Ovie And The Caps Come To Town: Canucks-Capitals Preview
by Sean Zandberg on Dec 18, 2009 12:00 AM PST
in Game Preview
77 comments
CAPITALS (21-7-6) VS CANUCKS (19-15-0)
GAME TIME: 7:00 PST
TV: TSN
THE ENEMY: Russian Mob: aka Japers' Rink
UPDATE (11:00 AM): Thought this was funny. Sami Salo talking about his son loving Ovechkin: "Maybe when I’m retired I’ll buy him an Ovechkin jersey," Sami said. "He doesn’t have to wear mine, but I’m not going to buy him an Ovechkin jersey as long as I’m playing for the Canucks." - Vancouver Sun
UPDATE (1:42 AM): Wanna see a pic of Cody Hodgson carrying the Olympic Torch in his hometown of Markham Ontario? Check it out. Back seems fine. Faker. (I kid)
*************************
Changes will be made to the Canucks' roster when they play Washington tonight. For starters, Kyle Wellwood will replace Darcy Hordichuk. Once again, Alain Vigneault kept Hordichuk's minutes to an ultimate low last game (2:22), and Darcy had got into a tussle with George Parros. Aaron Rome will take the place of Mathieu Schneider. He is 14 years younger then Schneider and I would bank on him being more reliable in his own end as well. Schneider has struggled here, and it appears that rumors of his future with the team are about to begin.
Rome has scored 6 goals and 7 points in 7 games with the Moose this season. Pretty good for a defenceman! Welcome back, Rome. Make it count! Vigneault, according to the Province, would not say what his defensive pairings would be against the Caps, but the pairings at practice were: Mitchell with Salo, O'Brien with Ehrhoff and Rome with Bieksa.
So how about those Capitals?
More after the jump...
Well, they are duking it out with Pittsburgh right now for who is the best team in the NHL. The Penguins lead them by one point after beating the Flyers on Thursday night. Yeah, the Penguins, who only have 1 OT loss to their credit. The Capitals boast an impressive 11-5-3 road record this season. They have won 8 of their last 10, out-scoring their foes 39-22 in the process. No one is even close to scoring as many goals as they have this season (124). The Canucks have scored 106 goals. The Caps' 95 goals against puts them in the middle of the NHL pack. The Canucks have allowed 88.
Who's cookin' for Washington? Duh!
-Ovechkin has 3 goals and 8 points in his 5 games back since his suspension for knee-ing. Can we contain him?
-Nicklas Backstrom has 4 goals and 7 assists in his last 6 games played
-Alexander Semin has 2 goals and 7 points in his last 6.
-Tomas Fleischmann has 5 goals and 3 assists in his last 6.
-Mike Green has 3 goals and 3 assists in that span.
-Brendan Morrison has cooled off of late, with only 2 assists his his last 6 games played.
COMPARATIVE STATS
GOALS PER GAME AVERAGE: Capitals 1st overall, Canucks 5th
GOALS AGAINST PER GAME AVERAGE: Canucks 10th, Capitals 13th
5 on 5: Capitals 1st, Canucks 3rd.
POWER PLAY: Capitals 1st, Canucks 3rd. That could be the game story in this one.
PENALTY KILL: Canucks 20th, Capitals 21st
SHOTS PER GAME: Capitals 6th, Canucks 12th
SHOTS AGAINST PER GAME: Canucks 10th, Capitals 13th.
FACEOFF %: Capitals 6th, Canucks 11th.
There are a lot of categories there where the 2 teams match up pretty evenly. Regardless, the Canucks cannot be coming out flat, trading chances in a wide-open game, or turning the puck over against a monster team like Washington. Hell, look how bad it was against the Ducks. I expect a much better and consistent effort from Vancouver tonight. They are going to need it. The Caps have had 3 days off.
-Roberto Luongo has a 15-10-3 record in 30 career games against Washington, with a 2.26 GAA, .930 save percentage and two shutouts. -Canucks.com
-The last time these 2 teams played eachother was in Washington, October 13, 2008. Ovechkin was kept off the scoresheet, but Michael (I priced my ass out of the NHL) Nylander and Mike Green made the Canucks pay in a 5-1 route. The Capitals out shot the Canucks 35-10! Are you kidding me? True story.
0 recs |
77 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
Last Season . . .
And I was at that 5-1 no-show game last season . . . needless to say, I was “very disappointed” by the team’s effort . . . I expect lots of scoring (and AV pulling his hair out) tonight in a 7-6 SO win for the Canucks.
Yeah I was there for that debacle too. Brutal.
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
by Yankee Canuck on Dec 18, 2009 7:21 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
Ugh
I remember that last game against the Caps. Brutal.
Anyways, revenge time. We get “former Hart trophy winner” Jose Theodore (reminds me of the artist formerly known as Prince)…so therefore, 5-1 Canucks, Kesler with the GWG.
Beware Matt Bradley (#10)! If he bleeds as a result of a fight or hard hit, the Caps go on a scoring rampage. Happens. Every. Time.
Looking forward to this one.
Could be an entertaining game on tap.
’Nucks home stats are scary; having lost their last one, they probably come out cooking with heat.
We’ll see which Caps team shows up. If it’s the focused, disciplined, hard working Caps, then this thing is going to be fun.
"You're gonna eat that g**d**n Koho, three!"
I'm on the other side, this time :)
Like I said, the Nucks are my second favorite team. Really looking forward to this one. I think it’ll be a good tilt, especially after the mostly fell asleep against Anaheim. (The end of that game was good, though.)
As well for the Canucks that Hordichuk is a scratch. Things get ugly when the Caps get cheapshotted, and I’m not convinced of Hordichuk’s control. I’d probably scratch him too in AV’s shoes.
Unleash the Alex!
It’s good to see morrison enjoying a strong start. The only non-broken member of the WCE still out there.
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
by Yankee Canuck on Dec 18, 2009 7:24 AM PST via mobile reply actions
This game should be good. The teams are ridiculously evenly matched according to the stats (with the exception of shots per game).
While the people who are bigger fans of the Nucks than the Caps (not me) worry about the Nucks starting off with the good effort, people that are bigger fans of the Caps (me) worry about the Caps ending with a good effort. I’m hoping for both teams to play for a full 60 minutes tonight.
Interesting “stat” to note: The Nucks are the only team with a positive goal differential not currently occupying a playoff spot, while 3 teams (Ottawa, Florida, Colorado) are in a playoff spot despite negative goal differentials.
Now drink with me deeply of the bourbon, scotch, and rye until such time as we are fighting drunk.
by Steckel Me Elmo on Dec 18, 2009 9:08 AM PST reply actions
Oh trust me...
…that stat, and others like it, are the source of great frustration, annoyance and strife around here.
Don’t even get me started on loser points.
Don’t need to tell me about the phantom point. I hate that some games are worth more in the standings than others. But the name of the game is marketing, and parity allows for more excitement and marketing. And the phantom point allows for more parity.
Now drink with me deeply of the bourbon, scotch, and rye until such time as we are fighting drunk.
by Steckel Me Elmo on Dec 18, 2009 10:31 AM PST up reply actions
Fricking Dallas gets another loser point last night. Actually, a lot of teams did. The wrong teams. Argh!
by Sean Zandberg on Dec 18, 2009 10:35 AM PST up reply actions
FAKE parity
And if anything, it’s almost reverse parity.
The thought that LOSING consecutive games in OT is the same as winning one in regulation and losing one in regulation is just so asinine.
This games sets up badly for the Caps. They’re coming off a blowout, and the ’Nucks are coming off a bad loss.
VAN’s performance at home this year has been extremely good.
I’m living in fear of this one.
"You're gonna eat that g**d**n Koho, three!"
Do we know who’s in net tonight yet?
I’m not exactly comfortable myself on this one. Do have to remember, though, that Ovi (the spelling is not an accident) loves nothing better than a stage, and the Garage is not a stage that Ovi gets every day. He loves Canadian buildings. He’ll live it up and he’ll come to play.
My prediction: 6-5 (OT) Canucks, Kesler with the GWG.
Keys to the Game
Caps
- Let’s Get Physical: The Canucks play a hard physical game that has an edge to it. The Caps will need to move their feet and give as good as they get physically, and use their speed to their advantage.
- Put the “D” In Team: The Caps can play very tight defense when they do it as a 5-man unit. If they go off on their own, things could get hairy.
Canucks
- Clean It Up: The Caps can and will make just about any team pay for spending a lot of time in the box, and that goes double if the Canucks resort to cheap or dirty methods. The Caps are lethal when angry, and they’re a close-knit bunch. (Ask the Flyers.)
- Multitasking: This is the mistake the Avs made on Tuesday. The Caps do not live by Ovi alone – they have five guys over 20 points right now. The Canucks focus too heavily on Ovechkin at their peril.
Unleash the Alex!
Welcome to all Caps fan hopping on the board here. It’s going to be an excellent night indeed!
Predictions anyone?
3-2 Caps. Backstrom with the winner. If we can play disciplined and keep it 5 on 5 I like our chances, but I doubt that happens.
I wish I could join my fellow Caps fans on here tonight, but instead I’ll be in Section 120. Last time I was able to make it to a Caps game in person (I’ve been displaced from DC) was years ago in Phoenix. I think Ovechkin scored a cool goal or something, I don’t know, I can’t really find anything about it. :)
by sixsevenfiftysix on Dec 18, 2009 10:47 AM PST up reply actions
“Alex, I beg of you, if you face Canada in the gold medal around in February, please let us win!!!”
"If Chuck Norris was up against 7 Rangers, he'd call Ryan Kesler."
GO CANUCKS GO!
Campbell: “I can polka! You wanna polka?”
by Sean Zandberg on Dec 18, 2009 11:29 AM PST up reply actions
Campbell: “Oh Alex, I don’t mean to freak you out, but you remind me of a Russian girl I used to date. She had the same eyes as you. Same facial hair too.”
by Sean Zandberg on Dec 18, 2009 11:30 AM PST up reply actions
this will be a tough game. i watched the caps blowout the aves on tuesday, it scared me.
i wouldn’t be surprised if the mitchell-bieksa pairing is covering the SOB line all night. viggy will probably use the same strategy that was used to shut down the thorton-heatley-marleau(??) line from the sharks a couple weeks ago.
after betraying the algorithm last time and the ducks winning last time, i’ll follow it this time. for this game, it outputted 2.9-2.8 for the caps.
i’ll guess 4-3 caps, morrison getting the homecoming shootout winner like sundin did in toronto last year. (although i’d still be worried about more caps goals than that)
"If Chuck Norris was up against 7 Rangers, he'd call Ryan Kesler."
GO CANUCKS GO!
I almost went there with Morrison…..almost. Wouldn’t that suck if he bagged the winner?
by Sean Zandberg on Dec 18, 2009 11:31 AM PST up reply actions
I don’t think so.
Now drink with me deeply of the bourbon, scotch, and rye until such time as we are fighting drunk.
by Steckel Me Elmo on Dec 18, 2009 11:42 AM PST up reply actions
There might not be a SOB line...
Often times they get split up to get more balanced scoring. I think that happened with the Avs.
They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.
look at the comments section of that vancouver sun article, there’s a comment from Grapes!!!
"If Chuck Norris was up against 7 Rangers, he'd call Ryan Kesler."
GO CANUCKS GO!
screw it, i’ll just post it.
Don Cherry
December 18, 2009 – 9:14 AM
Flag this as Inappropriate
OV would get rocked outta his socks if he played in the 70s, 80s or 90s. He is one of the dirtiest players in the NHL and if he did what he does right now back during the rough and tough years, his head would be taken off!
OV is a decent player, but many players are much better than him. Thorton who currently has more assist than OV is a much better player because he is not selfish (he actually passes the puck unlike OV) and he is Canadian. Henrik Sedin is also better because he’s got more points that OV. Henrik is a smarter 2 way player, who has a good sense of finding the net, something OV struggles from time to time. Dion Phaneuf is much better than OV because his hits are way more bone crunching than OVs and Phaneuf is also Canadian.
Overall OV is way over-rated. Plus he is Russian and Canadian hockey players are always better than Russian players since the 1800’s when the game of hockey was created.
DC out!
"If Chuck Norris was up against 7 Rangers, he'd call Ryan Kesler."
GO CANUCKS GO!
i am doubting the authenticity though.
there’s also this one too:
Sydney Crosby
December 18, 2009 – 9:04 AM
Flag this as Inappropriate
Ppffft….who cares,….Ovie is over rated
"If Chuck Norris was up against 7 Rangers, he'd call Ryan Kesler."
GO CANUCKS GO!
whoops, quote fail.
Sydney Crosby
December 18, 2009 – 9:04 AM
Flag this as Inappropriate
Ppffft….who cares,….Ovie is over rated
"If Chuck Norris was up against 7 Rangers, he'd call Ryan Kesler."
GO CANUCKS GO!
I disagree with the fake Don Cherry. He is not overrated
by Sean Zandberg on Dec 18, 2009 2:07 PM PST up reply actions
btw, nhl.com is doing one last round of predictions for olympic rosters.
today, they’ve started with canada, usa, and switzerland.
tomorrow: russia, czech republic, slovakia
sunday: finland, sweden, belarus
"If Chuck Norris was up against 7 Rangers, he'd call Ryan Kesler."
GO CANUCKS GO!
the only thing worse than the Caps
are their stinky fans! Who the hell let them in here?!?
Heh, nice to see some cross-blog communication. It’s gonna be a good on.
4-3 Canucks. Kesler with gwg, in shootout!
by Temujin on Dec 18, 2009 1:14 PM PST via mobile reply actions
So the numbers on both teams are fairly similar yet the Canucks have far fewer points than the Caps. 0.53 more goals per game for the Caps can’t be enough to make up that 10 point gap. We allow fewer goals as well so the goal difference pre game is similar. We are plus .53 goals per game and the Caps are plus .85 goals per game. That’s only .3 of a difference. Is it just that the East is a worse conference? Both teams are pretty close to be equally good on the PP and at 5on5 and similarly mediocre on the PK. The more I look at these stats the more confused I get. How are the Canucks not better off in the standings? Minnesota is one point back of us and their goal difference is -6. We are plus 18. Is it safe to blame this all on Bettman’s loser point system?
Is it safe to blame this all on Bettman’s loser point system?
Partly, yes, for sure.
And partly cuz we more often play our best when behind, less often when tied/ahead.
If we were to calc the odds of the Canucks scoring the next goal when …
1. ahead
2. tied
3. behind
… I think those odds would get significantly better in most games as we move from 1 to 2 to 3.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
The thing is all of our numbers are solid, plus we are above .500 and we outscore our opponents by about half a goal a game. Yet we are on the outside of the playoffs looking in. I just can’t wrap my head around it.
Me neither. Must be all the muscle!
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
What? We suck at coming back to tie games when it matters most: sending it to OT. The OTL system is the issue here. Look, we have 2 less losses than the Caps and what…6 less OT losses? That’s 6 points! The West Conference scenario is even worse. Look at Dallas! They should be near the basement!
by Sean Zandberg on Dec 18, 2009 2:09 PM PST up reply actions
I said “partly.” Yeah, the loser point is the bigger part, but …
… oh hell, I can’t argue cuz I have no numbers to back it up, do I? Cuz I’m going by an impression, not by stats, so I’m hosed defending my position. Point to Zandberg. Dayumn.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
The teams ahead of us in the standing average about 5 loser points each. If the canucks had that, we’d be in about 5th place in the conference.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
But strictly speaking by looking at the stats we should have more points. Regardless of if they are in reg or OT or whatever. Statistically we are a much better team than what the standings show and I don’t like it.
holy smokes!!!
a Minnesota Wild equipment van caught fire in ontario today. nobody was injured, but lots of equipment was damaged (rumour has it that all of backstrom’s custom goalie gear was destroyed). the wild were in montreal last night, and were on their way to ottawa to play tomorrow.
press release here, pics showing up like crazy on twitter.
"If Chuck Norris was up against 7 Rangers, he'd call Ryan Kesler."
GO CANUCKS GO!
So the Wild will wear rental skates against the Sens? :)
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
apparently a few people are meeting up in minnesota to gather a bunch of gear to bring over on a 5:30 am flight to ottawa in the morning.
"If Chuck Norris was up against 7 Rangers, he'd call Ryan Kesler."
GO CANUCKS GO!
Just thought I’d let you know that you’re linking to Niklas Backstrom in this post when it should be NICKLAS Backstrom. Ha.
Hoping for a good game tonight.
by sixsevenfiftysix on Dec 18, 2009 2:44 PM PST reply actions
Well, considering how the Caps have been partying in Vancity since their last game…and had the rookie dinner here…and probably had a few guys get the “Roxy Flu”, I am saying 4-2 Canucks, and…wonder of wonders, Ryan Johnson will score his first goal of the season and have it turn out to be the game winner!
The earliest use of the word with the spelling we recognize today is found in "L'Acadie: or Seven Years' Exploration in British America" by James Edward Alexander, published in 1849:
We also met a lusty fellow in a forest road with a keg of whisky slung round him who called to us 'Come boys and have some grog, I'm what you call a canuck"
Looking forward to a great game!
I’m Neither a Caps or Canucks fan but I’m looking forward to this game. If the Caps bring their A game then I don’t see much trouble taking two points on their way to Edmenton, but as a team they can be somewhat unpredictable especially in goal. If Theodore has a bad game then it could be a blowout in favor of the Canucks.
All in all I think this will be a fun game to watch with some great sub plots.
He sure did that, huh ypata?
Kesler was the difference in the game, even with his line magte’s 2 goals.
You called that…
The earliest use of the word with the spelling we recognize today is found in "L'Acadie: or Seven Years' Exploration in British America" by James Edward Alexander, published in 1849:
We also met a lusty fellow in a forest road with a keg of whisky slung round him who called to us 'Come boys and have some grog, I'm what you call a canuck"
Yep
that’s Kes at his best, also gotta love how you could almost see him say "I’m gonna give you nothing all night and just to rub it in I’m going create a couple huge goals on top.
Love it when he imposes that kind of will on a game, which he’s doing more and more all the time, if he keeps it up he has to be considered one of the best 2-way players if he isn’t already.
10-4.
Oh, and it was also Kes’s way of introducing Ovie to his Oly shadow.
Burkie must have been able to smile a little in his cold dreary days, when he lays awake thinking of one team, but not the other in T.O.
The earliest use of the word with the spelling we recognize today is found in "L'Acadie: or Seven Years' Exploration in British America" by James Edward Alexander, published in 1849:
We also met a lusty fellow in a forest road with a keg of whisky slung round him who called to us 'Come boys and have some grog, I'm what you call a canuck"
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Follow The Misconduct
 |
 |
In Association With
Latest Puck Daddy - NHL from Yahoo! Sports
- NHL 2010-11 Season Preview: Wrestling with Atlanta Thrashers
- Chris Pronger's contract accepted; why NHLPA could have advantage
- Pass or Fail: When 'Jersey Shore'-level celebs invade hockey arenas
- NHL's ultimatum: Amend CBA or reject Kovalchuk, Luongo deals?
- Report: Matthew Hulsizer is Coyotes' mystery ownership candidate
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
