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Posts tagged: Washington Capitals

New Pads For A New Result

0 Comments February 25, 2012|clyde|Puck

More like this one, please. The Washington Capitals defeated the Montreal Canadiens by a score of 4-1 last night at Verizon Center. Of course, the sole Canadiens goal was scored by Rene Bourque. Shorthanded, too. But, you knew that. The Capitals came out of the gate hard in the first, Mathieu Perreault scored early and they just kept going. It was almost like the Capitals we used to know, but different, but the same result.Â All it took was a game against the worst Eastern Conference team after three ugly losses. Or maybe it was Michal Neuvirth’s new pads. Or maybe the in game pauses for the pads to be adjusted. Whatever the reason, let’s hope it’s a sign that things have finally turned a corner.

Read more about the game by people that can actually write about games like Russian Machine, Ed Frankovic, On Frozen Blog, Japer’s Rink, and District Sports Page.Â Look at my photos below or on flickr.

$Neuvirth Reaches With Semin\'s Help$

$Puck in Neuvirth\'s Glove$

$Gomez Can\'t Score on Neuvirth Tonight$

$Alzner\'s Face Caught in Flash$

Discovering Rechlicz

0 Comments February 14, 2012|clyde|Puck

I don’t really have much to say to about the Washington Capitals losing to the San Jose Sharks last night. I’m a Capitals fan. It sucked. I couldn’t leave because, someday, the Capitals will come back in an ugly game like that to win and I don’t want to say, “Yeah, I left early.” It’s gotta happen sometime, right? The Capitals have been on the wrong end of that bouncing puck enough times, right? Sigh. It didn’t happen last night.

The only thing worth noting from my perspective was Joel Rechlicz. In his first period shift (singular) he was running around with more energy than anyone else wearing red and tried to get something going with anyone he was in shouting distance of in addition to buzzing around the Sharks net. The rest of the period, he was at the edge of the bench, yelling (what I assume were not nice words) at the Sharks and encouraging the Capitals forwards as they returned after their shifts (plural).Â The guy was engaged. I don’t know what he said to get his second period misconduct, but he had an audience. Worse things could happen than for some of that attitude to rub off on the guys that get more than a couple minutes of ice time per game.

If you really want to read about the game anyway, try Ed Frankovic first, then the rest, like Russian Machine, Japer’s Rink, and District Sports Page.

I have some photos below and on flickr.

$Orlov\'s Follow Through on Scoring Shot$

$Ovechkin\'s Screen Works$

I Woke Up In A Great Mood; I Don’t Know What The Hell Happened

1 Comment February 10, 2012|clyde|Puck

The Washington Capitals played a pretty good game against the Winnipeg Jets for almost 58 minutes last night. Then, like Mike Damone in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” said, “I woke up in a great mood. I don’t know what the hell happened.” (All that’s new is old again or something not like that at all.) Everything was under control until a weenie penalty was called on Brooks Laich for playing the puck with a broken stick when the Capitals were already on the penalty kill. With Jets goalie Ondrej Pavalec on the bench for a sixth skater, the Jets got one back to cut the Capitals lead to one. Twelve seconds later, Dustin Byfuglien was dumping the puck into the Capitals zone from the redline when it deflected off Karl Alzner’s stickÂ and went the wrong way into the back of the Capitals net. Nothing going in the overtime and all of the sudden the Capitals lost in the shootout.

Sometimes it’s tough to be a Capitals fan.

Read some more from Ed Frankovic, On Frozen Blog, Russian Machine, District Sports Page and Japer’s Rink.Â See my photos below or on flickr.

$Ovechkin\'s Stick Breaks At Center Ice$

$Hendricks and Puck In Pavelec\'s Crease$

$Laich\'s Block Breaks Stick$

$Kane\'s Power Play Goal$

Check it Out, the Shutout

1 Comment February 8, 2012|clyde|Puck

So, where was everyone last night? Y’all missed out. I know it was the Florida Panthers, it’s hard to get up for those games and all, but, hey, your loss.

They were partying like it was 2009 in Verizon Center as the Washington Capitals pounced fast and never let up until after the final buzzer sounded on their 4-0 win over the Panthers. Brooks Laich playedâ€¦and played well despite his knee injury just two days earlier. Tomas Vokoun stopped 42 shots against his former team (consisting of oh so many former Capitals) and Alex Ovechkin scored 2 goals. I guess if you need a negative for the night, it was that Ovechkin couldn’t finish the trick despite plenty of time and chances. Boo hoo.

Read some good stuff at Japer’s Rink, Russian Machine, Ed Frankovic, or District Sports Page if you want to know more about this game.

I took some pictures and you can see them below or on flickr.

$Ovechkin\'s Stick Shines$

Can’t Quite Reach

0 Comments February 6, 2012|clyde|Puck

The Washington Capitals lost to the Boston Bruins by a score of 4-1 today at Verizon Center and Brooks Laich to a leg injury and Dimitri Orlov to a second puck to the face in a second consecutive game.Â After Marcus Johansson’s third period goal for the Caps, my brother texted me “So much for the beautiful symmetry of 3-0, 0-3,” having done the 0-3, 3-0, 0-3 thing just aÂ few weeks ago.

I spent a fair amount of time talking to the guy that has the two seats next to me. He and I both got our seats in 420 in April 2008.

He’s thinking about not renewing for next year.

Japer’s Rink, Russian Machine, On Frozen Blog, and Ed Frankovic share some thoughts on the game, but what else is there to say?

My photos are below and are on flickr. Thanks for looking.

$Thomas Isn\'t Letting It In$

$Orlov\'s Blood Trail$

$Wideman Can\'t Stop Peverley$

Hatty For Matty

0 Comments January 25, 2012|clyde|Puck

I know others think they beat me to the punch on using “Hatty for Matty,” but I’ve wanted to use that as a title since Mathieu Perreault scored his first NHL goal against the Florida Panthers in november 2009 (one of my favorite photos) and I almost immediately thought, “Wouldn’t it be great to see this guy score a hat trick? A hatty for Matty? Aw, man, that’s lame, but I gotta use that some day, if he ever comes through with a hat trick.” So with respect to Mike Vogel (the first public use of “Hatty For Matty” I can find, but I suck at the Twitters, so maybe someone else got it in first), I gotta go with what I gotta go with.”

Pretty cool game. Nice to see the Washington Capitals rally without Alex Ovechkin in the lineup and play some dominating hockey against the defending Stanley Cup winners and generally dominating team, the Boston Bruins, at times. Of course, that use makes it even more frustrating when we spend so much time watching them fumble on getting the puck out of their end for super long stretches. A win is a win is a win, so no real complaints.Â That’s about the limit of my insight that I’m willing to try and share. I’d just embarrass myself compared to Japer’s Rink, Russian Machine, Ed Frankovic, and On Frozen Blog (who, by the way, featured one of my favorite photos of this season in a great post about statistics the other day and I missed it being busy with real life). And some pics and more at Capitals Outsider (but strangely missing their Young Guns II poster).

So, my photos are below and on flickr.

$Lucic Tumbles on Wideman\'s Hip Check$

$Celebrating Eakin\'s Goal$

$Celebrating Perreault\'s First Goal of Night$

$Hats Fall For Perrault\'s Hat Trick$

What Happens When Watching Is Not Winning

0 Comments January 18, 2012|clyde|Puck

Alex Ovechkin broke his stick at the end of warm ups. When I heard and saw it, my first thought was of Slapshot falling at center ice just before the game against the Flyers in December, which happened to be the last game the Washington Capitals lost at Verizon Center. I hoped I was just doing the silly fan thing of drawing connections where they don’t exist (if not being more irrational), but that’s kind of the way the game went.

The Capitals played poorly and lost to the New York Islanders. It wasn’t like they were phoning it in (like some of the final games of the Bruce Boudreau era), but more like they just plain forgot how to play at the NHL level. Bad passes, a bit too much watching instead of doing, and when doing, everyone doing something different. Oh, well. It’s hard to get mad as a fan over this one.

The Russian Machine, Japer’s Rink and District Sports Page recaps are the regular good quality recaps that you expect form them, but On Frozen Blog focused on Karl Alzner in a good way and Ed Frankovic takes a look at the coach, Dale Hunter.Â All good stuff.

My photos are below and on flickr.

Orlov Nets A Winner

1 Comment January 16, 2012|clyde|Puck

For weeks I’ve been watching Washington Capitals rookie defenseman Dimitri Orlov come so close to scoring so many times. For some reason, it just felt like when he finally put on in, the emotion that would come out would be something to see. With his first NHL goal last night against the Carolina Hurricanes, he did not disappoint, as described byÂ Elisabeth Meinecke at On Frozen Blog. These things make for my favorite photos.

Orlov’s goal turned out to be the game winner for the Capitals after an apparent goal by Brooks Laich in the second period was disallowed. I kind of liked the photos from that goal, too, despite being shooting through the nettingâ€¦and the lack of focus that often comes from shooting through it. The other photographic high point for me was absolutely nailing Alex Ovechkin’s check nailing Tuomo Ruutu. Expect for the netting, that is. And the support cables holding the netting in place. Look at the photos and you’ll see what I mean.

So what else happened in the game? Read some good stuff from Ed Frankovic, Michael Hoffman, Kings of Leonsis, and Russian Machine to find out. They’re all much better at that recap with words stuff than I am. Looks at my photos below or on flickr. Thanks for stopping by!

$Skinner\'s Pouty Face$

Friday The 13th of Firsts

0 Comments January 14, 2012|clyde|Puck

Years from now, when I talk to my daughter about last night’s game, we won’t remember that it was a critical Washington Capitals victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. We won’t remember the near epic collapse that had some striking similarity to the time when the Capitals gave up a 4-1 lead to the Toronto Maple Leafs little more than a year ago.

I’m not sure what we will rememberâ€¦.

It could be Karl Azlner’s first fight in the NHL. Or maybe it will be Troy Brouwer’s first hat trick in the NHL. There is an outside chance that we will remember that we sat next two friends of mine by pure happenstance for one period. But, if I really had to guess, it will probably be that she dropped her iPod, a gift from her grandparents,Â down a flight of concrete stairs in Verizon Center. And that it didn’t break, crack, or suffer any other meaningful damage. Instead, it suffered just a tiny dent in a corner that may have already been there for some time.

Anyway, read about the game at Russian Machine, Japer’s Rink, Ed Frankovic, and District Sport Page. Look at my photos here and on flickr.Â Thanks!

$Downie Connects With Alzner\'s Shield$

$Downie Can\'t Get Through Vokoun$

Beagle’s Back and A Big Win

0 Comments December 29, 2011|clyde|Puck

We know that winning is better than losing. What else is there to say? When the Washington Capitals play like they did last night against the New York Rangers, they win. When they don’tâ€¦bad things happen. It’s not a question of whether they can do it. We (and they) know they can. Every night we ask will they? Last night they did. And that was cool, because you heard it here first (unless I missed seeing it on Twitter or someone else said it or something), the Capitals are undefeated this year when Jay Beagle plays. Welcome back.

Read real thoughts and observations at Japer’s Rink, On Frozen Blog, Russian Machine, District Sports Page (and see their pics, too), Ed Frankovic and the others that I apologize for not having enough time to read.

My photos are below and on flickr. Hope you enjoy!