Posted at 5:11 PM ET, 12/ 1/2008
The Caps' Injury Situation, By The Numbers
Here are some interesting stats regarding the Caps' injury situation, which, as I'm sure you know by now, has reached ridiculous proportions.
Through 24 games, the Caps are 82 man games lost. A man game lost is counted when a player is unable to suit up because of injury or illness. Through the same number of games last year, the Caps had 48 man games lost. They had only 27 the season before that.
So, yeah, it's pretty bad. But not anywhere close to as bad as some of the injury-plagued seasons the franchise endured back in the late 1990's. Check it out:
Year: MGL
97-98: 476
98-99: 511
99-00: 251
00-01: 147
01-02: 255
02-03: 111
03-04: 331
05-06: 146
06-07: 244
07-08: 245
I'll have more on the subject in tomorrow's Post. And in case you're wondering, tomorrow's opponent, the Panthers, have been pretty banged up this year, too. They're at 80 man games lost.
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Posted at 11:52 AM ET, 12/ 1/2008
Post-Practice Injury Update
Looks like the Caps are going to be significantly shorthanded tomorrow against the Panthers.
Tom Poti, Mike Green, John Erskine, Alexander Semin and Sergei Fedorov are not expected to play, Coach Bruce Boudreau said, while Boyd Gordon is questionable.
A few other notes and quotes from KCI:
*The Caps are going to make one recall today. The only question is who (and it doesn't look like it's going to be Oskar Osala, who, by the way, is on fire right now in Hershey. His time will come, though).
*If Gordon can't play, the Caps will need to make two call ups. But that hasn't been determined yet.
*Karl Alzner, Bryan Helmer and Sami Lepsito were here for practice. Chris Bourque played for Hershey last night and has not been recalled -- yet.
*Green said he's feeling better, but he's not sure when he'll be able to return. Sitting out for the first time as a pro is making him crazy, he said.
"I feel a 100 times better," Green said. "Yesterday I couldn't even shoot, so today was a good day. I've never seen this many guys out at once. Especially guys who play so many minutes."
*Fedorov is also getting frustrated with the first ankle injury of his long career.
"I don't know when," he said. "Still working on it. I can't definitely say when. It's still very sore. But this was my first team practice in a while, so hopefully it will get better every day. Yeah, I'm going crazy not being able to play. I'm trying to push as hard as I can on the ice. But at the same time I'm trying to be patient."
*Jose Theodore will start in goal.
That's it for now. I have to go downtown and write a bigger story about the injuries for tomorrow's paper.
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Posted at 11:18 AM ET, 12/ 1/2008
Ovechkin Named November's First Star
For the second straight month, the Caps have the NHL's First Star of the Month. Alexander Semin received the top honor for October, and now Alex Ovechkin has been named the league's first star for November after notching 11 goals and 14 assists in 15 games.
When Ovechkin got the news after practice, he screamed (half jokingly) at the top of his lungs, "Whoooooo!"
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Posted at 10:38 AM ET, 12/ 1/2008
Monday Morning (Injury) Update
The Caps' injury situation doesn't appear to be getting a whole lot better based on practice. But we'll have a much better idea of where things stand later.
*Rookie defenseman Karl Alzner (arm/shoulder) is back on the ice and appears to be participating fully after missing the third period of Saturday's 3-0 loss in Columbus.
*Center Boyd Gordon (back spasms) skated 9:34 against the Blue Jackets, but he's not out there today.
*No Tom Poti (groin) or John Erskine (concussion), either.
*Mike Green (bruised shoulder) is practicing, but appears limited.
*Alexander Semin (upper back strain) is skating. But since he's on the fourth line with Donald Brashear and David Steckel, that probably means he won't be ready to go tomorrow against Florida.
*Sergei Fedorov (sprained ankle) is also practicing. He's assigned to a line with Brooks Laich and Eric Fehr, but his status remains unclear.
I'll have more after practice.
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Posted at 8:11 AM ET, 12/ 1/2008
Morning Reading List
*The Capitals reassigned Chris Bourque to Hershey, but there's a chance the left wing could be back in Arlington soon. He had an assist in the Bears' ninth-straight win yesterday, a 3-2 victory over Norfolk.
*We'll have more about the Panthers before tomorrow's game but in case you missed it on a relatively slow hockey Sunday, Florida earned a decisive 4-0 victory over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Goaltender Craig Anderson made 37 saves to snag the shutout, and he also earned himself a start Tuesday in Verizon Center against the Caps.
*Remember Brooks Laich's individual shot-blocking effort during a 5-on-3 against the Kings? It caught the attention of folks at NHL.com too.
*You may have already seen this, but the Wild's Cal Clutterbuck, who scored his first two NHL goals against the Capitals last week, attended Boudreau's hockey camp as a kid. (The note is split between the first and second page of the article from the Star Tribune.)
*Nicklas Backstrom made a list that no one really wants to be on as part of the Winnipeg Sun's top 10 goal gaffes, but hey he's not Steve Smith.
In the system:
*As previously mentioned, Hershey extended its winning streak to nine games with a 3-2 win over Norfolk last night thanks to the play of goaltender Simeon Varlamov. It's the longest winning streak since the franchise record (10) was set in 2001-02.
*The Bears handed the Phantoms their worst loss in franchise history with a 9-0 shellacking on Saturday night. Defenseman Greg Amadio, whose career season high for goals is three, found the net twice against Philadelphia to lead the onslaught.
*Everyone's been reminiscing lately about how Boudreau put his stamp on the Capitals after taking control of the team last November, but there was another transition in the system as Bob Woods took the helm in Hershey at the same time last year.
*Ben Boudreau followed in his father's footsteps when the Stingrays faced the the Mississippi Sea Wolves this past weekend. Michal Neuvirth only faced 12 shots in South Carolina's 2-1 victory.
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Posted at 11:27 PM ET, 11/29/2008
Caps Blanked in Columbus; Alzner Hurt
Over the course of the NHL's grueling seven month regular season, all teams, even good ones, have a few games they simply must forget ever happened.
Tonight was one of those games for the Capitals, who were shutout by rookie Columbus goalie Steve Mason, 3-0, and possibly lost an injury replacement to an injury.
Highly-touted rookie defenseman Karl Alzner did not finish the night after being pasted awkwardly along the boards late in the second period. It's unclear what exactly is hurting him, or how bad it is, but he appeared to be favoring his arm as he left the ice. He did not return for the third period.
After the game, Alzner said he didn't think "it" was all that bad and he hopes to practice on Monday.
"It should be fine," Coach Bruce Boudreau said.
Some other notes and quotes from the dressing room:
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Posted at 9:49 PM ET, 11/29/2008
Alzner Hurt
From the department of "You Can't Be Serious", rookie defenseman Karl Alzner did not play in the third period after getting plastered along the boards Derick Brassard. Alzner immediately looked like he suffered an arm injury of some sort, perhaps a shoulder.
After the game, Alzner would only refer to his injury as "it". But he did say he hopes "it" is not serious and will allow him to practice on Monday, which is when the team will likely update his status.
Alzner's absence left the Capitals with only five defensemen for the final 20 minutes, and adds to the team's injury woes. They played tonight's game without seven regulars who appeared on the opening night roster.
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Posted at 6:59 PM ET, 11/29/2008
Tonight's Lineup
There are no lineup changes to report. Again, Brent Johnson will start in goal for the Caps and he'll face Columbus rookie Steve Mason, who will attempt to lead the Jackets to their first victory over Washington since 2000.
The Caps are 4-0-0 in their past four trips to Columbus and their seven game unbeaten streak against Columbus is their longest current streak against any team.
Here are the Caps' lines:
Forwards
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov
Fleischmann-Nylander-Fehr
Laich-Steckel-Bradley
Brashear-Gordon-Bourque
Defense
Lepisto-Morrisonn
Alzner-Jurcina
Helmer-Sloan
Be sure to check back later for some post-game notes and quotes.
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Posted at 12:19 PM ET, 11/29/2008
Morning Skate Update
Thinking an injured player (or two) might return tonight in Columbus, were you?
Think again.
None of them (Alexander Semin, John Erskine, Sergei Fedorov, Mike Green and Tom Poti) made the trip. But Coach Bruce Boudreau said they'll all receive treatment back in Arlington and take tomorrow off. Then, he said, it's possible that "a couple" will be able to practice with the team on Monday.
"They couldn't play," Boudreau said. "So there was no sense in bringing them."
None of the Caps skated this morning at Nationwide Arena, but I did reminisce with Shaone Morrisonn about one of the crazier games of last season. The Caps beat the Jackets, 4-3 in overtime, but only after overcoming Rick Nash notching the first 3-on-5 goal in Columbus history and then Nash scoring again after Morrisonn was taken out by referee Bill McCreary.
I bet when Morrisonn has a nightmare, it involves McCreary.
"That was crazy," Morrisonn said this morning. "If we would have lost that game I would have gotten a suspension or fine or something. He said he just kind of blacked out and was out of position. I think he got in trouble with the league for that. But those things happen in games. There's human error."
Some other notes and quotes:
*As you've probably already seen, Brent Johnson will make his first start in four games tonight. He'll oppose prospect Steve Mason, who has four of the Blue Jackets' nine victories since being recalled. Mason also has .908 save percentage and a 2.39 goals against average.
*Boudreau said the lineup will not change tonight. (And after last night's 3-0 blanking of Montreal, why should it?)
*Center David Steckel, who has a home in Columbus and played hockey Ohio State, said he expects 45-50 friends and family members to attend the game tonight.
*The Blue Jackets, the only NHL franchise to never make the playoffs, got their first ever home win against the Capitals in their inaugural 2000-2001 season. They haven't defeated them since, going 0-4-3 against Washington.
I'll check back in before the game if anything changes.
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Posted at 11:57 AM ET, 11/29/2008
Johnson Gets Nod
Brent Johnson will make his first start in four games tonight in Columbus, despite Jose Theodore's shut out against Montreal last night, Coach Bruce Boudreau confirmed moments ago at Nationwide Arena.
Boudreau said he was tempted to play Theodore again, but that he decided to stick with the previously determined plan to go with Johnson.
I'll have a little more in a few minutes.
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Posted at 11:56 PM ET, 11/28/2008
Theodore's Revenge: Caps 3, Canadiens 0
That was kind of unexpected, wasn't it?
All the injuries. Jose Theodore's previous encounter with his hometown team. Did I mention all the injuries?
Didn't matter tonight.
Theodore was lights out, stopping all 28 shots he faced to beat Montreal and settle an old score against his former team. The 32-year-old goalie was the No. 1 star of the game for the first time as Cap, earned his first shutout as a Cap, and got his first standing ovation as a Cap.
"He was fabulous," Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "He was square to the puck. There were no big rebounds. The saves in the second period there for a series of five minutes were pretty dazzling. His acrobatic skills and his athletic skills were fabulous. I was really happy for him."
A few other notes and quotes from tonight's win:
*Boudreau became the fastest coach in team history to 50 wins (84 games).
*Alex Ovechkin extended his point scoring streak to 10 games (11 goals, 11 assists), the longest current streak in the league. Ovechkin's 25 points this month are tops in the NHL, too. Alexander Semin was player of the month in Oct.; Ovechkin figures to earn the honor in November.
"Whether it's a slow start or some time in the middle or some time at the end, he got his [slump] out of the way," Boudreau said. "He's playing normal. He's not doing anything super special. When he gets six in one game then I'll say, 'Now that's a little bit special'. But getting a goal, that's Alex and that's why he's the best player in the world."
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