Caps v Habs in Round 1 of Cup Playoffs

The Washington Capitols now know that the first stop on the road to the Stanley Cup is in Montreal. The number 1 seeded Caps will meed the eighth seeded Habs in a best of seven series in the first round of the NHL Playoffs.

Coach Bruce Boudreau and his squad have learned over the past two seasons what the playoffs are about. And after playing back-to-back seven game series last year, eventually going out at the hands of the eventual champion Pittsburgh Penguins, they know how important a good start is in order to stay fresh and have some gas in the tank in the later rounds. They will want to smother the Canadiens early.

First Round Schedule (Home Team, Date, Time, TV Network):
Game 1: @ Washington, Thu. 4/15, 7 p.m., TSN & Versus
Game 2: @ Washington, Sat. 4/17, 7 p.m., TSN & Versus
Game 3: @ Montreal, Mon. 4/19, 7 p.m., TSN
Game 4: @ Montreal, Wed. 4/21, 7 p.m., TSN
Game 5*: @ Washington, Fri 4/23, 7 p.m., TSN & Versus
Game 6*: @ Montreal, Mon. 4/26, 7 p.m., TSN & Versus
Game 7*: @ Washington, Wed. 4/28, TBD, TSN
* = if necessary

NHL Awards Predictions

With the 2009-2010 NHL season wrapping up this weekend, here are my predictions of award winner at the NHL Awards Night in Las Vegas on June 18th.

Stanley Cup
Awarded to: NHL Playoff Champion
Holder: Pittsburgh Penguins
Prediction: Chicago Blackhawks

Prince of Wales Trophy
Awarded to: Eastern Conference Playoff Champion
Holder: Pittsburgh Penguins
Prediction: Washington Capitols

Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
Awarded to: Western Conference Playoff Champion
Holder: Detroit Red Wings
Prediction: Chicago Blackhawks

President's Trophy
Awarded to: Most Points in Regular Season
Holder: San Jose Sharks
Winner: Washington Capitols

Hart Memorial Trophy
Awarded to: League MVP
Holder: Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitols)
Prediction: Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitols)
Also Running: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins), Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres), Henrik Sedin (Vancouver Canucks)

Vezina Trophy
Awarded to: Best Goalie
Holder: Tim Thomas (Boston Bruins)
Prediction: Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres)
Also Running: Ilya Bryzgalov (Phoenix Coyotes), Martin Broeduer (New Jersey Devils), Craig Anderson (Colorado Avalanche)

James Norris Memorial Trophy
Awarded to: Best Defenseman
Holder: Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins)
Prediction: Mike Green (Washington Capitols)
Also Running: Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks), Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings), Chris Pronger (Philadelphia Flyers)

Calder Memorial Trophy
Awarded to: Best Rookie
Holder: Steve Mason (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Prediction: Tyler Myers (Buffalo Sabres)
Also Running: Matt Duchene (Los Angeles Kings), John Tavares (New York Islanders), Jimmy Howard (Detroit Red Wings)

Jack Adams Award
Awarded to: Best Coach
Holder: Claude Julien (Boston Bruins)
Prediction: Dave Tippett (Phoenix Coyotes)
Also Running: Joe Sacco (Colorado Avalanche), Terry Murray (Los Angeles Kings), Cory Clouston (Ottawa Senators)

Lady Bing Memorial Trophy
Awarded for: Sportsmanship
Holder: Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Redwings)
Prediction: Brad Richards (Dallas Stars)
Also Running: Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning), Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks), Patrick Marleau (San Jose Sharks)

Conn Smyth Trophy
Awarded to: Playoff MVP
Holder: Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Prediction: Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks)

Art Ross Trophy
Awarded to: Points Leader
Holder: Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Leaders: Henrik Sedin - 107 (Vancouver Canucks) and Alex Ovechkin - 106 (Washington Capitols)

Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy
Award to: Most Goals
Holder: Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitols)
Leaders: Alex Ovechkin - 48 (Washington Capitols), Sidney Crosby - 48 (Pittsburgh Penguins), Steve Stamkos - 47 (Tampa Bay Lightning)

NHL Plus-Minus Award
Awarded to: Highest +/-
Holder: David Krejci (Boston Bruins)
Leaders: Jeff Schultz - +44 (Washington Capitols) and Alex Ovechkin - +43 (Washington Capitols)

Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award
Awarded to: Highest Save Percentage
Holder: Tim Thomas (Boston Bruins)
Leaders: Tuukka Rask - .930 (Boston Bruins), Ryan Miller - .928 (Buffalo Sabres)

William M. Jennings Trophy
Awarded to: Team Least Goals Against
Holders: Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez (Boston Bruins)
Leaders: Martin Brodeur - 186 (New Jersey Devils) and Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask - 194(Boston Bruins)

Not Listed: Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy (Perseverance, Sportsmanship, Dedication), Lester B. Pearson Award (Outstanding Player as voted by Players Association), Frank J. Selke Trophy (Best Defensive Forward), King Clancy Memorial Trophy (Humanitarian Leadership), NHL Foundation Player Award (Community Service), Mark Messier Leadership Award (Leadership), NHL Lifetime Achievement Award, Scotiabank Fan Fav Award (Fans' Favorite Player)

Caps Beat Pens in OT

The Washington Capitols beat rivals Pittsburgh Penguins in a shootout Wednesday night in the second overtime between the two teams at the Verizon Center this year. The club tie their record points total for a single season at 108.

Penguins forward Jordan Staal tied the game at three with 3:06 remaining in the third period. After the five minutes of 4-on-4 overtime hockey failed to produced a result for either team Pittsburgh then went up 2-0, off the sticks of Kris Letang and superstar Sidney Crosby, in the ensuing shootout.

Russian duo Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin deked Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to net the goals that tied the affair before Mike Knuble scored his first career shootout goal giving the Caps their second straight win. He was 0-4 in the extra time situation before last night.

The excitment down the stretch was intense as the Caps overturned a 2-1 third period deficit due to a shorthanded goal by Semin and a deflected goal by Eric Fehr less than two minutes apart.

The game's three stars included Semin and Staal who were joined by Capitols goalie Jose Theodore who came away from the game with 39 saves in 65 minutes and a .929 save percentage. The game was Theodore's seventh straight win and also extended his regulation unbeaten streak to 19 games, going 17-0-2 in that span.

Washington now has a chance to clinch first place in the Eastern Conference with a New Jersey Devils loss to the New York Rangers in their meeting Thursday.

Scoring Summary:
1st:
None

2nd:
[Washington - 1:02] Knuble (26) A: Backstrom, Ovechkin
[Pittsburgh - 2:21] Talbot (2) A: Orpik, Adams
[Pittsburgh - 14:39 - PPG] Guerin (19) A: Crosby, Ponikarovsky

3rd:
[Washington - 5:36 - SHG] Semin (34) A: None
[Washington - 7:32] Fehr (21) A: Green, Belanger
[Pittsburgh - 16:54] Staal (21) A: Kunitz, Leopold

OT:
None

SO:
[Pittsburgh] Letang (Goal)
[Washington] Backstrom (Save)
[Pittsburgh] Crosby (Goal)
[Washington] Ovechkin (Goal)
[Pittsburgh] Guerin (Save)
[Washington] Semin (Goal)
[Pittsburgh] Kunitz (Save)
[Washington] Knuble (Goal)

NHL Trade Deadline Wrap-Up

The annual swap-meet has come and gone, with the NHL trade deadline passing at 3 p.m. yesterday, March 3, 2010. The Washington Capitols made some moves to bolster their roster for their inevitable playoff run and my Buffalo Sabres wheeled a few deals as well. Overall, however, it was a relatively tame day when compared to years past, with most of the big splashes around the league coming before the Vancouver Olympics began.

The Capitols picked up a familiar face in defenseman Milan Jurcina, coming back from the Columbus Blue Jackets just 6 weeks after being traded away with former captain Chris Clark for Jason Chimera. The Caps were also talking to the Carolina Hurricanes much of day, acquiring right winger Scott Walker early in the day and later sending the rights of blue-liner Brian Pothier and minor-leaguer Oskar Osala in exchange for those of Joe Corvo, another veteran defenseman. Finally, Washington brought in center Eric Belanger from the Minnesota Wild, adding depth down the middle of the ice.

While the Capitols were expected to bring in a veteran, shutdown defenseman they instead ended up adding attack minded blue-liners to their already potent offensive roster while not sacrificing too much in the process, a few fringe players and late round draft picks aside.

My Buffalo Sabres, currently sitting comfortably in fifth place, ended up standing pat for the most part, although they did bring in forward and power-play threat Raffi Torres from the Columbus Blue Jackets, who immediately becomes the leading goalscorer on a defensive roster that boasts Olympics MVP goalie Ryan Miller. The Sabres sent oft-scratched defenseman Nathan Paetsch and a second round pick to Columbus in exchange. The acquisition of Torres made the services of underachieving Clark MacAurthur no longer necessary, and he was traded away to the Atlanta Thrashers for a third round draft pick next year.

The Sabres general manager Darcy Regier feels pretty comfortable with the players he currently has and a day that ends up with basically a swap of MacAurthur for Torres can be seen as a significant upgrade. While they didn’t add any depth, the front office feels that several youngsters at minor league affiliate Portland are close to contributing on the big stage.

Puck Daddy’s 2010 NHL Trade Deadline Report Cards

The two teams met last night in a hum-drum game in which Washington won 3-1. None of the new faces were in their sweaters just yet and many of the players that were on the ice still seemed to be on vacation after coming off the Olympic break. Mike Green scored the winning goal midway through the third period and the Sabres were finished off by an empty net goal scored by Boyd Gordon. Ryan Miller looked fresh, however, after getting a break against the Pittsburgh Penguins last night in a 2-1 loss in which Patrick Lalime played in goal.
With around 20 games remaining for both teams, the final stretch of the regular season begins and once they get their skates under them and the postseason looms closer things will get pretty exciting on the ice in these two cities.

By: David

Ovi Out Again

Washington Capitols superstar Alexander Ovechkin has been suspended by the NHL for a knee-on-knee collision with Carolina Hurricane Tim Gleason that left the two time Hart Memorial Trophy winner limping off the ice Monday night. He was given a five minute major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct by the referees.

Ovechkin, the Capitols goals and points leader, will miss the next two games against the Florida Panthers on Thursday night and the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night. He is listed as day to day with a knee injury but is expected to be back for the December 7th game versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.

While this is the first suspension of his career it's Ovechkin's second game misconduct in the last three games. He recieved a five minute major and was ejected from last weeks game against the Buffalo Sabres for a boarding call on Patrick Kaleta. He also missed six games earlier this season with an upper body strain. In his first four seasons he had only missed two games due to injury.
Ovechkin has stated that there was no malicious intent behind the hit and that he's glad Gleason was not hurt too badly. However, controversy visited him during the playoffs last year following a knee-on-knee collision with Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar for which he suspiciously recieved no supplemental discipline by the league.

Capitols coach, Bruce Boudreau, concerned about the players health, has said "He plays pretty reckless...I don't want to see him getting hurt. Maybe he has to pick his spots a little bit better. It's something that will have to be addressed by us, I guess." Ovechkin has stated that he will not change the way he plays.



The Mike Webb Team: www.NorthernVirginiaHouses.com

Washington D.C. Sports

Washington D.C. is one of eight cities in the United States with 5 professional sports teams (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, MLS).
The Washington Wizards (formerly the Washington Bullets) play basketball in the NBA. They play in the Verizon Center in Chinatown. They have won one championship (1978). Former players include Earl "the Pearl" Monroe, Elvin Hayes, Dave Bing, Moses Malone, and Michael Jordan. Current stars include Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, and Nick Young.
The Washington Redskins play football in the NFL. They play at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. They have won 3 Super Bowls ('82, '87, '91). Former players/coaches include Sonny Jurgenson, George Allen (coach), Art Monk, Joe Gibbs (coach), and Bruce Smith. Current stars are Clinton Portis, Santana Moss, and Albert Haynesworth.
The Washington Capitals is a professional hockey team in the NHL. They play in the Verizon Center. They have not won a Stanley Cup. Former players include Rod Langway, Dale Hunter, Mike Gartner, Peter Bondra, and Jaromir Jagr. Current stars are Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, and Mike Green.
The Washington Nationals play at Nationals Park. They have not won a World Series. Formerly the Montreal Expos, they were founded as the Nationals in 2005. Current stars include Livan Hernandez, Adam Dunn, and Alberto Gonzalez.
The D.C. United play at RFK Stadium. They have won the MLS cup 4 times ('96, '97, '99, '04). Former players include Marco Etcheverry, Jeff Agoos, and John Harkes. Current stars are Jaime Moreno, Luciano Emilio, and Christian Gomez.
Other sports teams in Washington are the Washington Mystics (basketball, WNBA), Washington Freedom (soccer, WPS), Washington Bayhawks (lacrosse, MLL), Washington Kastles (tennis, WTT), Washington D.C. Slayers (rugby, ANRL), Baltimore Washington Eagles (football, USAFL), D.C. Divas (football, IWFL), D.C. Explosion (football, NAFL), and Washington RFC (rugby, RSL).

Rock The Red

Having been a Northern Virginia resident since 1976 and a capitols fan just about from the beginning. This is a very exciting time for me. For those of you that have no idea what I am talking about its HOCKEY!! and the Washington Capitols. They start there playoffs tonight against the New York Rangers at the Verizon Center in DC. Alex Ovechkin is arguably the best offensive player since the Great One himself. Although I have no tickets yet I will be watching on TV and encourage everyone to rock the red. Lets Go Caps, Lets Go Caps, Lets Go Caps etc...