Caps at Canes Game Preview
by Bob Wage on Dec 7, 2008 2:28 PM EST
27 comments
The Southeast Division leading Washington Capitals take on the Hurricanes tonight at the RBC. The game has a special 5PM start time.
Both teams have been fighting injuries, so check your scoresheet when you get to the game and compare it to the players on the ice. While several of the current Caps may have been recalled from Hershey, the Bears are one of the top teams in the AHL. They are no slouches.
[caption id="attachment_2822" align="alignright" width="100" caption="Keith Aucoin"]
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League leading goal scorer Alexandre Giroux has been the most recent call-up for them, (today). Ex Hurricane, Keith Aucoin will also be in Raleigh for this contest. Most importantly, the Caps still have the best player in the NHL on the ice for them, Alexander Ovechkin. Does it really matter who else plays?
There was a rumor that Alexander Semin might play, but I have not seen anything official about that. Look out for Giroux, though. Any player named "Alex" seems to do well against the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes will be celebrating with a lawn party before the game and are offering one dollar hotdogs at game time. They will also have the typical inflatables and street hockey displays set up. The first 10,000 fans entering will receive Christmas tree, (third jersey) ornaments. The cover band will be "Beggar's Caravan".
There will not be much celebrating inside the RBC unless the Canes can put an end to their losing streak. It won't be easy with their make-shift defense of Corvo, Pitkanen, Babchuk, Borer, Conboy, and now Carson. Look for the forward lines to be the same as last night.
Carolina has lost five home games in a row and six out their last seven overall, but Washington has not been tearing up the league themselves, although they are coming off of a 2-1 win in Toronto last night. As usual for top-notch Caps coverage, check out Japer's Rink.
The game will not be broadcast locally, but will be on NHL Center Ice as well as various live-streaming sites.
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Semin was not on the roster for tonight (as of about an hour/two ago) but Fedorov was (Caps website has both listed as day-to-day)
by Andrea on Dec 7, 2008 2:37 PM EST reply actions
What are the “various live-streaming sites” you mention?
by Charlie on Dec 7, 2008 2:49 PM EST reply actions
Thanks Andrea. Most of these decisions will probably be made at game time.
Charlie, check these guys out, they are pretty dependable.
Also could be on Yahoo
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/hockeynight/2008120707;_ylt=ArjbYcnJcIVpUxwDEXzjgGF7vLYF
by Bubba on Dec 7, 2008 3:15 PM EST reply actions
The D did well, if the O can actually smack twine a few times in a game….
Watch Aucoin, he earned a NHL shot, I think he will have something to prove and the little bugger is good. I think he led the AHL, not sure.
Man, all I want for Christmas is no Semin……
Or maybe a worse injury to him….and Ovechkin…and the Flyers, Pens,…well that’s just getting mean….
Anyway, yell and scream!!!
I think the crowd had a little input last one, we show up hard we may just push these guys over the edge and get them clicking!!!!
Go ’Canes!!
BTW, Bubba, nothing official on Semin, got a friend up there and was “told” he and Federov went with the team, means next to nothing. I dread that dude, he seems to always have our number.
A
by Paladin6 on Dec 7, 2008 3:35 PM EST reply actions
Sorry, I meant to imply that Semin wouldn’t be playing, not that Fedorov necessarily would – I was under the impression that if someone wasn’t on the lineup sheet, they couldn’t play.. no?
atdhe is good for all your sports fixes… but sometimes (at least for me) the video is a little choppy (1-2 frames/second or so) But it’s always worth a shot!
by Andrea on Dec 7, 2008 3:43 PM EST reply actions
You know, being an old Wings fan I remember when Federov came into the league and didn’t speak a lick of English. He was the AO, Malkin, Crosby of the day. It scares the hell outta me everytime he and AO get together. Federov can’t make the moves anymore, but man he can feed AO. Then Semin…
They have two lines that are tough. They got not much for a 3 and 4, though.
I think we can take these pukes.
Take a crapital and wipe my ovechkin!!!!
Go Canes!!
A
by Paladin6 on Dec 7, 2008 3:56 PM EST reply actions
Is it me or is this like double secret probation? I can’t find a good roster and have conflicting info on some of the caps. Both teams have 23 on the roster.
Not much info on who’s in and out and who is in goal…
Bubba, Cory, somebody HELP!!!
A
by Paladin6 on Dec 7, 2008 4:07 PM EST reply actions
Sorry dude, I’m running late and on the way to the game. Won’t have the info before game time. Leighton is in net for Carolina.
by Bubba on Dec 7, 2008 4:27 PM EST reply actions
whitney showed me up tonight for ever mentioning a trade including him..
im so happy about that.
by chris j on Dec 7, 2008 7:25 PM EST reply actions
Ugly works. Effort wasn’t as good as the last two games, but was enough.
I have hopes.
A
by Paladin6 on Dec 7, 2008 8:11 PM EST reply actions
Well, this is what I was hoping for. The team was sound as far as positioning goes. Washington really didn’t look like they were going to score even strength. It took a 5 on 3 to get some open ice for them.
Nice effort. Eric looked good. Rod played well and Sergi was outstanding. Just flying out there. What a feed to Staal for the game winner. Croud was focused and intense.
The guys played within the system. Joe Corvo played outstanding. He resisted the urge to jump in on two separate points in the game. He jumped in twice when he should have. Nice.
This team can win consistently like this. Now for the power play. Once again….carry the puck into the zone please. It will come. It is just confidence now.
This really feels like a turning point to the season. If so, the point they got Saturday may be the one that gets them into the playoffs. You heard it here first.
by Ken on Dec 7, 2008 8:24 PM EST reply actions
I thought the effort was fine for the most part (ok, the second was sort of pathetic) but the officiating in the third was TERRIBLE. If I were on the bench, I would have been thrown out of the game because I would have taken on Brashear myself. OK, let me rephrase that. I would have been taken out of the arena on a stretcher… after taking on Brashear. After the whistle he took a little whack at Conboy’s face with his stick. No call.
Terrible. So who is supposed to stand up for Conboy…? Bah! I’m just glad, with all that BS officiating, we won in the end.
by Andrea on Dec 7, 2008 8:44 PM EST reply actions
You can’t argue with the effort tonight. I bashed Leighton yesterday, so first off I have to give him credit tonight. Great, great game.
How about Brett Carson? He made several important plays tonight and never seemed out of sorts. Coahc Mo must’ve felt the same, sending him out for the first shift of the 5-on-3.
All the wheels were churning … Eaves has a new lease on life with the coaching change (there had to be something going on there) and I thought most everyone played well.
My one issue … why was there no review before AO’s penalty shot? I thought for sure that puck had gone in the corner of the net, and at least felt it deserved another look. Anyone watch on TV and see that, for sure, it was a no goal?
Loud crowd tonight, I thought.
by Cory on Dec 7, 2008 8:58 PM EST reply actions
hehe I was just about to ask if we (as in everyone else) were done defecating on Leighton’s head… I really like him, I just think it was taking him some time to become comfortable in his new role with Ward out and the coaching change.
Sigh of relief
by Andrea on Dec 7, 2008 9:09 PM EST reply actions
Cory, agree on all points. Even though they were outshot, they really out played the Caps.
I hadn’t really thought about Eaves and Lavi a lot until you just mentioned that. He was working very hard today and on Saturday. Perhaps you are onto something there.
I have been tough on Brind’Amour too. I said he would play better now that the team defensive style fits his style better. Tonight….+3.
Very disiplined game. Impressive.
by Ken on Dec 7, 2008 9:12 PM EST reply actions
All be damned….
Maybe we have a team…
Heads up, we may actually get our d back and the Goalie…
Like I said, it’s not the change it’s how the team responds.
3 steady better games. weel the second tonight sucked, but we weathered it.
3 points in 2 games. It’s a start.
A
by Paladin6 on Dec 7, 2008 9:49 PM EST reply actions
Cory and Bubba, Ive got a question for you all, if Ward is ready to go Thursday, who starts, him or Leighton?
by Jonathan on Dec 7, 2008 9:56 PM EST reply actions
My prediction is that if Ward is ready, he will go.
by Bubba on Dec 7, 2008 10:38 PM EST reply actions
That would be great news – I figured since they put him on IR he might be out for longer than that.
by Andrea on Dec 7, 2008 11:03 PM EST reply actions
The IR thing is just a roster space situation. By moving guys to IR they can call up a player. You can’t have more than 23 on your roster.
by Cory on Dec 7, 2008 11:12 PM EST reply actions
Right, I guess I just don’t understand how do they decide who to put on IR and who to keep active?
by Andrea on Dec 7, 2008 11:43 PM EST reply actions
Will I get boo’ed out of CC by saying that I really enjoyed the Caps’ broadcast tonight on center ice? I’m no fan of Tripp Tracy but I usually dislike the opposing team’s broadcast more than I dislike TT. Tonight I enjoyed it. Even-handed and informative.
Good stuff from the Canes all around. One reason the 2nd period looked so bad was because our AHL defensemen were freaking out and trying to dump the puck out instead of making a good first pass. We got hemmed in often because they couldn’t execute a proper breakout. That will come as they get comfortable and feel they can hold onto the puck for that extra half second needed to make the proper pass.
Leighton was excellent.
—Justin
by Justin Walther on Dec 8, 2008 12:01 AM EST reply actions
Great effort by the whole team. The effort we saw is a different kind of effort than we are used to, more controlled, less abandon.
Best game of the year for Staal. He and Sammy and Rutuu have a good thing going.
Brett Carson looked fantastic…could he make someone on the blueline expendable? He will stay for awhile anyways, as it looks like Babchuk badly injured his shoulder. First game I have noticed Whitney in a long time, he was actually hitting people. I think Eaves has found his game for the last six or so games, think that he is just healthy for the first time all year.
BTW, The pre-game band…“Beggar’s Caravan” is not a cover band, the have several albums of original material, check out itunes.
by Swenk on Dec 8, 2008 7:33 AM EST reply actions
Don’t know if it has anything to do with it or not, but the officiating being bad may have had something to do with Brad Watson being out there. I thought he just hated Lavi, maybe it is the whole franchise. Or maybe he is just so dumb he does not yet realize we made a coaching change!
by wylde4canesHatesJR on Dec 8, 2008 8:18 AM EST reply actions
The game yesterday afternoon was much better than the previous five of six…. Saturday night wasn’t all bad…
It’s both good and bad to hear the “refs you suck” chant alive and well…. it’s bad because it actually does suck when the refs suck… but it’s good to hear our fans being passionate and for them to have something to be passionate about…
Bottom line is that the ’Canes needed this win… at the end of a hard week for them they needed something to be positive about… and yesterday was a great way to start a possible turn around….
And it was Ronnie’s first win ;-)
by Mateo on Dec 8, 2008 9:27 AM EST reply actions
Was that seriously Brad Watson out there again? I thought I recognized that a** bag.
I must say, like the end of last season, I am seriously impressed with our minor leaguers. Those guys have some true heart and it shows. Borer was playing hard! And got some awesome hits. But man oh man, would I have liked to see Conboy let loose on ’ole Donny boy!
Overall, it seemed like a full 60 minute effort for the first time in a very long time and I hope it continues. And people need to stop booing Mo! What he’s doing is working so far, so give him a chance people!
by T-Leaf on Dec 8, 2008 10:38 AM EST reply actions
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