SportsNation Blog Archives
Washington Capitals
If a tree falls in the forest ...
The Penguins and Capitals take the ice tonight, but with no Sidney Crosby and the teams ranked No. 8 and No. 10, respectively, in the East, do you care?
Are the Penguins in trouble?
On the eve of the regular season, SN ranked the Penguins No. 4 in the NHL. They're currently eighth in the East, one point ahead of the Winnipeg Jets.
Are the Capitals in trouble?
Of course, it could be worse. SN ranked the Capitals No. 3 overall in the preseason. If the playoffs started today, they wouldn't be included.
Alex Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby?
Alex Ovechkin showed some signs of life recently, but he's tied for 18th in goals a season after slipping from 50-plus goals to 32. Is he still a better bet than Crosby?
Will we see Crosby again this season?
Crosby showed the skills we remember in a short return to the ice, but do you expect a second return after he was sidelined again by concussion-like symptoms?
Sidney Crosby wasn't on the ice, but Thursday's game between the Penguins and Captials sure felt like a rivalry when Arron Asham and Jay Beagle dropped the gloves. Penguins tough guy Asham took exception to Beagle's roughing penalty on Kris Letang. The ensuing fight left Beagle on the ice and Asham skating away making gestures suggesting he put his opponent to sleep. All fair by the code of hockey?
- "Beagle wasn't the victim here. He took liberties against a Penguins star, so he was made to square up. He was never at a disadvantage. He threw the first five punches. Asham got free and gave him the two-hit quit and that was it. " -- SN commenter kevinbgoetz35
- "Goonery is dumb. Players should either fight to defend themselves, or not fight. Having a goon or two per team is easily the dumbest thing to evolve from the expansion of hockey in the 70s. Why can't we have old-time hockey? And that does NOT mean goonery." -- SN commenter CoachGangler
Example or embarrassment?
"Right there is what fighting is for. It was a message sent; there was a reason that fight happened. It wasn't just violence. It wasn't just two guys trying to put on a show." -- Barry Melrose
What about Asham's reaction?
The fight may have been part of the hockey code, but what about Asham's gestures as he skated away and Beagle lay on the ice?
What is fighting's future?
The NHL has cracked down on hits to the head during the course of play, but will fights like Thursday's ever be eliminated?
What about the Pens and Caps?
By the way, the Capitals beat the Penguins 3-2 in overtime to remain perfect and hand their otherwise unbeaten rivals a second overtime loss.
We can understand if you don't want to take the time to grade your tech-support help on the other end of the telephone, but when we're talking about the dollars and emotion you've invested in sports, we think it's worth the effort. It's time for ESPN The Magazine's Ultimate Standings, in which SportsNation grades organizations on everything from ticket prices and stadium experience to the talent on the field, court or rink. Which team will end up on top this year? It depends on what you say.
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Take part in the 2011 NHL survey
2010 NHL Ultimate Standings
1. Pittsburgh Penguins (Overall: No. 5)
2. Detroit Red Wings (Overall: No. 8)
3. Washington Capitals (Overall: No. 11)
4. San Jose Sharks (Overall: No. 12)
5. Chicago Blackhawks (Overall: No. 16)
- Vote: Which team will win tonight's game? | Rank Hart Trophy candidates
- Rank 'Em: Where are the Penguins and Capitals in your NHL Power Rankings?
With apologies to our Canadians friends (and their compatriots in Minnesota, Michigan and other places where plugging in your car at night doesn't mean you've gone electric), the NHL schedule would usually find itself relegated to the shadows on a night featuring a big NBA game (Spurs at Magic), a mildly compelling college football bowl game (San Diego State vs. Navy) and anything the NFL cares to offer (even Panthers at Steelers).
But the Penguins visiting the Capitals is not your typical NHL game.
Maybe the Capitals are just beginning to emerge from a recent seven-game losing streak, and maybe Alex Ovechkin isn't scoring goals this season, but is the NHL still the best show in town when these two teams meet?
Bernie (DC)
Pierre do you think this down period for the Caps will make them strong by the end of the season? Are do you see this as a symptom of bad things to come? (For Bruce B or GMGM)
Pierre LeBrun
Bernie, in chatting with GM GM during the worst streth of the skid, that's what he truly believed. That this adversity would really help them down the road. Full transcript
Candy (Washington)
When will Ovechkin score a goal??
Barry Melrose
That's the question of the year. I never thought I'd see Ovechkin go into January with under 15 goals. Obviously this has to change for Washington. The good news is the Caps and Ovechkin have played two good games in a row. Maybe Thursday night against Pittsburgh will be the jump start that Ovechkin needs. Full transcript
- Vote: Did the Capitals lose the series or did the Canadiens win it?
- Rank 'Em: Is Alex Ovechkin one of the best stars without a championship ring?
- Talk hockey with the experts: Barry Melrose, 3:30 ET | Matthew Barnaby, 4 ET
- More playoff votes: Power Rankings? | Second-round picks? | Greatest upsets?
- More from ESPN.com: Scott Burnside goes inside the collapse of the Capitals
The way the last year has gone for Alex Ovechkin, you can pretty much bet the farm that Sidney Crosby is going to hang a hat trick on Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
First came last season's playoff series between the Capitals and Penguins, won by Crosby en route to hoisting the Stanley Cup. Then came the Olympics, where Ovechkin's hyped Russian team flamed out early and Crosby cemented his status as a national icon by scoring the gold-clinching goal in overtime. And now the first round, where Crosby totaled five goals and nine assists in six games to help the Penguins fend off the pesky Senators. And where Ovechkin could only watch as the Canadiens knocked off his top-seeded Capitals, leading one SportsNation commenter to put it succinctly.
- "Ovechkin must be the Russian word for Overrated." -- suitcasejohnny
But how bad was Ovechkin, really? He had five goals and five assists, meaning he played a part in almost half of the team's goals against Montreal. So who really deserves the blame?
“I'd take Datsuk, Zetterberg, Malkin or Crosby over Ovie any day. IMHO Datsuk and Malkin were the two best players in the league last year. I'd say so far Datsuk and Crosby are the two best players this season.
” -- ShootTheM14
“Someone mentioned Ovechkin not having a great supporting cast ... Semin, a 40 goal scorer on the reg, turned into a ghost. Backstrom, before the series widely considered one of the best young centers in the game, disappeared when it counted. Jose Theodore won a lot of games this year. So did Varlamov. Wasn't Mike Green a Norris finalist? Isn't Mike Knuble the veteran locker room presence that every young team needs?
” -- tamaz71
“I don't understand how Crosby vs. Ovechkin was ever an arguement in the first place. I understand they both play different positions and people like big hits and flashy players, but Crosby takes faceoffs and wins a good percentage of the time, and Ovi doesn't. Crosby back-checks and plays defense, Ovi doesn't. And when Crosby decided to focus on his goal scoring last summer it only lead to him scoring the most goals in the NHL. Crosby does everything Ovechkin does plus more.
” -- DCSteelFan
- Vote: Which team will win Game 7 and which team are you rooting for?
- Rank 'Em: What does your Hart ballot look like? | Vezina, Norris and more?
The odds are with us, right? We've already had the lousy Game 7 -- and the Coyotes left no doubt about making sure their debacle at home against the Red Wings would snag that distinction. So surely, tonight's tilt in the (non-Canadian) national capital will provide the drama we've come to know and love from devisive playoff hockey games. Right? Pretty please? Just don't make us watch the Bucks and Hawks, that's all we ask.
In ESPN fantasy leagues this season, Ovechkin was the overall No. 1 pick in traditional drafts and went for an average of $72 (American, we assume) in auction drafts. Halak didn't register, putting him behind the likes of Ondrej Pavelec and Scott Clemmensen. But coming off 90 saves in the last two games, would you trade Halak for Ovechkin tonight?
Brian (Virginia Beach)
Who wins game 7 tonight Capitals or the hot Habs?
E.J. Hradek
I still have to stay with Washington. They did get 54 shots on goal the other night. They will be on home ice. They've lost two games at home in this series, so it might not be that big of an advantage. They need to take the day-to-day with this group and try to catch their breath a little bit. Now is the time for calm and cool leadership. Bruce Boudreau, who's done outstanding with that team over the years, seems too on edge. That kind of stuff on the bench can impact the players in a negative way. I'm looking forward to it. It would be a monumental upset if Montreal can pull it off. In the Ovechkin era of playoff hockey, of their series that have gone seven games, they've won one and lost two. Full transcript
- Vote: Red Wings or Coyotes? Canadiens or Caps? Which teams advance?
- Rank 'Em: What are the greatest first-round upsets in NHL history?
- More from ESPN.com: Pierre LeBrun on Coyotes aiming higher than Game 7
What says postseason hockey like Phoenix and the Potomac? All right, maybe the Game 7 settings are slightly off, especially considering teams from traditional hockey holy sites Detroit and Montreal are involved, but we've got a pair of decisive games to savor in the span of 24 hours. Tuesday night brings the Red Wings visiting the Coyotes, and the Canadiens take on the Capitals a night later.
Given how littered the NHL's postseason history is with No. 1 and No. 2 seeds going down to defeat in the first round (you have to look all the way back to, oh, last season for the eighth-seeded Ducks knocking off the top-seeded Sharks), a loss at home by the Capitals might not be historic. But it would be a colossal collapse from a team that held a 3-1 lead against the Canadiens and further evidence that there may be no force in sports quite so powerful as a red-hot goalie, in this case Jaroslav Halak.
“Can't believe this series is going to a 7th game. ... The Coyotes were on a mission from the start, but the short-handed goal really got things going. I'll be there, I've always wanted to go to a playoff 7th game.
” -- LeoPolk
“Gonna be interesting to see if the Russians show up for this one. I think the Habs will win because of Halak.
” -- itsfeedingtime
It's just like the census, only this one is fun and doesn't come in the mail. And nobody from FOX News or MSNBC will yell at you about it. It's time for ESPN The Magazine's Ultimate Standings, in which SportsNation grades organizations on everything from ticket prices and stadium experience to the talent on the field, court or rink. Which team will end up on top this year? It depends on what you say.
Take part in the 2010 MLB survey
2009 MLB Ultimate Standings
1. Los Angeles Angels (Overall: No. 1)
2. Milwaukee Brewers (Overall: No. 7)
3. Tampa Bay Rays (Overall: No. 16)
4. Minnesota Twins (Overall: No. 23)
5. Philadelphia Phillies (Overall: No. 24)
Take part in the 2010 NFL survey
2009 NFL Ultimate Standings
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (Overall: No. 3)
2. Green Bay Packers (Overall: No. 13)
3. Indianapolis Colts (Overall: No. 14)
4. Tennessee Titans (Overall: No. 15)
5. New England Patriots (Overall: No. 19)
Take part in the 2010 NBA survey
2009 NBA Ultimate Standings
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (Overall: No. 5)
2. San Antonio Spurs (Overall: No. 9)
3. New Orleans Hornets (Overall: No. 12)
4. Houston Rockets (Overall: No. 17)
5. Orlando Magic (Overall: No. 18)
Take part in the 2010 NHL survey
2009 NHL Ultimate Standings
1. Carolina Hurricanes (Overall: No. 2)
2. Detroit Red Wings (Overall: No. 4)
3. Washington Capitals (Overall: No. 6)
4. Pittsburgh Penguins (Overall: No. 8)
5. St. Louis Blues (Overall: No. 10)
- Rank 'Em: Are Ovechkin and Crosby your favorites for the Hart Trophy?
- Vote: Which teams win each first-round series? | Rank 'Em: Playoff Power Rankings
- Chat: Scott Burnside takes your playoff questions, 4 ET
- More from ESPN.com: Burnside's Caps-Canadiens preview | Penguins-Senators
The Flyers edged out the Rangers Sunday in a game between teams fighting for the final playoff position in the Eastern Conference, the back end of a home-and-home set that marked arguably the first and last instance of regular-season drama in the NHL. But after the marathon of often meaningless games, we're finally to the playoffs, where the handshake lines get long, the beards longer and the overtimes, if we're lucky, longest of all.
So is the NHL setting itself up for a marketing disaster?
The Olympics were great because we got the Canada-USA final everyone on this side of the Atlantic wanted. No matter how good a game it might have been, Finland-Czech Republic wouldn't have generated much buzz. So it is with the potential for a rematch between the Capitals and Penguins in the East.
On paper, Alex Ovechkin's top-seeded Caps and Sidney Crosby's fourth-seeded Penguins should meet in the second round ... except the NHL resets the pairings after each round of the playoffs, meaning even if the Penguins and Caps both win in the first round, they only meet in the second round if there are no other upsets. And at least for casual fans, Ovechkin vs. Crosby might be a bigger draw than even Lord Stanley's Cup. Pick winners.
Sam (State College)
Last year is over, and this pens team is not the same as last year. But am I the only one not freaking out? Obviously I would have loved my pens to beat nj/was, but the playoffs are a whole different story. I not saying the pens don't have concerns, but am I wrong for not jumping off a bridge like many others?
Pierre LeBrun
They have the knowledge of winning a championship and those Cup rings are very important. They bring calm and confidence to a dressing room come playoff time. But I still think Washington is the team to beat this year. Full transcript
Tim (Guam, Western Pacific Ocean)
Can the Caps actually adopt and play a defensive game come the playoffs? The scoring in buckets theory really isn't playoff hockey for most successful Cup teams.
Scott Burnside
Tim: Agreed that it's been a long time since a team played a run and gun style and won a Cup (okay, how about the Oilers anyone?), but I also think the Caps' defensive deficiencies have been a bit overstated. The first round will be a good barometer, I think, as they should cruise through whichever team they face, but it will give a good indication of whether they can tighten up when needed. I suspect they will. Full transcript
- Vote: Which ongoing streak is most impressive?
- Chat: NBA Insider David Thorpe, 12 ET | Former Globetrotter Curly Neal, 12 ET
If the Globetrotters can play a basketball game on ice, why can't settle which streaking team (not in the Will Ferrell way) is best? Put the Cavaliers and Capitals in the same arena and let's see which winning streak holds up.
With the Olympic break looming, the Capitals take the ice Wednesday night in Montreal with 14 wins in a row to their credit. That's three shy of tying the NHL all-time record, a mark they could match but not break before Alex Ovechkin trades Washington's red, white and blue for a Russian jersey. But Tuesday night in Cleveland, the Cavaliers held off the Nets for win No. 11.5 in a row. All right, fine, the NBA still insists on giving full credit for wins against the Nets, so it was actually win No. 12 in a row.
Both teams own the best records in their respective leagues behind superstars looking to win a first championship. The Cavaliers have three one-point wins in their streak but not many close games of late. The Capitals have a pair of wins against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins in their streak. So which team is hotter? Or is it a trick question after Kevin Durant extended his personal streak to 25 consecutive games with at least 25 points?
Frank (Cleveland)
Recent chatter says the Cavs stay pat at the deadline unless something blows them away... do they need to make that move to take the 'ship?
Chad Ford
I don't believe it. I think that's classic posturing at the deadline. Washington and Indiana are asking for A LOT for Jamison and Troy Murphy. I think this is Cleveland's way of saying "If you keep asking for so much, we may not do anything." Problem is, no one believes it. Danny Ferry has been pretty aggressive the past few weeks. They really want to add a stretch four. I think the Cavs will cave and do something. Given Washington's reluctance to trade Jamison, I think Troy Murphy is the most likely candidate. Full transcript
James (Washington, DC)
Is this the year offense wins championships, and would it be unique to this season or a post-lockout shift to building more explosive offensive teams?
Scott Burnside
James; It's easy to look at the Caps and say, the heck with who's in net, it won't matter. And it might not in the first round but I still think they're going to have to find ways to win 3-2 games if they want to get to a conference final and beyond. Not saying they can't but I don't think they can count on coming back from 4-1 deficits on a regular basis beyond the first round. Just not going to happen. Full transcript
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