw looked pretty good, but it sounded like the intervening span did not, based on the Post's quotes of Boudreau. Certainly, that was more shots against than you want to see, and more pucks getting past your goalie. John Carlson had looked really good, earlier in the night, but one of the two later goals (I think Stafford's) was totally his fault, as he got trapped too far up ice, and was a little out of control getting back. He ended up hitting Neuvy, slipping the puck past him.
One definite positive of the game was that, not only did both power plays score, but they both looked good in doing so. I liked the strategy on the last power play, in particular (where Neuvy had already been pulled), parking Knuble and Arnott in front of the goalie. I don't know that there will be too many chances to replicate that, but it was very nice.
So, the win put the Caps in front in the East, although the Flyers caught back up in their overtime loss to the Rangers today. But tied on points and games (though not ROW, sadly) is still a pretty good place to be.
Now if we can just get some defensemen back, that would be nice. A third pair of Sloan and Collins (hadn't even heard of him before the game, I don't think) did not inspire confidence. I think I would have felt better if Orlov had been the call-up (despite him only having played 10-ish games in North America), although I think he's on a Hershey-only contract for the rest of this season, so I think he wasn't an option.
Hopefully, whatever the state of our blue line, we can take at least two of the remaining three. The last two being a home-and-home with Florida, currently mired in last place in the East, would seem to make that feasible. Well, that and that the Caps have generally done well with Toronto.
I guess we'll see about the latter on Tuesday.
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