Tag Archives: San Jose Sharks

Tough game tonight

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Come on out – Monday night – against the San Jose Sharks. 

We need to feed off of the home crowd enthusiasm and energy.We will soon embark on a long road trip. Against several competitors right above us or right below us in the standings. But we can’t look past tonight’s tilt with a very good team. 

I thought yesterday’s game was a tough one – a little better luck burying our chances and we get a point -we hit the post twice – we need to be resilient – we need to focus on capitalizing on our games at home – and obviously we must improve our performance on the road to at least the 500 mark. 

No use crying over spilled milk as my Yia Yia used to say – wish us well; wish us speedy recovery to some of our players – and hope we can add some jump via the trade markets during the next few weeks. Go Caps!

 

 

I Jinxed Us By Speaking Too Soon

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I was enthusiastic on my blog yesterday and exclaimed that we would have Mike Green, Alex Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom and Alex Semin on the ice together for the first time in a long while. We needed that core to regroup for us to be highly productive and it was a great move in that we were playing out West against San Jose who gives us fits.

Then Nick Backstrom didn’t dress for the game and then halfway through – after less than eight minutes of ice time – Mike Green didn’t come back to play because of our precautions for him regarding his previous injury.

We then played with only five D men and after a pretty competitive and hard fought game got worn down against a terrific team and lost 5-2 after being tied 2-2.

The first half of this season – which we are approaching – has been very frustrating for all. We are making progress but we must fight through these nagging injuries to our core players.

Another tough one on Monday night against LA and then back home for a Wednesday game against Pittsburgh. Wish us well and wish us all good health.

Epic

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What a game last night.

Too close to call. So intense and hard fought. I enjoyed it as a fan of the game.

San Jose doesn’t score on a goal line shot that literally trickles on goal line through goal mouth and then gets jammed into post. Unlucky.

One team doesn’t score on its 5-on-3 opportunity! Skill on penalty kill.

A late third period goal 13 seconds left with the goalie pulled on a controversial icing call to keep the puck in the offensive zone. Unlucky.

And then a second OT fluke bounce and puck is in back of the net. Lucky and unlucky. The game winner. On to the Finals.

SO close – could go either way.

One winner – one loser – epic competition!

Check out the last paragraph in this article. Without pain there is no gain.

Gotta Find a Way to Win at the Tank

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I can’t believe we haven’t won a game in San Jose since 1993. That is an amazing and awful factoid.

I wish we could decline the power play sometimes – another short-handed goal against – but Alex Ovechkin tied it up on the power play less than 30 seconds later. Alex seems to be regaining form and it can’t come a minute too soon.

Back to back games on the road on the West Coast are tough but we have to keep grinding and find some more standings points on this road trip. On to Buffalo and then Pittsburgh.We remain 5th in the East with 70 points but the standings are really tightening up all over. Every game matters. Every point counts. That should be our new t-shirt mantra. Go Caps!

8th Goose Egg

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You can’t win if you can’t score.

Our 8th shutout this season which ties us with Toronto for most shutouts in the NHL this season. Very odd indeed.

To make matters worse, our top line was on the ice for both goals against last night.

We regained Alex Semin into the lineup – good news. But we lost Mike Green from the lineup – bad news. A step forward and a step back.

We now have some days off to practice, regroup and get ready for Saturday’s matinee game.

We remain three points out of SE division lead and we remain 5th in East, ten points in a playoff spot with a game in hand.We have work to do. Go Caps!

How Many People Have Heard Me Encourage…

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Folks to go to the National Archives right here in our own city?

And see the Declaration of Independence?

And look at the unedited phrase “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”? The Archives is truly a national treasure. I fell over when I saw a letter to the President asking for a dollar from a Cuban teenager, none other than Fidel Castro!

I am proud that the San Jose Sharks took the tour. This is such a great way to enjoy a road trip.

Todd McLellan is a good man. Recently the Sharks were in Philly and they went to the UPenn gym – named after a good friend David Pottruck – to work out. My son was in the gym lifting; met the coach; and they had a very nice chat about hockey and the league and our teams.

Read this story. Well done Washington Post. Thank you!

Jump the Shark

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That felt good. It was the first time since we have owned the team that the Caps beat the Sharks.

I liked the way we played aggressive and terrific team-oriented defense.

I thought Alex Semin had two tone setting shifts to start the game and he deserved that first goal. He was a load to handle last night.

Alex Ovechkin played like he always plays and was rewarded for driving hard to the net - twice – in less than a minute.

Mike Knuble is a grown up and plays the game the way it is supposed to be played. He is a joy to watch. Our grinders were grinding. Our D played big and made it difficult to enter our zone. Our goaltending was top notch. It was a very good and precise game for us.

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The Better Team Won Last Night

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We have a long way to go to be one of the best teams in the NHL.

Even though we are shorthanded – playing without Green, Fedorov and Semin - we should have played better than we did last night. Five shots on goal and three goals against aren’t going to cut it against the team with the best record in the league.

Live and learn.

Time to regroup. One more tough game on the road Monday night and then back home to play a few over the holidays. We are humbled and we have work to do.