Knuble and the Caps Catch the Hawks in OT

photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images

I don't usually do game notes, but it was too exciting a game to stay silent. A couple of notes on the overtime win over the Blackhawks:

• This was by far Jason Chimera's best game of the season. He was showing off his speed and he had more chances than usual. It wasn't just Chimera though; the Chimera-Laich-Fehr line was the best of the day, generating a ton of scoring chances, and scoring the third Capitals goal. Eric Fehr fed Brooks Laich a great pass in front, and Corey Crawford had no chance to save it.
• Mike Knuble's overtime goal was beautiful; dirty, but beautiful. Knuble's forehand-backhand-forehand dance around Crawford's crease was the best his hands have looked in a long time. Marcus Johansson's pass to Knuble was picture-perfect.
• Speaking of Johansson, he was a force on the ice today. He led the team in shots on net with seven. The penalty he took late in the third period was dumb, as it led to the tying Blackhawks goal, but his pass to Knuble in overtime seemed to make up for it.
• Braden Holtby looked a bit shaky in net today. The Blackhawks' first goal was a soft one through Holtby's five hole, and their second was a bad angle shot that squeaked through seven hole, and bounced off his back into the goal. You can bet that Arturs Irbe will be working with him on situations like the second goal in practice.
• NBC seemed to be crediting everyone but Jason Arnott for Alexander Semin's reawakening. Semin also had a good, hardworking game today. His work ethic for the past seven games since Arnott entered the lineup has been consistently strong. I was in the locker room yesterday after practice, and when Arnott and Semin came in, they were chatting away. It was funny to see Arnott trying to figure out what the heck Semin was saying, but he was talking. Of all the times I've ever previously been in the locker room, I've never heard Semin say a single word. There's no doubt in my mind that Arnott is responsible for Semin's inspired play.
• Who knew that Boyd Gordon had such a cannon on him? I definitely wasn't expecting him to bomb a shot from so far away - and have it go through Crawford's pads. This is why the Caps keep Gordon around; he is essential to the penalty kill.

Overall, the game had all the intensity of a playoff game. Both teams were running on all cylinders and playing their best hockey. Considering that the Caps came away with the win, it speaks favorably to their playoff hopes. With Montreal, Detroit, New Jersey, and Philadelphia coming up, hopefully the Caps can keep up the excitement.

What's Wrong with the Caps?

 photo by Jonathan Newton/the Washington Post Photo

The Caps have tied Montreal in the series at 1-1, but they have played notably poorly in their first two games.  What do the Caps need to do in order to win this series?  Here are my very own "keys to the game."

Solve Halak

Luckily, we already know how to solve Jaroslav Halak, but now the Caps need to actually do it. Eric Fehr's breakaway goal is a perfect example of where Halak is weak - high blocker side.  When Halak goes into the butterfly on lower shots, he's near unbeatable.  The Caps need to avoid shooting so low and shoot higher in order to best him.  Both Carlson's and Backstrom's goals were high glove side.  We solved Henrik Lundqvist last year (remember high glove side?) so Halak can be solved too.

Solve the Habs D

Especially after the first two games, it's become abundantly clear that the Habs D is, well, really freakin' good.  Hal Gill is a) enormous and b) leads the league in blocked shots in this postseason (he blocked 9 shots in Game 1 alone).  Jaroslav Spacek was a major problem for the Caps in Game 1.  Andrei Markov has also been excellent thus far.  This one is a little bit tougher to solve, but at least in the case of Hal Gill, he's not very fast.  Bruce Boudreau may want to consider putting speedy guys like Jason Chimera and Éric Bélanger on the ice against Gill.

Caps Goaltending

While José Théodore was outstanding in Game 1 with some sparkling saves, he allowed 2 goals in the first 2 shots last night.  The first goal was embarrassing, and you could chalk up the second goal also to some poor defensive moves.  Pulling him in favor of Varlamov was absolutely the right call, but who to start in Game 3?  Theo has been solid all year, but many are saying start Varlamov, who has a great playoff record but was shaky during this regular season.  Coaches will want to keep an eye on both in practice and definitely rotate the goalies to keep them fresh.

Top Line Must Improve

This definitely improved last game, as Nicklas Backstrom notched a hat trick in OT.  Ovechkin had a goal and a helper, but Bruce may want to consider putting Alexander Semin on the top line instead of Mike Knuble.  Both Knuble and Semin have not been effective so far in the playoffs, so shaking up the top line might benefit both of them.  Obviously Ovechkin-Backstrom-Semin can get too cute, but other times, they're outstanding.  It could be worth it to try out the line combination and see if it can spark the offense we all know they can produce.

No one knows what Bruce Boudreau and the Caps might do, but they can't continue playing as they are right now and expect to move on in the playoffs.  Game 3 is tomorrow night at Bell Centre in Montreal.  We'll see what happens.

An Open Letter to George McPhee

photo by Washington Post/Newsweek Interactive 

Dear George,

First off, I'd like to thank you and Owner Ted Leonsis for everything you've done for this team over the past couple years. You've taken risks with the team and they've paid off (see: Ovechkin, Alex and Boudreau, Bruce). With the trade deadline less than a month away, I'd like to give you some advice for this important date:

Do absolutely nothing.

Yes, I said do nothing. I can honestly say right now that this is a Stanley Cup team. We of course have the stars, our "Young Guns," but the trades from last year's offseason and this year's mid-season have created the depth the team has been lacking in previous seasons.  

We now have Mike Knuble, "the garbage man," whose work in front of the net is undeniably valuable. His GWG against Pittsburgh just added to his impressive stats – he has 16 points in the last 14 games. He's also become a leader on the ice, perhaps filling a little bit of the hole that Sergei Federov left when he departed for the KHL last year. The respect that his teammates have for him is evident; he didn't get the "A" on his sweater for nothing.

Brendan Morrison was also a great pick-up. Another veteran, and a former member of the famed "West Coast Express" line, he's become a solid assist man for the Caps, racking up 21 assists so far this season. While he's been having a bit of a goal slump lately, he's remained decent on faceoffs, winning just over 50% of all his draws. He has also shown us some gorgeous moves that have rivaled Alexander Semin.

A more recent acquisition was Jason Chimera from the Columbus Blue Jackets. It's no secret that I was never a fan of Jurcina, but I'll try to keep that bias out of this post in this case. I'll admit I didn't know much about Chimera before he arrived in Washington. In his first couple games, I couldn't really formulate an opinion. But I've come up with an opinion now: He is the fastest player I have ever seen. When there's a race to the puck, Chimera is the guy you want on the ice. Not only that, but he also has become a bit of an enforcer, but unlike Brashear, he's an enforcer that can also produce. He has 10 points in his first 20 games as a Capital. He's already gotten a Gordie Howe hat trick for his play on January 13 in an eventual shootout win against the Panthers, just two weeks after joining the team.

Jose Theodore has been having his best season yet as a Capital, and looks to be the Vezina- and Hart-winning goalie he once was. It's been wonderful seeing him finally have confidence in his ability and make those saves that someone 10 years younger than him probably couldn't make. We also have that depth in the crease now; even with Semyon Varlamov injured, Michal Neuvirth has been providing solid goaltending in his recent starts, and continues to improve. Neuvirth will definitely become a valuable NHL goaltender once we start needing him full-time.

I also have to address Jeff Schultz. To be honest, I've never been a fan of his. I thought he often was lazy and loose with the puck. But this season, he has proved me wrong. He has matured to an extent I didn't think possible. He's been a shot-blocking machine lately, and his impressive +/- rating can't be denied. Hey, I can admit when I'm wrong.

With this roster, the Capitals have their best chance yet to become Stanley Cup Champions. We finally have that depth we've been seeking for so many years. It's becoming more and more evident when you look at our unprecedented 14-win streak. Let's stick with what we got, George. Let's just let these guys win.

Sincerely,

Erika