Caps Basketball

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, and Good Night, New York! Caps Beat Isles in OT

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Sansone) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:39:00 +0000

Written By: Amanda Sansone, Caps B-Ball contributor

For 2 3/4 periods, the mood in the Verizon Center was pretty gloomy. Normally, the crowds are deafening and you've lost your voice by the end of the 2nd period and The Goat has to be hosed down to keep from spontaneously combusting; but last night, you could almost hear a pin drop in the Phone Booth. It was almost Panthers quiet in there. Scary. But it was a Tuesday night, against a basement team that seems to have our number this season, so the empty seats were no surprise. For those of us who did attend, however, felt frustrated and beaten down.

The first period saw the Caps get a ton of shots on net, but some really unlucky bounces and cruel goal-tending kept them scoreless. More annoying was that despite playing almost the entire period in the offensive zone, stupid Strong Islander Josh Bailey scored a flukey goal on the team's second shot just 4 minutes in, which meant the Caps would have to spend the rest of the game clawing their way back. They had so many missed opportunities, where the net was wide open, but the puck just wouldn't go in. So frustrating. But we all knew, that if the boys kept crashing, scoring wouldn't be far off....

Until we go to the second period and spent most of the time in the defensive zone. If Neuvy wasn't so on point, things could've taken a bad turn. Fortunately, the Caps kept the Isles off the board and went into the 3rd still only down by one.

...And then Matt Moulson struck for the Isles in the 3rd. This season the Caps haven't been the masters of coming back completely from behind as they have in years past; tonight, however, the vintage Caps showed up. They crashed the net hard midway through the 3rd and the bad luck seemed to continue. The Verizon Center was pretty empty by the time Troy Brouwer made things interesting. With only 3 minutes and change left in the 3rd period, Brouwer scored a beautiful Kanooblian greasy goal the brought the Caps within one. Once the Fury was Unleashed, Neuvy was pulled and 6 attackers crashed the net. It got a little hairy a few times when the Isles almost scored on the empty net, making victory impossible, BUT they suck... and the Caps decided they wanted to win and wanted to win bad. With just 25 seconds remaining on a night where victory meant 2 points and the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, Dennis Wideman unleashed a hard wrister from the circle and good ol' Troy Brouwer deflected it into the net for his 2nd goal of the night and 17th on the season, forcing overtime and at least a guaranteed pity point. The sleepy crowd went absolutely insane-- it was a complete Playoff Game atmosphere and it was beautiful. The only thing that could top those high flying spirits would be an OT GWG by The Great 8....

And a minute and 35 seconds into overtime, that is exactly what happened. In a stunning, blaze of glory, Ovi nabbed the puck and sped up the ice, forcing the Isles defender back and out of his way so that he could beat Nabokov through the five-hole. Classic Ovi. It was a thing of beauty and something we need to see more of in the final stretch of the season.

Not only does this win give us 2 points and a spot in the playoff picture, but it gives us hope. The talent is there, the drive is there, the Cup CAN be here, but they need to get their acts together. The team needs to unify, players need to stop complaining and start working. I want them to prove all of the naysayers wrong. This team is too good to fail. Let's hope they can keep this momentum up. Let's Go Caps!

What is Going On?! A Post-Game/Pre-Game Mashup

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Sansone) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 22:03:00 +0000

Written By: Amanda Sansone, Caps B-Ball Contributer

So until last Friday, I watched maybe 16 total minutes of Capitals hockey. Had I watched any more than that, I'd likely be in some sort of institution suffering from Trichotillomania. Needless to say, the Caps were horrendous on the road last week against teams that they should have easily dominated.

I don't really know what to say about this, but I feel like I need to put my thoughts down. Between team in-fighting (see: Wideman v. Ovi; Angry Chimmer; Hunter Selling Out The Vokoun), senseless player benchings (ahem Mike Knuble), Rock Star Syndrome (see: Olie Kolzig's comments), trade speculation (Sasha Minor, Hammerhead, The Vokoun, Wides, Green, Carlson, MoJo...), and just complete thrashings at the hands of craptastic teams on national television-- our Caps seem doomed for utter failure. I'm not ready to give up, but something is rotten in the state of Denmark... er... District of Columbia. I'm not sure if its a Canadian v. European thing, an older guy v. younger guy thing, an Ovi-friend v. Ovi-foe thing-- but clearly, the guys on this team are not all BFFs. It's very frustrating. They're all individually so talented and they all seem like pretty good guys, so what's the deal? They're inability to get along and play well together is very upsetting to me.

However, sometimes, they can really turn it on. Friday and Saturday's games against Montreal and Toronto were glimmers of hope. I watched both games from start to finish without breaking anything, crying, or hiding in a closet. Both games had great offense (4 goals in each), pretty stellar Neuvy goal-tending (only 3 goals against and none were really his fault-- though one goal came from Rene Borque and I find that unacceptable), and some quality D. The Caps were really physical, had a lot of energy, scored in the first period-- they were everything we would expect to see out of a team with that amount of talent. Those are 4 points we needed badly and it took a lot of work to get them.

Caps are heading into a 5 game homestand against some really difficult teams and they need every point. They need to get their acts together and play even better than they played this weekend. At one point in the Toronto game, Phil Kessel had a breakway opportunity; after Neuvy made a great save, he basically lost his sh*t and ranted as his teammates for leaving him out to dry. Kudos to Neuvy for standing up to the guys in front-- they need to have his back because he cannot constantly bail them out of terrible plays.

So here's the upcoming schedule:
Tuesday, 2/28- vs. Islanders
I'll be at this game, rocking my Laich Jersey and my awesome earflap hat. The Islanders are terrible as a whole, but they have some really amazing players in John Tavares, Matt Moulson, Michael Grabner, and PA Parenteau. They're young, they're fast, and they seem to have our number this season. BUT they're small and their goaltending is inconsistent and aside from those players, not many guys are scoring. Caps need to move their feet and HIT! The only way to shutdown a small, fast team is to use size. The Caps are one of the bigger teams in the league and really need to capitalize (unintended pun) on it. At the end of tomorrow night's game, I want to see huge numbers in hits and shots on goal. Maybe this is asking too much, I dunno... but if they can't beat a team that is 26th in the entire league, they may as well quit the race to the playoffs now. {note: when they lose tomorrow night, I'll probably say something like "we can't give up hope, it was a good effort, they can still make it!" but really I'm just placating myself and trying not to be a total Debbie Downer. Just humor me.}

Friday, 3/2- vs. Devils
This is the last meeting between these two clubs this season. So far, Caps have gotten points in every game. 1 regulation win and 2 OT losses-- both went to shootouts, which in my book, is a draw. This should be a good game, though probably not a lot of offensive action. I like seeing Ovechkin and Semin on the ice with their former Olympic teammate and pal Ilya Kovalchuk. Let's see if they can catch old man Marty Brodeur on an off-night. Maybe he'll have another affair that will blow up in his face and will distract him? see: Real Goalies of New Jersey.

Despite growing up in Jersey, I was never a fan of the Devils and will never be a fan of the Devils.... I sat behind this mullet-headed super fan at the game on Christmas Eve-Eve. He was not the only one of this....caliber. I can only assume he lives in the mountainous netherworld of north-western Jersey and only leaves his woodland home to attend games at The Rock and buy beer when his moonshine isn't done being distilled.

Sunday, 3/4- vs. Flyers
This game is on NBC. The Caps will probably lose. It will probably be embarrassing. BUT maybe, just maybe they can eek out an OT loss? Is that asking for too much? Probably.... Unrelated, I'm having some really conflicting emotions about Scott Hartnell, Claude Giroux, Max Talbot, and Ilya Bryzgalov. I like them all. Husband stated following Hartsy on Twitter... I haven't gone that far yet... but this is really becoming a problem for me. I am genetically pre-dispositioned to loathe everything and anything related to the cesspool that is Philadelphia...and yet I find that these players are really fascinating...I may require an intervention. Stay tuned.

Tuesday, 3/6- vs. Hurricanes
I did not watch the game last Monday and I am glad I was spared every miserable second of that sad thrashing. That said, its time for the tables to turn. The Caps HAVE to win this. They have no choice. Carolina's even worse than NY (27th), so Caps need to dominate them. I want to see the floor wept with Eric Staal. I want to see Cam Ward crying in the net. Every line needs to be energized and on-point, hitting and crashing the net HARD. A wise man (?) once said: "Do or do not. There is no try." The Caps must tap into their Jedi mind tricks and make things happen.

Thursday, 3/8- vs. Lightening
Same deal as the 'Canes, though Tampa is a mildly better team (24th). They're still pushing for the playoffs, so Caps need to shut them down and keep the two points for themselves and stay above them in the division. Two games ago saw a terribly illegal goal by Martin St. Louis. I'm still not over it because that goal made a huge different in the game. We need to get it back. We need to dominate them.

So that's that. Crash the net. Unleash the fury. Win all the points. Don't let us down!

Huge Win For The Caps

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 04:03:00 +0000

The Caps defeated the Florida Panthers for the second time in the past 11 days picking up a huge 2 points on the division leaders. The Caps are now 1 back of the Maple Leafs and 2 back of the Panthers. This was a big victory for the Caps, but we said that last week also after they beat the Panthers 4-0. After that game they lost three straight.

The Alex connection each put in a goal in the 3rd period and I'm sure somewhere all the NBC announcers and analysts were crying and punching holes in walls. I know I'm late on this but those NBC guys are annoying as hell. "I never thought I'd see Alex Semin block a shot" F You NBC.

The Caps had 30 shots through 2 periods and fired in another 11 in the 3rd period which is a good thing as they have been getting the puck towards the net a lot more than earlier in the year. 10 more days til the trade deadline...Is something gonna happen or are they gonna go with what they have?

I have a question. I'm still saying I'm new to hockey so maybe I just don't get it. The 2nd star of the game was Jose Theodore. So hockey gives a player of the game award to a player that was the losing goalie who gave up 2 goals? Sure almost 40 saves is a lot, but come on. That's like giving the player of the game to the losing pitcher in a baseball game instead of the winning pitcher.

Broken-Hearted on Valentine's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Sansone) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:26:00 +0000

Written By: Amanda Sansone, Caps B-Ball Contributor

There's not much to say today. It's been a rough few days for our heroes in red-- some bad decisions, terrible luck, and god-awful NBC coverage. Caps blew a 3-0 lead against the 'Peg last Thursday, never had a chance against the Rangers on Sunday, and well, they were Shark bait last night. Caps' offensive attempts have been great, but they've been stymied by ridiculous goal-tending, shot-blocking, and stupid goal posts. So good news is, their shots on goal numbers are fantastic. Bad news is that those shots aren't making it to the back of the net. At the other end of the ice, Vokoun, Neuvy, and Holtby all started and were all seriously left out in the cold by some shoddy defense. All three games featured flukey goals-against from neutral ice. Including this Shark gem from last night:

Really!?!? Ya gotta feel for young Brayden Holtby... HE HAD IT! ... until he didn't... and instead of having the good fortune of the puck rolling out of his glove to his front, it rolled back, right over the goal line. UGH!!! Heart wrenching!

This team is like that guy (or gal) that you were completely infatuated with in college- so good looking and skilled (*wink wink, nudge nudge) and fun and charming. BUT they are constant disappointments. They drink all of your beer without replacing it, forget to show up for important events, never call when they say they will, and conveniently fall off the face of the planet the day they're supposed to meet your parents. GET IT TOGETHER CAPITALS! DON'T BE THAT GUY! Nobody likes That Guy! That Guy would never even get near a Stanley Cup... unless he got high and his frat brothers dared him to sneak into Brad Marchand's house over the summer and he tried to turn the Cup into a hookah...

BUT, maybe, just maybe they're just the guy who is a little uncertain, a little lazy, a little forgetful, a little afraid of committing because his last girlfriend was INSANE, but ultimately a real winner in the end when he finally gets his act together and turns on the AWESOME. That guy that finds a way to somehow make up for all of the mistakes and turns out to be The One. These guys (and gals) exist despite the naysayers. And the Caps, my friends, can totally be THAT GUY! But they have to leave the baggage at the door.

ANYWHO, point is-- the Caps are off until Friday... they get to sit around and watch all the other teams get points while they sit in 9th and hope not to slip farther back. Every game counts now! They're not used to this uncertainty this late in the season. For the past several seasons, they've been locked into 1st in the division by this point. So on this Valentine's Day, have a little hope that our boys will come through. They cannot be THAT guy. Don't let us down, Caps. Our fragile hearts can only take so much!!

In other heartbreaking news, Brooks Laich brought a date to the Caps Care Casino Night. So, there's that for ya. Bummer.

I think Matt Skiba understands.... Happy Valentine's Day Caps Fans!

Caps Down Cats: Is this a Conspiracy?

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Sansone) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:37:00 +0000

Written by: Amanda Sansone, Caps B-Ball Contributor

Hopefully you weren't so busy watching/reenacting Glee last night that you missed an absolutely Cap-tastic hockey game. It looks like the Caps we know and love finally showed up for realsies. Montreal was good, but they got lucky. Boston was actually great, but they were playing against Boston...and on NBC... so ya know, waste of time for all. But last night's division game not only had true meaning, but it surpassed all expectations by miles.

Dale Hunter said the game had a "play-off" feeling to it going into the evening, a pretty much must-win situation in order for the Caps to retake the lead of the SE division over the Panthers (and 3rd place in the conference). I don't know what he said in the locker room or what those guys ate for dinner, but they came out guns a'blazin'. Matty P got the GWG just 13 seconds off the first face-off. Ovechkin had 2 gorgeous Ovi-esque wristers, and Chimmers got a shortie. Ward actually looked like the guy we are supposedly paying him to be. MoJo ("MarJo") was an incredible playmaker. Wides took 2 stupid trips to the sin bin, but was good on the blue line. Pretty sure Brooksie is a cyborg or an autobot or X-Man since his knee got totally creamed on Sunday and he still played a great (albeit limited) game last night.... DO wore a full cage to remind him not to stop pucks with his nose. And Tomas "The Vokoun" Vokoun stopped 42 shots. 42! Fourth shutout of the season, second shutout against the Cats of the season, and 2nd shutout of the week!

Other story, the boys got outshot again. By a lot, but they were so far ahead, didn't reaaallly matter. HOWEVER, they could've easily reverted back to the old timey-Caps from the days of yore when a 3 goal lead meant they would still probably lose. The forecheck was SO good at times and they were killing the cycle and winning along the boards, but they still gave up too many opportunities. If the Panthers weren't so completely out of it last night, the game would've been a lot closer. They shot from all over and made attempts to crash the net. Lucky for us, Vokie was on point, our defensive play around the net was decent, and the Panthers kept missing golden opportunities. .

So here's my question: was this the plan all along? Over the summer, the Caps were heavily favored to go to the Cup this year and after 7 straight wins to start the season, it seemed like a done deal... and then it didn't. At first it seemed like just a little bump in the road, then it seemed like growing pains with a new coach/system, and as of late, it's seemed like a giant clusterf**** and no one even cares. Then... you see last night... and you wonder, were they keeping all of that amazingness underwraps for a reason? Have they been purposefully crapping out so that they could make a huge comeback and dominate the end half of the season so that they are red-hot going into the playoffs and on track to get the Cup?? Or are they floundering around so that they still lose, but look impressive enough to get bright, shiny new players on the off-season when they blow up the team? Husband is wearing his tinfoil hat these days and is pretty sure the Caps are doing this on purpose. He's taking it kind of personally and its really making him ornery. We've had some heated debates over the status of the boys in red. So for the sake of my still new and happy marriage, I need the Caps to get it together and stop messing with us. Just crash the net, get all the points, and bring home the Stanley Freakin' Cup.

Going into Thursday, its now up to the Caps to combine their energy, aggressiveness, and all around bad-assyness from last night's game with their willingness to shoot the puck at every opportunity from Sunday's game to beat the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow night. Ovi needs to score, the forecheck needs to be aggressive, and The Vokoun needs to stay stalwart in the net. If they can keep the momentum up into the tough stretch of games ahead, they play-offs will be theirs. If not, well... summer will come early for the good citizens of Capsland. SO... rock the red, let's go caps, and UNLEASH THE FURY!!

And now for your viewing/listening pleasure:

What Happened To The Caps?

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:08:00 +0000

So am I hearing this correctly? The Caps have a worse win % this season under Dale Hunter than they did with Bruce Boudreau? Sure, some of it has to do with Nick Backstrom being out, but like with Boudreau lots of it has to do with the management making 0 trades to shake things up. Clearly the coach wasn't the whole problem. Anyways, I hear the trade deadline is coming up soon, so let's see what happens.

Speaking of Boudreau the Ducks have won 6 of 10 and are not the worst team in the league. As a DC Sports fan I am good at looking at terrible teams and grasping for playoffs. So when I look at the NHL standings I don't see a 2nd to last place Ducks team, I see a team only 12 points out of the playoffs and 12 points behind the Caps.

And looking at the Caps again it appears they are the 9th seed and would be out of the playoffs if they started today. However, if they win tomorrow they will be back in the playoffs and in 1st place in their division. Crazyness.

Alex Ovechkin needs to step up too. He is already 2nd in points to a guy who has played 10 less games and is about to be passed by a random defender. The RW position seems to be useless. Can someone please comment and tell me what exactly Joel Ward does here? Same question for Knuble, he has a -14 and doesn't seem to do much but collect silver hockey sticks. Brouwer is ranked 42 in scoring for that position and there aren't 42 teams in the league.

Good talk! See you out there!

More Than A Feeling

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:23:00 +0000

The Caps finally won a game after the all star break but they don't have much time to rest as the Bruins come to town as a warm up act to the ~~Super Bowl~~. Oh crap, I'm not legally allowed to call it that. For the Big Game.

Like most people I only watch the game for the commercials. The Caps game I mean, not the Super Bowl. An ad with Ferris Buehler has nothing on a kid playing hockey in the mud and messing up the carpet. The "do you guys know how to post videos to facebook, do you guys know how to post videos to facebook" has nothing on "i'm gonna need a pretty big cupholder". Oh is that too soon? Is your family not laughing at that yet.

I guess I should talk about the hockey game. Let's see. According to internet research, the Bruins are the defending champions from last year. I also seem to remember the Caps beating the Bruins a few weeks ago. Bam, hockey analysis. Now back to the important stuff. Who is K. Acorn? I've been away too long.

Caps Shutout the CAN’Tadiens… Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Sansone) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:06:00 +0000

Written By: Amanda Sansone, Caps B-Ball Contributor

For the second time in less than 3 weeks, the Caps flattened the Habs in their own barn and, surprisingly, without the usual referee drama that comes when playing in Quebec aka Diet France. If we completely ignore that fact that our boys played against a team that is 14^th in the division and would need to win 92.5% of their remaining games (thank you, Locker) to even make the playoffs, this could be considered an awesome game. However, the Caps only played about 30ish minutes of great hockey, the rest of the time had the Canadiens beating themselves because they are terrible. I mean really awful. And The Vokoun was Epic Awesome. Let’s break it down, shall we?

Zdrastvyute, Ovi!

After 3 Ovechkinless games, we finally saw our favorite Russian back on the ice. No points in this outing for Ovi, but he made his presence known by pestering P.K. Subban as per usual. The most amusing/most d-baggy moment of the game came when Canadien Josh Gorges did his best Sasha Minor impersonation and somehow convinced Ovechkin to pass him the puck in the middle of a net-crashing attempt. Very sneaky. This is why you can’t trust the French.** With or without points, its nice to have a fiery Ovi back in the lineup. He had some nice shot-attempts, so that was fun.

Proof that D2: The Mighty Ducks is the GREATEST Film of All Time

DC got the offense going in the second half of the first period when our All-Star Dennis Wideman got a real-deal, Russ Tyler knuckle puck up high past the glove of ~~Carey Price Alex Auld~~ Peter Budaj (apparently pronounced BOO-DIE). Wides’ laughter-filled reaction was priceless. During his 1^st period intermission interview, he said he thought it was embarrassing. Not even, Dennis! Maybe it was a lucky blue-line slapper on an awkwardly rolling puck, but it’s the 1^st goal in the 1^st period on the road AND it winds up being a spectacular GWG. It’s his 10^th of season, making him the 8^th Cap to hit double digit goals. Coach Bombay would be so proud!

There was a Second Period. Brouwer Got a Penalty Shot…

…but Budaj, who threw his stick at Brouwer on a breakaway leading to the penalty shot, ultimately won the battle. 36 seconds later Brouwer drew a penalty on Evil Villain Rene Bourque, but Caps couldn’t convert on the PP. You’ll get ‘em next time Troy!

The rest of the period was a waste of time.

Bad Bears Budaj

6:11 into the 3^rd, the Laich-Hendricks-Brouwer line struck again this week! Laich crashed the net and Budaj put a juicy rebound right onto the stick of our hero, Matt Hendricks, who gave us the second goal of the afternoon; marking his 3^rd of the season.

4 minutes later, ~~Good Sasha Great Sasha~~ Grood Sasha got a breakaway and started zipping up center ice with Kaberle hot on his tail… so hot that he got called for hooking and…. Sasha got a penalty shot. This was the first time in franchise history that the Caps nabbed more than one penalty shot in a single game. While the first PS attempt of the game didn’t work out so well, Semin made sure this one would count with a slapshot at point-blank range. Even the most unhinged, mentally unstable, daredevil goalie would not try to get in the way of that thing. With that blast, the Caps downed the Habs 3-0 (again).

Joe B. Has ESPN or Something

Before the first puck drop, Joe. B quipped “Tomas be nimble, Tomas be quick, Tomas destroy the remaining shreds of Habs souls with a killer shutout.” Or ya know, something to that effect...

The Vokoun made 30 saves and got his 3^rd shutout of the season. It was a nice, much-needed win on the road. Let’s see if we can do the same thing at home tomorrow.

Game Notes

- Early in the first period, Dmitry Orlov took a serious puck to the face. Fortunately, a broken nose is not enough to keep this kid out of the game. He was back out a few shifts later. His face will be a nice shade of purple tomorrow.

- Schultz actually pushed a guy. Improvement?

- Hershey Bear Keith Aucoin played his first game for the Caps since 2010. He was a little shaky, but made an effort and shows a lot of promise. Let’s see if he suits up for Boston.

- Rene Bourque is a _______. (I promised not to use foul language, so you can fill it in yourself. Let’s just say our beloved Nicky is still out with no set return date while this guy is getting to play major minutes).

- Who did the casting for the John Carlson Hadeed commercial?

- ZOMG WHO IS TELLING THE CAPS NOT TO TAKE SHOTS?!?!?! Only 23 shots tonight. This kind of play does not a Stanley Cup win. Sure, it’s neat to have the best shooting percentage in the league… but obviously this cannot be sustained. SHOOT THE FREAKIN’ PUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**According to the Habs site, Gorges is from British Columbia… whatever he’s still a sneaky little mofo….

What Is Lightning? Caps @ Lightning

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:24:00 +0000

Tonight the Caps are playing the Lightning for about the 300th time this season. A 7:30 start time. I've written everything I can think of about the hockey team, so it is time to get really deep and basic at the same time. What is lightning? I am going to explain it, without looking it up..

Lightning was discovered by Ben Franklin when he put his kite in the air with a key and a mouse on it. When the lightning hit the kite he was shocked by the key and Ben knew that it was electric (boogie oogie oogie). But what caused this strange phenomenon. Was it grandmaster flash...wait you don't get it...ok was it LL Cool J? Ok if you still don't get it. Was it John Travolta? Ug you still don't get it. Young people...

I think it is probably caused by static electricity or weather or something. What the hell am I doing. This is boring. Wiki says lightning is a discharge followed by a thundering noise...Entire rest of this paragraph deleted due to being too gross...

In conclusion, the Caps play the Lightning tonight. If they Caps are gonna win they are gonna have to discharge some pucks into the net which will be followed by the thundering sound of the zamboni horn and sirens or whatever happens when a goal is scored. Lets win this one for Ben Franklin!

See what I did there! Writing! (John Luvitz) Enjoy this picture of what will happen tonight...

All Star Break Over, Back To Work

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:35:00 +0000

So, I kind of have 2 jobs now and work like 100 hours a week...so that's where I've been. I think I've figured out my schedule enough now to get back into some great Caps incite like "Caps should have tried to win that game", and "You can't score if you don't shoot", etc. Also if anyone wants to jump into the Caps BBall market there are already readers so you don't have to do all the starting a blog grunt work and you could write for me. Just tweet me or something. Anyways, back to the show...

Review of what I missed:

Caps lost to 'Guins, Beat 'Rins
Sydney Crosby secretly broke his neck
Capitals made 0 roster moves and are still mediocre
Ovechkin got suspended --> People said it was unfair --> Ovi strongarmed the league --> Ovi skipped the game --> I skipped the game --> NHL can suck it
Wideman played in the All Star game, nobody noticed (does anyone outside of DC ... check that, outside of die hard Caps fans know who he is?)

GMGM's Hand Forced, Time To Trade

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:17:00 +0000

By FCKendrick, Caps West Coast Writer

Ok so the captain is suspended, we all knew that it was coming, and we all knew that its probably deserved (though a full three games might be a bit harsh Shanny.) Let us not bicker and argue about the suspension's merits, and just accept the facts that come along with it: First that George Mcphee's hand has officially been forced. Second the Capitals are a team that has been floundering on offense for the better part of a calender year, a team without any kind of depth down the middle whatsoever, and a team that is now missing its' three best offensive players, two of which might not be back for the foreseeable future.

So considering that GMGM is already on the hottest of hot seats, he is in kind of a pickle. A move has to be made, and it has to be made RIGHT F$(%ING NOW, if the fanbase on Twitter is correct. Let us take a look at what could happen if George were to look at the roster set to face the Bruins tomorrow night, get incredibly drunk on some Russian vodka and start dialing random gm's around the league.

The Caps have a bunch of different trade chips and not a lot of salary cap space to take anyone back (assuming Greeny and Nicky are returning). There are the goalies Neuvy and Holtby, but trading either at the moment would be selling them for fifty-cents on the dollar. Also Colorado's first round pick from next year, hopefully a lottery pick, and an untouchable Russian phenom whom should not even be discussed in trade speculation. There is one more however, an incredibly talented 21 year old swede who has only just started to tap into his potential, yes Marcus Johansson is indeed a giant trade chip. He is also the one that should be traded.

Johansson's development while, not slow or worrisome, is not happening at the same Marchand-ian like pace that both Caps fans and management were so convinced of after his showing in the playoffs last spring. It is because of that faith in his development, that led them to eschew resigning Jason Arnott, or a comparable player to center the 2nd line. That is and was flat out a mistake. 21 year old's coming off there first real exposure to the nhl should not be relied upon to be the magical elixir to a problem that has been haunting the caps for the better part of five years. By November it was clear that the team and Marcus were best suited having him line up as a winger already dropping the facade that he was the 2nd line center they had so desperately hoped he would become. Now, with Nicklas Backstrom out for an extended period of time the team is lacking in a single play making centerman of any kind. It is time to trade Marcus Johansson.

The team and you GMGM (yes the author is narcissistic enough to think you're reading this) are not in any position to be willy nilly about acquiring offensive help, sitting in 8th as this is written there is no wiggle room whatsoever. They could barely score with the captain, now more then ever it is time George, time to stop being the least ballsiest general manager in the NHL, time to move an asset or two, or three even, to help the team right now. Unless your cool with being fired that is.

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:42:00 +0000

Eddie Money Edition

Islanders @ Capitals

Tuesday, January 17th (7pm) CSN

I've got...2 tickets to paradise...

Actually I don't have tickets. I wish I did. Instead I have tickets to every Wizards game. Great. The Verizon Center aka Paradise should be rockin' tonight as the Caps can walk on water and are on a roll headed towards first place in the Southeast division. Someone give me free tickets! I occasionally write a blog. As Coconut Pete would say, "You think Eddie Money has to put up with this shit?"

Take me home tonight...

The Caps need to take this win and get back on top where they belong. I don't want to let them go til I see the light, the light of first place. The Islanders suck. They can be my little baby. They are tied for last place in the East. DiPietro is injured of course and I don't even know who the backup is...perhaps another guy that signed a 40 year contract?

Baby hold on to me...

Whatever will be will be, but the Caps have an opportunity and they need to take it. This is the first of back to back games and tomorrow night's game against Montreal looks like it could be filled with a lot of physical play and physical non play. The key to not having a letdown is to come out and score early and put this team away. Then think about some sweet revenge tomorrow

You've Got A Friend: Hurricanes @ Capitals

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:39:00 +0000

James Taylor Edition

Carolina Hurricanes @ Washington Capitals

Sunday, January 15th (5pm) CSN

I've seen fire, and I've seen rain...

Sometimes the Caps are fire. They come out strong in the first period, get on the scoreboard early, play physical hockey, and win games. Hot Hot Hot. Sometimes the Caps are rain. They turn the puck over, they fail on the power play, and they don't get enough shots on goals. Cold Cold Cold.

I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end...

A 7-0 start that featured 30 goals.

I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend...

A 13 game span that featured 9 losses and a coach being fired.

But I always thought that I'd see you, baby, one more time again...

As of late we have seen more fire than rain. The Caps are only 2 games back of the division lead. They have won 6 of their last 8 games and Tommy V has emerged as the team's goto goaltender. How sweet it is! Are good times here again? This game against the Hurricanes is a good chance to find out. Let's keep the fire burnin...

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Wides

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:24:00 +0000

Written by Caps West Coast writer FCKendrick:

Looking at just his numbers, its hard to argue that Dennis Wideman is not a deserved NHL all star, among defenseman he sits pretty– 4th in goals, and 5th in points. Just looking at his point production, he is having a very good offensive season and damn sure should be an all-star. No question right? Even Robert Lewis Stevenson could tell you that.

But hold your horses...here is where Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Wides come in to play. As a diehard Caps fan I've watched almost every shift Dennis has taken this season and I don't have to be the first to tell you this fact. On those wonderful days when he is scoring and moving the puck the good Doctor is as valuable and skilled as any defenseman in the league. But every day isn't wonderful, just ask Everclear.

On some nights a strange and eerie transformation takes place. Something supernatural and evil happens to the innocent, hard working, goal scoring Doctor. He ... becomes ... someone else... someTHING else... he becomes... Mr. Wides!!!!! (insert horrifying scream here)

When this hideous & ugly creature shows up he looks like completely lost in his own end. He will put up a minus 3, will be the direct cause of one or two opponent's goals (one of which is usually bouncing off his rear end into the goal), or even a combination of the two. Chilling...

Just like the story, the two versions of Wideman’s game are never seen in the same game (well rarely). Among Caps fans there has been a running joke of good Sasha and bad Sasha– well we seem to have a similar personality with Wideman. All-star or not, by the end of the first power play one can tell weather its a Dr. Jeckyll, or Mr. Wides type of night for #6 in red.

Hats Fly, Fo Real This Time, Caps Win

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 02:48:00 +0000

Caps 4, Ning 3

The Caps beat the Bolts on Friday night at Verizon Center with a little help from a Troy Brouwer hat trick by a score of 4-3. The Caps came out strong but played it safe with the lead. With Tampa charging back at the end of the game, the Caps stepped up and eked past the Lightning sending them home with a loss.

The Lightning Bugs came out flat and gave the Caps 3 power plays in the first 5 minutes with almost no time in between. Ovechkin was the first to take advantage with a Jordan Crawford style 35 foot shot. Unlike Crawford, this one went in the net. The Caps picked up a Brouwer PP goal on their 3rd try and all of a sudden it was a quick 2-0 lead just 6 minutes into the game.

Brouwer picked up his 2nd goal in the 2nd, and a 3-0 lead was looking good for the Caps.

Despite playing behind the goal again instead of in front of it on one crazy play, the standard goalie Tomas Vokoun picked up another win giving up 3 goals. The first goal was a sneaky play where Martin St Louis picked the pocket of a Chimera who wasn't paying attention and passed it to a teammate who put it through Voko and into the net. Tomas was like a brick wall, he barely moves but he takes up some good space. I still laugh when he does his Coffin save and he lays on his back like an overturned turtle.

A stupid delay of game by Hammer Bros after a huge PK gave the Lightning another 2 minutes and the game was all of a sudden 3-2. Just like against Pittsburgh 2 nights ago the final few minutes was a barrage of offense by the away team looking to score a desperation goal.

With a minute left in the game the Lightning pulled their goalie and Troy Brouwer picked up a wide open empty netter and picked up the (cheap) hat trick as hats rained down on the ice. I may have to come back and edit this like the Wideman trick earlier.

This was basically the dagger, but the Lightning ended up scoring with 10 seconds left. A shot by the Bolts hit the side of the net but luckily, the Caps survived and picked up the huge 2 points in the standings.

Hurricanes on Sunday at home at 5pm...I dunno about you but I'll be watching the NFL playoffs...

Game Notes:

Putting yourself offsides kinda seems like a dumb rule
Why is Ovi attempting shots between his legs
Guy with no visor, face is bleeding, call a detective.
Brouwer looks like a Quarterback from like 1980 when shoulder pads were huge.
Locker says you can get your hat back at customer service?

Chamillionaire Traded For A Tenderoni Girl

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:17:00 +0000

My Music's So Loud...

I didn't think the rapper from Houston was in the NHL, but apparently he is and he was traded today for Ray Borque, NO RELATION who I thought had retired like 40 years ago. Oh it isn't the guy from NHL 94? It's Rene Borque? Joe B...any relation? NO RELATION. I guess not...So why do the Caps fans care about this fried squid of a player Greg Calamari? NO RELATION. They don't, they care about the guy he was traded for....Borque Chops NO RELATION.

Here's a tune about this honey named Rene that I met one day, on my way back from John Jay...

According to my sources, this is the same chick that hit Nick Backstrom in the head and knocked him off the All-Star team and out of the lineup. That mofo was skatin dirty and cold cocked the unsuspecting Nicky Minaj. I know that Chamillionaire's friend/enemy Lil' Flip isn't around, but it may be Game Over for Renee when the Canadians face the Caps...FOUR TIMES more this season. Ghetto love is the law that we live by...NO RELATION

So let's smash em' until they tell Mr. Cheeks she gone...

Voko Goes Loko

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:16:00 +0000

Washington Capitals 1, Pittsburgh Penguins 0

The Caps shut out the Penguins at home on Wednesday night at the Verizon Center handing the Guins their 6th straight loss behind the goal-tending by Tomas Vokoun who saved all 30 shots he faced. Chimera picked up a one on one fast break goal with 5 minutes left in the 1st and after that the offenses couldn't get the puck in the net.

While no goals were scored the game did not lack excitement. The rest of the game was all goalie play, blocked shots, and goalpost dings. Guys were even missing empty nets. It would have been a fun game to attend as the crowd seemed on pins and needles the whole game.

It appears that Dale Hunter has named Tomas Vokoun the permanent starting goaltender and Neuvy will get to play every once in a while. It seems to be a good call as Vokoun screws up every few games, but he is pretty solid in the net the rest.

Notes & Questions:

Ovi took a baseball swing at a puck. How is that not illegal. He almost smashed the defenders head.
You can tell me about momentum or whatever, but that fight in the first few minutes of the game just seemed dumb. These are 2 struggling teams, and although they are rivals there wasn't a rivalry feel that night due to recent play. Nothing was said in the media, they weren't revenging a previous fight, and the fight built 0 momentum due to the randomness of it. Even the announcer seemed miffed. "spontaneous fighting is accepted in the National Hockey League" I don't think you can convince me that that was necessarily.
The bald dude in the middle of the penalty boxes was interviewing the coach of the Penguins. He said they looked "fragile". What the hell is that. If I was the coach I would have punched the guy in the face.

Caps West It Up

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:18:00 +0000

Washington Capitals 2, LA Kings 5

According to the stat sheet, the L.A. Kings do not have Wayne Gretzky on the roster any more. However, the Kings still scored 5 goals and handed the Caps their 2nd straight overnight loss on the west coast. While most fans bailed at 4-1, all getting their bras frozen, their faces inappropriately sharpied, and their pinkies set in warm water, I kept the Twitter #CapsSleepover alive and watched the remainder of the terrible game.

The Caps were so bad that even the Hawaiian singer that tricks girls into liking him using a guitar, Jack Johnson, turned the Caps upside-down, and the Kings played like they had eyes in the back of their heads. Those are Jack Johnson songs right?

The Kings played physical hockey and capitalized on some classic Caps D-Zone turnovers while the Caps just had a nice free skate on the ice. One Kings player even Tebowed after a goal. I guess he didn't get the memo that the meme is doneski. Only JC is allowed to Tebow.

For those of you who wasted your time watching a stupid BCS non-playoff style championship game that featured tons of everyone's favorite football play, the field goal, you wasted even more time staying up even later to watch the Caps get bounced. Game ended 1:18am in DC.

Chimera got in a fight at the end of the game because he got hit hard a few times throughout the game. The fight stopped a possible decent shot attempt by the Caps as well as put the Caps shorthanded which resulted in the dagger goal by the Kings. It was down 3 with like 10 minutes left to come back. Why is this a good thing?

Kings fans were good at getting chants together. A nice "Refs You Suck" chant as well as an Addams Family version with "Caps Suck" instead of snaps.

Oh and Pat Sajak was there too...still no Vanna White this season...Wizards have lost 8 in a row, Caps have lost 2 in a row...Marjo had both goals...

The Winter Classic In Washington DC

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:58:00 +0000

Written by West Coast Caps BBall Writer: FCKendrick

    Washington DC will play host to a Winter Classic at some point sooner rather than later. Nationals Park has seemingly been given the thumbs up as the-would be venue for the outdoor spectacle, but as beautiful as the new baseball stadium in downtown Washington is, it is very much lacking in one thing—memories. When the Blackhawks took on the Red Wings at Wrigley Field, or when the Bruins faced the Flyers in Fenway, there was a sense of nostalgia in the air, that the ghosts of both ballparks were watching and nodding in approval at what was going on. Even Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park, which is no Wrigley, has a short history that has probably seen more success and more meaningful games than Wrigley has had in the past fifty years.

     The Nationals meanwhile have played a grand total of zero meaningful games in their ballpark. A Winter Classic played at Nats Park would be an empty shell of an event with no soul. And hey speaking of stadiums with no souls—the other option would be to play it at Fed-Ex Field. No one thinks that this would be a good idea even with the perk of selling 50,000 extra tickets (except maybe for Gary Bettman’s wallet).

     If Nats Park has no memories good or bad; then the current Redskins stadium is nothing but a house of horrors for Washington fans. The good vibe abundance of past Winter Classics would be nonexistent at Fed-Ex, and the nostalgia factor would be the angry memories of Redskins fans.

    So if you haven’t figured it out; There is only one place a winter classic in Washington DC should be played (and I couldn’t care less about the “armed forced bowl”). It’s a place filled with nothing but memories, and championships, lots of championships. RFK stadium. Imagine the stands shaking as Alex Ovechkin takes the ice, or when Erskine lays someone out like Charles Mann. Fans old enough to remember the “seat cushion” game are already giddy at the thought of cheering in those rickety old stands one last time. Let’s give the closest thing we have to “hallowed grounds,” a proper send-off. Let Joe Gibbs drop the first puck. Let the best owner in dc sit in jack Kent Cooke’s old box. Ban Dan Snyder from the stadium, and let’s see those grandstands shake “for olde DC” one more time.

Also the top places that no matter how kickass would never host the winter classic

1. RFK stadium, because we have soo many great memories at nationals park

2. The LA Coliseum—if gary bettman wants to show that his game is popular not just in the big cities in the northeast, he should play the winter classic in the warm California sun, have the kings and the ducks play, have the USC marching band on the field… plus I could drive to the game

3. On an actual frozen lake or pond—duh how cool would that be

4. Red rocks in denver—if the avs are ever to play host, anyone who has seen a concert at the natural ampitheatre would be like—thatd be far out dude totally radical, also theyd be from Colorado

5. Las Vegas Nevada on the strip… doenst matter the teams just play it in vegas

Editors Note: In 2000, Caps Basketball played at RFK stadium in high school as the PVI Panthers upset the unbeatable Dematha to win the WCAC Championship! 0 Tackles.

Sharks Do Sharky Things To Caps

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:02:00 +0000

Washington Capitals 2, San Jose Sharks 5

The Sharks defeated the Caps on Saturday night by a score of 5-2 to end the Caps 4 game winning streak. When I was a kid my favorite team was the San Jose Sharks. I don't know if I even ever saw a Sharks game, but they were still my favorite team. I think I had a teal thing as the Hornets were my favorite NBA team...great story! According to the TV Broadcast the Caps haven't won in San Jose in like 400 years!

The highlight of the game was when a Sharks player plowed over Alex Semin. Alex O didn't like people messing with his friend so he tackled the guy and i think tried to bite his face off or something.

Vokoun faced 38 shots, letting in 4, and playing a lot of time behind the net so the Shaks couldn't score magically through the back of the net...

Next up for the Caps is the Kings on Monday night...Caps Sleepover on Twitter @TheDugsSports

Ovechkin's Fire Puts Out Flames

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Washington Capitals 3, Calgary Flames 1

Led by a streaking Great Eight, the Capitals won their 4th straight game on Tuesday night, beating the Calgary Flames at Verizon Center. Ovi scored a goal for the 3rd game in a row, and now has 2 points per game during the Caps largest winning streak of four games under the new coaching staff this season. Alex is now on a 7 game point streak and has scored a goal in 8 of the last 9 games.

With hot Semin all over the bench, and a fresh Mike Green back in the lineup, the Caps easily took care of the struggling Flames who have now lost 4 in a row. With Green back the Caps defense allowed under 20 shots and Vokoun picked up his 4th straight win after saving 18 of 19.

Once again the Caps only attempted 21 shots, but they made them count scoring on 3 of them, two of which were on power plays (2/3 on the night). The PK was 4/4 as well.

With Ovechkin on fire and Vokoun playing satisfactory goal, the Caps have a chance to continue this winning streak and get back into the playoff hunt where they belong.

Calgary Ripken Junior

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:53:00 +0000

Tuesday -- January 2nd -- 7:00pm -- CSN
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The red hot Washington Capitals will host the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night as they look to keep their biggest winning streak under Dale Hunter alive. The big three for the Caps over the course of that winning streak has been Alex Ovechkin (The NHL's 2nd star of the week), Alex Semin (injured with a cut), and Tomas Vokoun (bald). Those three guys have stepped up their game and have been the spark needed for the Caps to get going. They need to keep the train rollin'.

I don't know anything about Calgary. I don't know any players, and I barely know where Calgary the city is. I've heard of the Calgary Stampeders if that counts. I think Doug Flutie played for them and won the ~~Super Bowl~~ Grey Cup. More great hockey knowledge. That is what you get at Caps Basketball...

One time in college we went camping with our RA. He got really drunk and started swaying back & forth. Except one of the times he skipped the forth and fell into the fire. It kinda hurt him. So I know that about Flames.

More: Mike Green may or may not play...Semin has a cut, could possibly not play...This will be the only time these two teams meet this season.

Ovechkin Is The 2nd Star To The Right & Straight On To Morning

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:31:00 +0000

Alex Ovechkin has been named the NHL's second star of the week. This is the first time anyone on the Caps has received this "honor", although there have been 3 guys that got the 3rd star (Vokoun, Bakstrom, Carlson)

Ovi has 5 goals and 2 assists in his last four games. Hopefully this is just the start to Ovechkin's big return to form. Earlier this season Ovi has shown flashes, and just when you think he is back he regresses back to the average Ovechkin.

Bring The Winter Classic To DC!

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:43:00 +0000

This article from the Washington Times says that at some point in time, Washington DC would be a spot for the Winter Classic. That sounds great, and I'm sure they would play at FedEx or RFK, but maybe they should play somewhere else...Burke Lake, The Potomac River, or the Reflecting Pool....

How Many Alexes Does It Take To Screw A Blue Jacket?

noreply@blogger.com (The Dugs Sports) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 20:24:00 +0000

Two. Two Alexes. That is how many Alexes it takes to screw a Blue Jacket. That could be the number of Alexes it takes to screw the rest of the NHL too. COULD...

Led by the streaking Alexes, the Caps defeated the Blue Jackets after a 4 goal 3rd period on New Year's eve giving the Caps their 3rd straight win. Vokoun who has also been pretty good lately, saved 35 out of 37 shots from the Jacks (94%).

Ovi has 3 straight 2 point showings, and has scored 2 goals in each of the last 2 games. His Russian partner Semin has been hot too, with 5 points during the 3 game winning streak. Tommy V has saved 91 out of 95 for almost a 96% save percentage during the streak.

By the time the game had begun I was already on stop 4 of my New Years eve brewery/winery tour. I had 10 different wines and like 37 different kinds of beers. Not a good idea. I mean a great idea at the time. But in the morning after all those guys had time to mingle in my stomach, they decided they didn't like each other. The stouts were fighting with the pilsners. The hefeweizens were in a battle with the porters. It was like WWIII in there. Wait that has nothing to do with hockey...

So in the morning after the game I decided I would go online for a second. I wouldn't go anywhere that might possibly bring up the score of the game. Fail. On some side banner on CSN's TV listings page was the final score! DAMN!

After talking to some Caps fans I decided that I would only watch the 3rd period. Wow...what a game for the Caps. Wish I could have seen it without the spoiler...