[Bob 0119]

Today’s Storyline

A Shootout Shutout – The Capitals 2-1 shootout loss at Toronto marked the first time this season that the Caps have failed to score a goal in shootout. The Capitals have played in 45 games ending in a shootout since the rule was instituted by the NHL in 2005, and have been shutout 16 times. The last time the Caps were shutout in a shootout was also in Toronto on March 24, when the team dropped a 3-2 decision at the Air Canada Centre.


NOTE OF THE NIGHT

Young guns – Washington ’s lineup Saturday night featured six players with less than 40 games of NHL experience, including two – John Carlson and Andrew Gordon – who were playing their second career games. Eleven players for the Capitals Saturday night were 25 or younger. Six of the seven Caps players who missed Saturday night’s game due to injury have at least 272 games in the NHL.



FIVE MORE NOTES NO MEDIA PERSON SHOULD BE WITHOUT

Going Green –Mike Green has points in six straight games, including four two-assist games, and has taken over the scoring lead among NHL defensemen with 23 points. Dating back to Oct. 12 Green has points in 15 of 17 games (and one of those he played just 2:44 due to injury). Green led NHL defensemen in scoring last season with 73 points but is ahead of his 22-game point total from last year (8g-12a). He leads the Capitals in scoring in November with 11 points in nine games.



Gnarly Varly –Semyon Varlamov has allowed just one or two goals in each of his last four games (1.23 GAA, .957 save percentage, 3-0-1). In his last nine games he is 7-1-1 with a 1.94 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage.



Always in it – Washington has held a lead in the second period or later in each of its 23 games.



Hitting the brakes –The Capitals, who led the NHL in scoring entering the weekend’s games (3.67 goals per game), were held to three goals in two games. Saturday night marked the first time this season that Washington was held to under two goals in a game. The Capitals are 0-5-1 when being held to two goals or fewer.



Not coincidentally, the Capitals failed to score on the power play this weekend in seven opportunities, the first time this season that Washington has been held without a power-play goal in back-to-back games. They are 8-for-24 in the last eight games (33.3%) with at least one PPG in six of those games. Six Capitals have scored a power-play goal in the last eight games and nine have at least one this season.



Starting something – Washington has scored first in 18 of 23 games this year. The Capitals have outscored their opponents 27-11 in the first period and have scored at least one goal in the first period of 19 of their 23 games.

[Sir_Monk]

Great, looks like Mike Green is back in playoff shape. I felt bad when Larry Murphy was run out of DC, and have always thought he got a raw deal. On the other hand, Mike Green, as good as he is on the PP, loafs around at even strength and never seems to play as hard as he could be. He makes critically stupid mistakes, at least four by my count in the third period and three on the sequence that led to the Sens goal. I don't know if the guy is hurt or what, but the last week or so, the really bad parts of his game are starting to show up more and more.

[Jake]

What a bad way to end a game.

[Sir_Monk]

[Bob 0119]

I think I was more frustrated by the effort displayed in the Leafs' game. Bruce felt that the team was "tired" so he gave them Sunday off.

I'm thinking he sent them the wrong message.

Sure, the passing improved for this game as compared to the Leafs, but I think Monk is right, the defense got sloppy and fail to clear the zone.

They stopped moving their feet, and the D-to-D pass in front of the net that got picked was a bonehead play. They are lucky the guy missed.

It was clear they were just functioning on auto-pilot, and paid no attention to the forward standing right there waiting to pick off that pass.

Boudreau keeps saying Green get's better the longer he's out on the ice, but it's pretty clear to the rest of us that he's just wearing himself out, and by the third he had nothing left.