SaucyJack

Long time no see… Oct 12th, 2022: last visit by Boston Bruins to Washington Capitals until tonight, March 30th, 2024. 1 leap year, 5 months, and 18 days between visits. (Weird scheduling for the Capitals this season: both Boston visits and both road games to Buffalo are in the last 18 days of the campaign.)

So at the just-televised press conference, Caps/Wizards owner Ted Leonsis said he was impressed and convinced to make a new deal with the District of Columbia per: a) other recent DC funding to revitalize the downtown area b) recent crime bill legislation to reduce it downtown Ted wanted $600 mil from the city to upgrade Capital One Arena, but the deal is for $515 mil over 3 years. He’d sign a 25-year lease. The Virginia Senate did not approve the move to Alexandria nor did they put into place any plan for public funding. The DC City Council still needs to approve this new deal early next week, but since the terms are nearly identical to plans they already unanimously approved months back in discussions with the mayor, this looks like a done deal.

Breaking news on local DC television: the proposed move of the Capitals and Wizards away from Capital One Arena, to Potomac Yards at Alexandria VA… …is now OFF. Fiiight, for oooold, Dee Ceeeee!

Thanks to Patrick Kane’s bullet from the mid-slot with 5 minutes to go, the Caps are denied the coveted 2-point gain over the Wings. It’s a 1-point gain though, thanks to Dylan Strome in OT. So, Washington sort of “held serve”. Meanwhile, it’s a 1-point gain over the Flyers, too, per their OT loss at NYR. Just last night’s action, according to moneypuck , means that playoff odds changed thusly: Philly: -1.6% (87.2 to 85.6) Wash: +7.6% (57.9 to 65.5) Det: -7.7% (37.3 to 29.6) Seems a bit too much change in odds for the Caps and Wings but I’m not the professional mathematician here. Now… can the Capitals do better than they have against the Maple Leafs this year, tomorrow night, as Ovie & crew make their lone appearance in Toronto?

Not terribly brutal. Others have games in hand on Buffalo, but you should win your next 2 home games (OTT, NJ). In April, you get rivals Washington (twice!) and Philly at home. Your last week is tough, all good teams on the road, but an opportunity to play rival Detroit. So yeah, tough, but not impossible.

That was 26 days ago. Now look what moneypuck.com says after yesterday’s (Sunday 24th March) results, after the nice pre-game ceremony the Capitals gave TJ Oshie before defeating road-weary Winnipeg: Greater than a 50/50 shot. Holy sh!te! And no wonder, with games in hand they are ahead of Detroit and right on Philly’s heels: I would say, just per a rough Eye Test, that Washington is improved over two months ago in their ability to skate, and break out of zone. They have not been seriously outplayed since the road losses to Winnipeg and Edmonton a week and a half ago, and before that the game in Detroit 3 and 1/2 weeks ago. (The recent Toronto loss was one where I thought went against the skate of play.) The Capitals *must* “condolidate their break”, as would be said in tennis circles, by defeating Detroit in the Wings’ lone visit to Capital One Arena tomorrow (Tuesday) night!

and with a LOT of good fortune and team luck, maybe he could have won one with the Capitals two years later in 1998. The video here shows his only ‘98 playoff goal. But it was in the Final, at heavily favored Detroit, and in the game Washington should have won to change the complexion of things. It put the Caps up 2-1 in Game 2. Alas, their 3rd period 4-2 lead did not turn into a 3 goal lead after hired Oiler hand Esa Tikkanen missed a nearly empty cage on an odd play. Two Red Wings goals in a minute with five to go, then an OT winner, put Detroit on a course to sweep when they returned to Washington. (Wild Bill attending one game with all the secret service protection did not help.)

This is a joke…roit? Tell me they’re joking.

TJ Oshie’s 1000th game was worth the wait as Washington improbably defeat the mighty Canucks in Vancouver. I suppose tonight makes up for the dreadful home loss to Arizona two weeks ago. We can’t kill these guys. Outscored 12-6 on this road trip, the Capitals nevertheless are 2-2 overall, and with a realistic shot at 3-2 with a win Monday night in Calgary. One point behind Detroit for the final spot, with a game in hand. But, the next 6 games after Calgary are against tough foes all. (Except maybe the aforementioned Red Wings, who after manhandling Washington recently are in their own seeming death spiral now.)

Nice streak there, but I see that teams have scored 4 or more goals on the Jets seven times as of late January, after you posted this. Huge game for Washington tonight in Winnipeg, the first of two in March. Start of a 5-game Western Swing, start of 11 games where 9 are elite clubs. It’s now do-or-die for the Caps, hope they can plant 4 or more tonight and keep pace with Philly & Detroit & Tampa Bay. P.S. Rematch in 2 weeks, where this time it is a Winnipeg 5-game Eastern Swing but at its end. Call it late season bookend scheduling.

The 2018 second round playoff victory video I posted somewhere a few weeks ago, with Kuzy scoring a game 6 OT winner in Pittsburgh, finally giving the Caps a playoff series victory over their arch-nemesis, being imho the most cathartic single moment in Capitals team history… …well, Evgeny Kuznetsov will NEVER just be another Caps player waived or traded. He is in the Capitals Scrapbook for all time, even though he’s had his downs to go with the ups. Good luck, Evgeny…

Perhaps a thread for Ivan Miroshnichenko also needs establishing? (First post with a big 1 on it.) Pass the baton, Caps fans hope?

Anthony Mantha moving yesterday from Washington to Vegas reminded me of this trade nearly 3 years ago. Detroit did get two picks in the deal, but neither Jakub Vrána nor Richard Pánik are currently playing in the NHL now 3 years later. Had Mantha’s first two seasons in Washington been better, perhaps the deal would not be considered too lopsided now. Caps fans see it as getting 2 bad seasons and 3/4 of a good season from Mantha. Despite his 20 goals this year, there was little love for him from Caps fan comments in the WaPo game articles. I don’t much care to see VGK repeat as champions but I hope Mantha keeps up his decent form there. (Good chance their fans will like him more than ours did, if he does.)

Mantha turned things around with the Caps this season. A frequent healthy scratch last year under Peter Laviolette, he was bummed out. He worked on his physical and mental improvements last summer, resulting in 20 goals this season. And more importantly now, a chance with a contender.

Nevertheless, New Jersey remain in a nearly-even 5-team dogfight for 3rd place in the Mediocropolitan Division and the last Eastern playoff spot. Right or wrong. Just is.

A gawd-awful loss at home to a woeful Coyotes club. These guys don’t get that they HAD to take all 8 points from these first 4 games in March, before 9 of the last 11 contests ending the month are against elite foes. Just horrible to lay an egg like this. (Easter is still several weeks away, after all.) AWFUL https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/03/kuznetsov-waivers-capitals-coyotes/

Both teams have tough March schedules. Each play 9 games against elite opponents by my reckoning. Will be interesting to see who holds up, who nabs 3rd in the Metro.

Now that Caps goal was VERY much against the run of play.

Could’ve been 4-3 there with 7 minutes to go with the Tippett chance.

Capitals get some reprieve in the first third of March (4 games) not playing the teams in what I perceive as the Top 11. Their Fates will likely be decided in 11 games played between Mar 11th and 30th, starting with their Western Canada trip. Nearly all Top 11 teams in this most difficult 20-day stretch: @wpg @edm @sea @van @cgy tor car wpg det @tor bos Should be Murderer’s Row. April not as bad, a mix of best, middle, worst.

Alas, a glass half full. Or should I say empty. Yes, an Ottawa win, but a late lead blown to Florida resulting in 1 point, then last night’s butt-smacking by Detroit that left Charlie Lindgren as forlorn as I can recall all year. (Even though it was 2nd of a back to back, 3rd in 4 nights, and 5th in 8 nights, the Caps shouldn’t be outclassed and out-skated that badly.) 5.9% is what moneypuck says this morning. A few in the WaPo comments advise not being fooled by a few recent wins to forgo being a seller this spring.

Yeah, they have shown defensive weakness all year. Maybe they’ve had some luck lately, too. Before tonight, moneypuck.com had Philly at 66.3% and Washington only 11.1%. Wha?! On average, Washington would snare 3 pts from the 3 games in hand and thus trail Philly by 3 pts with 23 to play. So, I figured the experts were taking strength of remaining schedule into account. I subjectively classified 11 good teams, 12 fair teams, and 8 poor teams. Of the Caps remaining 25 games, 13 are against the Good, 7 the Fair, 5 the Poor. Of the Good, two teams have yet to be played this season. Three remain vs the Red Wings, and two against the Jets. Plus 2 apiece vs Bruins, Canes, and Leafs. Add in single matchups with the Canucks and Oilers. So tough sledding. Things look better in the standings than they actually are. P.S. Caps also still have two games to play in Buffalo. Per scheduling oddity, both are in April!

Well yeah…they’ve been pretty fair of late. They have two chances: catch Tampa or Detroit for a wild card, or catch Philly for 3rd in the Metro! They’ve edged past the Pens, Devs, and Isles, and could tie the Flyboys by winning their two games in hand. Somebody in the not-too-strong Metropolitan Division is gonna finish 3rd and get in. Big game in Motown tomorrow.

About time for the club named after Bobby Hull to finally win this Stanley Cup thing.

Thanks to a 3-game winning streak, the Caps have quintupled their playoff chances in a mere two weeks from 3% to 16.5%. A must-win last night in Lightning Land. Young Swedish D-Man Rasmus Sandin saves the club from two early 3rd period defensive lapses to bag the game winner with 5 minutes left against a club that Washington is desperately chasing. It’s still a bit bleak, but a big upset win Saturday night in greater Miami, then staving off Ottawa at home, and then a huge road win against another chase-em-down club in Detroit, would be a remarkable finish to February, and a welcome continuation of recent good fortune. ”Keep Hope Alive”, as they say.