Tuesday, November 24, 2015
[24-Nov-2015] Third time was indeed the charm...
May Ovi's march into the record books be long and glorious!
[24-Nov-2015] On Goaltending Records and the Holtbeast
Ever since the first time I watched Braden Holtby play a hockey game for the Hershey Bears, I knew he would be the Capitals' next franchise goaltender, and said so. I liked the kid's style. That was back when we had Michal Neuvirth and Semyon Varlamov on the team, too. But I didn't believe in either of them like I believed in the Holtbeast.
I fully believe that by the time Holtby hangs up his skates (hopefully having played his entire career with the Capitals, a good many years from now!) he will hold the majority of the franchise's goaltending records. Most of those records are currently held by retired franchise goaltender Olaf Kolzig, whom I was privileged to watch in one of his last seasons as a Cap.
Here's the list. I'm leaving out the loss records; we don't want any of those!
Holtby's current save percentage (SV%) as of today is .921
Holtby's current goals against average (GAA) as of today is 2.39
Most Games Played in a Season: 73 - Kolzig (1999-00) and Holtby (2014-15)
Most consecutive starts in a season: 23 - Holtby (2014-15)
Most games played in a career: 711 - Kolzig (1992-93 to 2007-08) - Holtby is at 194 to date
Most wins in a season: 41 - Kolzig (1999-00) and Holtby (2014-15)
Most wins in a career: 301- Kolzig (1992-93 to 2007-08) - Holtby is at 113 to date
Most shutouts in a season: 9 - Jim Carey (1995-96) and Holtby (2014-15)
Most shutouts in a career: 35 - Kolzig (1992-93 to 2007-08) - Holtby is at 21 to date
Highest save % in a season, minimum 20 games: .922 - Holtby (2014-15)
Highest save % in a career, minimum 82 games: .906 - Kolzig (1992-93 to 2007-08)
Lowest goals against average in a season, minimum 20 games: 2.13 - Carey (1994-95)
Lowest goals against average in a career, minimum 82 games: 2.37 - Carey (1994-95 to 1996-97)
Most saves in a season: 1,830 - Holtby (2014-15)
Most saves in a career: 18,013 - Kolzig (1992-93 to 2007-08)
Most shots against in a season: 2,011 - Holtby (2014-15)
Most shots against in a career: 19,873 - Kolzig (1992-93 to 2007-08)
Most minutes played in a season: 4,370:50 - Kolzig (1999-2000) - Holtby played 4,247:29 in (2014-15)
Most minutes played in a career: 41,259:36 - Kolzig (1992-93 to 2007-08) - Holtby has played 11,045:51 to date
I fully believe that by the time Holtby hangs up his skates (hopefully having played his entire career with the Capitals, a good many years from now!) he will hold the majority of the franchise's goaltending records. Most of those records are currently held by retired franchise goaltender Olaf Kolzig, whom I was privileged to watch in one of his last seasons as a Cap.
Here's the list. I'm leaving out the loss records; we don't want any of those!
Holtby's current save percentage (SV%) as of today is .921
Holtby's current goals against average (GAA) as of today is 2.39
Most Games Played in a Season: 73 - Kolzig (1999-00) and Holtby (2014-15)
Most consecutive starts in a season: 23 - Holtby (2014-15)
Most games played in a career: 711 - Kolzig (1992-93 to 2007-08) - Holtby is at 194 to date
Most wins in a season: 41 - Kolzig (1999-00) and Holtby (2014-15)
Most wins in a career: 301- Kolzig (1992-93 to 2007-08) - Holtby is at 113 to date
Most shutouts in a season: 9 - Jim Carey (1995-96) and Holtby (2014-15)
Most shutouts in a career: 35 - Kolzig (1992-93 to 2007-08) - Holtby is at 21 to date
Highest save % in a season, minimum 20 games: .922 - Holtby (2014-15)
Highest save % in a career, minimum 82 games: .906 - Kolzig (1992-93 to 2007-08)
Lowest goals against average in a season, minimum 20 games: 2.13 - Carey (1994-95)
Lowest goals against average in a career, minimum 82 games: 2.37 - Carey (1994-95 to 1996-97)
Most saves in a season: 1,830 - Holtby (2014-15)
Most saves in a career: 18,013 - Kolzig (1992-93 to 2007-08)
Most shots against in a season: 2,011 - Holtby (2014-15)
Most shots against in a career: 19,873 - Kolzig (1992-93 to 2007-08)
Most minutes played in a season: 4,370:50 - Kolzig (1999-2000) - Holtby played 4,247:29 in (2014-15)
Most minutes played in a career: 41,259:36 - Kolzig (1992-93 to 2007-08) - Holtby has played 11,045:51 to date
Friday, November 13, 2015
[13-Nov-2015] Third time's the charm?
If I had a nickel for every time Ovi had a goal called back in his career, well... I'd probably be able to afford to go to Starbucks this morning for a small mocha cappuccino. :-p
On the other hand, NHL Numbers is putting Ovechkin and Gretzky in the same sentence, too... Seems like that Russian kid's finally got people's attention or something.
Tonight, Ovi will have his third opportunity to pass Fedorov... maybe this time, the goal will count!
Someone keep Justin Williams off the ice when Ovechkin's on it??? Please???
RMNB on the First Record-Breaking Goal
RMNB on the Second Record-Breaking Goal
Can we actually see an Ovi goal that counts tonight, please???
On the other hand, NHL Numbers is putting Ovechkin and Gretzky in the same sentence, too... Seems like that Russian kid's finally got people's attention or something.
Tonight, Ovi will have his third opportunity to pass Fedorov... maybe this time, the goal will count!
Someone keep Justin Williams off the ice when Ovechkin's on it??? Please???
RMNB on the First Record-Breaking Goal
RMNB on the Second Record-Breaking Goal
Can we actually see an Ovi goal that counts tonight, please???
Thursday, November 12, 2015
[12-Nov-2015] I'm Not Crazy II
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2015/11/11/alex-ovechkin-greatness-washington-capitals/75574876/
"But here’s what should be remembered about Ovechkin: He just turned 30 years old in September, and he could pass Lemieux to be among the top 10 scorers all-time by 34. Based on his scoring rate, Ovechkin has an outside shot of chasing down Gretzky’s record of 894. Unlikely, but not impossible."
-Kevin Allen (USA Today Sports)
"But here’s what should be remembered about Ovechkin: He just turned 30 years old in September, and he could pass Lemieux to be among the top 10 scorers all-time by 34. Based on his scoring rate, Ovechkin has an outside shot of chasing down Gretzky’s record of 894. Unlikely, but not impossible."
-Kevin Allen (USA Today Sports)
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
[10-Nov-2015] Let's talk about some more records...
Most overtime goals currently belongs to Jaromir Jagr, with 19, scored in 1562 games.
Ovechkin has 15 in his 772 games, good for third all time, and tied with Mats Sundin (15 in 1346) and our old friend Sergei Fedorov (15 in 1248). I see Ovi easily eclipsing this mark in his career, especially now that overtime is 3-on-3 instead of 4-on-4...
Most game winning goals also belongs to Jagr, with 129 in 1562 games played.
Ovechkin has 81 in his 772 games, good for 24th place. I also see Ovi eclipsing this mark. He needs only 48 game winning goals to get there.
Most power play goals belongs to Joe Sakic, with 631 in 1378 games played.
Ovechkin is in 48th place, with 357 in his 772 games. He needs 274 more to catch Sakic, and I think he will do that as well...
Shorthanded goals? Not a snowball's chance in a blast furnace will we ever see a name on the top of that list that isn't a centerman. Wayne Gretzky (natch) owns the record, at 73 in 1487 games.
Let's look at that number again. 73. Short-handed goals. Jesus Hockey-loving Christ, that's a shit-ton of epic proportions! Mark Messier is closest, with 63. Among active players, Marian Hossa, with his 30 in 1184 games, is closest... and he's 20th on the list.
Has Ovi EVER scored a short-handed goal? Why yes, yes he has. A whopping four times.
Brooks Laich holds the Capitals' record for short-handed goals, with 10 (among active players). Peter Bondra had 32 in his career, followed by Bengt-Ake Gustafsson, with 17. I'm fairly sure it's safe to say that there is no way in hell that Ovi will score 69 short-handed goals in the rest of his career, not as infrequently as he's out there on the penalty kill.
The rest, though? Stack 'em up, and like Russian-dressing-filled babushka dolls, Ovi will knock 'em down! I feel it in my bones. :-)
Ovechkin has 15 in his 772 games, good for third all time, and tied with Mats Sundin (15 in 1346) and our old friend Sergei Fedorov (15 in 1248). I see Ovi easily eclipsing this mark in his career, especially now that overtime is 3-on-3 instead of 4-on-4...
Most game winning goals also belongs to Jagr, with 129 in 1562 games played.
Ovechkin has 81 in his 772 games, good for 24th place. I also see Ovi eclipsing this mark. He needs only 48 game winning goals to get there.
Most power play goals belongs to Joe Sakic, with 631 in 1378 games played.
Ovechkin is in 48th place, with 357 in his 772 games. He needs 274 more to catch Sakic, and I think he will do that as well...
Shorthanded goals? Not a snowball's chance in a blast furnace will we ever see a name on the top of that list that isn't a centerman. Wayne Gretzky (natch) owns the record, at 73 in 1487 games.
Let's look at that number again. 73. Short-handed goals. Jesus Hockey-loving Christ, that's a shit-ton of epic proportions! Mark Messier is closest, with 63. Among active players, Marian Hossa, with his 30 in 1184 games, is closest... and he's 20th on the list.
Has Ovi EVER scored a short-handed goal? Why yes, yes he has. A whopping four times.
Brooks Laich holds the Capitals' record for short-handed goals, with 10 (among active players). Peter Bondra had 32 in his career, followed by Bengt-Ake Gustafsson, with 17. I'm fairly sure it's safe to say that there is no way in hell that Ovi will score 69 short-handed goals in the rest of his career, not as infrequently as he's out there on the penalty kill.
The rest, though? Stack 'em up, and like Russian-dressing-filled babushka dolls, Ovi will knock 'em down! I feel it in my bones. :-)
[10-Nov-2015] On Mike Green, Detroit, and Loyalty
The first Caps sweater I ever bought was a #52 Mike Green sweater. I remember buying it largely because I wasn't going to follow the crowd and get a #8 Alex Ovechkin sweater, but that Mike Green guy was pretty good. I was new to hockey at the time, so the special that Mike Green brought to the Caps was not as astonishing as it might have been otherwise.
Ray Bourque (Chris Bourque's daddy) with his 410 goals in 1612 games as a defenseman is arguably the best offensive defenseman there ever was, or ever will be. Not unlike the argument about Gretzky being the greatest goal scorer ever born - a point that only time will tell if it's true or not.
With 113 goals to his name, Mike Green sits at 71st among all defensemen in terms of goals. Among active players, he is 8th, with only names like Zdeno Chara (#1 with 170 in 1207 games played), Chris Pronger, Dan Boyle, etc. - with fewer games at 583 under his belt than any man ahead of him as of this time.
Do I believe Green can catch Bourque?
Maybe?
113/583 = .194
410/1612 = .254
Not bloody likely, though...
OK, it'd take a bloody miracle.
Let's play some "What If" games, for fun on a rainy morning, to pass the time before tonight's Caps-Red Wings game, the first time Green faces Ovechkin on the other side of the dot. Ovi's said, tongue in cheek, that he'll slash Greenie's favorite sticks, but I'd think less of him as a hockey player and a person if he really meant it...
Green's best season was 2008-09, during which he scored 31 goals. He hasn't come close since, and only three times since that year has he hit double digits in goals. This year, so far, in 8 games played, he has 0 goals, 3 assists, and a -3 rating.
Injuries have plagued Green throughout his career; the last time he played a full 82 game schedule was in 2007-08, when he scored 18 goals.
Let's start at 15 goals for Green.
2015-16 - 15 goals would take him to 128 goals. That ties him with Glen Wesley, who scored 128 goals in 1457 games, and with Lubomir Visnovsky, who scored his 128 goals in 883 games. It puts him at 55th, right behind Bill Gadsby, at 130 goals in 1248 games.
2016-17 - 12 goals would take him to 140, enough to break into the top 50 defensemen, all time, in terms of goal scoring, placing him at 44th, ahead of Rob Ramage (139 in 1044), and behind David Babych (142 in 1195).
2017-18 - 9 goals would take him to 149, 38th place, tying him with Shea Weber (149 in 698) and James Patrick (149 in 1280).
2018-19 - 6 goals would take him to 155, tying him at 31st with Roman Hamrlik (155 in 1395), just behind Chris Pronger (157 in 1167).
2019-20 - 3 goals would take him to 158, which would put him above Pronger at 30th, and just below Sandis Ozolinsh (167 in 875).
Somehow... much as I love Mike Green... and I do still love Mike Green... I can't see this working out.
Even if Greenie managed 20 goals this year - it's still not likely...
2015-16 - 20 goals = 133 (50th with Richard Redmond, 133 in 711)
2016-17 - 17 goals = 150 (37th with Borje Salming, 150 in 1148)
2017-18 - 14 goals = 164 (30th, above Chris Pronger, 157 in 1167)
2018-19 - 11 goals = 175 (25th, above Scott Niedermayer, 172 in 1263)
2019-20 - 8 goals = 183 (24th, above Ron Greschner, 179 in 431)
2020-21 - 5 goals = 188 (23rd, above Chris Chelios, 185 in 763)
2021-22 - 2 goals = 190 (same place)
So yeah... I don't think it's possible for Mike Green to ever catch Ray Bourque. I'm not sure it's possible for any active player to catch Bourque. Zdeno Chara, who is approaching the end of his career at 1207 games, has 170 goals, and he is closest among active players. Even if Chara plays another 400 games, he would have to score 240 goals in that time, and he hasn't scored that in his first 1207 games... I'm pretty sure it's safe to call Bourque's record unbeatable.
But that doesn't mean I don't adore Mike Green as an awesome human being and an incredibly good hockey player! :<3
Ray Bourque (Chris Bourque's daddy) with his 410 goals in 1612 games as a defenseman is arguably the best offensive defenseman there ever was, or ever will be. Not unlike the argument about Gretzky being the greatest goal scorer ever born - a point that only time will tell if it's true or not.
With 113 goals to his name, Mike Green sits at 71st among all defensemen in terms of goals. Among active players, he is 8th, with only names like Zdeno Chara (#1 with 170 in 1207 games played), Chris Pronger, Dan Boyle, etc. - with fewer games at 583 under his belt than any man ahead of him as of this time.
Do I believe Green can catch Bourque?
Maybe?
113/583 = .194
410/1612 = .254
Not bloody likely, though...
OK, it'd take a bloody miracle.
Let's play some "What If" games, for fun on a rainy morning, to pass the time before tonight's Caps-Red Wings game, the first time Green faces Ovechkin on the other side of the dot. Ovi's said, tongue in cheek, that he'll slash Greenie's favorite sticks, but I'd think less of him as a hockey player and a person if he really meant it...
Green's best season was 2008-09, during which he scored 31 goals. He hasn't come close since, and only three times since that year has he hit double digits in goals. This year, so far, in 8 games played, he has 0 goals, 3 assists, and a -3 rating.
Injuries have plagued Green throughout his career; the last time he played a full 82 game schedule was in 2007-08, when he scored 18 goals.
Let's start at 15 goals for Green.
2015-16 - 15 goals would take him to 128 goals. That ties him with Glen Wesley, who scored 128 goals in 1457 games, and with Lubomir Visnovsky, who scored his 128 goals in 883 games. It puts him at 55th, right behind Bill Gadsby, at 130 goals in 1248 games.
2016-17 - 12 goals would take him to 140, enough to break into the top 50 defensemen, all time, in terms of goal scoring, placing him at 44th, ahead of Rob Ramage (139 in 1044), and behind David Babych (142 in 1195).
2017-18 - 9 goals would take him to 149, 38th place, tying him with Shea Weber (149 in 698) and James Patrick (149 in 1280).
2018-19 - 6 goals would take him to 155, tying him at 31st with Roman Hamrlik (155 in 1395), just behind Chris Pronger (157 in 1167).
2019-20 - 3 goals would take him to 158, which would put him above Pronger at 30th, and just below Sandis Ozolinsh (167 in 875).
Somehow... much as I love Mike Green... and I do still love Mike Green... I can't see this working out.
Even if Greenie managed 20 goals this year - it's still not likely...
2015-16 - 20 goals = 133 (50th with Richard Redmond, 133 in 711)
2016-17 - 17 goals = 150 (37th with Borje Salming, 150 in 1148)
2017-18 - 14 goals = 164 (30th, above Chris Pronger, 157 in 1167)
2018-19 - 11 goals = 175 (25th, above Scott Niedermayer, 172 in 1263)
2019-20 - 8 goals = 183 (24th, above Ron Greschner, 179 in 431)
2020-21 - 5 goals = 188 (23rd, above Chris Chelios, 185 in 763)
2021-22 - 2 goals = 190 (same place)
So yeah... I don't think it's possible for Mike Green to ever catch Ray Bourque. I'm not sure it's possible for any active player to catch Bourque. Zdeno Chara, who is approaching the end of his career at 1207 games, has 170 goals, and he is closest among active players. Even if Chara plays another 400 games, he would have to score 240 goals in that time, and he hasn't scored that in his first 1207 games... I'm pretty sure it's safe to call Bourque's record unbeatable.
But that doesn't mean I don't adore Mike Green as an awesome human being and an incredibly good hockey player! :<3
[10-Nov-2015] Wow! I'm not the only one?!
"It's the timeframe that he's doing it in," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "He's approaching levels of goal scoring that you talk about with the great goal scorers. Probably it was Bobby Hull and the next generation was talking about Brett Hull,
but this generation now is going to be talking about Ovechkin. There's
no question he'll be in the Hall of Fame and there's no question he's
one of the few guys that has a chance to break The Great One's record."
Coach believes it?! I'm not insane! Huzzah!
"I think he might be the best goal scorer since Gretzky," Brett Hull said, "unless he passes Gretzky."
Brett HULL believes it's possible?! Whoa.
I'M NOT CRAZY!
Coach believes it?! I'm not insane! Huzzah!
"I think he might be the best goal scorer since Gretzky," Brett Hull said, "unless he passes Gretzky."
Brett HULL believes it's possible?! Whoa.
I'M NOT CRAZY!
Monday, November 9, 2015
[09-Nov-2015] OK, I'mma go out on a limb here.....
On Saturday night, Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin made goal scoring history with his 483rd career goal in 772 games played, tying the record set by Sergei Viktorovich Fyodorov, who scored 483 goals in 1248 games.
Fyodorov (Fedorov, for the Americans) would like to see Ovechkin break his record tomorrow night in Detroit, where Fyodorov is being honored as a proud 2015 inductee to the NHL Hall of Fame. I'm looking forward to it, and to a whole lot more goals after that!
I'm going out on a limb...
The record all time for career goals by a left wing belongs to Luc Jean-Marie Robitaill at 668. Ovechkin, with his current 483 goals, has 185 goals to go to break that record. I say it's not only possible, but that before the end of his career, we will see Ovi own that record outright. He is currently ranked 9th out of all left wings in goals scored, according to NHL.com.
The record all time for career power play goals belongs to David John Andreychuk at 275. Ovechkin currently has 197 power play goals, and needs only 97 to break that record. I say Ovechkin will own that record before the end of his career, as well. Ovi is currently ranked 28th all time at power play goals, according to NHL.com.
Neither of those predictions really has me all that far out on a limb... but this one sure will!
The record all time for career goals belongs to Wayne Douglas Gretzky, a name almost every hockey fan knows. Gretzky scored 894 goals in his career, which lasted 1961 games. Yes, Gretzky did his scoring when high-scoring games were much more frequent than they are today; his single-season record is a mind-boggling 92 goals in an 80 game season (1981-82). That's disgusting, and by today's standards... Ovechkin's beast season was in 2007-08, when he scored 65 goals, a feat that was considered fairly outrageous at the time.
Ovechkin's contract with the Washington Capitals will end in the 2020-21 season, five years from now. He will be 35 years old. I expect Ovi will continue to play for a few years after that; if he plays until he is 38, as Gretzky did, that will be the 2023-24 season. 8 years to make up 411 goals.
51.375 goals per season.
Nobody, but nobody thinks Ovi can pull that off, and to be realistic, a 50 goal scorer over the age of 30? Johnny Bucyk is the oldest to pull it off, at age 35, followed by Jaromir Jagr at age 34. There aren't many, but Ovi is one of a kind... by far the greatest goal scorer of his generation.
http://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/records/nhl-players-all-time-goals-leaders.html shows Ovechkin is now ranked 50th in goals scored in the NHL, career. That puts him on the same page as Gretzky.
Now, let's see how high he can climb...
This season, so far, Ovi has 8 goals in 12 games played. That puts him on pace for 54.66 games on the season, assuming he keeps up his current scoring rate. We'll round that up to 55.
55 goals will take Ovi to 530 goals career. That will jump him to 33rd on the list, ahead of Brian Trottier's 524, and behind Francis Mahovlich's 533.
Next season (2016-17), if Ovi scores 50, it will take him to 580 goals career. That will put him at 20th on the list, ahead of Mark Recchi (577) and behind Jarome Iginla (595).
If in 2017-18, Ovi scores 45, that will take him to 625 goals career. That will put him at 15th, tied with Joe Sakic (625) and just behind Dave Andreychuk (640).
Let's look to 2018-19 and give Ovi 40 goals, taking him to 665, enough for 13th, overtaking Brendan Shanahan (656) and just behind Luc Robataille (668).
If in 2019-20, Ovi scores 35 goals, that will put him at 700 goals career. That's good enough for 7th, jumping Mark Messier (694) and just behind Mike Gartner (708).
In 2020-21, Ovi's last season under contract (at the moment) for the Capitals, if he scores 30 goals, he will have 730 career. That's good enough for 5th, just ahead of Jaromir Jagr (728*) and just behind Marcel Dionne (731).
*Jagr is still active as well, and will probably play at least this season and next. He has 6 goals this season so far, in 12 games played.
In 2021-22, we'll give him 25 goals, taking him to 755 career. 3rd place, ahead of Brett Hull (741) and behind Gordie Howe (801).
In 2022-23, we'll give him 20 goals. He'll fall short of Gordie Howe (801), with 775 goals career, let alone Gretzky's ridiculous 894! So how, Sal, do you think he could even remotely have a chance to beat The Great One's record? Is it even possible?!
In 2023-24, we'll give Ovi 15 goals. That puts him at 790, still short of Howe. 2024-25, 10 goals puts him at 800, STILL short of Howe. 2025-26? He'll be 40 years old. 5 goals puts him at 805, and finally he's ahead of Gordie Howe... and still 89 behind Gretzky. Whoa.
I don't know. Ovi would have to do the virtually impossible to break Gretzky's record. And my numbers are just a non-stats-geek gal dropping 5 off the total every year as Ovechkin gets older. My numbers have zero basis in reality; it's just me...
I think that if any player alive today is capable of eventually breaking Gretzky's goal scoring record, it's Alex Ovechkin. If Ovi, the greatest goal scorer of his generation, can't do it playing another 10 years in the NHL, it can't be done.
In real fantasy-land... like, what are you smoking and can I share fantasy-land...
2015-16 58 goals
2016-17 55 goals
2017-18 52 goals
2018-19 49 goals
2019-20 46 goals
2020-21 43 goals
2021-22 40 goals
2022-23 37 goals
2023-24 34 goals
2024-25 31 goals
2025-26 28 goals
--------------------
473 goals total ... that'd put him at 948 goals career.... madness? Can he do it?
Only time will tell...
I'd love to see it happen.
Fyodorov (Fedorov, for the Americans) would like to see Ovechkin break his record tomorrow night in Detroit, where Fyodorov is being honored as a proud 2015 inductee to the NHL Hall of Fame. I'm looking forward to it, and to a whole lot more goals after that!
I'm going out on a limb...
The record all time for career goals by a left wing belongs to Luc Jean-Marie Robitaill at 668. Ovechkin, with his current 483 goals, has 185 goals to go to break that record. I say it's not only possible, but that before the end of his career, we will see Ovi own that record outright. He is currently ranked 9th out of all left wings in goals scored, according to NHL.com.
The record all time for career power play goals belongs to David John Andreychuk at 275. Ovechkin currently has 197 power play goals, and needs only 97 to break that record. I say Ovechkin will own that record before the end of his career, as well. Ovi is currently ranked 28th all time at power play goals, according to NHL.com.
Neither of those predictions really has me all that far out on a limb... but this one sure will!
The record all time for career goals belongs to Wayne Douglas Gretzky, a name almost every hockey fan knows. Gretzky scored 894 goals in his career, which lasted 1961 games. Yes, Gretzky did his scoring when high-scoring games were much more frequent than they are today; his single-season record is a mind-boggling 92 goals in an 80 game season (1981-82). That's disgusting, and by today's standards... Ovechkin's beast season was in 2007-08, when he scored 65 goals, a feat that was considered fairly outrageous at the time.
Ovechkin's contract with the Washington Capitals will end in the 2020-21 season, five years from now. He will be 35 years old. I expect Ovi will continue to play for a few years after that; if he plays until he is 38, as Gretzky did, that will be the 2023-24 season. 8 years to make up 411 goals.
51.375 goals per season.
Nobody, but nobody thinks Ovi can pull that off, and to be realistic, a 50 goal scorer over the age of 30? Johnny Bucyk is the oldest to pull it off, at age 35, followed by Jaromir Jagr at age 34. There aren't many, but Ovi is one of a kind... by far the greatest goal scorer of his generation.
http://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/records/nhl-players-all-time-goals-leaders.html shows Ovechkin is now ranked 50th in goals scored in the NHL, career. That puts him on the same page as Gretzky.
Now, let's see how high he can climb...
This season, so far, Ovi has 8 goals in 12 games played. That puts him on pace for 54.66 games on the season, assuming he keeps up his current scoring rate. We'll round that up to 55.
55 goals will take Ovi to 530 goals career. That will jump him to 33rd on the list, ahead of Brian Trottier's 524, and behind Francis Mahovlich's 533.
Next season (2016-17), if Ovi scores 50, it will take him to 580 goals career. That will put him at 20th on the list, ahead of Mark Recchi (577) and behind Jarome Iginla (595).
If in 2017-18, Ovi scores 45, that will take him to 625 goals career. That will put him at 15th, tied with Joe Sakic (625) and just behind Dave Andreychuk (640).
Let's look to 2018-19 and give Ovi 40 goals, taking him to 665, enough for 13th, overtaking Brendan Shanahan (656) and just behind Luc Robataille (668).
If in 2019-20, Ovi scores 35 goals, that will put him at 700 goals career. That's good enough for 7th, jumping Mark Messier (694) and just behind Mike Gartner (708).
In 2020-21, Ovi's last season under contract (at the moment) for the Capitals, if he scores 30 goals, he will have 730 career. That's good enough for 5th, just ahead of Jaromir Jagr (728*) and just behind Marcel Dionne (731).
*Jagr is still active as well, and will probably play at least this season and next. He has 6 goals this season so far, in 12 games played.
In 2021-22, we'll give him 25 goals, taking him to 755 career. 3rd place, ahead of Brett Hull (741) and behind Gordie Howe (801).
In 2022-23, we'll give him 20 goals. He'll fall short of Gordie Howe (801), with 775 goals career, let alone Gretzky's ridiculous 894! So how, Sal, do you think he could even remotely have a chance to beat The Great One's record? Is it even possible?!
In 2023-24, we'll give Ovi 15 goals. That puts him at 790, still short of Howe. 2024-25, 10 goals puts him at 800, STILL short of Howe. 2025-26? He'll be 40 years old. 5 goals puts him at 805, and finally he's ahead of Gordie Howe... and still 89 behind Gretzky. Whoa.
I don't know. Ovi would have to do the virtually impossible to break Gretzky's record. And my numbers are just a non-stats-geek gal dropping 5 off the total every year as Ovechkin gets older. My numbers have zero basis in reality; it's just me...
I think that if any player alive today is capable of eventually breaking Gretzky's goal scoring record, it's Alex Ovechkin. If Ovi, the greatest goal scorer of his generation, can't do it playing another 10 years in the NHL, it can't be done.
In real fantasy-land... like, what are you smoking and can I share fantasy-land...
2015-16 58 goals
2016-17 55 goals
2017-18 52 goals
2018-19 49 goals
2019-20 46 goals
2020-21 43 goals
2021-22 40 goals
2022-23 37 goals
2023-24 34 goals
2024-25 31 goals
2025-26 28 goals
--------------------
473 goals total ... that'd put him at 948 goals career.... madness? Can he do it?
Only time will tell...
I'd love to see it happen.
Thursday, November 5, 2015
[05-Nov-2015] So far, so... OK, I like what I'm seeing, but DAMN YOU, HENRIK LUNDQVIST!!!
That Henrik Lundqvist... not only is he one of the best goaltenders in the National Hockey League, not only does he seem to have the Caps' number... it's just not FAIR that he should have all that, and be drop-dead gorgeous too!
*cough*
OK, no. This is not a puck bunny site, and while Lundqvist is undeniably good-looking, that is definitely NOT the point of this blog post.
34 saves on 36 shots.
That backhand pass from Nate Schmidt to Alex Ovechkin for the Caps' first goal was just sick. Lundqvist was caught with his hand in the air facing the wrong direction to even have half a prayer of stopping Ovi's bullet of a shot.
Marcus Johansson from Karl Alzner... put Lundqvist on his arsenic and old lace.
But beyond that... the puck luck simply was not there. The Force was with Lundqvist, and not the Caps.
The play-by-play listed shots:
So I'm not going to complain that we weren't putting quality shots up on Lundqvist. I'll just say he's damned good at his job, and we'll solve him next time. We've done it before; we'll do it again. The only thing we need to do is not make mistakes that wind up in the back of the net.
The same goes tonight against the depleted Bruins team. Yes, they've lost Chris Kelly for the season, and that sucks for them. They are also without David Pastrnak and Dennis Seidenberg. But those missing players don't make David Krejci less dangerous, or Tuukka Rask a less stellar goaltender (assuming we get Rask tonight rather than Jonas Gustavvson...) Krejci, Brad Marchand, and Loui Ericsson are all still playing, and Krejci has more goals than Ovi right now...
I'm hoping that will change tonight.
*cough*
OK, no. This is not a puck bunny site, and while Lundqvist is undeniably good-looking, that is definitely NOT the point of this blog post.
34 saves on 36 shots.
That backhand pass from Nate Schmidt to Alex Ovechkin for the Caps' first goal was just sick. Lundqvist was caught with his hand in the air facing the wrong direction to even have half a prayer of stopping Ovi's bullet of a shot.
Marcus Johansson from Karl Alzner... put Lundqvist on his arsenic and old lace.
But beyond that... the puck luck simply was not there. The Force was with Lundqvist, and not the Caps.
The play-by-play listed shots:
- Alex Ovechkin, backhand, 7'
- Tom Wilson, snapshot, 12'
- Brooks Orpik, slapshot, 44'
- Nate Schmidt, wrist shot, 56'
- Andre Burakovsky, shapshot, 21'
- Marcus Johansson, wrist shot, 14'
- Alex Ovechkin, slapshot, 16'
- Matt Niskanen, snapshot, 62'
- Alex Ovechkin, snapshot, 24'
- TJ Oshie, tip-in, 10'
- Nate Schmidt, backhand, 10'
- Karl Alzner, wrist shot, 58'
- Nicklas Backstrom, tip-in, 10'
- John Carlson, snapshot, 48'
- Matt Niskanen, slapshot, 51'
- Brooks Orpik, backhand, 36'
- Justin Williams, wrist shot, 23'
- Alex Ovechkin, wrist shot, 15'
- Matt Niskanen, slapshot, 59'
- Justin Williams, wrist shot, 15'
- Alex Ovechkin, wrist shot, 17'
- Justin Williams, snapshot, 31'
- John Carlson, wrist shot, 45'
- Evgeny Kuznetsov, wrist shot, 12'
- Justin Williams, wrist shot, 17'
- TJ Oshie, tip-in, 9'
- Alex Ovechkin, wrist shot, 12'
- Andre Burakovsky, wrist shot, 13'
- Jason Chimera, wrist shot, 9'
- Nate Schmidt, backhand, 12'
- Matt Niskanen, slapshot, 47'
- Alex Ovechkin, slapshot, 99'
So I'm not going to complain that we weren't putting quality shots up on Lundqvist. I'll just say he's damned good at his job, and we'll solve him next time. We've done it before; we'll do it again. The only thing we need to do is not make mistakes that wind up in the back of the net.
The same goes tonight against the depleted Bruins team. Yes, they've lost Chris Kelly for the season, and that sucks for them. They are also without David Pastrnak and Dennis Seidenberg. But those missing players don't make David Krejci less dangerous, or Tuukka Rask a less stellar goaltender (assuming we get Rask tonight rather than Jonas Gustavvson...) Krejci, Brad Marchand, and Loui Ericsson are all still playing, and Krejci has more goals than Ovi right now...
I'm hoping that will change tonight.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
[08-Oct-2015] On PreSeason 2015-16... Some observations... OK, a lot of observations...
Wow. So I haven't posted since... when?! Yeesh. I've been horrible! Let's not admit to that. This is a brand new blog. Yeah. Brand new. Just started it! :-)
LET'S GO, CAPS!
So the Caps are poised to start the 2015-16 season in two days' time against the New Jersey Devils.
The pre-season went amazingly well; the Caps were one of three teams that did not lose in regulation, and the sole reason they were not at the top of the league was the Detroit Red Wings' and Edmonton Oilers' better records (with one more game played in both cases). The third team that was unbeaten in regulation was Anaheim, who came in second to Edmonton (with two fewer games played).
Here's how it shook out...
Detroit Red Wings
Games Played 8
Wins 6
Losses 0
OT Losses 2
Points 14
Goals For 33
Goals Against 17
Goal Differential +16
Edmonton Oilers
Games Played 8
Wins 6
Losses 1
OT Losses 1
Points 13
Goals For 25
Goals Against 16
Goal Differential +9
Washington Capitals
Games Played 7
Wins 5
Losses 0
OT Losses 2
Points 12
Goals For 21
Goals Against 13
Goal Differential +8
Anaheim Ducks
Games Played 6
Wins 5
Losses 0
Points 11
OT Losses 1
Goals For 18
Goals Against 9
Goal Differential +9
At the other end of the spectrum, we have the three worst teams:
Arizona Coyotes... ouch
Games Played 6
Wins 0
Losses 5
OT Losses 1
Points 1
Goals For 4
Goals Against 19
Goal Differential -15
Dallas Stars
Games Played 7
Wins 1
Losses 6
OT Losses 0
Points 2
Goals For 13
Goals Against 27
Goal Differential -14
New York Islanders
Games Played 8
Wins 2
Losses 6
OT Losses 0
Points 4
Goals For 18
Goals Against 31
Goal Differential -13
What I find the most interesting about this year's pre-season format is the differing number of games played by each team. We have:
8 Games (9 teams)
Detroit (6-0-2)
Edmonton (6-1-1) - one split-squad game pair
Columbus (5-2-1) - one split-squad game pair
Vancouver (4-3-1)
Calgary (4-4-0) - one split-squad game pair
Ottawa (3-3-2) - one split-squad game pair
Toronto (3-5-0) - one split-squad game pair
Pittsburgh (3-5-0)NY Islanders (2-6-0) - with two split-squad game pairs
7 Games (10 teams)
Washington (5-0-2)
Boston (4-2-1)
San Jose (4-2-1)
Buffalo (4-3-0)
Philadelphia (3-2-2) - one split-squad game pair
Winnipeg (3-2-2)
Tampa Bay (3-3-1)
New Jersey (3-4-0)
Montreal (2-3-2)
Dallas (1-6-0)
6 Games (11 teams)
Anaheim (5-0-1)
Los Angeles (4-1-1)
NY Rangers (4-1-1)
St. Louis (4-2-0) - one split-squad game pair
Chicago (4-2-0)
Carolina (4-2-0)
Minnesota (4-2-0)
Nashville (3-2-1)
Florida (3-3-0)
Colorado (1-4-1)Arizona (0-5-1)
Now, it seems to me that it should have been possible for all teams to play a 7-game pre-season schedule. As it is, 9 teams got an extra game, and 11 teams were shorted one. Now, some of those "extra" games were split squad, where half the team played a home game, and half played away. Since it's not possible for a player to be in two places at once, I suppose that makes a kind of sense. Split squad games did count in the standings, but games against non-NHL competition (and I will have to look that up) didn't. Let's take a closer look.
Split squad games:
Edmonton at Calgary / Calgary at Edmonton 21-Sep-2015
Philadelphia at NY Islanders / NY Islanders at Philadelphia 21-Sep-2015
Toronto at Ottawa / Ottawa at Toronto 21-Sep-2015
Columbus at St. Louis / St. Louis at Columbus 22-Sep-2015
NY Islanders at Philadelphia / NY Islanders at New Jersey 25-Sep-2015
Home-and-Home games:
San Jose at Vancouver 21-Sep-2015 / Vancouver at San Jose 22-Sep-2015
Detroit at Chicago 22-Sep-2015 / Chicago at Detroit 23-Sep-2015
Vancouver at Calgary 25-Sep-2015 / Calgary at Vancouver 26-Sep-2015
Toronto at Detroit 2-Oct-2015 / Detroit at Toronto 3-Oct-2015
Now, with the split squad games, we know that one player could not have possibly played in both games. The funny thing is, two of the teams with split squad game pairs were Philadelphia (7 games) and St. Louis (6 games)... The Red Wings (as we'll see below), Canucks, and Penguins didn't have any split-squad games.
But looking at the home-and-home games... that's another matter entirely. It's entirely possible for the same player to appear in both games... Let's take a look.
San Jose Sharks / Vancouver Canucks
One of these games took place at "Hockeyville," this year at the Q Centre in Victoria, BC. There are no reports up for this game, which ended in overtime. So there's no way to compare the two sets of games to see if they were split-squad over two days' time, or whether one or the other teams was playing roster players in both games. From what I'm finding elsewhere, it seems unlikely that they played it as a split squad over two days' time, though...
Detroit Red Wings / Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit had no players in both games.
David Rundblad (D) suited up for both for Chicago.
So did Jan Hejda.
And Ryan Garbutt.
And Daniel Paille.
AND Viktor Svedberg.
Now... how many of those 'Hawks are on the opening night roster for their team?
David Rundblad is.
Ryan Garbutt is.
The other three, no. But with five players in both games for the Blackhawks, that's not really the same thing as a split-squad game... is it?
Vancouver Canucks / Calgary Flames
Matt Bartkowski suited up for both games for Vancouver.
So did Brendan Gaunce.
On the Calgary side, we have Garnet Hathaway suiting up for both games.
Matt Bartkowski is a roster player; Gaunce is not. Still... not a split-squad game.
Toronto Maple Leafs / Detroit Red Wings
For Toronto, we have Richard Panik in both games.And Joffrey Lupul.
And James Van Riemsdyk.
AND Shawn Matthias.
And Peter Holland.
Mark Arcobello.
Nazem Kadri.
Morgan Reilly.
Roman Polak.
Leo Komarov.
Jake Gardiner.
Martin Marincin.
Wow. Just. Wow. Panik, Lupul, JVR, Matthias, Holland, Arcobello, Kadri, Reilly, Polak, Gardiner, and Marincin are all roster players. Every last one of them.
Detroit:
Nick Jensen
Daniel Cleary
Andy Miele
Brian Lashoff
Xavier Ouellet
Cleary and Ouellet are the only two roster players out of this list...
So this pair of games really, truly cannot be counted as a split-squad game. Detroit got eight pre-season games, with two sets as home-and-home. And they came out with the best pre-season record. And Toronto, even with playing 12 roster players against Detroit's two, couldn't beat the Red Wings' squads either time.
Last season, Detroit finished 12th in the league with 100 points even (one point behind Washington, and 13 points behind the Presidents' Trophy winning New York Rangers. Poor Toronto finished 27th in the league, with 68 points.
So enough of Detroit being hot stuff this season... they whaled on the Maple Leafs (sad, sad team that they are), but who else did they play?
Game 1 - Detroit at Chicago (4-5 OTL)
Game 2 - Chicago at Detroit (4-1 W)
Game 3 - Pittsburgh at Detroit (6-1 W)
Game 4 - Boston at Detroit (3-4 OTL)
Game 5 - Detroit at Boston (3-1 W)
Game 6 - Detroit at Pittsburgh (7-2 W)
Game 7 - Toronto at Detroit (4-2 W)
Game 8 - Detroit at Toronto (2-1 W)
Chicago, as we know won the Stanley Cup last season. They split their games with Detroit, but scored fewer goals. Pittsburgh finished 15th in the league last year with 98 points, and were positively slaughtered by Detroit both times they faced each other. Boston, who finished out of the playoffs last year in 17th place with 96 points, split with Detroit, but again, scored fewer goals. And Toronto (poor, lowly Tornoto)... well, we already discussed Toronto.
In any case, if Detroit can continue to score goals at the pace they did in the playoffs, the NHL better look out!
But enough about Detroit; this is a Caps blog, innit???
Right about now, I'm liking what I've been seeing and hearing this pre-season.
The Caps let Fehr, Brouwer, and Ward go, but picked up Oshie and Williams in return. I consider that a big win for the roster. Braden Holtby (the HoltBEAST!) has been cemented in as the #1 goaltender, with Philipp Grubauer as his backup. Mike Green is gone, but the defense is solid, with Alzner, Carlson, Chorney, Niskanen, Orlov, Orpik, and Schmidt on the roster. And we finished pre-season 5-0-2 without #1 Center Nicklas Backstrom in the lineup.
Let me say that again.
We finished pre-season 5-0-2 without #1 Center Nicklas Backstrom in the lineup.
Let's take a look at our opponents.
Game 1 - Carolina at Washington (2-0 W)
Game 2 - Washington at Boston (1-2 OTL)
Game 3 - Washington at Montreal (4-3 SOW)
Game 4 - Washington at NY Islanders (3-1 W)
Game 5 - Washington at Carolina (3-4 SOL)
Game 6 - Boston at Washington (2-1 SOW)
Game 7 - NY Islanders at Washington (6-2 W)
Carolina finished well out of the playoff picture last season, at 26th in the league, with 71 points. Boston, as already discussed, had 96 and was one game behind Calgary, but they were also not in the playoffs. Montreal kicked ass last year, finishing with 110 points, good for second in the league. The Islanders finished with 101 points, as did the Caps, and we saw and beat them in 7 games in the playoffs last season in the first round.
Still - third in the league, both in points and in goal differential is nothing to sneeze at. No, we didn't score at the prodigious rate that the Red Wings did, or even at the prodigious rate we normally do - but pre-season is for looking at the kids who will be seasoning in Hershey, and if they didn't score, it's not the end of the world.
So, who did score?
Tom Wilson opened up the scoring against Carolina in game one. His goal was enough, although Derek Roy (who would not ultimately make the roster) also scored to make the win a shutout. The goalies, Holtbeast (who started) and Ellis (who finished) split the game. 2-0 Win
In game two against the Bruins, it was Nate Schmidt who lit the lamp. It was enough to take the Caps into overtime, where David Pastrnak would score his second of the game 12 seconds in to hand the Caps their first loss of the pre-season. 2-1 OT Loss
Game three, against Les Habitants, was a minor scoring fest on both sides. The ultimate 4-3 victory was brought about thanks to Andre Burakovsky, T.J. Oshie, Alex Ovechkin, and in the shootout, T.J. Oshie again. Oshie, as we will see, is a shootout beast. Our old friend Tomas Fleischmann scored for the Canadiens, and did win himself a roster spot, so we'll be seeing him this season a couple of times... My "hockey crush" on Flash notwithstanding, I hope he plays well for the Habs - unless they're playing us! 4-3 Shootout Win
Game four, wherein we faced last season's demonous Islanders, was another win, this time 3-1, with Sean Collins (no, not that one, the other one!), Andre Burakovsky, and Karl Alzner providing the Caps' offense. 3-1 Win
Game five, wherein the Caps faced the Hurricanes a second time, took us to the shootout, where the Caps (backstopped by non-roster goaltender Justin Peters) would fall, but not before Alex Ovechkin, Stan Galiev, and Michael Latta would score in regulation time. Shootout hero T.J. Oshie's one shootout goal wouldn't be enough, and in four rounds, Jeff Skinner and Nathan Gerbe both scored for Carolina. I'm pretty sure losing to the Hurricanes was a big part of what cost Justin Peters his roster spot... that, and the thought that he wouldn't be claimed off waivers, unlike Grubauer if we sent him down... 4-3 Shootout Loss
Game six, the Caps' second outing against the Bruins, saw Alex Ovechkin tie the game late in the 3rd period, and T.J. Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov both scoring shootout goals to get the Caps the 2-1 victory in the gimmick that we aren't supposed to see that many of this season thanks to the new 3-on-3 OT format. More on that later, too. 2-1 Shootout Win
Finally, we come to game seven. The Caps played the Islanders. No. Not played. The Caps feasted on the Islanders. OK, the Isles weren't playing their starters. But still. T.J. Oshie would connect first, followed by Jay Beagle, Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson, and Alex Ovechkin (twice) would finish it off with his first multi-goal game of the pre-season (and hopefully one of many once we start playing for real!) 6-2 Win
How Many Goals?
Ovechkin -5
Kuznetsov - 2
Burakovsky - 2
Oshie - 2 (+3 in the shootout!)
Beagle - 1
Carlson - 1
Alzner - 1
Wilson - 1
Schmidt - 1
--------------
Collins - 1
Roy - 1
Ovechkin has one guy who got the same number of goals as he did this pre-season... That's Anton Lander from Edmonton.
Who in the hell is Anton Lander???
In 132 games played in the NHL (all for Edmonton, since 2011-12), Anton Lander has a whopping 8 goals. Eight. He almost beat his own career record in the pre-season! He also played in 6 games to Ovi's 5. But, he got an assist, giving him 6 points in 6 games.
I'm impressed at this guy coming out of the woodwork like this. And yes, he made the team this year. Good for him! Edmonton played scary well this pre-season. We'll see how they come out when the games really count.
LET'S GO, CAPS!
So the Caps are poised to start the 2015-16 season in two days' time against the New Jersey Devils.
The pre-season went amazingly well; the Caps were one of three teams that did not lose in regulation, and the sole reason they were not at the top of the league was the Detroit Red Wings' and Edmonton Oilers' better records (with one more game played in both cases). The third team that was unbeaten in regulation was Anaheim, who came in second to Edmonton (with two fewer games played).
Here's how it shook out...
Detroit Red Wings
Games Played 8
Wins 6
Losses 0
OT Losses 2
Points 14
Goals For 33
Goals Against 17
Goal Differential +16
Edmonton Oilers
Games Played 8
Wins 6
Losses 1
OT Losses 1
Points 13
Goals For 25
Goals Against 16
Goal Differential +9
Washington Capitals
Games Played 7
Wins 5
Losses 0
OT Losses 2
Points 12
Goals For 21
Goals Against 13
Goal Differential +8
Anaheim Ducks
Games Played 6
Wins 5
Losses 0
Points 11
OT Losses 1
Goals For 18
Goals Against 9
Goal Differential +9
At the other end of the spectrum, we have the three worst teams:
Arizona Coyotes... ouch
Games Played 6
Wins 0
Losses 5
OT Losses 1
Points 1
Goals For 4
Goals Against 19
Goal Differential -15
Dallas Stars
Games Played 7
Wins 1
Losses 6
OT Losses 0
Points 2
Goals For 13
Goals Against 27
Goal Differential -14
New York Islanders
Games Played 8
Wins 2
Losses 6
OT Losses 0
Points 4
Goals For 18
Goals Against 31
Goal Differential -13
What I find the most interesting about this year's pre-season format is the differing number of games played by each team. We have:
8 Games (9 teams)
Detroit (6-0-2)
Edmonton (6-1-1) - one split-squad game pair
Columbus (5-2-1) - one split-squad game pair
Vancouver (4-3-1)
Calgary (4-4-0) - one split-squad game pair
Ottawa (3-3-2) - one split-squad game pair
Toronto (3-5-0) - one split-squad game pair
Pittsburgh (3-5-0)NY Islanders (2-6-0) - with two split-squad game pairs
7 Games (10 teams)
Washington (5-0-2)
Boston (4-2-1)
San Jose (4-2-1)
Buffalo (4-3-0)
Philadelphia (3-2-2) - one split-squad game pair
Winnipeg (3-2-2)
Tampa Bay (3-3-1)
New Jersey (3-4-0)
Montreal (2-3-2)
Dallas (1-6-0)
6 Games (11 teams)
Anaheim (5-0-1)
Los Angeles (4-1-1)
NY Rangers (4-1-1)
St. Louis (4-2-0) - one split-squad game pair
Chicago (4-2-0)
Carolina (4-2-0)
Minnesota (4-2-0)
Nashville (3-2-1)
Florida (3-3-0)
Colorado (1-4-1)Arizona (0-5-1)
Now, it seems to me that it should have been possible for all teams to play a 7-game pre-season schedule. As it is, 9 teams got an extra game, and 11 teams were shorted one. Now, some of those "extra" games were split squad, where half the team played a home game, and half played away. Since it's not possible for a player to be in two places at once, I suppose that makes a kind of sense. Split squad games did count in the standings, but games against non-NHL competition (and I will have to look that up) didn't. Let's take a closer look.
Split squad games:
Edmonton at Calgary / Calgary at Edmonton 21-Sep-2015
Philadelphia at NY Islanders / NY Islanders at Philadelphia 21-Sep-2015
Toronto at Ottawa / Ottawa at Toronto 21-Sep-2015
Columbus at St. Louis / St. Louis at Columbus 22-Sep-2015
NY Islanders at Philadelphia / NY Islanders at New Jersey 25-Sep-2015
Home-and-Home games:
San Jose at Vancouver 21-Sep-2015 / Vancouver at San Jose 22-Sep-2015
Detroit at Chicago 22-Sep-2015 / Chicago at Detroit 23-Sep-2015
Vancouver at Calgary 25-Sep-2015 / Calgary at Vancouver 26-Sep-2015
Toronto at Detroit 2-Oct-2015 / Detroit at Toronto 3-Oct-2015
Now, with the split squad games, we know that one player could not have possibly played in both games. The funny thing is, two of the teams with split squad game pairs were Philadelphia (7 games) and St. Louis (6 games)... The Red Wings (as we'll see below), Canucks, and Penguins didn't have any split-squad games.
But looking at the home-and-home games... that's another matter entirely. It's entirely possible for the same player to appear in both games... Let's take a look.
San Jose Sharks / Vancouver Canucks
One of these games took place at "Hockeyville," this year at the Q Centre in Victoria, BC. There are no reports up for this game, which ended in overtime. So there's no way to compare the two sets of games to see if they were split-squad over two days' time, or whether one or the other teams was playing roster players in both games. From what I'm finding elsewhere, it seems unlikely that they played it as a split squad over two days' time, though...
Detroit Red Wings / Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit had no players in both games.
David Rundblad (D) suited up for both for Chicago.
So did Jan Hejda.
And Ryan Garbutt.
And Daniel Paille.
AND Viktor Svedberg.
Now... how many of those 'Hawks are on the opening night roster for their team?
David Rundblad is.
Ryan Garbutt is.
The other three, no. But with five players in both games for the Blackhawks, that's not really the same thing as a split-squad game... is it?
Vancouver Canucks / Calgary Flames
Matt Bartkowski suited up for both games for Vancouver.
So did Brendan Gaunce.
On the Calgary side, we have Garnet Hathaway suiting up for both games.
Matt Bartkowski is a roster player; Gaunce is not. Still... not a split-squad game.
Toronto Maple Leafs / Detroit Red Wings
For Toronto, we have Richard Panik in both games.And Joffrey Lupul.
And James Van Riemsdyk.
AND Shawn Matthias.
And Peter Holland.
Mark Arcobello.
Nazem Kadri.
Morgan Reilly.
Roman Polak.
Leo Komarov.
Jake Gardiner.
Martin Marincin.
Wow. Just. Wow. Panik, Lupul, JVR, Matthias, Holland, Arcobello, Kadri, Reilly, Polak, Gardiner, and Marincin are all roster players. Every last one of them.
Detroit:
Nick Jensen
Daniel Cleary
Andy Miele
Brian Lashoff
Xavier Ouellet
Cleary and Ouellet are the only two roster players out of this list...
So this pair of games really, truly cannot be counted as a split-squad game. Detroit got eight pre-season games, with two sets as home-and-home. And they came out with the best pre-season record. And Toronto, even with playing 12 roster players against Detroit's two, couldn't beat the Red Wings' squads either time.
Last season, Detroit finished 12th in the league with 100 points even (one point behind Washington, and 13 points behind the Presidents' Trophy winning New York Rangers. Poor Toronto finished 27th in the league, with 68 points.
So enough of Detroit being hot stuff this season... they whaled on the Maple Leafs (sad, sad team that they are), but who else did they play?
Game 1 - Detroit at Chicago (4-5 OTL)
Game 2 - Chicago at Detroit (4-1 W)
Game 3 - Pittsburgh at Detroit (6-1 W)
Game 4 - Boston at Detroit (3-4 OTL)
Game 5 - Detroit at Boston (3-1 W)
Game 6 - Detroit at Pittsburgh (7-2 W)
Game 7 - Toronto at Detroit (4-2 W)
Game 8 - Detroit at Toronto (2-1 W)
Chicago, as we know won the Stanley Cup last season. They split their games with Detroit, but scored fewer goals. Pittsburgh finished 15th in the league last year with 98 points, and were positively slaughtered by Detroit both times they faced each other. Boston, who finished out of the playoffs last year in 17th place with 96 points, split with Detroit, but again, scored fewer goals. And Toronto (poor, lowly Tornoto)... well, we already discussed Toronto.
In any case, if Detroit can continue to score goals at the pace they did in the playoffs, the NHL better look out!
But enough about Detroit; this is a Caps blog, innit???
Right about now, I'm liking what I've been seeing and hearing this pre-season.
The Caps let Fehr, Brouwer, and Ward go, but picked up Oshie and Williams in return. I consider that a big win for the roster. Braden Holtby (the HoltBEAST!) has been cemented in as the #1 goaltender, with Philipp Grubauer as his backup. Mike Green is gone, but the defense is solid, with Alzner, Carlson, Chorney, Niskanen, Orlov, Orpik, and Schmidt on the roster. And we finished pre-season 5-0-2 without #1 Center Nicklas Backstrom in the lineup.
Let me say that again.
We finished pre-season 5-0-2 without #1 Center Nicklas Backstrom in the lineup.
Let's take a look at our opponents.
Game 1 - Carolina at Washington (2-0 W)
Game 2 - Washington at Boston (1-2 OTL)
Game 3 - Washington at Montreal (4-3 SOW)
Game 4 - Washington at NY Islanders (3-1 W)
Game 5 - Washington at Carolina (3-4 SOL)
Game 6 - Boston at Washington (2-1 SOW)
Game 7 - NY Islanders at Washington (6-2 W)
Carolina finished well out of the playoff picture last season, at 26th in the league, with 71 points. Boston, as already discussed, had 96 and was one game behind Calgary, but they were also not in the playoffs. Montreal kicked ass last year, finishing with 110 points, good for second in the league. The Islanders finished with 101 points, as did the Caps, and we saw and beat them in 7 games in the playoffs last season in the first round.
Still - third in the league, both in points and in goal differential is nothing to sneeze at. No, we didn't score at the prodigious rate that the Red Wings did, or even at the prodigious rate we normally do - but pre-season is for looking at the kids who will be seasoning in Hershey, and if they didn't score, it's not the end of the world.
So, who did score?
Tom Wilson opened up the scoring against Carolina in game one. His goal was enough, although Derek Roy (who would not ultimately make the roster) also scored to make the win a shutout. The goalies, Holtbeast (who started) and Ellis (who finished) split the game. 2-0 Win
In game two against the Bruins, it was Nate Schmidt who lit the lamp. It was enough to take the Caps into overtime, where David Pastrnak would score his second of the game 12 seconds in to hand the Caps their first loss of the pre-season. 2-1 OT Loss
Game three, against Les Habitants, was a minor scoring fest on both sides. The ultimate 4-3 victory was brought about thanks to Andre Burakovsky, T.J. Oshie, Alex Ovechkin, and in the shootout, T.J. Oshie again. Oshie, as we will see, is a shootout beast. Our old friend Tomas Fleischmann scored for the Canadiens, and did win himself a roster spot, so we'll be seeing him this season a couple of times... My "hockey crush" on Flash notwithstanding, I hope he plays well for the Habs - unless they're playing us! 4-3 Shootout Win
Game four, wherein we faced last season's demonous Islanders, was another win, this time 3-1, with Sean Collins (no, not that one, the other one!), Andre Burakovsky, and Karl Alzner providing the Caps' offense. 3-1 Win
Game five, wherein the Caps faced the Hurricanes a second time, took us to the shootout, where the Caps (backstopped by non-roster goaltender Justin Peters) would fall, but not before Alex Ovechkin, Stan Galiev, and Michael Latta would score in regulation time. Shootout hero T.J. Oshie's one shootout goal wouldn't be enough, and in four rounds, Jeff Skinner and Nathan Gerbe both scored for Carolina. I'm pretty sure losing to the Hurricanes was a big part of what cost Justin Peters his roster spot... that, and the thought that he wouldn't be claimed off waivers, unlike Grubauer if we sent him down... 4-3 Shootout Loss
Game six, the Caps' second outing against the Bruins, saw Alex Ovechkin tie the game late in the 3rd period, and T.J. Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov both scoring shootout goals to get the Caps the 2-1 victory in the gimmick that we aren't supposed to see that many of this season thanks to the new 3-on-3 OT format. More on that later, too. 2-1 Shootout Win
Finally, we come to game seven. The Caps played the Islanders. No. Not played. The Caps feasted on the Islanders. OK, the Isles weren't playing their starters. But still. T.J. Oshie would connect first, followed by Jay Beagle, Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson, and Alex Ovechkin (twice) would finish it off with his first multi-goal game of the pre-season (and hopefully one of many once we start playing for real!) 6-2 Win
How Many Goals?
Ovechkin -5
Kuznetsov - 2
Burakovsky - 2
Oshie - 2 (+3 in the shootout!)
Beagle - 1
Carlson - 1
Alzner - 1
Wilson - 1
Schmidt - 1
--------------
Collins - 1
Roy - 1
Ovechkin has one guy who got the same number of goals as he did this pre-season... That's Anton Lander from Edmonton.
Who in the hell is Anton Lander???
In 132 games played in the NHL (all for Edmonton, since 2011-12), Anton Lander has a whopping 8 goals. Eight. He almost beat his own career record in the pre-season! He also played in 6 games to Ovi's 5. But, he got an assist, giving him 6 points in 6 games.
I'm impressed at this guy coming out of the woodwork like this. And yes, he made the team this year. Good for him! Edmonton played scary well this pre-season. We'll see how they come out when the games really count.
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