Caps 4 - Hawks 2

Yeah, it's 10:00pm on a Saturday night and I'm blogging about hockey. I know my life is lame. But I don't care. Tonight we won. Here are some observations from the game.

*Theodore started in goal again after giving up 4 on 17 shots last night. He did his best to impersonate last night's performance in the first period by giving up a weak goal five hole 26 seconds in. I really wanted to blame the second goal on him too but I convinced myself that he was screened and couldn't see it. As the game progressed he seemed to calm down making all the saves he needed to. Congratulations to him on getting his first win as a Capital.

*The Brashear-Steckel-Bradley was by far the best line on the ice for the Caps through the first two periods. Steckel set up Bradley on a cross goal pass to get the Caps back to 2-1 in the first period providing a much needed spark before the first intermission. The trio was a combined +4 for the game.

*Watching Mike Green all of last season and thru two games this season, he is starting to look more and more like Brian Campbell. They both play the powerplay point and know when to jump into the attack. Both like to carry the puck from one end of the ice to the other kind of acting as a fourth forward. Hopefully Green can start to throw his body around a little more at the blueline like Campbell or dare I say...Scott Stevens.

*Not like I was keeping track or anything but midway through the third I'm pretty sure I heard Joe B. say that Fedorov 7 for 8 on faceoffs. I can't remember us having a guy as consistently productive as Feds since Adam Oates in the late 90's. Having a guy who you know can win any draw in any situation is invaluable, especially late in games and in the playoffs. It was also nice to see him wearing the 'A' on his sweater. He deserves it.

*And finally, as I predicted last night...Alex Ovechkin torched Chicago. Two goals and almost 25 minutes of ice time. As good as Khabibulin was, there was no stopping Ovie tonight. The only thing missing was that Huet wasn't in goal

We're 1-1-0 now. 80 games left and Alex Ovechkin is on pace for 82 goals. Tonight calls for celebratory Stoli. Next game Monday home to Vancouver.

Caps 4 - Atlanta 7

I thought I would post right after the game so my entry would encapsulate most of my frustration from watching.

Jose Theodore gave up 4 goals on 17 shots and was pulled midway through the second period. Brent Johnson replaced him and looked fine until the Thrash pelted him with a barrage of shots in the third. Three of the four goals Theodore gave up were inexcusable, particularly the goal to Slava Kozlov on an odd man rush where he played the pass instead of facing the shooter square.

Not a great way to start for both goalies. Tomorrow night will be a big game in defining what the goalie situation in Washington for here on out. I realize that its just one game and there are many more. But another performance like that from Theodore will undoubtedly raise questions in the head of Coach Boudreau.

As predicted, the powerplay was a big factor tonight. Atlanta had 8 powerplays to the Caps' 6 and it felt like there was more special teams play than actual 5 on 5. Three of the Caps' four goals came on the powerplay while Atlanta cashed in at three as well.

Alex Ovechkin was held without a point after playing even strength, on the penalty kill, and nearly every second of Caps' powerplay time. He missed a penalty shot that would have given the Caps the lead in the third period and also committed two penalties. If I were Chicago I would be worried. Throughout his career, on games after Ovechkin was held without a point he has absolutely torched his next opponent. And you know he'll have it out for Huet (if he starts) at Verizon.

Mike Green had two powerplay goals in a span of one minute during the Caps' comeback attempt in the second period. Both were one timers off of passes from Michael Nylander and Alex Semin. Before the game Green said his goal for the season was 25 goals. If he continues to have games like this he could reach that by January.

Still looking at the glass half full, Alex Semin was another of few bright spots for the Caps tonight. He scored the Caps' first goal to make it 3-1 in near the end of the first period and was buzzing around more noticeably than any other player on the ice. He spent some time on the penalty kill and had an assist on Steckel's shorthanded goal. Semin finished with 1 goal and 2 assists.

18 year old defenseman Zach Bogosian seemed a little in over his head tonight in his first NHL game. He committed a holding penalty 2 minutes into the first period and a hooking penalty later in the second. His major mistake however came late in the 3rd period when he picked his first ever fight with heavyweight legend Donald Brashear. If you didn't see it, I'm sure you can imagine how it ended.

In the end it wasn't pretty, and the third period was painful to watch. Of course losing that badly in Atlanta is always made worse because of those annoying goal horn staccato notes that count every goal the home team scores. Listening to seven of those at the end of the third was a bit too much for me.

We just gave up seven goals to Atlanta There's only one acceptable action to take at this point.

Friday Update

Just finished my last class of the week and I am in precicesly the wrong spot. Rookie camp starts on Sunday and I am going to be stuck in Harrisonburg. Hopefully this time next year I'll have a car and an invitation to come home. But something tells me that rookie camp will go on without me.

Now for the latest news from this morning. Per Tarik, Nicklas Backstrom has sprained his ankel and is walking with a noticable limp. Hopefully he'll be ready to go soon. The half full look is that he was lucky to do it now instead of three weeks from now. WE NEED YOU NICKY.

Also, my face lit up when i read this. Ovie has officially reported to camp and according to Tarik he looks very fit. Not to mention he is sporting red and blue skate blades to go with his yellow laces. I'll just give the link to Tariks blog because I'm still working out kinks of this stupid blog. Here you go http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/

Lastly for today is my feelings about the new "Spirit Squad". I am most certainly a fan of good-looking women in tight outfits, especially if they display the logo of my favorite team. See Alyssa Milano's line of Capitals outfits. Or the women I see at VC in the red women's cut jerseys...unbelievable.

However I feel that the implementation of cheerleaders is a slight slap in the face of 15,000 hockey fans. It implys that the fans don't show enough spirit on their own and need help. And personally, I go to hockey games to watch hockey. I don't need a distraction like that. Plus it goes against the true spirit of hockey and brings us down to the level of the Hurricanes or Lightning. Especially after last season, I feel cheerleaders are not necessary.

IT'S THE WEEKEND PEOPLE!!!

CMG On: Tom Brady

This weekend in the first quarter of the Patriots v. Chiefs game Tom Brady went down with an ACL injury. It will require surgery and will end his 2008 season. As a fan of a bad NFC East team I really shouldn't have anything against the perennial super bowl favorite from the AFC East. But...I do.

Last season when the Patriots stomped everyone in their path in the regular season, going 16-0 for the first time since the Dolphins like 30 years ago. But as annoying as Mercury Morris was every week in defending his former teams perfection, Tom Brady was an even bigger prick. Each week the country got a full dose of Brady and Belichick's massive egos and it became more painful to watch as the season went on. For the first time in my life, my disdain for the Patriots caused me to cheer for the Giants. I can still remember how our dorm erupted when David Tyre caught that pass.

I think fans of every other NFL team will agree with me when they say they are glad that Tom Brady won't step onto the field again this season. However, my thought after the shock had subsided was what if that were to happen to my favorite team. Franchise players don't just grow on trees. Thinking about it for a while made me sympathize with Brady and Patriots fans.

Oct 10, 2008--Midway through the first period in Atlanta, Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin collided knees with a Thrashers defenseman. He laid motionless on the ice for several minutes as the trainer's tended to him. Unable to support any weight on his right leg he was supported off the ice by captain Chris Clark and trainer Greg Smith. X-rays later confirmed that the MVP from a year ago tore his ACL and will be out for the season.

I got goosebumps writing that. Not fun to think about at all. It really makes you think about what the Patriots are going through and will have to live with for the rest of the season. Hockey wouldn't be the same without Ovechkin. And Football will not be the same without Brady. So next time you're watching your favorite team play think about what it would be like to have your best player tear a knee and be done for the year. I bet your feelings toward the Brady situation would change.