Caps/Pens Rivalry Heats Up

Ovechkin and Crosby had a date in the district this weekend and I have a hunch they won't be making googly eyes at each other anytime soon, in fact, they appear to hate each other. The Caps/Pens rivalry has been a good one over the years and it's only getting better, which is good news for the league. The NHL needs Ovechkin and Crosby to generate ratings and their hatred towards each other leads to great hockey, which, you guessed it, leads to ratings. The game yesterday afternoon saw the Caps send the Penguins waddling (get it?) back to Pittsburgh and it looks like the Pens may miss out on the playoffs just one year after going the finals; shh, if you're quiet enough you can hear Gary Bettman crying himself to sleep. Before Boudreau the Caps were 1-7-1 in recent years against the Pens, with Sid the Kid outdeuling Ovie, but since Boudreau the Caps are 4-1-1 and 3-0 this season, with Ovie moving ahead of Crosby and establishing himself as the best in the league. The Caps and Penguins have hated each other for years and with the addition of Sid The Kid and Ovie into the mix, the rivalry has just begun.

Is Number 42 Number 1?

Four years in the league and Ovechkin still has tricks up his sleeve. On Wednesday night Ovie scored his 42nd goal of the year and possibly the best goal of his career. No, I haven't just awaken from a coma and think it's January 17th, 2006, one day after "The Goal" in Phoenix, and yes I'm fully aware of how great that goal was, but this was better. The goal Wednesday night, against Montreal, showed why Sid may be the face of the league, but Ovechkin's the soul. On that magical evening in Phoenix Ovie was full speed ahead from the neutral zone as Coyoties defender Paul Mara skated backwards playing defense. The play then developed into a two on one and with goalie Brian Boucher confident Mara had Ovie covered, played for the pass, well, the rest you could say is history and had many thinking Ovie would never top it. Fast forward to February 18, 2009, the day of "The Goal, Pt. 2," but this isn't your ordinary lame sequel where your favorite actor was replaced because they were in rehab or "retired from making movies", this was even better than the first. The goal started as Ovie was in the neutral zone skating backwards, he then passes, behind his back, the puck off of the boards to himself, has enough speed to beat a defender who has had forward momentum from the neutral zone the entire time, then on top of that (insert crazy movie music that builds as you head towards the climax) he has enough skill to control the puck and score as he is taken to the ice and then he tops it off by celebrating as he is sliding on the ice. Alex Ovechkin continues to amaze and the only fans still saying Ovie takes a back seat to Crosby as the league's best are die hard Pens fan, well, them and Bettman, who I heard cuddles with a lifesize Crosby doll everynight before he goes to bed.

Going Green Has Been Going Great

Caps fan have known for a couple of years what the rest of the league is finding out, Mike Green is good. The Caps defensemen had a breakout season last year with 18 goals and 56 points and this year he has already surpassed his goal totals and is rapidly approaching his point totals of last year. Green is currently going through a streak the NHL hasn't seen since 1983-84 when Boston's Mike O'Connel scored in seven straight games. Green tied that mark in last night's disappointing shoot-out loss and will get his chance at history Saturday when the Caps are in Tampa. Mike leads all NHL defenseman in goals and points and if he still leads at the end of the season, will have done what only Sergei Gonchar came close to doing seven years ago, leading NHL defenseman in scoring at the end of the season while a Washington Capital.

Going Green really does seem to help the environment, at least the environment at the Verizon Center as Green and Ovechkin have helped to sell out the Verizon Center 16 times this year, but all of that environment warming has caused the ice surface to be a bit choppy at the Phone Booth, with, at times, temperatures in the building measuring 62 degrees and 42 percent humidity, two degrees higher than the NHL recommended temperatures of 60 degrees and 40 percent humidity. This has some Caps to go as far as saying that's why the team has been plagued with so many injuries this year, but enough of that, this is a pleasant post. The city hasn't been this excited about hockey in a very long time and I have a feeling the best is yet to come. The Caps finally have enough depth to make a legitimate run in the playoffs and run, or, er, skate they will.

Special Teams Not So Special

As I sit in section 431 tonight at the Verizon Center watching the Caps and Panthers I noticed again in this game what has been a growing problem in recent weeks--special teams. Lately a Caps power play means two minutes of quality scoring chances for the other team and the first power play for the Caps, a double minor, was yet again another glowing example of playoff problems to come. A lapse in the Caps defense led to a break away for the Panthers followed by a Mike Green tripping penalty. The Caps have, for the most part, gotten away with poor power plays, but they should schedule tee times for early May if they can't correct the problem.

Ovie Needs The "C"

Remember when captain Chris Clark used to be an asset to the Caps? It's okay if you don't, I have a hard time remembering things so far in the past as well. I guess when things are bad, they're really bad for Clark who will undergo season ending surgery Thursday to repair his ailing wrist. Clark will once again be forced to end his season prematurely after playing just 32 games (Clark played in just 18 games because of an injury last season). With Clark out for the season and ineffective when he was in the lineup, the time is right for a change in captaincy for the Caps and the team should look no further than superstar Alex Ovechkin. A captain is called upon to lead a team on and off the ice, to stick up for his teammates on the ice and to step up and be a game changer when needed, something The Great 8 does every single game. His first two years in Washington Clark was that guy, a dominate presence on the ice and an offensive threat, putting up some impressive numbers, scoring 20 and 30 goals respectively, but Clark has been anything but effective since. Clark was made the captain based on his experience and leadership skills, but that was before Ovechkin matured into the player he is today. Ovie is who the fans pay to see and he delivers night after night. This is Ovechkin's team.