The Capital Fanatic.com Show: Week in Review

Thanks to Kevin from The Kevin Hatcher Fan Club and Rebecca from A View From the Cheap Seats for joining me on the show today. We talked about the Chris Clark resigning and the roles that Steve Eminger and Brian Sutherby will have in the upcoming season. Plus Michael Wilbon's comment on hockey and even an interesting reference to Harry Potter by Kevin. The show finished with some Redskins talk thanks to a longtime Skins fan and a good friend of mine Matt Garin calling into the show.

To listen to the show you can click on the media player on the right side of the homepage, click on the link at the bottom of this post, or the show is also available on iTunes for download to your iPod or MP3 Player. Don't forget to tune in next Sunday at noon for another live edition.

Late Sunday Update: I just found this article from iGoBlogTalk.com, which provides a very well written synopsis about my show. Check it out, and as always I appreciate the nice feedback.

Caps Shutout Again

Offense Fails to Produce for the Second Straight Game
Carolina Hurricanes 3, Washington Capitals 0
Boxscore
Friday, March 9th 2007
(Photo Courtesy of Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Traditionally when these two teams get together the games have been high scoring. In fact coming into tonight's contest they have combined for an average of 7 goals per game. But that was not the case tonight as good goaltending, along with solid defensive play by both teams led to a low scoring and uneventful evening.

Andrew Ladd finally broke the scoreless battle 1:42 into the second period after the Capitals failed to clear a loose puck in front of their own net. A couple of whacks later and Ladd had his 8th goal of the season.

The game stayed 1-0 until midway point of the final period when a Donald Brashear turnover in his own zone directly resulted in Justin Williams putting the game away as he snapped a snot into the top left corner of the net. The two goal Carolina lead was more than enough for Cam Ward who stopped 25 shots on his way to his second career regular season shutout.

The bright point on the night for the Capitals was the performance of goaltender Brent Johnson who stopped 42 shots despite falling to 5-12-6 on the year after taking the loss. Johnson has possibly 2 or 3 games remaining as the number one goaltender before Olie Kolzig makes his return.

The Caps welcomed Chris Clark and Boyd Gordon back to the lineup and they, combined with winger Brooks Laich, did a nice job playing the role of the shutdown line. Each time Hurricanes' coach Peter Laviolette sent out their top line it was Gordon's line that was called on. They did their job as only Laich finished with a negative plus/minus rating.

Washington now has 48 hours to try to turn things around and find some line combinations that can produce offensively before they travel to New York on Saturday to take on the Islanders. They have 14 games remaining and still find themselves needing ten points in the standings to match their total of 70 last year.

Game Notes:

Steve Eminger and Brian Muir were the healthy scratches.

Caps/Hurricanes Preview

Carolina Hurricanes (33-28-7, 73 points)
at
Washington Capitals (24-31-12, 60 points)

Television: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WTNT 570-AM
Gametime: 7:30 PM ET


Friday, March 9, 2007

The Caps have a chance to play the role of spoiler tonight as they host their division rivals, the Carolina Hurricanes. The defending Stanley Cup champions are on the outside looking in as the tight for the final playoff positions in the Eastern Conference heats up. The Hurricanes find themselves tied with the New York Rangers and the Toronto Maple Leafs for 8th place but would currently lose a tiebreaker to the Rangers.

Fatigue should not be a factor for both clubs heading into the matchup. Carolina has not played since they fell to the Thrashers 3-1 last Sunday in Atlanta, while the Caps have had 2 days off to think about their loss Tuesday night in Toronto.

Washington should get a much needed boost to their lineup as their captain Chris Clark and checking line specialist Boyd Gordon have both been cleared to play. Clark has missed the last six games with a sprained shoulder while Gordon missed the last 2 with a sore knee. The team is still without their franchise goaltender Olie Kolzig and winger Matt Pettinger, although Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post had reported that Kolzig was supposed to have practiced today, taking shots for the first time since his injury. No report on whether or not that did occur.

The game will mark the last meeting of the season between these two teams at the Verizon Center. They'll still play once more at Carolina on the 22nd of March. They're last meeting was a 7-3 drubbing by the Capitals on January 27th thanks to 2 goals by Alexander Semin and Eric Fehr's 1st career NHL goal. That came just one day after the Hurricanes beat up the Caps in Raleigh 6-2 in the first game after the all-star break.

While Carolina will most likely be without left wing Ray Whitney and defenseman Bret Hedican with lower body injuries, they should get winger Eric Cole back after he was activated from the disabled list yesterday. Cole has missed the past seven games with multiple hip injuries, first a contusion then a torn muscle. His 25 goals and 26 assists will be a another offensive weapon for the Capitals to deal with.

Down on the Farm:

The South Carolina Stingrays came up with a big victory over the Charlotte Checkers on the road last night. The 6-2 moves the Stingrays just two points behind Charlotte in the battle for the fifth and final playoff position in the South Division. The Stingrays got 2 goals from Chris Chaput and 3 assists from Peter Szabo to pace the offensive attack. It was an impressive victory considering how short handed the team currently is thanks to injuries and recent callups. Check out Mike Vogel's blog Dump and Chase for a behind the scenes look at the ECHL franchise as he spends the week with the team.

Thursday Morning Capitals Draft Update

The Capitals moved into 5th place in the race for the top pick in the NHL draft after the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Los Angeles Kings in overtime last night 3-2. With their move into the top five they now are eligible to win the 1st pick in the draft lottery. Under the terms of the rules, only the teams with the worst five records are eligible to move up to the number one pick. The Caps also control Buffalo's first round pick which at the moment would be the 29th selection. That will change based on the Sabres performance in the playoffs, just another reason to root against them.

The only problem with this draft is that it is not as strong as last year's as there is no clear cut franchise player. Here is the updated list of the top 30 skaters available as of March 7th. No goaltender is ranked to go in the first round.

Top 30 Skaters - Updated March 7

No.	Player	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Shot	DoB	Team
1.	Cherepanov, Alexei	RW	6.00	183	L	1/15/1989	Omsk
2.	Kane, Patrick	RW	5.10	162	L	11/9/1988	London
3.	Turris, Kyle	C	6.00	165	R	8/14/1989	Burnaby
4.	Van Riemsdyk, James	LW	6.03	191	L	5/4/1989	US Under-18
5.	Voracek, Jakub	C	6.01	188	L	8/15/1989	Halifax
6.	Alzner, Karl	D	6.02	210	L	9/4/1988	Calgary
7.	Couture, Logan	F	6.01	188	R	3/28/1989	Ottawa
8.	Gagner, Sam	RW	5.11	190	R	8/10/1989	London
9.	Ellerby, Keaton	D	6.03	182	L	11/5/1988	Kamloops
10.	Mayorov, Maxim	LW	6.02	187	L	3/26/1989	Leninogorsk
11.	Esposito, Angelo	C	6.01	180	L	2/20/1989	Quebec
12.	Gillies, Colton	C	6.04	194	L	2/12/1989	Saskatoon
13.	Petrecki, Nick	D	6.03	213	L	7/11/1989	Omaha
14.	Andersson, Joakim	C	6.02	198	L	2/5/1989	Frolunda
15.	Blum, John	D	6.00	155	R	1/30/1989	Vancouver
16.	Plante, Alex	D	6.05	220	R	5/9/1989	Calgary
17.	Veilleux, Keven	C	6.05	195	R	6/27/1989	Victoriaville
18.	Hamill, Zach	C	5.10.5	180	R	9/23/1989	Everett
19.	Hickey, Thomas	D	5.11	186	R	2/8/1989	Seattle
20.	Aliu, Akim	RW	6.02.5	207	R	4/24/1989	Sudbury
21.	Sutter, Brandon	C	6.03	174	R	2/14/1989	Red Deer
22.	Shattenkirk, Kevin	D	5.11	193	L	1/29/1989	USA Under-18
23.	Hoeffel, Mike	LW	6.01	175	L	4/9/1989	USA Under-18
24.	MacLean, Brett	LW	6.01.5	200	R	12/24/1988	Oshawa
25.	Moller, Oscar	C	5.10.5	182	R	1/22/1989	Chiliwack
26.	Gratchev, Max	LW	5.11	195	L	9/26/1988	Rimouski
27.	Ruzicka, Vladimir	C	6.01	180	L	2/17/1989	Slavia
28.	Doyle, Eric	D	6.02	191	L	4/5/1989	Everett
29.	Backlund, Mikael	C	6.00	191	L	3/17/1989	Vasteras
30.	Tyrell, Dana	C	5.10	185	L	4/23/1989	Prince George

The Caps should be able to chose either a right wing or center, their two positions of greatest need prospect wise.

Caps Roster Notes:

The team announced yesterday that both Chris Clark and Boyd Gordon will return to action Friday night when the Caps host the Carolina Hurricanes. In response the team reassigned forwards Alexandre Giroux and Dave Steckel back to Hershey. Giroux played well in his brief time with the big club, providing a nice spark to the lineup with his speed and hustle. Steckel did not see any action after being recalled before Tuesday's game in Toronto.

Caps/Maple Leafs Preview

Washington Capitals (24-30-12, 60 points)
at
Toronto Maple Leafs (31-26-9, 71 points)

Television: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WTNT 570-AM
Gametime: 7:30 PM ET


The Capitals limp into Tuesday night's game in Toronto having lost 13 of their last 15 games on the road. However, they should get some much needed reinforcements back into their lineup.

Captain Chris Clark announced on Comcast SportsNet's Postgame Live after Saturday's loss at home to the Islanders his intentions to return for the game. He will be joined by defenseman Mike Green and winger Alexandre Giroux who were both recalled from Hershey on Monday, and center Kris Beech who was declared ready to play by team officials despite leaving the team's last game in the second period after he took a blocked shot off his knee.

Tuesday Morning Edit: The Washington Post is reporting that Chris Clark is ill and did not make the trip.

Mike Vogel is reporting that there is some talk of giving Frederic Cassivi his first NHL start of the season tonight. He appeared in two games this past week, both in relief of starting goaltender Brent Johnson. If Johnson gets the call instead, it will be his 10th straight start which would surpass Olie Kolzig's longest stretch of 9 straight earlier in the year.

This is a key game for the Maple Leafs as they find themselves tied with the New York Rangers for 10th place in the Eastern Conference just two points behind the 8th place Carolina Hurricanes. They spent their Monday preparing for the Capitals in a unique fashion, practicing outdoors in -20 degree weather while entertaining about 250 school children. Their longtime captain Mats Sundin described the experience as reported on TSN.ca. "We have a huge game (Tuesday) and a little break in the routine is all right. It was tough conditions out there with the wind and everything but it's great to come out and meet the fans."

Toronto will most likely be without their all-star defenseman Tomas Kaberle who suffered a concussion in last Friday's game against the Devils after he was the victim of a late hit to the head by tough guy Cam Janssen. The Toronto Star is reporting that his symptoms are no better or worse at the moment and that the team hopes he will be able to return to the lineup in 7 to 10 days. In his place the Maple Leafs are expecting the return of Pavel Kubina who has missed the past 5 games with a broken finger. He practiced fully with the team yesterday and only needs final approval from the medical staff in order to play.

Washington and Toronto have split their two meetings earlier in the season as each team won in the other's building. Toronto won the first meeting November 24th 7-1 before the Capitals won the rematch a month later 3-2.

Down on the Farm:

The Hershey Bears announced they have recalled forwards Matt Reid and Stephen Werner to replace Giroux and Green. Reid was briefly recalled to the AHL last week for one game by the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He currently leads the Stingrays with 22 goals on the season. Werner has been in South Carolina since being demoted back on December 6th. While with the Stingrays he tallied 9 goals and 6 assists in 24 games.

Capitals Crash and Burn

Washington Can't Stay Out of the Box, Carolina Makes Them Pay
Carolina Hurricanes 6, Washington Capitals 2
Boxscore

Everything looked to be going their way. Alex Ovechkin had just recorded his 30th goal of the season and the team had recovered from a slow start to tie the game at two just 54 seconds into the second period. But then the penalty bug bit them and a pair of inexcusable plays by center Jakub Klepis swung the momentum in the Hurricanes favor for good.

A goaltender interference penalty by Klepis was quickly followed by a Chris Clark hooking call that gave Carolina a two man advantage. Erik Cole helped the Caps out by taking down defenseman Shoane Morrisonn just after Boyd Gordon had just won a key faceoff inside the Caps zone, ending the five on three situation. They seemed to have escaped a very tenuous situation when Klepis' penalty expired. However, immediately after leaving the box, Klepis took a silly hooking penalty and was sent right back to the box. The Hurricanes would capitalize on the gift as Justin Williams scored on the four on three man advantage for his second on the night and 25th of the season. For his actions, Klepis was benched for the rest of the game after totaling only 2:38 of ice time.

Later in the second period Steve Eminger would save the day momentarily for the Caps. After a chaotic scramble in front of Johnson the puck squirted past the goaltender and was moving slowly towards the empty net when Eminger cleared the puck off the goal line with his right glove. A fight between Chris Clark and Scott Walker ensued and the captain held his own despite trying his best to protect his recently repaired jaw. It was a gutsy effort by Clark who, earlier in the night, had gotten the Caps on the board redirecting a Danius Zubrus pass off his left skate past goaltender Cam Ward into the back of the net for his 20th goal of the season. It is the second consecutive 20 goal season for Clark.

Washington was unable to take advantage of Eminger's save as the Hurricanes would score two goals just ninety seconds apart in the last five minutes of the second period on goals by Justin Williams and Ray Whitney. An Eric Staal goal, his 23rd of the season, just 1:17 into the third period destroyed any idea the Capitals had of making a comeback.

Carolina got on the board first when traditional Cap killer Rod Brind'Amour burst in the offensive zone and flew past a flat-footed Eminger to the slot beating Brent Johnson with a backhand shot for his 14th goal of the season. Justin Williams would add another goal just five minutes later on a hard slap shot after he entered the Caps' zone unchallenged making it 2-0.

Game Notes:
Jeff Schultz recorded his first career point when he assisted on Clark's goal.... Justin Williams had two goals and one assist on the night.... Ovechkin's goal extended his point scoring streak to 10 games.... Both of the Caps' affiliates also lost last night as Hershey lost in overtime to Norfolk 5-4 and South Carolina lost at Texas 6-3.