The Hottest Goalie in the NHL

I bet you'd have a tough time recognizing this guy. I'll tell you his name, and unless you're a die hard Panthers fan, you probably haven't even heard of him. It's Craig Anderson, Florida's backup to Tomas Vokoun, who was phenomenal in his shutout of the Bruins Tuesday night in Boston. Anderson had 40 saves in the Panthers 1-0 overtime win, his second consecutive shutout after blanking the New York Islanders thanks to 53 saves (an NHL record for a shutout) on Sunday. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

The good news for the Caps? We don't play the Panthers again until the 29th of March. Hopefully, Anderson will have come back to reality by then.

Caps Lose Free For All in Shootout

Ovechkin Breaks Out of His Slump, But Team Falls to 1-9 in Shootouts This Season
Florida Panthers 6, Washington Capitals 5 F/SO
Boxscore
(Photo Courtesy of Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Both the Panthers and Capitals came into tonight's matchup shorthanded following an active day at the trade deadline. This led to an interesting game as players found themselves playing in situations they are not normally used to being in.

One example of this was Brian Sutherby's promotion to centering the team's first line between Ovechkin and Brashear. In response, the Edmonton, Alberta native had a two point night and tallied the 1st power play goal of his career. He also won 12 out of 14 faceoffs, making a statement to the coaching staff that he deserves to see more playing time down the stretch.

Washington railed from an early 3-0 deficit to make a game of it. The bright spot of the night was none other than Alex Ovechkin, who took advantage of the free flowing game and finally broke out of his scoring slump notching 2 goals and 2 assists on the night. After losing his center and father figure Danius Zubrus earlier in the day to the Buffalo Sabres, Ovechkin responded and displayed the game changing speed and deadly shot that he has been lacking in recent weeks. His 4 point night was the 1st of the season for a Caps player and pulled him within 4 goals of the NHL leader, Vincent Lecavalier who has 41. He did this all while leading the team in ice time with 26:33 on the night.

Olli Jokinen led the Panthers attack recording a hat trick by the 3:29 mark of the second period. It was the third 3 goal game on the season for Florida's scoring leader. And he almost got his forth goal of the game as a game winning attempt in overtime beat Cassivi with a nice snap shot, but the puck clanged off the inside of the post forcing another dreaded shootout situation for both clubs.

If there is any team that has struggled more than the Caps in the shootout this season it is the Florida Panthers. They came into tonight having yet to win in the competition going 0 for 7 on the season. Goals by Jozef Stumpel and Ville Peltonen changed that luck however, finally getting the team into the win column.

Game Notes:

The Panthers made 3 trades before the deadline, dealing Gary Roberts and Joel Kwiatkowski to Pittsburgh, and Todd Bertuzzi to Detroit.... Frederic Cassivi saw NHL action for the first time this season, replacing Brent Johnson after he allowed 4 first period goals.... Following today's trades the Caps roster was short handed forcing Brian Muir back into the lineup for the first time since December.... Mike Vogel announced during the second period that the team expects Jiri Novotny to be in the lineup for Saturday night's game against Richard Zednik and the New York Islanders.

Caps Season Hits Lowest Point

Team Falls to Last Place in Southeast Division and 13th in Conference After Another Loss to Florida
Florida Panthers 6, Washington Capitals 3
Boxscore
(Photo Courtesy of Steve Mitchell/AP)


It's hard if not impossible to win in the NHL or any professional league when you are continuously playing from behind. The Capitals continued their trend of slow starts spotting the Panthers a 2-0 lead in the first period. It was the third time in the last four games that the Caps allowed their opponents to score the first two goals of the game.

For some unspeakable reason, Florida just has the Caps number. It was the third consecutive meeting that the Panthers dominated from the get go. They tried to make a game of it though and following the opening goals by Stumpel and Gelinas, a power play goal by Chris Clark pulled them within one with a minute and a half left in the first period. The goal was Clark's 22nd of the season as he tapped in a loose puck that had squeezed through Belfour's seven hole on a shot by Danius Zubrus.

They continued to pressure the Panthers leading to another power play in the last minute of the period. Following a faceoff win by Boyd Gordon, Semin fired a wrist shot on goal with four seconds remaining. Zubrus passed the rebound to Gordon in the front who deposited the puck into the back of the net, however it was a second too late as the period had already come to a close. It was a tough break as the momentum of the game could have changed dramatically had the goal counted.

The second period brought more missed opportunites as four minutes into the period the Caps were unable to take advantage on a 5 on 3 power play for 51 seconds. That was the turning point in the game as one minute later the Panthers would make it 3-1 following a nice pass from behind the net by Juraj Kolnik right onto the waiting stick of Ville Peltonen in front for his 9th goal of the season.

It was all Panthers from there as the Caps would be called on back to back penalties by Steve Eminger and Jamie Heward one minute apart to give Florida a 5 on 3 opportunity at the mid point of the second. Unlike the Capitals, they took advantage of the gift and following a Ruslan Salei shot from the point that clanged off the right post, Jozef Stumpel put home his second of the game and 15th on the year blowing the game open 4-1.

A frustrated Kolzig let everyone know how he felt after the goal by first breaking his stick over the goal post and then firing the puck down the ice. His display would give him an unsportsmanlike minor and put Florida back on another 5 on 3 power play. The Caps would kill it off but it would not matter as five minutes later Kolnik would finish a two on one breakaway depositing a beautiful cross ice pass from Stumpel past a flailing Kolzig for a 5-1 lead.

The lone bright spot came in the third period when just two and a half minutes in, Ovechkin entered the Panthers zone and used defenseman Salei as a screen to beat Belfour five hole for his NHL leading 33rd goal of the season. The goal would also extend his career best point streak to 13 games.

Zubrus would add a power play goal, and Marin Gelinas would answer with a power play goal of his own to make the final score 6-3.

Richard Zednik played for the first time in 2007 after missing the last 26 games due to his sports hernia surgery. He was flying around the ice and provided the team with a nice spark leading to his being doubled shifted at times, showing no sign of his injury.

Alexander Semin played perhaps his worst game of the season, as despite his two assists he was awful defensively. He had two turnovers in the first period that directly led to breakaway opportunities for the Panthers. The first one Kolzig bailed him out on, but the second chance led to a penalty by Semin, which resulted in a power play goal.

Capitals' commentator Joe Benenati described the game best at the end of the second period when he said he felt like he'd been stapled in his forehead. The loss was the Caps 9th out of their last 10 road games.

Game Notes:

With the win Belfour improved his record to 3-0-0 against the Caps this season.... Kolzig had 4 PIM on the night.... The attendance on the night was 11,300 which is only 58.7% of the capacity at the BankAtlantic Center.... With Zednik returning to the lineup, Kris Beech was a healthy scratch.... Matt Bradley was also scratched for the 4th consecutive game despite rejoining the team following his absence for personal reasons.... Brent Johnson was a late medical scratch and was replaced by goaltender Daren Machesney who had been demoted to South Carolina earlier in the day.... In just over a year and a half, Alex Ovechkin has scored more career goals in a Capitals uniform (85) than any of his teammates (Dainius Zubrus is second with 84).

Capitals/Panthers Preview

Washington Capitals (21-23-7, 49 points)
at
Florida Panthers (19-23-10, 48 points)

Television: Comcast Sportsnet
Radio: Sportstalk 980-AM
Gametime: 7:30 PM ET


The Caps head to the Sunshine state for the second game on their current three game road trip. It will be a return to the venue where they were thoroughly embarrassed almost three weeks ago by the last place Panthers 7-3.

After the Caps had won the first two match ups of the season, Florida seems to have the their number as of late, following up their dominating win in Miami with an equally strong effort in Washington January 20th. That 4-1 loss at home was demoralizing for the Caps as they had to live with the result throughout the week long All-Star break. It also came one night after an inspiring win at Carolina that seemed to be a turning point kind of win.

Washington will try to build on the solid effort they had in Ottawa to help them change their luck against the Panthers. Alex Ovechkin was spectacular in that game and he will look to extend his career long point scoring streak to 13 games. The Caps can expect to face Ed Belfour in goal as he has a 2-0-0 record with a 1.80 gaa against them this season.

The Panthers are coming off a game Tuesday night in which they were shut out by the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 in Pittsburgh. Speaking of the Penguins, TSN reported during an intermission in the Maple Leafs/Rangers game, that significant progress has been made in talks between the team and the city on a deal for a new arena. Although they made it clear that no deal has been reached yet, it looks as though the Penguins will stay where they belong.

As reported from Washington Post's Tarik El-Bashir, Matt Bradley met the team in Miami and will be a game-time decision. Richard Zednik should also return to the lineup after missing 24 games with a sports hernia.

This is once again one of those must win games as a loss would drop the Capitals into last place in the Southeast Division.

Will the Real Caps Team Please Stand Up?

Tale of Two Games as Capitals Start Out Strong Then Disappear As Panthers Dominate Once Again
Florida Panthers 4, Washington Capitals 1
Boxscore

In front of a crowd of 13,877 at the Verizon Center, the Caps came out guns a blazing, just as they had two nights ago in Raleigh, North Carolina. They took advantage of a penalty-plagued opening (14 minutes of penalties combined in the first 8 minutes of the game) and converted on a two man advantage when Danius Zubrus took a cross ice pass from Alex Ovechkin, and slipped the puck between goaltender Ed Belfour's pads for an early 1-0 lead. It was Zubrus' 17th goal of the season and the 3rd time he has scored while the Caps enjoyed a two man advantage. Alex Ovechkin's assist extended his career high point scoring streak to 9 games.

But that would be the end of the highlights for the Capitals. Beginning in the second period the game quickly resembled last Saturday's debacle in Florida as the Panthers dominated every aspect of the game. They tied the score at the 2:42 mark on a beautiful backhand cross from Anthony Stewart which Marin Gelenas had no problem depositing into the back of the net for his 5th goal of the season. The Panthers would not let up, and despite a Nathan Horton tripping penalty, they would continue to control the action converting on their second quality scoring chance of the penalty kill when Jozef Stumpel snapped a wrist shot past the glove of Kolzig. The score would give the Panthers the lead for good. The Capitals did not record their first shot on goal in the second period until jthe 14:00 minute mark.

The third period was more of the same as the Capitals were outshot 10-1 early on. The game was put out of reach for good when Steve Eminger turned the puck over in his own end, which quickly turned into a 2 on 1 which the Panthers converted on as Ville Peltonen beat Kolzig for his 8th goal of the season and a 3-1 lead. Martin Gelenas would add his second goal of the game on an empty net goal in the last minute of the game making the final 4-1.

A week after giving up 54 shots to the Panthers, the Capitals were once again manhandled by the Southeastern Division dwellers giving up 42 shots on goal while only recording 18 shots themselves. The one positive stat to take away from this game was the Caps holding the Panthers to 0 for 10 on the power-play.

Game Notes: Brian Pothier was scratched from the lineup with what the team said was an "illness". Make your own judgments on the validity of that statement based on the team's history of not reporting injuries to the press....Jamie Hunt was recalled from Hershey but did not dress as Mike Green was able to return to the lineup....Shaone Morrisonn limped to the dressing room towards the end of the first period after blocking a shot off his foot, something that is becoming an epidemic for the Capitals' defenseman, but he was able to return in the second period and finished the game....Boyd Gordon was dominant in the face-off circle winning 15 of 22 for a 68% win percentage.

Caps/Panthers Preview

Florida Panthers (17-22-10, 44 points)
at
Washington Capitals (20-20-7, 47 points)

TV: Comcast Sportsnet
Radio: Sportstalk 980-AM
Gametime: 1:00 PM

Revenge is on their mind as the Capitals look to finish up the first half of the season on a bright note before heading into the All-Star break. It was only one week ago that the Florida Panthers demolished the Caps in the sunshine state 7-3, and the game was not as close as the score. But a win Thursday night against the stanley cup champion Carolina Hurricanes has the Caps believing in themselves again. They came out with a passion that had not been seen as of late, received some lucky bounces for a change, and finished out the game in the third period, a solid all-around team effort.

It is yet to be known what the lineup will look like for the Caps on Saturday. Alexander Semin, Donald Brashear, and Brian Pothier all missed practice on Friday. Semin seems to be the only one whose presence seems likely in the game, Brashear and Pothier will be game time decision as reported by the Washington Post. That's good news for the team as Alexander Semin has been the best player on the ice for the Caps this month with 10 goals in his last 7 games. Pothier's absence would put the Capitals in position to have to make another emergency defensive call-up. He left Thursday night's game at the mid-way mark and did not return. As per the Capitals normal policy when it comes to injuries, the team is not saying anything about his condition. With Mike Green recently injured, and John Erskine and Bryan Muir already on the injured reserve list the Capitals cannot afford to loose another defenseman.

The Panthers enter Saturday's game with a 1-2-1 record over there last 4 games. They are currently in last place in the Southeast Division and 14th in the Eastern Conference. Once again, if the Capitals want to have any chance of making the playoffs they have to find a way to win this game at all cost.

After the Capitals practice on Friday the team reassigned center Jakub Klepis to Hershey of the AHL. This move was a long time coming. He had been the odd man out in the lineup lately, repeatedly being named as a healthy scratch. He received one last chance in Ottawa on Tuesday, but did nothing to stand out and was again a healthy scratch in Carolina. In 35 games he recorded 2 goals and 6 assists for 8 points. Hopefully this reassignment will help Klepis get his game back on track and return to Washington with his confidence renewed later in the season.

Around the NHL

Here are some good articles from issues around the NHL. Read, rate, and discuss.

1. Everyone is talking about the state of the Pittsburgh Penguins and their talk of relocating the franchise. But there is another franchise that arguably is worse shape, the Florida Panthers. An ESPN article by Damien Cox describes their troubles.
   
2. The Edmonton Oilers are in involved in talks for a new arena to replace the aging Rexall Place. They have seven years remaining on their current lease and would like to move into a new downtown arena at that time.
3. Sean Burke has a new home after being claimed on waivers by the Los Angeles Kings.
4. The highly debated Rail Cam will be used during the NHL All-Star game, and will be available in HD.
5. Speaking of the All-Star game, Joe Sakic and Brendan Shanahan were named All-Star captains.
6. The AHL All-Star game will be broadcast to over 100 million homes throughout the US and Canada.
7. The American Conference defeated the National Conference 6-3 in the ECHL All-Star game last night. The game was available free of charge via b2networks.
8. I refuse to come to a conclusion about the new uniforms until a see more about them. But here's an article on what Gary Bettman has to say about them.
9. A nice article on the Hershey Bears recapping their first half of the season. It also announces that Coach Bruce Boudreau will return next season to the Bears as the Capitals have picked up their option in his contract.
   

Caps Take Vacation in Florida

Florida Panthers 7, Washington Capitals 3
A second consecutive sloppy outing drops the Capitals back to .500.

They were outplayed from the moment the puck dropped. The Panthers took advantage of Washington's slow start and jumped out to a 2-0 lead by the end of the first period. If not for the play of Olaf Kolzig the game would have been already out of hand by that point.
Godzilla kept them in the game and following an Alexander Semin goal halfway through the second period, the Caps looked as though they would make a comeback. It was the fifth consecutive game that Semin had scored, netting his 25th goal of the season and NHL leading 8th of January. The goal was also the 18th time in the last 21 games that either Semin or Alex Ovechkin had scored for the Caps.
But as was the case on Thursday night in Tampa, the Capitals could not keep the momentum on their side. Towards the later part of the second period the Panthers pumped three goals past Kolzig in five minutes and took a 5-1 lead into the intermission. If that didn't dampen the hopes of the Caps getting back into the game, an early third period goal by Stephen Weiss would take care of the rest, putting the game out of reach for good. Weiss would later complete his first career hat trick on the power play netting his 11th goal of the season.
The bright spot for the Capitals was an excellent individual effort by Matt Pettinger, scoring on a short handed breakaway halfway through the third period for his 11th goal of the season. Chris Clark would add his 16th goal of the season in the closing moments of the game.
As can be expected in this type of a game, a number of Capitals' players were exploited. The Panthers seemed to have an excellent scouting report on the Caps and executed their game plan to perfection. Lawrence Nycholat was attacked repeatedly in the first period by the Panthers, who chose a dump and chase style followed by an intense forecheck, to knock him to the ice on numerous occasions. It will be interesting to see if other teams will try this approach as well to take advantage of Nycholat's small stature.
Game Notes: Jakub Klepis was a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game. He has not dressed since Matt Bradley returned from injured reserve. John Erskine, Bryan Muir, and Richard Zednik remain on IR. The Capitals gave up 54 shots on goal including 27 in the second period alone. Backup goaltender Brent Johnson replaced Olaf Kolzig at the beginning of the third period. The Panthers win was only their 3rd in 15 division games so far this year. The Caps lost their 5th straight road game.

Caps/Panthers Preview

Washington Capitals (19-18-7, 45 points) at Florida Panthers (16-21-9, 41 points)
TV: CW Network (WDCW 50)
Radio: WTNT 570-AM
Time: 7:30 PM

The Caps will try to right their ship tonight in the second game of their season long four game road trip from the sunshine state. Hopefully the warm weather in Miami will add fuel their fire as the key to the game will again be to get off to a quick start, something this team has had trouble doing as of late. Florida has started to turn their season around recently, posting a 6-3-3 mark in their last twelve games. However, the Caps should be able to take advantage of a tired Panthers squad who will play their third game in four nights. Not a must win game, but definitely a team the Capitals should beat. They are currently in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, just one point behind both Tampa Bay and Toronto who are tied for the eighth and final playoff spot.

Now for some more morning thoughts:

• Time to call Kris Beech out. This could be one of your last opportunities to prove that you belong not only with the Capitals but in the NHL altogether. If his play continues to falter, look for the Caps to make acquiring a second line center for the stretch run their number one priority.
• What will Donald Brashear have in store for us tonight? After his impressive assist on Ben Clymer's goal against Tampa on Thursday night, and a goal against his former team on Tuesday, how about a Gordie Howe hat trick for an encore?
• Can Alexander Semin continue on his tear and add another two goal game to his resume? He's closing in fast on the NHL leaders in goals.
• I would assume that Brent Johnson would get the start tonight. After signing his extension yesterday, hopefully "Jonny" will be on the spot.

Down on the Farm:
An excellent performance for Caps goaltending prospect Maxime Daigneault as he turned away all 30 shots he faced during the 65 minutes of regulation and overtime, then stopped all 4 shootout attempts as the Hershey Bears defeated the Binghamton Senators 1-0. Kyle Wilson and Eric Fehr scored in the shootout to secure the win ending the Bears' season long three game losing streak. The game marked the halfway point of the season for Hershey whose is tied with Norfolk for the division lead with 59 points. They travel to Bridgeport tonight to take on the Sound Tigers. Gametime 7:00 PM. Visit www.hersheypa.com/events/hershey_bears/ to catch all the live action from b2networks.
Looks as though things are not going well for Sasha Pokulok as he tries to return from a severe concussion he received during the first game of the season. Click here for the full article about his condition from pennlive.com.
The South Carolina Stingrays fell 2-1 at the Florida Everblades last night. They will try to get a different result in a rematch tonight at 7:30 PM from Germain Arena. Visit www.stingrayshockey.com to catch all the live action from b2networks.

Thanks to The Kevin Hatcher Fan Club for his honor of Capital Fanatic being the 23rd blog added to his "Other Caps Blogs" links.

Capital Fanatic