Today's lineup: Lightning at Caps

Go Caps!!

Looking for the OVIE show today!
GO CAPS!!!

Ovie should NEVER drop the gloves again!

I posted this in the last thread. Per twitter:

Depending on when Semyon Varlamov is ready to return, it's possible Michal Neuvirth won't be returning to Washington anytime soon.

Well I guess this will be a test of how far has Mr.Nasty come this season. Will he be able to cover for Sloan's deficiencies? Let's Go Caps -- Go for 10 in a row!

Will he be able to cover for Sloan's deficiencies?

Posted by: NovaCath1 | January 31, 2010 3:06 PM | Report abuse
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If he can do it for Green, I think he'll do it for Sloan.

It's open season on Ovie. That will just make him angry and put up a hat trick.

who has a live feed???
ADTHE is not working

Sloan...POSSESSED by Greenie!!

that was a nice job by Sloan

Bruce going with five forwards, with B-mo replacing Greener.

Awe. Flash.

PP looked a little out of rhythm

whew

ahhh...its working now!!!!

Erskine seems to be skating well..slow..but well

Ovie is off...he just checked himself behind the opposing net

i think ovie was having a problem w/his skate. looks like they were taking a look at it.

Im not sure ive ever seen a period with 11 shots, from 11 different players for the Caps.

... ovie has just one ...

... he's in the middle of the pack ;-) ...

... I think big changes are comming ...

alrighty backs

BACKS!

backs!!

i luv seeing backie crashing the net

2nd DING!

The Rays are blocking/deflecting ALOT (hehe) of shots.

wtf_e_fehr:
good goalie positioning only allows for misses and pucks off the pipes :)

Have i mentioned how i hate that little st. louis?

NOW he wants to play D?

wtf_e_fehr:
good goalie positioning only allows for misses and pucks off the pipes :)

Posted by: Capt_Kirk_in_AZ | January 31, 2010 4:08 PM |

I like the way you think!

Sloan has had a really nice game.

BROOKS!

laich!!

i laich it

lol Semin.

Good job Laich.

HAHA BROOKSIE

poor mike smith

another layup

they got that big goalie MOVIN

poor mike smith

Posted by: rachel216

i take it you're a fan of all goalies - not just neuvy

goon...

...and here comes the goonage

backs is certainly looking to get his shot off.

Sneaky little backhander by Poti at the end there.

Well I was kinda being sarcastic. He was going from left to right and had no chance. Neuvy's my fave though.

Jose's been good so far. He's also had some good luck!

I will not mention the SO!!

Waddell is going to be in the press box at the Devils/Kings game. Two teams supposedly in the Kovy run.

But goalies are really lovable.

not all goalies are tho... lovable isn't the word that comes to mind when it comes to Billy Smith and Ron Hextall

I think it's interesting that what's happening now started shortly after the Chimera trade.

Coming into today, he's got 3 goals and 9 points and is +4 in 15 games even though he's averaging only 12:01 of ice time per game.

Clark had 15 points in 38 games and was -4.

Not saying those numbers are the whole story. My eyes also tell me Chimera fits in pretty well.

Did I see the little stat at the top of the screen right? When Caps are leading after 2 periods they have a record of 24-0-2?

had to be that freakin midget

st. louis is like Dino with better wheels

Wow horrible call against Backstrom.

this is some crap

Horrible PK there for Flash

Real bad turnover/fail to clear/penalty by Flash.

good..we needed some adversity....even if it was MANUFACTURED!

Jose's giving me a heart attack.

I guess we should be happy it's not 5-2. Lightning have hit 3 posts.

as good as Ovie is on the point of the PP, he should always play on the wing getting set up for one-timers like Stamkos

can we just check some of these small guys that they rely on an see if they fall?

ovie just cant get it going

Yeah, Ovie having a really off game. So is Flash.

I think its great to see those Jeff Halpern Jerseys in the stands. I loved Jeff when he was in DC. I still like him.

So we no longer have the Lightning's number?

CAPSTRONAUT IN THE HOUSE!

We can't lose...right?

Ovie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OVIE!

DIDNT BLOCK DAT ONE DID YA!????!!!!?

Take that you whiners busting on Ovie.

excellent pass from Backstrom there.

THAT IS

EXACTLY

WHAT WE NEEDED!

That's why Ovechkin is so good. Having an off game and all of a sudden, he comes to the rescue. The video worked, AGAIN!

Terrific job by Knuble at the boards.

wtf_e_fehr: We need to just keep criticizing Ovie! Then he'll score!!

guess we can say Ovie unleashed the fury.

gonchpup: That's not whining, that was a fact. He was having an off game (compared to a normal Ovie game) before that shot.

Take that you whiners busting on Ovie.

Posted by: gonchpup | January 31, 2010 5:15 PM |

You should quote one of those "whiners", so people here know what you're talking about. Because I didnt read any whining...

rachel216 - Your opinion.

wtf_e_fehr - "ovie just can't get it going".... posted by?

I don't think Ovie was having a bad game... tampa was doing a pretty good job on him.

and as is often the case with great players, you give'em an inch and they will take advantage of it

I like how Theo stood up and made the save there instead of going down in his usual betterfly

butterfly

joek443 - YOU have it right.

wtf_e_fehr - "ovie just can't get it going".... posted by?

Posted by: gonchpup | January 31, 2010 5:23 PM |

Thats called "Game Analysis" pup. No where near "whining". I call it like I see it. Did you hear Joe B. comment on how many of Ovies shots where blocked, have you seen his chances and missed opportunities? Understand the diff.

Thanks for the help Lecavelier!

Thank You Vinny for sealing the Win for us.

10 in a row!

SWEEETTTTTT

And history is made :o)

GO CAPS!!!

...into the record books!!!

I've noticed a slight change in Theo style lately - he's been standing up more

I gotta believe that's Irbe's influence and coaching

wtf_e_fehr: Exactly. Through the first two periods Ovie wasn't having a great game. But he showed up when we needed him to. That's not whining. But who cares now?!

i am seriously enjoying this whole not losing in forever thing--its AWESOME

wtf_e_fehr - Your opinion. I am just coming to the defense of one of our players, as opposed to throwing out negative comments. And having shots blocked is no indication of how well someone is playing, rather an indication of how well the other team is playing against. An assist, a goal, 6 or 7 shots on net, several good hits, some good back-checking... that's the way I saw it.

The Unleash the Fury vid is seriously awesome!!!!

Hey PUPPY, its all good!!!

The Caps are in the record books. Feel free to submit your own "Game Analysis" ANYTIME!!

DID I SAY GO CAPS YET!?!?!!?

wtf_e_fehr - I take it you like using the term "Game Analysis" a bit.

POSTGAME THOUGHTS:
The Caps made it interesing but the win was good enough that I give it a perfect 10!!!! :) Get it??? Haha ok that was bad.

Congrats to the guys for getting into the records. Let's set a new one on Tuesday night.

Great tight checking game - good game by both goalies.

Defenseman breaking goal scoring droughts and on nights when we scored seven goals and didn't hear a peep from him, Mr. Ovechkin keeps fighting through a game of blocked shots and the biggest one got through to seal the deal. It's why he continues to be great.

This team is on a mission. What a pleasure to take part and be a fan and enjoy this magic on ice. It's a blessing. Some games are blowouts - others are tight checking affairs. I'd rather see that than see all blowouts. Shows the character in your team to win different styles of games.

It's on to Beantown to try and extend it to 11 games. Time to knock over the Bruins.

It's been a two point afternoon/early evening.

ICE BREAKERS GOAL SHAKERS.

hmmmm... It should be an interesting day for caps insider commenters. With a 10 game win streak secured, here's my best effort to find all of the negatives about the team and get all of the "complaining" and "whining" out of the way:

1. What was up with Backstrom's penalty? Obviously it's an NHL conspiracy against the Caps.

2. Flash fails to clear the zone and lets the Lightning back in it. Ignore his two assists tonight, they were obviously flukes *shifty eyes*

3. Semin only gets one point tonight. Trade him.

4. Caps clearly can't play without Mike Green. We should have pummeled the Lightning even with him out of the lineup.

5. Theo could have pitched a shutout there, but couldn't hold it together. Clearly not the goalie we want in the playoffs.

and last but not least...

6. Ovechkin didn't get 3 points tonight, and was getting a ton of shots blocked today. A real star would've made that empty netter!

My thoughts:

-Glad Theo's injury wasn't too serious to keep him out too long. He had a nice game.
-Other than 1 or 2 mistakes, Sloan had a pretty impressive game.
-The goal post was the best player for the Caps, don't you all think?
-Backstrom is such a gift to watch. He really deserves more notice.
-Erskine had pretty good game.
-I thought out of the 4 forward lines, the third line was the most consistent. First line, however came up big in the third.

i am seriously enjoying this whole not losing in forever thing--its AWESOME

Posted by: dc33 | January 31, 2010 5:36 PM

No kidding! I thought we'd have a let down against the ducks last week (second half of a back to back, ducks doing poorly) but was happy to wrong! Looking forward to the next one to see if we can break that record completely.

GO CAPS!

Raber - Well done.

Am I sensing some hostility?

Way to go Caps on win #10!!! I think TB did a really good job covering OV...there seemed to be 2 guys on him at all times.

Semin seemed to be trying to get a little cute with the puck...

Glad Sloan had an OK game...I am not a fan of his, but he seemed t hold it together well.

Hopefully Varly's conditioning stint goes according to plan, this time around.

no player can be great all the time because believe it or not, the players on the other team won't always make it easy on Ovie.

In the history of this team I can't even remember how many times the shoe was on the other foot... you thought they had pretty much shut down guys like Lemieux, Bossy and Jagr in the game then boom they would score the GW goal.

you keep the game close then let the stars take over in the third... that's how you win in the playoffs and the Cup

sarge: +2

Sloan had a great game, compared to his pr evious endeavors.

Sloan did look good. Nice to know Bruce has some options in who he wants to call upon when others are out of the line up - liking our depth here. And Theo again - playing much better as of late.

Woo hoo! Congrats, Caps, on #10! I'm gonna get me a garden salad!!!

See you all at the game on 2/5...

hmmmm... It should be an interesting day for caps insider commenters. With a 10 game win streak secured, here's my best effort to find all of the negatives about the team and get all of the "complaining" and "whining" out of the way:
----------------

7) The fans are all whiners. Here is my list of all the things I think they will say...

one more thing to consider about Ovie's game lately is that there's no question he's been playing closer attention to defense since he was given the C. he's often the first forward to get back to his zone.

if that will sacrifice his offensive stats a little then so be it because both he and the team will benefit with this style.

wtf_e_fehr - I take it you like using the term "Game Analysis" a bit.

Posted by: gonchpup | January 31, 2010 5:47 PM |

Sorry, I tend to be repetitive when I am trying to educate. You see terms like "whining" are considered offensive. Get it now?

@joe443

Great words and so true.

Other teams are making it harder for Ovi to dominate but the guys just need to keep keep the game winnable and "then let the stars take over in the third... that's how you win in the playoffs and the Cup."

That shift in which he scored was amazing--one could see Ovi and his line just lift up their game. I knew a goal was going to happen.

IMO these wins--the tough defensive ones against a hungry opponent on the playoff cusp--make me feel secure about this team's ability to to play through different kinds of tough game situations.

The team seems to show more energy in the third period. I loved how Ovi said in his on-ice interview how great we fans were. He literally feeds off the crowd's energy.

GREAT WIN CAPS!

wtf_e_fehr - So sorry to have offended you. Okay now?

wtf_e_fehr - So sorry to have offended you. Okay now?

Posted by: gonchpup | January 31, 2010 6:57 PM |

Nope...

GONNA HAVE TO HUG IT OUT!!!

wtf_e_fehr - ... You're alright!

10! Way to go Caps!
Does anyone have any insight on the Feb 5th special jersey? Is it going to have just a 35th Anniversary patch, or will it be a special "3rd" jersey (although they say it will only be used once).

Just got back from the game. Nice win by the Caps. Way to pull it out even after losing the lead.

Observations:

They showed Shrek and his friends cheering for the Caps when Laich scored. (Is that the Caps new protocol for ugly goals -- as Kanoobie, the ugly mutt, is shown on the Peerless Prognosticator site)

They showed the stats on the Caps as having an incredibly good record when tied after Period 1.

I was amazed at the number of people who left the game early while the outcome was in doubt, including people in my row.

Now Neuvy's down at Hershey to be eligible to play for the Bears during the Olympics. He's doing well in today's game. Hershey is up 4-1 with a little over 4 minutes to go. (I guess Hershey will be set a goal tending for a good long while. And Bacashahua will barely get a start in edge wise.)

2 comments from being at the game today:

- Most amazing play - Backstrom has a pass going behind him and manages to put up his skate to knock it down and turn to get the puck. Just floored me.

- Probably because it was a matinee crowd but the "Shoot it" and "Ovechkin, Ovechkin, Ovechkin" stuff was driving me nuts. Very uneducated crowd it seemed and very quiet up till the unless the fury vid.

Whoa Kings won!

Kings were down 2-1 then scored 2 in the last two minutes and beat the Devils! Our Eastern Conference lead is now 8 points!

The caps are single handedly keeping every team in a playoff race. These teams cannot separate because the Caps keeps beating them all.

They should win the next 3, all those teams are in a similar spot, and none of them any good.

I hope the Caps can break this record. I'm thinking this might be the best Caps team to ever take the ice. If/when Varly gets back and he's the same Varly he was before he got hurt, I really think the Caps will be unstoppable.

Toronto won't have Vesa Toskala to kick around anymore.

And now they have a descendant of the Farnsworth clan on their roster. Phaneuf is a French corruption of the name Farnsworth. Here's the story. A Farnsworth child was kidnapped by Indians and eventually rescued by French Canadians and raised by them. The name Farnsworth became a French corruption and eventually became Phaneuf.

ITS GOOD TO BE A CAPS FAN! After all these years of not really being considered a NHL threat,the caps are finally becoming that elite team that we always wanted and knew the caps could be.And it feels pretty damn good baby!But it would figure I would be livin in crappy ol florida now and cant enjoy the whole spirit of being in d.c and living back in md.Its all good,as long as the caps winning it dont matter where i'm at.And it would figure the time i'm coming back up north for a little bit that it would be olympic break and i cant even enjoy my home team at home.O well,still love them caps!GO CAPS!!!

gratefuldid,

Don't worry, the Caps are still being treated as if they were last in the league. The local affiliates don't care, the local news does not care. Nobody cares except the real fans and half of Comcast Sports Net. But yeah, when you're in town, come by Fados, Bar Louie, Rock Bottom Brewery Near Kettler, or Clydes for a little bit of that Caps celebratory spirit. :)

I don't care if the local news, etc.. doesn't jump on the Caps bandwagon. I've been a Caps fan since childhood in the late 70's and like many of you, have suffered through some serious playoff heartbreak. Over the years my wife and kids have all become big Caps fans too! Who needs all the non-hockey fans jumping on board? I used to like Nascar until they ruined it by homogenizing it to the masses and didn't care about the old fans. Let all Caps and hockey fans in the area enjoy the success of this great team!! They'll always be those people who don't "get" or consider hockey equal to football or basketball.

@ kcbrichmond

they gotta stop racing in So. Cal, two most boring races of the year

With the trade deadline approaching, these Caps are sending a message to GMGM....."leave us alone!".