D6 NHLLEADERS
Entering Thursday’s games POINTS Player
Team Sidney Crosby GP G A Pts
Steven Stamkos Tampa Bay ............. 31 24 20 44 Daniel Sedin Pavel Datsyuk
Pittsburgh .............. 33 26 28 54 Vancouver .............. 29 16 21 37
Martin St. Louis Tampa Bay ............. 31 11 26 37 Corey Perry
Detroit .................... 30 11 26 37 Anh ......................... 34 16 20 36
Alex Ovechkin Henrik Sedin Brad Richards
Washington ........... 33 12 24 36 Vancouver .............. 29 5 31 36 Dallas ..................... 30 12 22 34
Nicklas BackstromWashington ........... 33 11 23 34 Alexander Semin Washington ........... 32 18 15 33 Ryan Getzlaf
Henrik Zetterberg Detroit .................... 30 10 23 33 Paul Stastny Matt Duchene
Anh ......................... 34 11 22 33 Colorado ................. 31 13 19 32
Colorado ................. 31 11 21 32
GOALS Player
Sidney Crosby Steven Stamkos Alexander Semin Rick Nash
Patrick Sharp Danny Briere Claude Giroux Corey Perry Daniel Sedin Ryan Kesler Milan Lucic Danny Cleary Logan Couture
Brandon Dubinsky Dany Heatley Jarome Iginla Bobby Ryan
Jonathan Toews Jeff Carter
Johan Franzen Anze Kopitar James Neal Paul Stastny Thomas Vanek Rene Bourque Brian Boyle Loui Eriksson Phil Kessel
Alex Ovechkin Brad Richards Eric Staal
ASSISTS Player
Henrik Sedin Sidney Crosby Pavel Datsyuk Martin St. Louis Alex Ovechkin
Henrik Zetterberg Ryan Getzlaf Kris Letang
Brad Richards
Dustin Byfuglien Matt Duchene
John-Michael Liles Daniel Sedin Joe Thornton Ryane Clowe Martin Havlat Milan Hejduk Corey Perry Mike Ribeiro Mike Richards Steven Stamkos
Steven Stamkos Sidney Crosby Daniel Sedin Ryan Malone
Jonathan Toews Claude Giroux Dany Heatley Ryan Kesler Joe Pavelski
Teemu Selanne Alexander Semin Thomas Vanek
Daniel Alfredsson Brent Burns Brett Clark
Loui Eriksson Johan Franzen Milan Hejduk Jarome Iginla Patrick Marleau Corey Perry
Michael Ryder Patrick Sharp Chris Stewart Kris Versteeg
Claude Giroux Brad Marchand Matt Cooke
Brandon Dubinsky Jordan Eberle
Curtis Glencross Lauri Korpikoski Andrew Ladd Bryan Little Greg Mauldin Frans Nielsen Brandon Prust Mike Richards Patrick Sharp Marc Staal
R.J. Umberger
Martin St. Louis Nicklas Lidstrom Alex Ovechkin Joe Thornton
Henrik Sedin
Dustin Byfuglien Tomas Kaberle Teddy Purcell Brad Richards
Steven Stamkos Team GP
Pittsburgh .................... 33 Tampa Bay .................... 31 Washington .................. 32 Columbus ...................... 29 Chicago ......................... 32 Philadelphia .................. 30 Philadelphia .................. 33 Anaheim ....................... 34 Vancouver .................... 29 Vancouver .................... 29 Boston .......................... 29 Detroit .......................... 30 San Jose ....................... 31 N.Y. Rangers ................. 33 San Jose ....................... 31 Calgary ......................... 31 Anaheim ....................... 34 Chicago ......................... 33 Philadelphia .................. 33 Detroit .......................... 29 Los Angeles .................. 28 Dallas ............................ 30 Colorado ....................... 31 Buffalo .......................... 31 Calgary ......................... 29 N.Y. Rangers ................. 33 Dallas ............................ 30 Toronto ......................... 30 Washington .................. 33 Dallas ............................ 30 Carolina ........................ 29
Team GP
Vancouver .................... 29 Pittsburgh .................... 33 Detroit .......................... 30 Tampa Bay .................... 31 Washington .................. 33
Nicklas Backstrom Washington .................. 33 Derek Roy
Buffalo .......................... 31 Detroit .......................... 30 Anaheim ....................... 34 Pittsburgh .................... 33 Dallas ............................ 30
Lubomir Visnovsky Anaheim ....................... 33 Ryan Whitney
Edmonton ..................... 30 Atlanta ......................... 32 Colorado ....................... 31 Colorado ....................... 31 Vancouver .................... 29 San Jose ....................... 29 San Jose ....................... 31 Minnesota .................... 29 Colorado ....................... 28 Anaheim ....................... 34 Dallas ............................ 30 Philadelphia .................. 33 Tampa Bay .................... 31
POWER PLAY GOALS Player
Team
Tampa Bay .................... 31 Pittsburgh .................... 33 Vancouver .................... 29 Tampa Bay .................... 31 Chicago ......................... 33 Philadelphia .................. 33 San Jose ....................... 31 Vancouver .................... 29 San Jose ....................... 31 Anaheim ....................... 26 Washington .................. 32 Buffalo .......................... 31 Ottawa ......................... 32 Minnesota .................... 27 Tampa Bay .................... 31 Dallas ............................ 30 Detroit .......................... 29 Colorado ....................... 28 Calgary ......................... 31 San Jose ....................... 31 Anaheim ....................... 34 Boston .......................... 29 Chicago ......................... 32 Colorado ....................... 23 Toronto ......................... 29
SHORT HANDED GOALS Player
Team
Philadelphia .................. 33 Boston .......................... 29 Pittsburgh .................... 33 N.Y. Rangers ................. 33 Edmonton ..................... 30 Calgary ......................... 30 Phoenix ......................... 29 Atlanta ......................... 32 Atlanta ......................... 26 Colorado ....................... 17 N.Y. Islanders ............... 28 N.Y. Rangers ................. 33 Philadelphia .................. 33 Chicago ......................... 32 N.Y. Rangers ................. 33 Columbus ...................... 30
POWER PLAY ASSISTS Player
Team
Tampa Bay .................... 31 Detroit .......................... 30 Washington .................. 33 San Jose ....................... 29
Nicklas Backstrom Washington .................. 33 Tobias Enstrom Derek Roy
Atlanta ......................... 32 Buffalo .......................... 31 Vancouver .................... 29 Atlanta ......................... 32 Toronto ......................... 30 Tampa Bay .................... 31 Dallas ............................ 30 Tampa Bay .................... 31
Lubomir Visnovsky Anaheim ....................... 33
SHORT HANDED ASSISTS Player
Team Brian Boyle Ryan Callahan
Gregory Campbell Matt Cooke Jake Dowell
Barret Jackman Brooks Orpik Brandon Prust Mike Richards Marc Staal Jarret Stoll
Ryan Whitney
Steven Stamkos Martin St. Louis Sidney Crosby Daniel Sedin Joe Thornton
N.Y. Rangers ................. 33 N.Y. Rangers ................. 32 Boston .......................... 29 Pittsburgh .................... 33 Chicago ......................... 33 St. Louis ....................... 20 Pittsburgh .................... 27 N.Y. Rangers ................. 33 Philadelphia .................. 33 N.Y. Rangers ................. 33 Los Angeles .................. 28 Edmonton ..................... 30
POWER PLAY POINTS Player
Team
Tampa Bay .................... 31 Tampa Bay .................... 31 Pittsburgh .................... 33 Vancouver .................... 29 San Jose ....................... 29
Nicklas Backstrom Washington .................. 33 Nicklas Lidstrom Jonathan Toews Dustin Byfuglien Dany Heatley Milan Hejduk Ryan Malone Alex Ovechkin Matt Cullen
Tobias Enstrom Corey Perry
Brad Richards Derek Roy
Henrik Sedin
Teemu Selanne Alexander Semin Patrick Sharp
Matt Cooke
Claude Giroux Brad Marchand Brandon Prust Mike Richards Marc Staal Brian Boyle
Brandon Dubinsky Andrew Ladd Bryan Little Patrick Sharp
Dustin Byfuglien Rick Nash
Steven Stamkos Rene Bourque Jeff Carter
Danny Cleary Logan Couture Valtteri Filppula Ryan Getzlaf Alex Goligoski Anze Kopitar Patrick Sharp
SHOTS Player
Alex Ovechkin Jeff Carter
Patrick Sharp Brian Gionta Evgeni Malkin
Henrik Zetterberg Dustin Byfuglien Sidney Crosby Bobby Ryan
PLUS/MINUS Player
Andrej Meszaros Toni Lydman
Sean O'Donnell Danny Briere Nathan Horton Kris Letang
Rostislav Klesla Milan Lucic
Detroit .......................... 30 Chicago ......................... 33 Atlanta ......................... 32 San Jose ....................... 31 Colorado ....................... 28 Tampa Bay .................... 31 Washington .................. 33 Minnesota .................... 27 Atlanta ......................... 32 Anaheim ....................... 34 Dallas ............................ 30 Buffalo .......................... 31 Vancouver .................... 29 Anaheim ....................... 26 Washington .................. 32 Chicago ......................... 32
SHORT HANDED POINTS Player
Team
Pittsburgh .................... 33 Philadelphia .................. 33 Boston .......................... 29 N.Y. Rangers ................. 33 Philadelphia .................. 33 N.Y. Rangers ................. 33 N.Y. Rangers ................. 33 N.Y. Rangers ................. 33 Atlanta ......................... 32 Atlanta ......................... 26 Chicago ......................... 32
GAME WINNING GOALS Player
Team
Atlanta ......................... 32 Columbus ...................... 29 Tampa Bay .................... 31 Calgary ......................... 29 Philadelphia .................. 33 Detroit .......................... 30 San Jose ....................... 31 Detroit .......................... 30 Anaheim ....................... 34 Pittsburgh .................... 33 Los Angeles .................. 28 Chicago ......................... 32
Team GP G
26 24 18 17 17 16 16 16 16 15 15 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 13 13 13 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 12 12 12
A
31 28 26 26 24 23 23 23 22 22 22 22 22 21 21 21 21 21 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
GP PP 11 8 8 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
GP SH 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
GP PPA 17 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10
GP SHA 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
GP PPP 21 18 16 16 16 15 15 15 14 14 14 14 14 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13
GP SHP 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3
GP GW 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
S
Washington .................. 33 146 Philadelphia .................. 33 141 Chicago ......................... 32 138 Montreal ....................... 31 127 Pittsburgh .................... 28 127 Detroit .......................... 30 127 Atlanta ......................... 32 123 Pittsburgh .................... 33 123 Anaheim ....................... 34 123
Team
Philadelphia .................. 32 Anaheim ....................... 30 Philadelphia .................. 33 Philadelphia .................. 30 Boston .......................... 29 Pittsburgh .................... 33 Columbus ...................... 30 Boston .......................... 29
GP +/- 21 18 18 17 17 17 16 16
EZ SU
KLMNO HOCKEY
STANDINGSANDSUMMARIES
EASTERNCONFERENCE SOUTHEAST W L OL PTS. GF GA Washington Atlanta
Tampa Bay Carolina Florida
18 11 4 40 99 94 17 11 5 39 102 96 17 10 4 38 96 107 14 12 4 32 85 92 13 16 0 26 74 76
ATLANTIC W L OL PTS. GF GA Philadelphia 21 7 5 47 113 81 Pittsburgh
N.Y. Rangers 20 13 New Jersey
9 19 2 20 56 88 N.Y. Islanders 6 18 5 17 62 100
NORTHEAST W L OL PTS. GF GA Montreal Boston Ottawa Buffalo
xToronto
WESTERNCONFERENCE CENTRAL Detroit
Nashville
xColumbus St. Louis Chicago
19 11 2 40 85 69 16 10 4 36 86 63 14 16 3 31 74 97 13 14 4 30 81 86 12 14 4 28 69 87
W L OL PTS. GF GA 20 7 3 43 101 80 16 8
16 11 3 35 78 82 15 10 5 35 80 84 16 14 3 35 104 100
NORTHWEST W L OL PTS. GF GA Vancouver Colorado
Minnesota xCalgary
xEdmonton PACIFIC
xDallas Anaheim
Los Angeles Phoenix
xSan Jose
17 8 4 38 94 76 17 10 4 38 112 98 13 13 4 30 72 89 13 15 3 29 84 91 11 14 5 27 78 105
W L OL PTS. GF GA 18 10 2 38 86 82 17 14 4 38 91 102 17 11 14 9
1 35 82 71 7 35 84 84
15 11 5 35 92 90
One point awarded for overtime losses. x-Late game.
WEDNESDAY’SRESULTS
Anaheim 2,Washington 1 (OT) Tampa Bay 2, Atlanta 1 (SO) Buffalo 3, Boston 2 New Jersey 3, Phoenix 0 N.Y. Rangers 4, Pittsburgh 1 Detroit 5, St. Louis 2 Philadelphia 5, Montreal 3 Carolina 4, Florida 3 Nashville 3, San Jose 2 Colorado 4, Chicago 3 Vancouver 3, Columbus 2 (OT)
THURSDAY’SRESULTS
at N.Y. Islanders 3, Anaheim 2 at N.Y. Rangers 4, Phoenix 3 (Shootout) Carolina 3, at Atlanta 2 (OT) at Montreal 4, Boston 3 at St. Louis 6, Los Angeles 4 Ottawa 3, at Minnesota 1 San Jose at Dallas, Late Toronto at Calgary, Late Columbus at Edmonton, Late
FRIDAY’SGAMES
Nashville at New Jersey, 7 Buffalo at Florida, 7:30 Detroit at Chicago, 8:30 Ottawa at Colorado, 9
CAPITALS’NEXTTHREE
at Bruins Tomorrow, 7 Comcast SportsNet+
at Senators Sunday, 7:30 Comcast SportsNet
vs. Devils Tuesday, 7:30 Versus
Radio: WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM)
SENATORS3,WILD1 Daniel Alfredsson, Nick Foligno and
Chris Kelly each scored, and Ottawa took advantage of a disallowed goal to beatMinnesota. KyleBrodziakscoredfor theWildand
had another goal called off because of too many men on the ice. The goal wouldhavegivenMinnesotaa2-1lead midway through the second period. Instead, Foligno scored nine seconds later and theWild never recovered. Video replays showed officialsmade
the correct call. OTTAWA .................................. 0
MINNESOTA ............................ 1 FIRST PERIOD
2 0
1 — 3 0 — 1
Scoring: 1, Minnesota, Brodziak 5 (Bouchard, Havlat), 3:36.
SECOND PERIOD Scoring: 2, Ottawa, Alfredsson 10 (Fisher, Karlsson), 6:11(pp).3,Ottawa,Foligno3(Karlsson,Gonchar),11:21 (pp).
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 4,Ottawa, Kelly 7 (Karlsson,Alfredsson), 19:23 (en).
SHOTSONGOAL OTTAWA .................................. 6
MINNESOTA .......................... 11
12 6
7 — 25 7 — 24
Power-play opportunities:Ottawa 2 of 2;Minnesota 0 of 3. Goalies: Ottawa, Leclaire 4-7-1 (24 shots-23 saves). Minnesota, Theodore 4-5-1 (24-22). A: 17,366 (18,064). T: 2:14.
BLUES6,KINGS4 Alex Steen scored the go-ahead
goal with less than three minutes left, and VladimirSobotka andDavid Back- es each collected three points to help St. Louis outscore Los Angeles. Sobotka scored his third goal of the season and also had two assists. Backes also had two assists, and he scored an empty-net goal in the final minute. Blues G Ty Conklin made 25 saves.
LOS ANGELES .......................... 1 ST. LOUIS ................................. 1
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1, Los Angeles, Smyth 9 (
J.Johnson, Brown), 16:59 (pp). 2, St. Louis, McClement 5 (Winchester, Crombeen), 18:45.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 3, Los Angeles, Kopitar 14 (Doughty,
J.John- son), 2:00 (pp). 4, St. Louis, Sobotka 3 (Backes, Colaiacovo), 5:07. 5, St. Louis, Winchester 4 (Colaiacovo, Sobotka), 9:46 (pp). 6, St. Louis, Brewer 5 (Sobotka, Backes), 15:07. 7, Los Angeles, Simmonds 6 (Clifford, Handzus), 15:53. 8, Los Angeles, Brown 11 (Scuderi, Kopitar), 17:20.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 9, St. Louis, Steen 9 (McClement, Crombeen), 17:07. 10, St. Louis, Backes 6 (Boyes, Colaiacovo), 19:01 (en-pp).
SHOTS ON GOAL LOS ANGELES .......................... 9
ST. LOUIS ............................... 12 8 12
12 — 29 7 — 31
Power-play opportunities: Los Angeles 2 of 6; St. Louis 2 of 5. Goalies: Los Angeles, Quick 15-6-1 (30 shots-25 saves). St. Louis, Conklin 3-2-1 (29-25). A: 19,150 (19,150). T: 2:26.
3 3
0 — 4 2 — 6
21 10 2 44 104 78 1 41 104 87
ISLANDERS3,DUCKS2 P.A. Parenteau, Blake Comeau and
Matt Moulson scored in a 99-second span as New York won for only the second time in22games. RickDiPietrostopped30shots for the
Islanders, who had lost six straight. DiPietro has both wins for New York in the past22games. Joffrey Lupul and Jason Blake scored
for Anaheim,whichwas coming off an overtimewin the night before inWash- ington. Curtis McElhinney started in net for
the Ducks and allowed three goals on 12shots.
ANAHEIM .................................. 0 N.Y. ISLANDERS ........................ 3
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1, N.Y. Islanders, Parenteau 5 (Tavares, Wis- niewski), 15:06 (pp). 2, N.Y. Islanders, Comeau 6 (Schremp, Sim), 15:34. 3, N.Y. Islanders, Moulson 11, 16:45.
6 38 79 72
SECONDPERIOD Scoring: 4,Anaheim, Lupul 3 (Koivu,Blake), 10:35 (pp).
THIRDPERIOD Scoring: 5,Anaheim,Blake 6 (Fowler, Lupul), 1:30.
SHOTSONGOAL ANAHEIM .................................. 6
N.Y. ISLANDERS ..................... 12
13 10
13 — 32 7 — 29
Power-play opportunities:Anaheim1 of 5;N.Y. Islanders 1 of 3. Goalies: Anaheim, McElhinney 2-3-1 (12 shots-9 saves),Hiller (16:45 first, 17-17).N.Y. Islanders,DiPietro 4-6-4 (32-30).A: 7,659 (16,234). T: 2:29.
HURRICANES3 THRASHERS2(SO)
Cam Ward stopped 45 shots and
Carolina earned its second straight comeback win, behind Sergei Sam- sonov’s decisive shot in the third round of a shootout. One night after Ward was pulled
after giving up three early goals in the Hurricanes’ comeback win at Florida, Carolina again played from behind after trailing 2-0 through two periods. This time, Ward remained in net for the win as Brandon Sutter and Eric Staal had third-period goals. The Thrashers lost their second
straight, both in shootouts. CAROLINA ......................... 0
ATLANTA ........................... 0 SECOND PERIOD
0 2
2 0
0 — 3 0 — 2
Scoring: 1, Atlanta, Kane 10 (Stewart, Oduya), 8:45 (pp). 2, Atlanta, Stewart 9 (Kane, Byfuglien), 18:56.
THIRD PERIOD Scoring: 3, Carolina,
Bra.Sutter7(Ruutu, McBain), :26. 4, Carolina,
E.Staal 13 (Pitkanen), 6:00.
SHOOTOUT
Carolina 2 (Skinner NG, Jokinen G,SamsonovG), Atlanta 1 (Antropov G, Little NG, Byfuglien NG).
SHOTS ON GOAL CAROLINA ....................... 10
ATLANTA ......................... 18
10 13
9 11
0 — 29 5 — 47
Power-play opportunities: Carolina 0 of 2; Atlanta 1 of 4. Goalies: Carolina, Ward 13-9-3 (47 shots-45 saves). Atlanta, Mason 7-5-2 (29-27). A: 11,043 (18,545). T: 2:33.
CANADIENS4,BRUINS3 Max Pacioretty had a goal and an
assist and Scott Gomez also had two points as Montreal ended a three- game losing streak with a win over Boston.
Michael Cammalleri scored on a
penalty shot 1:04 in. Maxim Lapierre and Brian Gionta also scored and Carey Price stopped 34 shots for the Canadiens. The Bruins’ Marc Savard and Pa-
trice Bergeron each had a goal and an assist.
BOSTON ................................... 1 MONTREAL .............................. 3
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1, Montreal, Cammalleri 11 (penalty shot), 1:04. 2, Montreal, Lapierre 5 (Darche, Picard), 6:24. 3, Boston, Wheeler 7 (Recchi, Bergeron), 15:52. 4, Montreal, Pacioretty 1 (Gomez, Spacek), 19:30.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 5, Boston, Savard 1 (Ference, Seguin), 6:54. 6, Montreal, Gionta 11 (Pacioretty, Gomez), 16:54.
THIRD PERIOD Scoring: 7, Boston, Lucic 16 (Bergeron, Savard), 15:10 (pp).
SHOTS ON GOAL BOSTON ................................... 9
MONTREAL ............................ 17
15 17
13 — 37 7 — 41
Power-play opportunities: Boston 1 of 4; Montreal 0 of 2. Goalies: Boston, Thomas 14-3-3 (41 shots-37 saves). Montreal, Price 18-9-2 (37-34). A: 21,273 (21,273). T: 2:30.
RANGERS4, COYOTES3(SO)
Rangers rookie Derek Stepan
scored the tying goal late in regulation and Erik Christensen netted the only goal in the shootout as New York rallied for the win. Martin Biron turned aside Lee Stempniak, Radim Vrbata and Eric Belanger in the shootout to make Christensen’s first-round tally stand up.
PHOENIX ............................ 2 N.Y. RANGERS ................... 1
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1, Phoenix, Pyatt 7 (Turris, Yandle), 1:27 (pp). 2, Phoenix, Aucoin 1 (Fiddler, Korpikoski), 5:53. 3, N.Y. Rangers, Girardi 3 (Fedotenko, Staal), 12:07 (pp).
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 4, Phoenix, Hanzal 8 (Doan, Whitney), 9:43 (pp). 5, N.Y. Rangers, Prust 5 (Girardi), 19:54 (sh).
THIRD PERIOD Scoring: 6, N.Y. Rangers, Stepan 8 (Drury, Rozsival), 14:17.
SHOOTOUT
Phoenix 0 (Stempniak NG, Vrbata NG, Belanger NG), N.Y. Rangers 1 (Christensen G, Stepan NG, Anisimov NG).
SHOTS ON GOAL PHOENIX .......................... 10
N.Y. RANGERS ................. 10
10 10
13 11
0 — 33 5 — 36
Power-play opportunities: Phoenix 2 of 4; N.Y. Rangers 1 of 5. Goalies: Phoenix, LaBarbera 2-3-1 (36 shots-33 saves). N.Y. Rangers, Biron 6-2-0 (33-30). A: 17,675 (18,200). T: 2:45.
CANUCKS3, BLUEJACKETS2(OT)
LateWednesday RyanKesler found a positive spin to
his team giving up a third-period lead. Vancouver’s meltdown gave him a chance to finally complete his first NHL hat trick. Kesler,whohad12previous two-goal games, scored a power-play goal in overtime to send Columbus to a loss.
COLUMBUS ........................ 0 VANCOUVER ..................... 1
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 2, Columbus, Brassard 7 (Voracek, Methot), 9:02. 3, Vancouver, Kesler 14 (Samuelsson), 10:50.
THIRD PERIOD Scoring: 4, Columbus, Sestito 1 (Commodore, Tyutin), 7:34 (pp).
OVERTIME
Scoring: 5, Vancouver, Kesler 15 (
D.Sedin,
H.Sedin), 3:30 (pp).
SHOTS ON GOAL COLUMBUS ........................ 6
VANCOUVER ................... 12
14 9
8 7
2 — 30 2 — 30
Power-play opportunities: Columbus 1 of 3; Vancouver 1 of 5. Goalies: Columbus, Garon 7-3-2 (30 shots-27 saves). Vancouver, Luongo 14-8-2 (30-28). A: 18,860 (18,810). T: 2:31.
1 1
1 0
FIRST PERIOD Scoring: 1, Vancouver, Kesler 13 (Edler), 19:37.
0 — 2 1 — 3
1 1
0 1
0 — 3 0 — 4
MIKE WISE ‘Leave Gabby alone’ wise from D1
in the day, TASS would have told the Kremlin, “Nyet, the people will not believe it. ” A quick recap: Sidney Crosby flashes his winsome smile and all his mates get along while winning 12 games in a row and playing video games and reading Tolstoy on the team charter plane. They’re so cute, those apple-cheeked Pens, you just want to take them all out for a double-scoop of mint-chocolate chip after each win, no? Meanwhile, a dejected Alex Ovechkin slumps in his locker, his up-and-coming, grail-less franchise hitting the skids yet again—this time, months before the NHL postseason. Dark. Brooding. HBO even closed the shades
in Ted Leonsis’s office, making the congenial owner appear a tad diabolical in his interview. They ominously mention the
last time the Capitals lost five games in a row,Washington got rid of its coach, that Boudreau was starting where he began. And that’s where it went too
far for me. This team had not won a
playoff series in nearly 10 years or a Presidents’ Trophy ever before Gabby got here. They did not sell out nightly before Boudreau told Ovie, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green to fly up ice, fire big shots and ask questions later. The idea that Boudreau’s job
should be in jeopardy at the moment is ludicrous. The Caps are still leading the soft Southeast Division. Even after Pittsburgh’s incredible onslaught of victories, the Caps are still a mere four points behind the Penguins—two wins, that’s it. And if HBO is going to make
such a huge deal over the rags- to-riches background of Penguins Coach Dan Bylsma, it better do Boudreau justice in the next couple of episodes. When you spend as much
time in hockey’s minor leagues as the NHL’s Crash Davis has, when you get a bit part in an iconic, irreverent film such as “Slap Shot,” when Paul Newman actually used your room in the movie, you deserve a nice voice-over or two about your journey. When a kid from Ontario
wakes up one day and painfully realizes his career his over and he didn’t get the most out of his talent as a player, like Boudreau did, and when that hockey lifer is suddenly entrusted with getting the most talented player in the world and his team over the hump, that’s aHoratio Alger story in blades—not another former NHL player who has done a very organized job as a caretaker in Pittsburgh. Boudreau’s biggest knock, in
my book, was falling too in love with the grinders who won him a Calder Cup inHershey. But there are worse crimes as a coach than blind loyalty.
The toughest part of his job
isn’t the losing. It’s realizing that the collective heart in that locker room may not be as big as the talent—that for all the Hart Trophies and goals the Great Eight accrues, he and some of his supremely talented teammates might still be too young and cocksure to realize what it takes to win at the NHL’s highest level. You want to point a finger,
point it at Ovechkin.He is the best target in that locker room. He has had three goals in his past 17 games. Since the “C” was sewn on his jersey this past Jan. 5 after Chris Clark was traded, he hasn’t exactly exuded the word, “Captain.” He doesn’t have to slam his
helmet into his cubicle or swear like a sailor. But he needs more quality and less quantity when it comes to shots on goal.He needs to muck it up in the crease like the laborers if need be, anything so he can find the net. Unless the wheels completely
come off—we’re talking 11, 12 losses in a row—Boudreau gets at least until this postseason. If he can get that team to at least the Eastern Conference finals or beyond, he deserves to stay and finish the job. HBO needs to stay and film
that. If not, I will watch anyway. I will watch “KevinMy Postman vs. BobMy Dry Cleaner 24/7.” It’s riveting. It’s real. It has me ready for more hockey.
wisem@washpost.com
1 1
1 — 3 0 — 4
1 0
1 — 2 0 — 3
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2010
Under HBO’s lights, Caps show blemishes and all
capitals from D1 “Without a doubt, it’s the Bad
Timing Award right now for the Washington Capitals,” former NHL coach and ESPN analyst BarryMelrose said on Thursday. “This is the worst possible time for it to happen to Washington. If I’m Bruce Boudreau, I curse the day I agreed to do this, because I can’t hide right now.” Boudreau said on Thursday
that he has yet to watch the show, though he already re- ceived a call from his 70-some- thingmotherchidinghimfor his language. Players offered mixed opinions, with some saying the cameras are an annoyance while others suggested that the show can help keep their troubles in perspective. “They didn’t beat [the bad
games] to death, which was good,” veteran winger Mike Knuble said. “They didn’t really focus on them; they were just kind of 45-second segments. And on our end, that was proba- bly pretty good to just kind of get through that part.” Perhaps, but the contrasts be-
tween the teams could not have been more stark. The Penguins, who were riding a 12-game win- ning streak in the first episode, appeared loose and joyous, jok- ing at a holiday party, playing pranks during a road trip, trad- ing barbs over video games and holding contests in which the loser had to grow a mustache. The Capitals, on the other
hand, appeared approximately as giddy as a toddler at the dentist. “Losing sucks the personality
out of you,” former player and Comcast SportsNet analyst Alan May said. “It shows the humani- ty of it. You saw how the Caps guys were: not a whole lot of talking going on, everything’s
somewhat negative. They’ve got to live that everywhere they go.” The networkdoesn’t yetknow
how many people watched epi- sode one — Nielsen overnight numbers are only available for ad-supported stations — but HBO attracted 4 to 5 million weekly viewers for its “Hard Knocks” series about the New York Jets training camp this summer. And while a hockey- based show can’t approach the drawing power of the NFL, the Capitals’ plight is clearly being magnified for a national audi- ence. “If HBO deleted all the F-
bombs from its NHL ‘24/7,’ the show would be only a half-hour long,” Newsday columnist Neil Best joked on Twitter. “Bruce Boudreau has now be-
come the hockey equivalent of Rex Ryan,” CBC’s Jeff Marek said, referring to the Jets’ loudly profane coach. “We are getting the coverage
we deserve,” Leonsis wrote in an e-mail. “We knew what we were signing up
for.My regrets are to our fans for not playingupto our capabilities of late. . . . It is real; authentic and true. Warts and all.” The biggest wart, perhaps,
has been the language, which prompted the Capitals’ media relations staff to send out a parental discretion warning ear- lier in the week. While the teams are shown advance footage to ensure that no competitive se- crets are revealed,GeneralMan- ager George McPhee said he hasn’t askedforanychangesand has even insisted that some re- luctant players wear micro- phones when asked. Granted nearly limitless ac-
cess, HBO’s first episode fea- tured more than 80 moments of profanity, and in various online forums, some fans worried that
Boudreau’s cursing — particu- larly during timeouts and inter- mission speeches — got in the way of any tactical instructions. “I know what I’d be like right
nowif IwasBruce Boudreau;my language would be the last thing onmy mind,”Melrose said. “You can say it’s terrible or whatever, but that’s how athletes talk. It’s not hockey players; it’s athletes. That’s the language of competi- tion.” Still, this was a portrayal
somewhat at odds with Bou- dreau’s public image, which has included jolly one-liners and ab- surd local commercials in which he praises carpet cleaners and performsbird calls for auto deal- erships. The profanity “doesn’t truly represent who Bruce is; if you were to sit down and have a beer with him, you wouldn’t hear all that,”May said. “That’s nothowI speak, but there were a lot of habits I had that never left that locker room. It’s all part of get- ting your gladiator on.” HBO producers, who log
more than 50 hours of footage for every episode, are already editing the show’s next install- ment, which airs Dec. 22. And Ross Greenburg, the president of HBO Sports, said the story line would be bolstered if the Capitals can halt their slide. “You always want an arc to a
story,” he said. “We don’t want to be heading down a hill here and see the crumbling of a great franchise.”
Which is obviously a goal the
Capitals can endorse. “This losing streak is unchart-
ed territory for many of our folks,” Leonsis wrote. “The pres- sure heightens as cameras are everywhere. But this is what we signed up for.”
steinbergd@washpost.com carrerak@washpost.com
JOHN MCDONNELL/THE WASHINGTON POST Capitals Coach Bruce Boudreau, left, showed his more colorful side toHBOaudiences onWednesday.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112