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Washington Capitals Blogger •
In case you missed it, here’s my last post...The Deal on Dealing Nylander
Ovechkin Doubtful for Back-to-Back with Florida
Although Ovechkin has been making progress in recovering from a left shoulder strain, he was skating and shooting yesterday, it is doubtful that he will make a return to the lineup in either of the home and away contests with the Cats.
Ovechkin has been healing quite quickly, but regardless of how he feels, the Capitals doctors are going to make sure he’s 100% when he makes his return. That means that, for now, the Capitals are going to have to learn how to win games without their offensive lynchpin.
Losing to the Devils on Wednesday night came as no surprise as the Caps entered the game with a 1-3 record without #8. Not surprising because the Caps have struggled to put together a complete game since the start of the season, losing Alex’s presence from the lineup only makes things worse.
Tonight, as the Caps faceoff with a Panthers team that is slowly rounding into form, the pressure is going to be on.
The team has to develop an identity of their own and prove to the fans and themselves that they are capable of carrying the load. Washington desperately needs a total team effort tonight.
Jose will be getting the start in nets tonight in spite of Semyon Varlamov’s strong play against the Devils. Considering these two teams meet again tomorrow night at the Verizon Center, it’s assumed that Varly will get the start at home.
The loss to the Devils was also the end of a Capitals streak that saw them earn 15 points in 9 straight games(6-0-3).
Tonight’s opponent, the Florida Panthers, welcome the Caps in the midst of a streak of their own. The Cats, who had gotten off to a rough start by going 2-7-1 in their first 10 games, have reeled off 3 consecutive wins, but most impressively, 2 straight shutouts.
Florida’s defense is deep and they play a protection structured system for Peter DeBoer. They give their netminder the time and space he needs to have a clear view and make the save. As a result, the Panthers and Tomas Vokoun enter tonight riding a shutout streak of 120 minutes.
Considering how strong he has played recently, it’s more than certain that Vokoun will be back-stopping the Panthers tonight in Sunrise. Goaltending aside, the Panthers have finally begun to see production from their leader, Nathan Horton. Horton, off to a rough start of his own, has finally found his stride, notching 7 points in his last 3 games, all Florida wins.
Newcomer Stephen Reinprecht has also been a steady contributor while Corey Stillman and Stephen Weiss are starting to pick up the slack from the loss of David Booth.
D-wise, the Panthers have not been their usual stingy selves up until recently. Florida, who has allowed 44 goals in 13 games, took awhile to recover from their start in Finland, but now that the team has been able to play a few games at home and to re-settle it seems their game is coming back again.
The Caps are in desperate need of Alexander Semin to begin contributing. Semin is in a contract year and has struggled since a hot start. At this time last year, Alex was basking in Player of the Month honors as he led the league in scoring. Although it hasn’t been quite the same this year, the idea is that if Alex starts slow maybe he will finish hot. Last season’s hot start was very impressive, but Semin cooled off as the season wore on. Hopefully this year the young Russian will be able to finally crack the consistency barrier and play up to his potential.
Outside of the need for Semin to step up in Ovechkin’s absence, the Capitals need a much stronger effort defensively. As a team they are letting each other down. The D cannot rely on the goaltending to make the sure-fire stop all the time and the forwards need to begin helping out their defensemen so they don’t feel that they are facing the pressure all on their own. Confusing, I know, but the idea is that if the team is struggling with their play on the ice, it most likely has something to do with their on-ice/off-ice communication. The chemistry in the locker-room is quite strong and the veteran leadership presence is there, so if anything, these players need to start manning up for one another. The coach can only motivate and tinker with the lineup so much, at a certain point the onus lies on the players to produce. Washington needs all the players in the lineup to participate in this back-to-back set with the Panthers or their impressive streak of 9 will begin to appear more lucky than impressive.
It should be noted that Tyler Sloan will once again play on the 4th line tonight. Although I could not correct the lineup in time before last game, it is known that Sloan and John Erskine will be suiting up for the Caps for their second straight game. Erskine, who has been dealing with a hand problem for the last month or so, made his return last game and seemed ok. Boudreau will have to play it careful and judge how John does in his first couple of games.
Also, Mathieu Perreault, the Capitals 6th round pick in 2006, who enjoyed a successful NHL debut against Marty Brodeur and the Devils on Wednesday with 2 assists will once again be in the lineup. Perreault played a strong two-way game and got minutes late in the game, so it’s clear that Boudreau has confidence in him. Hopefully that will continue tonight as Mathieu plays his second NHL game against the Panthers.
Theo vs. Vokoun. Horton vs. Semin. Green vs. McCabe.
What’s there not to like about this matchup?
Game Notes
Lineups
Washington Capitals
Fleischmann-Backstrom-Semin
Laich-Morrison-Knuble
Fehr-Perreault-Clark
Sloan-Steckel-Bradley
Green-Morrisonn
Poti-Jurcina
Pothier-Erskine
*Theodore
Varlamov
Florida Panthers
Olesz-Weiss-Frolik
Stillman-Reinprech-Horton
Campbell-Kreps-Repik
McArdle-Taffe-Koistinen
McCabe-Ballard
Leopold-Seidenberg
Kulikov-Allen
*Vokoun
Clemmensen
- Tonight will mark Bryan McCabe’s 1000th NHL game. Congrats Bryan.
- Vokoun is on a shutout streak of 120 minutes and will be seeking his 3rd straight tonight.
- Dominic Moore and Kamil Kreps are both out with injuries but are nearing a return,
although unlikely this weekend.
- David Booth is in the midst of rehab but is still a ways away.
- Radek Dvorak is also said to be close to returning, perhaps tomorrow night in DC.
That’s it for now, enjoy the game. Puck drop is @ 7pm.
Steven.hindle@hockeybuzz.com
capitalshockeybuzz@live.ca
Go Caps!!!!!
Ovechkin Doubtful for Back-to-Back with Florida
Although Ovechkin has been making progress in recovering from a left shoulder strain, he was skating and shooting yesterday, it is doubtful that he will make a return to the lineup in either of the home and away contests with the Cats.
Ovechkin has been healing quite quickly, but regardless of how he feels, the Capitals doctors are going to make sure he’s 100% when he makes his return. That means that, for now, the Capitals are going to have to learn how to win games without their offensive lynchpin.
Losing to the Devils on Wednesday night came as no surprise as the Caps entered the game with a 1-3 record without #8. Not surprising because the Caps have struggled to put together a complete game since the start of the season, losing Alex’s presence from the lineup only makes things worse.
Tonight, as the Caps faceoff with a Panthers team that is slowly rounding into form, the pressure is going to be on.
The team has to develop an identity of their own and prove to the fans and themselves that they are capable of carrying the load. Washington desperately needs a total team effort tonight.
Jose will be getting the start in nets tonight in spite of Semyon Varlamov’s strong play against the Devils. Considering these two teams meet again tomorrow night at the Verizon Center, it’s assumed that Varly will get the start at home.
The loss to the Devils was also the end of a Capitals streak that saw them earn 15 points in 9 straight games(6-0-3).
Tonight’s opponent, the Florida Panthers, welcome the Caps in the midst of a streak of their own. The Cats, who had gotten off to a rough start by going 2-7-1 in their first 10 games, have reeled off 3 consecutive wins, but most impressively, 2 straight shutouts.
Florida’s defense is deep and they play a protection structured system for Peter DeBoer. They give their netminder the time and space he needs to have a clear view and make the save. As a result, the Panthers and Tomas Vokoun enter tonight riding a shutout streak of 120 minutes.
Considering how strong he has played recently, it’s more than certain that Vokoun will be back-stopping the Panthers tonight in Sunrise. Goaltending aside, the Panthers have finally begun to see production from their leader, Nathan Horton. Horton, off to a rough start of his own, has finally found his stride, notching 7 points in his last 3 games, all Florida wins.
Newcomer Stephen Reinprecht has also been a steady contributor while Corey Stillman and Stephen Weiss are starting to pick up the slack from the loss of David Booth.
D-wise, the Panthers have not been their usual stingy selves up until recently. Florida, who has allowed 44 goals in 13 games, took awhile to recover from their start in Finland, but now that the team has been able to play a few games at home and to re-settle it seems their game is coming back again.
The Caps are in desperate need of Alexander Semin to begin contributing. Semin is in a contract year and has struggled since a hot start. At this time last year, Alex was basking in Player of the Month honors as he led the league in scoring. Although it hasn’t been quite the same this year, the idea is that if Alex starts slow maybe he will finish hot. Last season’s hot start was very impressive, but Semin cooled off as the season wore on. Hopefully this year the young Russian will be able to finally crack the consistency barrier and play up to his potential.
Outside of the need for Semin to step up in Ovechkin’s absence, the Capitals need a much stronger effort defensively. As a team they are letting each other down. The D cannot rely on the goaltending to make the sure-fire stop all the time and the forwards need to begin helping out their defensemen so they don’t feel that they are facing the pressure all on their own. Confusing, I know, but the idea is that if the team is struggling with their play on the ice, it most likely has something to do with their on-ice/off-ice communication. The chemistry in the locker-room is quite strong and the veteran leadership presence is there, so if anything, these players need to start manning up for one another. The coach can only motivate and tinker with the lineup so much, at a certain point the onus lies on the players to produce. Washington needs all the players in the lineup to participate in this back-to-back set with the Panthers or their impressive streak of 9 will begin to appear more lucky than impressive.
It should be noted that Tyler Sloan will once again play on the 4th line tonight. Although I could not correct the lineup in time before last game, it is known that Sloan and John Erskine will be suiting up for the Caps for their second straight game. Erskine, who has been dealing with a hand problem for the last month or so, made his return last game and seemed ok. Boudreau will have to play it careful and judge how John does in his first couple of games.
Also, Mathieu Perreault, the Capitals 6th round pick in 2006, who enjoyed a successful NHL debut against Marty Brodeur and the Devils on Wednesday with 2 assists will once again be in the lineup. Perreault played a strong two-way game and got minutes late in the game, so it’s clear that Boudreau has confidence in him. Hopefully that will continue tonight as Mathieu plays his second NHL game against the Panthers.
Theo vs. Vokoun. Horton vs. Semin. Green vs. McCabe.
What’s there not to like about this matchup?
Game Notes
Zero heroes – It shouldn’t be a surprise tonight if either team puts up a shutout. Florida has blanked its last two opponents, with Tomas Vokoun posting a shutout streak of 142:09. Washington – which needs to buckle down defensively in the absence of leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin – has posted three of its last six shutouts against the Panthers, including a 3-0 blanking by Jose Theodore last March 17.
Southeast, at last – Washington’s 16th game is just its third against a Southeast Division opponent and its first against a division foe other than Atlanta. This home-and-home series marks the only November games against Southeast Division teams until Washington’s final game of the month, Nov. 30 at Carolina.
Mathieu’s debut – Center Mathieu Perreault, the Capitals’ sixth-round choice in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, recorded two assists Thursday night his NHL debut against the Devils. He became the first Capital to record a point in his NHL debut since Nicklas Backstrom on Oct. 5, 2007. Perreault is the fifth member of the Capitals’ 2006 draft class to reach the NHL (Backstrom, Semyon Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth, Oskar Osala), the most of any NHL team.
Laich a leader – Brooks Laich leads the Capitals with nine points in the third period this season (3g-6a) and has 10 of his 15 points on the road (trailing only Alex Ovechkin in road scoring). Laich has three points in the last two games, all in the third period.
Starting something – Washington has scored first in 12 of 15 games this year. The Capitals have outscored their opponents 18-6 in the first period and have scored at least one goal in the first period of 12 of their 15 games.
In a Flash – Tomas Fleischmann has points in three straight games, giving him four points (3g-1a) in four games since returning from a blood clot in his leg. A 19-goal scorer last season, Fleischmann would match the best point-scoring streak of his career if he records a point tonight.
Minus 8 – Left wing Alex Ovechkin is expected to miss just the sixth game of his five-year career tonight, his fourth due to injury. Washington is 1-4-0 without Ovechkin in the lineup since he joined the team in 2005 and is 0-3-0, with just three goals, in its last three games without Ovechkin.
Lineups
Washington Capitals
Fleischmann-Backstrom-Semin
Laich-Morrison-Knuble
Fehr-Perreault-Clark
Sloan-Steckel-Bradley
Green-Morrisonn
Poti-Jurcina
Pothier-Erskine
*Theodore
Varlamov
Florida Panthers
Olesz-Weiss-Frolik
Stillman-Reinprech-Horton
Campbell-Kreps-Repik
McArdle-Taffe-Koistinen
McCabe-Ballard
Leopold-Seidenberg
Kulikov-Allen
*Vokoun
Clemmensen
- Tonight will mark Bryan McCabe’s 1000th NHL game. Congrats Bryan.
- Vokoun is on a shutout streak of 120 minutes and will be seeking his 3rd straight tonight.
- Dominic Moore and Kamil Kreps are both out with injuries but are nearing a return,
although unlikely this weekend.
- David Booth is in the midst of rehab but is still a ways away.
- Radek Dvorak is also said to be close to returning, perhaps tomorrow night in DC.
That’s it for now, enjoy the game. Puck drop is @ 7pm.
Steven.hindle@hockeybuzz.com
capitalshockeybuzz@live.ca
Go Caps!!!!!
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