DC Sports Clowns

State of the Capitals: Forwards

2008-05-07T18:50:00.000-04:00

Top Performer: Alexander Ovechkin. He's going to win the league MVP, so naturally he was the Caps' best forward this year.

Underachiever: Tomas Fleischmann. Fleischmann was impressive enough in camp to win a spot across from Alex Ovechkin on the top line, but wound up only 10 goals and 30 points this year, and was scratched for several games in the playoffs.

Biggest Surprise: Brooks Laich. When Laich was acquired for Peter Bondra, he was pitched as a versatile depth forward with the potential to contribute more if everything came together. Given his attitude and work ethic, it isn't surprising Laich turned into a solid contributer. What is surprising is that he managed to do so at 24.

Underrated: Eric Fehr. Fehr's a player who's hard to evaluate objectively, with his career already marked by significant injury woes and the stigma of being selected one pick before Ryan Getzlaf on him. Fehr was able to bring an important presence to the Capitals though, using his big frame to crash the net and create havoc in the opponent's end. He won't ever be Getzlaf, but once Fehr gets his hands back and finishes filling out his frame, he'll be a very solid forward.

One to watch: Eric Fehr. I think Fehr, more than any other Capitals forward, is poised for a breakout year in 2008-09.

Under Contract for 2008-09: Nicklas Backstrom, Donald Brashear, Tomas Fleischmann, Viktor Kozlov, Quintin Laing, Michael Nylander, Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, David Steckel.
Restricted Free Agents: Eric Fehr, Boyd Gordon, Brooks Laich
Unrestricted Free Agents: Matt Bradley, Matt Cooke, Sergei Fedorov

Depth Charts

Left Wing
(1) Alexander Ovechkin
(2) Alexander Semin
(3) Chris Bourque
(4) Donald Brashear
(5) Quintin Laing

Center
(1) Nicklas Backstrom
(2) Michael Nylander
(3) Brooks Laich
(4) Boyd Gordon
(5) David Steckel
(6) Kyle Wilson
(7) Mathieu Perreault

Right Wing
(1) Viktor Kozlov
(2) Chris Clark
(3) Eric Fehr
(4) Tomas Fleischmann
(5) Andrew Gordon
(6) Ben Clymer
(7) Francois Bouchard

The Good: The Capitals are one player with breakout season away from having a very impressive first two lines with Backstrom, Ovechkin, Kozlov, Nylander and Semin all being legitimate top six players at the NHL level. Fortunately, the Capitals now have enough forward depth that at least one of Eric Fehr, Books Laich, Chris Clark and Tomas Fleischmann should be to pull top six duty next season. The Capitals depth also shows in two other, oft underrated areas: defense and versatility. Boyd Gordon, Chris Clark, David Steckel, Brooks Laich and Quintin Laing are all good defensive forwards, even if none are Selke-worthy; in terms of versatility, Capitals have at least six forwards who spent significant time in the NHL who are capable of playing center and nearly all the Caps' forwards can play more than one position. The key player here is Brooks Laich who is capable of providing a solid defensive presence and the ability to chip in on offense from any of the three forward positions.

The Bad: While the Capitals have a number of good defensive forwards, the checkers could stand to chip in more on offense (Steckel, Gordon and Laing had a combined 13 goals, including several empty netters, in a combined 173 games). Other than Ovechkin, none of the Capitals top five forwards play a very physical game.

2008-09 Outlook: With five of their top six spots filled, a versatile forward corps and plenty of high-potential players in the mix, the Capitals' outlook for next season is excellent. The potential of having Chris Clark, Alexander Semin and Michael Nylander for the entire season and the continued development of Backstrom, Fehr and Fleischmann, means the Capitals have a legitimate shot at leading the league in scoring in 2008-09 (if you think that's crazy, consider that the Capitals averaged 3.13 goals per game under Boudreau, a rate that would have them tied for second in the league this season). In terms of defense, the Capitals should look to add one or two more players, someone who can agitate opponents, someone who can play a physical game and back it up by dropping the gloves and someone who can kill penalties. These roles could be filled by re-signing Matt Cooke and Matt Bradley. If they chose to leave Washington there will be other options in the free agent market - I personally favor Adam Hall and Aaron Asham; if the Capitals want to avoid bidding on free agents, Chris Bourque is likely ready to step in to a grinder role. Given that the team only has this one need at the forward position, McPhee should not have too much difficulty filling it.

Capitals Prospects Update

2008-04-28T13:11:00.001-04:00

Well, the season's over, so it's only natural to look ahead to next year. In that spirit, here's how some of the Capitals' best prospects fared in 2007-08.

Karl Alzner (Defense, Calgary Hitmen, WHL)- The statistics for Alzner were impressive: 36 points in 60 regular season games, a +26 rating in the regular season and six goals in the 16 playoffs games the Hitmen played before being swept out of the playoffs in the WHL's semi-final round. But Alzner's talens go beyond what can represented via statistics: he captained both the WHL's Eastern Conference Hitmen and the gold medal winning Canadian team at the World Juniors. Nothing is set in stone, but there's a very good chance that Alzner could break camp with the Capitals next season.

Francois Bouchard (Right Wing, Hershey Bears, AHL) - Bouchard finished up his QMJHL career with Baie-Comeau Drakkar quite well, finishing eight in the 'Q' with 92 points and sixth in assists with 56, and has since joined the Bears for their playoff run. Although the Capitals are a little unsettled on the right wing after Viktor Kozlov and Chris Clark, the organization is likely going to want Bouchard to get at least one season of professional experience under his belt before they call him up for any extended period of time.

Chris Bourque (Right Wing/Left Wing, Hershey Bears, AHL) - Bourque had a solid season in 2007-08, highlighted by his NHL debut in Atlanta and a four goal night in Hershey. Like Bouchard, Bourque will probably get a look because the Capitals depth chart gets muddled on the wing after the first couple lines. Unlike Bouchard, Bourque has the attitude and experience to be a legitimate option as a depth player for the Capitals. His odds are probably largely dependent on whether or not Sergei Fedorov and Matt Cooke re-sign.

Joe Finley (Defense, North Dakota Fighting Sioux, WCHA) - In between a couple controversial incidents, Finley picked up 15 points (including four goals) for the Fighting Sioux while leading the team with a +24 rating. Finley hasn't said whether or not he plans to forgo his final season at North Dakota and turn pro, but even if he does the towering defenseman is likely to need 50-100 games of NHL experience before he's NHL ready.

Josh Godfrey (Defense, Hershey Bears) - The 2007 second rounder with the big shot lit the lamp 17 times this season for his OHL Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds, and scored 41 goals over his last two years in the league, a span of 128 games. Like Alzner, Godfrey was a member of Canada's gold medal winning team at the World Juniors. It's very unlikely Godfrey would make the Capitals out of camp, but it's possible he could get a callup at some point in 2008-09, if for nothing other than to primarily man the point on the second powerplay unit.

Sami Lepisto (Defense, Hershey Bears, AHL) - Lepisto got his first taste of NHL action this year, playing in seven games for the Capitals. The callup was well deserved: Lepisto had four goals and 41 assists in 55 games for the Bears and his +29 rating led the Bears and was third in the AHL. Lepisto's future depends in large part on Brian Pothier. If Pothier ends up having to retire due to his concussion-related issues, there's a good chance the Capitals will keep Lepisto on their roster to fill his spot. If Pothier is able to come back, Lepisto still stands a very good chance at making the Caps, but it's likely his playing time won't be as significant.

Michal Neuvirth (Goalie, Oshawa General, OHL) - Neuvirth played for three OHL teams this season, compiling an aggregate 17-7-5 record with a 3.11 GAA and a .910 save percentage. Barring some unforeseen set of circumstances, Neuvirth will start next season in either South Carolina (ECHL) or Hershey (AHL).

Mathieu Perreault (Center, Hershey Bears) - Perreault led the QMJHL in points (114) and assists (80) in 2007-08. The 2006 sixth rounder joined the Bears at the end of their playoff run, playing three games without registering a point. With Nicklas Backstrom, Michael Nylander, David Steckel and Boyd Gordon already firmly entrenched in D.C. (along with the fact the Capitals probably want to see Perreault add some bulk to his 166 pound frame), Perreault will likely spend 2008-09 in Hershey.

Sasha Pokulok (Defense, South Carolina Stingrays, ECHL) - Pokulok hasn't progressed the way the Capitals would have liked and he was sent down to South Carolina (ECHL) after 44 games with the Bears. Pokulok performed well in the East Coast League, notching six assists in five regular season games and four assists in ten playoff games. Still, questions remain about Pokulok's durability and mobility. Pokulok will most likely start next year with Hershey.

Keith Seabrook (Defense, Calgary Hitmen, WHL) - Seabrook struggled through a disappointing season for the Hitmen in 2007-08, notching only four goals and 13 assists in 59 games. On the plus side, Seabrook was a +4 on the season, although that number might not be where Caps fans would want to see it either, considering that the regular season Eastern Conference winning Hitmen had 15 player with better ratings.

Semen Varlamov (Goalie, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl , RSL) - Varlamov gained a great deal of valuable experience this past season, playing in 44 games for his Russian team, going 27-15-0 and posting a 2.45 GAA.

Crank That White Out

2008-04-25T15:27:00.004-04:00

Game 3: Washington 108, Cleveland 76

The Wizards finally put up a fight - on the floor as opposed to in the media - in Thursday's game three at the Phone Booth, giving the sold-out, white-out crowd the kind of performance fans have been waiting two years to witness.

Speaking of witnesses, all those who showed up wearing their No. 23 red or white or navy jerseys or those lame Nike ad campaign shirts got to witness a complete dud from the King.

It was a pretty spectacular turn-around from Monday's humbling defeat and one that, at least to this first-hand spectator, lacked a great deal of effort from the visiting team. I expect a much tougher test in Sunday's game four. But for one night at least, DeShawn Stevenson couldn't feel his mow hawk-crested face, Andray Blatche could do the sprinkler with the really old guy in the stands, Caron Butler could pirouette his way to the rim and a sea of white could wave their towels in wild abandon.

It was quite a night in D.C. indeed.

I'll have more from game three and a preview for game four tomorrow so stay tuned.

-- The Tar Heel

Bleck! Wizards in 0-2 Hole

2008-04-22T16:19:00.003-04:00

Game 2: Cleveland 116 - Washington 86

Forget not being able to feel their faces, the Wizards would rather not be able to see their faces in the mirror after yesterday's whooping. The whole "let's be physical against LeBron and not let him dunk on our heads" gameplan completely backfired with Brendan Haywood's ejection after a hard foul - maybe worthy of a flagrant 1, but certainly not a flagrant 2 with the accompanying ejection.

Gilbert Arenas was awful, Caron Butler was bad and Antawn Jamison wasn't much better. None of the starters showed any of the toughness, intensity and most importantly, the focus, that they displayed through three quarters of play on Saturday.

I'm much less excited about having tickets for Thursday's Game 3 at the Phone Booth than I was coming into the series, and it wouldn't shock me if this one is over in five or if it ends up to be another sweep.

And for crying out loud, now is the time to stop with the trash talking and the stupid "I can't feel my face" taunting and play basketball.

I think I'm too disenchanted and frustrated with this team at the moment to even throw up a decent breakdown of what went wrong last night and what needs to change before Thursday. Maybe I'll get it together by tomorrow. Until then, pardon me while I ralph in the rubbish bin to the left of my computer.

Thank goodness for the Caps. I'm glad I had Game 6 to watch last night instead of the massacre at the Q, and I'm even more excited to watch Game 7 tonight. Let's Go Caps!

-- The Tar Heel

Deja Vu All Over Again

2008-04-21T15:34:00.004-04:00

Game 1: Cleveland 93, Washington 86

After weeks of trash talk leading up to Game 1 between the Wizards and Cavaliers, it doesn't look like much has changed in the last two years. With a healthy big three on the floor for the Wiz and a few new faces here and there on both teams, the first game in this best of seven series played out true to the form set back in 2006.

The two teams battled back in forth in Cleveland in a competitive, physical playoff game. Washington appeared to have the upper hand early in the fourth quarter with a two-point lead and the Cavs in the penalty with 7:30 left. But that's when the best player on the floor took over, just as he did last April...and the April before that.

The Wizards - who could have (and should have) put themselves in a position to win by driving to the rim and getting to the free throw line - settled for outside shots. They missed three-pointers and long jumpers from all over the floor and LeBron James took advantage. He drove to the rack on back-to-back possessions to give the Cavs the lead. Gilbert Arenas tried to do the same for the Wizards but turned the ball over in the lane and then threw up a wild shot that landed in a Cleveland rebounders' mits and pretty much sealed the game.

Before those final deciding minutes, Antawn Jamison had more than outplayed James. He was getting to the basket for his patented flip shots and runners, rebounding like Ben Wallace circa 2000 and even picked up a technical for defending a teammate (and fellow Tar Heel) when Brendan Haywood and LeBron got in a brief scuffle at mid-court. Sadly, it was Jamison who started forcing shots in that critical stretch - including a long jumper followed by two bricked open threes on consecutive possessions - to let Cleveland take control.

The Wizards were right there, but as was the case in 2006, they just could not seal the deal. Now they find themselves in a similar situation. Down 0-1 with a second game to come in Cleveland - one which they desperately need. It's not quite a must-win, but psychologically, with how inept the Wizards have been at winning at the 'Q', essentially it is just that.

Game 2
Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers
Tonight, Monday, April 21 - 7pm
Quicken Loans Arena

The game-plan was there on Saturday. The Wizards limited LeBron James early on, got scoring from Jamison (23), Caron Butler (14) and even Brendan Haywood (15). Gilbert Arenas was his old, flashy self, scoring 24 in just under 28 minutes and drilling a 30-footer just before the first quarter buzzer. They held the Cavs to under 40 percent shooting (39.5) and limited the damage behind the arc (5-19). With those stats, even factoring in LeBron's 32 points, you have to figure the Wizards come out on top.

But the areas where Cleveland edged Washington, proved key and costly. The Cavs out-rebounded the Wiz 43-42 (we know the Wizards almost never win when they lose the battle of the boards), had eight more assists (24-16) and most importantly, out-shot the boys in gold 37-17. You're never going to win a game with that kind of discrepancy at the line.

With a 20-free throw difference, you might think the referees were to blame. Hardly the case. With just under eight minutes remaining and the Wizards leading, the Cavs were already in the bonus - meaning any foul would result in two free throws for Washington. But after playing aggressive basketball all afternoon, it was then, at the worst time possible, that the Wizards got tentative and started settling for jump shots. Cleveland out-scored Washington 28-14 - more than enough to make up the seven point winning margin.

The plan for the Wizards tonight has got to be - get to the rim, get to the free throw line and get easy points. They've got to keep up the intensity, keep giving good hard fouls to any Cavaliers - particularly James - willing to drive to the basket, and keep crashing the boards. I like the Wizards to win this game because they clearly have more talent on the floor and more scoring options.

The main question is can they play a full 48 minutes of aggressive, intelligent basketball and get over the psychological advantage that LeBron and the city of Cleveland continue to hold over their heads.

Now is the time. If they lose this game, I think you can pretty much kiss the series goodbye. Eddie Jordan knows this, and I think you'll see the inspired squad you saw for three and a half quarters on Saturday get it done tonight.

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!

-- The Tar Heel

Is the pressure now on the Flyers?

2008-04-20T17:17:00.000-04:00

Capitals 3, Flyers 2

I've never really been one to believe that a young team needs to "learn" how to win playoffs games. After all, a team is playing the same sport they've played countless hours in their lives to that point and although playoffs games do have a different feel, one would expect the players to be prepared for them given how much the players do know about hockey. Yet it seems that almost every year a young, talented team fails to live up to its promise in the postseason.

Thus far this year it has been the Washington Capitals, who dropped three straight to the Philadelphia Flyers after a comeback victory in the first game of the series between the two teams. The Capitals do appear to be learning however: they played much better in Game 4 than in Game 3, and better in Game 5 than in Game 4. Given the Capitals' impressive run to end the season and the fact that they seem to be finding their groove the question is: is the pressure now on the Flyers?

After all, the orange and black missed their first opportunity to close out the series on Saturday afternoon when they let the Capitals come out and dictate the flow of play. Game 6 is going to be the Flyers best chance to close out the Capitals because if they lose the Capitals going in to a Game 7 at home, with momentum. While the Flyers do have the home ice advantage, the home ice advantage comes with pressure; pressure not just to win but to win in style and to please the crowd (especially in Philadelphia where fans can be...unforgiving to say the least). The Flyer faithful love their team's Broad Street Bullies persona and that, coupled with the fact that Capitals controlled the physical play on Saturday, means the Flyers have the potential to put themselves on the penalty kill both early and often. Playing against a Capitals team that's clicking on the powerplay for the first time this postseason the Flyers could be down and out if they succumb to the pressure of trying to close out the series at home and become undisciplined.

Cavs - Wiz: Act Three

2008-04-18T15:14:00.002-04:00

All season long there seemed to be a certain sense of inevitability about this matchup. I don't know what the record is for consecutive first round playoff meetings, but the way things have gone in recent years, I wouldn't be surprised if this pairing doesn't break it. But while the Eastern Conference might have lacked the on-court drama down the stretch of it's left-ward counterpart, there's certainly been no short of drama off the hardwood. And that, more than the fact that there will be five current or former all-stars going toe-to-toe, makes this one of the most intriguing first round series of 2008.

The Story So Far

Two years ago, LeBron James almost single-handedly knocked the Wizards out of the first round with multiple baseline drives for game-winning layups. Washington fans cried "Travel!" while Cleveland fans praised their monarch. And there was also that little whisper and pat on the chest from LeBron just before Gilbert Arenas stepped to the line for the second of two critical free throws. Of course Gilbert missed it long, Damon Jones sank the shot of his career and the rest is history.

Last season, the Wiz limped into the postseason sans Gilbert and Caron Butler and, not surprisingly, got swept, despite a tremendous effort from their captain, Antawn Jamison.

As if two tough first-round losses wasn't enough to get the Wizards amped up for a rematch, DeShawn Stevenson decided to stir the pot following Washington's 101-99 home win against Cleveland on March 13, calling LeBron "overrated." LeBron came back with his "It's almost like Jay-Z saying something bad about Soulja Boy" line. DeShawn responded with "I hope we play Cleveland. I'm going to get Soulja Boy courtside seats and have him wear a DeShawn Stevenson jersey. Maybe he can have Jay-Z there since LeBron's all on his (shorts) anyway." And then just in case he didn't get the message, "And tell LeBron to cut that beard off and stop copying me."

Then this week Mr. "I'm not talking to the media" Arenas throws this up on his blog:

"I think everybody wants Cleveland in that first round. They’ve been a .500 team ever since they made that trade and everybody wants a chance at that matchup. We want Cleveland for our own reasons, we don’t think they can beat us in the playoffs three years straight. It’s hard to beat a team three years straight. We want to try our luck."

Upon reading this, Charles "Soon to be the governor of Alabama if he can ditch the gambling addiction" Barkley called the Wizards "the dumbest team in the history of civilization."

Suffice it to say, there are plenty of story lines to watch in this series that go well beyond the play on the court. But while this little war of words is fun for the media, and those involved, ultimately, this series will come down to execution on the court. Surprise!

This Season

The two teams split their four-game season series with each winning twice at home and losing twice on the road. Gilbert Arenas missed all of the games and a couple other key players weren't in action in two more of the meetings.

Dec. 5 @ Washington - Wizards 105, Cavaliers 86
No LeBron James = a Wizards' walloping.

Jan. 23 @ Cleveland - Cavaliers 121, Wizards 85
This one was ugly from the start with the Wizards completely breaking down on the defensive end and allowing Zydrunas Ilgauskas to score 24 points on 10-for-10 shooting from the field...without even playing in the fourth quarter. The Cavs shot 56.6 percent from the field while Washington's starters combined to score just 42 points.

Feb 22 @ Cleveland - Cavaliers 90, Wizards 89
Even without Caron, Washington nearly dug this one out behind double-figure scoring from Jamison, Haywood, Stevenson, Blatche and Songaila off the bench. James scored 33 to lead all scorers and hit the game-winning free throws with 7.8 seconds left to lift the Cavs - who were without new additions Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and Joe Smith.

Mar. 13 @ Washington - Wizards 101, Cavaliers 99
This was the one that started all the trash talking. Caron Butler returned to score 19 and DeShawn Stevenson drew a charge from James with 19.4 seconds left to preserve the victory and start the jawing.

The Matchups

Point Guard: Antonio Daniels (8.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.8 apg) v. Delonte West (8.3, 3.2, 3.8) - AD has the most playoff experience of anyone on the Wizards' roster from his years in San Antonio (see his ring) and Seattle. His wrist has bothered him over the last couple months but he lives for the postseason and has proven his playoff worth many times in the past. Look for him to elevate his play, despite a decrease in minutes with the return of Arenas. This will be West's first trip to the postseason, but the former St. Joseph's star has the quickness to give Daniels trouble on the defensive end. Neither player is relied upon to score a great deal - and with Stevenson, Arenas and Butler for the Wiz and LeBron for the Cavs, both frequently lose their bringing the ball up responsibilities - but whoever can best dictate the tempo and limit his turnovers will give his team an important edge in the back-court. Edge: Wizards (barely)

Shooting Guard: DeShawn Stevenson (11.2, 2.9, 3.1) v. Devon Brown (7.5, 3.4, 2.2) - Defensively, the Locksmith has requested the assignment of taking on LeBron James - which would give him a chance to put his money where his mouth is. But on the offensive end, the Wiz will rely on Stevenson to make big buckets from the perimeter and take care of some of the ball-handling duties. He has taken a leadership role on this team in Gilbert's absence, delivering clutch shots down the stretch in close contests and he'll need to continue his hard-nosed play for the Wizards' to win this series. Brown is a spot up shooter who can also get to the rim but shouldn't be the type of factor Damon Jones was in the 2006 series - unless the Wizards decide to leave him open every time down the floor. They he could hurt them. Edge: Wizards

Small Forward: Caron Butler (20.3, 6.7, 4.9) v. LeBron James (30.0, 7.9, 7.2) - In a huge matchup between two all-stars, the edge has to go to LeBron, simply because of how much he does for his team. Heck, he IS the team. Each year, James elevates his play and his ridiculous numbers in the playoffs, and expect the same from him this time around. He must play well for the Cavs to even have a chance...and if he does, they could easily win it. Butler has been dinged up lately but sat out the last couple games and will be ready to go. He competes like a lion every night and is really the pulse of the Washington team. The Wiz need him to do everything LeBron does - score, rebound, find the open man and get steals - but he doesn't have to do quite as much of it for the Wizards to be successful. Edge: Cavaliers

Power Forward: Antawn Jamison (21.4, 10.2, 1.5) v. Ben Wallace (4.8, 8.4, 1.5) - This will be a very intriguing matchup with one of the best offensive and rebounding forwards in the game going up against one of the best defensive and rebounding forward/centers in the last decade. Big Ben should give Jamison some trouble when the Wizards have the ball, but with his unorthodox shots and his knack for getting his brand of flip-shots and runners up on the backboard, Antawn will get his points. Wallace isn't much of a threat on the offensive end, but Jamison has to box out the bigger man to prevent Cleveland from getting second-chance points. Edge: Wizards

Center: Brendan Haywood (10.6, 7.2, 0.9) v. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (14.1, 9.3, 1.4) - Big Z killed the Wiz on the inside earlier this season and he could be the X-factor again in this series. Haywood has really raised his level of play on both ends since last season and he's going to have to play physical on the block with Ilgauskas and Wallace crashing the boards and James slashing to the hoop. If the Wizards can get double-digit rebounds and between 7 and 15 points from their big man, they'll be happy. Edge: Cavaliers

Bench: The Cavaliers restocked before the trade deadline, picking up Wallace, West, Wally Szczerbiak and Joe Smith. They also have Anderson Varejao on the inside and Damon Jones and Daniel "Boobie" Gibson to throw up threes on the perimeter. It's a nice group of guys but no one can match what the Wizards have coming off the pine pony in Gilbert Arenas. He changes the complexion of the game entirely with his speed and ability to pull up from outside or drive to the basket. He's looked great in the last week and a half and I expect him to play like the Gilbert of old in this series. But he still needs to play within himself and his new role. Arenas won't hold anything back, but the team chemistry has been great since his return and it would be a shame to throw that out so Gilbert can be the prime-time star he has been in the past. Washington also has very capable guys in Darius Songaila and Roger Mason (another potential X-factor) to go along with young-guns Andray Blatche and Nick Young. Edge: Wizards

Coaching: Eddie Jordan has done a tremendous job considering all the injuries this team has sustained to key players. He won't get coach of the year but should be up there on the ballot. Mike Brown has often struggled to find the best lineup and he hasn't really had to do much other than get the ball in his star's hands. Edge: Wizards

Series Prediction: I'm taking the Wizards in 6. The series could very easily go 7 and it would probably be a fitting conclusion. Either way, it's going to be physical, the games are going to be close and I'm looking forward to all the trash talking and drama that comes with LeBron v. DeShawn/Gilbert. I'll be at Game 3 Thursday in D.C. and here's hoping Soulja Boy is court-side in a Locksmith jersey.

-- The Tar Heel

Wiz Close Out Regular Season in Orlando

2008-04-16T16:10:00.003-04:00

Washington Wizards (43-38) at Orlando Magic (51-30)
Tonight, Wednesday, April 16 - 7pm
Amway Arena

The Wizards travel down to Disney World tonight to wrap up the regular season against the team that ran away with the Southeast Division title. Orlando (No. 3) and Washington (No. 5) are both locked into their playoff seeds so expect to see a lot of reserves getting plenty of court time in this one.

Speaking of bench players, Roger Mason went bonkers on Monday with 31 in Washington's 117-110 victory over Indiana in the home finale. Mason - who apparently has a new nickname - has been very productive for the Wiz off the bench this season, draining threes and playing a steady back up point role when Antonio Daniels was dinged up. I was a little concerned that Mason would be the main guy who lost minutes when Gilbert Arenas returned, but with performances like this, there's no doubt he'll find his way onto the floor in the playoffs. They guy is a savvy, smart veteran basketball player and whether he's the 6th man or the 10th man on the roster, he's going to give you quality minutes.

As for tonight's game, it's a toss up. The Wiz dropped both meetings at the Phone Booth and then smothered Dwight Howard to win in Orlando. I'm hoping the same doesn't happen this time because I could use some blocks and boards from Superman on the last day of fantasy basketball championship week, however, should Washington prevail, they would finish the season a perfect 8-0 on the road against divisional opponents.

-- The Tar Heel

Hibachi Heating Up Just in Time for Playoffs

2008-04-14T14:14:00.010-04:00

It was another adventure of a week for the Wizards as they knocked off the top seed in the East, got drilled in D-Town and then stormed back at home to beat Philly. This kind of up-way down-and way up again play has been the calling card of this team all season, but if you're a Wizards fan right now, you've got to feel good about the way this team is coming together with the postseason only two games away.

4/9 - Washington 109, Boston 95

First let's talk about the win against Boston on Wednesday. Oh, by the way, it was the third straight victory for the Wiz over the best team in basketball. Say what you will about Doc Rivers resting his troops - that's not what I'd call having KG, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen all on the floor in the fourth quarter - but how intriguing would a second round matchup with the Celts be? Talk about star power!

In only the second game since Gilbert Arenas' return that the Wizards had their entire Big Three on the floor, Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Agent Zero reminded fans why they were the highest scoring trio in the league last season before injuries struck. Jamison was stellar in his first game back from a sprained shoulder sustained in the loss to Milwaukee the night Gil returned.
AJ had 11 rebounds and a team-high 27 points including two on a vicious baseline dunk over Kevin Garnett. For a guy that would usually prefer to flip it in off the glass from his waist, dunking over one of the best defensive players in the game was a big-time statement.

This game had the feel of a playoff game - sell-out crowd, national television, and multiple all-stars on the floor including Arenas. The Hibachi had his best game back to that point with 13 points, three assists and four steals, giving the Wiz a big spark off the bench when Boston went to its reserves. He's not trying to do to much, which is very important because of his injury and the chemistry this team developed in his absence, but having someone with his motor and ability to catch fire out there has been big for Washington and will continue to be as they head into the playoffs.

4/11 - Detroit 102, Washington 74

In typical Wizards fashion, they followed up a big win with a complete stinker against the Pistons on Friday night. Jason Maxiell went nuts on a non-existent Washington post defense, dropping a career-high 28 on 11-of-13 shooting off the bench, and the Wizards shot a dismal 27.1 (23-85) percent from the field.

Somehow, Washington trailed by only five points at the break, but they were outscored 34-13 in the third quarter - including seven from Maxiell during that stretch.

After an impressive victory at home against the Pistons on March 23, this was a pretty troubling no-show for a team that had a lot more to play for than their hosts. The Wizards were flat and didn't show much fight in the second half, despite the fact that Detroit was giving plenty of time to its bench. Meanwhile, the Pistons - who had been sleep-walking through the final month of the season and had lost back-to-back contests to the Knicks and Sixers coming into this one - looked a lot more like the tough, defensive-minded Pistons we're used to seeing in April and May.

4/12 - Washington 109, Philadelphia 93

Gilbert Arenas might have returned to game action a week prior, but this game - against a team jockeying for playoff positioning with the Wizards - was Agent Zero's official "I'm baaaaaack" announcement to the rest of the league.

One night after getting throttled in the Rock City, Arenas had the sold-out Phone Booth rocking as he led the way in a 31-9 fourth quarter that saw the Wizards come-from-behind to secure the fifth seed (Toronto's loss yesterday made it official) and dash Philly's hopes of anything higher than the sixth spot.

With Caron Butler on the sideline with a bruised right knee, Arenas scored 12 of his 20 points in the final period including his own 7-0 run to give Washington the lead for good. Gil shot 7-for-14 from the field and orchestrated the offense brilliantly with five assists in 25 minutes of action. He looked sharp in all facets, nailing his patented long jumper (4-for-9 from three) and setting up teammates with precision passes. I think this is the Gilbert we're going to see from here on out this season (knock on wood). He's focused (still not talking to the media), motivated and accepting of his role as the best sixth man in the game.

The Sixers - one of the hottest teams in the league since the All-Star break - had no answer for Gil and Washington's efficient offense in the second half, falling apart from the perimeter because they couldn't force turnovers and missed shots to generate their fast-break offense.

Let's hope the Wiz can continue to get this kind of effort from Arenas and Jamison (just another ho hum 25 and 13) and rest Caron these last two games so he's ready to go for Game 1 of their series against...yup...Cleveland.

Quotable

“It’s just letting the young fellows know I still got it. I joke with them all the time. For me, it was an aggressive move going to the basket, and I was able to find it.” -- Jamison on his dunk over KG

“He’s getting his mojo back. He’s pushing the ball up fast, doing his moves like he usually does. I was just glad to see him out there looking like the old Gilbert.” -- DeShawn Stevenson on Gilbert's performance against Philly

The Playoff Picture

With Washington's win against Philadelphia on Saturday and Toronto's loss to Detroit yesterday, the Wizards have locked up the fifth seed. That means for the third year in a row, they'll take on their buddies LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

This was pretty much inevitable. Not just because the Wizards and Cavs failed to get their acts together all season and make a dent into the upper echelon of the conference, but also because of the drama, the recent history and the smack talk between King James and the Locksmith. With Gilbert and Caron back, this series will have all the star power that last season's sweep lacked, and all the drama of a playoff matchup between two teams that frankly hate each other's guys.

What's not to love?

The two teams split their season series with both winning twice at home. But don't forget, the Wiz were without Arenas four all four of those games, James missed the first meeting (a Wasington win at home) and Butler missed the third (a one-point loss in Cleveland).

Next Up

Indiana Pacers (35-45) at Washington Wizards (42-38)
Tonight, Monday, April 14 - 7pm
Verizon Center

The Wizards face a desperate Pacers team in need of two wins and serious help to steal the final playoff spot in the East in their home finale tonight at the Phone Booth.

You can bet Indiana will come out firing, knowing that they have to get this one to even have a chance. It should be another great, playoff-type atmosphere in D.C. and another opportunity for Eddie Jordan to work on fine-tuning his rotation and on-court pairings before the playoffs.

Caron Butler will probably sit this one out as he continues to rest that knee, but even though the Wiz have their spot locked up, I don't expect them to mail this one in. They've won four of five and want to keep playing solid basketball and carry this momentum into the Cleveland series.

The Wizards close out their regular season schedule Wednesday at Orlando.

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!

-- The Tar Heel

Flyers shut out Caps; tie series

2008-04-14T00:14:00.000-04:00

Capitals 0, Flyers 2

After the Capitals' 5-4 comeback win in Game 1 of this series the Flyers were admonished for only playing forty minutes of a sixty minute game. While that is indeed not an admirable characteristic, it's not really much better to adopt logic that the Capitals seem to have: that it's okay to only play a good twenty minutes as long they're the last twenty. The Capitals didn't get anything going Sunday afternoon until the opening minutes of the third period and even then it wasn't nearly enough to pull out a win. However, despite this I don't think the Capitals' effort was as poor as it seemed on the surface.

The story of yesterday's game was individual efforts: the Capitals were done in by mistakes by defensemen John Erskine and Mike Green and stymied offensively by the individual effort of Martin Brion, who made 24 saves. Without Erskine getting caught in front of R.J. Umberger and Green making a bad turnover, the Flyers don't get to dictate the rest of the game and without the efforts of Biron, the Caps probably net a pair. It's not that there aren't adjustments needed and it's not as if the Capitals deserved to win this game. I just think it wasn't as one-sided as it looked.

Regardless of that the Capitals did lose which means, for now at least, they've squandered their home ice advantage. The upcoming game in Philadelphia on Tuesday could end up being the make-or-break one for the Capitals. On the one hand they've still only lost back-to-back games once under Bruce Boudreau and that took some poor officiating and Nicklas Backstrom scoring into his own net to happen and the last time the Capitals lost they responded by reeling off an eight game winning streak. On the other hand, none of the games they played during that stretch were as difficult as the one on Tuesday is likely to be.

Quick Hits

I usually like the NBC broadcast team but they were definitely off today: it only 13 seconds for someone to mispronounce Shaone Morrisonn's name, Pierre Mcguire estimated that half the fans in attendance were rooting for the Flyers and Ed Olczyk had a number of errors: calling Scott Hartnell's goaltender interference penalty "incidental contact" despite that Hartnell, who was not pushed, bowled over Cristobal Huet well into the blue paint, adamantly calling a phantom elbow on Backstom and saying the the Flyers exploited the the blocker of Huet on the Flyers' second goal, a play on which Huet had no chance.

Show me a Capitals fan who was surprised it was John Erskine who got beat on the Flyers first goal and I'll show you a fan who doesn't know who John Erskine is.

Mike Green's played six period of playoff hockey. One was stellar, five have been terrible.

Sunday's game wasn't nearly as physical as Friday's: total hits decreased from 76 to 57.

The Capitals had 18 giveaways. The Flyers had 7.

Of the Capitals 18 giveaways, nine were by defensemen. The only Washington defenseman who did not have a giveaway was Shaone Morrisonn.

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!

Nationals Stop Their Slide at 9

2008-04-13T18:05:00.003-04:00

I must first apologize for my neglect of the Washington Nationals. My dereliction of duty has produced a back-log of much needed media and explanation of why and how the Washington Nationals are falling so far after starting the season 3-0. First, I will discuss their most recent win that took place on Sunday 13th, and why they were able to win despite their mistakes.
The Nationals got another strong start out of pitcher Tim Redding who has pitched very confidently in each of his three starts this year. Redding doesn't overpower anyone and rarely hits over 90 mph on the radar gun, but he mixes up his speeds very well and uses the defense behind him to get the job done. In this particular game, Redding escaped what would have been critical innings through a couple of key double plays.
The Bullpen took over and also played very well against a surprisingly potent Atlanta team. King, Ayala, Cordero and Rauch pitched four innings only giving up one run en route to the Nationals win. A stat that I do find disconcerting is the number of walks given up by the Nationals pitching staff. Combined they allowed seven base runners to get on base through walks. The Nationals are not a flawless team, and cannot rely on raw talent to overpower hitters. When they are putting this many free base runners on base it raises the potential for big innings.

The Nationals also jumped on the Braves pitching mistakes early. Glavine was weak from the first pitch only hitting around 80 mph on the gun and the Nationals were able to pick up two runs in the first inning at his expense. The next Braves pitcher Jeff Bennett was also shaky walking two base runners home and hitting Lo Duca, who would later score. However, the Nationals were unable to put the game away. There were multiple times during the game where a key hit would have put the game out of reach instead of the 5-4 nail biter that it was. Much of the blame is put on Wily Mo Pena who with the bases loaded grounded into a double play, and struck out looking on consecutive at bats. However, it has been a consistent theme throughout the Nationals season that they become complacent and fade after the first couple of innings.

Startling Season Long Trends:

Bottom line the reason for the nine game skid was a lack of fundamental baseball.

Game 1 of the Skid = Ugly extra inning game in which the Nationals left 24 runners on base, struck out 7 times as a team and saw Colome walk in the winning run in the bottom of the tenth inning

Game 2 of the Skid = Against the rag tag relief core of the St. Louis Cardinals the Nationals again left 25 runners on base, failed to capitalize on 2 Cardinal errors and saw starting pitcher Odalis Perez throw only 56 of his 103 pitches for strikes.

Game 3 of the Skid = Ran into a very good outing from opposing ace Adam Wainwright who pitched 8 innings and scattered all 8 of the Nationals hits.

Game 4 of the Skid = Offensive futility leads the Nationals to only 5 hits and 0 runs against Kyle Lohse who sports a 4.77 era.

Game 5 of the Skid = Washington made two costly errors and wasted a good outing from Tim Redding, accounting for 6 unearned runs. They also left 20 runners on base and struck out 9 times.

Game 6 of the Skid = Marlins' first baseman Mike Jacobs hits two homeruns and pummels the Nationals 10-4

Game 7 of the Skid = The Nationals play solid baseball but come up short. Nationals' pitchers strike out 10, walk 1. Nationals' batters only leave 10 on base, get 7 hits and only strike out twice.
Game 8 of the Skid = Tim Hudson pitches an incredible game against the Nationals. Matt Chico tries to keep up but Hudson was too sharp.

Game 9 of the Skid = The Nationals leave 19 runners on base and starting pitcher John Lannan walked 4 after only throwing 48 of his 85 pitches for strikes.

When the Nationals win ball games they play solid defense and most importantly throw strikes. They are not offensive juggernauts but will need to produce at a better pace to compete against the offensive teams of the NL East. In their 9 game skid they certainly shouldn't have won all of them, but had the potential to win at least four of those nine games if they had taken care of who they are as a team. The Nationals pitchers currently sport a 4.96 ERA a 1.49 WHIP and a .275 BAA, while the Nationals hitters are only scoring 3.83 runs a game, hitting .230 and have struck out 28 more times then they have walked. (for you sabermetrics geeks, their OPS is .662, also not good)

Simply put, they are not very good right now across the board and will continue to lose while their players are playing mediocre. Good teams will take care of the games they should win and that is what the Nationals need to focus on. They shouldn't worry about the losses to stud aces like Tim Hudson or John Smoltz or the blow out games against the heavy hitting Marlins, but the games in which they are more than capable of winning they have to bear down and get the job done.

- The Hokie

Caps battle back to take 1-0 series lead

2008-04-12T01:54:00.002-04:00

Capitals 5, Flyers 4

The Capitals are capable of being an electric team, playing with grit and talent to spare, able to quickly strike in the offensive zone or bottle up the opposition in their own end and of being, quite possibly, the best team in the NHL on any given night. Why they have to be down and out, gasping for air and all but dead to rights for them to play that way is anyone's guess...but I guess there are worse characteristics for a team to have.

For forty minutes the Flyers executed their gameplan almost perfectly: they crashed the net of Cristobal Huet, played a physical game without getting burned by penalties and successfully controlled not only Alex Ovechkin and his linemates, but the secondary line of Alex Semin, Sergei Fedorov and Matt Cooke as well.

But then, NHL games go sixty minutes, not forty, and the Capitals completely controlled the final frame, outshooting the Flyers 12-3 and of course outscoring them 3-0.

It seemed only fitting that Ovechkin netted the game winning goal (and even more so on an individual effort play) but the story of 'The Great Eight''s first playoff game with another talented youngster, Mike Green. Green had, frankly, an awful first two periods. He failed to clear the net on the play that led to the Flyers first goal, giving Huet no chance because of the screen and failed to step up on Vinny Prospal, giving him a wide open path to the slot and the chance to score his second of the night. Then, to top things off, Green took a delay of game (puck over the glass) penalty in the second period's closing minutes forcing his teammates to finish off the frame a man down and try desperately not to allow the Flyers to pick up a three-goal lead.
Green was indeed picked up by his teammates and he returned the favor, notching two goals in 6:26 to tie the game in the third.

Of course, his teammates weren't the only people Green picked up with his stellar third period, as an already raucous crowd went into near bedlam when Green's slapshot hit twine to make the score 4-4. As someone who was at the Capitals last playoff game five years ago, one which was attended by a largely listless crowd of about 13,000 and described as having the "feel of a well-attended preseason game", it was great to see the whole building behind the home team. I don't think there's any doubt it helped the Caps win.

As excited as Washington fans and players are is about how concerned Philly fans and players should be. Sure, the Flyers went into the second intermission ahead 4-2 and it took a great comeback for the Capitals to come out with the win. But if my allegiances were to the orange and black I would still be a little worried because the Flyers executed their gameplan perfectly for most of the game and still wasn't enough to secure a win. That, plus that the Capitals now have momentum and confidence again and have experienced playoff hockey, means the Flyers are in for one hell of challenge Sunday afternoon at Verizon Center.

DMG's 3 Stars
(1) Mike Green - 2 goals, 1 hit, +1
(2) Alex Ovechkin - 1 goal (game winner), 8 hits, +1
(3) Matt Bradley - 2 assists, +1, 7 hits

Quick Hits

Everyone was predicting a physical series and, well, sometimes the majority is right: the two teams were credited for a combined 76 hits, 40 of which were doled out by Washington, led by Ovechkin (8), Matt Bradley (7), Matt Cooke (6) and Milan Jurcina (5).

Is it just me, or does it seem like interference is apparently not a penalty in the playoffs?

Bruce Boudreau's decision to put out the Fedorov-Semin-Cooke line after Ovechkin's goal was great. Man can those guys cycle the puck.

It would have been understandable for Caps' fans to have been concerned about the playoff readiness of their team, but that first game did a lot to calm my nerves. In addition to Green and Ovechkin I thought Tomas Fleischmann, Milan Jurcina, Alex Semin and Matt Bradley looked ready to go.

I have to admit I'd been wondering a bit how David Steckel was a 30 goal scorer in the AHL. His goal last night did a lot to help explain it to me.

Federov's pass that led to Green's first goal was beautiful both in concept and in execution. I guess that's why he leads all active players in playoff assists.

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!

Capitals playoff music

2008-04-10T21:38:00.002-04:00

A hat tip to my friend and fellow blogger, The Tar Heel for discovering a couple of music tributes to the Capitals. One is from a band that I honestly have never heard of called Pummeler (the song is called ''Ovechkin'') and the other is from D.C. hardcore pros (legends?) Darkest Hour and is called simply "Let's Go CAPS!!!".

Click to play in browser or right-click and chose 'Save Link As' or 'Save Target As' to download:

"Ovechkin" by Pummeler (NSFW)
"Let's Go CAPS!!!" by Darkest Hour

Flyers/Capitals Series Preview

2008-04-10T21:37:00.000-04:00

(3) Washington Capitals vs (6) Philadelphia Flyers

About the Opponent

Philadelphia Flyers: 42-29-11, 95 points, 4th in the Atlantic Division, 6th in the Eastern Conference.

Team Leaders
Goals: Vaclav Prospal (33: 29 with Tampa, 4 with Philadelphia)
Assists: Mike Richards (47)
Points: Mike Richards (75)
Plus/Minus: Braydon Coburn (+17)
Penalty Minutes: Riley Cote (202)
Fights: Riley Cote (24)

Keys to the Series

Washington
(1) Home ice advantage. Not a traditional strong point for the Capitals, but the Verizon Center has come alive as a sea of red in the last few weeks (how well this remains when the team isn't the NHL's darling and Cinderella story remains to be seen, but that's another issue). The reality is that a loud, noisy, red building is something that the Capitals can feed off of, even if it doesn't necessarily intimidate opponents.
(2) Start strong. The Capitals need to get a fast start, even faster than winning the first game. Like, they need to dominate the first five minutes and score the first goal. The Capitals had a ton of momentum to finish the regular season but that's going to diminished now because of the long layoff and the fact that, well, it's a whole new season now. Starting strong would help the Caps get some momentum back.
(3) Healthy defense corps. Both Shaone Morrisonn and Jeff Schultz were hurt in the season's closing games. It looks like (knock on wood) they're going to both be ready to go for Game 1. With how much scoring depth the Flyers have, plus their physical brand of hockey, having these two 100% in important.
(4) Stay out of the box. The Flyers are going to get physical and may even get a little dirty, but the Capitals need to avoid retaliation penalties against the team with the NHL's second-best powerplay. The key players to watch here are Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, John Erskine and Donald Brashear.

Flyers
(1) Stay on the attack. The Capitals have played very well defensively lately but the defense is exploitable - only Tom Poti does not have questions about his health, experience or overall skill level. If the Flyers can keep their offensive players attacking and aggressive throughout the series they may just get the Capitals to cough up a puck or two that lead to goals, and that may just be enough to turn the series.
(2) Find a matchup that works. The Flyers have a lot of pretty good defensemen, but who can match up against Ovechkin? Derian Hatcher and Jason Smith are too slow and Lasse Kukkonen, Jaroslav Modry and Kimmo Timonen aren't physical enough. The Flyers best bet is probably their plus-minus leader from this past season, Braydon Coburn. As good as Coburn is, I don't think he can handle Ovechkin, especially not night after night. If they Flyers do figure out a way to shut down Ovechkin offensively, it will go a long way towards them winning the series. It's worth noting the the plan right now is to have Timonen mark Ovechkin.
(3) Controlled physicality. It's been said a thousand times this season but it's worth mentioning again: The Broad Street Bullies are back. While that might help the Flyers, it can also hurt them and ever since the cheap shots by, and subsequent suspensions of, Steve Downie and Jesse Boulrice the league's been watching the Flyers. Bringing physical play to the table could help the Flyers but it's a strategy that could backfire: a number of Capitals, including Ovechkin, Bradley, Morrisonn and Brooks Laich, seem to get more into the game as it becomes more physical. Plus constantly having to have a Semin-Backstrom-Fedorov-Green-Ovechkin powerplay isn't the way to win a series.
(4) A fast start. I mentioned earlier that I think the Capitals' momentum will have waned since the finish to their regular season. A hot start by Philly, say two goals in the series' first ten minutes, would extinguish it completely.

Players to Watch

Washington
Matt Cooke - The Flyers are going to bring attitude, physical play and maybe just a hint of dirtyness. Cooke can throw all of that right back at them.
Sergei Fedorov - Fedorov is important to the Capitals success for a number of reasons: he's their best penalty killing forward, he's a key component of the powerplay, he's a great defensive forward and he's playoff tested.
Cristobal Huet - Huet's 11-2 with a 1.63 GAA and .936 save percentage since coming to the Capitals. Play like that from you goaltending means that a team has confidence...and someone to fall back on when things don't go their way.
Alex Ovechkin - Every NHL fan on the planet has to be excited to see Ovechkin in the playoffs...except those with their allegiances to the orange and black.

Flyers
Martin Biron - Biron had his best NHL season in 2007-08, but he's also never played an NHL playoff game. That, plus asking a 6'3'', 163 pound goalie who has a reputation of having stamina issues to play a physical series comprised of three games a week, means that Flyers fans probably aren't as comfortable as they'd want to be with their man in the net.
Jeff Carter - Carter had a nice season this year with 53 points (29 goals), but he looks like he could be even better. What should concern Caps fans is that he looks like he's going to turn a corner any day now.
Daniel Briere - Briere has been incredibly underwhelming for the Flyers this season, especially for a man pulling in ten million dollars. His 31 goals and 72 points are solid, but also represent declines from last season (32 goals, 95 points) and he posted a team worst -22 plus-minus rating. Of course, Briere still has talent and may use the playoffs to try and redeem himself.

Around the (Inter)net
Mike Vogel explains why the physical matchup might not be what you think it is...Apparently ESPN is getting in on the Caps love...The newest member of the crazy media corps is apparently named Don Brennan (move over Mike Brophy!)...CBC talks with the creator of hockeyfights.com...The Caps have at least one celebrity fan.

Wizards Hit the Home Stretch

2008-04-09T16:02:00.005-04:00

Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards
Tonight, April 9 - 7pm
Verizon Center

After three much-needed days of rest, the Wizards are back in action tonight when they take on the Boston Celtics at the Phone Booth. Antawn Jamison is expected to return after missing two games with a sprained right shoulder and Gilbert Arenas will be back on the floor after sitting out Saturday's win over Chicago as a precautionary measure.

Washington (40-37) currently sits in 5th place in the Eastern Conference playoff race, has a one-game lead on Philadelphia and trails Cleveland by two games for home-court advantage in the first round. It's crunch time for the Wiz as they take on some of the East's best over their final five contests. Yet, with Boston, Detroit and Orlando locked into the first three spots, they will likely be giving some of their starters a rest over the last week and a half of the season, giving Washington an opportunity to possibly overtake the struggling Cavs.

Most importantly, Eddie Jordan will be toying with his lineups to figure out how Agent Zero best fits into the rotation. Having an All-Star with 20+ ppg potential coming off the bench is a luxury most coaches in the East don't have. So finally, after enduring countless injuries to key contributors all season, the Wizards might actually have an edge in the personal department when it matters most.

The Celts (62-15) come into D.C. having won seven straight, but lately they've been giving the bulk of the playing time to their bench. In their 107-104 overtime win last night against the Bucks, none of the Big Three played more than 22 minutes. Doc Rivers has the right idea, resting his stars and giving his role players a chance to build some confidence heading into the post-season, but don't forget, the Wiz knocked off Boston in back-to-back games with the Big Three on the floor earlier this season and with a healthy Big Three for Eddie Jordan, they should be able to handle the C's tonight.

-- The Tar Heel

Ten defining moments in the Capitals 2007-08 regular season

2008-04-07T15:26:00.001-04:00

10. October 5th, 2007 - Opening night. In the first game of the season the Capitals delivered on their offseason promise: the new uniforms were crisp and sharp, new acquisitions Michael Nylander and Viktor Kozlov each notched a goal and the Capitals ruined Atlanta's "2006-7 Southeast Champions" banner raising ceremony by peppering Kari Lehtonen with 40 shots en route to a 3-1 win. The Capitals would of course falter soon after, but the first game of the season gave a glimpse into how strong Washington could be.

9. October 12th, 2007 - Capitals lose to the Rangers, 3-1. The first loss of the season doesn't have to be a defining moment (after all no one is going to go 82-0). But the Capitals' first loss of this season foreshadowed the problems the team would not be able to solve under Hanlon: having the best offensive players stifled under the defensive system, looking disorganized and listless and being simply unprepared.

8. January 15th, 2008 - Capitals beat Ottawa to sweep season set. By this point everyone in the league knew the Capitals could match up against the Senators, having taken the season's previous three meetings. But the sweep of season series served as proof that the Capitals could play with anyone, and provided a boost that helped the Capitals win the next two games, resulting in a crucial 4-1 homestand.

7. November 21st, 2008 - Bruce Boudreau's first game as head coach. Boudreau had only had control of the Washington bench for a day when the Caps staggered into Philadelphia to take on a Flyers team that looked quite good after a myriad of offseason changes, but it showed. The Capitals were uncharacteristically (at that point) aggressive and jumped on the Flyers 3-0. Even though it took birthday boy (and temporary fourth liner) Nicklas Backstrom's overtime winner to hand the game to the Capitals, the change in coaching philosophy was apparent and those 61 minutes, 55 seconds at Wachovia Center gave Capitals fans a world of hope.

6. January 11th, 2008 - Alexander Ovechkin signs his 13 year contract extension. Given the Capitals amazing and improbable race to the postseason it may seem a little strange but when all is said and done this may end up being the defining moment of 2007-08 for the Capitals, as inking the NHL's most exciting player to such a long contract gives Washington a great focal point to build the team around, signals to fans that the team is serious about winning and has the potential to move the nation's capital up in the eyes of the hockey world, possibly even becoming a "hockey town".

5. March 21, 2008 - Capitals beat Atlanta After losing to the Blackhawks 5-0 in the their previous game and trailing 3-1 at the second intermission it looked like the long uphill battle had taken its toll on the Capitals. However the Capitals rallied back, scoring four third period goals to beat the Thrashers 5-3. The Capitals would carry the momentum of that period with them even after the final buzzer and haven't lost a game since.

4. February 26th, 2008 - Capitals active at trade deadline. The flurry of activity at the deadline (Washington was the most active team) caught Capitals fans and the NHL by surprise, as George McPhee had said several times that the Capitals would likely stand part for the most part. However, the Canadiens and Blue Jackets made Cristobal Huet and Sergei Fedorov available for reasonable prices. When the dust had cleared the Capitals had picked up picked up that duo plus Matt Cooke, all without sacrificing any key pieces of their current roster or blue-chip prospects. All three acquisitions played significant roles down the stretch for the Caps: Huet went 11-2 with a 1.63 GAA and .936 save percentage, Cooke notched 7 points (3+4) and brought an aggressive forechecking presence to the lineup while Fedorov tallied 13 points (2+11), including the playoff-clinching goal. In addition, the trio help to solidify a Washington penalty killing unit that was among the league's worst.

3. April 4th, 2008 - Florida beats Carolina. As a team you always want to be in a position to control your own destiny. Unfortunately when you start 6-14-1, that's not always an option. Along the same lines, you never want one of the defining moments of your season to be someone else picking up a big win but the truth is that if Florida hadn't pulled out this improbable win, the Capitals wouldn't be in the playoffs.

2. April 5th, 2008 - Capitals beat Florida 3-1 at home. The culmination of months of hard work, the once left-for-dead Capitals finished off Southeast Division rival Florida in front of a raucous "red out" crowd to secure the franchise's first postseason berth in five years (and the first of Alexander Ovechkin's career).

1. November 22nd, 2007 - Glen Hanlon fired; Bruce Boudreau promoted. It might not have had the same cathartic effect as the win against Florida to seal the playoff berth, but without the promotion of Boudreau the Capitals would have, in all likelihood, be on the outside looking in yet again when it came to playoff time. As an aside, it must be slightly vindicating for George McPhee and the rest of the Capitals brass to have Boudreau lead the Capitals to postseason on the last day of the season after being criticized in some corners for being classless for firing Glen Hanlon on Thanksgiving Day, usually with the added caveat "they should have waited until the end of the weekend, it's not like it would have made a difference."

Capitals Round One playoff schedule

2008-04-07T15:25:00.000-04:00

Per the NHL's website:

Fri., April 11, 2008 7:00 PM Philadelphia at Washington VERSUS, TSN
Sun., April 13, 2008 2:00 PM Philadelphia at Washington NBC, TSN
Tues., April 15, 2008 7:00 PM Washington at Philadelphia VERSUS, TSN
Thurs, April 17, 2008 7:00 PM Washington at Philadelphia VERSUS, TSN
Sat., April 19, 2008 1:00 PM Philadelphia at Washington NBC, TSN
Mon., April 21, 2008 TBD Washington at Philadelphia VERSUS, TSN
Tues., April 22, 2008 TBD Philadelphia at Washington TSN

Playoff Bound

2008-04-05T22:03:00.001-04:00

Support the Red Out

2008-04-05T03:12:00.003-04:00

Here's why everyone at the Capitals' next game should be supporting the Red Out:

If winning is everything, British anthropologists have some advice: Wear red.

Their survey of four sports at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens shows competitors were more likely to win their contests if they wore red uniforms or red body armor.

"Across a range of sports, we find that wearing red is consistently associated with a higher probability of winning," report Russell A. Hill and Robert A. Barton of the University of Durham in England. Their findings are in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.

Red coloration is associated with aggression in many animals. Often it is sexually selected so that scarlet markings signal male dominance.

Just think of the red stripes on the scowling face of the male Mandrill, Africa's largest monkey species. But red is not exclusively a male trait. It's the female black widow spider that is venomous and displays a menacing red dot on her abdomen.

Similarly, the color's effect also may subconsciously intimidate opponents in athletic contests, especially when the athletes are equal in skill and strength, the researchers suggest.

In their survey, the anthropologists analyzed the results of four one-on-one contact sports at the summer games: boxing, taekwondo, Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling.

In those events, the athletes were randomly assigned red protective gear and other sportswear.

Athletes wearing red gear won more often in 16 of 21 rounds of competition in all four events.

The effect was the same regardless of weight classes, too: 19 of 29 classes had more red winners, and only four rounds had more blue winners.

The red effect also might come into play in team sports.

The anthropologists made a preliminary analysis of the Euro 2004 international soccer tournament, in which teams wore jerseys of different colors in different matches. They found that five teams scored more goals and won more often when they wore shirts that were predominantly red, as opposed to blue or white jerseys.

Scientists don't precisely known how wearing red might give athletes an advantage. But the color delivers implicit messages of vigor and danger. When people get angry, their faces turn red. It's also a reason why stop signs are red. So are most Ferraris.

A case can perhaps be made that most of the recent winners of U.S. sports championships have at least a touch of red on their uniforms: among pro teams, the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, the Detroit Pistons. And in college football, Southern California.

But it's the gracious sport of golf that offers the best example. Tiger Woods wears an iconic red shirt on Sundays, the final day of most tournaments.

Panthers/Capitals Preview

2008-04-05T03:04:00.001-04:00

There are 82 games in the NHL's regular season, and the Capitals have needed every one of them to try and get themselves into a playoff position. It all comes down to this for the Capitals in 2007-08, a game in their own barn, with a sea of red backing them inside the arena and the support of a city that hasn't been this fully behind the Caps since their 1998 Stanley Cup run. The Caps opponent, the Florida Panthers, played the role of spoiler last night in Raleigh and will be looking to do the same against the Caps. The improbable Panthers win might just be a case of the hockey gods looking favorably upon Washington: the Panthers were outshot 46-17 last night, were called for nine penalties to Carolina's zero, used both their goaltenders and won in Carolina for the first time since 2002. Beyond just the win, this is good news for a Capitals team that will be facing the traveling Panthers squad less than 24 hours after last night's intense matchup, so something tells me the Caps will probably have more spring in their step.

The bottom line? The Capitals need one point to get in to the postseason. Let's do this thing.

Florida Panthers at Washington Capitals
Saturday, April 5th, 2008, 7:00 PM
Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
TV: CSN
Last Meeting: 3/29/08, Caps win 3-0

About the Opponent

Florida Panthers: 38-34-9, 85 points, 3rd in the Southeast Division, 11th in the Eastern Conference

Team Leaders
Goals: Olli Jokinen (34)
Assists: Olli Jokinen (37)
Points: Olli Jokinen (71)
Plus/Minus: Jassen Cullimore (+21)
Penalty Minutes: Nathan Horton (85)
Fights: Tanner Glass (7)

Keys to the Game

Washington
Score early and score often. Florida's primary motivation in this game is going to be playing the role of spoiler. While that might be enough to get off to solid start or provide a boost late in a close game, it's probably not going to be enough to motivate a team to come back from a 2-0 or 3-0 deficit.

Florida
Convert your chances. Unless something strange happens, the Capitals should have more shots, more scoring chances more puck possession and more offensive zone time, so the only way Florida is going to have a shot on the big board is to convert an unusually higher number of their opportunities.

Players to Watch

Washington
John Erskine - The only way I see the Capitals losing this game is if they make mistakes to hand the game to Florida; the only player that I think is likely to make a mistake like that is Erskine. The Capitals don't need a great game from Erskine, they just need him to not screw up.

Florida
Tomas Vokoun/Craig Anderson - Both are capable of stealing a game, and there's a very good chance that whichever Panther is in net will be the toughest task for the Capitals tonight.

Games to keep an eye on

2008-04-04T13:14:00.001-04:00

Tarik El-Bashir (the Capitals' beat writer for The Washington Post) has compiled a very handy list of scenarios which would put the Capitals in the playoffs. For tonight there are two games with playoff race implications:

Florida at Carolina, 7:00 PM
At the moment the Hurricanes and the Capitals are tied for first in the Southeast Division in terms of points, but Carolina holds all the tiebreakers. If Carolina wins, they clinch the Southeast; if Florida wins in overtime the Capitals can take the division with a win tomorrow; if Florida wins in regulation the Capitals can win the division by at least getting to overtime.

Ottawa at Boston, 7:30 PM
Ottawa has 94 points through 81 games, Boston has 92 points through 80 games, the Capitals have 92 points through 81 games and hold tiebreakers against both Ottawa and Boston. If Ottawa wins in regulation, the Capitals control their own destiny and can get in over Boston by winning tomorrow night against Florida. If Boston wins in regulation, the Capitals would get in over Ottawa with a win tomorrow. What the Caps really need to root for here is a two point game. As long as this one is decided in regulation the Capitals will be in control of their own destiny, which all a team ever asks for.

Capitals top Lightning, 4-1

2008-04-04T01:46:00.000-04:00

Capitals 4, Lightning 1

Well, the Red Out didn't seem to be quite as prominent last night as it was on the first against Carolina, but the Capitals pulled out a win against a frustrated Tampa Bay team and put themselves, for tonight at least, in the Eastern Conference's eight spot.

Even with the two points going to the Capitals, much of the discussion about this game will center on Brooks Laich's disallowed goal in the first period. I'm sure it will be discussed in detail elsewhere, but I'll just say that it was simply a bad call - if the referees were going to rule that Tomas Fleischmann had interfered on the play, he should have received an interference minor. To waive off the goal but not call Fleischmann for a penalty is exactly the kind of indecisive need-to-please-everyone attitude that referees need to avoid.

DMG's 3 Stars
(1) Cristobal Huet - 18 saves on 19 shots (.947 save %)
(2) Alex Ovechkin - 2 goals, 5 shots, 3 hits, +1, 2 blocked shots
(3) Viktor Kozlov - 2 assists, +1, 7 shots

Quick Hits

As an American hockey fan, it bothers me that John Tortorella is going to coach the U.S. in the World Championships, and his team's pathetic display at the end of last night's game didn't do much to enamor me to him.

Speaking of which,like any sane Caps fan I love Bruce Boudreau, but he made a big mistake not having Donald Brashear on the ice after Doug Janik's roughing penalty on Fleischmann.

If not for a combination of Kari Ramo and the Caps missing by inches, it could have been 5-1 by the end of the first.

Got to love Matt Cooke because even when he's not scoring he makes his presence felt, and he had 6 hits last night.

On the Lightning side, 5 of their 15 hits were from defenseman Matt Smaby.

HIBACHI!

2008-04-03T16:26:00.005-04:00

"The guy marches to the beat of his own drummer."

That's what a team source said when asked about Gilbert Arenas' decision to return to the court last night after being cleared to play the day before...and saying he wouldn't.

There's really no other way to put it. Agent Zero is an enigma. And what that makes him incredibly frustrating to follow as a coach, a fan - hell, as a blogger - and yet it's also what makes him the face of the Wizards' franchise and what made the Verizon Center go absolutely bonkers for a second consecutive night on Wednesday.

Yeah, Washington lost to Milwaukee and sustained some potentially crippling injuries in the final sequence, and we'll get to that, but the big news is that Gilbert Arenas is back. He brings a certain swagger and an extra level of energy - much like Caron's impact when he returned last month - that elevates this team. And boy did Gil look good last night.

With 5:30 remaining in the first quarter, Arenas emerged from the locker room in typical Gilbert Arenas fashion. Nine seconds later he checked into the game and received a standing ovation and on the ensuing Wizards' possession, Gilbert scored on a reverse layup - his first bucket since November 16. He finished with 17 points in 20 minutes, including two free throws to tie the game at 109 with seconds remaining. But while he didn't have trouble getting into the offensive flow after his four and a half month layoff, he lacked the ability to move laterally on the defensive end and was a liability.

So with 16 seconds left, Eddie Jordan pulled Arenas for Antonio Daniels. The Wizards got the stop they needed and Antawn Jamison sacrificed his body, jumping into the front row to tip the ensuing loose ball down court to Daniels to ice the game. But Daniels didn't show the same hustle, allowing former D-Leaguer Ramon Sessions to snatch the ball from behind and call timeout with 1.1 seconds left. In a stunning, and yet all to fitting, finale, Sessions got the final shot, letting a 19-footer fly just two-tenths of a second before the final buzzer. It swished through the net and Gilbert's return was spoiled.

The final sequence was just one of numerous defensive break-downs on the night for a team that seems to have lost their edge on that end of the floor after playing so well in consecutive games after Butler's return. Washington shot 56 percent from the field but allowed the Bucks to shoot 55 percent and despite leading for nearly the entire game, the Wizards never could put the game out of reach. The Wiz were out-rebounded by Milwaukee 41-34, with Andrew Bogut (20 points, 10 boards) and Charlie Villanueva (24 points, 12 boards) posting double-doubles.

With a win and Indiana's loss to Boston, the Wizards had an opportunity to lock up a playoff berth and maintain a half-game lead over Toronto and Philadelphia for the fifth spot. Instead they dropped into a three-way tie and must regroup before tomorrow night's game against the listless Miami Heat. What's worse, Jamison (sprained right shoulder) and DeShawn Stevenson (sprained ankle) both suffered injuries in the waning seconds and could miss time. Had the Wizards stepped up and made one or two more stops down the stretch, they wouldn't be in this situation.

It'll be interesting to see how Jordan decides to use Gilbert down the stretch. He came off the bench last night and I really like him in that role. Even though it would essentially turn opponents' offensive possessions into 5-on-3 power plays, being able to bring in a one-two combo of Gil and Nick Young off the bench could be a lightning in a bottle for the Wiz. If the Hibachi continues to come off the bench in the next two weeks, he will be able to gradually get back to game fitness and it'll be a much easier transition for him and the team. Remember, the Wizards' have been doing pretty well without him all season, and I think he realizes that and doesn't want to disrupt the chemistry these guys have developed.

Noteworthy

Last night's loss wasn't bad enough to put a damper on DeShawn's 27th birthday bash at Collaborations. Dan Steinberg was there to take in all the 80's themed apparel - trust me, there was plenty - and MC Biz Markie's musical stylings. Note: Check out that boom box the Locksmith is carrying. And when was the last time you saw a cell phone as big as Gil's?
Earlier this week, Arenas told reporters that he would be willing to take a pay cut to keep the Wizards' current roster in tact. He has said all season that he plans to opt out of his contract and Jamison will also become a free agent this summer. "I want to see Antawn taken care of first and then I'll take the pay cut to keep the team intact," he said. It remains to be seen whether the erratic All-Star will stay true to his word on this, but the reality of the situation is that the he wants to remain in Washington (no other playoff teams have the salary to sign him for what the Wizards can offer) and he knows that Jamison is a key part of the core of this group. It's a kind and practical gesture from Arenas and one that I'd love to see come to fruition.

Tonight I'm headed to the Phone Booth to be a part of another Red-Out as the Caps try to get one step closer to the playoffs with a win against the Lightning. Should be fun.

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!

-- The Tar Heel

Who to root for

2008-04-02T12:26:00.001-04:00

Who to root for, April 02, 2008:

Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Lightning at Carolina Hurricanes, 7:00 PM, NHL Center Ice channel Game 2

New Jersey
Boston Bruins at New Jersey Devils, 7:00 PM, NHL Center Ice channel Game 3

Pittsburgh (seriously)
Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7:30 PM, NHL Network

Capitals top Hurricanes, pull into tie for division lead

2008-04-02T12:16:00.001-04:00

Capitals 4, Hurricanes 1

You can't necessarily draw too many conclusions from one game but it certainly looked like one of the teams in last night's game deserved to be in the playoffs...and it wasn't the team that came in ahead in the standings. The Capitals flat out dominated this game - they outshot the Hurricanes 39-22, won 55% of the faceoffs, outhit their visitors 29-21 and controlled the play for the majority of each of the game's three periods.

Of course, the Capitals did get a little help from the Hurricanes and, frankly, from the officials. Not that every call went the Capitals way (after all, the Hurricanes only goal was scored because the officials missed Brooks Laich's stick being slashed out of his hands), but the Capitals had the benefit of the doubt from the men in stripes (and orange armbands) all night long.

The question is: was this a matter of luck, or is it somewhat telling of where Carolina now stands with the NHL's officials? After all, everyone knows that officials hate to be shown up and that word travels fast in the NHL these days. The Hurricanes are quickly gaining a reputation as a team of divers and regardless to what extent it's true the reality is that just as players like Sean Avery, Alex Burrows or Donald Brashear can be sent to the sin bin for "reputation penalties", a team can be victimized if they're thought to be particularly unfriendly to officials...and Peter Laviolette's uncalled for temper tantrum(s) (in which, by the way, he had the same 'I can't control myself and am about to cry' look as a four year old denied ice cream) certainly aren't going to help.

Speaking of which, just as Capitals fans can be encouraged by the way their team won I think it makes sense to be encouraged by the way the Hurricanes lost. Laviolette, as mentioned, blew a gasket not once, but twice at the referees and that's not something that's going to enamor him (or his team) to the league's officials. Brett Hedican, a 37-year-old veteran with nearly 1,000 NHL games under his belt took a frustration penalty after being hit by Alex Ovechkin. In an attempt to establish himself physically Jeff Hamilton fell backward and took a four minute high-sticking penalty. The Hurricanes bench took a penalty for abuse of officials immediately after a penalty was called on the Capitals. All while being thoroughly dominated by the Capitals in a game that Carolina had at least as much motivation to win. It could just have been one bad night. But if it's anything more than that, if the Hurricanes stumble even a little bit in their two remaining games, it might cost them a post season berth. We'll get to see tomorrow night when the 'Canes travel back to Carolina to host Tampa Bay.

DMG's 3 Stars
(1) Cristobal Huet - stopped 21 of 22 (.955%) shots sent his way
(2) Alex Semin - 1 goal, +1, 3 hits (including a big one early on to set the tone)
(3) Sergei Fedorov - 2 assists, +1, 67% on faceoffs

Quotable

"The atmosphere was great. I have never seen a building like that. I have never seen the building like that."

-Mike Green

Quick Hits

The three stars as chosen by the local media were the Capitals three trade deadline acquisitions.

Apparently Semin can hit, so long as his energy is devoted there and not into slashing or roughing penalties.

In addition to his goal, Matt Cooke had 6 hits.

Jeff Schultz had 4 shot blocks.

Is the key to getting Cam Ward off his game just to crash the net? If so, even if the Hurricanes make the playoffs, they're not going anywhere.

Banged Up Wiz Return Home After 2-3 Trip

2008-04-01T12:10:00.006-04:00

Sunday night the Wizards were one big shot or one defensive stop away from stunning the Lakers in an overtime thriller in Los Angeles. A victory would've secured a winning road trip and bolstered Washington's chances of holding on to the 5th spot in the East and perhaps even catching Cleveland for 4th.

Instead, the boys in blue lost that game 126-120, suffered two key injuries, got drilled by 42 points in Utah last night and limped home with a 2-3 mark on the West coast trip. It was an ugly way to end an otherwise encouraging trip for the Wiz, who mounted impressive comebacks in each of their two wins and to force overtime against the Lakers.

In Friday's 114-108 win in Sacramento the Wizards climbed back from 16 down in the third quarter and thanks in large part to former-King Darius Songaila's 17 points in 18 minutes, they were able to hold on at the end.

Two nights later, it was another bench player who almost single-handedly kept the Wizards in a tight game in L.A. Making his first trip back to the city where he starred for USC, rookie Nick Young exploded for his most impressive offensive game, dropping a career-high 27 in a career-high 31 minutes. Eddie Jordan put the ball in his young scorer's hands time and time again down the stretch - a little too much for my liking, even with his hot hand - and showed tremendous confidence in Young against one of the best teams in the league.

The Wizards lost the game in overtime, in another one of those physically and emotionally draining defeats. They also lost Antonio Daniels (sprained left wrist) and Caron Butler (sprained left hamstring) at least for last night's loss in Utah. Butler - who hit a ridiculous three with Derek Fisher all up in his grill to force overtime - might be able to return for tomorrow' night's game against the Bucks. Daniels could also play but his injury, which forced him out of Sunday's game after just three minutes on the floor, appears to be a bit more serious.

What to Take Away from the Road Trip

The bench is geared up and ready to play. With a few exceptions - read Andray Blatche - the Wizards' reserves are pulling their weight and then some in recent weeks. Roger Mason has been the unsung hero all season, filling in for the injured Arenas and Daniels at the point and providing timely long-range buckets to go along with veteran backcourt play. But now Songaila and Young are pitching in on a nightly basis, giving Washington more reliable scoring options off the bench than they've had all season. Check out the Numbers Game below to see their improvements.
Tough Juice is in playoff mode. Since returning to the Wizards' lineup on March 13 against Cleveland, the Wiz are 7-3 in games in which he has played. Butler was firing on all cylinders against his old team on Sunday, notching his third triple-double of the season (17 points, 12 boards and 12 assists) and watching his reaction to that three to force overtime sent a chill down my spine. I just wish Eddie would've put the ball in Caron's hands in overtime rather than Young's. Nick had a great game but Caron is the captain and hitting big shots go with that title. You've got to give him touches in the extra period. Assuming his hamstring injury isn't serious, I can't see Caron allowing this team to fall any lower than the 5th spot. Everyone on that roster would love to get another shot at the Cavs and with the way CB3 is playing right now, it would be a tasty matchup.
Speaking of guys drooling over a possible Cavs-Wiz first round series, how about DeShawn Stevenson on Sunday night? The Locksmith was locked and loaded in L.A., dropping 27 on 8-for-12 shooting from behind the arc. Stevenson seems to step it up big in the big games and if he gets another chance to go opposite his not-so-good buddy LeBron, you can bet he'll be looking to make a statement for himself and his team.

The Numbers Game
The bench has been producing for the Wizards lately, and they made their presence felt on the five-game road trip. Here's a look at how the reserves played during that stretch compared to their season averages. Note: One of these things is not like the others. Scoring numbers are up for every reserve except one.

Player------------PPG---RPG---APG
Mason (07-08)----8.8----1.5-----1.7
Mason (Last 5)---12.2----2.2-----3.0
Songaila(07-08)---5.9----3.1-----1.6
Songaila(Last 5)---7.4----2.8-----1.2
Young (07-08)----7.5----1.6-----0.9
Young (Last 5)---11.4----0.6-----1.0
McGuire (07-08)-1.2----1.9-----0.5
McGuire (Last 5)-2.8----1.6-----0.4
Blatche (07-08)---7.1----5.0-----1.1
Blatche (Last 5)---4.8----3.6-----0.8

Quotable

"I'm happy for Nick Young and I'm proud of my guys but we just played a team that executed down the stretch. And we just couldn't come up with the one big play at the end." -- Eddie Jordan on the loss to L.A.
"I wouldn't say we were tired; I would say they are good and you have to give credit to them. They attacked us early, kept attacking, they had great ball movement and they just continued to play well. They're running the same offense they ran when I was here and if you don't come out focused, they'll keep screening and get open shots and that's what happened." -- Stevenson on the loss to Utah

Stay tuned for some news on Gilbert possibly taking a pay-cut to keep the Big Three in tact and Washington's matchup with the Bucks tomorrow night.

-- The Tar Heel

Hurricanes/Capitals Preview

2008-03-31T19:46:00.000-04:00

Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008, 7:00 PM
Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
TV: CSN
Last Meeting: 3/26/08, Caps win 3-2 in the shootout

To call this one the biggest game of the season would be an understatement - this is biggest game this franchise has played in almost five years; the biggest since Martin St. Louis broke the hearts of Caps fans with an powerplay game winner in the third overtime at MCI Center on Easter Sunday, 2003, the result of a too many men on the ice call. A win Tuesday night would put the Capitals into a tie (points-wise) with Carolina for first in the Southeast Division, while a loss would all but extinguish the team's already somewhat dim playoffs hopes. If the Capitals have proven anything this season it's that they're never down and out, and are at their best when their backs are against the wall. Do they have one more great win in them?

About the Opponent

Carolina Hurricanes: 42-31-6, 90 points, 1st in the Southeast Division, 3rd in the Eastern Conference

Team Leaders
Goals: Eric Staal (36)
Assists: Eric Staal (43)
Points: Eric Staal (79)
Plus/Minus: Joe Corvo (+19)
Penalty Minutes: Scott Walker (113)
Fights: Wade Brookbank (12)

Keys to the Game

Washington
Play your game. The Capitals are 32-17-7 under Bruce Boudreau and have won eight of their last nine. In short, the team knows how to play hockey and win games at the NHL level. What they need to do is not let the pressure of this game get to them and start changing the way they play.

Carolina
Score early. Cam Ward's confidence against the Capitals has got to be high, so if the Hurricanes can get an early lead and concentrate on playing defense it might be hard for the Capitals to battle back.

Players to Watch

Washington
John Erskine - Carolina has a lot of good forwards and most of them are very good skaters while Erskine...is not. Due to his lack of foot speed and agility, Erskine is probably the best blue line target for the Hurricanes when they're trying to create chances.

Carolina
Cam Ward - Ward's been a little inconsistent this season, but he's 5-0-1 against the Caps with a .950 save percentage. For Washington to win this one in regulation, they'll need to do a better job of solving Ward.

Nats Stadium - Ready to Rock and Oh So Nice

2008-03-30T12:39:00.005-04:00

This sports clown went to the Nationals vs. Orioles exhibition game on Saturday the 29th.

All I can say is Wow. The stadium is amazing. Normally I'd sit here and pick apart the piteous effort by both teams to score runs, but it was an exhibition game and most of the starters were taken out by the third inning.
Let's put it this way, I was too busy walking around the brand new stadium, in compete shock and awe to care about the game.
(I will add a few notes on at the end of this post about strengths and weakness... and by a few I mean 12.)

If I were to compare the stadium to another in the league, the closet would be Busch II in St. Louis. Which makes sense because it is the previous most recently build stadium, but what makes this stadium different is its open feeling and really expansive nature. Maybe it's because it was an exhibition game and the masses hadn't taken over yet, but as I watched the game I got a really good feeling that even though I was with thousands of other people the game I was watching was just my own. Bottom line, great sightlines from every seat that I sat in.

The concourse has a similar feel, real open in places. They have a cool bar area in dead center. I'm not sure if it's going to be open to everyone when the regular season starts, but the Red-zone was a pretty chill place to watch the game (especially for all you fans that like mixed drinks, or are with ladies that don't want another $8 beer)
I can see the food area getting absolutely crazy. I'm not sure they did a good enough job giving their venues enough space for lines and the fact that the main food court area is in the shape of a "V" with only complicate things as the different vendor lines smash together.
They do however have a lot of options. A big failure of RFK was remedied and there is great food all around the ballpark. Red Hot and Blue, Hard Times, Boardwalk fries, Ballpark Classics, Ice Cream, Dippin Dots, Chicken Tenders, Pretzels, Pizza, Chili. The best part is each food has its own stand. So if you want chicken, you won't have to wait in line with all the people that want a hot dog and vice versa. And, Oh Yeah! Five Guys is coming!

Note: The main food vendor area is tilted on the third base side of centerfield and the main picnic area is tilted on the first base side of centerfield. You've got to walk around past the Playstation area and the Red Zone tower to find the tables. I hope they plan on putting in more tables.

Everything is pretty expensive. I had a beer and a pulled pork sandwich platter for 20 bucks, was still hungry and had to add fries for another 5. But seriously, when has stadium food ever been cheap. Back in the day they probably complained that their frankfurter was costing them a nickel when they could ride the train to the Coney Island for 2 cents. It's the nature of the beast and I can suck it up for a night of entertainment.

All-in-all the stadium is very nice and the money put in was well spent. It looks great, the food is gourmet compared to RFK and the viewing experience is second to none. They've managed to capture a spring training/interactive/personal feel on the big stage.

Metro = > This is the nitty gritty about getting to the ballpark. They have other methods that include a shuttle from RFK and parking for season ticket holders, but that could be just as squirrelly so I recommend using the Metro. No matter where you are coming from you'll need to get on the Green line and get off at the Navy Yard. For most that means Green line towards Branch Avenue and for everyone that I know that means transfer to green at L'Enfant Plaza. This will bring you up right next to the stadium, literally take a left and there it is. Pretty cool situation and a real fun sight to see when you are ready to go to a ball game.

Now listen up because this is important. When the game is over, do not follow the rest of the sheep back into the Navy Yard stop. Go past the mob, take your first left and follow the signs to the Waterfront stop. It's hiding next to a Safeway, but you'll see the overhang. The Waterfront is one stop down on the green line and if you are walking briskly or even an above average pace you will by-pass the entire clustersmuck leaving the stadium. It'll still take about an hour to get home, but headaches will be at a minimum.

Now for the less than stellar part of the evening, the game... (click the tab for expanded analysis for the positives and negatives)

Positives:

- We won 3-0
- Kearns looked sharp and ready to prove himself
- Nick Johnson is still healthy
- The bullpen was very strong
- Bergmann didn't disappoint my high hopes for him
- Ryan Zimmerman is still the dreamy poster boy of the franchise so I bought a jersey

Negatives:

- Paul Lo Duca can't throw out my grandmother, prepare to watch a lot of teams run
- We only scored 3 runs against the Orioles
- Elijah Dukes left 10 runners on base and 5 in scoring position, striking out twice
- The bench looked really weak (Lopez 0-2, Boone 0-1, Young 1-4, Flores 0-1)
- Bergmann walked more batters than he struck out
- Dmitri Young is listed at 6'2'', 220 Lbs in the media guide, haha. Yeah right.

The Nationals have a lot to work on, but at least they are doing some things right. I've said it before, they will be a competitive team on most nights but lets just hope they can turn that into a couple more wins than we are used to.

- The Hokie

Huet, Kozlov shine in Caps win

2008-03-29T23:57:00.001-04:00

Capitals 3, Panthers 0

Coming into the final stretch the Washington Capitals are looking increasingly like a team of destiny (or an unstoppable force, for those more scientifically inclined fans) and last night's 3-0 over a Florida Panthers team that needed a win to keep any glimmer of playoff hope alive did nothing to diminish that feeling, as the Capitals emerged victorious behind stellar performances from Viktor Kozlov and Cristobal Huet.

With their win, Washington caps a 5-1 road trip that exceed the expectations of even the most optimistic fan but still leaves the Capitals on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, one point behind Philadelphia for the eight spot in the Eastern Conference and two points behind both Boston (for seventh in the Conference) and Carolina (for first in the Southeast Division)(note: all three teams have a game in hand on the Capitals). Who would have thought that even after picking up ten points in the six game swing the Caps would still be on the outside looking in? At least on the plus side for Caps fans, it was nice to have a game that didn't induce any gray hairs.

On the ice the Washington Capitals number one goal is to maintain focus, play smart and do their best to pick up every single point that's still available to them. In the front office of the Washington Capitals to number one goal should be finding a way to get newly acquired netminder Cristobal Huet under contract for next season. Speculation is that Huet would be looking for something in the range of an average salary of five million dollars for three or four years and if that's the case he's well worth the money. The Capitals are used to shelling out 5.45 million a year for Olaf Kolzig and although a number of players including Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Mike Green and Brooks Laich are going to get significant raises next year, you'd have to think that Ted Leonsis and George McPhee will find a way to devote a significant chuck of cash to the goaltending position, especially given how much this season illustrated the impact of mediocre goaltending on an otherwise very good team.

No doubt there are alarm bells going off for some Caps fans at the thought of signing a goalie to play the next three or four years for the the team given that Semen Varlamov and Michael Neuvirth are both pretty decent prospects. But the reality is that Neuvirth just turned 20 last week and Varlamov is only 19, so both are likely a ways from being capable NHL regulars. Like pitchers in baseball or quarterbacks in football, goalies tend to take long to develop; Kolzig didn't become the Capitals' starter until after his 25th birthday, Evgeni Nabokov was the same age when he became San Jose's number one and Jean-Sebastien Giguere wasn't a starter until he was 23. Even most highly-regarded netminders take a little while to get going: Roberto Luongo wasn't a clear cut starter until he was 22 and Rick DiPietro only really put everything together last year, at age 25. Some goalies establish themselves at a younger age, but in all likelihood it's going to take at least a couple seasons before either of the Capitals' goaltending prospects will be ready and Huet seems to be more than capable of holding down the fort until then.

DMG's 3 Stars
(1) Viktor Kozlov - 1 goal, 2 assists, +3, 7 shots
(2) Cristobal Huet - saved all 32 shots sent his way
(3) Alex Ovechkin - 1 goal, 1 assist, +2, 2 hits, 4 shots

Quick Hits

Even if Eric Fehr doesn't turn into the type of sniper the Capitals once hoped he should still be a valuable player as a big guy with decent hands who isn't afraid to throw his body around, as evidenced by his 3 hits and 3 shots last night.

I wonder how long that Ovechkin-to-Nicklas Backstrom play from behind the net is going to work before other teams catch on?

If Bruce Boudreau had been the coach of this team from the season's outset, I think we'd be talking about Ovechkin hitting 70.

The Panthers managed to shoot and miss the net 15 times.

The Capitals only had one player (Sergei Fedorov) who was over 50% on draws; not surprisingly the Panthers had only one player (Greg Campbell) who was below 50%.

Capitals sign Mathieu Perreault

2008-03-28T17:01:00.001-04:00

As noted by Tarik El-Bashir in Capitals Insider and Mike Vogel in Dump 'n' Chase, the Capitals have signed prospect Mathieu Perreault to a three-year entry level contract.

The 20 year old Perreault is primarily a center and was a sixth round pick of the Capitals in 2006 and has torn up the QMJHL since then, registering 233 points (75+158) in 132 games and won the Jean Béliveau Trophy as the 'Q''s leading scorer this season, a feat that puts him in the company of players like Sidney Crosby, Alexander Radulov, Daniel Brière, Brad Richards and Mario Lemieux...as well as Patrick Carrigan, Yanick Dubé, Patrick Poulin and Pavel Rosa (note: another Capitals prospect, François Bouchard, was the league's leading scorer last season). The point? As good as the 'Q' is, leading the league in scoring doesn't garuntee NHL success, especially if you win the trophy as an overage player. Making the transition to professional hockey will be even more difficult for Perreault who's listed at 5'9'', 166 by the QMJHL and at 5'9'', 151 by the Capitals. The league has changed post-lockout in a mannger that benefits smaller, skilled players and small players like Martin St. Louis, Steve Sullivan and Brian Gionta have been able to be productive as forwards in the NHL. He might not fulfill the promise the potential the last couple years suggest he has, but if he comes close Perreault's going to be a steal as a sixth-rounder.

Around the (Inter)net
Hockey writers Ross McKeon and Kevin Dupont are both upset at the potential for an Ovechkin-less playoffs...Tarik had his weekly Caps Chat today...ESPN has some thoughts about Bruce Boudreau as a candidate for coach of the year...the Capitals have reassigned former first-rounder Sasha Pokulok to the ECHL, down from Hershey in the AHL.

Misleading picture here

2008-03-28T17:00:00.000-04:00

Capitals 4, Lightning 3 (OT)

DMG's 3 Stars
(1) Tomas Fleischmann - game winning overtime goal, +1
(2) Sergei Fedorov - 2 assists, +1
(3) Brooks Laich - 1 goal (shorthanded), 1 assist, +1

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!

Gotta Keep Winning

2008-03-28T13:24:00.012-04:00

The Washington Capitals must win every game remaining on their schedule and hope the teams above them falter. They fell behind the 8-ball early this season and have been clawing back into contention ever since Bruce Boudreau took over.

The Washington Wizards are in a similar situation, although not nearly as dire. They've pretty much got a playoff spot locked up with the dismal state of most of the teams behind them in the Eastern Conference standings, but if they're looking to hold onto their current 5th seed, they can't let up. The Philadelphia 76ers are playing the role of the Caps to the Wizards' position as the Carolina Hurricanes (or Boston/Philadelphia). Once out of the race, they're now smack dab in the thick of it.

The Sixers (37-35) were a dreadful 16-28 on January 25th, well out of the playoff picture and talking about rebuilding. With the exception of the Houston Rockets, no team (not even the mighty Celtics) has put together a better mark since. With a 21-7 record since then, Philly has stormed back into contention and with just one-half game separating them and the 5th spot, they're breathing right down the Wizards' necks.

So the only solution for Washington (37-34) is to take care of what they can control and just keep winning.

The Road Trip So Far

The Wizards faltered on Monday in the first test of their current five-game West Coast road trip, suffering a 102-82 drubbing in Portland.

The Trail Blazers withstood the loss of leading scorer Brandon Roy to a groin injury at the end of the first quarter, and Washington was never really able to make it a competitive game. Portland shot near 50 percent (49.4) as the Wizards managed just 35.8 percent from the field. Caron Butler scored 19 but was just 6-for-20, Antonio Daniels had 14 to go along with 8 assists and Antawn Jamison finished with 9 on a terrible 3-of-13 shooting performance.

Maybe the Wizards' were a little tired from the cross-country flight, but when you consider that Portland had dropped an 97-84 contest to the lowly Seattle Sonics the night before, the excuse didn't carry much weight.

Eddie Jordan's troops bounced back two nights later against those same Sonics in a game that was much closer than it should have been.

With 5:47 left in the third, the Wiz found themselves trailing by 18 - 73-56 - but that's when they turned things around. Brendan Haywood jump-started a 10-0 Washington run with his put-back and with 8:25 left in the game, Roger Mason's triple gave the visitors their first lead of the second half at 84-83.

The Wizards relied heavily on their bench to get it done for them down the stretch and they were rewarded with a 104-99 victory.

Mason was fantastic, draining five of his career-high six threes in the fourth to lead Washington with 22 points. Darius Songaila was also huge down the stretch, scoring eight of his 10 points in the final frame.

Caron and Antawn were better offensively, combining for 38 points on 12-of-33 shooting and Haywood (13) and DeShawn Stevenson (11) also cracked double figures. The somehow managed to overcome a 32-49 rebounding disadvantage - a real sign of fatigue and a result of Nick Collison's 21-board night - and it certainly helped that they made 10 threes to Seattle's one.

Regardless, the big story here is the reserves coming through in the clutch. With weary legs and banged up bodies this kind of bench support is exactly what the Wizards need during this trip. If they can make it home with a 2-3 mark or somehow sneak a win in either Los Angeles or Utah to make it a winning trip, it would huge in the standings and also for morale.

Quotable

“Roger Mason really bailed us out tonight,” -- Eddie Jordan after the win in Seattle

"We just came with some energy. Obviously, Roger got hot and hit some shots and then we got some stops on defense and that turned the game around." -- Darius Songaila

Noteworthy

As has been the word out of the Phone Booth all season, the Wizards sound like they're committed to bringing the core of this year's team back next season in its entirety. That means upcoming free agents Jamison and Gilbert Arenas included. Today Washington Post beat writer Ivan Carter reported that Eddie Jordan, President Ernie Grunfield and owner Abe Pollin all expect to re-sign both All-Stars this summer. The NBA has announced that the Wiz will be playing preseason exhibition games in Berlin and Barcelona as part of the NBA's Europe Live Tour - and the Commish is expecting them to showcase a healthy Big Three.

"We've said all along that our intention is to have those guys here over the long haul and that hasn't changed at all," Grunfeld said. "Even with Gilbert injured this season, we've shown that we can beat some of the best teams in the league, we like the development we are seeing from our young players and we feel that when we are healthy, we can compete with anyone in the Eastern Conference."

After missing back-to-back games with a bruised thigh, rookie guard Nick Young played in both of the Wizards' first two road games. He scored four points in 16 minutes in Portland and scored one basket in six minutes against Seattle. The Bean Burrito hasn't been able to maintain a consistent level of offense off the bench this season - often showing flashes of his ability to put the ball in the cup for stretches and then losing his aggressiveness for games at a time. Youth, inexperience and inconsistency go hand-in-hand, but the more Young can give the Wiz off the bench on a nightly basis, the more confidence Jordan will have in him this postseason.
The most entertaining saga involving the Wizards lately is the war of words between Stevenson and LeBron James. In case you missed it, here's a bit of a recap.

After the Wiz deafeated the Cavs 101-99 on March 13, The Locksmith finally had a platform to say what he'd be waiting to say for quite some time: "He's overrated. And you can say I said that."
Someone did tell LeBron, who came back with "With DeShawn Stevenson it is kind of funny. It's almost like Jay-Z saying something bad about Soulja Boy. There's no comparison. Enough said."
Of course, Stevenson felt compelled to respond, and he did. "I hope we play Cleveland," he said. "I'm going to get Soulja Boy courtside seats and have him wear a DeShawn Stevenson jersey. Maybe (James) can have Jay-Z there since LeBron's all on his (shorts) anyway." Stevenson wasn't done. "And tell LeBron to cut that beard off and stop copying me."
Here's one particularly ornery take on the whole deal. Personally, I find it incredibly amusing and it's just one more reason - beyond the beard, the bathrobes and last season's shootout with Gil - to love this guy. And it's just one more reason fans of the NBA should be crossing their fingers for a third straight Wiz-Cavs opening round series.

Next Up

Washington Wizards (37-34)
at Sacramento Kings (32-39)
Friday, March 28 - 10pm
Arco Arena

Friday's tilt in Sacramento is a game the Wizards must win if they want to make this a winning road trip. The Kings had dropped three straight before a 107-106 home win over Memphis on Wednesday. They always play well at home, so by no means will it be a cake-walk for Washington, but if they can shoot a respectable percentage and contain point guard Kevin Martin, they should have the upper hand.

The Wizards have had their way with the Kings in recent years. They haven't lost to Sacramento, regardless of venue, since Feb. 27, 2005. Washington won their first matchup 92-79 on Dec. 15.

Seven players average double-figures in scoring for the Kings, including Martin (23.2), Ron Artest (20.2) and Brad Miller (13.7) and at a 101.9 points per game clip, they certainly like to get up and down the floor. Normally that style plays to the Wizards' advantage, but if fatigue continues to be a problem, Sacramento could run away with this one.

It should be an exciting matchup between two teams that like to run and gun and also get to the rim. The Sixers host Phoenix tonight, which means it could be a great opportunity for the Wiz to get a little breathing room in the standings. With that said, Philly already knocked off the Suns 119-114 in Phoenix earlier this month and in the last two weeks they've picked up impressive wins against San Antonio, Denver and at Detroit and Boston. But the Wizards can't waste time watching the standings, they simply have to keep winning.

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!

-- The Tar Heel

Capitals/Lightning Preview

2008-03-27T00:02:00.000-04:00

Washington Capitals at Tampa Bay Lightning
Thursday, March 27th, 2008, 7:30 PM
St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa Bay, Florida
TV: CSN
Last Meeting: 2/16/08, Caps win 3-2

About the Opponent

Tampa Bay Lightning: 30-38-8, 68 points, 5th in the Southeast Division, 15th in the Eastern Conference

Team Leaders
Goals: Vincent Lecavalier (40)
Assists: Martin St. Louis (56)
Points: Vincent Lecavalier (89)
Plus/Minus: Michel Ouellet (+12)
Penalty Minutes: Shane O'Brien (154)
Fights: Andre Roy (12)

Keys to the Game

Washington
Avoid mistakes. The Capitals are a far better team that Tampa Bay and one with much more to play for. They ought to significantly outplay the Lightning and the only way that won't be reflected on the scoreboard is if the Caps give the Lightning chances to get back in the game with turnovers, soft goals, bad penalties or the like.

Lightning
Slow down the game. Just as an inferior basketball team can keep themselves in the game by running down the shot clock and limiting possessions, an inferior hockey team can keep themselves in the game by mucking up play in the neutral zone and avoiding trading chances at each end.

Players to Watch

Washington
Alex Ovechkin - not exactly a bold prediction but Ovechkin's had three goals, 2 assists and 20 shots in the two games since the Caps collapse in Chicago and seemed poised to will his team into the postseason.

Lightning
Jeff Halpern - the former Caps captain and 20 goal scorer has rediscovered his offensive touch since being traded to Tampa, where he has put up 15 points (7+8) in 13 games with the Lightning.

United Sees First Real Test in Season Opener

2008-03-26T19:34:00.007-04:00

It's now three days until DC United begins its 2008 campaign against the Kansas City Wizards and it looks like, even more so than in years past, they are ready to step beyond the MLS elite. As I wrote in my article two weeks ago, this year’s United team has seen a complete transformation from the team two years ago and has become one that can not only dominate the MLS but also begin a routine of successful performances in international cups. Obviously, however, the team must show complete cohesion before any amount of success can be had and the first several games of 2008 will be telling of how the rest of the year will shape up.

There was, not panic per say, but a number of held breaths following United’s 1-1 away draw against Harbour View. Excuses were quickly tossed about that Harbour View’s fitness was better, the field conditions were poor, and United players were still adjusting to one another. Well no excuse was needed after the home leg of the two-match round when United absolutely dominated, with 2 goals by Luciano Emilio and one by Devon McTavish coming within a 5 minute span in the second half. The 5-0 win pointed directly towards a team that is starting to gel, and particularly emphasized the development of McTavish who played superbly in the series against the Jamaican side.

Though the I have the utmost respect for Harbour View, the Saturday season opening match against Kansas City will be a far better litmus test for the new United squad. The Wizards are coming into 2008 with a slightly remodelled team and, like DC, are featuring the addition of their first Designated Player, also an Argentinean international. Like DC’s Marcelo Gallardo, the Wizards’ Claudio Lopez has also represented Argentina in world cup play and played for both a top Argentinean and European club. Lopez, a winger/forward, and Colombian forward Ivan Trujillo were brought in to improve a team that generated little offense during the second half of the 2007 season and finished with an uninspiring league record of 11-12-7. Unlike United who was able to make specific improvements in a bid for more international hardware, the Wizards are looking to just improve their position within the MLS. The loss of Eddie Johnson to Fulham at the beginning of 2008 meant the loss of their leading goal scorer from 2007 and Kansas City hopes that Lopez can be the offense spark that he was for his previous clubs Valencia, Lazio, and Club America. DC United is placing similar pressure on Gallardo, asking him to improve upon the role that Christian Gomez had fashioned for himself as the offense’s handler. The dynamics of two Argentinean Designated Players will be a lot of fun to watch as they both play their first MLS league match.

It’s no secret that United should be a clear favorite to win this match. They fashioned the best league record last year and, on paper at least, it looks they have only improved. With all their success last year, United only managed to win one of three games against the Wizards, losing one and drawing the other. In fact, United played their first home game of the 2007 season against the Wizards and found themselves on the losing end of a 4-2 finish. The ’07 season also began with three straight loses, which can be partly blamed on United still figuring out how to incorporate Emilio and Fred. I’m confident, however, that there is less reason to be nervous about the newest batch of acquired players and their ability to fit into United’s system. When the two Brazilians arrived last year, there was obvious uncertainty about how they would fit into Tom Soehn’s scheme. Fred in particular was asked to move to an outside midfield role after primarily playing forward and central midfield for his previous team. This time around the incoming players were selected to fill specific positions so the only learning curve will be in becoming familiar with Soehn’s coaching and the other players.

With all my hyping up of the team I would still make a conservative prediction of a 1-0 win for United. While United is, in my opinion, clearly the better team, Kansas City has armed themselves with players capable of making an impact and that must be considered. The Wizards also have a very good defensive core in defenders Jimmy Conrad and Jack Jewsbury. Conrad has captained the US National team in 2007 and will provide an excellent test for Gallardo, Emilio, and the rest of the United attack.

There is plenty of question over what the starting lineup will look like, particularly with the team having to travel to Mexico for the CONCACAF semifinals immediately after the game against the Wizards. Soehn said on the two upcoming games that "it's difficult enough to play back-to-back games when you are in full fitness midway through the season, and we've only been together for a short time," which suggests he could fiddle with lineups, especially for the Kansas City match. I expect that we will see a very similar starting XI to the one sent out against Harbour View in the home match at RFK.

And so another season begins for DC United with the usual pomp and fanfare that this team rightly deserves. Time will certainly tell how far this team can go but, for right now at least, there is no ceiling in sight.

DC United @ Kansas City Wizards – 8:00 pm, 3/29/2008

Can be listened to on 1050 AM or watched at MLSLIVE.tv

Capitals down Carolina in shootout

2008-03-26T13:58:00.000-04:00

Capitals 3, Hurricanes 2 (SO)

The Washington Capitals are a team desperate to get into the playoffs, and it shows. One game after a stunning third period comeback in Atlanta sent Thrashers fans home unhappy the Capitals visited division-leading Carolina and outshot them 44-27 (including 6-0 in overtime) en route to a shootout win. It was less than ideal - going to overtime meant the Hurricanes picked up a point as well and rather than gaining ground the Capitals merely kept pace as Boston and Philadelphia also won, but with all of their remaining games against the very beatable Southeast Division the Capitals are a good weekend away from pulling into the eight (or even seventh) spot in the Eastern Conference.

DMG's 3 Stars
(1) Alex Ovechkin - 1 goal, 11 shots, +4, 4 hits
(2) Nicklas Backstrom - 2 assists, 4 shots, +1, 4-6 on faceoffs
(3) Alex Semin - 1 goal

On a Roll at the Right Time

2008-03-24T13:31:00.008-04:00

Don't look now but the Washington Wizards are heating up. In the past 11 days the boys in white and blue have knocked off three of the four teams above them in the Eastern Conference playoff standings and are playing as well as they have at any stretch this season.

With Sunday night's nationally televised 95-83 victory over Detroit, the Wiz have won six of their last seven and are 8-3 in the month of March with five games to go. After two weeks of watching the Philadelphia 76ers creep up on their 6th spot, Washington continues to keep Andre Iguodala and company in its rear-view mirror and last week leap-frogged struggling Toronto to take control of 5th place.

The return of Caron Butler has helped kick-start the recent hot streak, but he's not the only reason the Wizards are putting things together just in time for the critical 5-week stretch before the playoffs. The Tar Heel made it over to the Phone Booth and got a first hand view - albeit from halfway up the stairs in section 404 - of a team that's really in a groove right now.

The Wizards (36-33) shot 52.8 percent against one of the league's best defensive teams, took the lead late in the first quarter and never gave it up. They out-scored the Pistons 50-20 in the paint and out-shot them by five at the stripe (17-12).

I saw several quotes from Pistons players after the game - like Tayshaun Prince saying “We didn’t even much at all run our normal plays,” - well, whatever. Sure, you've got a playoff spot locked up but don't give me that we're just experimenting with sets and coasting into April bullcorn. (Also, you wonder why so many people prefer college ball to 'The League' - teams don't have the luxury of taking nights off there).

Essentially, the Wiz out-played the Pistons in all facets of the game. Antawn Jamison had yet another double-double (24 & 12), Caron Butler looked the best his has in any game since his return with 17 points, 5 boards and 6 assists and Brendan Haywood came up big with 16 points. Darius Songaila gave the home team 10 points off the bench and Andray Blatche showed some toughness banging with Rasheed Wallace and baiting the Big Bald Spotted One into a technical - the 13,452nd of his career...or something like that.

Lettuce Ketchup

My apologies for abandoning you over the tail end of last week and through the weekend. I was a bit preoccupied entertaining three British imports and showing them all the best spots and things about our great city (including last night's prime time matchup). So let's re-hash a few noteworthy tidbits to get us ready for the up-coming five game road trip out west.

Wow! That was the first word that came out of my mouth when I saw the score from the Wiz-Magic game last Wednesday. Bouncing back from a 122-92 home loss with an 87-86 road win against the division leaders is one thing. But holding Dwight Howard to 3(!!!) points and 14 boards is just ridiculous. The guy is a walking double-double and yet the combination of Brendan Haywood and Andray Blatche transformed themselves into Kryptonite in Orlando. Their activity on the offense end was even more effective than their defense, as Howard was forced to ride the pine pony for much of the night after getting into early foul trouble. Great performance up and down the lineup and yet another credit to Randy Ayers' ability to coach defense.
Gilbert Arenas was nowhere to be found when last night's tilt tipped-off (I would know, I had the binoculars in hand). Well it turns out the Hibachi was expecting to make his triumphant return in front of ESPN's Sunday night hoops national audience until the team doctor checked out Gil's knee and determined he needed one more week of rest. Naturally, Agent Zero was a little miffed - apparently more than a little - and he stormed off, telling reporters, “I’m not coming back this year.”

The fact that he didn't have a sport coat to wear on the bench only added to his frustration (and was the reason he wasn't on the bench until midway through the half). It's a $10,000 fine if you show up in street clothes that don't include a coat and Gilbert has already shelled out for that one. Hard to say when/if we will in fact see him on the floor next week, but the good news is he did make the trip to Portland for tomorrow night's game - the first stop on a five-game road swing.

Nick Young missed his second straight game with a bruised right thigh, leaving the Wiz with only five reserves on the bench. This doesn't sound too serious though, so expect to see the Bean Burrito back on the court at some point in the next couple games.
One of the best moments from last night came as the Kiss Camera made its way around the Verizon Center during a timeout. After pausing on several couples, one brother & sister and a father and daughter (not everyone is into robbing the cradle), the camera locked in on former Wizard Jarvis Hayes - who had been booed all night - and a teammate sitting to his left. Hayes simply smiled and shook his head but the camera man didn't flinch. The fans continued to boo as the teammate turned away and put a towel over his head. At the last second, Hayes obliged and gave the teammate to his right a peck on the cheek. It was no Buckhantz-Chenier smooch, but good sport on his part nonetheless.
Another highlight: Whenever a Piston would step to the line, the jumbotron operator would flash a giant DOOK (sorry, that's how we spell it) logo on the screen. Naturally, people were already booing and trying to distract the shooter but this made them bring the noise about 50-fold. I know we're in Terps territory and the Devils had just lost to WVU the night before, but really? When it's not even a Dookie at the stripe? Sure. I'm all for it.

Quotable

“Our big guys really took the challenge to make it difficult for him. Not to get him bouncing around and dunking and Supermanning and all that stuff. We really wanted to prevent as many points in the paint as possible and have them beat us from outside.” -- Jamison after the win in Orlando.

Up Next

The Wizards kick-off their five-game road trip in Portland tomorrow night. On their last left-coast jaunt, they managed a single win in four games and it took a last-second tip-in against the Clips to avoid coming back with a bagel in the win column.

This time they're riding some momentum and they've got Tough Juice back in the lineup.

The two teams met way back on November 17 with the Wizards blowing out the visiting Blazers 109-90. Six Wizards scored in double-figures in that game, including AJ's 30 and 11 boards and Haywood's 17 and 10.

Portland (37-33) comes into this one having won three-of-four, beating the Clips back-to-back in a Friday-Saturday home-and-home series. And while they're record would be good enough for 5th in the East, they're 6.5 games back of Golden State for the 8th and final spot in the West.

Joel Pryzbilla had a career-high 25 points in Saturday's win and leading scorer Brandon Roy scored 23 for the Blazers.

After their stop in Portland, the Wiz head to Seattle, Sacramento and L.A. for a date with Kobe and the Lakers before finishing things up in Utah. It's a critical trip for Washington as they look to hold onto and potentially increase their 1.5 game lead on Toronto and Philly. The first three games are all very winnable and with the way these guys have been playing over the last week and a half, a victory in L.A. or Utah wouldn't be a shock either.

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!

-- The Tar Heel

John Patterson Gets Cut

2008-03-23T13:31:00.003-04:00

No sooner did I expound on my optimism for Patterson's return, the Nationals let him go after what they have said was a very disappointing spring rehabilitation. Even in my previous post I cautioned against the vulnerability of Patterson and his history of injury, and it is now evident that his arm troubles have had a more lasting impact than originally expected.

Patterson was 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA in nine innings this spring. Most telling however was his fastball, or lack there of, which was clocked in the low to mid 80s. This move while a disappointing one for all involved was necessary for the organization. All parties involved have remained patient and optimistic for two years, but a lack of progress regardless of the reason can't be shouldered indefinitely. I'm sure Patterson feels more let down by his current physical limitations than by the Nationals and I hope that he can regain some of his vigor that we saw in 2005. Maybe resurface again down the line.

This leaves a hole in the rotation and after a shaky Spring Training start Odalis Perez has righted the ship and pitched his way into the top spot of the Nationals staff. He will be the opening day starter against the Atlanta Braves on March 30. Manager Manny Acta has said that only Perez, Bergmann and Redding have solidified spots in the rotation and that Matt Chico and John Lannan are fighting for the final spot in the four man rotation. Clearly, after last year's experiment with inexperienced pitching Acta is choosing to use the guys that have the most innings in the bigs. If awareness and composure dictates who gets the fourth spot, look for Lannan to have the edge over Chico as he has been praised by many in the organization for being mature beyond his years.

With the rotation and the lineup becoming clearer every day the Nationals appear to be putting together a very competitive team.I expect their numbers to improve across the board in 2008 as Bowden has addressed a lot of their problem areas from last year. However, the only statistic that counts won't change as much in this first season. The Nationals are relying on a lot of potential which is good for a young team, but when each individual is a question mark, each player has less focus to devote to the team. In this first year they will look inward towards themselves in order to justify their position and their potential. This won't create selfish ballplayers, but it also won't create team chemistry needed for a playoff bound ball club. Teams that already know what they have to do and are consistent as individuals can devote more energy toward winning games. The Nationals will have to learn that over the course of the season. They will retain their fourth place finish in the division but look for them to push very close to the .500 mark all season.

- The Hokie

Caps battle back to earn two points in Atlanta

2008-03-22T14:18:00.000-04:00

Capitals 5, Thrashers 3

For better than fifty minutes last night it seemed like the word of the day for Capitals fans would be 'almost' and the Capitals seemed to be on the verge of almost picking up a vital road win, almost keeping themselves in the playoffs race, creating chances that were almost goals and almost catching a break as the Ranger almost did the Caps a favor by (almost) beating the Flyers with a third period comeback of their own. But by the time the final buzzer had sounded, it was clear Caps fans would have a very different word on their minds: resilient.

In the first two games of their road trip the Capitals combined to play one good period - the opening frame in Nashville. The recent mini-slump, while distressing, wasn't particularly surprising given that this team has spent most of this season clawing its way back into contention after it's horrible start to the season. Given the adversity the team has faced while climbing up the standings over the last several months under Bruce Boudreau and the way things had started to go recently it would have been easy for them to come out in the third with a defeatist attitude, accepting that while they had done well to even get in playoff contention they were up against too much this season. Instead the Capitals came out and made a statement, dominating play for the final frame and outshooting the Thrashers 23-2, and in the process sending a message to the rest of the Eastern Conference that they're not ready to give up on this season yet.

DMG's 3 Stars
(1) Alexander Ovechkin - 2 goals, 2 assists, nine shots, +4
(2) Nicklas Backstrom - 2 goals, 1 assist, +3
(3) Mike Green - 2 assists, +3, 7 shots

Picture of the Night
The shot chart for the third period of last night's game:

Quick Hits

I hated to see it, but that Eric Perrin pass to Jim Slater that lead to his shorthanded goal was beautiful.

Jeff Schultz made a great play at one point with Ilya Kovalchuk bearing down on him on a one-on-one, an indication of how much he's improved this season.

Steve Eminger wants in the lineup bad. He seems like he's always looking to make a big and tonight he was forechecking harder than some of the forwards during the third period.

The Thrashers laid 20 hits on the Caps last night, a number that probably would have been lower had Donald Brashear and/or John Erskine been in the lineup.

The Capitals racked up 45 shots on the night, led by Ovechkin (9), Viktor Kozlov (8) and Mike Green (7).

The Thrashers commentators were criticizing Kari Lehtonen for being upset with the end of the game and, to a certain extent, calling out his teammates in the post game interview but I can't say I blame him. There's no way you should see 23 shots in a one period when your team is defending a lead.

That said, Lehtonen should have been called for an unsportsmanlike conduct minor for throwing his stick after the Capitals fourth goal (and an added ten minutes misconduct would have been appropriate as well, although since Lehtonen is a goalie it wouldn't have had an impact).

Alex Ovechkin wasn't credited with a hit.

Boyd Gordon's goal was his sixth this season...and his third empty netter.

Caps travel to Atlanta to take on downtrodden Thrashers

2008-03-21T01:16:00.000-04:00

Washington Capitals at Atlanta Thrashers
Friday, March 20th, 2008, 7:00 PM
Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
TV: CSN
Last Meeting: 3/14/2008, Caps win 4-1

For a post that covers similar ground, see A View From the Cheap Seats' "Know Thy Enemy".

After the Capitals' last game it was apparent that the team was tired, likely both mentally and physically and Bruce Boudreau gave the team Thursday off from practice in an effort to help them clear their heads and come back focused. Having a day away from the rink to collect their thoughts should help the team move on after getting dismantled against Chicago. A win against a struggling Atlanta team would help even more.

There's no reason the Capitals can't win against the Thrashers who, frankly, are a bad team. Really bad. Like, getting national attention for how bad they are. Here's a look at what the Caps' Friday night opponent has done in their last ten games:

March 2nd, 3-2 overtime loss to Pittsburgh. At the time this was Atlanta 7th consecutive loss.

March 5th, 6-3 loss to Carolina. Atrlanta put the Hurricanes on gthe powerplay seven time, contributing to the 37 shots against.

March 7th, 3-2 win against Minnesota in the ~~gimmick~~ shootout. Atlanta was outshot 39-26, but did go 2-4 on the powerplay.

March 8th, 3-2 overtime loss to Florida. Were it not for Kari Lehtonen this one would have been close; the Thrashers were outshot 43-27.

March 11th, 5-2 loss to Colorado. Johan Hedberg allows five goals on 23 shots.

March 13th, 6-4 win against Calgary. The Thrashers rally from a three-goal deficit to send a tired Calgary team home with a loss.

March 14th, 4-1 loss to Washington. The Caps dominated the Thrashers, outshooting them 37-12. Only Kari Lehtonen's stellar play kept this from being a complete blowout.

March 16th, 3-1 loss to Florida. The Thrashers learned two things the Capitals know all to well: (1) the NHL's referees aren't very consistent and (2) Tomas Vokoun is really good.

March 18th, 3-2 loss to Philadelphia. The score may have been 3-2, but the shots were 47-19 in favor of the Flyers.

March 19th, 5-3 loss to Carolina. A Slava Kozlov goal with 39 seconds left made this one look a little better on paper and although the Thrashers played one of their stronger games of this stretch, actually out shooting the Hurricanes 34-33, this game was over at the first intermission when Carolina took a 3-0 lead to the locker room.

During this ten game stretch the Thrashers:

Won one game in regulation, won one game in a shootout, lost twice in overtime and lost six times in regulation.

Allowed an average of 35.6 shots per game against and averaged 26.1 shots for.

Were outshot six times, outshot their opposition three times and matched their opponents once.

Went 6 for 35 on the powerplay (17.1%), but scored powerplay goals in only three games.

Killed just 29 of 40 shorthanded situations (72.5%).

Saw their goalies post a combined .896 save percentage.

Simply put, the Capitals should not lose this game. In fact, it shouldn't even be close.

Defensive Lapses Doom Banged Up Wiz

2008-03-19T15:52:00.007-04:00

Just when you thought the Wizards had figured out how to beat the teams they're supposed to beat, they go and lose to another sub-.500 club, and they have the nerve to do it at home.

I'll admit it, the guys had me going there after coming back to beat the Clippers over the weekend. But then they go and lose to the Atlanta Hawks 96-105 on Monday and now those pesky Philadelphia 76ers are just a half game back of Washington for the 6th spot in the East.

If you're looking for an explanation for the letdown, the first stat that jumps out to you is Atlanta's field goal percentage. The Hawks shot a blistering 55.4 percent from the field. Translation: very poor defense from the home team. Atlanta also shot 53 percent from long-range thanks to new addition Mike Bibby who was 5-for-6.

Next, take a look at the bench production. After a string of very strong performances from role players - especially Nick Young and Darius Songaila - the Wizards got zilch from their reserves save for Roger Mason's 14. The Hawks bench out-scored Washington's 28-22 as Young and Songaila combined for only eight points. And what is going on with Andray Blatche? He was a real spark off the bench after Songaila replaced him in the starting lineup, but recently he's just disappeared. Sure, Eddie Jordan only gave him five minutes on Monday, but the guy has to do something in the minutes he's allotted if he wants that number to increase. Blatche would've been the perfect counter to Atlanta's slew of lanky forwards.

Next Up

Washington Wizards (33-33) at
Orlando Magic (45-24)
Wednesday, March 19 - 7pm
Amway Arena

The Wizards now must travel to Orlando to face one of the league's hottest team, and one they have yet to defeat in two meetings so far this season. The most recent matchup turned into a blowout very quickly as the Magic hammered Washington on its home floor, 122-92 on March 5.

Orlando has won 11 of its last 13 including a 104-90 rout of Cleveland on Monday. And while the Wizards would love to prove that they can play with Dwight Howard and company - if the season ended today the two teams would be matched up in the first round - their biggest concern right now might be to just get healthy.

Caron Butler returned for Thursday's win against Cleveland, but his wrist is banged up and the same goes for Antonio Daniels. Meanwhile Brendan Haywood just returned after missing one game due to a strained left patella tendon and Antawn Jamison has been playing with back pain for several weeks now.

But with the Sixers licking their chops as they close in on Washington's sixth seed, the Wiz have got to come together and continue to pick up wins. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening tonight against the Magic.

-- The Tar Heel

Caps Gameday - Predators/Capitals Preview

2008-03-17T23:46:00.001-04:00

The Capitals open a season-defining six game road trip against an opponent in a similar position. The Nashville Predators have taken a lot of people by surprise this season and like the Capitals they're just two points away from an unlikely playoff berth, so this game ought to be a good one as two deep and talent teams try to go on the type of season-ending run that will be needed to bolster them into the playoffs.

Washington Capitals at Nashville Predators
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008, 8:00 PM
Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee
TV: CSN

About the Opponent

Nashville Predators: 36-29-8, 80 points, 2nd in the Central Division, 9th in the Western Conference

Team Leaders
Goals: J.P. Dumont (27)
Assists: Jason Arnott (42)
Points: Jason Arnott (67)
Plus/Minus: Alexander Radulov (+17)
Penalty Minutes: Jordin Tootoo (83)
Fights: Darcy Hordichuk (12)

Random Predators Fact
The Predators have a little bit of the Capitals in their history: Former Caps' general manager David Poile is the only GM the Predators have ever had and the franchise's first goal was scored by former Capitals Andrew Brunette.

Random team Statistic
Predators center David Legwand was it's first ever draft choice and leads the team in career scoring with 327 points (121+206).

Keys to the Game

Washington
Get solid games from all six defensemen. The Predators are 10th in the NHL in goals and it's not because of one player, or even one line: Nashville already has four players with more than 20 goals (and other with 15) and six players with more than 40 points. A loss of concentration against any Nashville's lines could mean the puck winds up in the Capitals' net.

Nashville
Goaltending. Chris Mason was supposed to replace Tomas Vokoun, but he's been average at best. Dan Ellis has stepped up and has great numbers on the year but he's also been somewhat inconsistent. Nashville can skate, can play defense, can score and has great depth - when they get good goaltending they're really a tough team to face.

Players to Watch

Washington
Alexander Semin - for Washing to have a successful road swing they can't just rely on the Ovehckin-Backstrom-Kolov tandem to provide the vast majority of their offense and the second-best goal scorer on the Capitals Semin needs to step it up.

Nashville
Alexander Radulov - the 15th overall pick in the 2004 draft has flown under the radar a little becuase he players in Nashville, but Radulov is immensely talented and already has 24 goals and 31 assists this season to go along with his stellar +17 rating, leading a very defensively responsible Nashville team.

Huet leads Caps to shootout win

2008-03-17T15:18:00.000-04:00

Capitals 2, Bruins 1 (SO)

Don't look now Caps fans, but with their third consecutive win the boys in red, white and blue are just two points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for the eighth seed and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference after a shootout victory over the Boston Bruins on Sunday.

While at this point the team (and its fans) will take a two point night just about any way they can get one, the Capitals showed cause for concern on two fronts. One was their inability to take over the game physically. The Capitals are one of the biggest teams in the NHL (despite that they seem to have a tendency to exaggerate their player's size), have a myriad of skilled players and were playing at home against a Bruins team that had played an overtime game less than 24 hours earlier. Simply put, the third period should have belonged to the Capitals, yet the Bruins got the better of the shot count, putting up 17 to the Capitals' nine.

The reasons were twofold. The Capitals were partly outshot and outchanced in the game's second half because they were too tentative, a fact noted by Bruce Boudreau, who said of his team's play, “It looked like we were afraid to make a mistake instead of, ‘Let’s go get them,’ and play the way we can.” In addition to being tentative the Capitals were also stymied by a relatively simple (and extremely ~~boring~~ conservative) Boston defensive strategy. The Capitals have too much speed, too much skill and too much size to allow themselves to be contained by a team just dropping players back into the neutral zone.

But why dwell on the negatives, especially when they don't exactly set off any alarms? The Capitals did play pretty well, Alexander Semin and Cristobal Huet both looked great and the team showed not just how good they are, but how mentally tough they are as well, picking up three wins in a row after last weekend's heartbreaking losses. The important of the confidence (and the points) the Caps picked up in their last three games cannot be overestimated.

DMG's 3 Stars
(1) Cristobal Huet - 39 saves on 40 shots (.975 save percentage); 2-for-2 in the shootout
(2) Sergei Fedorov - 1 goal, 12-20 (60%) on faceoffs
(3) Alexander Semin

Quotable

"Like I always said, coaches hate the shootout when you lose, and it's okay when you win"

-Bruce Boudreau

Quick Hits

I'm starting to wonder if Alex Semin and Nicklas Backstrom switched brains - now it seems like Semin is passing up good shooting chances to try and dish to someone else and Backstrom is stickhandling a bit too much, especially crossing the blue line.

Not that I think it's going on, or even that it's really possible, but if you wanted to try and convince people there was a Juventus-style match fixing thing going on between the Bruins and the NHL officials, you'd probably be able to throw together a lot of evidence from the last two Washington/Boston games.

To their credit, the Caps did come out throwing the body around. The team was credit with 20 hits and seven players (Alex Ovechkin, Matt Bradley, Donald Brashear, Brooks Laich, Matt Cooke, Shaone Morrisonn and Sami Lepisto) had more than one. Morrisonn's four set the pace.

Because there were only two goals in the game and both were on the powerplay, every player in the game was an even +/-.

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!

Two Captains are Better than One

2008-03-17T11:38:00.005-04:00

Atlanta Hawks (28-38) at
Washington Wizards (33-32)
Monday, March 17 - 7pm
Verizon Center

With Caron Butler back in the lineup over the weekend, the Wizards put together back-to-back wins - one big and one much, much bigger.

I imagine you'd say Thursday's 101-99 home win against LeBron James and the Cavs was the by far the better of the two. CB-3 gutted out a ridiculous 41 minutes in his first game back and Washington proved that they can in fact handle Cleveland every now and again.

Well, you'd be wrong.

Yes, that was a great win for the Wiz on national television, and a tremendous confidence boost for everyone fretting another possible Wiz-Cavs first-round playoff matchup. But the Wizards' have beaten good teams several times this season - Boston (twice), Dallas (twice), New Orleans (twice).

What really impressed me was their ability to avoid throwing away that win against Cleveland by storming back to beat the Los Angeles Clippers two nights later and get back above .500 for the first time since early February.

The Clips are not in the same class as the Cavs, and they shouldn't be discussed in the same breath as the Wizards, but they're exactly the kind of team that has plagued Washington all season long. The Wiz love to make statements by winning big time games but then they fall apart against the middlings and the bottom-feeders. They tried to do it again on Saturday, too. But thankfully for the boys in white, their captain simply wouldn't let them.

Down four points with seven seconds left, Antawn Jamison nailed a three-pointer and after two Corey Maggette free throws pushed the margin back to three, he drew a foul on another attempt from beyond the arc and went to the free throw line, where he has missed several key free throws late in the fourth quarter.

This time AJ calmly sank all three, sending the game into overtime where he carried the Wizards on his back to 119-109 victory. The All-Star forward had 36 points and 11 boards in 45 minutes and Washington maintained its one-game lead over the surging Philadelphia 76ers. That determination is just one of the reasons Jamison is a co-captain on this squad, and one of the many reasons Ernie Grunfield would rather not give him up when his contract expires this summer.

Noteworthy

Washington was out-rebounded 51-36 by the Cavs but managed to pull out the win by outshooting Cleveland 48.6-to-42 percent from the field. The Wiz also had seven players in double-figures. (Stevenson, Daniels, Haywood, Butler, Jamison, Songaila and Young)
The Wiz again had seven in double-figures against the Clips. Jamison led the way with 36 while Butler, Daniels, Stevenson, Songaila, Young and Mason all had at least 10.
Steve Buckhantz got to pull out that infamous "DAGGER!" call late in the overtime period Saturday after Antonio Daniels nailed a trey from the corner with the shot-clock winding down to put the game on ice.

Up Next

Tonight the Wizards host another potential playoff team when the Atlanta Hawks come to town. Washington has won two of the team's three meetings this season including a 102-98 overtime victory on January 11 in Hot-lanta, but the Hawks (28-38) have won three straight and are playing much better ball since the addition of Mike Bibby just before the trade deadline.

Again, this is the kind of the team the Wizards have to beat to maintain and have any hopes of improving their playoff positioning down the stretch. The Hawks have an All-Star in Joe Johnson and heaps (about six first-round picks-worth) of power forwards to throw at the Wizards. Fortunately, Washington has Tough Juice back and it looks as though he and Jamison won't let their team fall apart like it did at the end of last season.

-- The Tar Heel

Healthy Pitching Proposes Perfection (Part 3)

2008-03-16T11:06:00.010-04:00

For the Nationals, staying healthy is what it's all about. The pitching staff has, in the past, had a very difficult time making starts and putting up innings that would really capitalize on their talent. Patterson and Hill led this wounded army of throwers but could surprise a lot of people if they stay healthy.

John Patterson hasn't put together even 50 innings in a season since 2005 in which he posted a very good 198.1 IP. He does have the stuff when healthy to dominate, and has been encouraged by off-season surgery and workouts to pitch to his full potential. Thus far in spring training he's seen limited action, but in 5 innings he boasts a 1.80 era, with 5 strikeouts and 0 walks. I expect Patterson to put his ailments behind him and finally have the break out year that the Nationals and the fans are waiting for.
Projected: 15-9, 2.97 era, 175 Ks

Shawn Hill, whose 2007 season was very sharp if not statistically impressive will probably not make the opening day roster. Hill has experienced tightness and pain in his right forearm since January and if his history of illness is any indication of where he'll be and how effective he'll be this season, I don't think the Nationals will be able to rely on his consistent presence in the rotation. Expect him to throw around 90 innings in limited work.
Projected: 3-5, 3.88 era, 63 Ks

Matt Chico put together a very good rookie season with the Nationals last year and most importantly was counted on to make his starts; 31 games started. Chico had good speed and attacked the strike zone, but lacked effected control last year walking 74 batters. It's always important to have a left-handed innings eater on staff and Chico gives the Nationals just that. Regardless of the numbers he puts up, if this sophomore can anchor the third spot in the rotation the Nationals will be in a very good position to win series of games, not just one or two here and there.
Projected: 9-7, 4.22 era, 103 Ks

Jason Bergmann. I would love to see this guy make all of his starts. Behind Patterson he has the best stuff of the staff and a good idea of how to use it. A pitcher with an above average fastball and good breaking stuff he's the only member of the staff that has the potential to post double digit strikeout games. Injuries are again a factor with this young hurler, but thus far in spring training he has started three games for 11 innings. Pitching an entire season where he can capitalize on general momentum and consistency will iron out his era, but Bergmann will have to keep the ball in the ballpark to post a respectable record. Bergmann allowed 18 homeruns in 21 games and coupled with 42 walks produced his 6-6 record. The new stadium will only be more prone to the longball so Bergmann will have to get batter at pitching smart when he falls behind in the count.
Projected: 11-8, 3.55 era, 165 Ks

John Lannan was a late season call up after injuries took their toll on the staff last year. I was able to see one of his six starts and got a fairly good impression of his style. He's not going to strikeout a lot of guys, but he will throw strikes and get groundballs. He pitches to contact and relies on his defense. General Manager Bowden has said he like Lannan's mindset on the mound, but I think Lannan needs to focus more early in the count. Falling behind and letting runners get on base is never a good idea, and even if you are able to bare down and get guys out in those situations, a team will get beat more times than they win when you fall asleep and put runners on base. Lannan has a good shot at the rotation but will need to prove it by putting up numbers worthy of his spot.
Projected: 7-7, 4.15, 65 Ks

Because Hill is already a very precarious start for the regular season and both Patterson and Bergmann have a history of missing starts, the fifth spot in the rotation will be represented by a hodgepodge group of guys that include Tim Redding, Tyler Clippard, Michael O'Conner and Ross Detwiler. Both Redding and O'Conner saw a good amount of action on the mound in 2007, but didn't turn in stellar campaigns posteing a combined 6-14 record. They can be used as innings eaters and can stay competitive against weaker teams but should not be relied on. Clippard and Detwiler are the young studs of the organization and the sooner they are ready to compete the better. Both have electric pitches and will make an impact after the All-Star break if not before.
The pitching staff has a lot more upside that people think. They also appear to be the best the Nationals have ever had walking into the regular season. The end of the rotation usually takes care of itself, but to be a force in the NL east Patterson and Bergmann have to stay healthy.

- The Hokie

Caps beat Thrashers, 4-1

2008-03-15T14:30:00.000-04:00

Capitals 4, Thrashers 1

On the outside of the playoff picture and looking in, the Capitals needed to pick up two points against an inferior (and reeling) Atlanta team last night. The Capitals were up to the challenge, outshooting Atlanta 13-2 in the first period, 16-4 in the second period and 37-12 overall en route to a convincing 4-1 win, picking up a crucial two points on the Carolina Hurricanes, who lost to the Sabres, in the process.

The box score and even the detailed stat sheets don't tell the whole story for this game - were it not for solid goaltending from Kari Lehtonen and the Capitals hitting posts three or four times, this could have been the March 3rd Bruins game all over again. Can the Capitals carry that momentum into Sunday's game against Boston? Let's put it this way - I wouldn't bet against them.

One last thing - quick show of hands: Who still thinks the Peter Bondra for Brooks Laich and a second round pick trade was a bad idea?

DMG's 3 Stars
(1) Brooks Laich - 2 goals, +2, 3 hits
(2) Matt Cooke - 1 goal, 1 assist, +1
(3) Alex Ovechkin - 1 goal, 1 assist

Quick Hits

The Thrashers telecast kept commenting on how great Tobias Enstrom is and how he doesn't get any Calder buzz because he's a defenseman. Enstrom's line last night: -3, zero shots, zero hits, zero takeaways, zero blocked shots, 2 shot attempts blocked.

Thrashers' defenseman Garnet Excelby was credited with eight shot blocks

In addition to his two goals, Brooks Laich led the Capitals in hits with three.

Sami Lepisto seems good for about one hard hit every game, doesn't he? Not too bad for a player listed at 176 pounds.

The Capitals had 18 shot attemps blocked - 50% more than the numbers of shots the Thrashers got on net.

It would have been nice if Milan Jurcina had followed up his physical performance against the Flames with another one against Atlanta, although he didn't play poorly by any means.

Wizards Get Juice Back for Tonight's Tough Test

2008-03-13T16:42:00.012-04:00

Cleveland Cavaliers (37-28) at
Washington Wizards (31-32)
Thursday, March 13 - 8pm
Verizon Center

Barring any unforeseen discomfort before tonight's tip-off against the Cavs at the Phone Booth, the Wizards expect to have two-thirds of their big three on the floor together for the first time in 17 games. After watching helplessly as his team slowly slipped down the Eastern Conference playoff standings while he rested his strained-then-torn hip flexor for the last month, Caron Butler is probable for tonight's game against Cleveland.

Tough Juice turned 28 today and his teammates would like nothing more than to celebrate his birth and his return with a victory over a team that has managed to beat them in every way possible over the last three seasons. Washington is looking to build on a strong performance Monday night in a 105-97 win over Milwaukee that was highlighted by a career night for rookie Nick Young.

The City/The Bean Burrito (anyone know what he settled on?) scored a career-high 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting in 27 minutes. He also pulled down five boards, tallied three steals and threw down several vicious dunks - including one on Andrew Bogut's head that resulted in Young's first NBA technical after he insisted on letting Bogut know that it was indeed the rookie who had just posterized him. Young's effort helped the Wiz avoid another big-time let-down in a game they desperately needed. Washington - which shot at even 50 percent on the night - came out firing early and took a 57-44 lead into the break. But the Bucks out-scored their hosts by 11 in the third to get themselves right back in it. Young responded with two key three-point plays in the final quarter to give the Wizards their sixth win in their last nine, although with Philadelphia hot on their heels, each win is crucial.

The high shooting percentage reflects the team's ability to get high quality looks in the lane and knock them down. The Wiz scored a ridiculous 66 points in the paint with man-sized efforts from Brendan Haywood (15 points, 6 boards and 5 blocks), Andray Blatche (15 and 7) and Darius Songaila (11, 5 and 5 assists). And that Antawn Jamison character had another 23-point, 8-rebound effort...yawn.

What does it all mean? Not a whole lot if the Wizards continue to lack the consistent play needed to make a playoff run - OR - Everything if the young guns can produce off the bench night in and night out to help the starters as they wait for their top dogs to get back to 100 percent.

Quotable

"I’m tired of Brendan Haywood calling me a practice dunker and all kinds of stuff. So it was my way to kind of show them that I belong here—and I can jump a little bit." - Young on his aerial exhibition

"I'm going to be rugged and hard-nosed. That's my style and that's what the fans come to see. That's my niche. That's how I got my name in this league." - Butler on how he plans to play coming off the injury

The Last Time

Talk about leaving a bad taste in your mouth. The way the Cavaliers have tormented the Wizards over the past three seasons, no amount of Listerine could possibly do the trick.

On February 22, in just another disappointing ending to a Cavs-Wiz matchup, LeBron James sank two free throws with 7.8 seconds remaining to give Cleveland a 90-89 win. James finished with 33 points, 15 boards and 8 assists to will the short-handed Cavs to victory. They didn't even need newly acquired Ben Wallace, Joe Smith and Wally Szczerbiak, not to mention the injured Anderson Varejao. In fact, it only took three Cavs (James, Zydrunas Ilgauskas - 15 and Devin Brown -10) to out-rebound the hapless Wizards 33-31.

Key Matchup

Anderson Varejao/Joe Smith v. Brendan Haywood/Andray Blatche/Darius Songaila
With 66 points in the paint Monday night against the Bucks, the Wizards showed that they are committed to getting good looks, rather than settling for jump shots every time down the floor. Not surprisingly, they shot a much-improved 50 percent from the field as a result.

Now Andrew Bogut and Charlie Villanueva are not Ilgauskas and Wallace - the Cavs big free-agent pickup - but fortunately for the Wiz, neither guy is expected to play due to recent back injuries (phew!). Instead they'll bang with Varejao, Smith and Devin Brown on the block. Still, for Washington's bigs to put up anything close to that number tonight, they're going to have to work on every possession, battle for offensive rebounds and get to the free throw line.

Haywood has played with increased aggressiveness over the past few games and Blatche has really been coming on of late. If those two can keep the intensity up on both ends of the floor - they'll be asked to play help defense quite a bit when LeBron blows by his defender on the perimeter - and Songaila can step it up again - he had a season-high 19 in the last meeting - it'll give Jamison and Butler a big boost. Varejao isn't nearly as big of an offensive threat as Z, but he does bring a lot of energy to the floor and has a knack for getting offensive put-backs. Washington will need to keep him and Smith from getting open looks and easy boards, but the Wiz should definitely have an edge in the paint tonight.

Prediction

It seems like Washington always has an advantage coming into this matchups, at least on paper. And yet LeBron and company always get the best of them. With it being Caron's birthday and this being their third of five straight home games, I don't know what more motivation the Wiz could possibly need. Basically it's going to come down to the question that every team going up against Cleveland must face: Can you stop the King? So far, Washington has answered that one with a resounding "Nope." But it's not so much that they need to shut James down as it is that they simply can't let him take over the game. Make Damon Jones beat you. Honestly, I won't be that upset if Daniel "Boobie" Gibson hits a game-winning triple. I'll be upset, but at least the Wiz will have found a new way to lose to these guys.

Just please, for the love of Abe Pollin, don't let LeBron drive to the hoop for the game-winning bucket tonight.

That said - and I don't want to jinx anyone - I've got a good feeling about this one (knock on wood).

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!

-- The Tar Heel

Flames/Caps Recap

2008-03-13T10:51:00.001-04:00

Capitals 3, Flames 2

I got a little lazy and a little busy and didn't put together a preview for this game, but if I had it essentially would have consisted of "Holy crap, Dion Phaneuf is good. Holy crap, Jarome Iginla is good. Holy crap, Miikka Kiprusoff is good. Man, oh man, is it going to take a lot to beat the Flames".

But then of course, there is what Capitals fans already knew: Holy crap, Alexander Ovechkin is good.

It was going to take an impressive effort for the Capitals to overcome a talented, deep and tough Calgary Flames and coming off one of the most heartbreaking regular season weekends a team could experience the Caps again proved themselves quite resilient as a potent powerplay, solid goaltending and a defense that stymied the Flames attack and allowed just two shots in the third period.

That statistic is important for more than just this game because it indicates that the Capitals are doing something under Bruce Boudreau that they simply could not do under Glen Hanlon: making necessary adjustments. The Flames had a whopping 17 shots in the first period, but just eight in the second and the measly two in the third, a stark contrast to many of the games Hanlon had coached, where the Capitals would control the first period only to be totally outplayed in the second and third. It's not as if the Capitals are slow starters under Boudreau though - last night's game was the first time the Caps had been scored on in the first period since February 23rd, a span of eight games. Just another indication that Bruce Boudreau is the right coach for this team right now and that the future is bright in Washington, even if this season's playoff push comes up short.

DMG's 3 Stars
(1) Alexander Ovechkin - 2 goals (and the game winner), 11 shots, 1 hit, +1
(2) Olaf Kolzig - 23 saves on 24 shots (.923 save percentage)
(3) Mike Green - 2 assists, 1 hit, 2 blocked shots

Quick Hits

Olaf Kolzig's rebound control...not pretty.

On a night when all eyes would be one him, Alex Ovechkin certainly delivered with his two goals and 11 shots.

John Erskine logged just over five minutes of ice time and was rarely seen after his bout with Eric Godard. Could this be another fight-related injury?

At one point Joe Beninati said that Thermoblades hadn't drawn any rave reviews - Wayne Gretzky was asked to try them out and liked them so much be invested in the company. (Full disclosure: the author of this blog thinks that the concept of Thermoblades is really cool.)

The NHL keeps saying they want to cut down on hits to the head and that they players need to do a better job of respecting one another. That's a pretty hard line to have when their own officials won't call clotheslines to the head...and I think Matt Bradley would agree with me.

Speaking of officiating: when a player gets in the face of an opposing player after a penalty, like Jarome Iginla did to Mike Green when he was trying to draw Green into a bad penalty to take the Caps off the powerplay, shouldn't it be a minor for unsportsmanlike conduct?

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!

Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear

2008-03-11T17:49:00.004-04:00

Milwaukee Bucks (23-40) at Washington Wizards (30-32)
Tuesday, March 11 - 7pm
Verizon Center

The Washington Wizards' grasp on the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference is slipping...and fast.

After a brutal stretch from January 30 to February 22 that saw the Wiz drop 10-of-11 games, the boys in blue appeared to right the ship with four wins in five games to begin the month. But a quick glance behind them in the standings reveals that that once-comfortable lead over the Philadelphia 76ers has been whittled down to a single game.

Before a loss to Boston on Monday, the Sixers (30-34) had reeled off four straight victories. They've quietly won 12-of-18 since Feb. 1st and don't show any signs of letting up behind the inspired play of Andre Iguodala (19.6 ppg), Samuel Dalembert (10.1 rpg) and Andre Miller (6.7 apg). Meanwhile the Wizards have gone in the opposite direction, dropping 12-of-18 since the start of last month.

Washington received some good news yesterday as Caron Butler returned to practice for the first time since the All-Star break. With CB and Gilbert Arenas - who returned to practice last week after three months on the sideline - getting back into game shape, the reinforcements are on their way. But with the race heating up, the Wizards can't afford to wait around for their big scorers to return to the floor. They need to win now to stave off Sixers and Hawks (26-37) and keep themselves in position to make a run at the Raptors for the fifth seed down the stretch.

Saturday's 97-100 home loss to the Bobcats - who, at 5-0 in March are one of the hottest teams in the league...but they're still the Bobcats - highlighted Washington's inability to put string together consistent performances both on the road at in the comfy confines of the Phone Booth.

One night after notching their first victory north of the border in a long, long time, they gave up 34 points to Jason Richardson and 23 to former D-League MVP Matt Carroll, wasting a 30-points, 10-board effort from Antawn Jamison. The Wiz fell behind early, surrendering a season-high 35 first-quarter points to the Bobs and from they were forced to play catch-up the entire way.

Tonight the Milwaukee Bucks come to town, another team ripe for the picking, but with the way things have gone lately, who knows which Wizards we'll see on the floor.

The Last Time
Butler went off for a career-high 40 on Jan. 27 in Milwaukee but the Wizards still managed to lose 105-102 in overtime. Tough Juice - sorry but that moniker just doesn't roll off the tongue like it did earlier this season - has played only two games since.

The Bucks managed to win that one even without the services of leading-scored Michael Redd and Charlie Villanueva as Mo Williams scored 25 and Charlie Bell chipped in 22 off the bench.

-- The Tar Heel

Battle for National Supremecy

2008-03-09T12:56:00.004-04:00

It's always interesting to see how a player develops over the course of his career. How they take their raw potential and progressively get better. In 2001 there were two shortstops at similar points in their careers. Both were young, talented and showed promise to combine a little bit of power, a good amount of speed with solid defense and eventual veteran leadership. Their stats in 2001 were respectively; 80 runs, 14 triples, 10 homeruns 51 RBIs, 25 SBs, .302 BA vs. 97 runs, 12 triples, 14 homeruns, 54 RBIs, 46 SBs, .274 BA. The later is 2007 National League MVP Jimmy Rollins, the other is Washington's Cristian Guzman. Guzman, simply put, was one of those guys on the cusp of becoming great, but never put everything together. However, there is no argument that he is the starting shortstop on the Nationals' 2008 squad. While he is no longer comparable to Rollins, before his injury in 2007 Guzman was putting up very respectable numbers. With most of his various maladies behind him, 2008 looks to be a career defining year. I do not expect him to play over 140 games, but as long as the abysmal .219 BA of his 2005 campaign is long gone, he's as good as any other spot holder for prospect Esmailyn Gonzalez. News about Gonzalez is hard to come by but he played 33 games last year for the Gulf Coast Nationals and batted .245 with 11 RBIs. Not really the production of a future stud so you'll just have to trust the Nationals' scouts that this kid can be the real deal.

Outfield:
While there are only three outfield positions, a successful team can platoon two developing or mediocre players in order to create the statistical equivalent of an above average outfielder. It is critical that the Nationals and Manny Acta manage their young outfielders with as much care and thought that they would a pitching staff.
Based on experience and the promise of a better season Austin Kearns will temporarily retain his starting job in right field. However, he needs to produce better numbers quickly or he'll find himself on the bench or headed out of town. Many have said that his "gap hitting" style of swing will greatly benefit from the new park's dimensions, turning a portion of 2007's 35 doubles into homeruns, but a ballpark has never been responsible for 106 strikeouts or a .332 OBP. With talented up and coming Outfielders Elijah Dukes and Justin Maxwell waiting in the wings, anything other than increased power numbers from Kearns won't justify keeping them off the field.

I never understood why or how Lastings Milledge suddenly lost playing time to Endy Chavez or Marlon Anderson while he played for the Mets. Milledge has very good bat speed and has expressed a desire to steal more bases. I don't ever see him hitting over 35 homeruns as his general body makeup (6 foot, 200 lbs.) doesn't demand that kind of swing, but an emerging gold glove center fielder that can consistently hit 25 homeruns and swipe 35 stolen bases is welcome on any team in the bigs.

I have been wildly critical of Wily Mo Pena since the day he put on a Nationals jersey and feel no different about him now. He is definitely a big guy (6' 3'', 245) and I've read and heard from multiple sources that he is certainly capable of hitting 40 homeruns in any ball park, but he has yet to put those physical talents together with plate discipline. He will get a big opportunity to play full time for the first time in his career and as long as he can wake up his bat before every game the Nationals will be able to overlook his lack of range in left. He's been in the league six years for three different teams, if he's got any more talent left up his sleeve this would be the time to pull it out. There are a lot of questions surrounding this perennial underachiever that can only be answered when his critics are silenced.

It's never a bad thing to have a deep outfield bench as these players are needed throughout the season as hitting streaks and hot bats come and go. I was very impressed last year when I saw Maxwell play. This kid has incredible power and a pure swing. I would even go as far as to compare his potential to a young Albert Pujols and have no doubt that he is the future right fielder of the Washington Nationals for years to come. He needs a little bit more time to develop and get better, but by the time he is ready, Kearns will be well into his implosive and the change will be obvious.
Dukes is in the same situation and will be breathing down both Pena's and Milledge's necks the entire season. Displaying power/speed/great defense, his talent alone will give him the opportunity to prove to the organization he's ready. With five players that all have something to prove the Nationals will reap the rewards even if two of them fail.

- The Hokie

Boys in red, white and blue fall to the boys in black and gold; boys in black and white stripes

2008-03-08T16:18:00.001-05:00

Capitals 1, Bruins 2

Anyone know any Bruins fans? And if so, care to ask them what the going rate is for a referee these days?

If the Capitals miss the playoffs this year there will plenty of people who are scapegoated. Glen Hanlon, for the way the team started the season. Olaf Kolzig for his prolonged slump and for failing to live up to the standards his better years have set. Karma for the injuries to Chris Clark and Alexander Semin. George McPhee and Ted Leonsis because...well there's always someone who tries to blame it on them. But if the Capitals miss qualifying for the playoffs by just a point or two, there are two more names to remember: Chris Rooney and Rob Martell.

As a hockey fan, coach or player you have to accept that referees aren't perfect; refs who are too lenient or too harsh are just a fact of life. Inconsistency is harder to swallow but it too is just a fact of life, as the reality is that the game moves incredibly fast, especially at the NHL level, and two pairs of eyes aren't going to catch everything. But to intimidated as a referee, which is seemed pretty clear Martell and Rooney were in Saturday's game.

They looked intimidated by the crowd at the game's outset, and in the game's opening six or seven minutes they missed a hit from behind on Mike Green, a hit up high on Green when he didn't have the puck, an interference call where Zdeno Chara played Alex Ovechkin instead of the puck and a play when a Bruins player had Nicklas Backstrom bent over the Bruins bench and gave him several punches to the back of the head. To let those penalties go and then call Tom Poti for knocking the net off when it wasn't clearly intentional doesn't make any sense to me.

Later the duo looked intimidated by the fact that one of the league's star players had just been hit hard, calling a cheap penalty on the Bruins after Shane Hnidy got in a solid check on Alexander Ovechkin.

They looked intimidated by the crowd, Matt Cooke's reputation, the sight of Bruins' Bobby Allen defenseman laying on the ice and the fear that they would be perceived as not taking enough action and gave Cooke the gate for what should have been a minor penalty.

Again bowing to the mercy of the crowd, there was no call on Hnidy for going up high on Brashear late in the game.

Yet again bowing to the crowd (and perhaps player reputation), the referees called John Erskine for a hook when a Bruins player lost his balance. Either that or "being in he vicinity of a falling player" is a two minute minor these days.

At least they got those minors on Nicklas Backstrom and Chara as time expired though. That'll sure show the boys!

This is not to say the Capitals didn't screw up late in the game. Brashear's four minutes for high-sticking were bad and although Hnidy should have been called for roughing or unsportsmanlike conduct, Brashear should have known better than to take a swing at Hnidy...no matter how much the B's defenseman deserved it. Similarly Tom Poti's two-time two-hander to break a Bruins player's stick was an unacceptable penalty to take. It's telling when it's a tied game, with less than two minutes left and the two players sitting in the box are two of the wearing 'A''s.

The Caps got some boneheaded plays out of guys who were supposed to be their leaders, but I still think the referees who were more concerned with pandering to the crowd or to the league office were the ones who made the difference in this one.

Quick Hits

During the first intermission the Bruins asked Milan Jurcina what I think is a very pertinent question for Capitals fans: "You concerned at all Ovechkin, in a goal celebration, will hurt himself or one of his teammates?"

It's funny to watch games broadcast by the opposition - right before the Capitals first goal the Bruins commentators were saying that the Bruins had done a great job generating momentum to start the game. When the Capitals scored their first goal, they had six shots and the Bruins had none. The Capitals would go on to register nine shots before Boston puck a puck on Cristobal Huet. Also becuase you get to hear things like 'If I can just do the math quickly in my head, the Bruins have outshot the Capitals 13-4 in this period' followed by, 'Just to show you how good I am at quick math - the Bruins outshot Washington 10-9 in that period'.

For DC United, More Latin Flavor Might do the Trick

2008-03-08T07:44:00.014-05:00

This is the first article of the new year devoted to DC United and though every soccer loving part of me demands I get straight to all the excitement surrounding this year's team, I must defer for a moment to make a brief point. With each Washington spring comes a flood of sporting indulgence, an overdose of massive sports stimulus if you will. The Wizards and Capitals are sprinting to what we all hope are playoff berths. The Nationals are testing recently mended limbs and making sure they'll be ready for what should be an incredible year in a beautiful new park. The media frenzy of NFL free agency and the college draft is, even if the Redskins are remaining unusually quiet throughout, seducing the masses with disgustingly large contracts and sub-4.4 40 times. It’s understandable that amidst the spring sports euphoria a few major stories (or sports) might slip under your radar. This is particularly unfortunate because, even if you’re not a soccer fanatic, there has never been a better time to follow DC United.

United posted another great regular season in 2007, capturing the Supporter's Shield for best regular season record (16-7-7) and first-year forward Luciano Emilio was named league MVP. Though they were riding high from regular season success, United found only disappointment in the MLS Cup playoffs as the Chicago Fire handed United an early exit in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. The loss in the MLS Cup only added to a building frustration in Cup matches. United had been dismissed from both the CONCACAF Cup and the Copa Nissan Sudamericana Cup by Mexican side CD Guadalajara, defeated in the U.S. Open Cup by Harrisburg City of the USL and saw their chance of winning the inaugural Superliga Cup come to an end after a 2-0 loss to the LA Galaxy. For a team that has built a tradition around winning these major tournaments, reaching the semifinals (3 of 5 Cups) could not fulfill the team’s or fan’s expectations.

What’s the fix for a team with such potential and league success but who faltered in critical matches?

One of DC United's most endearing qualities and a main reason for their continuing success is their ability to bring in and develop talent. The current air of excitement and the promise for an even more exciting 2008 is staked on the potentially incredible talent that have been amassed this offseason. The team, in a move that Dan Snyder would certainly applaud, has performed a complete overhaul from their team of two years ago, with only four players remaining from the 2006 starting eleven.

Last year's acquisitions were highlighted by two sensational Brazilians, Emilio and Fred. This year, spurred the departure of starting goalkeeper Troy Perkins, who was sold to Valerenga I.F. of the Norwegian top flight league, and looking to upgrade several other positions, United has opened the door to another influx of impressive new players. Parting ways with long-time playmaker and DC fan favorite Christian Gomez, starting center back Greg Vanney, and starting midfielder Josh Gros, United made a beeline for the soccer goldmines of South America looking for both talented youth and tested ability that could make immediate impacts for the Black and Red.

The first South American acquired was Argentinean forward Franco Niell, on loan from Argentinos Jaguars. Niell, a player with speed and a good finishing touch, is expected to pair with Emilio up front in coach Tom Soehn's 4-4-2 formation.

With the next wave of Sough American signees United hoped to both improve and add depth to its defense core. Colombian defender Gonzalo Martinez and Argentinean defender Gonzalo Peralta were both signed by United as big, skilled defenders with Martinez most likely getting a starting role. Jose Carvallo, a 22 year old goalkeeper from Peru, comes on loan to DC as a highly touted player already with international experience and is expected to challenge newly-acquired Zach Wells for the starting role.

The marquee signing of 2008 is without a doubt Marcello Gallardo, who comes to DC with a weight of expectation as United’s first Designated Player. The Argentinean midfielder joins the Black and Red from Paris-Saint Germain, of the French Champions league, where he spent 2007. Prior to his short stint for PSG, Gallardo starred for French side Monaco and Argentinean power house River Plate. He has also earned 44 international caps, scoring 14 times, and being selected to the Argentinean team for World Cups in 1998 and 2002. Gallardo dons the number 10 jersey, replacing Christian Gomez as the team’s playmaking midfielder – a role that he has excelled in throughout his career.

United has also made several domestic acquisitions with the main addition to the senior team being keeper Zach Wells. Wells transferred to DC from Houston at the end of December as the sale of Troy Perkins to Valerenga solidified. Primarily a backup with the Dynamo, Wells is expected to start for United though, as said earlier, he will be challenged by Carvallo.

With the beginning of the CONCACAF Cup only 4 days away and the beginning of the MLS season on the 29^th of March, I will be updating soon on predicted starting lineups as well as status updates on new players. Look also for news on DC’s developmental players and what impact they could potentially make.

This is an interesting story about how Jamaica views the MLS - "H'View vs DC United Flasback"

Next: Outlook 2008 – How the new-look United stacks up in the MLS

- The Phoenix

Caps Gameday - Caps/Bruins Preview

2008-03-08T00:36:00.000-05:00

Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals
Saturday, March 8th, 2008, 1:00 PM
TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts
TV: CSN
Last Meeting: 3/3/2008, Caps win 10-2.

Just five days after being embarrassed by the Capitals 10-2 on the Verizon Center's ice the Bruins will do their best to return the favor in Boston, as the Capitals try to keep pace with the Carolina Hurricanes in a Saturday matinée match up.

One quick note before I get to the gameday preview: James Mirtle has a great piece up on his blog about Olaf Kolzig that I'd encourage any Caps fan to read.

About the Opponent

Boston Bruins: 35-25-7, 77 points, 3rd in the Northeast Division, 7th in the Eastern Conference.

Team Leaders
Goals: Marco Sturm (23)
Assists: Marc Savard (60)
Points: Marc Savard (74)
Plus/Minus: tie - Dennis Wideman and Zdeno Chára (+11)
Penalty Minutes: Zdeno Chára (108)
Fights: Milan Lucic (12)

Random Bruins Fact
Former Bruins center Phil Esposito was the first player in NHL history to score 100 points in a season.

Random Bruins Statistic
In the 1970-71 season Bobby Orr had a plus/minus rating of +124.

Keys to the Game

Washington
Score first and score early. The Bruins have lost their last three games, giving up a combined 19 goals, including 10 to the Capitals on Tuesday. If the Capitals get a couple early on it might be hard for the Bruins to avoid a 'here we go again' feeling.

Bruins
Score first. With the Bruins having the difficulty they have had on defense recently and the 10 goal night the Capitals posted against them earlier this week the team that scores the first goal is going to have a huge advantage in this one.

Players to Watch

Washington
Boyd Gordon - David Steckel's injury is going to hurt the Capitals more than a lot of people might realize. Bruce Boudreau and the Caps will turn to Gordon to pick up some of the slack both in the faceoff circle on the penalty kill until Steckel can return.

Bruins
Tim Thomas - The Bruins all-star netminder is 0-2-0 with a .744 save percentage and a 10.54 goals against average.

Searching for Dignity North of the Border

2008-03-07T16:15:00.008-05:00

Washington Wizards at Toronto Raptors
Friday, March 7 - 7pm
Air Canada Centre

The last time the Wizards played a game on international soil they suffered a humiliating 39-point defeat at the hands of some guy named Andrea.

All right, so he's European and he happens to be a former No. 1 draft selection, surname Bargnani. He also happens to be the starting center on the Toronto Raptors, the team directly above them Washington in the Eastern Conference playoff standings.

It was a humbling, 122-83 defeat for the Wizards, who were playing without the services of Caron Butler for the second straight game since his hip flexor flare-up. In a perfect example of its Jekyll & Hyde tendencies in the last month, Washington had knocked off Toronto the night before in D.C., 108-104 in overtime.

Six Raps scored in double-figures, including former Wizard/Terp Juan Dixon - who outscored Antawn Jamison 12-11. Yes, it was that bad.

It was Washington's worst defeat since a 111-67 loss at New Jersey on Jan. 16, 2002. Heading into tonight's matchup, the Wiz have dropped four straight at the Air Canada Centre.

The Numbers Game

Here are a couple of the key statistical differences between the Jan. 29 win at home and the Jan. 30 blowout loss in Toronto.

FG Percentage
In the win: Wiz - .421, Raps - .425
In the loss: Wiz - .366, Raps - .566

Rebounding
In the win: Wiz - 57, Raps - 44
In the loss: Wiz - 36, Raps - 38

Three-point shooting
In the win: Wiz - 10-30 (30%), Raps - 10-27 (37%)
In the loss: Wiz - 8-21 (38%), Raps - 13-18 (72%)

Bench Scoring
In the win: Wiz - 20, Raps - 26
In the loss: Wiz - 36, Raps - 56

Key Matchup

Wizards Bench v. Raptors Bench - Just as Washington has been very up and down of late, so has the bench. Hmmmm, coincidence? And that's not a misprint in the bench scoring category above. The Raptors scrubs actually outscored Washington's starters by nine (56-47). For the Wizards to reverse their recent trend of ineptitude up north, they'll need a strong effort from the young guns off the bench. Nick Young and Oleksiy Pecherov were the lone bright spots in Wednesday's blowout loss to Orlando. Both finished with 15 points on very efficient shooting from the field (Young was 5-for-5 and Pesh was 6-for-8). If they can continue their hot shooting in more limited action (if the game is close they won't be on the floor for 18+ minutes) and Roger Mason and Andray Blatche can contributed in the scoring column, Washington should be right there with Toronto at the end.

That's assuming that Brendan Haywood (and not his evil sister) comes to play and the Raps don't shoot 70 percent from three-point range.

Prediction

Yeesh. The only thing more erratic than my predictions this season has been Washington's play in the last three weeks. Let's see...All-Star forward Chris Bosh scored 37 in the Jan. 29 win and just 16 in the loss the following night. So maybe the Wizards should let him go off and hope to contain his supporting cast? Oh wait, he's out with a knee injury, which means the Raps will be missing their top scorer and rebounder.

Even minus the other CB, with Toronto's propensity for the outside shot, DeShawn Stevenson, AJ and Pesh are going to need to knock down some treys to keep pace. As always, keep an eye on the rebounding totals. I expect a much better night from Haywood following his no-show the other night, but Bargnani is difficult to guard because the seven-footer has a smooth touch on the long jumper.

With no Bosh, I'm going to give the edge to the Wiz here, provided they can take advantage of the gaping hole on the inside. Raso Nesterovic isn't a bad post defender, but he's a serious drop-off from Bosh. Also, I'd be shocked if Eddie Jordan's troops don't come out looking to prove their last meeting (and Wednesday's equally forgettable effort) was a fluke.

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!

-- The Tar Heel

Orlando Drills Wizards and a Few Beard Clippings

2008-03-06T11:22:00.012-05:00

The Orlando Magic currently sit third in the Eastern Conference playoff race, but from the looks of it, Dwight Howard and company are tops on Washington's "worst first round matchup nightmare" list.

The Magic came into Verizon Center last night and delivered and old fashioned beat down on their hosts, winning their third straight game 122-92. It was a strong statement that they don't plan on letting the Wizards climb back into the Southeastern Division race. With the win Orlando (40-23) stretched their lead to 9.5 games.

Washington (29-31) was dominated in every facet of the game from the opening tip. They fell behind 10-2 in the first few minutes and were completely out of the game by the second half. The Magic had six players in double-figures including Keith Bogans and Carlos Arroyo - who I so astutely pointed out are not big scoring threats off the bench. Dwight Howard went for 20 and 11 and spent most of the evening dunking on the heads of Brendan Haywood, Andray Blatche and Darius Songaila.

Speaking of Haywood, he was a complete no-show. Washington's starting center - who did a decent job matching Howard in their first meeting (10 points, 16 boards and 5 blocks) - finished with no points, one block, four fouls and two measly boards. Haywood had been playing some of his best basketball of late, so let's hope we're not seeing the re-emergence of Brenda.

On the positive side, Nick Young scored 15 points, showing his ability to contribute in games that are already well out of hand, and Oleksiy Pecherov poured in a career-high with 15 of his own in a career-high 23 minutes. It's nice to see him getting his feet wet but don't expect either guy to crack 15 minutes in a game that's even remotely close. Remember, this is Eddie "I work my starters down to the bone" Jordan we're talking about here.

With two matchups left with the Magic - both in Orlando - it might actually behoove the Wiz to tank a few near the end of the season so they can meet the second-seeded Pistons in the first round instead. Yeah, that's crazy talk, I know, but should the Wiz improve their position and finish fifth, we know how things go against the Cavaliers. From what I've seen, Washington simply can't match up with the Magic. And even with Gilbert and Caron - and maybe even Etan - back in the lineup (knock on wood) come playoff time, we're looking at another possibly riveting six or seven-game losing series with the Cavs. So strictly looking at the matchups, big bad Detroit might be the lesser of three evils. We'll find out on national television when the Pistons come to town on March 23.

Barber Shop Talk

Earlier this season I mentioned the infamous Beard Challenge '07 between DeShawn Stevenson and Drew Gooden. Essentially, it consisted of a no-holds-barred all-out grow-off between two outspoken players on Eastern conference rivals.

Last we heard, Gooden (now a member of the Bulls, thus making this whole thing slightly less intriguing but certainly no less hairy) was hell-bent on doubling up on DeShawn. This from a November e-mail posted on the Bog.

"I already lost to him in a High School State Championship, but beat him in last year's Playoffs. This one would put me ahead 2-1 when I win!" - D Good 90

Well, it's been quite some time since the gauntlet was initially laid down. With six months of unbridled fertilizing and sun exposure behind us, it's about time for an update. Let's break things down with a couple visuals. As you can clearly see, DeShawn is going for length with the whole King Tut thing. I'd give it a good four-to-five inches off the face. Not too shabby but if you look closer, there's definitely evidence of serious sideburn grooming. It looks like the Locksmith is concentrating his effort on the chin area extended.

As for the Big Drizzle, this guy is growing strong. He looks like a complete and utter hobo and in this competition, that's a good thing. He's got the hallmarks of a good beard - length and the density. I'm going to give him a solid six inches with a bonus for significantly more hair mass than DeShawn.

Barring the use of BGH (beard growth hormone) or a serious shaving mishap on the part of Gooden, it looks like he's got this one in the bag. Here's hoping they both shave off their massive chin-straps when this is all over and donate them to a beard-weaver near you.

All this talk of bristles got me thinking, how much better would the NBA be if playoff teams adopted the NHL's beard-growing habits. Seriously, imagine Josh Childress going Mike Commodore or Dirk going with the all-out Lanny McDonald.

The NBA. Where beards happen.

Not a sermon, just a thought.

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!

-- The Tar Heel

Nationals Face a Revolution Throughout Spring Training (Part 1)

2008-03-06T00:14:00.008-05:00

There is one spot and one spot only on the Washington Nationals 2008 roster that is set in stone, expected and deserved. This is third baseman and number three hitter Ryan Zimmerman, who batted .266 with 24 homeruns 91 RBIs and 99 runs in 2007. However, this golden boy of an otherwise dismal offensive team was not without deficiencies of his own in 2007. Zimmerman also led the team with 125 strikeouts and produced a very mediocre .771 OPS. Regardless of the rest of the lineup, Zimmerman has to improve his plate discipline in order to demand respect from opposing pitchers. In his third year the overall success of the Nationals offense will rest on Zimmerman's ability to take the next step toward super-stardom.

There is an old saying that competition is healthy for a team, as it breeds excellence, and while that may be true to produce and sustain the best results, the Nationals' supposed position battles are not as fierce as many would have you believe.

First Base: This is Nick Johnson's position and he will play the majority of the Nationals games at first base. While there is always the risk of injury with this fragile giant, there is no doubt in my mind that he gives the Nationals the best chance to win playing first base. Not only does he bring a superior glove to the position over Dmitri Young, his power numbers are undeniable even in the limited action he saw in 2006 (23 homeruns). Johnson had a tremendous impact in the middle of the Nationals lineup in 2006 and his patience in the four spot (110 walks in 2006) will bring more to the table than Dmitri's previously unheard of .320 batting average in 2007.
It is important to mention that both players are injury prone and won't play more than 140 games in a good year, so it's vital that Acta can keep them fresh until the other one invariably goes down... oh yeah and Young had already tweaked something in spring training.

Second Base: While with Cincinnati Felipe Lopez put up pretty good power and speed numbers that will never be repeated in a Nationals uniform. Clearly helped by a hitter's park in the great state of Ohio he is one of many Nationals that could benefit from the new stadium. However, Lopez's true value as a base thief went unfulfilled as a member of the Nationals in 2007. Bottom line, Acta isn't a manager that likes to run all the time and with Lopez's true value on the diamond handcuffed it makes more sense to start Ronnie Belliard that Lopez. Belliard brings more pop to the lineup and a better sense for situational hitting.
Lopez will get his reps as a shortstop for the team, as Guzman tends to struggled for prolonged periods of time during every season, but looking at him to rebound into a player that hits .300, 20 HR, 75 RBIs and 40 SB will not happen.

I'll definitely break down the rest of the perceived position battles within the next few days and have a wrap up preview for the Washington Nationals 2008 season. I think you'll be surprised how high I rank the boys in Red, White and Blue.

-The Hokie

Magic Come to Town in Potential 1st Round Preview

2008-03-05T13:06:00.005-05:00

Orlando Magic at Washington Wizards
Wednesday, March 5 - 7pm
Verizon Center
TV: Comcast Sports Net

Asked about his team's matchup with Southeast division leading Orlando tonight, Wizards coach Eddie Jordan had this to say: "I just hope we have kryptonite somewhere in our lineup because Superman is pretty good."

Looks like Kenny Smith and the 18,000 in attendance for the All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk contest weren't the only people blown away by Dwight Howard's aerial showcase.

Tonight the Wizards play host to Clark Kent and his Magic, hoping to continue their recent stretch of solid play against the NBA's elite. Both teams have won two straight and Orlando has won seven-of-nine including a statement game of its own. The Magic came out on the winning end of a 103-85 blowout in Detroit on February 19.

The likelihood of the Wizards catching Orlando in the race for the division title is about as good as DeShawn Stevenson's of overtaking Drew Gooden in the Beard Challenge (More on this later). But a win tonight would be huge for Washington - every win is big for a team playing without two of it's top three scorers, but this would be really big - before a one-game road trip to Toronto followed by a five-game home-stand against beatable teams.

Orlando currently sits third in the Eastern Conference playoff race, meaning if the regular season ended today, they would match up with their division foes in the first round. Tonight could be a very intriguing preview to that potential series.

Noteworthy

Gilbert Arenas was back on the practice floor yesterday, running through five-on-five drills with the team and beating out slow as molasses Darius Songaila in sprints after their team lost. Gil wasn't expected to speak with the media but per the request/forceful demand of PR guy Zack Bolno, he briefly addressed the 30+ member contingent, answering 21 questions by Dan Steinberg's count and reassured everyone that even through his rehabilitation, Hibachi hasn't let his cocky young tenant defeat the landlord. "C'mon. It IS Nick, you know. I know [I'm injured], but it's still Nick."
If anyone on the Wizards possesses the kryptonite Jordan is seeking, it might be Songaila. Not because he has the bulk or the quickness to contain Howard, but because the Lithuanian kind of looks like Michael Rosenbaum, Lex Luthor in that show about Clark Kent's youth, Smallville. Yeah? Maybe? OK, it could be a stretch.
Speaking of Songaila, the elder Eastern European on the Wizards' roster painted his likeness on a Wizard-themed plane that the team decorated yesterday after practice. Not too shabby, but it looks a little too much like Oleksiy Pecherov's namesake.

The Last Time
The Wizards had a 67-64 lead heading into the fourth quarter of their first meeting with the Magic on November 3 in D.C. and then All-Star snub Hedo Turkoglu took over. The Turkish sharpshooter scored 13 of his game-high 25 in the final frame, leading Orlando to a 94-82 victory and handing the Wiz their third straight loss to open the season.

Gilbert Arenas tweaked his knee on the way to a very un-Hibachi-like 10 points. Washington - which shot just 34.8 percent - got 23 points from Caron Butler and 20 from Antawn Jamison but it wasn't enough to match an 18-point effort from Orlando's massive free agent pick-up, Rashard Lewis, and a typical 17 and 15 performance from Howard. Arenas would suit up for five more contests before going back under the knife.

Key Match Up

Antawn Jamison v. Rashard Lewis - With their size and outside shooting ability, the Magic are a matchup nightmare up and down their starting lineup. At 6-foot-10, 230, Lewis can post you up or step out and hit the mid-range (or long-range) jumper. He's averaging 18.4 points, 5.4 boards and 2.4 assists per game and although his scoring is down from his days in Seattle, the 10-year vet has befitted tremendously from the presence of Howard and Turkoglu. With the big guy underneath and the shooter on the perimeter to spread the defense, Lewis can roam freely opposite Howard on the block or on the outside.

Jamison, who played Lewis fairly even in the first meeting (he finished with 20 and five but shot just 6-for-21 from the floor), is far from Washington's most capable defender, but he should be able to assert himself on the boards. The All-Star reserve leads the team in rebounding with 10.4 per game. AJ needs to slow Lewis on the defensive end and find the openings only he can to get off those trademark flip shots, runners and layups because the Wiz certainly won't be able to contain Howard at the other post position (sorry Brendan).

Prediction
I didn't expect the Wizards to beat the Hornets once, let alone twice - let's be honest, who outside of that locker room did? - just like I didn't expect them to beat Dallas or Boston twice. I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong again. But I don't see them winning this one tonight. They're on a mini-roll and should be riding the energy of Agent Zero's return to practice yesterday into tonight's contest, but the Magic are also rolling and they've got a lot of weapons.

If there's one area where the Wiz have an advantage - and this might surprise you based on their injury situation - it's the bench. Washington's reserves have come on strong of late as Andray Blatche has readjusted nicely to his sixth-man role, averaging 14 points and 6.5 boards in his last two games since being replaced in the starting lineup by Songaila. Roger Mason is a consistent contributor in the back-court and the three rookies appear to finally be finding their roles on the team. The Magic have decent options in Keith Bogans and Carlos Arroyo, but no real scorers to give their starters a big boost. Fortunately for them, they haven't really needed much more than a few minutes for the big guys to get a breather here and there.

As is always the case, if the Wizards get an edge on the boards, get to the free throw line, take care of the ball and knock down timely outside shots, they can pick up a W. They can certainly run with the Magic, who average 104.3 points per game (6th most in the league). Maybe the Wiz will continue drop the games they should win and win the wons they're not supposed to. Either way, they're looking to get back to .500 tonight and with the way they've been playing of late, a win wouldn't be a shock.

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!

-- The Tar Heel

Caps/Sabres Preview

2008-03-05T12:45:00.000-05:00

Washington Capitals at Buffalo Sabres
Wednesday, March 5th, 2008, 7:30 PM
HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York
TV: CSN+
Last Meeting: 12/14/07, Caps lose 5-3

About the Opponent

Buffalo Sabres, 32-26-9, 73 points, 4th in the Northeast Division, 9th in the Eastern Conference.

Team Leaders
Goals: Thomas Vanek (27)
Assists: Jason Pominville (40)
Points: Jason Pominville (62)
Plus/Minus: Jason Pominville (12)
Penalty Minutes: Andrew Peters (85)
Fights: Andrew Peters (11)

Random Sabres Fact
In 1996, before a game between the Sabres and the Boston Bruins, the scoreboard at HSBC Arena fell to the ice while it was being moved. There were no players on the ice at the time and no one was hurt.

Random Sabres Statistic
Sabres winger Thomas Vanek had a +47 plus/minus ratings last season. This season his is even (+0).

Keys to the Game

Washington
Keep the energy level high. The Capitals always play a much better game when they keep the energy level up and the Sabres played in Philadelphia last night.

Buffalo
Get out in front early. The Capitals are likely to be flying high coming off their 10-2 victory over Boston and if the Sabres can come out and get a quick goal or two it may throw things awry on the opposition's bench.

Players to Watch

Washington
Olaf Kolzig - Kolzig's been scapegoated plenty this season when he hasn't deserved it, but the last two times these teams met he cost the Capitals at least one point, plain and simple. With Huet playing well, you'd have to figure Kolzig will run out chances (eventually...) if he doesn't start showing something in net.

Buffalo
Thomas Vanek - the object of Kevin Lowe's offseason affection has started playing like he's worth $10 million, putting up 20 points (13+7) in 15 games in February.

Capitals 10, Bruins 2

2008-03-04T16:22:00.001-05:00

Capitals 10, Bruins 2

In my original pregame post for last night's game between the Capitals and Bruins my original 'Key to the Game' for Boston was "Pray. The Capitals will be fuming after their loss to Toronto, playing Boudreau's aggressive system to 'T' and having acclimated their new players it's going to be a challenge for Boston to slow the Caps down, let alone stop them", but I discarded it thinking that it was too presumptuous (and out of fear of ending up looking stupid). Turns out I probably would have been right as the Capitals were ready from the opening faceoffs, racking up four goals before the Bruins tallied their second shot and finishing the first period with as many goals (six) as the Bruins had shots.*

Like everything else going on with the Capitals, it would be impossible to extradite this game from the team's current goaltending situation. I think you'd be a little off base to say the Capitals potted ten goals because Cristobal Huet was in net but I think there has been a pronounced difference in the way the rest of the team played in the games Huet started compared with the ones Olaf Kolzig has started. The cause is most likely rebound control - it's been a problem for Kolzig all season and it's a strength of Huet's game and so far it has looked like the team is much more confident with Huet in net, whereas with Kolzig they seem to feel the need to collapse around the net to try and protect against second chances. With Huet in net it looks like the team is able to get out of the zone a step quicker, a major advantage when you're trying to play up-tempo and control the play, the way Bruce Boudreau wants. Nothing's definite yet, but it's just a little something to chew on.

DMG's 3 Stars
(1) Alex Ovechkin - 3 goals, 2 assists, +3. And the chase for 60 is back on.
(2) Nicklas Backstrom - 1 goal, 3 assists, +3
(3a) Matt Bradley - 2 goals, 1 assist, +1
(3b) Brooks Laich - 2 goals
(3c) Matt Cooke - 1 goal, 2 assists, +2
(3d) Eric Fehr - 3 assists, +1
(3e) Donald Brashear - 1 goal, 2 fights, +1

Quick Hits

Fight fans would have to have been licking their chops at the prospect of a Donald Brashear/Zdeno Chara scrap, but man it could not have been more disappointing.

Domination is four goals when your opponent only has one shot.

The pass/tip in for Ovechkin's fourth goal was absolutely perfect - it couldn't have been drawn up any better.

One thought on Mike Green's board on Chara - that's getting your two minutes worth.

Only two Capitals players (Milan Jurcina and Sergei Fedorov) didn't have at least one point.

With his three assists Eric Fehr more than doubled his NHL assist total and increased his NHL point total 60%.

I've ripped on them enough this season so credit where credit's due - the referees did a good job of keeping this game under control, without getting ridiculous.

*The official scoring changed after I wrote this, giving Boston credit for eight shots in the first.

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!

Winning Weekend for the Wiz

2008-03-03T15:34:00.009-05:00

If only the Wizards could play all of their remaining games against the Celtics, Mavericks and Hornets...That's right, three of the best teams in the league, but three teams that would hate to see Washington in a seven-game playoff series. Baffling as it might be, the Wizards have managed to play their best basketball against two of the best teams in the vaunted Western conference and the biggest beast in the East.

With their 101-84 rout of New Orleans last night at the Phone Booth, the Wiz are 6-1 combined against those three opponents with the lone loss coming in Boston in the second game of the season.

Just seven days after DeShawn Stevenson carried his team to a victory in New Orleans with a career-high 33 points and a game-winning three-pointer, Washington got solid contributions from the usual suspects and a strong effort from its bench to sweep the season series with the Hornets.

After struggling from the field over the last several games, Antawn Jamison returned to form with a 28-point, 9-rebound performance. Stevenson added 16 for the Wizards who started the fourth quarter on a 19-0 run that broke open a close game. With 11 points from Andray Blatche, eight from Oleksiy Pecherov and six each from Nick Young and Roger Mason, the much-maligned Washington bench out-scored the Hornets' subs 35-23 to help the cause.

The Wiz (29-30) performed admirably on the boards against rebounding-machine Tyson Chandler, matching the Hornets with 44 boards, and they continued their recent trend of valuing the basketball. Washington committed just seven turnovers while New Orleans coughed it up 15 times.

The win came less than 48 hours after a big victory in Chicago on Friday night. In that game, the Wizards overcame an 18-point deficit and the early ejection of Stevenson to take out the new-look Bulls, 97-91. Washington went on a 22-1 run to start the third quarter and out-scored Chicago 35-14 in the period, turning the 18-point deficit into a three-point advantage.

Both wins over the weekend were huge for a team trying to build confidence and return to their winning ways without injured stars Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas. For a team that had made a recent habit of giving up leads late in games, these two come-from-behind victories could go a long way toward helping Washington's playoff run.

Quotable

"It took a little bit of time because it was like shellshock. But it comes to a point where you say, 'This is who we are and where we are at right now' and guys have to step up. Over the last few games, we've been able to do that and we're playing well." -- Roger Mason on Washington's response to injuries this season.

“The way our roster has gone up and down in numbers—seven guys to practice with and nine guys to practice with—it’s been like that all year. And this team has stuck together.” -- Eddie Jordan

"We embarrassed the organization and the city of Chicago tonight. I apologize for that." -- Bulls interim coach Jim Boylan on Friday's loss to the Wiz.

Noteworthy

Eddie Jordan has switched his starting lineup around the last two games, going with veteran Darius Songaila at power forward instead of Blatche. The third-year big man had been up and down in his 14 games as a starter, but has played since going back to his reserve role. Blatche had 11 points, 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals last night and finished with 17 points and 10 boards against the Bulls on Friday.
Apparently Jordan is caught up in the whole Hannah Montana craze. This from Yahoo!'s game notes: "Wizards coach Jordan, speaking pregame about his TV preferences: 'I either watch basketball or the news—or Hannah Montana with my daughter.' … More comedy from Jordan postgame: Accompanied by his young son, the coach put a small stuffed dog on Antonio Daniels' left shoulder while the guard was doing interviews in the locker room. 'Class project,' Jordan said before taking a picture. Said Daniels: 'It’s so hard to concentrate with a dog on my left shoulder.'"
Low Blows from Ernie Grunfield: Washington's general manager had his No. 22 jersey retired yesterday during Tennessee's game against Kentucky, and according to a Knoxville News-Sentinel story cited in the DC Sports Bog, he did more than score points as a member of the infamous "Ernie and Bernie Show."

"Everybody was tired,'' (teammate Mike) Jackson said, "and Phillips was really tired and bent over. Ernie bent down next to Phillips and made sure the official wasn't looking and he sucker-punched him up under the chin.''

And one more can't miss Steinberg Wiz bite from the Bog. Seriously, check this one out, for all that is sacred and holy in the names of Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier!

The Numbers Game

18 - Number of seasons since the Wiz last swept their season series with the Hornets franchise.
31-17 - Washington's advantage in free throw attempts against New Orleans.
8.2 - Average turnovers per game for the Wiz in their last five games in which they are 4-1.
12.7 - Average turnovers per game for the Wiz in their previous 11 games in which they were 1-10.
6-9 - The Wizards' record without Caron Butler after starting 2-8 minus their All-Star forward.
2.5 - Sixth-place Washington's game-lead over seventh-place Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. The Wiz are 3.5 games behind fifth-seed Toronto.

Up Next
Washington hosts Dwight "Superman" Howard and the division-leading Orlando Magic (38-23) on Wednesday at the Phone Booth in another true test for this patch-work rotation. The Wiz lost to the Magic 82-94 in D.C. the night after their loss in Boston in their only other meeting so far this season. Hedo Turkoglu scored 25 for Orlando as the Wizards fell to 0-3 for the first time since 1992 and Gilbert Arenas walked off the floor after a 10-point night saying of his knee, “It’s stiff. It feels like a 5-pound weight is on it.”

Needless to say, the Wizards look a lot different than they did that Saturday night in November. They've never been able to challenge the Magic at the top of the Southeast division as Orlando currently holds an eight-game lead and has a strangle-hold on the third seed for the playoffs.

It's not a game Washington is expected to win, but then again, they weren't supposed to sweep the Hornets last week either. So maybe they can keep this little hot streak going a little longer.

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!

-- The Tar Heel

The Blame Game

2008-03-02T17:22:00.000-05:00

Capitals 2, Maple Leafs 3

It's nice to beat the best team in the Conference in their own building, but it's hard to feel too good or build too much momentum when you come back and lose to the 12th ranked ream in your own building.

Capitals fans are of course keenly aware of this and the wake has led to a lot of scapegoating. Here's who's being blamed:

Olaf Kolzig. Who knew Capitals fans were of such a "what have you done for me lately" variety? Kolzig has become the number one scapegoat for the team this season and while I think that he certainly has not played all that well he deserves better than what some fans want, including one who wanted him sent to the AHL in order to "make a statement" (note: for Kolzig to be sent to the AHL he would have to clear waivers, which is unlikely to happen. Kolzig, a class act for many, many years would likely be lost on waivers to essentially punish him for being human and having his skills decline with age and would simply be a classless act, and a P.R. disaster, for the organization). The numbers suggest Kolzig can't play every night at his age - he put up save percentages of .860 or so in December and January when Bruce Boudreau was riding him heavily but had a .922 save percentage in February once Brent Johnson started to see more playing time. Kolzig is fine as a backup. As for last night - he wasn't exactly a sieve but the Mats Sundin goal should have been stopped - a shot with no traffic and from that angle always should be.

Bruce Boudreau. I've seen more than one person suggest Boudreau should have started Cristobal Huet last night rather than Kolzig. That criticism has some merit, but given how Olie had been playing of late and the fact that the Caps were playing on back-to-back days, in different cities, it was not unreasonable to play Kolzig last night.

George McPhee. Huh? Yeah, doesn't make enough sense, but I've seen people doing it, faulting McPhee for letting Kolzig play (not his decision), picking up Fedorov (who was fine) and failing to pick up a better defenseman at the trade deadline. I have to this: anyone who thinks McPhee is doing a poor job either (1) is taking their cues on the difficult of being a GM from a video game (2) is looking for reasons to be grumpy and be upset at McPhee because they've been scapegoating him for so long and/or (3) has no appreciation for how difficult it is to be a general manager in the NHL. I'm sure there are constructive arguments that can be made criticism McPhee's ability as a GM...but I haven't heard any yet.

Ted Leonsis. Another head-scratcher to me, but there are people faulting him for the fact that Olie got the start...because we all know it'd be better to have an over-involved Dan Snyder or Peter Angelos type owner, right?

Tomas Fleischmann and Alexander Semin both missed good chances last night.

Team Effort. This seem to be the go-to excuse any time a team loses a hockey game, but the fact that it's the once Boudreau cited makes it carry a little more weight in my mind. Still, although I think the Capitals effort could have been better for portions of the second period, yet I don't think it cost them the game.

The Powerplay. The Caps were 0-5 with the man advantage and it seemed like the Leafs actually gained momentum by taking penalties and killing them off.

That there are many suggested causes (scapegoats?) for this loss leads me to think it was a case of "just not enough". The Capitals offense just couldn't quite convert on their chances, the defense just couldn't quite bottle the Leafs attack and Olaf Kolzig wasn't quite good enough to pick up his teammates. No one was terrible, but a lot of guys were mediocre and when no one steps up and carries the team on their shoulders, that's just not enough to win.

Huet and Caps shut out Devils, 4-0

2008-03-01T15:19:00.000-05:00

Capitals 4, Devils 0

Cristobal Huet stopped every shot he faced, Sergei Fedorov notched two assists and Matt Cooke...was in the building as the Capitals shut out the Eastern Conference leading New Jersey Devils, 4-0.

But it wasn't just the new players that made the difference for the Capitals - Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin each had two points, Donald Brashear chipped in with a goal and the team allowed only 18 shots on goal.

Also notable was Washington's play with the man advantage, as the Caps scored each of the two times they had a powerplay. Fedorov is going to be important here; after Michael Nylander's injury Bruce Boudreau moved Tomas Fleischmann to the first powerplay unit as the system called for two left-handed players down low. No offense to Flash, but the powerplay's going to be a lot stronger with Fedorov filling that role.

DMG's 3 Stars
(1) Cristobal Huet - 18 saves on 18 shots
(2) Alexander Semin - 1 goal, 1 assist, +1
(3) Nicklas Backstrom - 2 assists, +1

Quotable

"It was an ideal start, I would say. But we can't stop here."

- Cristobal Huet

Quick Hits

In addition to picking up an assist, Fedorov won 10 of 13 faceoffs (77%)

Alex Ovechkin has now gone seven games without scoring - a career high (low?).

Again the Capitals played well in front of their own net (and Huet did a good job controlling rebounds), and again John Erskine was scratched.

While we're on the topic of personnel decisions, I thought it was odd that Jeff Schultz saw time on the powerplay and Steve Eminger didn't.

Nice to see Viktor Kozlov taking a page out of Quintin Laing's book, shot blocking-wise.

Only three Capitals players were credited with giveaways - Ovechkin (3), Mike Green (2) and Shaone Morrisonn (1). To contrast, the Devils had nine players with at least on.