The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

The long road back – It’s been a long and often agonizing 14 months for Brian Pothier since the Capitals defenseman last suited up for an NHL game. With concussion and vision problems behind him, however, he could take the ice tonight in Atlanta , in the same building where he started his NHL career nearly eight years ago. The 31-year-old Pothier gives head coach Bruce Boudreau a veteran presence to turn to on defense and a player who can take the ice in any situation – in 2006-07, his first season with Washington , he led the team in ice time.

Note of the Day

Feels so good to be on the road again – Washington has won five in a row on the road, one win shy of the club record six-game road winning streak in 1983-84. It's Washington 's first five-game road winning streak since 2000-01.



The Capitals started the season 18-1-1 at home and still have the East's best home record, but are just 8-8-1 in their last 17 home games. Conversely, the Capitals are 12-3-2 in their last 17 road games and 6-0-2 on the road since the All-Star break. Washington plays eight of its remaining 12 games away from home.

2008-09 Since Jan. 1

Home 26-9-2 11-8-1

Road 16-12-4 8-2-2



Five More Notes No Media Person Should be Without

Four score – Washington 's top four scorers – Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin and Mike Green – each scored a goal Saturday night vs. Carolina , the third time this season that they have all scored. Two of those games have come against Carolina and all three have been wins.



Four score II – The Capitals' top four scorers are all averaging more than a point per game; no other team has more than two players above a point-per-game pace. Semin (1.35), Ovechkin (1.33), Backstrom (1.06) and Green (1.05) all rank among the top 15 NHLers in points per game (minimum 12 GP).



On the verge – Their next goals will give:

- Alex Ovechkin his third 50-goal season

- Alexander Semin his second 30-goal season

- Nicklas Backstrom his first 20-goal season



More verge – With his next goal Alex Ovechkin can become the first Capital ever and just the second active player (joining Teemu Selanne) with three 50-goal seasons. His next point will also give him 90 for the season (his fourth straight 90-point season) and 400 for his career.



Close change – Each of the last four Washington wins have been by one goal. The Capitals had started the season 3-3-3 in one-goal games and are now 19-7-6, the fourth-best winning percentage in one-goal games in the NHL.

Big win over Carolina this weekend and BIG NEWS to hear Pothier's back!

I was afraid it was the end of the line for him, so I'm thrilled to see him return and hope he's back up to speed!

It looks like Varlamov is healthy too, as the Caps sent Neuvirth down to Hershey in exchange for Varlamov.

I expect we'll see Varlamov in net tomorrow night.

Equal opportunity – The Capitals have recorded 16 goals this season against Tampa Bay , including three in the first period of each game. Out of the 20 active skaters that could take the ice tonight, 17 have recorded at least one point against the Lightning this season. Only Brian Pothier, Viktor Kozlov and Sergei Federov have not recorded a point. Both Kozlov and Fedorov have only skated in one game (Kozlov on Jan. 1 and Fedorov on Feb. 14), while Pothier has yet to face the Lightning. Chris Clark and Sean Collins also recorded goals, with Collins recording his first NHL goal on Jan. 1.

Note of the Night

Lightning doesn't strike – Washington is 3-0-0 against Tampa Bay this season and has won eight in a row against the Lightning overall. Bruce Boudreau is 8-0-0 as a head coach against Tampa Bay , including four wins at the St. Pete Times Forum. The winning streak dates to a 5-2 Lightning win on Nov. 16, 2007, and is the longest streak by either team in series history. It's Washington 's longest active winning streak against any team.



Five More Notes No Media Person Should be Without

Shot stoppers – Washington did not allow a shot on goal in the final 26:07 of its game at Florida Tuesday night, as the third period marked the fourth time in franchise history that Washington did not allow a shot in a period. Each of the last three came on the road against Florida (the fourth was in a 1975 home game against Minnesota ).



Thee-0 – Jose Theodore's shutout of Florida Tuesday night was his second of the season and the 28th of his career. He has made seven straight starts for Washington , matching a season high, and is 4-2-1 with a 2.23 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage in that time. Since Dec. 23, Theodore is 20-9-3 (2.57, .911).



Jose Theodore's 28-15-4 record this season gives him the best winning percentage of his career. It also has pulled him within one win of .500 for his career (211-212-44). The last time Theodore was .500 in his career was Nov. 9, 1998 (8-8-2) at the time; the last time he was over .500 was Feb. 17, 1997 (5-4-2).



Milestone man – With his next goal Alex Ovechkin can become the first Capital ever and just the second active player (joining Teemu Selanne) with three 50-goal seasons. His assist Tuesday night game him 90 points for the season (his fourth straight 90-point season) and 400 for his career (only Selanne reached 400 points faster among active players).



Early and often – Washington has scored three goals in the first period of each of the first three games against Tampa Bay this season while holding the Lightning without a first-period goal. Each of those three first-period efforts have come against a different Lightning goaltender (Olie Kolzig, Mike Smith and Mike McKenna).



Washington has outscored the Lightning 16-7 on the season, 15-5 at even strength.



Movin' up – With 10 games remaining, this season's Capitals have already matched last year's point total and surpassed last year's win total. The Caps are in the top 10 in franchise history in both categories.

Most Points, Capitals Season

107 1985-86

102 1999-00

101 1984-85 and 1983-84

98 1991-92

96 2000-01

94 2008-09, 2007-08 and 1982-83

93 1992-93



Most Wins, Capitals Season

50 1985-86

48 1983-84

46 1984-85

45 1991-92

44 2008-09 and 1999-00

43 2007-08 and 1992-93

3-0-0... *knock on wood* LET'S GO CAPS!

langleyparkjoe wrote:3-0-0... *knock on wood* LET'S GO CAPS!

Yeah, these games make me nervous.

There is every reason the Caps should win tonight...just like they should have beat Atlanta.

I think these guys look at the team standings and think "we got this" and underestimate the guys on the other teams and forget they are professional hockey players too.

Lacavalier, St. Louis, and Prospal will light us up if we play like we did versus Atlanta.

5-2, looking good going down the stretch.. I only saw like a total of 5 minutes of the game though. LOL.. I didn't even see any of the scoring but its all good as long as we got the W.

I liked Ovie's goal celebration after his 50th. I hope it drove Don Cherry into a thrombosis.....hope they keep it up, big game vs Carolina this weekend.

Sir_Monk wrote:I liked Ovie's goal celebration after his 50th. I hope it drove Don Cherry into a thrombosis.....hope they keep it up, big game vs Carolina this weekend.

Haha I know. I loved it, thats Ovi. Let the guy have fun celebrating his 50th goal. I thought it was pretty funny. I really hope this pisses off Don Cherry.

I only saw the last 10 minutes of this game, but the one thing I am getting tired of seeing is the liberties other teams take with our star players. Alex Semin should never be put in a position to throw punches with a guy like Tim Gleason, I forget the guys name who cross checked Green in the head, but I would have liked to have seen Laich knock the snot out of him. Not to mention Rod Brind'Amour's face should have looked like pulp after that cheep shot he took on Ovie. When I saw 8 fall, I think my heart stopped for a second. I hope that shot Ovie took satisfies the blood lust from the media up north. Lastly, it's too bad McPhee could not have added a Matt Cooke type player at the deadline, this team really needs someone like that to stir the pot, I wonder what Dale Hunter doing these days?

WE CLINCHED WE CLINCHED!!!.. playoffs that is, not the division..

Hey can one of you hockey guys answer something for me. How is it in the Western Conf. that San Jose and Detroit both clinched the division. San Jose has more wins and more points so I'm a little confused.

langleyparkjoe wrote:WE CLINCHED WE CLINCHED!!!.. playoffs that is, not the division..

Hey can one of you hockey guys answer something for me. How is it in the Western Conf. that San Jose and Detroit both clinched the division. San Jose has more wins and more points so I'm a little confused.

Detroit clinched the Central Division of the West and San Jose clinched the Pacific Division of the West. San Jose should get the #1 seed if they finish strong since they have a 4 point lead in the conference.

oooh ok, I got it now.. See when I looked at the standings it only showed "East" and "West", it wasn't broken down any further, thanks for the info brutha

Bob 0119 wrote:Sorry for the lack of info lately guys, I was out of town. Here's today's stuff!

Season Sweep? – With a win tonight the Capitals will finish the year 4-0-0 against the New York Islanders and sweep the season series. The Caps have 36 season sweeps in club history coming against teams that they have played three or more times during a season. Washington has swept the Islanders five times previously—the most against any opponent—and the sixth time could come tonight at Verizon Center . The most recent sweep of the Islanders came in the 2002-03 season when Washington went 4-0-0-0 against New York . The Caps have swept Montreal four times and have swept Vancouver , Ottawa and Colorado three times each. Tampa is the only other team that Washington can sweep this year. The Caps are 5-0-0 against the Lightning and complete the season series in Tampa Bay on April 9.


Note of the Night

Eyeing 100 – Washington enters April just one point shy of the fourth 100-point season in franchise history. The Capitals haven't had this many wins in 24 years.

Most Points, Capitals Season

107 1985-86

102 1999-00

101 1984-85 and 1983-84

99 2008-09

98 1991-92



Most Wins, Capitals Season

50 1985-86

48 1983-84

46 1984-85 and 2008-09

45 1991-92



Five More Notes No Media Person Should be Without

At 100 – Alex Ovechkin's four-point night Friday against Tampa Bay give him his third career 100-point season; there had only been two 100-point seasons in Washington's 30-season history prior to his arrival. With six games remaining Ovechkin would need to average two points per game to reach the 112 points he recorded last season, but he has missed three games this year as opposed to playing all 82 in 2007-08.



Can you hear me now? – Alex Ovechkin has scored 32 goals at home, seven more than any other player and matching the Capitals' single-season record that he set last season.



OT Ovi – Alex Ovechkin has scored the overtime goal in the last two Capitals-Islanders meetings, and in each case it was his second goal of the game. His seven career overtime goals are the most in Washington history. Ovechkin leads the Caps with five goals against the Islanders this season; no other player on either team has more than one goal in the three games.



20-21 vision – Nicklas Backstrom's first two-goal game of the year gave him 21 goals, his first season of 20 or more. A 14-goal scorer last year, Backstrom has bolstered his goal total by 50% and already posted four more assists than he had a year ago. With 80 points – the first Capital other than Alex Ovechkin to post 80 points since Adam Oates and Peter Bondra in 2000-01 – Backstrom has 11 more points than any other second-year NHL player.

Top-Scoring Sophomores

Nicklas Backstrom, WSH 21-59–80

David Krejci, BOS 22-47–69

Patrick Kane, CHI 24-40–64

Jonathan Toews, CHI 30-33–63

Devin Setoguchi, SJ 30-33–63



Getting even – Jose Theodore's 29-16-5 record this season gives him the best winning percentage of his career and is one victory shy of his third 30-win season. It also has pulled him within one win of .500 for his career (212-213-44). The last time Theodore was .500 in his career was Nov. 9, 1998 (8-8-2) at the time; the last time he was over .500 was Feb. 17, 1997 (5-4-2).



Since Dec. 23, Theodore is 21-10-4 (2.58, .911).

As always Bob, you make it easy for us novices out there, greatly appreciated!

Yup Bob, we got the season sweep!!!!! How about I turned on the game in the very beginning of the 3rd period and I got to see 3 goals.. SWEEET!!

Powerful timing – Washington’s power play, clicking at 25.2% and on pace to establish a club record, has been a story all season, only once going three games without a goal. Almost as remarkable as its record-breaking success, including Mike Green’s milestone goals last night, has been the power play’s sense of timing. Whether it’s been a first-period goal to start the scoring or last night’s game-tying and game-winning power-play goals in a 1:23 span of the third period, Washington has converted on power plays when it really needs them. That comes despite averaging just four power plays a game and is a trend the Caps will look to continue heading into the playoffs.

To Clinch – Washington could clinch its fifth division title and second in a row with a Carolina loss tonight (in regulation or overtime) or if the Capitals earn a point tomorrow night.

Bob 0119 wrote:To Clinch – Washington could clinch its fifth division title and second in a row with a Carolina loss tonight (in regulation or overtime) or if the Capitals earn a point tomorrow night.

It would be easier if the Whalers lost tonight, but I would love to see something dramatic like a late Ovie goal to clinch the division tomorrow.

langleyparkjoe wrote:Yup Bob, we got the season sweep!!!!! How about I turned on the game in the very beginning of the 3rd period and I got to see 3 goals.. SWEEET!!

Yeah, last night was definately sweet!

-Swept the Islanders 4-0-0
-The team broke 100 points for the season
-Mike Green became only the 8th Defenseman in NHL history to have a 30 goal season, and the first defenseman to do it in the last 16 years.
-Green also set a new Caps record for most PPG's in a season at 17 (a record previously held by Scott Stevens for 24 years)
-Green is also the fourth defnseman in Caps history to reach 70-points on the season (30 goals, 40 Assists)
-Jeff Shultz got his first fighting major of his 169 game career
-Jose Theodore rounded out his wins and losses at 213-213

All that and a thrilling come-from-behind win!

I don't think it gets much better!

Bob, LPJ, anyone else - I was wondering if any of you guys have playoff tickets? The commercial on Caps telecasts makes it seem like if you don't order season tickets for 09-10 you wont be allowed to purchase playoff tickets. I'm trying to convince my wife that we should make a weekend trip to DC and see the sights as well as take in a playoff game.

Sir_Monk wrote:

Bob 0119 wrote:To Clinch – Washington could clinch its fifth division title and second in a row with a Carolina loss tonight (in regulation or overtime) or if the Capitals earn a point tomorrow night.

It would be easier if the Whalers lost tonight, but I would love to see something dramatic like a late Ovie goal to clinch the division tomorrow.

Personally, I'd be happy either way, but you may get your wish. Carolina is coming on strong. They've won 6 straight including a victory this weekend over NJ (which was oh-so-sweet!)

They face the Rangers tonight. Carolina is currently sixth in the East and NY is 7th, so both teams have something to play for. It should be a good game!

Sir_Monk wrote:Bob, LPJ, anyone else - I was wondering if any of you guys have playoff tickets? The commercial on Caps telecasts makes it seem like if you don't order season tickets for 09-10 you wont be allowed to purchase playoff tickets. I'm trying to convince my wife that we should make a weekend trip to DC and see the sights as well as take in a playoff game.

I don't, but you may not be far off track.

Obviously Season Ticket holders are promised playoff tickets as part of the package. Those who pre-ordered for next year were also promised play-off tix this year.

You might check out stub-hub for tix for the playoffs.

A co-worker told me she's been able to buy single games (last year vs. filly) so you'll probably have to be on the lookout my friend

Quiet Achievement – Lost in the mix of Mike Green and Alex Ovechkin’s offensive achievements this season is goaltender Jose Theodore reaching the 30-win plateau for the third time in his career. He joins Jim Carey and Olie Kolzig as the only goaltenders to win 30 games in a season for the Capitals. Since Dec. 23, Theodore is 22-10-4 (2.58, .911). If Theodore wins his next game, his career record will improve to 214-213-30-15 and would be above .500 for the first time since Feb. 17, 1997, when he was 5-4-1 in his rookie season with Montreal .

Note of the Night

History in the making – Mike Green's 30-goal, 70-point season has produced numbers not seen in years by an NHL defenseman. Green:

– set a Capitals record for a defenseman with 18 power-play goals, one shy of Sheldon Souray's NHL record for PPGs by a defenseman

– became just the seventh NHL defenseman with a 30-goal season and the first since the Caps' Kevin Hatcher in 1992-93

– is, at 23, the youngest defenseman with 30 goals since Paul Coffey in 1983-84

– is the first defenseman ever to score 30 goals in a season playing fewer than 70 games (most he can play is 68)

– has the fourth-best point total all-time by a Caps defenseman (11 points shy of Larry Murphy's club record)

– has the most points by an NHL defenseman since 2005-06 (Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Zubov)

– averages 1.11 points per game, most by a defenseman since 1994-95 (Paul Coffey, 1.29)

– has nine more goals and eight more points than any other defenseman despite missing 14 games due to injury



Five More Notes No Media Person Should be Without

On the doorstep – With a win or an overtime loss tonight, Washington would clinch the Southeast Division title for the second year in a row. It would be the fifth division title in franchise history.



Making their points – One more point by Nicklas Backstrom in the last five games will assure each of Washington's top four scorers – Alex Ovechkin, Backstrom, Alexander Semin and Mike Green – of averaging more than a point per game for the season. No other NHL team has their top four scorers averaging more than a point per game and it has never happened on a Caps team (three were above a point per game and one was at a point per game in 1985-86). Washington has three of the top nine players in the league in points per game (Ovechkin, Semin and Green) and four of the top 13 (Backstrom) The last time the Caps had four players with 70-plus points was 1992-93.



Theo's 30 – Jose Theodore's 30-16-5 record this season gives him the best winning percentage of his career and his third 30-win season. He joins Jim Carey and Olie Kolzig as the only goaltenders to win 30 games in a season for the Capitals. Since Dec. 23, Theodore is 22-10-4 (2.58, .911).



Theodore's win Wednesday night made him .500 for his career (213-213-44) for the first time since Nov. 9, 1998 (8-8-2 at the time); the last time he was over .500 was Feb. 17, 1997 (5-4-2).



Power grid – The Capitals are 6-for-14 (42.9%) on the power play in the last three games. They have scored at least one power-play goal in 21 of the last 28 games and are 31.1% in that time (33-of-106), including 45.2% in the first period (19-of-42). The Capitals' opponents in that time have received 24 more power-play opportunities but have scored 10 fewer goals (23-for-131, 82.4% penalty killing). Washington 's power play ranks second in the league (first in the Eastern Conference) and would set the club record for a full season (23.9%, 1984-85). The Capitals have a chance to overtake Detroit for first in the league on the power play, which would mark the first the the Caps have ever led the league in that category (best was second in 1992-93).



Caps 101 – Washington enters its final five games of the regular season within reach of the club record for points and wins in a season.

Most Points, Capitals Season

107 1985-86

102 1999-00

101 2008-09, 1984-85 and 1983-84



Most Wins, Capitals Season

50 1985-86

48 1983-84

47 2008-09

46 1984-85

Well the Whale won last night, so the Caps get the chance to clinch in front of the home crowd!!

What does the last number in the stats mean? For example: W-L-T-?