Reading List
CapsInsider:
Ted Helps a Homeless Man
*Check out CapsInsider, but I highly recommend you read the piece about Ted Leonsis helping a homeless man on his way to work in the morning. Nothing to do with hockey, but lends an interesting perspective to the team's owner.
WashingtonCaps.com:
Caps Start 3 Game Trip in NYC
W. Post:
Well-Traveled Neuvirth Hopes to Make Debut
W. Times:
Neuvirth’s odyssey makes another stop
Examiner:
Caps eye Rangers sweep
NHL.com:
Caps’ Green aims to tie scoring streak
Sporting News:
Caps’ Mike Green Emerging as Top Defenseman
(http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/the_sporting_blog/entry/view/17161/caps_mike_green_emerging_as_top_defenseman)
The Hockey News:
Rangers hoping to end season-long skid vs Capitals
Caps Set to Sweep Rangers
Washington has handed the Rangers 3 losses this season and are set to hand them a fourth tonight at Madison Square Garden.
Tonight will mark the final game of their 4 game regular season series, with Washington looking for a perfect regular season record against New York, something the team has never accomplished in its 34 year history.
Washington has outscored the Rags 10-6 in their priro 3 meetings, but the telling stat is that the Caps have outshot the Rangers 105-79 in the 3 games with Henrik Lundqvist saving face for New York.
The Caps are 11-1-2 versus the Atlantic division this year, very impressive. What is even more impressive is the fact that the Caps have gone 27-7-4 versus Eastern Conference foes.
Continuing their winning trend versus the Rangers, and the East for that matter, will be very crucial as tonight marks the Caps first game of a 3 game road trip. The Caps will play the Rangers tonight before heading down to Florida for a couple of divisional matchups with Tampa Bay and Florida on Saturday and Sunday.
Washington, an absolute force at home in the Verizon Center this season, has a record of
.500 on the road. A glaring worry for a team that has done so well. If the Caps can reel off 3 wins on this road trip, which is very possible given that the Caps are a combined 6-1 versus their upcoming opponents, the team and their fans will feel a little more comfortable. Issues on the road can cause problems in the post-season. The fact that the Capitals are well on their way to home ice advantage is a comforting thought, but knowing that this team can compete and win on the road is a much more reliable feeling.
New York will have to watch out for Mike Green. Greener is on a crazy goal scoring streak, having notched 7 goals in his last 6 games. He has 13 points in that span and has been an absolute terror from the blue line in opponents zone, as the goaltenders he had recently faced can tell you.
It is uncertain whether or not Michael Neuvrith will get his first career NHL start tonight in Manhatten or if the Caps will wait until their weekend down south where they have back to back games. In any case, I expect Jose Theodore to get his 18th start since December 20th. Theo has been exceptional, posting a 13-4-1 record in that span.
Avery Not Answer, Rangers Need to Look Inward
All is not well in the Big Apple. Ever since the Caps handed the Rangers a 2-1 loss to open up the calendar year of 2009, New York has struggled, posting a record of 6-7-2. Coupled with a record of 6-5-1 in December and it you can note that the Rangers are struggling to tread water against the competition. 12-12-3 in their last 25 games has left them 3rd in their division and only 4 points from being out of the playoffs.
It has been a struggle for consistency this season for the boys in blue, but after getting out to a great start through the first 30 games, the Rangers now find themselves dangling ever so close to the last couple of playoff spots. They led the Atlantic division for a lengthy stretch of the season, but now, inconsistencies, questions surrounding leadership and a serious worry about scoring and defense have New York exploring the possibilities of re-adding Sean Avery.
Considering the fact that the Rangers are seriously eyeing Avery(now with the Ranger’s farm team, Hartford) it high-lights the serious questions surrounding the leadership on the Rangers.
Is it stemming from the front office? Is it Sather or Renney? Or are the guys that are making the big bucks just not stepping up to the plate?
Nikolai Zherdev has been the best player on the Rangers this year, having played the most consistently outside of Henrik Lundqvist, collecting 43 points in 54 games, while the players making almost double his salary(Drury, Gomez, Redden, Roszival) have not come close to meeting expectations.
Naslund has been a surprise, but has not provided enough of a spark or shown the leadership he displayed in his youth as captain of the Canucks, leaving the leadership department all but empty.
Young players like Dubinsky, Callahan, Dawes, Staal and Korpikoski are not getting the right message as they watch their veterans shy away from leading them back up the standings.
It does not seem like this New York team is ready to make a playoff run, but, my reservations aside, it is an 82 game season and given the way this team played through the first third of the schedule, there is no reason why they cannot connect again and vault back into contention. Then again...
It appears that Alex Semin is questionable for tonight’s game in New York, so the Caps have called up Jay Beagle as a precautionary measure. Viktor Kozlov is almost certainly not going to play tonight, so if Semin cannot go, Beagle is in.
Capitals Recall Jay Beagle from Hershey
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled center Jay Beagle from the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Hershey Bears, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.
Beagle, 23, is a second-year pro who stands 6’3”, 208 pounds. He has played 25 games for Hershey this season, recording two goals and three assists.
The Capitals signed Beagle, a Calgary, Alberta, native, as a free agent on March 26, 2008, toward the end of his first season in Hershey. Beagle, who will wear No. 83 in Washington and is eligible to make his NHL debut tonight at the New York Rangers, had 19 goals and 37 points in 64 games as an AHL rookie last season. He spent two seasons at Alaska Anchorage (WCHA) before turning pro and signing with Idaho in the ECHL.
Here is a look at tonight’s probable lineup’s:
New York Forwards
91-Naslund, 19-Gomez, 23-Drury
10-Dawes, 17-Dubinsky, 13-Zherdev
29-Korpikoski, 24-Callahan, 20-Sjostrom
34-Voros, 15-Betts, 28-Orr
New York Defensemen
3-Rozsival, 18-Staal
5-Girardi, 6-Redden
4-Reitz, 27-Mara
Goaltenders
*30-Lundqvist, 40-Valiquette
______________________________
Washington Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 19-Backstrom, 92-Nylander
21-Laich, 91-Fedorov, 28-Semin/Beagle(?)
21-Laich, 39-Steckel, 16-Fehr
87-Brashear, 15-Gordon, 10-Bradley
Washington Defensemen
55-Schultz, 52-Green
26-Morrisonn, 3-Poti
27-Alzner, 23-Jurcina
Goaltenders
30-Neuvirth, 60-Theodore
*Starter
Game Notes
Watch out – In the last two games the Capitals have scored in the first minute of the game while also scoring in the last two minutes of the game. On Feb. 7 vs. Florida the Capitals scored 33 seconds into the game and 1:13 left in the third period and on Feb. 5 vs. Los Angeles the Caps scored 15 seconds into the game and 1:06 left in the third period. This will help Washington as they storm into Madison Square Garden tonight. Last time these two teams played in New York the Capitals scored five unanswered goals to come back and win the game in overtime.
Green energy – Mike Green has goals in six straight games, the longest goal streak by a defenseman since Ray Bourque scored in six straight games in 1984. Green could tie the NHL record with a goal against the Rangers, a team he has scored against three times in his career, including twice in overtime. Green has 7-6-13 during his six-game goal-scoring streak, including multiple-point games in each of the last five outings.
Longest Goal-Scoring Streaks by Defensemen
7 games Mike O'Connell, BOS (1983-84)
6 games Mike Green, WSH (2008-09)
Ray Bourque, BOS (1983-84)
Barry Beck, COL (1977-78)
Bobby Orr, BOS (1971-72)
Harry Mummery, MTL (1920-21)
More Green – There are only six players in the NHL – all forwards – who have played more than 11 games and averaged more points per game than Washington defenseman Mike Green (1.15; through Monday's games). Two of those six are Green's teammates, Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin.
Most Points Per Game, NHL (Min. 12 GP)
1. Evgeni Malkin, PIT 1.45 (80/55)
2. Sidney Crosby, PIT 1.33 (72/54)
Alex Ovechkin, WSH 1.33 (69/52)
4. Alexander Semin, WSH 1.28 (46/36)
5. Pavel Datsyuk, DET 1.25 (65/52)
6. Zach Parise, NJ 1.17 (63/54)
7. Marc Savard, BOS 1.15 (62/54)
Mike Green, WSH 1.15 (47/41)
Green's 47 points and 19 goals lead all NHL defensemen (by five points and five goals, through Monday's games), despite the fact that he missed 13 games due to injury. His 19 goals are a career high and the most by a Capitals defenseman since Sergei Gonchar had 26 in 2001-02. The NHL's Third Star of the Week for the second week in a row, he is bidding to become the first Washington defenseman to lead the league in defenseman scoring outright (Gonchar tied for the league lead in 2001-02). Washington is 27-10-3 with Green in the lineup and just 7-6-0 when he was out with an injury.
Clean sweep? – Washington, which has won five in a row against the Rangers dating back to last season, has a chance to sweep the season series for the first time. The Capitals' best year against New York was a 3-0-0-1 season in 1999-00. Bruce Boudreau is 5-0-0 against the Rangers in his career, although only one win in that stretch came at Madison Square Garden.
Road warriors – Washington is just 12-12-3 on the road this season, but 10-6-3 on the road against the Eastern Conference and 7-3-1 in its last 11 road games.
Like the old days – Washington is 11-1-2 against the Atlantic Division this season, with wins in six in a row. The Caps have played just nine games against their own division this season (6-3-0), but will face teams from the Southeast 15 times in the 27 remaining games after tonight.
Power to the people – Eight of Washington's 23 goals in the last five games came on the power play. Those goals have come on the heels of an 0-for-11 stretch; Washington is now eight for its last 18 power plays (44.4%). Washington has scored on 26.9% of its power-play chances (45-of-167) since Nov. 12 and 30.8% of its chances in three games against the Rangers (4-for-13). The Capitals ranked as low as 27th in the league on the power play (14.8% on Nov. 8) but have risen to fourth.
Talking Trade: A Pronger Trade is Feasible, but is it Possible?
Rumor has it that the Capitals are possibly interested in making a deadline splash by acquiring Chris Pronger from the Anaheim Ducks. As lovely a concept as welcoming Mr.Pronger to Washington seems, it would also hamper a Capitals team that is dangerously toying with the Salary Cap.
The Capitals will receive help from the NHL once Chris Clark’s salary of $2,667,000 hits the LTIR, but this will not give them enough room to make a move that would allow them to take on $6.25 million.
It sounds ridiculous, but if the Caps got their hands on a defender of that nature, all teams in the NHL would be put on notice that this team is making a run at the Stanley Cup this season. I already fully believe that they are going for it. Considering how they have fared this season, it’s fairly obvious that they are among the top of the list when it comes to contenders. Adding Pronger certainly shoots them up even higher, but the salary still remains an issue.
Currently CapCentral shows that the Caps have approximately $609,776 in Cap space. I can only assume that this takes into account Clark’s salary on the LTIR as well as the addition of Alzner’s.
As it stands, the Capitals already have $42.5 million committed to next season’s payroll, which means adding a salary of Pronger’s nature would put their CAP hit at $48.75 million(not counting salary that would have to be given back in return). So let’s say it would still be in the neighborhood or $45 million committed to next season with 6 UFA’s and 7 RFA’s due for new contracts this summer.
Therefore, at the deadline, the Caps will have room for a pro-rated (estimated) 3 million dollar rental player.
Pronger would have remaining CAP hit of $1,218750.
That means the Caps would technically have to trade away approximately $608,974 in salary, meaning a player with a contract valued annually at a little over $3 million dollars.
And that would be beaking even at the CAP.
It would mean trading away a trading away one of the Capitals top 6 paid players; Ovechkin, Green, Nylander, Semin, Fedorov or Poti.
The likeliness of Anaheim getting their hands on any of those players except for Nylander is pretty slim to none.
Despite all the trade rumors, even Nylander moving to Anaheim is a stretch. Nyls has his NTC and likely wouldn’t have it for Anaheim as it is doubtful they are on his list of teams he would choose to waive his NTC for.
If Nylander did go the other way for Pronger, he would likely be going along with the Capitals 1st round pick in the upcoming draft.
As it is not likely that Anaheim would want an older center in return for Pronger, they would like be asking for a combination of lower salary, younger players.
That means that the Caps would be sending back a package somewhere along the lines of Shaone Morrisonn($1.975 mil) and Tomas Fleischmann($725,000) and Eric Fehr($735,00) + pick or Viktor Kozlov($2.5) and John Erskine($1.25) + pick.
That is if Anaheim wants players only.
That said, the Ducks have $973,667 million available in CAP space and are currently in 6th place in the Western Conference, although only 2 points ahead of 9th place Columbus.
Anaheim is on the fence as to whether they are BUYERS or SELLERS yet, if they are to falter over the next 3 weeks, the idea of shipping of Chris Pronger may become more and more enticing. To send him to a team like Washington, who is seriously eyeing a run at the Cup, would then become an option.
Keep in mind that it is technically feasible for Washington to make a move that would not damage their core. It also has to be noted that the Capitals are in serious contention to be the team that represents the East. It will all boil down to whether or not George McPhee can strike a deal for a rental player without taking away from the teams current chemistry.
Although Pronger is signed through next season, if Washington traded for him, they would not likely keep him through next season. But you never know.
Regardless of what rumors say, the Capitals can certainly offer up a package to the Ducks that would be enticing.
The Ducks have a likely choice of Nylander, Kozlov, Shamo, Erskine, Jurcina, Flash or Eric Fehr. Or more, who knows what McPhee would offer?
Not to mention the fact that the Caps would undoubtable have to part with their 1st rounder, Anaheim would also likely be looking at a very deep Capitals prospect list.
Jay Beagle, John Carlson, Francois Bouchard, Oskar Osala, Josh Godfrey, Mathieu Perreault, Anton Gustaffson, Steve Pinizzotto and Viktor Dovgan are all potential candidates to be included in a trade.
It all comes down to what kind of package Anaheim is looking for and if the Capitals can meet the specified requirements.
If Washington can, and the Ducks like the package, there is all the reason in the world to believe that a deal can get done.
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