Postgame Recap: Caps 4 Maple Leafs 2

The Caps continue to be on a roll with their 5th win in a row in Toronto last night behind a red hot power play and solid goaltending from Braden Holtby. The Caps now find themselves sitting all alone in first place in the Metropolitan Division.

My Thoughts:

*Jason Chimera is still on fire scoring his 7th goal of the season and adding another assist. I said I wanted more from the bottom six and Chimera has been the one who is delivering it right now.

*Tom Wilson finally was able to score is first of the season with a nice forecheck and a turnover, Wilson has struggled offensively this season so maybe that the first one is out of the way he can get going now.

*For the second night in a row Marcus Johansson scored on a redirect off his leg, even though it was not conventional goals are goals and he puts himself in good position for those things to happen.

*Justin Williams scored his 7th goal of the season off a great pass by Jason Chimera. Right now Justin is finding his scoring touch and it is benefitting the Caps quite a bit.

*Braden Holtby played a huge part in the win last night, the Leafs out played the Caps especially in the first period but Holts came up with some big saves to keep the Caps in the game till the power play took the game over.

*Overall it was nice to end the week with another two points, and now they sit a top the Metro Division and still have a game in hand on the New York Rangers, and have a little bit of breathing room from the Pens and Islanders. The boys will have a few day off before what will be a huge test in Montreal.


What's Next: Thursday Dec. 3rd at. Montreal 7:30 p.m on CSN

Pregame Notes: Washington Capitals at. Toronto Maple Leafs

 The boys are back at it tonight after winning their 4th in a row last night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tonight they are North as they take on the improved Toronto Maple Leafs, here is the projected lineup for tonight's tilt.

Forwards:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Oshie
Johansson-Kuznetsov-Williams
Chimera-Beagle-Burakovsky
Laich-Latta-Wilson

Defense and Goalies:

Schmidt-Carlson
Alzner-Niskanen
Orlov-Chorney


Holtby
Grubauer


Other Notes:

*Brooks Orpik has been out a while and I personally am concerned that it is worse that originally thought. The emergence of Nate Schmidt and Dmitry Orlov however has helped the Caps keep humming along.

*Braden Holtby will be back in tonight. It is the first time this season that Holts will play back to back nights. This is no a huge surprise because the Caps will be off till Thursday after tonight's game.

*The Caps top two lines have been really good lately but I would like to see the bottom two lines pitch in a little more in terms of points. Jason Chimera has done well but I would like to see Tom Wilson and Andre Burakovsky score a little more.

*The Caps defense has been pitching in quite a bit offensively lately, again that is being helped by Dmitry Orlov lately who is doing a great job.

*The special teams has been very good lately, we all know the power play is very good. However, it is the improved penalty kill which is making me optimistic. Last year is was around 15 or 16 in the league, right now it is ranked 8th.

*Overall it will be tough tonight in Toronto as they will be excited to play the Caps. The Leafs are buying into Mike Babcock's plan, and they are improving. They were at home last night waiting for the Caps to fly in. So, it will be a good battle tonight as we will see if the Caps can make it 5 on a row.


Gametime 7:00 p.m on CSN

Postgame Recap: Caps 4 Lightning 2

 The Caps used their power play to build a big lead on Friday night, and then were able to hang on in the third to end the Lightning's 3 games winning streak and put the Caps winning streak up to 4.

My Thoughts:

*Alex Ovechkin scored his 12th goal of the season and is now 13 goals away from 500. Ovechkin has played very well ever since passing Sergei Federov for most goals in Russian history.

*Jason Chimera had a goal and assist, again showing that the idea to put him on the power play was a good idea.

*Evgeny Kuznetsov continues to be on a hot streak with two more assists, he is on pace to have a 90 plus point season. He is creating for himself and others, his slap pass to Jason Chimera was a great play.

*Marcus Johansson scored his 4th goal of the season on a redirect, for MoJo he hasn't scored mush but he has been getting a good amount of assists.

*T.J Oshie has been on a little slump lately but hopefully his goal last night will get him going. Even though he has 6 goals I still believe he is playing well and opening things up for Nick Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin.

*The Caps played a great game for about 50 plus minutes last night but let the Lightning score two quick goals in the third. They were able to hang on but that is a habit they should be careful not to do.

*Overall it was another great win and 4 in row to pull them only a point behind the Rangers for first in the Metropolitain Division with a game in hand on them as well. The team is continuing to come together nicely and are winning games in different ways. We will see if they can keep up the winning streak tonight.


What's Next: Tonight at. Toronto 7:00 p.m on CSN

Pregame Notes: Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

 The defending Eastern Conference Champion Tampa Bay Lightning are in town to take on the Caps who are on a three game winning streak. Here is the projected lineup for tonight's game.


Forwards:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Oshie
Johansson-Kuznetsov-Williams
Chimera-Beagle-Burakovsky
Laich-Latta-Wilson


Defense and Goalies:

Schmidt-Carlson
Alzner-Niskanen
Orlov-Chorney


Holtby
Grubauer


Other Notes:


*It appears that Braden Holtby will start tonight, even though I'm not positive he normally starts the first game of a back to back.

*Andre Burakovsky will remain in the lineup, even though he has struggled I believe he just needs more games.

*I believe Brooks Orpik will be out again tonight, so that means Taylor Chorney will continue to get some time.

*I am very impressed with the way Nate Schmidt and Dmitry Orlov have been playing recently, both have been solid in the defensive zone as well as pitching in offensively.

*Alex Ovechkin is still on his way to 500, he currently stands at at 486. If he continues to score at the pace he is at maybe he can get it in the next 20 to 25 games. If he gets hot then he may be able to get there in a shorter time.

*Overall tonight will be a very good challenge for the Caps who are playing a Lightning team that is still very talented. The Caps again need a fast start. This will be a test to see where they are as team 21 games into the season.

Gametime 5:00 pm on CSN

Postgame Recap: Caps 5 Jets 3

 The Caps won their third game in a row last night and have won four of their last five as they were able to have a balanced scoring attack to take down the Winnipeg Jets in front of a packed house at the Verizon Center. After a back and forth start the Caps were able to pull away.

My Thoughts:

*Justin Williams got the scoring started with his 6th goal of the season just 1:12 into the game, that's a fast start that the Caps have not had a lot in the early season.

*After the Jets scored twice to take the lead the Caps would get even on the power play when Alex Ovechkin took a pass from John Carlson and scored career goal number 486. For OV he is now 14 away from his milestone of 500.

*Nick Backstrom scored to make it 3-2 Caps in the second period after a nice passing play from Orlov to Schmidt who centered it to Backstrom for a tip in.

*Former Cap Mathieu Perreault tied the game for the Jets on a power play of their own, but about three minutes later a great effort by Evgeny Kuznetsov to find the red hot Dmitry Orlov who shot a bullet into the net with a Justin Williams screen to give the Caps the lead. For Orlov that's a goal in his last three games and a two point night for him.

*Evgeny Kuznetsov capped off a three point night with a goal at the 13:44 mark of the third after Marcus Johansson sent him on a semi-breakaway. For Kuznetsov it was a goal and two assist night.


*Nick Backstrom ended the night with a goal and assist. While John Carlson and Marcus Johansson each had two assist games.

*At the beginning of the season Nate Schmidt and Dmitry Orlov had their troubles, but not they are both playing better and better with each game. This will be huge late in the season as both of those guys continue to develop.

*Overall it was a nice win to make it three in a row, and the crowd at Verizon was loud and full of energy. I want to take the time to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there around the world. Today will be a time to spend with Family and Friends, hope everyone enjoys it.


What's Next: Friday Nov. 27th vs. Tampa Bay 5:00 pm on CSN

Caps lineup Tonight vs. Winnipeg Jets

Forwards:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Oshie

Johansson-Kuznetsov-Williams

Chimera-Beagle-Burakovsky

Laich-Latta-Wilson

Defense and Goalies:

Schmidt-Carlson

Alzner-Niskanen

Orlov-Chorney

Holtby 

Grubauer 

Game time 7:00 pm on CSN 

Postgame Recap: Caps 1 Oilers 0

 Braden Holtby was steller last night with 33 saves, and a third period goal by Dmitry Orlov was enough to give the Caps win number 14 on the season. Here are the highlights.

My Thoughts:

*Dmitry Orlov had a solid night and his goal was a bullet that beat Anders Nilsson to give the Caps the lead at the 13:28 mark of the third period.

*Orlov's goal was a product of a hard working shift by Michael Latta, Tom Wilson, and Brooks Laich. It was good to see the fourth liners have a shift like that that lead to a huge goal.

*The Caps for the most part slept walked through this game which for me was frustrating but Braden Holtby kept them in the game and really at the end of the day stole the game from the Oilers.

*Overall it was a low scoring game that did not see a ton of action, another big moment was when Nick Backstrom was called for a four minutes high sticking penalty and the PK killed it off which fired up the crowd at the Verizon Center.

*At the end of the day a win is a win no matter if it is ugly or pretty. Again the two points will give them a little bit of space in second in the Metro, they still sit 5 points behind the Rangers who won again last night.


What's Next: Wednesday Nov. 25th vs, Winnipeg 7:00 p.m on CSN

Caps lineup tonight vs. Edmonton Oilers

Forwards:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Oshie

Johansson-Kuznetsov-Williams

Chimera-Beagle-Galiev

Laich-Latta-Wilson

Defense and Goalies:

Schmidt-Carlson

Alzner-Niskanen

Orlov-Chorney

Holtby

Grubauer 

Hershey Bears Update

 It has been a while since I have had the chance to update on the Hershey Bears, the Bears are currently sitting 5th in the Eastern Conference with a 9-5-0-3 record with 3 shootout losses. Here is there player stats thanks to hockeydb.com.

17	Chris Bourque	L	17	6	9	15	10	5	1986-01-29	29	Boston, MA	5.08	170
18	Carter Camper	F	17	2	9	11	4	5	1988-07-06	27	Rocky River, OH	5.09	173
28	Paul Carey	C	17	6	4	10	6	3	1988-09-24	26	Boston, MA	6.00	175
36	Garrett Mitchell	R	16	3	4	7	28	-1	1991-09-02	23	Regina, SASK	5.11	195
19	Riley Barber	F	16	3	4	7	4	-1	1994-02-07	21	Pittsburgh, PA	6.00	198
23	Sean Collins	C	16	2	5	7	6	0	1988-12-29	26	Saskatoon, SASK	6.01	198
27	Aaron Ness	D	16	0	7	7	8	2	1990-05-18	25	Roseau, MN	5.10	182
25	Connor Carrick	D	17	3	4	7	20	2	1994-04-13	21	Orland Park, IL	5.10	183
15	Travis Boyd	F	17	2	5	7	6	-2	1993-09-14	21	Hopkins, MN	5.11	184
13	Jakub Vrana	C	6	2	4	6	2	1	1996-02-28	19	Prague, Czech Rep.	5.11	185
10	Dustin Gazley	W	16	4	2	6	20	-3	1988-10-03	26	Novi, MI	5.09	154
7	Ryan Stanton	D	16	1	5	6	20	-1	1989-07-20	26	St. Albert, ALTA	6.02	196
12	Nathan Walker	L	16	2	2	4	6	-1	1994-02-07	21	Cardiff, Wales	5.08	186
22	Stanislav Galiev	L	5	3	0	3	2	2	1992-01-17	23	Moscow, Russia	6.01	187
5	Christian Djoos	D	11	1	2	3	0	1	1994-08-06	21	Gothenberg, Sweden	6.00	159
4	Madison Bowey	D	13	1	2	3	10	0	1995-04-22	20	Winnipeg, MAN	6.02	209
11	Zack Sill	C	16	2	1	3	24	-2	1988-05-24	27	Truro, NS	6.00	202
24	Chris Brown	C	4	1	1	2	6	0	1991-02-03	24	Flower Mound, TX	6.02	215
21	Chandler Stephenson	C	6	0	2	2	0	-1	1994-04-22	21	Saskatoon, SASK	5.11	190
20	Liam O'Brien	C	12	1	1	2	13	1	1994-07-29	21	Halifax, NS	6.01	205
35	Justin Peters	G	9	0	1	1	0	0	1986-08-30	29	Blyth, ONT	6.01	209
32	Erik Burgdoerfer	D	17	0	1	1	12	-1	1988-12-11	26	East Setauket, NY	6.02	210
14	Austin Fyten	L	2	0	0	0	0	-2	1991-05-03	24	Sundre, ALTA	6.02	200
40	Caleb Herbert	F	5	0	0	0	2	0	1991-10-12	23	Bloomington, MN	6.00	195
31	Dan Ellis	G	10	0	0	0	0	0	1980-06-19	35	Saskatoon, SASK	6.01	195
6	Mike Moore	D	12	0	0	0	23	-4	1984-12-12	30	Calgary, ALTA	6.01	206

#	Name	GP	Min	GA	GAA	W	L	T	ENG	SO	Saves	SvPct
35	Justin Peters	9	480	21	2.63	4	2	2	0	1	208	0.908
31	Dan Ellis	10	554	26	2.81	5	3	1	0	0	218	0.893