[28-DEC-2016] #NickyWatch and other milestones...

Nicklas Bäckström is three assists shy of hitting the 500-career-assist milestone.

Alex Ovechkin is eight points shy of hitting the 1000-career-point milestone.

While it might be fitting for them to hit their big milestone together, I'd like to see Bäckström hit his sooner than that... unless Ovi has a really big game! 

Karl Alzner has played in 491 consecutive regular season games, nine games shy of joining the 500 club. If he plays in all 82 games this season, his streak will hit 540 games, and he will join a group of 23 other players who have played in 500 or more consecutive games. The consecutive games record is held by Doug Jarvis, who played in 964 consecutive games from the start of his career, and is one of only four in that elite club of players to break the 500 mark to do so in that fashion. (Alzner's career began with a back-and-forth to Hershey, so he will not be in that group, but if he remains healthy, he will join the 500 club this season.

Let's go, Caps!!!

[28-DEC-2016] #TrotzWatch

#01...Scotty Bowman...............1244 W...2141 GC
#02...Joel Quenneville.............823 W...1494 GC
#03...Al Arbour....................782 W...1607 GC
#04...Ken Hitchcock................775 W...1439 GC
#05...Lindy Ruff...................717 W...1447 GC
#06...Dick Irvin...................692 W...1449 GC
#07...Pat Qunnn....................684 W...1400 GC
#08...Barry Trotz..................678 W...1393 GC
#09...Mike Keenan..................672 W...1386 GC

Head Coach Barry Trotz has won 678 games of the 1393 games he coached, putting him firmly in the #8 slot all-time. With another seven wins, he will top Pat Quinn.

Pat Quinn coached several seasons in the NHL, for:

• Philadelphia (1978-1982)
• Los Angeles (1984-1987) 
• Vancouver (1990-1996)
• Toronto (1998-2005)
• Edmonton (2009-2010)

He passed away November 23, 2014 after a long illness, having been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on the 17th of that month. Quinn coached two teams - the 1979-80 Flyers and the 1993-94 Canucks - to the Stanley Cup finals; neither team won the coveted trophy. He coached Team Canada to an Olympic gold medal at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City; in 2004, his Team Canada won the World Cup of Hockey with a record of 6-0. As a player for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Quinn leveled Bobby Orr in the 1969 playoffs against the Boston Bruins, starting a bench-clearing brawl. A left-shot defenseman, he played in 606 career games, scored 18 goals, and 113 assists, and spent 950 minutes in the penalty box.

[28-DEC-2016] #OviWatch

#20.....Mark Recchi..........577 G..........1652 GP

#21.....Mike Bossy...........573 G...........752 GP

#22.....Mats Sundin..........564 G..........1346 GP

#23.....Joe Nieuwendyk.......564 G..........1257 GP

#24.....Mike Modano..........561 G..........1499 GP

#25.....Guy Lafleur..........560 G..........1126 GP

#26.....John Bucyk...........556 G..........1540 GP

#27.....Ron Francis..........549 G..........1731 GP

#28.....Michel Goulet........548 G..........1089 GP

#29.....Maurice Richard......544 G...........978 GP

#30.....Alex Ovechkin........541 G...........872 GP

#31.....Stan Mikita..........541 G..........1394 GP

#32.....Keith Tkachuk........538 G..........1201 GP

Ovi's 16th goal of the season came last night in a 4-3 loss to the New York Islanders, but it propels the Great 8 into 30th place all-time (tied with Stan Mikita). The holidays prevented me from updating in the last month or so, but here we go.

Stan Mikita was considered the best centerman of the 1960s when he played for the Chicago Black Hawks. Elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983, Mikita's NHL career began in the 1958-59 season when he played 3 games for the Black Hawks. His career would span until the 1979-80 season, when he played in 17 games and scored 2 goals, to bring his total to 541 goals in 1394 games played. 

Mikita played in nine NHL All-Star games; he won the Hart Memorial Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, and Lady Byng Trophy twice, in 1966-67 and again in 1967-68, becoming the only NHL player to do so. In his career, Mikita played in 155 playoff games, scoring 59 goals and 91 assists, missing the playoffs only four times in his career - 1958-59, 1968-69, 1978-79, and 1979-80. Interestingly, his misses came a decade apart until the last. 

Mikita retired during the 1979-80 season due to chronic back problems. In January 2015, the Chicago Tribune released a statement indicating Mikita was suffering from suspected Demetia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and in June of that year, it was revealed that he had no memory of his life as a hockey player, and was being cared for by his wife. DLB is a progressive disease, and has no cure; it has not been linked with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, but may have genetic ties to the PARK11 gene, which is also associated with Parkinson's disease (which DLB is often misdiagnosed as, in early stages). 

[30-NOV-2016] I'm not crazy! #OviWatch

Believe it: Alex Ovechkin is on track to break Wayne Gretzky's career goals record (ESPN)

[28-NOV-2016] #TrotzWatch

Barry Trotz currently sits at 671 career wins in 1381 career games coached.

#01...Scotty Bowman...............1244 W...2141 GC
#02...Joel Quenneville.............815 W...1480 GC
#03...Al Arbour....................782 W...1607 GC
#04...Ken Hitchcock................769 W...1426 GC
#05...Lindy Ruff...................711 W...1433 GC
#06...Dick Irvin...................692 W...1449 GC
#07...Pat Qunnn....................684 W...1400 GC
#08...Mike Keenan..................672 W...1386 GC
#09...Barry Trotz..................671 W...1381 GC

Trotzy's next win will tie him with Mike Keenan; two more wins will put him into the #8 slot all time. His win/loss ratio since his first season with the Caps is .673, projecting him to win 55 games this season. That will put him at 156 wins with the Caps, plus 557 wins with the Predators before coming to Washington, for 713 wins.

If Lindy Ruff were no longer coaching, that would put  him at #5... but it's not reasonable to expect Ruff to not win any more games this season, so... still, #6 is not too shabby! Ruff is winning at .474 with the Stars... at that rate, he'll end the season with 740 wins. He'll keep the #5 slot with that.

If Ken Hitchcock continues to win at his .426 rate with St. Louis, he'll have around 35 wins this season, which will put him at 792 wins, good for #3 above Al Arbour. 

If Joel Quenneville continues to win at the .613 rate he's been winning with Chicago, he'll end the season with 50 wins, and 851 total wins, so he'll keep the #2 slot. Q has a long way to go to catch Bowman... wow.

[28-NOV-2016] Game-Winning Goals (#OviWatch2)

S/T to QuantHockey.com for the stats on the most career game-winning goals of all time:

#01...Jaromir Jagr...............133 GWG in 1651 GP
#02...Phil Esposito..............118 GWG in 1282 GP
#03...Brett Hull.................110 GWG in 1269 GP
#04...Teemu Selanne..............110 GWG in 1451 GP
#05...Brendan Shanahan...........109 GWG in 1524 GP
#06...Jarome Iginla...............97 GWG in 1494 GP
#07...Guy Lafleur.................97 GWG in 1126 GP
#08...Mats Sundin.................96 GWG in 1364 GP
#09...Steve Yzerman...............94 GWG in 1514 GP
#10...Patrick Marleau.............94 GWG in 1433 GP
#11...Joe Nieuwendyk..............93 GWG in 1257 GP
#12...Sergei Fedorov..............93 GWG in 1248 GP
#13...Mark Messier................92 GWG in 1756 GP
#14...Mike Modano.................92 GWG in 1499 GP
#15...Alex Ovechkin...............92 GWG in  860 GP

I'd like to point out that of the top 15, only Ovi has played in fewer than 1000 games; the fewest games played to make the top 15 belong to Guy Lafleur, who achieved his 97 game-winning goals in 1126 games, 266 more games than our hero has played in to date. 

If we project that Ovi will continue to score game-winning goals at the same percentage of goals he's scored, he's at 92/537 or .171, so... 

This season, Ovi has scored 12 goals in 21 games played. That's a full season rate of approximately 47 goals or thereabouts. If he scores the game winner 17.1% of the time, that gives him 8 or so game winning goals, putting him at #6, ahead of Jarome Iginla, with 100 game-winning goals in 921 games played.

Let's see what our hero can do with the rest of his season! 

[21-NOV-2016] #OviWatch

#20.....Mark Recchi..........577 G..........1652 GP

#21.....Mike Bossy...........573 G...........752 GP

#22.....Mats Sundin..........564 G..........1346 GP

#23.....Joe Nieuwendyk.......564 G..........1257 GP

#24.....Mike Modano..........561 G..........1499 GP

#25.....Guy Lafleur..........560 G..........1126 GP

#26.....John Bucyk...........556 G..........1540 GP

#27.....Ron Francis..........549 G..........1731 GP

#28.....Michel Goulet........548 G..........1089 GP

#29.....Maurice Richard......544 G...........978 GP

#30.....Stan Mikita..........541 G..........1394 GP

#31.....Keith Tkachuk........538 G..........1201 GP

#32.....Alex Ovechkin........534 G...........857 GP

Our hero has surpassed Francis Mahovlich for sole possession of the #32 all-time scoring leader in NHL history!

Next up, Keith Tkachuk (538 goals in 1201 games played).

Tkachuk was born March 8, 1972 in Melrose, Massachusetts. He is counted among the greatest American hockey players of all time. His NHL career began with the Winnipeg Jets in 1992, and ended with the St. Louis Blues in 2010. Along the way, Tkachuk also played for the Phoenix Coyotes and the Atlanta Thrashers. With those teams, Tkachuk played in 1,201 games, and scored 538 goals over a 20-season NHL career (counting his first season with the Jets, where he appeared in 17 games). 

Tkachuk has appeared in three Olympics, playing for the United States. He won a silver medal in Salt Lake City in 2002. Tkachuk also represented the United States in the World Cup of Hockey in 1996 and 2004, winning gold in the 1996 contest, and played in the World Junior Championships in 1991-1992. In his NHL career, Tkachuk appeared in 89 playoff games, scoring 28 goals in that time. His son, Matthew Tkachuk, was drafted 6th overall in 2016, by the Calgary Flames organization. He has played in 16 games so far this season, and scored 4 goals in his NHL career. Calgary is 8-11-1 20 games into the 2016-17 season. 

[15-Nov-2016] #OviWatch - 2 games in 2 days...

#20.....Mark Recchi..........577 G..........1652 GP

#21.....Mike Bossy...........573 G...........752 GP

#22.....Mats Sundin..........564 G..........1346 GP

#23.....Joe Nieuwendyk.......564 G..........1257 GP

#24.....Mike Modano..........561 G..........1499 GP

#25.....Guy Lafleur..........560 G..........1126 GP

#26.....John Bucyk...........556 G..........1540 GP

#27.....Ron Francis..........549 G..........1731 GP

#28.....Michel Goulet........548 G..........1089 GP

#29.....Maurice Richard......544 G...........978 GP

#30.....Stan Mikita..........541 G..........1394 GP

#31.....Keith Tkachuk........538 G..........1201 GP

#32.....Francis Mahovlich....533 G..........1201 GP

#33.....Alex Ovechkin........532 G...........851 GP

One more goal ties Ovi and Mahovlich; 12 more ties him with the great Maurice Richard... 7 goals in 14 games this season puts him on pace for 41, which is behind where I still have him... but Ovi scores in bunches, so don't discount him yet!

#OviWatch - 532 goals in 851 games!

[26-OCT-2016] #OviWatch Update...

#OviWatch

Career total: 528 goals career (844 GP)
2016-17 total: 3 goals (5 GP)
Next Target: #32.....Francis Mahovlich....533 G..........1201 GP

[18-OCT-2016] Caps 3, Avalanche 0

Caps WIN!!!

Tonight's 3-goal to 0 victory over the exhausted Colorado Avalanche gave Philipp Grubauer his first ever NHL shutout! 18 saves tonight for Grubi. TJ Oshie scored twice, and Ovi once to give the Caps a 2-0-1 record, and a +3 goal differential, vaulting them ahead of the Penguins after their third game of the season. 

Yeah, it's a little early for standings-watching, innit?

Heh.

#OviWatch

Our hero, Alex Ovechkin, scored his first goal of the season, a power play goal from his office near the left faceoff dot. That goal is Ovi's 526th career goal. He needs 8 more to pass #32, Francis Mahlovich. Known as "Frank," or "The Big M," Mahlovich was born in Timmins, Ontario, Canada. His NHL career began in the 1956-57 season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, for whom he would play 3 games in that season. He joined the Leafs full time the following year, and would play for them until the 1967-68 season before moving to the Detroit Red Wings. His career in Detroit ended in the 1970-71 season, which he finished for the Montreal Canadiens, and he would play for Montreal until the 1973-74 season before leaving the NHL for the World Hockey Association (WHA), a competing league that played until 1979 when they merged with the NHL. He tried a comeback season with Detroit that season, but it failed, and he retired. 

After his NHL career, Mahlovich served in the Senate of Canada (the upper house of the Canadian parliament). Mahlovich won six Stanley Cups in his career (1962, 1963, 1964, 1967 (Toronto), 1971, and 1973 (Montreal)), and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1981. 

#OviWatch Goal Chart

Highlights: https://www.nhl.com/video/t-282792524

[13-Oct-2016] New Beginnings...

Another year, another season begins. Tonight, the Caps face off against the hated Pittsburgh Penguins, in Pittsburgh, where the birds plan to raise their Stanley Cup banner. The one that we might have won, if a number of things hadn't happened... but that's water under the bridge now, and it's a new season. What's done is done, and nothing will change it, so this will be my last reference to the 2015-16 season on this blog.

As of tonight, only eight teams have a game in the books. Tonight, the Caps-Pens dance is slated to begin at 8:00 PM EST, and will be broadcast on NBCSN, meaning we'll have to listen to Pierre Maguire slurping Crosby, even though he's not playing tonight due to a concussion. I do wish Crosby a rapid recovery, and hope - for his sake - that he doesn't try to come back too soon and relapse, because that wouldn't be pleasant at all! 

In any case, because NBCSN is the "Nothing But Crosby" network, and I really don't want to hear it, I'll be "watching" my game on the radio, thank you John Walton! <3. 

So. Another year, another season begins, and we begin this season with our heroes: Alex Ovechkin, Braden Holtby, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, John Carlson, and Karl Alzner. 

#OviWatch

At the end of last season, Alex Ovechkin, sat at 525 goals in 839 games played, 33rd on the all-time scoring list.

In my last blog post of last season, I said that I believed Ovi could score 53 goals this season, and I'm standing by that estimation up front. 53 goals would put Ovi at 578 goals career in 921 career games, assuming he plays in all 82 games this season, and would land him in 20th place, ahead of current #20 Mark Recchi. Currently at 839 games played, he's played in the second fewest games in the group I'm placing him with, just behind Mike Bossy (752). Among members of this group, only Bossy and the great Maurice Richard reached their career marks in fewer than 1000 games played. 

Here's the all-time list.

#20.....Mark Recchi..........577 G..........1652 GP

#21.....Mike Bossy...........573 G...........752 GP

#22.....Mats Sundin..........564 G..........1346 GP

#23.....Joe Nieuwendyk.......564 G..........1257 GP

#24.....Mike Modano..........561 G..........1499 GP

#25.....Guy Lafleur..........560 G..........1126 GP

#26.....John Bucyk...........556 G..........1540 GP

#27.....Ron Francis..........549 G..........1731 GP

#28.....Michel Goulet........548 G..........1089 GP

#29.....Maurice Richard......544 G...........978 GP

#30.....Stan Mikita..........541 G..........1394 GP

#31.....Keith Tkachuk........538 G..........1201 GP

#32.....Francis Mahovlich....533 G..........1201 GP

#33.....Alex Ovechkin........525 G...........839 GP

Among active players, only Jaromir Jagr (749 G in 1629 GP) and Jarome Iginla (611 G in 1474 GP) have more goals than our Alex, and he can catch and surpass Iginla if Iginla has a bad season... or even a mediocre season. If you go back to 2003-04, Ovi has 525 goals to Iginla's 402, and last year, Iginla scored 22 goals to Ovi's 50. #3 among active players behind someone who has played 1474 games vs. Ovi's 839? Jagr has played in almost double the number of games Ovi's played in, with 1629, the most among active players, and 8th all time, but that's for another blog post...

#HoltBEASTWatch

At the end of last season, Braden Holtby (AKA HoltBEAST) had backstopped the Caps to a career high 48 wins, tying the great Martin Brodeur for the most wins in a season - and doing so playing in only 66 games to Brodeur's 78.

I'd love to see Holtby win 50 games this season. Among active goaltenders, Holtby sits at #20 with 149 career wins. If he wins 51, he will reach 200 wins this season. That is a pretty tall order... but if the Caps are the team I know they are capable of being in front of him, it is not impossible.

All-time, Holtby sits at #118 on the wins list, tied with Tim Cheveldae (340 GP), Michael Palmateer (356 GP), and Louis Myre (439 GP). With his mere 244 GP, Holtby tops these guys by a long shot, but that's the way the list on NHL.com works (just like Joe Nieuwendyk and Mats Sundin each have 564 goals, but Joe N. played in fewer games than Sundin did, so IMO he should be ahead in the list, but I don't run NHL.com, so...) 

Reaching the 200 win plateau, Holtby would tie Jaroslav Halak (367 GP) and Patrick Lalime (444 GP). Even if Holtby managed somehow to play in all 82 games - which will NOT happen - he'll only have played in 326 career games by the end of the season... A more likely number is 65. 

45 wins in 65 games would put Holtby at 194 wins career, which would catapult him to 83rd all time, just ahead of Alec Connell (193 W in 417 GP), and just behind Niklas Backstrom (196 W in 413 GP). That is where I'm going to realistically place Holtby at the end of the season, and the mark I predict for him to hit.

#KuzyaWatchin'

At the end of last season, Evgeny Kuznetsov had racked up 43 primary assists. It is way too early in his career to start looking up the ladder - and the records I've been able to find only go back as far as the 2007-08 season in any case - but I am predicting that number will go up this season. Since the 2007-08 season, the top 10 players in that regard are:

#01.....Joe Thornton.......299 1A...........695 GP

#02.....Henrik Sedin.......298 1A...........683 GP

#03.....Sidney Crosby......279 1A...........547 GP

#04.....Ryan Getzlaf.......273 1A...........648 GP

#05.....Evgeni Malkin......264 1A...........566 GP

#06.....Nicklas Backstrom..259 1A...........650 GP

#07.....Patrick Kane.......259 1A...........658 GP

#08.....Daniel Sedin.......240 1A...........664 GP

#09.....Henrik Zetterberg..263 1A...........637 GP

#10.....Martin St. Louis...233 1A...........607 GP

.

.

.

#291....Evgeny Kuznetsov....62 1A...........179 GP

Since 2007-08, the primary assist leaders have been:

08-09...Sidney Crosby.......51 1A

11-12...Evgeny Malkin.......46 1A

10-11...Martin St. Louis....46 1A

09-10...Henrik Sedin........46 1A

07-08...Pavel Datsyuk.......46 1A

15-16...Evgeny Kuznetsov....43 1A

14-15...Daniel Sedin........35 1A

13-14...Joe Thornton........32 1A

12-13...Sidney Crosby.......29 1A (lockout-shortened season)

Can Kuzya beat the current single-season primary assist leader? I sure hope so! As long as he doesn't drop off like he did late last season, I'm hoping to see him do it. I'm predicting he will at least have as many primary assists as he did last year. 

Backstrom, sitting at #6 (since 2007-08) behind five other active players, may be able to creep up the list, as well. I'm hoping to find a more comprehensive all-time list somewhere; stand by. S/T to Stats.Hockeyanalysis.com for the primary assist statistics going back to 2007-08.

#NickyWatch

Backstrom sits 17th among active players in assists, with 477 in 652 games played. Overall, he is 152nd. I'll put him down for 35 assists this season, as a lowball estimate. That puts him at 512 assists career. Steve Thomas (1235 GP) and Rick Tocchet (1144 GP) each have 512 assists, sitting at 132 and 133 in the list of all players. 

#TJWatch

T.J. Oshie, Ovi's faithful right wing... second-best smile on the Caps' team (with Nate Schmidt topping the list - and who could resist that boyish grin?), but I digress. Oshie scored 26 goals last season, the second-best on the team behind Ovi.  I'd like to see him up that this season... Will I? I don't know, but we shall see! 

#AlzyWatch

Since becoming a full-time fixture on the Caps' blue line in the 2010-11 season, Karl Alzner has not missed a regular season game. He appeared in all twelve of the Caps' post-season games last year as well, before being sidelined with a groin injury that has (thankfully!) since been repaired. Alzner's streak stands at 458 GP. If he plays in all 82 games this season, that streak will go to 540, putting him 18th on the list  of all-time NHL Ironman players with streaks of over 500 games (according to Wikipedia, insert grain of salt here). 

The Ironman record in the NHL is held by Doug Jarvis, who played in 964 straight games before retiring at the end of the 1987-88 season. In order for Alzner to break that record, he would have to play in every single Caps game through the 2021-22 season, and several in the 2022-23 season, a bit more than six more years. At age 28, that would put him some time in his 34th-35th year. Is it doable? Only time will tell, but I predict that Alzner will join the 500 club this season, at the very least.

2015-16.....458

2016-17.....540

2017-18.....622

2018-19.....704

2019-20.....786

2020-21.....868

2021-22.....950

2022-23.....1032

#CarlyWatch

John Carlson... what can I say about John Carlson? No longer the Caps' iron man, as his streak broke last year, but Carlson sits 9th on the Caps' all-time goal-scoring list, with 53 goals in 454 games played. Al Iafrate has 58, and Carlson should easily eclipse that this year,but next up is Silvain Cote, with 75 goals... Will Carlson have a career year? Will he score 22 goals in one season? Last year, he scored 8, appearing in only 56 games.

But... the year before that? Carlson scored 20 goals in 2014-15. 

Possible? MAYBE... Likely? Not very. Would I love it if it happened? Hell yes!

#LetsGoCaps

Last season's Washington Capitals won 56 games of 82. That puts them at #8 overall for a single season since 1917-18. Here's the list.

#1......95-96 Detroit Red Wings......62 W.....82 GP

#2......76-77 Montreal Canadiens.....60 W.....80 GP

#3......77-78 Montreal Canadiens.....60 W.....80 GP

#4......75-76 Montreal Canadiens.....58 W.....80 GP

#5......05-06 Detroit Red Wings......58 W.....82 GP

#6......70-71 Boston Bruins..........57 W.....78 GP

#7......83-84 Edmonton Oilers........57 W.....80 GP

#8......15-16 Washington Capitals....56 W.....82 GP

Can the Caps climb this ladder? I believe that they can, and will. I will not even attempt to predict how many games they'll win this season, but I hope it's a lot! I would love to see Holtby break that record he shares with Brodeur. He can do it, if the team plays well in front of him.

Let the 2016-17 NHL Season Begin! <3 And #LetsGoCaps! 

[10-APR-2016] It's the end of the regular season road...

As-predicted several months ago, his hat trick against the St. Louis Blues puts Ovi in sole possession of the 33rd slot overall for career goals scored. He reached that 525 career goals mark in his 839th career game. It took Brian Trottier 1279 games to reach the 524 goal mark. Since Ovi would need to score 8 goals tonight to catch Francis Mahovlich, I'm projecting he will end the season in 33rd place overall for goals scored (unless he somehow pulls off The Ovechtrick... (not bloody likely!)  Joe Malone's 1920 record 7 goals in one game has been standing for damned close to 100 years. If anyone in the NHL could break that standing record, it'd be Ovi.*-

#OviWatch

525 career goals in 839 career games is quite the mark. If Ovi gets 50 goals next season, he will hit 575 career goals. I am right now predicting that Ovi will have no fewer than 45 goals next season, which will put him at 570 career goals, just ahead of Mats Sundin, and just behind Mike Bossy. 53 goals (minus however many he scores tonight against Anaheim) will put him ahead of Mark Recchi for #20 overall. As I've said all season, we'll see what happens!

20 - Mark Recchi - 577 goals in 1652 games played
21 - Mike Bossy - 573 goals in 752 games played
22 - Mats Sundin - 564 goals in 1346 games played
23 - Joe Nieuwendyk - 564 goals in 1257 games played
24 - Mike Modano - 561 goals in 1499 gams played
25 - Guy Laflueur - 560 goals in 1126 games played
26 - John Bucyk - 556 goals in 1731 games played
27 - Ron Francis - 549 goals in 1731 games played
28 - Michel Goulet - 544 goals in 1089 games played
29 - Maurice Richard - 544 goals in 978 games played
30 - Stan Mikita - 541 goals in 1394 games played
31 - Keith Tkachuk - 538 goals in 1201 games played
32 - Francis Mahovlich - 533 goals in 1181 games played
33 - Alex Ovechkin - 525 goals in 839 games played

#HoltBEASTWatch

Braden Holtby has tied Marty Brodeur's single season win record. The next record of Brodeur's that he could potentially topple is the youngest player to 300 career regular season wins. Brodeur achieved that record at 29 years, 7 months. Holtby was born on 16-Sep-1989, making him at present 26 years, 6 months old. He has played in 244 career games (started 236) and has 149 wins in that span. That leaves him needing to win another 152 games over the next three years to pass Brodeur. That's going to take some doing... A lot of doing... 

2016-17 - 51
2017-18 - 51
2018-19 - 50

We'll see what happens. Holtby's wins are not his alone; he has to have a team playing well in front of him, too. Coach Trotz and Coach Korn are both great coaches, so I'll still call it possible. It's possible.

#TeamWatch

1995-96 Detroit Red Wings (62W in 82 GP)

2005-06 Detroit Red Wings (58W in 82 GP)

2015-16 Washington Capitals  (56W in 82 GP)  

2010-11 Vancouver Canucks (54W in 82 GP) 2013-14 Boston Bruins (54W in 82 GP)

2013-14 Anaheim Ducks (54W in 82 GP)

2007-08 Detroit Red Wings (54W in 82 GP)

2009-10 Washington Capitals (54W in 82 GP)

2014-15 New York Rangers (53W in 82GP)  

2005-06 Dallas Stars (53W in 82GP)

2008-09 Boston Bruins (53W in 82GP)

2005-06 Ottawa Senators (52W in 82GP) 

2000-01 Colorado Avalanche (52W in 82GP)  

2005-06 Buffalo Sabres (52W in 82GP)  

2009-10 Chicago Blackhawks (52W in 82GP)       

2005-06 Carolina Hurricanes (52W in 82GP)  

2013-14 Colorado Avalanche (52W in 82GP)  

[04-APR-2016] Four to go... #HoltBEASTWatch #OviWatch etc.

The Caps are down to their last four games of the regular season... 

• Tomorrow, they face the New York Islanders at home.  
• Thursday, it's the hated Penguins, also at the Phone Booth. 
• Saturday, they go to St. Louis to take on the Blues. 
• And Sunday, it's back home to finish up against the Anaheim Ducks.

The Isles are currently the #1 wildcard in the eastern conference, closely followed by the Flyers. The Isles have a 42-26-9 record (93 points) and a game in hand on the Flyers, whose record is 39-26-13. Boston (41-30-8) is chasing Philadelphia. It's still possible for the Islanders to overtake the Rangers (43-26-9), for the third spot in the Metro division, but it seems unlikely anyone will unseat Pittsburgh from their #2 spot. Those flightless fowl have come a long way since the beginning of the season and sacking of their coach. Let's hope our coach is smarter than theirs. 

Shut out by the 'Yotes (with Grubauer in net), unless Holtby doesn't win two of the four remaining games, Brodeur's record will stand. He'll need to win three to reach 50 wins. It's a tall order, especially with the last two games of the season being back-to-back. None of these teams we're facing are going to be pushovers... 

#HoltBEASTWatch

 








47 wins in 63 games played-in. Holtby is now in sole possession of the #2 slot on the goalie single season wins chart. Fingers are crossed very, very hard.

01 - 2006-07: Martin Brodeur (48W in 78GP) V*
02 - 2015-16: Braden Holtby (47W in 61GP) 

#OviWatch

Our beloved Captain scored a goal against the Avalanche, bringing his total to 520 career goals in 836 games played. He needs two goals in four games to tie Pat Verbeek, four goals to tie Brian Trottier, and five goals to take sole possession of the #33 spot on the all-time goal-scorers list. Earlier this year, I had him scoring 50 goals; he's at 45, so it'll be close. 

33 - Brian Trottier - 524 G, 1279 GP
34 - Pat Verbeek - 522 G, 1424 GP
35 - Alex Ovechkin - 518 G, 830 GP  

We're coming down to the wire now... 

 

[29-MAR-2016] Math and the Playoff Picture

The Western Conference is all but sewn up, with only the wildcard slots left to be decided... positioning may shift, but six of the eight playoff teams are known.

IN:

• Dallas Stars (99 points, max 111)
• St. Louis Blues (99 points, max 111)
• Chicago Blackhawks (95 points, max 107)
• Los Angeles Kings (95 points, max 107)
• Anaheim Ducks (94 points, max 108)
• San Jose Sharks (90 points, max 102)

Potentially in:

• Nashville Predaors (91 points, max 103)
• Minnesota Wild (85 points, max 97)
• Colorado Avalanche (82 points, max 94)
• Arizona Coyotes (75 points, max 87)

OUT:

• Calgary Flames (70 points, max 82, low wild card has 85)
• Winnipeg Jets (69 points, max 81)
• Vancouver Canucks (67 points, max 81)
• Edmonton Oilers (67 points, max 73)

However, apart from the teams that decidedly won't be playing past April, the Eastern Conference is still in a dogfight, both for position and for the wild card slots).

IN:

• Washington Capitals (113 points, max 127)

 Potentially in:

• New York Rangers (95 points, max 107)
• Pittsburgh Penguins (92 points, max 106)
• Florida Panthers (93 points, max 107)
• Tampa Bay Lightning (93 points, max 105)
• Boston Bruins (88 points, max 100)
• New York Islanders (89 points, max 105)
• Philadelphia Flyers (87 points, max 101)
• Detroit Red Wings (87 points, max 99)
• Carolina Hurricanes (81 points, max 93)
• New Jersey Devils (80 points, max 92)
• Ottawa Senators (77 points, max 89)

OUT:

• Montreal Canadiens (74  points, max 86, low wild card has 87)
• Buffalo Sabres (72 points, max 84)
• Columbus Blue Jackets (68 points, max 80)
• Toronto Maple Leafs 65 points, max 79)

[29-MAR-2016] #HoltBEASTWatch #Roaring20s #CapsWatch

#HoltBEASTWatch

With victories in Braden Holtby's last two starts, the HoltBEAST inches closer to Martin Brodeur's single-season win record. He needs two more victories to tie that record, three more to best it, and there are seven games remaining in the season.

01 - 2006-07: Martin Brodeur (48W in 78GP) V*
02 - 2015-16: Braden Holtby (46W in 61GP)
       2007-08: Evgeni Nabokov (46W in 77GP) V*
03 - 2008-09: Mikka Kiprusoff (45W in 65GP)
       2009-10: Martin Brodeur (45W in 77GP) J* 
04 - 2014-15: Carey Price (44W in 66GP) J* V*
       1974-75: Bernie Parent (44W in 68GP) V*

#Roaring20s

With an empty-net goal last night, Nicklas Backstrom joins the Roaring20sClub alongside several other Caps:

Alex Ovechkin (stalled at 43)
TJ Oshie (24 - career high)
Justin Williams (22 - career high is 33)
Evgeny Kuznetsov (20 - career high)
Nicklas Backstrom (20 - career high is 33)

Just south of the 20-goal plateau are three more Caps, who have seven games to reach that mark. 

Jason Chimera (18 - career high is 20)
Andre Burakovksy (16 - career high)
Marcus Johansson (15 - career high is 20) 

#CapsWatch

With that totally embarrassing loss to the St. Louis Blues, who are in fact a pretty good team, the Capitals have lost their opportunity to have the best scoring record since the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings. They can still catch (and surpass) the 2005-06 Red Wings' record, with the same number of victories the HoltBEAST needs to catch and surpass Marty Brodeur. 

[24-MAR-2016] 10 to go... (Updated 29-MAR-2016)

Here's what the Caps have to face in their last 10  games:

3/25 at New Jersey (1-0 SOW)
3/26 St. Louis (4-0 L)
3/28 Columbus (4-1 W) Clinched Presidents' Trophy!
3/30 at Philadelphia
4/01 at Colordo
4/03 at Arizona 
4/05 New York Islanders
4/07 Pittsburgh 
4/09 at St. Louis
4/10 Anaheim

New Jersey Devils

The Caps' first game against the Devils was our season opener. The Caps won that game, 5-3.

The second game (on 2/06), the Caps won 3-2 in the shootout.

The third game (on 2/20), the Caps won 4-3 in regulation.

The Devils sit two places out of the wildcard race, with a 35-31-7 record (77 points) and a -23 goal differential.

St. Louis Blues

The Caps have yet to face the musical team from St. Louis this year; the Blues' record is very good, though, at 43-22-9 (95 points, 3rd place in the League). Those two games will be a great test for the Caps for the post-season! The Blues' goal differential is +10 vs. the Caps' +61 (which included the Pittsburgh Debacle where they were scored on six times in one game - ugh!)

Let's hope they play better against the Blues than they did against their semi-archrivals!

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Caps' first game against the Blue Jackets (10/30) was a 2-1 Caps win.

In the second game, the Jackets returned the favor on 2/2 and won 5-4 in the shootout.

The third game was a 6-3 win for the Caps.

Columbus sits well out of the playoff picture, at 30-35-8 (68 points) in 73 games played, with a -34 goal differential.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Caps' first game against the Flyers was a 5-2 win for the good guys in red.

In the second game, the Flyers prevailed, 4-3 in overtime.

The third game was a 3-2 Washington win in regulation.

The Flyers are currently the second wildcard team in the Eastern Conference, having knocked Detroit out of that position. Their current record is 35-24-13, good for 83 points, but  their goal differential is -5.

Colorado Avalanche

On 11/21, the Caps beat the Avs 7-3, laying a touchdown on the mile high hockey club. This will be the second of two games.

Arizona Coyotes

Following up on 11/22, the Caps beat the Yotes 3-2. This will also be the second of two games.     

New York Islanders

The Caps' first game against the Islanders was a 4-1 victory on 1/07.

Second up, on 2/04, the Caps again prevailed, 3-2 in regulation.

The third game required overtime to settle, but again, the Caps prevailed, 3-2.

The Islanders are currently sitting in the first wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 39-24-9 (87 points) and a +18 goal differential.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Ugh.

The Caps' first game against the Penguins, on 10/28, ended as a 3-1 loss.

The second game (of five), though, the Caps came back on 12/14 and won 4-1.

The third game, on 3/1, was another Caps victory, 3-2.

And we don't want to think about the fourth game, in which the Penguins grew fangs and slaughtered the Caps on 3/20, with a final and very ugly score of 6-2.

After a godawful start, the Penguins now sit third place in the Metropolitan Division... Their record is 40-24-8 (88 points) with a +25 goal differential.

St. Louis Blues

We'll know more here after the 4/9 game... 

Anaheim Ducks

On 3/7, the Caps were victorious, 3-2 in the shootout. We'll see what happens with this last vestige of winter and the end of the fallout from Snowpocalypse II.
   

[24-MAR-2016] Well, THAT was a little patch of the ugly...!

With ten games left, Captain Chaos (AKA Alex Ovechkin) needs seven more goals to hit 50 goals on the year. Two nights ago, he scored his 518th goal in 830 career games.
#OviWatch

With 518 goals in 830 games, Ovi puts himself in a tie with Dale Hawerchuk for the 35th-best goal scorer of all time. With four more goals, he will tie Pat Verbeek, and with six, he will tie Brian Trottier. Earlier this season, I projected Ovi to surpass Trottier's total, but a nagging lower-body injury could prevent that. I'll modify my expectations to figure he will at least catch Verbeek, and hope for the best in the last ten games. Usually, when Ovi scores, he scores in bunches, so here's hoping!

33 - Brian Trottier - 524 G, 1279 GP
34 - Pat Verbeek - 522 G, 1424 GP
35 - Alex Ovechkin - 518 G, 830 GP
35 - Dale Hawerchuk - 518 G, 1188 GP
37 - Pierre Turgeon - 515 G, 1294 GP
38 - Jeremy Roenick - 513 G, 1363 GP
39 - Gilbert Perreault - 512 G, 1191 GP
40 - Jean Béliveau - 507 G, 1125 GP
41 - Peter Bondra - 503 G, 1081 GP
42 - Joe Mullen - 502 G, 1062 GP
43 - Lanny McDonald - 500 G, 1111 GP
44 - Glenn Anderson - 498 G, 1129 GP   

#HoltBEASTWatch

Braden Holtby, on the other hand, only needs to win half the remaining games to surpass Martin Brodeur's single-season record of 48. Here's where the HoltBEAST stands:

Apart from a 6-2 drubbing at the hands of the Flightless Fowl, Holtby's SV% had been trending the right direction of late. His current .921 is well off the pace he set earlier in the season, and he sits in 7th place in that regard, league-wide, among goalies who have played in 40 or more games this season.

As for his 2.25 Goals-Against Average.... we won't talk about that part. Yuck. 17th in the league isn't pretty, but the win column is... 10 games to go.

01 - 2006-07: Martin Brodeur (48W in 78GP) V*
02 - 2007-08: Evgeni Nabokov (46W in 77GP) V*
03 - 2008-09: Mikka Kiprusoff (45W in 65GP)
       2009-10: Martin Brodeur (45W in 77GP) J*
04 - 2015-16: Braden Holtby (44W in 59GP)
       2014-15: Carey Price (44W in 66GP) J* V*
       1974-75: Bernie Parent (44W in 68GP) V*

#KuzyaWatchin'

While Kuzya didn't catch Datsyuk yet, he did record a couple of primary assists in the last few games. He now has 41 in 71 games played, 6th overall for the single season. He has 10 games left to record 10 primary assists to catch Crosby's 51...

 






2008-09: Sid Crosby (51 in 77 GP)
2009-10: Henrik Sedin (46 in 82 GP)
2010-11: Martin St. Louis (46 in 82 GP)
2011-12: Evgeni Malkin (46 in 75 GP)
2007-08: Pavel Datsyuk (44 in 82 GP)
2015-16: Evgeny Kuznetsov (41 in 71 GP)
2013-14: Joe Thornton (36 in 82 GP)
2014-15: Daniel Sedin (35 in 82 GP)
2012-13: Sid Crosby (29 in 36 GP - season shortened by lockout)

#Roaring20s


TJ Oshie (21) - career best is 21 in 2013-14 (tied)
Justin Williams (21) - career best is 33 in 2006-07 
Evgeny Kuznetsov (20) - already his career best (11 last season) 
Nicklas Backstrom (18) - career best is 33 in 2009-10
Jason Chimera (18) - career best is 20 in 2011-12 
Marcus Johansson (15) - career best is 20 in 2014-15 
Andre Burakovsky (15) - already his career best (9 last season)

#CapsWatch

Well, the Caps will have to go 10-0-0 to catch Detroit's 1995-96 62 wins... but they could definitely catch the 2010-11 Vancouver's 54 (with two more wins) and could potentially catch the 2005-06 Red Wings' 58 (with six)... 

 


1995-96 Detroit Red Wings (62W)
2005-06 Detroit Red Wings (58W)
2010-11 Vancouver Canucks (54W in 82 GP) 2013-14 Boston Bruins (54W in 82 GP)
2013-14 Anaheim Ducks (54W in 82 GP)
2007-08 Detroit Red Wings (54W in 82 GP)
2009-10 Washington Capitals (54W in 82 GP)
2014-15 New York Rangers (53W in 82GP)
2005-06 Dallas Stars (53W in 82GP)
2008-09 Boston Bruins (53W in 82GP)
2015-16 Washington Capitals  (52W in 72GP) 
2005-06 Ottawa Senators (52W in 82GP) 
2000-01 Colorado Avalanche (52W in 82GP)  
2005-06 Buffalo Sabres (52W in 82GP)  
2009-10 Chicago Blackhawks (52W in 82GP)  
2005-06 Carolina Hurricanes (52W in 82GP)  
2013-14 Colorado Avalanche (52W in 82GP)       

We'll just have to see what happens...