Author Topic: CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11  (Read 3815 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Senators2005

  • Lake Ridge, VA
  • Posts: 12264
  • Go Natsssssss!
    • http://nationalsnation.spaces.live.com/
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Topic Start: November 05, 2006, 10:43:31 PM »
This Thread Dedicated to the Following Games:
November 6th vs. Ottawa Senators
November 9th @ Carolina Hurricanes
November 11th vs. New York Rangers

Offline Senators2005

  • Lake Ridge, VA
  • Posts: 12264
  • Go Natsssssss!
    • http://nationalsnation.spaces.live.com/
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #1: November 05, 2006, 10:46:53 PM »
Nov. 6 vs. Ottawa Senators at Verizon Center
Time: 7:00 pm
TV: NC8
Radio: WTNT 570 AM

Ottawa Senators (5-7-0)
Washington Capitals (5-4-4)

The Washington Capitals are in the midst of a ?weave? portion of their schedule. The Caps alternate home and road games from Oct. 30-Nov. 15, a span of eight games. After a 5-3 win over the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday, the Caps head back to Verizon Center for a one-game ?homestand? with the Ottawa Senators.

Washington?s prior schedule has also taken on a bit of a weave pattern. The Caps have yet to win consecutive games or lose consecutive contests in regulation through their first 13 games of the season. The Capitals can put together consecutive wins for the first time this season with a win over the struggling Sens on Monday.

Saturday?s win was an important one. It came in the second of back-to-back games, and just one night after the Caps let a 2-0 lead slip away on home ice against Southeast Division-leading Atlanta. It also ended a 16-game winless drought in Philadelphia that stretched back to Jan. 31, 1998.

Washington coach Glen Hanlon has tweaked his lineup a bit in recent games, but he made some sweeping changes before the Philadelphia game. The foremost change involved scrapping the Ben Clymer-to-defense experiment after a 12-game trial. That plan looked like a smashing success in the preseason, and even worked well through the first handful of regular season games. But Clymer and Hanlon agreed on Saturday morning that the time had come to move the Minnesota native back to the right side of the CBS line with Matt Bradley and Brian Sutherby. That trio had been a consistently solid unit for the Caps for most of last season.

Clymer was evidently happy and comfortable in being reunited with Sutherby and Bradley. Clymer netted a pair of goals against the Flyers; his linemates finished the night with two assists each.  

With Clymer back up front, defenseman Steve Eminger returned to the lineup after a two-game exile. Eminger had not been a healthy scratch in the NHL since Dec. 7, 2002 when he was just 19 years old. Eminger logged just over 15 minutes and recorded three blocked shots and an assist against the Flyers on Saturday.

Richard Zednik suffered an upper body injury in Friday?s loss to the Thrashers, so Tomas Fleischmann was summoned from Hershey on Saturday. The AHL?s third-leading scorer, Fleischmann was inserted into the Washington lineup against Philly. He picked up an assist despite just 7:39 in ice time.

Washington is currently in the midst of a stretch of schedule in which it will face 100-point teams from a year ago in five of six games. That period began on Oct. 30 in Calgary. The Caps beat the Flames and the Flyers, but fell to the Atlanta Thrashers (the only team in the six-game span that did not record 100 points last season) on Friday at Verizon.

The Caps are 2-1 halfway through that run. After Ottawa?s Monday visit to the District, the Caps travel to Carolina on Thursday before hosting the New York Rangers on Sunday.

Washington ranks 15th in the league in power play efficiency with a 15.8% success rate. The Caps rank 18th in the NHL with a penalty killing success rate of 83.1%.

The Sens are starting a four-game road trip in Washington, and Ottawa is carting a three-game losing streak with it to Verizon Center. Most recently, the Sens absorbed a 3-2 home ice loss to the Hurricanes on Saturday after jumping out to a 2-0 lead.

Ottawa is coming off a third straight season with 100 or more points, and a ninth straight playoff appearance in 2005-06. The Sens matched a franchise record with 113 points last season, and led the NHL with 314 goals scored. They also led the league with 25 shorthanded goals and finished fourth in the league in both power play and special teams.

For all their good work during the regular season, the Sens were bounced out of the postseason in the second round, suffering a defeat to the Buffalo Sabres in the second round.

Ottawa has managed only 37 goals in its first dozen games this season, and 21 of those came during a three-game winning streak from Oct. 21-26. The Sens have been stingy in surrendering just 30 to the opposition, the third lowest total in the NHL.

Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson has been a lightning rod for early season criticism of the team?s performance. Alfredsson has netted only two goals thus far this season. Facing the Capitals might help in that regard; he has totaled 23 goals and 40 points in just 36 career games against the Caps.

The Senators are dead last in the league in power play success, with an efficiency rate of just 8.4%. Ottawa features the league?s third-best penalty killing corps with a 90.6% kill rate.

Offline sportsfan882

  • Posts: 93631
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #2: November 06, 2006, 11:59:17 PM »
What an unbelievable comeback from the Caps tonight.  They were down 3-0 at one point in the first period after shotty defense and bad goaltending by Kolzig.  BJ came in and got the job done as well as our offense.  Ovechkin is backkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!  He scored the game tying goal with under 30 seconds left in the 3rd period.  Clark hit the winner in OT for the Caps first OT/SO all season.   The Capitals record now stands at a solid 6-4-4.

Offline Senators2005

  • Lake Ridge, VA
  • Posts: 12264
  • Go Natsssssss!
    • http://nationalsnation.spaces.live.com/
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #3: November 07, 2006, 04:00:57 AM »
Just caught the replay on CSN.  I don't agree with your assessment of Kolzig's goaltending Sportsfan...those three goals were not all his fault.  The Caps defense played SLOW & FLAT the first period and it almost cost them the game.  Luckily they got their act together in the second 2/3rds and it was indeed an exciting finish!  30 seconds left and GOAL!!!!!!!!!   :twisted:  :twisted:  :twisted:



Great win for the Caps against a very talented Ottawa squad.

Offline Dave B

  • Posts: 6033
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #4: November 07, 2006, 09:10:30 AM »
I was surprised to see the caps only had 20-something shots on goal.  Must have had a lot of blocks and missed nets.

They were flying in this game. Getting out of the zone with speed. Defensemen leading rushes. Very encouraging.  Brashear caused a turnover and drew a penalty leading to the first goal.

I dont know what to make of this if anything but all of the Caps goals were deflections. Take what you can get.

The CBS line, notably bradley is looking good. Skating well and hitting people.

Ovechkin, aside from maybe the goal in philly hasnt had any of his dazzling goals, but he can score the garbage ones too.  Most importantly he is hitting people. I think that is a sign of his health and mood.

Online Ali the Baseball Cat

  • Posts: 17657
  • babble on
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #5: November 07, 2006, 09:01:32 PM »
The Rangers game is huge on many levels (not the least of which is the fact that our inflated ticket prices are partly to pay for Jagr's big fat ass living in posh digs in Manhattan)...hope there's an actual crowd for that one!  The Caps are out of last place for the first time since, oh, a good long while ago.

Offline Senators2005

  • Lake Ridge, VA
  • Posts: 12264
  • Go Natsssssss!
    • http://nationalsnation.spaces.live.com/
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #6: November 07, 2006, 10:58:34 PM »
Quote from: "Ali the Baseball Cat"
The Rangers game is huge on many levels (not the least of which is the fact that our inflated ticket prices are partly to pay for Jagr's big fat ass living in posh digs in Manhattan)...hope there's an actual crowd for that one!  The Caps are out of last place for the first time since, oh, a good long while ago.
I'm assuming we will be hearing from ColtonWillems in this thread about that game.   :wink:

NatsCaps19

  • Guest
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #7: November 09, 2006, 05:13:34 PM »
big game tonite vs the Canes

Caps will win 4-2

Offline Senators2005

  • Lake Ridge, VA
  • Posts: 12264
  • Go Natsssssss!
    • http://nationalsnation.spaces.live.com/
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #8: November 09, 2006, 06:10:59 PM »
Quote from: "NatsCaps19"
big game tonite vs the Canes

Caps will win 4-2
Nice to see you around NatsCaps...invite your buddies from the Caps board to contribute once in awhile.  I can remember quite a few have registered accounts here already.  We have basic post-game comments only here - nothing extravagant.   8)

Offline Senators2005

  • Lake Ridge, VA
  • Posts: 12264
  • Go Natsssssss!
    • http://nationalsnation.spaces.live.com/
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #9: November 09, 2006, 06:16:24 PM »
Caps Take on Canes in Carolina
Nov. 9 vs. Carolina Hurricanes at RBC Center
Time: 7:00 pm
TV: CSN
Radio: SportsTalk 980

Washington Capitals (6-4-4)
Carolina Huricanes (7-6-3)

The Caps will pack their modest two-game winning streak and haul it down to Carolina, where on Thursday night they will take on the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes at RBC Center in Raleigh. Thursday?s meeting is the second of the season between the two teams, and Washington?s first visit to Raleigh in 2006-07.

Both of Washington?s wins on the current streak came against 100-point teams from a season ago, and both ended long stretches of futility against those clubs. The Caps? 5-3 win in Philadelphia on Saturday was Washington?s first in Philly since Jan. 31, 1998. It ended a skid in which the Caps went 0-15-1 in the Flyers? building.

Two nights later at Verizon Center, the Caps shed another monkey from their collective back. After spotting the Ottawa Senators a 3-0 first period lead, the Caps chipped and clawed their way back into the game. Alex Ovechkin?s second goal of the night tied the contest with 24.4 seconds remaining, and Chris Clark?s tally in the second minute of overtime won it.

The win was Washington?s first over the Senators in the District in more than five years, since Mar. 11, 2001. That 2001 victory over Ottawa was also the result of a comeback from a three-goal deficit. Those two rebounds against Ottawa ? the Capitals? two most recent wins over the Senators in Washington ? mark the only times in the last 10 years that the team has come back from a deficit of as many as three goals to win a game.

The Saturday and Monday wins were Washington?s first consecutive triumphs this season, and they came on the exact same dates as the team?s first consecutive victories did a season ago. Each of Washington?s last three wins came against a team that recorded 100 or more standings points in 2005-06, and each of the Caps? next two games are also against 100-point teams from a year ago.

The Caps come into Raleigh two games over the .500 mark for the first time since the end of the 2002-03 regular season. Washington is off to its best start since 1997-98.

The Caps last saw the Canes on Oct. 7 when Carolina provided the opposition for Washington?s home opener at Verizon Center. The Capitals took that one by a 5-2 score. Washington is 2-2-2 against its fellow Southeast Division occupants this season. The Caps posted a 3-3-2 mark in their eight meetings with Carolina last season.

Washington?s power play outfit ranks 14th in the league with a success rate of 17.8%. The Capitals are 9-for-37 (24.3%) on the power play in their last nine games. The Caps? penalty killing corps stands 16th in the NHL with a success rate of 83.5%. Washington has successfully snuffed 45 of 52 (86.5%) opposition man-advantage chances in its last nine contests.

Carolina is a single point ahead of Washington in the Southeast Division standings. The Hurricanes currently sit second in the division standings, eight points behind front-running Atlanta.

After opening the season with an 0-3-1 mark in their first four games, the Hurricanes have righted the ship and are 7-3-2 since. Carolina endured a seven-game road trip in October, posting a 3-3-1 record on the journey. The Canes are 2-2-1 in five home tilts this season.

The Canes are fresh off a 3-2 shootout loss at New Jersey on Tuesday, a game they probably should have won in regulation, if not overtime. Cam Ward started that game in goal for Carolina, his seventh consecutive start in the Hurricanes? nets. He has helped the Canes to a 4-2-1 record during that stretch.

In Rod Brind?Amour, Ray Whitney and Eric Staal, the Hurricanes boats three of the league?s top 17 scorers this season. Going into Wednesday night?s NHL action, Brind?Amour and Whitney were tied for fourth in the league with 20 points each, and Staal was tied for 17th with 17 points.

Carolina is 5-3 against its fellow Southeast Division denizens this season.

Carolina?s power play unit ranks 17th in the NHL with a success rate of 15.8%. The Hurricanes rank 12th in the league in penalty killing prowess with a kill rate of 84.4%.

Offline sportsfan882

  • Posts: 93631
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #10: November 09, 2006, 09:18:15 PM »
What an embarrassing performance in such an important game.  A dreadful game in all aspects.  Erskine looked decent.  That's about it..  :roll:

Offline Senators2005

  • Lake Ridge, VA
  • Posts: 12264
  • Go Natsssssss!
    • http://nationalsnation.spaces.live.com/
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #11: November 09, 2006, 09:25:39 PM »
FINAL IN RALEIGH
Washington 0
Carolina 5

Agreed...they got molested tonight.   :oops:

Offline ColtonWillems

  • Posts: 1125
  • "You have no integrity"
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #12: November 09, 2006, 09:29:42 PM »
Ovechkin and Semin is going to be a very scary combo in the future. I'm scared right now sheesh!

Not as good as Jagr and Shanahan though

Offline Senators2005

  • Lake Ridge, VA
  • Posts: 12264
  • Go Natsssssss!
    • http://nationalsnation.spaces.live.com/
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #13: November 09, 2006, 09:35:01 PM »
Quote from: "ColtonWillems"
Ovechkin and Semin is going to be a very scary combo in the future. I'm scared right now sheesh!

Not as good as Jagr and Shanahan though
I like Malkin & Crosby over in Pittsburgh too...those guys are another dynamic duo of the future.

Offline UMDNats

  • Posts: 18063
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #14: November 09, 2006, 11:50:21 PM »
Too bad Shanahan is ancient. B)

Tough loss tonite. Hopefully they come back and demolish the Rangers.

Offline ColtonWillems

  • Posts: 1125
  • "You have no integrity"
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #15: November 10, 2006, 12:03:23 AM »
Quote from: "Nats19"
Too bad Shanahan is ancient. B)

Tough loss tonite. Hopefully they come back and demolish the Rangers.


Yeah Shanny is pretty damn old, he's up there in league lead in goals tho :D

Good luck on Saturday, you have the advantage in that the Rangers play Friday night in ATL, have and then have to travel to DC only to play another game less than 24 hours later. But look at me already making excuses before gameday.

LET'S GO RANGERS!

Online Ali the Baseball Cat

  • Posts: 17657
  • babble on
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #16: November 10, 2006, 10:13:47 AM »
Quote from: "ColtonWillems"
Quote from: "Nats19"
Too bad Shanahan is ancient. B)

Tough loss tonite. Hopefully they come back and demolish the Rangers.


Yeah Shanny is pretty damn old, he's up there in league lead in goals tho :D

Good luck on Saturday, you have the advantage in that the Rangers play Friday night in ATL, have and then have to travel to DC only to play another game less than 24 hours later. But look at me already making excuses before gameday.

LET'S GO RANGERS!


Much as Jagr bugs me, I've got absolutely no problem with the Rangers - I am always a fan of Original Six teams, and some of my all-time favourite players retired as Rangers...99 and Moose to name two!!

Offline ColtonWillems

  • Posts: 1125
  • "You have no integrity"
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #17: November 11, 2006, 12:32:33 PM »
Oy vey! I don't get to watch the game tonight because I have to work til 10. Bummer. I'll be able to catch the replay of the game on MSG though. Again, good luck tonight...you'll need it hehe

Offline Senators2005

  • Lake Ridge, VA
  • Posts: 12264
  • Go Natsssssss!
    • http://nationalsnation.spaces.live.com/
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #18: November 11, 2006, 07:08:43 PM »
Caps Host Rangers
November 10, 2006
Time: 7:00 pm
TV: CSN
Radio: SportsTalk 980

New York Rangers (9-6-1)
Washington Capitals (6-5-4)[/size]

Saturday night finds the New York Rangers at Verizon Center for the first of two visits this season. The Caps suffered a 5-2 setback to the Blueshirts on opening night of the 2006-07 season in New York, and Saturday marks Washington?s first opportunity to even the score.

Washington?s modest two-game winning streak was snapped with a 5-0 loss at Carolina on Thursday. The Caps will try to rebound against the Rangers. Since the start of last season, the Caps have had reasonably good success on the heels of blowout losses.

The Capitals have absorbed 13 losses by four or more goals since the start of the 2005-06 season. They have posted a 6-5-1 record in the games immediately following those blowout losses.

Thursday?s game was a 1-0 affair until the waning minutes of the second period. The Caps missed out on a chance to get even and perhaps take the lead when they had 3:45 of consecutive power play time and 2:00 of consecutive five-on-three time in the second period of that game in Carolina.

Washington has had success against the Rangers in its own building in recent seasons. The Caps are 6-0-0-2 against New York in the Rangers? last eight visits to the Phone Booth. It has been more than six years since the Rangers recorded a regulation win over Washington in the District. The boys from Broadway took a 5-3 decision from the Caps on Nov. 9, 2000.

Washington?s power play ranks 15th in the NHL. The Caps have connected on 16.9% of their power play chances. The Capitals? penalty killing unit ranks 14th in the league with a success rate of 83.7%.

The Caps? special teams have been strong over the team?s last 10 games. Washington?s power play is 9-for-41 (22%) during that stretch while the penalty killing corps has snuffed out 51 of 59 (86.4%) opposition power plays.

In Jaromir Jagr, Michael Nylander and Brendan Shanahan, New York boasts three of the league?s top 10 scorers this season. Martin Straka gives the Rangers four scorers in the NHL?s top 25.

The Rangers are having no trouble scoring goals this season, but sophomore goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has struggled a bit in the early going. A Vezina Trophy finalist as a rookie in 2005-06, Lundqvist?s 3.49 goals against average and .884 save pct. are a far cry from his 2.24 and .922 numbers of a year ago.

Prior to Friday night?s game against the Thrashers in Atlanta, New York was seventh in the NHL with an average of 3.4 goals per game. But the Rangers ranked 27th in goals against, having surrendered goals at a rate of 3.6 per contest.

The Rangers came away with a 5-2 win in a hard-hitting contest at Atlanta on Friday night, giving them four wins in their last five games. Lundqvist picked up his second straight win in the triumph over the Thrashers.

Saturday?s game concludes a three-game road trip for the Rangers, with each of the games coming in a Southeast Division city. New York opened the trip with a 4-3 shootout win over the Panthers in Florida on Wednesday night.

The Rangers have won four straight games on the road and six of their last seven contests away from Madison Square Garden.

Going into Friday night?s tilt in Atlanta, the Rangers ranked ninth in the NHL in power play prowess. New York had clicked on 19.4% of its man advantage opportunities on the season. The Blueshirts are 18th in the league in penalty killing with a kill rate of 83.2%.

The Rangers were 2-for-4 on the power play and 4-for-6 in the penalty killing department in Friday night?s game at Atlanta.

Offline Senators2005

  • Lake Ridge, VA
  • Posts: 12264
  • Go Natsssssss!
    • http://nationalsnation.spaces.live.com/
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #19: November 11, 2006, 07:49:32 PM »
Holy Crap!   :shock:  
End of the first period and the Caps are on fire!   :twisted:
Capitals with 17 shots on goal vs. Rangers 5
Oh!  and Braschear kicked Colton Orr's ass!   :lol:

Offline Senators2005

  • Lake Ridge, VA
  • Posts: 12264
  • Go Natsssssss!
    • http://nationalsnation.spaces.live.com/
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #20: November 11, 2006, 09:39:56 PM »
FINAL @ VERIZON CENTER

New York Rangers 1
Washington Capitals 3[/size]

Offline Senators2005

  • Lake Ridge, VA
  • Posts: 12264
  • Go Natsssssss!
    • http://nationalsnation.spaces.live.com/
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #21: November 11, 2006, 09:43:48 PM »
This is not the best picture that could have been taken.  I would have much preferred the photographer snap one when Orr had his back on the ice - Brashear straddling his chest - and doing the mashed potatoes on Colton's face.   :lol:  Oh yeah....I suppose I might as well mention that Godzilla had 41 saves too.


Offline Senators2005

  • Lake Ridge, VA
  • Posts: 12264
  • Go Natsssssss!
    • http://nationalsnation.spaces.live.com/
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #22: November 11, 2006, 09:48:06 PM »
Quote from: "ColtonWillems"
Again, good luck tonight...you'll need it hehe

Offline sportsfan882

  • Posts: 93631
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #23: November 11, 2006, 09:50:25 PM »
The Caps played one of their best games of the season tonight although the Rangers looked pretty bad.  They dominated practically the entire game and could have easily had 2-3 more goals.  Kolzig was great , it sucked to see him lose the shutout in the last few minutes.

Offline UMDNats

  • Posts: 18063
CAPS Week 6: 11/6 - 11/11
« Reply #24: November 11, 2006, 09:50:50 PM »
Caps just beat the hell out of the Rags.
OWNED