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Washington Capitals Blogger •
Ovechkin to miss only his 5th game in 5 years
The Caps are in the swamp tonight to face the Devils and they will be without Alex Ovechkin, their top scorer and the NHL’s two-time reigning MVP, for only the 5th time in the last 5 years.
The Caps have enough reinforcements within the lineup to accommodate the loss of their premiere player, but it will not be without a great effort. The Devils are off to a quiet but strong start, having won 8 of their first 12 games and currently sit in 3rd place in the Atlantic Division.
Concerning Ovechkin, there is some good news. Alex has travelled with the team in order to receive therapy from the team’s trainers, but also indicated this morning that he was feeling much better. Ovechkin, who is apparently suffering from a left shoulder strain and is listed as week-to-week, also mentioned that he was considering a possible return at some point this weekend against the Panthers(the Caps face the Cats in back-to-back games this Friday and Saturday) and, although this thought does entice Caps head coach Bruce Boudreau, he doesn’t want to rush the superstar back too soon. It is early in the season and the Caps are on a roll, so making sure that OV heals properly is the team’s paramount concern.
Ovechkin aside, the Capitals have always had trouble with Marty Brodeur and the Devils, especially in Jersey, but hopefully the added pressure of having Alex out of the lineup will propel the team to play a complete game. Something they have failed to do so far this season. You might think that to be a funny statement, but the reality is that despite the Caps gaining points in their last 9 games, 6-0-3, they haven’t really put together a complete performance where they controlled the game. Washington has shown flashes of brilliance and failure, often all in the same game, so tonight’s game will truly be the biggest test of this Capitals squad. They have been built around Ovechkin and have done remarkably well over the last two years, but, without Ovechkin in the lineup, the spotlight falls squarely on all the other players that George McPhee has drafted and signed over the last few seasons.
Washington is going to rely heavily on Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Semin tonight, but will need alot of help from newcomers Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison. The two summer-time additions have played key roles for the Caps this season and have proven to be excellent signings. They, perhaps more than any of the other players on the team, will be the keys to the Capitals gaining a victory tonight in Jersey.
The Caps will have to watch out for Zach Parise, as per usual, but will also need to keep an eye on Travis Zajac and David Clarkson. Zajac is no surprise, but Clarkson has had a tremendous start to the season, sitting 3rd in team scoring with 9 points in 12 games as well as a hefty 20 minutes in penalties.
Rookie Nicklas Bergfors is showing sparks of his offensive ability and has proven to be quite aggressive as he has managed to take 38 shots in 12 games. His 6 points are decent, but one gets the sense that this kid is just waiting to break out. It should be interesting to see what the return of Patrik Elias will do to help his development.
It should also be considered that Marty Brodeur is still in search of his record breaking shutout and has come close in recent games. With that driving the NHL’s all-time wins leader, the Caps will have to be incredibly aggressive around his crease.
The Capitals have a streak of 9 straight games with a point on the line tonight, having collected 15 points during that span, but will face perhaps their greatest test not in the Devils but in life without Ovechkin.
It should be fun to watch the Caps and Devils do battle without their two top offensive weapons in the lineup.
Game Notes
Lineups
Washington Capitals
Fleischmann-Backstrom-Knuble
Laich-Morrison-Semin
Fehr-Perreault-Clark
Laing-Steckel-Bradley
Green-Morrisonn
Poti-Jurcina
Pothier-Schultz
*Theodore
Varlamov
- *Theo is likely to get the nod in goal despite taking the loss against the Blue Jackets. The veteran netminder has been stellar in the early going for the Caps and is doing a tremendous job of mentoring Semyon Varlamov.
- It should be interesting to see what life without Ovechkin is like for the Caps tonight as it will Tomas Fleischmann riding shotgun with Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble. Flash has been playing remarkably well for a guy who missed training camp and spent the summer recovering from a blood clot.
- Mathieu Perreault is slated to make his NHL debut tonight and that should be an exciting thing for Capital fans. Perreault, a 6th round selection in 2006, he has been lighting it up in the AHL this year with 7 points in 11 games and is showing strong signs of development. Mathieu had 50 points in 77 games in his rookie year.
New Jersey Devils
Parise-Zubrus-Langenbrunner
Bergfors-Zajac-Pikkarainen
Rolston-Neidermayer-Clarkson
Peters-Pelley-Letourneau-Leblond
White-Mottau
Murphy-Salvador
Fraser-Greene
*Brodeur
Danis
- *Brodeur will get the nod in nets.
- Lineup courtesy of John Fischer over at inlouwetrust.com.
- Patrik Elias is still feeling a little soreness while he recovers from pre-season surgery. He has been practicing with the Devils, but will not make his debut against the Caps.
That’s all for now, enjoy the game. Puck drop is @ 7pm.
I will be back later with an update on the status of Michael Nylander’s situation as well as possible destinations and what his chances of being traded are .
Steven.hindle@hockeybuzz.com
Capitalshockeybuzz@live.ca
Go Caps!!!!!
The Caps are in the swamp tonight to face the Devils and they will be without Alex Ovechkin, their top scorer and the NHL’s two-time reigning MVP, for only the 5th time in the last 5 years.
The Caps have enough reinforcements within the lineup to accommodate the loss of their premiere player, but it will not be without a great effort. The Devils are off to a quiet but strong start, having won 8 of their first 12 games and currently sit in 3rd place in the Atlantic Division.
Concerning Ovechkin, there is some good news. Alex has travelled with the team in order to receive therapy from the team’s trainers, but also indicated this morning that he was feeling much better. Ovechkin, who is apparently suffering from a left shoulder strain and is listed as week-to-week, also mentioned that he was considering a possible return at some point this weekend against the Panthers(the Caps face the Cats in back-to-back games this Friday and Saturday) and, although this thought does entice Caps head coach Bruce Boudreau, he doesn’t want to rush the superstar back too soon. It is early in the season and the Caps are on a roll, so making sure that OV heals properly is the team’s paramount concern.
Ovechkin aside, the Capitals have always had trouble with Marty Brodeur and the Devils, especially in Jersey, but hopefully the added pressure of having Alex out of the lineup will propel the team to play a complete game. Something they have failed to do so far this season. You might think that to be a funny statement, but the reality is that despite the Caps gaining points in their last 9 games, 6-0-3, they haven’t really put together a complete performance where they controlled the game. Washington has shown flashes of brilliance and failure, often all in the same game, so tonight’s game will truly be the biggest test of this Capitals squad. They have been built around Ovechkin and have done remarkably well over the last two years, but, without Ovechkin in the lineup, the spotlight falls squarely on all the other players that George McPhee has drafted and signed over the last few seasons.
Washington is going to rely heavily on Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Semin tonight, but will need alot of help from newcomers Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison. The two summer-time additions have played key roles for the Caps this season and have proven to be excellent signings. They, perhaps more than any of the other players on the team, will be the keys to the Capitals gaining a victory tonight in Jersey.
The Caps will have to watch out for Zach Parise, as per usual, but will also need to keep an eye on Travis Zajac and David Clarkson. Zajac is no surprise, but Clarkson has had a tremendous start to the season, sitting 3rd in team scoring with 9 points in 12 games as well as a hefty 20 minutes in penalties.
Rookie Nicklas Bergfors is showing sparks of his offensive ability and has proven to be quite aggressive as he has managed to take 38 shots in 12 games. His 6 points are decent, but one gets the sense that this kid is just waiting to break out. It should be interesting to see what the return of Patrik Elias will do to help his development.
It should also be considered that Marty Brodeur is still in search of his record breaking shutout and has come close in recent games. With that driving the NHL’s all-time wins leader, the Caps will have to be incredibly aggressive around his crease.
The Capitals have a streak of 9 straight games with a point on the line tonight, having collected 15 points during that span, but will face perhaps their greatest test not in the Devils but in life without Ovechkin.
It should be fun to watch the Caps and Devils do battle without their two top offensive weapons in the lineup.
Game Notes
A Mathieu Debut? – The Capitals announced the call-up of 21-year-old Mathieu Perreault from Hershey yesterday, and he is eligible to make his NHL debut tonight against New Jersey. He would be the youngest Caps player to skate in his first NHL game since Semyon Varlamov, who made his NHL debut last season at 20 years old on Dec. 13, 2008. Perreault, the Capitals’ sixth-round selection (177th overall pick) in the 2006 Entry Draft, will wear No. 85 with Washington.
On a roll –Washington has points in nine straight games (6-0-3), its longest stretch without a regulation loss since Dec. 16, 2002, to Jan. 15, 2003 (8-0-3-3). The current stretch began with a shootout loss to New Jersey Oct. 12.
On a roll II – The Capitals are 4-0-4 in their last eight games against New Jersey, their longest stretch without a regulation loss to the Devils since an eight-game winning streak from Nov. 30, 1985, to Dec. 9, 1986. The only opponent Washington has a longer streak against without a regulation loss is Tampa Bay (11 wins).
Minus 8 – Left wing Alex Ovechkin will miss just the fifth game of his five-year career tonight, his third due to injury. Washington is 1-3 without Ovechkin in the lineup since he joined the team in 2005. Ovechkin may not miss facing martin Brodeur –he has only scored on Brodeur twice in his career.
Bicentennial – Brooks Laich is expected to play his 200th consecutive NHL game against New Jersey, the longest active streak on the Capitals. Laich last missed a game Feb. 21, 2007, against San Jose. His teammate, Brendan Morrison, had a 542-game streak from 2000-07, the longest streak of any active player.
Positive additions – Washington’s two offseason acquisitions, Mike Knuble (+7) and Brendan Morrison (+6), rank second and third on the team in plus/minus rating.
Start somewhere – Center Mathieu Perreault, the Capitals’ sixth-round choice in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, is poised to make his NHL debut against the Devils. He would be the fifth member of that Capitals draft class to reach the NHL (Nicklas Backstrom, Semyon Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth, Oskar Osala).
Lineups
Washington Capitals
Fleischmann-Backstrom-Knuble
Laich-Morrison-Semin
Fehr-Perreault-Clark
Laing-Steckel-Bradley
Green-Morrisonn
Poti-Jurcina
Pothier-Schultz
*Theodore
Varlamov
- *Theo is likely to get the nod in goal despite taking the loss against the Blue Jackets. The veteran netminder has been stellar in the early going for the Caps and is doing a tremendous job of mentoring Semyon Varlamov.
- It should be interesting to see what life without Ovechkin is like for the Caps tonight as it will Tomas Fleischmann riding shotgun with Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble. Flash has been playing remarkably well for a guy who missed training camp and spent the summer recovering from a blood clot.
- Mathieu Perreault is slated to make his NHL debut tonight and that should be an exciting thing for Capital fans. Perreault, a 6th round selection in 2006, he has been lighting it up in the AHL this year with 7 points in 11 games and is showing strong signs of development. Mathieu had 50 points in 77 games in his rookie year.
New Jersey Devils
Parise-Zubrus-Langenbrunner
Bergfors-Zajac-Pikkarainen
Rolston-Neidermayer-Clarkson
Peters-Pelley-Letourneau-Leblond
White-Mottau
Murphy-Salvador
Fraser-Greene
*Brodeur
Danis
- *Brodeur will get the nod in nets.
- Lineup courtesy of John Fischer over at inlouwetrust.com.
- Patrik Elias is still feeling a little soreness while he recovers from pre-season surgery. He has been practicing with the Devils, but will not make his debut against the Caps.
That’s all for now, enjoy the game. Puck drop is @ 7pm.
I will be back later with an update on the status of Michael Nylander’s situation as well as possible destinations and what his chances of being traded are .
Steven.hindle@hockeybuzz.com
Capitalshockeybuzz@live.ca
Go Caps!!!!!
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