Ovechkin is Great, but he Isn’t Everything


A reality check on how great Alex Ovechkin is does not really have anything to do with how great these Capitals have become.

Ovechkin’s recent ‘reckless’ incidents and his usual panache for playing on the fine line of some fairly blurry guidelines used to mean that the Capitals were about to head into a mess of trouble without their best player.

Yet, this year, through 9 games without their fearless leader, the Capitals have managed to compile a very tidy record of 7-2 and will be in search of their 8th win of the season when playing without OV.

The really remarkable part about the Caps record without Ovechkin is that they have never really had to play more hockey without him over the last 5 years than this season.

OV’s taken himself out of the lineup multiple times this season due to questionable and reckless plays, yet, unlike seasons past when Caps fans would cringe at the thought of their team facing an opponent without the great #8 in the lineup, now the Washington faithful clamor for the screen, watching in anticipation of yet another win.

The fact is, George McPhee and Bruce Boudreau have stocked this Capitals cupboard so very full of talent over the last couple of seasons that this is no longer the ‘house that Alex built’.

OV can lay claim to King of DC, key to the city and all, but the truth of the matter is that the Capitals are on the verge of their first true shot at a Stanley Cup not solely because of Alex, but because of the incredible development of other All-Stars tearing it up in Ovechkin’s shadow.

Nicklas Backstrom may very well be the most under-rated player in all of the NHL. His ability to lift the Capitals has nothing to do with his influence on Ovechkin, or vice versa, rather he is the next coming of Sweden’s best hockey talent. The kid is only now finishing up his rookie contract and will very likely earn himself a life-time pact with the Capitals.

And it’s not only Nicky, Alex Semin, always the second Alex to Ovechkin, is one of the most incredible snipers in the league.

Brooks Laich is turning into the ultimate two-way player who plays with his heart, a true leader in the making.

Tomas Fleishcmann, Bruce Boudreau’s class pet, has blossomed into a dynamic top 6 forward who seems poised to light up the league for 20 a year for a long time to come.

Then there is Eric Fehr, David Steckel, the boys on the blue line(Greener, Schultzy, Carlson, etc…) and the young goalies(Varly, Neuvo, Holtby), the list goes on and on…

Throw in the veterans and it just goes to show that this Capitals club is much, much more than just Alex Ovechkin.

There is no question as to who the face of this franchise is, or who the leader is, yet the real definition of why this team has become such a winner is because they have built themselves up to be a team, not a bunch of followers.

In continuing with this season long building of the Caps into a true Cup contender, Bruce Boudreau will once again be icing a new variation of his dominant Washington Capitals club.

With Ovechkin still suspended, Boudreau has really gotten a chance to see who will be ready to step up come playoff time.

Now all the coach can do is let them play. Let them sort themselves out and find the chemistry that will take them to the next level.



Game Notes

Nothing Like A Road Trip – When the Capitals take on the Hurricanes tonight in Raleigh, they will be in search of their 22nd road win of the season. A victory would tie Capitals’ single season record for road victories, set in 1983-84 and matched in 1992-93 and 1993-94. The Caps currently own a three game road winning streak and with a win tonight, the team would have its third road streak of four or more games this season. The Caps, who own the best road record in the Eastern Conference at 21-10-5, have just one regulation loss in their last 11 road games (8-1-2).

Just Laich this – Brooks Laich is averaging more than a point per game in the last two months, with 23 points in 22 games since Jan. 17 (13g-10a). His two-goal, one-assist game Tuesday in Florida gave him career highs in goals (24) and points (54), while his +11 rating is the best of his career as well. Laich has scored a career-high 11 goals on the power play, which gives him a share of the team lead.

Head and shoulders – The Capitals entered Wednesday’s game with a 16-point lead on the second-place team in the Eastern Conference. That’s the same spread as between the second- and ninth-place teams. Washington can clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference with any combination of 11 points gained and points lost by the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils.
Road warriors – Washington, which has the best home record in the NHL, is 21-10-5 on the road, one win away from matching the club’s record for road wins in a season (1983-84). The Caps are enjoying their third straight season with 20 or more road wins.

Green machine – Mike Green is enjoying his second straight 70-point season, making him just the 13th defenseman all-time to post 70 or more points in consecutive seasons (joining Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey, Brian Leetch, Al MacInnis, Denis Potvin, Phil Housley, Bobby
Orr, Larry Murphy, Nicklas Lidstrom, Borje Salming, Gary Suter and Randy Carlyle). He’s the seventh to do so before turning 25 (the other six are in the Hall of Fame). Green, Lidstrom and Chris Chelios are the only active defensemen with a single 70-point season.

Green has 24 more goals and 27 more points than any other defenseman in the last three seasons and has points in 14 of the last 15 games he has played (5g-15a). He leads all NHL defensemen in goals (17), assists (53) and points (70). His +31 rating is second among all NHL defensemen, trailing only teammate Jeff Schultz (+37).

No way – Jose Theodore is 15-0-2 with a 2.48 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage since Jan. 13. He has wins in five straight starts.

Power surge – Washington’s league-leading power play has converted on nine of its last 24 opportunities in the last six games (37.5%), with at least a goal in every game. The Capitals have a chance to lead the league in power-play percentage for the first time and their
26.2% success rate would break last year’s club record of 25.2%.

Lineups

Washington Capitals

Fleischmann-Backstrom-Knuble
Laich-Belanger-Semin
Chimera-Morrison-Fehr
Bradley-Steckel-Walker

Schultz-Green
Poti-Corvo
Morrisonn-Carlson

*Varlamov
Theodore

- The healthy scratches tonight are Laing, Sloan and Erskine, while Alex Ovechkin sits out the final game of his 2 game suspension. Boyd Gordon was sent home to get some treatment for his ailing back and won’t likely return until next week.

Carolina Hurricanes

Whitney-Staal-Jokinen
Ruutu-Sutter-Larose
Cole-Dwyer-Samsonov
Boychuk-Brind’Amour-Kostopolous

Pitkanen-Pothier
Carson-Harrison
McBain-Picard

*Peters
Legace

- Not certain if these will be the exact line combos, but the banged up Hurricanes will certainly be without Cam Ward and now Tim Gleason. Gleason could be done for the year after playing through the pain of a broken bone in his foot.



Enjoy the Game! Puck drop is @ 7pm!



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