A Look Back at Ovechkin's Highlights So Far

Since we are officially in the slowest part of the NHL calendar, it's a great time to reflect back on the highlights of Alex "The Great" in his career so far.


Update: Milan Jurcina has re-signed with the Caps today avoiding an arbitration hearing that was scheduled for Monday. According to Tarik of the Washington Post, Jurcina will make $850,000 next season and $912,500 in '08-'09. This is another great job by McPhee locking up a promising young defenseman and sidestepping the arbitration process that has lead to hard feelings in the past between players and management.

Thursday Bullet Points

In the World of Hockey:

• Brooks Laich was awarded a $725,000 one year one-way contract through arbitration. That amounts to a 19.6% raise for a player that totaled a whopping 18 points last season while failing to secure the second line center position despite being given plenty of opportunities to do so. I guess my only response to that is what kind of season does it take for a player to actually lose an arbitration hearing?

  
  

• Milan Jurcina's arbitration hearing is scheduled for Monday. He made $500,000 last season while manning the top defensive pairing with Shaone Morrisonn last season. You can forget the numbers he put up in Boston as he received limited playing time at best after falling out of favor with the team. In 30 games with the Caps, Jurcina tallied 2 goals and 7 assists for 9 points and was a +5 defensively. I wouldn't be surprised to see a ruling around $1 million for a defenseman that has a lot of potential ahead of him.

• Goaltender Ray Emery re-signed with the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. The three year deal will see him take home an average of $3.16 million a season after putting together a career year last season . In what is another sign of how screwed up professional athlete contracts are, Emery will make $2.75 million next year which is about $1 million less than the man he took the starting job from this past season, Martin Gerber. The Senators are desperately trying to rid themselves of Gerber but are having trouble finding another team to take on his current contract. While it was previously rumored that the team might send him to Binghamton of the AHL to free up salary cap space, general manager Bryan Murray denies that option in this article found on Canada.com.
  
  

In the World of Sports:

• After the news of the past week, fans of the NBA have now been given justification for complaining about the league's officiating. The question now is when will be find out the details involving Tim Donaghy and what games he fixed and to what extent he decided their outcome. One thing you can guarantee is that this will only fuel the fire of enraged fans, coaches, and players when questionable calls are made in the future. David Stern has said that this is an isolated incident, while Donaghy has said that he can name other officials and players in connection with this scandal. Stern better hope that he is right or the NBA is in serious trouble.

  
  

• Michael Vick will be in court today and ESPN will be there with five hours of coverage beginning at 1pm. I know that we need to reserve our judgment on Vick until the trial plays out, but it is hard to believe that he is anything but guilty. The guy owned the kennel called "Bad Newz" that was involved in organizing the dog fights, and approximately 60 dog remains were found on his property. Anybody that is involved in dog fighting is just plain sick. My prediction: Michael Vick has already played his last game in the NFL.

In the World Itself:

• Lindsay Lohan was arrested early Tuesday for her second DUI in the past three months. On top of that TMZ.com reports that "Lohan was popped for possession of cocaine, transporting a narcotic into a custodial facility and driving on a suspended license." This comes after she recently spent six weeks in rehab.
  

Analysis: It's hard not to believe that this girl is not trying to kill herself. How can a body stand so much abuse and still keep on ticking? First, Lohan needs to go to jail for a while as any normal person would should they be arrested for the charges brought against her. Second, she needs to find some friends that care about her because no good friend would allow her to get so inebriated and behind the wheel of a car, especially given her history of drug and alcohol abuse. Lohan desperately needs to turn her life around before it's too late.

Caps Get the Bounces, End 7 Game Losing Streak at the Meadowlands

Team Gets Their First Victory Over the Devils Since March 29, 2002
Washington Capitals 4, New Jersey Devils 2
Boxscore
(Photo Courtesy of Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Playing without their top two right wingers, Chris Clark and rookie Eric Fehr, and facing arguably the best goaltender in the game in Martin Brodeur, the Caps prospects for success in New Jersey had to be glim.

Coming into today's game my key to victory was for the Caps to get some lucky bounces and get on the board first. That's exactly what they were able to do as just 8:43 into the first period defenseman Milan Jurcina took a nice feed from Alexander Semin, and wristed a shot from the point that found it's way through the traffic in front, courtesy of Ovechkin and Beech, and past goaltender Martin Brodeur. It was Juricina's 1st goal with the Capitals and 3rd of the season as he was on his way to another quality outing, leading the team in ice time with 25:46. The goal was subject to debate by Capitals commentators Joe Benenati and Craig Laughlin throughout the game as it was originally credited to Ovechkin, while Benenati believed it should of belonged to Beech. In the end though it was awarded to Jurcina.

Washington did an excellent job in the first period of shutting down the Devils attack and staying out of the penalty box. The 8 shots New Jersey was able to get on net only seemed to build the confidence of goaltender Brent Johnson as he appeared to be on top of his game.

The Capitals continued to put on the pressure in the second and were able to extend there lead to 3-0 following goals by Semin and Pettinger just two minutes apart. Semin scored the Caps second goal of the game on a short side breakaway thanks to an end to end pass from Kris Beech. As he approached the net, Brodeur went for the pokecheck and Semin was able to beat him with a nice backhand into the top of the net. Pettinger provided the third goal of the game shorthanded on a perfect lead pass by Boyd Gordon off the side boards that sent him in on a breakaway. Again the backhand was the choice of attack and Pettinger and able to roof the shot over the goaltender's blocker side. Gordon's assist was his 6th shorthanded point of the season tying him for second place in the NHL behind only the Lightning's Martin St. Louis who has 7.

Halfway through the second period the Caps were on the verge of extending their lead to 4 on the power play when Brodeur was able to make back-to-back quality saves on both Ovechkin and Zubrus as Washington's power play was expiring. On the counter attack the Devils were finally able to beat Brent Johnson as New Jersey's resident tough guy Cam Janssen rifled a slap shot from just inside the Capitals blue line and into the back of the net. It was Janssen's first career NHL goal.

Washington was able to reestablish their three goal lead in the third period as Tomas Fleichmann would tally his first career NHL goal. He took a breakaway pass from Gordon as he exited the penalty box and beat Brodeur's poke check with a backhand shot that deflected off of the goaltenders stick and floated into the net. Fleichmann had a solid game taking Eric Fehr's spot on the team's second line. Besides his goal, he was +2 defensively and had 2 hits and 4 shots on goal in 13:23 of ice time.

That goal would be the icing on the cake as the Devils were only able to beat Johnson once more after a lucky bounce resulted in an empty net opportunity for Jay Pandolfo making the final 4-2. Johnson made some key stops in the remaining minutes to deny the Devils of pulling any closer.

John Erskine provided the physical highlights of the game with several big collisions recording 3 hits on the night and winning a fight with the Devils' Cam Janssen with five minutes remaining in the game. He used his reach and strength advantage to continuously hit Janssen with solid rights.

Donald Brashear acquitted himself well in his first game on the top line and had an excellent scoring chance denied by Brodeur in the closing minute of the opening period. He had a wide open shot from the right circle courtesy of a nice cross ice pass from Ovechkin. His high wrist shot was thwarted by Brodeur as he stacked his pads while diving across the goal.

Entering the game the talk was that New Jersey would start goaltender Scott Clemmensen in tomorrow's game at the Verizon Center in order to give Brodeur some much needed rest. But with the result of today's game those plans might change. No matter who is in goal, the Caps will need every bit of the effort they showed today in order to come out victorious again at home.

Game Notes:

Ben Clymer (healthy), Eric Fehr (lower back), and Steve Eminger (healthy) were the scratches.... Brent Johnson won his first career game over the Devils. He is expected to get the start again tomorrow with Frederic Cassivi continuing to back him up.

Offense is Offensive

Improved Defensive Performance Spoiled as Caps are Shutout for the Third Time This Season
Pittsburgh Penguins 2, Washington Capitals 0
Boxscore
(Photo courtesy of Keith Srakocic/AP)


Whether it was the presence of a newly acquired defenseman in Milan Jurcina, or a determination to refocus on playing traditional Capitals' hockey, the Caps played their most complete game of the season defensively. They shut down the NHL's leading point scorer in Sidney Crosby and the leading Calder Trophy favorite in Evgeni Malkin, keeping them both off the scoreboard and denying them any significant opportunities.

Jurcina made his debut with the Washington Capitals today and made himself right at home, pairing up with former Providence Bruins teammate Shaone Morrisson. He wasted no time making an impact stopping Sidney Crosby as he attempted to go coast to coast just four minutes in. Crosby maneuvered his way around three Capitals players, but a Jurcina pokecheck stopped him from moving in on Kolzig.

Unlike previous games where the team has struggled out of the gate, the Capitals controlled the action early on recording 8 of the games first 9 shots. Six minutes in, Chris Clark had the best scoring chance with two point blank shots in front of Fleury on the power play. During the same man advantage, Alex Ovechkin served the Penguins notice that the Caps were here to play when he drilled Maxime Talbot in the open ice as he had his head down while trying to clear the puck out of his defensive zone. After taking a moment to regain his senses, Talbot headed off to the locker room for repairs. He did return later in the game.

The middle of the second period set the tone for the remainder of the game. Moments after a Steve Eminger shot rang off the post, Ronald Petrovicky beat Kolzig on a weak shot as he entered the offensive zone on a 2 on 2 situation. He faked a slap shot then squeezed a wrist shot between Kolzig's glove and right pad. The goal was an unassisted marker for Petrovicky's 2nd of the season.

That goal would be all Pittsburgh would need as despite the Caps outshooting the Penguins 30-20, they were unable to penetrate goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. He stopped all 30 of those shots for his 4th shutout of the season, improving his record to 24-12-6. The key to Fleury's success was his ability to control the first shot from the Capitals and prevent any rebounds.

Rookie Jordan Staal put the game away with 37 seconds to go as he scored an empty net goal to make it 2-0.

The shutout meant an end to Alex Ovechkin's career high point scoring streak at 13 games. It was an uncharacteristic game for Ovechkin who did not record his first shot of the game until the 7 and a half minute mark of the third period.

The loss was the Caps fifth out of their last six games overall and tenth of their last eleven on the road, dropping their record to 21-25-7. The Penguins extended their winning streak to six games and improved to 25-17-8.

Game Notes:

Milan Jurcina's debut meant Lawrence Nycholat was a healthy scratch for the first time since his recall from Hershey on December 23rd. He had been slumping as of late, recording a -7 defensive rating in his last five games.... Daren Machesney backed up Kolzig for the second consecutive game as Brent Johnson remained out with a "body" injury(?).... The loss means the Caps are now 3-17-1 in the last 21 regular season games at Pittsburgh.... The Caps were shut out for the first time since a 5-0 loss at Carolina November 9th.... The 20 shots allowed by Washington was their fewest of the season.... A Boston win at Carolina tonight would drop the Caps to 14th in the conference.

Caps/Penguins Preview

Washington Capitals (21-24-7, 49 points)
at
Pittsburgh Penguins (25-17-8, 58 points)

Television: Comcast Sportsnet
Radio: Sportstalk 980-AM
Gametime: 1:00 PM ET


Following their embarrassing performance in Florida on Thursday night, the Capitals travel to Pittsburgh for a Saturday afternoon matinée with the Penguins at the Mellon Arena. The Caps head into the game having lost three straight and nine of their last ten games on the road. On the other hand, the Penguins have been on a roll as of late riding a five game winning streak entering today's contest.

One of the problems that has plagued the Caps all year, and especially as of late with injuries, has been the play of their defensemen. They hope to get a big boost today from Milan Jurcina, who is expected to make his debut with the team after being acquired from Boston Thursday afternoon for a 4th round pick in 2008. He took Brian Pothier's spot on the active roster after Pothier was placed on the injured reserve list yesterday with a concussion. He could see action on a defensive pairing with his former AHL Providence Bruins teammate Shaone Morrisonn. His hard slap shot could also give him some time on the second team power-play.

While the Capitals were struggling in Florida, the Penguins were busy blowing a 4-2 lead at home against the Montreal Canadians. They were able to regroup and come away with two points after Evgeni Malkin won the game for them in the shootout. The win moved the Penguins into a three-way tie for six place in the Eastern Conference.

It's a tale of two teams going in opposite directions as the Penguins have posted a 9-2-2 record during the new year, while the Caps have gone 5-8-0 for 2007.

Alex Ovechkin enters the game looking to extend his career high 13 game point scoring streak. After his goal against the Panthers he now has 33 on the year to go along with 37 assists for 70 points on the season, putting him in a tie for second in the NHL with the Lightning's Martin St. Louis, 12 points behind the Penguins' Sidney Crosby.

The game will mark the end of a three game road trip for the Caps, which up to now has been winless. They will return home with another matinée on Super Bowl Sunday against the New York Islanders at 1:00 PM ET at the Verizon Center. To purchase tickets visit Ticketmaster.com.

Capitals Aquire Jurcina From Bruins

The Capitals have made a small trade for a big defenseman. Milan Jurcina, who stands 6 foot 4 and 233 pounds, was traded to the Caps for a fourth-round draft pick in 2008. At 23 years old he will be another young player to add to the developing team who desperately needed help at the defensive position.

(picture courtesy of TSN.ca)

His scouting report from TSN:

Assets	Is a natural when shooting the puck from the point. Owns a huge frame, sound two-way instincts and all-around upside.
Flaws	Must play with more passion and utilize his tremendous size to his advantage.
Career potential	Top four defenseman.

Talent analysis from Hockey's Future:

Jurcina has the size 6'4 to play in the NHL. He has skating ability and is a solid defensive defenseman. He must continue improving his offensive skills. At his size he must become more aggressive and forceful.

The additional ice time in Providence has proven beneficial to Jurcina’s development. He has made strides in his physical game and is beginning to use his size to his advantage.

Once again, Jurcina made the Boston club right out of camp. After traveling with the team and appearing in one game, he was reassigned to Providence to better acclimate himself to the new rule changes. Jurcina has all the potential to make it back to Boston and could very well be back some time this season. When he returns will depend upon how quickly he adjusts his play.

Career Stats:

Year

Team

League

GP

G

A

Pts

+/-

PIM

Shots

Sh%

2006-07	Boston	NHL	40	2	1	3	-5	20	29	6.90
2005-06	Boston	NHL	51	6	5	11	+3	54	64	9.38
2005-06	Providence	AHL	7	0	3	3	+2	8	-	-
2004-05	Providence	AHL	79	6	17	23	+6	92	120	5.00
2003-04	Providence	AHL	73	5	12	17	-1	52	93	5.38
2002-03	Halifax	QMJHL	51	15	13	28	+28	102	-	-
2001-02	Halifax	QMJHL	61	4	16	20	+36	58	-	-
2000-01	Halifax	QMJHL	68	0	5	5	-3	56	-	-
	Total	NHL	91	8	6	14	-2	74	93	8.60
	Total	AHL	159	11	32	43	+7	152	-	-
	Total	QMJHL	180	19	34	53	+61	216	-	-

An 8th round pick by Boston in 2001 he seems to have all of the tools to be a solid defensive defenseman in the NHL. A quality pickup for a 4th round selection. My only question would be, why would the Bruins trade a young defenseman for a draft pick when they are going nowhere this season and will most likely need to at least partially rebuild? Whatever the cause may be, it's a low risk, high reward type of a deal. Let's hope he can follow in the steps of Shaone Morrisonn and develop into a nice player after coming over from Boston.

The Thrashers and Lightning also made a four player trade this afternoon. All of the players involved are currently in minor leagues. From TSN.ca:

"The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired wingers Kyle Wanvig and Stephen Baby from the Atlanta Thrashers on Thursday in exchange for defenceman Andy Delmore and winger Andre Deveaux.

Wanvig, 26, has five goals and nine assists in 64 career NHL games. This season in the AHL he had 10 goals and 11 assists with the Chicago Wolves.

Baby, 27, had one goal and two assists in eight games with the Wolves this season.

The 30-year-old Delmore had 24 points (12-12) in 47 games with the AHL's Springfield Falcons this season. The former North Bay Centennials junior has 101 points (43-58) in 283 career NHL games with Philadelphia, Nashville, Buffalo and Columbus.

Deveaux, a former Montreal Canadiens sixth-round draft pick in 2002, had one goal and two assists in eight games with the Falcons this season as well as six goals and eight assists in 21 games with the ECHL's Johnstown Chiefs."