Team PEI, doing work- There are only two active players from Prince Edward Island in the NHL right now.  Oddly enough, they both don the same uniform.  In an off year for the Stars, Steve Ott and Brad Richards are both enjoying productive seasons.  Ott has 21 PIM in his past 6 games and has accumulated 105 this season.  Richards is well on his way to have his best offensive year since his 90-point year with Tampa Bay in 2006.  He is a deadly play-maker with the puck.  One of his weaknesses is playing in his own zone.  He doesn’t really understand this whole“defense” concept.

The Underachievement of Fabian Brunnstrom – Remember this guy?  I bet you thought you were so cool when you added him to your fantasy team after this happened.  Well the undrafted Swede has unsurprisingly caught the sophomore slump.  Injuries, dwindling ice time, and even trade rumors have all hurt Brunnstrom’s production this season.  Even if he does play, don’t expect much: Brunnstrom has one assist and just four shots in the past 11 road games.

Busch-league goaltending – Kari Lehtonen was supposed to fix the Stars’ goaltending, not make it worse.  In his two appearances (one start, one in relief), Kari has allowed eight goals in 98 minutes.  That comes out to a 4.90 GAA with a .840 save percentage.  That’s not helping his cause for the 2014 games.

A glimpse at the man, the legend, the Facebook friend – Mike Modano everyone!  I have to admit, I got a little giddy when my Twitter feed was blowing up with “Modano to the Caps OMG!” rumors at the trade deadline.  There are very few players in the NHL who have more class than Modano.  It will be a treat to watch the American with the most goals and the most points play at the Verizon Center for what is most likely his last appearance in the District.

Winners:

Jose Theodore.  Games like these are going to make it very hard for Bruce Boudreau to resort back to Semyon Varlamov down the stretch.  His save on B-Dubs with from point-blank range was sensational.  You got to think he gets at least two of the next three starts at home before the team goes on a four-game road trip.

Éric Bélanger.  After a shaky first game against Tampa Bay for the newly acquired centerman, Eric played strong both in the face-off circle and in the offensive zone.  His turn around mini slap-shot gave the Caps a 2-0 lead that they would hold onto for the remainder of the game.  And his between-period interview explains to new fans why there are accent marks on the Quebec-native’s name.

Eric Fehr.  Right time, right place.  As the season progresses, Fehr is getting more and more lucky bounces.  He’s a goal-scorer, so the puck just seems to find him at the right place.  Or Brooks Laich mishandled the bouncing puck.  Either one really.  Fehr’s 17th of the year puts him alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Shane Doan.  Not bad company whatsoever.

Alexander Semin.  In the box score, his secondary assist on Belanger’s goal will be over-looked.  Semin entered the offensive zone, and sent a no-look backhand pass across the sheet of ice…typical Semin play, right?  Well when the puck reached the other side, it stopped right on Brooks Laich’s stick, who promptly passed it to Eric Belanger for the lay-up.

Medium:

Alex Ovechkin.  As long as the Caps keep winning, Ovi’s little slump is nothing.  He’s getting the chances and he’s competing hard.  Things will turn around soon enough.  Same can be said about Nicklas Backstrom.

Mike Green.  And people think Joe Corvo is a turnover machine…But seriously, at times Green struggled with the Rangers’ forechecking and turned over the puck.  Not quite as bad as Morrisonn, but, you know.

Joe Corvo.  Speaking of the devil, I’m starting to like #77 with the extra man.  He’s definitely been the least talked about guy who was acquired yet he’s been steady-eddy in his first two games in a new shade of red.

Losers:

Tomas Fleischmann as center.  Backstrom, Belanger, Brendan, and Steckel as centerman.  Nuff said.  Once the juggling of lines is set for the playoffs, Mr. ‘2/10 from the circle’ should find himself winging one of the before-mentioned pivots.

Shaone Morrisonn’s decision making.  Most players look at their target before passing the puck in danger areas.  Most people..

Face-offs.  Well basically just Flash and Laich.  A combined 2/15 will not sit well with Coach (or anyone).  Backstrom’s name does not get included because 40% is good (for him).

Winners:

Mike Green.  I for one, am happy that Green was left off Team Canada’s roster.  Sure it would have been nice to see him dangle a gold medal around his neck on Sunday night, but it’s nicer to see fresh legs and some scoring in a game that matters the NHL.  Green stepped up at exactly the right time to notch his 11th career game-winning goal in his 300th game.

Nicklas Backstrom.  I’m convinced if the NHL used the Wonderlic test, Backstrom would be on Ryan Fitzpatrick’s level.  Every time Backstrom touches the puck, his head is up and looking to create.  Positioning, passing, face-offs, and now shooting (!!).  Try to name a weakness in Nicky’s game.  Yeah I couldn’t either.

Jose Theodore.  Tomas Vokoun this.  Tomas Vokoun that.  Thank god that did not happen.  (I might have to eat those words when Theo’s the man with his back against the wall in playoff elimination games).  Solid saves from point-blank range on Pominville, Kaleta, and Roy and Hecht kept the Caps in this one.  Rebound control can be improved.

Tomas Fleischmann.  There were a few possible transactions that would have left me scratching my head.  Trading away the ever-improving Flash at the deadline was one of them.  Tomas waited patiently then hit a streaking Mike Green for the eventual game-winner.  The Eric Belanger acquisition helps everyone.  Now Flash won’t have to take anymore face-offs (2/7 tonight). Yipee!

Jason Chimera.  The bottom two lines as a whole played especially well, especially #25.  Chimera is starting to get rewarded for working in the corners and going to the net.  If you want goals…

Medium:

Jeff Schultz.  Other than the mishap with Laich and Semin on Buffalo’s only goal, Schultz was steady-eddy on the back line.

John Carlson.  74 had one ugly turnover behind the net and seconds later Buffalo had a great opportunity.  Thankfully, the shooter that found himself open in the slot was Patrick Kaleta.  I’m pretty sure Theodore yawned and closed his eyes as he swatted Kaleta’s shot away.

Losers:

Alexander Semin.  As much as I hate putting the guy down here, he deserves it.  I’m starting to wonder if it’s possible if Semin can take a shot without attempting a curl-and-drag/toe-drag before.  Maybe it’s just his new wind-up?  Jason Kidd blows a kiss every time he shoots a free-throw.  Guess Semin is just as predictable and repetitive as Mr. Kidd.

Brian Pothier and Oskar Osala.  No these guys aren’t losers.  They will be missed.   Pothier has had his hurdles and is struggling to get playing time.  Osala is a big body who is improving slightly stat-wise in the ‘A’.  He was a fan favorite during training camp, so what gives?

Well he can be replaced.  The Caps organization is deep at LW with Marcus Johansson and SDR a season or so away from the AHL, and then who knows?  If that does not work out, there’s always Alexandre Giroux!

For Washington, it’s time to kick it into high gear with just a month and a half remaining. So what better way to get back into the swing of things than against Ryan Miller and the Sabres. As of now, the lineup remains intact with the 3 pm trade deadline looming. Eric Fehr is freaking out (as he should be). I have complete trust in McPhee and will most likely back any move he will (or won’t) make by tomorrow’s deadline. This is unless of course, Tomas Vokoun is acquired for our entire fleet of prospects and picks. Vokoun is a great goalie. But there are areas (see: defense) on this team that need to be fixed. And those should be taken care of before any deals that would result in a slight improvement between the pipes.

A lot has happened over the past two weeks dealing with the Caps… This just in: Michael Wilbon is a hater. You know when you were watching the Gold medal game, and the announcer would say something along the lines of, “If you’re not a regular viewer, or if you’re a diehard fan…” Well folks, Wilbon is in the latter of the two. Look, I don’t listen to Wilbon’s disses about the Caps for the same reason I don’t acknowledge trolls; it’s just there to piss you off with no credibility of the subject at hand. I love PTI. I love Wilbon’s columns on the Wiz and the Skins. And I hate it when people pretend to know what they are taking about. Just stop it.

With six games in the next ten nights, staying healthy and well-rested will be crucial in order to hold onto their 12-point lead in the East…Good thing Alex Ovechkin took the last two weeks off.

Comcast SportsNet has been reaping the benefits of a streaking Washington Capital team this winter. Just last week, the Caps’ overtime loss to Montreal resulted in a colossal rating of 5.8. By comparison, recent Capitals’ broadcasts have been fetching around a 2.8 (via the Bog).

On multiple occasions this season, the Capitals’ games have been relegated to the (much) inferior CSN-Plus. Comcast, noting that maybe more people would want to watch the Caps than the Wizards, has started to make the wise decision to bump the Caps’ up to CSN when there are conflicting sporting events. I know what you’re thinking… And no, this won’t be the umpteenth post tearing apart past decisions to telecast the 1st place Caps on CSN+ and 14th place Wizards on CSN. This is even worse.

The 8 p.m. start time was scheduled to mesh perfectly with the end of the VCU vs. James Madison basketball game. That was until JMU went on a 19-2 run in the second half to turn this into a possible upset bid for the 10-15 Dukes against the 17-6 Rams.

With less than 30 seconds left, JMU is at the free throw line. The game is on the hands of Pierre Curtis. Instead of informing viewers of the timeout situation, or how crucial the free throws are, Al Koken (the play-by-play guy for CAA hoops) informs viewers that they will now join the Washington Capitals game. Ummm…What?!

For CSN to pull away from a competitive college basketball game late in the second half is pretty gutsy. I understand the market for JMU hoops is probably a little bit smaller than that of Caps hockey, so the only thing that surprised me was the timing of the whole thing. In situations like these, networks usually pull away only when the following broadcast has begun. In other words, there is a sense of urgency because the network does not want viewers to miss live action of the ensuing game. So when the broadcast switched to the Scottrade Center and the hockey telecast, you would think the game would be under way by now, right? Not even close.

As Charles Glenn (bless his soul, he’s got a great voice) was singing the absolute longest version of the national anthem I’ve ever heard, the JMU Dukes were going on to win their biggest game of the year. And no one would see the thrilling end of it. How do I know? I live a mile from James Madison’s campus, and they switched my telecast to watch the national anthem. By the time the anthem was over, so too was the ball game. Unbelievable.

I was left speechless. So was Al Koken. Seriously, who was he broadcasting to when VCU is bringing the ball down the court with less than 10 seconds to go for the tie? (I can only assume this happened since I was forced to watch this instead). I would sacrifice the first five minutes of a hockey game any day of the week to witness the final 30 seconds of my college basketball team upsetting an in-state rival. Wouldn’t you?

If JMU’s campus and the surrounding area are blacked out, who gets to watch the game? This is a serious problem that needs to be addressed in a reasonable manor to avoid another debacle.

CSN Mid Atlantic has made some head-scratching decisions this season. Cutting out the ending of a very exciting basketball game in favor of the national anthem on Saturday night just adds to the list.

Winners:

Quintin Laing.  Honestly, who does not love Quintin?  After Cam Janssen cheapshots Matt Bradley with a vicious elbow, Q comes flying in to the rescue.   He’s got his shit straight.  Whenever he gets a jersey, I am delighted because he will do whatever it takes for the good of the team.  He’s a man’s man.

Mike Knuble.  The big guy was at the right place (in front of the net) at the right time the whole night.  The Power Play unit that consists of the Young Guns plus 22 is simply a force to be reckoned with.  Mike had a great attempt for the hat trick late in the third but Mason came up big for the Blues.  Knuble is on pace for 30+ goals (something he’s only done twice in his career) and around 60 points (something that Mike has only accomplished once).

Alexander Semin.  Words can only come close to describing how lethal Semin’s wicked wrister is.  Sasha now has points in 14 of the past 16 games.  Now if only Alex could put as much effort into every shift as he does into every time he takes a shot.

Nicklas Backstrom.  Backstrom is seriously playing the best hockey of his career.  He’s got tremendous puck control which a lot of the time results in stick penalties against the opposition as they attempt to take the puck away from the crafty Swede.  Bad luck on the shootout attempt.  Chris Mason is brilliant mano y mano.

Jose Theodore.  First off, Jose’s no-look glove save was unreal.  I had to pick my jaw up off of the floor after that happened.  Despite giving up three goals in regulation and one in the shootout, Theo had a really strong game.  Defensive lapses (Damn it Pothier!) lead to breakaway saves on Paul Kariya (who is still going strong) and Andy MacDonald, respectively.  Crap luck on the decisive goal in the shootout.

Medium:

Alex Ovechkin.  For just the second time this season, Ovechkin did not record a point when on the ice for 25+ minutes.  His scoreless night snapped his second nine-game point streak of the year.  St. Louis did a solid job of containing the Ovi throughout regulation and into Overtime. Ovi almost cost the Caps the game with a terrible giveaway late in the game, but Theo came up big.   Best of luck to him (not getting injured) in the Olympics.

David Steckel.  Clutch face-off win in the defensive zone with 90 seconds remaining.  Stecks finished 7/9 on the night.  Steckel did however take a hooking penalty while on the PK.  Which sucks.

Mike Green.  Green has a special talent of somehow turning flubbed shots into miraculous assists.  With two more on the night, he’s now got 46 total.  That’s as much as Shea Weber and Mark Streit combined.

Karl Alzner.  Played great ‘D’ all night.  He’s looking more and more like an everyday player.  He did double his season total for PIM by getting whistled for two infractions last night (one of which was BS, so we won’t count that one).

Losers:

Cam Janssen.  Here in the District, we do not get to see much of of the Western Conference.  A lot of first impressions were made… T.J. Oshie? Awesome.  Berglund? Awesome.  Erik Johnson, David Perron? Both awesome.  Cam Janessen?  Total douchebag.  Why is this clown in the NHL?  In 201 games, you have two goals?  You’re a joke.

St. Louis is an energetic team with a lot of great hitters.  David Backes finished with five, a game-high.  Even Oshie (6′0′, 190) was dishing out checks to Brooks Laich (6′2′, 215).  All of the before-mentioned happened within the rules…Except for Mr. Janssen.

On Matt Bradley’s second shift, Janssen decides to…send a message?  Or get his name out there?  Or maybe he decided that the only way he’ll stay in the NHL is if he has stat lines like 38 GP, 0 pts, 163 PIM.  Anyways, as Bradley gets rid of the puck, Janssen comes head-hunting with a ferocious elbow on Brads.  Dude came in like a FULL 3-Mississippi count after the fact.  Total dick move by the home town kid.  He’s looking at a suspension for sure.

John Carlson.  Carly was out of position in the second and Paul Kariya took advantage.  Kariya knocked the puck past John and evenutally set up Oshie on the 2-on-1 for the Blues’ second goal.  Never worry Cap fans, you have not seen the last of JC.  With some more work in the American, I would expect to see him back in the National after the break (barring any moves the Caps make on the March 3rd trade deadline).

Jeff Schultz.  On Patrik Berglund’s diving shot from point-blank range, the puck kinda went right through the wheelhouse of good ole Schultzie.  One flaw in an otherwise uneventful night.

Eric Fehr.  Fehr’s chances are usually few and far between.  So when he gets an opening in the slot, 16 needs to do what we all know he’s capable of doing.  Or whiff.  Either way.  Oh yeah, and he got up high on Eric Brewer late in the game.  That’s not a guy that you want to upset.

Other thoughts:

• CSN changed away from an exciting eventual upset in college basketball…why?  Stay tuned…
• If I was going to change my name,  it would change it to Carlo Colaiacovo.
• When Tomas Fleischmann was whistled for hooking in the second period, Craig Laughlin said (verbatim): “And Fleischmann will go take a seat for a deuce.”  Ohhh poop jokes.
• Brooks Laich (2/7, 29%) was the only Capital who’s face-off percentage was below 50%.

If the Caps’ Young Guns consist of Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, and Green, then what does St. Louis have?  They have Oshie, Johnson, Perron, Backes, and Berglund.  A core of young stars that will only get better.  Despite the Janssen incident, I like the St. Louis Blues and hope they find a way to slip into the playoffs.  Sitting four points out of eighth right now, I am going to be rooting for them all the way (and I will be rooting for a hefty suspension and fine for Janssen).

Winners:

Alexander Semin.  Holy bajesus.  I’ll be the first to tell you that Semin does some really stupid things.  I take it all back.  Tonight single-handedly proved how deadly he can be.  It was three wrist shots tonight, but he’s notorious for the curl and drag.  He’s also been known to crank out the slapshot (far too often on breakaways).  Dude’s got more weapons than Arenas.

Jeff Schultz.  Throw the puck on net and good things will happen (just ask Tomas Fleischmann).  Schultz needs one more point to tie his whopping career-high of 18 set back in 2007-08.  Right now, Jeff is averaging .61 shots per game (33 in 54).  Imagine how nasty his game would get if he tossed three or four “innocent” shots on net each game.  Especially with Double Deuce standing on top of the crease.

Brendan Morrison.  +4 has got to be worth something, right?  Though he did have the best view on Ottawa’s third goal.  Man those seats in the penalty box look comfortable.

Medium:

Tomas Fleischmann.  Brian Elliot must have sneezed or blinked for like 3 seconds when he tried to stop Flash’s shot.  Tomas’ night went downhill from there.  He ended up being on the ice for all four Ottawa even-strength goals.  Yikes.

Alex Ovechkin.  If Ovechkin is the MVP, what does that make Anton Volchenkov?  ‘Who is the first star of tonight’s game?’ sounds about right.  Alex had eight shots blocked and I’m pretty sure most, if not all, were by his fellow countryman (who finished with 11 freaking blocked shots…just ridiculous).

Mike Green.  Honestly, if Alex Ovechkin passes up a wide open shot to give you a wide open shot (think about that for a second), you need to at least test the netminder.  On the Power Play, Green had some chances and could not convert.  Less excuses about your Stealth stick that no longer exists, more goals.

Mike Knuble.  This acquisition is looking better and better every game.  Although he did not register a point, Knuble is staying healthy and was around the crease all night.

Semyon Varlamov.  It took him a few periods to get going and he made some nice saves toward the end.  Of course, this is the NHL.  And you can not use the first and second periods to warm up.  His performance tonight in no way surprised me.  Now, what to do with Neuvirth?

Losers:

Tyler Sloan.  Overmatched, no chemistry, and weak passes sums up 89’s night.  God speed Poti.  God speed Morrisonn.

Chris Bourque.  I don’t remember seeing much of 56 in the third period.  I’m not complaining.

Special Teams.  With all fairness, you’re best penalty killer needs to be the goaltender.  That was not the case tonight.  All would have been forgotten had the Caps converted on their two power plays.  Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Winners:

Alex Ovechkin.  Whenever 8 and 87 face each other, it comes down to “anything you can do, I can do better”.  Crosby’s pair of goals in the first set the tone early.  But since the first, Ovechkin took over.  A perfect head-manning pass put Ovi on a breakaway for his first marker.  The next two goals were scored in a five-minute span during the third period.  An innocent backhand and a seeing-eye wrister tied things up and would eventually force overtime.  An MVP-type performance for the man leading the league in goals and points.

Eric Fehr.  Fehr has not had much better games than the game he played today.  16 was clicking on both ends of the ice.  He was one of four Caps’ players with 5+ shots.  Late in the second period, he turned a benign 1-on-3 rush into a momentum-turning goal.  Had Fehr not scored, the Caps would have been looking at a three-goal deficit with 20 minutes remaining; something that even the best of teams would have trouble overcoming.

Jose Theodore.  Theo was run at all day so to keep to poise and composure he had throughout the entire game is admirable.  He put up 31 saves and had some great stops when the Caps were down a man.  Another strong performance by big number 60.

Jeff Schultz.  Helluva pass to set-up Ovie’s first goal.  Then you gotta love Schultz talking smack with Crosby at the end of the second period.

Mike Knuble.  The MVP goes headfirst into the boards and Knuble did the right thing.  How Pittsburgh ended up with the Power Play, I’ll never know.  But 17 PIM later for Mike, he pokes the game-winner past MAF.  What Knuble did today defines the reason that he was signed in the off-season.  He’s also a really nice guy.  Unlike this Mike.

Medium:

Brian Pothier.  Dude knows how to throw a good ole fashion hip check.  And despite Mike Green’s return to the lineup, Pothier has shown that he is not afraid to jump up in the rush.  He had some great chances and finished with three more shots on goal than Nicklas Backstrom.

Nicklas Backstrom.  Speaking of Backstrom, he added two assists today to give him 48 on the year.  He also showed some grit by getting into it with Tyler Kennedy halfway through the second.  Love the intensity.

Mike Green.  Four shots on goal in the first 20 minutes, but just one shot recorded for the remaining 40.  Green played well going +2 with an assist in 27:09.

Alexander Semin.  Bad penalty-to-goal ratio: 2-0.  This includes a high-sticking minor in the offensive zone.  Semin had five shots, but attempted a total of 10.  Most missed high glove side by inches.  On another night, Semin would have (at least) a goal.

Jason Chimera.  Fehr set him up perfectly on a 2-on-1 but Chimera delayed and could not deke past a diving Marc-Andre Fleury.  Had Chimera took a swing on the one-timer, he would have had more than half an unprotected net to shoot on.

Losers:

Tom Poti. Poti was sleep-walking the whole game.  He had trouble passing the puck to the guys in red, especially in his own zone.  He gave Malkin a breakaway early and later, turned the puck over and it resulted in a goal against.  A game to forget for Tom.

Tyler Sloan.  ^Ditto^.  Sloan’s nomination for ‘Worst breakout pass ever’ came in the first when a weak slap shot around the boards was easily corralled by Sidney Crosby.  In an attempt to make up for his mistake, Sloan took on Crosby who easily deked Sloan and put the puck between Theodore’s legs.

Power Play.  Not good through 60 minutes.  But I guess you could take the same approach that Shaq takes on shooting free throws:  “I only make them when they matter”.  And that’s exactly what Washington did in the overtime period with the extra man.

Here are a few statistics to keep in mind when watching tonight’s game:

Eric Fehr has five points (2+3) in his last six games on the road.

Alex Semin is riding a 10-game point streak and has 22 (10+12) points in his past 15 games. He has only been held pointless in two of those games.

The New York Rangers and the New York Islanders are the only teams in the Eastern Conference that Alex Ovechkin has a negative plus/minus rating against. Ovechkin is -2 in three games against the Islanders, and -2 in two games versus the Rangers.

Brendan Morrison is +16 on the road, but just +2 on home ice. On the contrary, Nicklas Backstrom is just +7 on the road, and +21 at home.

Jose Theodore is currently riding an eight-game win streak. The last time Theodore beat the New York Rangers (December 2008), the win started a six-game streak. (Jose would go on to win nine of his next 11 starts).

Winners:

Jose Theodore.  On Friday, I was chatting up a gentleman in a Capitals’ shirt at the dining hall after class.  He knew his stuff.  There was just one problem.  He was a hater.  He, and I’m sure there are many others, quickly jump into this argument: “Jose Theodore sucks.  He just sucks.  He shouldn’t be playing.”

It’s hard to argue with guys like these (last season, it was Jeff Schultz’s name in that sentence).  So I just smiled and said something along the lines of: “Huh.  Okay…. We’ll see.”  After witnessing today’s victory, Theo does not suck.  Far from it.  Without a 100% 100 combo (60 and 40), this team will see problems down the stretch and into the playoffs.  Theodore certainly does not suck, but he certainly cannot do it alone.

Oh and one more thing:  With the win today, Jose has made it seven wins in-a-row.  The last time that happened was during this season.

Alex Ovechkin.  Admit it.  Following Steven Stamkos’ game-tying marker with 13+ remaining in the game, you were getting nervous.  The Caps put it on cruise control after going up two, but allowed two goals in under three minutes to give Tampa a chance… for about five minutes.  When a goal is needed, give the puck to 8.  His 35th eventually gave Washington its 37th.

Nicklas Backstrom.  Nicky B. does it all.  Assists (duh), faceoffs (68%, 13/19), and now he’s added Crosby-esque garbage goals to his ever-expanding repertoire.  Might add that he was a victim of a bs penalty call.  Like, seriously.

Brooks Laich.  Come to think of it, Fleischmann probably could have scored.  But he gave up a scoring chance to set up Semin.  After a blocked shot, Laich came streaking in to tap in the loose puck past a sprawling Mike Smith.  Laich now has five goals during the Caps 10-game streak.

Tomas Fleischmann.  Two more assists but just one shot on net.  Tomas, you have the second best shooting percentage in the conference.  Team Czech Republic can not score if you don’t shoot.

Medium:

Jeff Schultz.  Solid play to go along with a +2 rating.  All in a day’s work.

Jason Chimera.  Dude, eff Steve Downie.  Drop that clown next time he does an Avery-like skate through the blue paint after the whistle.

Tyler Sloan.  Good: Pinching in and getting quality scoring opportunities.  Bad: Clearing the freaking puck up the middle of the ice.  Com’on Ty.

Losers:

Jose Theodore’s rebound control.  It’s so bad that it does not need an explanation.

Playing John Erskine on the Penalty Kill.  If you take a look at Stamkos’ power play marker again, you’ll see that a) Stamkos’ shot is a laser beam, and b) the train wreck that is Erskine trying to rotate over to his man (Stamkos).  Sloan and/or Schultz are better options when down a man (Poti was out there with him).

Stat of the game:

Mike Lundin of the Lightning was credited with six blocked shots.  The Caps were credited with a total of five.  In total, the scorekeeper tallied 24 for Tampa, and just five blocked shots for the home team.  I’ll never understand the system.