By Bridget Samuels

When the NHL roster freeze is removed, it will effectively turn the heat up from its current simmer on this year’s hot stove. In fact, Greg Wyshynski and Jeff Marek chose to make it their topic of the day for their fantastic #MvsW podcast, asking “who is the first name player to be traded?”

Taking a few seasons worth of trade deadlines and hockey trades into consideration, the NHL rarely has a ‘name’ player traded. However, one name whose name simply won’t go away is Washington Capitals enigmatic winger Alexander Semin. Semin, or ‘Sasha’ as he’s affectionately referred to, is in his seventh season in the League and with the Caps but could be the poster boy for a change in scenery.

Whether that change comes via a new team or a plane ride to Eurasia to tour the KHL is another story altogether.

After this season, Semin likely enters the free agent waters for the first time in his career. The 27-year-old has signed two consecutive one-year deals to remain in Washington, earning a raise in his most recent pact of 700K. However, there is no way he could argue his current performance deserves a raise. Furthermore, it would be hard to argue he has earned the $6.7 million the Caps are contractually obligated to fork over to him.

Following last night, 4-2 drubbing at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres, Semin has now scored seven goals and 15 points through 31 games. His 19 projected goals would be the lowest since his rookie campaign. Likewise, his 22 assists and 41 points would also be career lows outside of his inaugural season.

Just by watching him, you know the kind of talent he brings to the table. But gauging his trade value based on real-life value and what other GMs would be willing to sacrifice is another story.

A few weeks ago, Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun decided to give his take on Sasha. Unlike his usual hyperbole in which Garrioch usually draws two big names out of a hat and guarantees some sort of guaranteed deal (g5), the columnist chose to give a relatively straight forward answer on the subject. From The Ottawa Sun:

Since a coaching change hasn’t brought the desired results, Capitals GM George McPhee has been working the phones trying to shake up his struggling club. While the Caps would love to move Alexander Semin, there is no market for a struggling, underachieving winger making too much money these days.

With all 30 teams trying to make the playoffs and only 3-5 legitimately out of the race, it is somewhat troubling to think no one would take the risk. Semin has roughly $3.7 million remaining on his cap hit for the season with 15 teams able to foot that bill without an exchange of money. Ruling out noncontenders like the Anaheim Ducks and Carolina Hurricanes while also removing small-budget teams like the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars, we are now left with about 7-9 contenders who could use a bit more skill up front.

In years past, GM George McPhee would like scoff at trading away his former scorer. Yet, right now, there probably is no better option in shaking up his club’s current configuration. They could opt for a nice package of a prospect and a draft pick or try to help this year’s incarnation which has struggled to keep the puck out of the net in addition to icing a mediocre power play and penalty kill. Moreover, McPhee could just move Semin because it is good asset management turning around an expiring asset for a non-expiring package.

The salary cap will continue to stifle big-name, blockbuster trades but Semin may still be on the move. As we near the halfway point of the season, don’t be surprised if his name is thrown around in a few conversations.

As predicted, it didn’t take very long for Bruce Boudreau to resurface on the NHL head coaching map. After being dismissed from his post with the Washington Capitals on Monday, Boudreau didn’t even have time to make it to the proverbial unemployment line.

Boudreau produced a 201-88-40 record in Washington. Anaheim hopes for similar success. (Photo credit: Jean Levac, Postmedia News)

When the Anaheim Ducks fired Randy Carlyle following Wednesday night’s 4-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, the team swooped in and hired the 56-year-old Boudreau to be his replacement.

The irony of the situation is many feel that Boudreau’s demise in Washington was hastened by an incident that occurred late in a November 1st meeting between the Capitals and Anaheim. Washington trailed by a goal late in regulation time, and Boudreau left captain and face of the franchise Alex Ovechkin on the bench with his club in dire need of a tying goal. Ovechkin was caught on camera uttering some unrepeatable phrases, and it seemed his play was rather indifferent for the rest of the month. Even though the team tied it and went on to win in overtime that night, it appeared that Boudreau’s fate with the Caps was sealed that night.

As pointed out in the aftermath of Boudreau’s firing in Washington, he absolutely deserved a better fate, but something had to be done.

Now just a month later to the day, Boudreau is at the helm of those very same Ducks.

Carlyle’s circumstances was very similar. Before Wednesday’s win, Anaheim had been in a horrific tailspin. Even with the victory against the Canadiens, the club had gone just 2-7-1 in their last 10 games, and 3-12-4 in the last 19. Their 7-13-4 record has the Ducks battling the Columbus Blue Jackets for the basement spot in the Western Conference.

Coaching the team since the 2005-06 campaign, Carlyle posted a 273-182-6 mark in Anaheim. His biggest accomplishment was in his second year with the organization, as he guided the team to a Stanley Cup championship in 2007.

One of the biggest disappointments for Anaheim this season has been their almost total lack of offense. In their last 16 losses, the club has mustered a measly 32 goals. The Ducks’ big line of Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, and Corey Perry have all slumped this year, leading to persistent rumors that Ryan is on the trading block.

Look for the intensity of those rumors to calm down for a period of adjustment to the new coach, and for management to assess their club’s needs and Ryan’s performance.

It might be perceived that Boudreau is taking over in a climate that is much the same as what he experienced with the Capitals. The Ducks are a team that thrives when the big line produces, and Anaheim’s success is proportionately dependent on the amount of ice time given to the star players.

One of the issues he had tried to deal with in Washington was cutting the star player’s ice time, especially when they took a bad penalty or generally underperforming. In addition to Ovechkin’s murmuring caught on video, it also led to a rift with Alexander Semin, who was benched numerous times for lazy stick infractions and coasting in the team’s defensive zone.

For those expecting this move to be a failure in Anaheim, betting against Boudreau would not be a wise choice. Remember, he took over a confused and disjointed Capitals team in 2007, and immediately brought cohesion and disciplined play to the squad. He won the 2008 Jack Adams award as the League’s top coach, and sported a 201-88-40 record during his time in Washington.

The Ducks have looked to be in a similar fog of disarray this season, so Boudreau should be no stranger to the type of chaos he is coming in to.

Much the same as when he took over the Caps, many of the pieces are already in place in Anaheim. Just like Washington had Ovechkin, Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mike Green, the Ducks boast reigning NHL MVP Perry, Getzlaf, and Perry, along with ageless wonder Teemu Selanne.

It may just be the team isn’t deep enough and moves will have to eventually be made. Or it could be all they need is for someone to arrange and maneuver the existing pieces in a way that makes sense, and in a manner that returns the Ducks to the western powerhouse we have come to expect.

It will be interesting to see just how long it will take to right the ship in Anaheim, but things will be rectified with a club that is struggling to find its way at the moment. Boudreau will see to that, just as he did in Washington.

And maybe, just maybe, Anaheim will eventually give Boudreau something in return that the Capitals could not during his time in Washington, and that is a deep playoff run.

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Managing Editor

There is an old adage in professional sports about how it is easier to fire a coach than it is to fire 23 players, and that could not have been more true in this morning’s axing of Bruce Boudreau by the Washington Capitals.

Following a team-best 7-0-0 start the Caps had fallen on hard times in recent weeks, going just 5-9-1 over their last 15 games.

There were obviously issues in the dressing room that revolved around new implementations by Boudreau, involving accountability of his club’s numerous star players.  The coach was apt to bench anyone if they were playing at a level deemed less than what was expected.

The situation between Boudreau and Ovechkin may have been 'irreconcilable'. (Photo credit: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)

One of the most-publicized – and perhaps damning - incidents occurred on November 1, when Boudreau sat captain and face-of-the-franchise Alex Ovechkin in the last minute of a contest that Washington trailed by a goal.

Even though Nicklas Backstrom would score both the game-tying goal late in regulation and the game-winner in overtime, cameras caught Ovechkin - who was visibly unhappy - murmuring on the bench.  If you are good at reading lips, Ovechkin’s displeasure at Boudreau’s decision to leave him on the pines at a critical time in the tilt was crystal clear.

Prior to last year, Ovechkin had scored 50-or-more goals and 100-or-more points in four of five NHL campaigns.  Even in his sophomore season of 2006-07, when he did not attain those levels, he still recorded 46 goals and 92 points.

Already coming off a career-low 32 goals last season, Ovechkin was slumping badly again in the season’s first two months this year. 

After 22 games, Ovie had all of eight goals and 17 points – good for second on the club, but far below the numbers usually put up by the 26-year-old Russian-native.  He had all of one goal and three points in his last eight contests, a stretch in which he also was tagged with a -7 rating.

Something had to change, and there was no way that Ted Leonsis and the Capitals were about to move Ovechkin.

Not surprisingly, it was Boudreau who ended up as the one on the chopping block.

Stephen Whyno, the Caps’ beat writer for The Washington Times, tweeted this quote from Bill Watters, who was Boudreau agent during his playing days.

“I called this a week ago. It was inevitable with Ovechkin. I don’t know whos going to be the second victim, but Bruce is the first.  When they decided that keeping Alex Ovechkin happy was secondary to winning a Stanley Cup, that was the end of Bruce Boudreau.”

In hiring former-Capitals captain Dale Hunter as Boudreau’s replacement, there is no doubt Washington is getting another incredible bench boss.  He has spent the last 11 years as coach of the OHL’s London Knights, sporting a gaudy 451-189-23-24 mark.  There is no reason to believe Hunter won’t attack this opportunity with the ferocity that helped him to become the only NHLer ever to record more than 1,000 points and 3,500 PIMs during his 19-year career.

But one has to believe that Boudreau deserved a better end to his time with the Caps.  He took over a team that was very much in disarray in 2007, and turned things around to the tune of an amazing 201-88-40 record.  He won the Jack Adams Trophy in 2008, and became the coach to win 200 games the quickest in NHL history.  Now he is out of a job, but there is no doubt Boudreau will be picked up by another team at some point during the remainder of the regular season.

With the air of frustration and dischord surrounding the team, a change definitely had to be made.  The disinterested play exhibited by Ovechkin, as well as that of fellow-Russian star winger Alexander Semin (five goals, 10 points, -3 in 21 games), seemed to seal Boudreau’s fate.  

Thrashings at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets (4-1 on November 17), Toronto Maple Leafs (7-1 in on November 19), New York Rangers (6-3 in Washington on November 25), and to an injury-depleted Buffalo Sabres squad (5-1 this past Saturday night) also could not be ignored.

Boudreau’s biggest downfall during his time in America’s capital was his 17-20 playoff record.  By acquiring character players such as Mike Knuble, Jason Chimera, Joel Ward, and Troy Brouwer over the last few years, the Capitals had added several character players to not only help push the club over the hump in the postseason, but also to get them through the times of adversity.  This is certainly one of those times, and it will be interesting to see how they react and get the players to respond.

Sure, Boudreau deserved a much better fate in Washington.  But it was easier to change coaches than to go through a massive rebuilding stage for a club that appeared destined to make a run at the Stanley Cup.

Sometimes old professional sports adages ring true far too often.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

By Alexander Monaghan
President 

By Bridget Samuels (originally posted to Flickr as IMG_6946.jpg)

A quick glance at the League leaders in scoring would yield some household names. Budding forwards Jamie Benn, Phil Kessel and Claude Giroux sit atop stats pages with a familiar name sandwiched in between. That name is Nicklas Backstrom, a once 100-point producer whose production — much like the rest of the Washington Capitals — simply fell off a map last season.

Backstrom has been excellent, sitting third in the League in total points and first in assists. He’s the first player to double digit power play assists and power play totals overall. The crafty Swede is a huge reason why the Caps hold the fourth-most efficient conversion rate with the man advantage. Their power play efficiency was actually a huge reason why the Caps fell from first in scoring to 19th last season.

Looking back at those initial statistics, you will find Alex Ovechkin a bit farther down the list. Not necessarily struggling but also not proving himself statistically as the best player in the League. His six goals and 13 points tie him for 28th overall in scoring. More importantly all six goals scored have been assisted by Backstrom; the six notches this season are only one more than his pivot, making Backstrom’s totals that more impressive.

We all knew Backstrom was a top-notch talent but perhaps he is now ready to break free as a true superstar, not just Ovi’s center.

On Monday, the Gavle, Sweden received a bit of notoriety, earning the third star of the week thanks to three dominant games. Over those three tilts he potted three goals and six points — out producing everyone except fellow Swede Loui Eriksson. His accolade acknowledged his excellent streak but it did not define his contributions on the ice thus far.

He actually has continued his tear, moving from a three-game point streak to a current five-game streak. In addition, these consecutive point totals mark his second streak of the year and second five-game streak for that matter. In fact, he only has two games played without a single point and eight multi-point games over the course of the season.

Last season we saw Backstrom post three multi-game point streaks with only one sustaining a five-game length. More importantly, he only scored a point in 37 of his 77 games played as he struggled with injury and inconsistency. While he took 202 shots on goal, and has taken over 200 shots for two straight seasons, he contributes his early success to throwing more pucks at the net. From Capitals Insider:

“Obviously even if I like to pass — and I like to pass — I’ve got to try to shoot it more too,” Backstrom said. “That’s what I’m trying to do this year.”

More shooting has led to a 13.2 percent shooting percentage. His career high 33 goals came with a 14.9 percent success rate so an uptick could be sustainable. However, it should be noted that his career average is a bit below at 11.7. What’s most important is the total amount of shots he projects to take: 240 — a would-be career-high.

At this current rate, Backstrom is on pace for 32 goals and 120 points while Ovechkin looks like a 38-goal, 82-point winger. Again, nothing to sneeze at but not the most talented player in the world and possibly not even the top guy on this team.

The buzz word in Washington has been accountability. When Ovechkin was recently benched for the final minute of play against the Anaheim Ducks it was Backstrom who skated out as the extra attacker. Furthermore, it was Backstrom who scored the tying goal in the final minute. Alexander Semin had his ice time slashed due to too many minor penalties during Tuesday night’s 5-2 loss to the Dallas Stars but Backstrom finished second in ice time.

In a more evenly-distributed and accountable hybrid system, Backstrom is once again thriving under coach Bruce Boudreau. Moreover, he may give the Sedin Twins a run for their money as the top scoring Swede in the NHL.

Two days after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7, the Tampa Bay Lightning started the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against their division rival, Washington Capitals. NHLHS Tampa Bay Lightning Correspondent Danny Di Nicolantonio renews the rivalry.

Tampa Bay looked to carry their momentum from their comeback in the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals into the Semi-Finals against Washington. This seemed to be the case in the first five minutes of the first period. Sean Bergenheim drew first blood for the Lightning at the 2:12 mark. Bergenheim pushed a laying puck in the crease into the net after Steve Downie took it to the front of Capitals goaltender, Michal Neuvirth.

Just under two minutes later, Alexander Semin tied the game up at 1-1 after a clearing attempt up the middle of the ice by Brett Clark was slowed down by Marco Sturm. Semin threw a wrist shot through the five hole of goaltender, Dwayne Roloson.

At the 7:22 of the opening period, Simon Gagne left the game after taking a hit along the boards delivered by Capitals defenseman, Scott Hannan. Clean hit cause Gagne’s feet to leave the nice and fall awkwardly to the ice, which involved his head hitting the ice. A stretcher was brought out as he laid motionless on the ice for a few moments, but did not need it as he was able to sit up on his own before being helped off the nice. Gagne will be evaluated on Saturday. “You obviously don’t want to imagine the worst,” Guy Boucher said. “But at the same time, I’ll be honest, I think our entire staff and our organization, we care about our players. For us, they’re not the numbers, they’re people. The first thing that comes to mind is not, ‘I’ve lost a player.’ But, ‘I hope his health is okay.’”

Coming out of the first intermission, the Capitals were able to take a 2-1 lead early. After a faceoff win to the right of Roloson, Jason Chimera was able to place the puck on the stick of an unguarded Eric Fehr who was sitting in front of the net for the goal.

This goal by Washington seemed to provide more energy for Tampa Bay as they attempted to get back into the game. Steve Downie was able to aid that spark with a goal late in the second period. He heads the team in playoffs with nine points (2G, 7A). Downie’s backhanded shot hit Hannan in front before going past Neuvirth.

The top two goaltenders in the playoffs, Dwayne Roloson and Michal Neuvirth kept their respective clubs in the game, making important saves at key times. Roloson stopped 26 of 28 shots he faced while Neuvirth stopped 20 of 24 shots, including five while his team was on the power play.

With just 32 seconds left in the middle period and the Lightning on the power play, it was Steven Stamkos made it 3-2. Special teams will continue to be a key factor as this series progresses. The Lightning killed off all five of the Capitals power plays, while capitalizing on one of their own four chances—which became the game winner.
One of the Lightning’s standout players this year, Dominic Moore, raced down the ice beating Ovechkin to the puck to poke it into the back of the empty net to give the Lightning a 4-2 lead with 40 seconds left in the third.

Tampa Bay went on to win, 4-2 over number one seed, Washington. This win, was their fourth in a row, including three of them on the road. Game 2 is on Sunday night, at 7PM. Defenseman; Pavel Kubina also left the game after being struck in the head with an elbow from Jason Chimera at the 18 minute mark of the 2nd period.

This was Detroit Red Wings game number eleven, and Washington Capitals game number three on the season for me. While I tend to root for the Caps at their games I attend, I can’t do so on my home turf.

Yes, there were many Caps fans in attendance, but it wasn’t enough to hear anyone shouting “Red!” during the national anthem or yell at Red Wings fans for booing Alexander Ovechkin (I loudly complained about people booing. What has Ovi done, people? He’s not Sidney Crosby. Or Sergei Fedorov after he left the Red Wings. He’s a fantastic player; the booing was unnecessary).

From the start, the game was intense. Both teams knew this would be a challenging game; Detroit was facing Ovechkin, newly red-hot, and a team looking for their tenth win in as many games; Washington was facing a team looking to prove that they can still win games against other Cup contenders and prove they’re still in the hunt for that elusive trophy.

Once again, Henrik Zetterberg proved that he is a key component for this team. In the past month, he’s only had a handful of goals, although he was still raking in the assists. He had a rocket of a wrist shot go past Michal Neuvirth to start the scoring off at 12:23; Brian Rafalski had his first assist of the evening in his first game back.

But John Carlson retaliated just thirty-three seconds later, showing just how dangerous of a player he is. Don’t underestimate this kid; after all, he did score the overtime-winning goal for the USA in the World Juniors to snap Canada’s win streak. After he scored, a guy several rows in front of me jumped up and pulled off his Zetterberg jersey to reveal an Ovechkin jersey underneath. Pretty hilarious (and he put Zetterberg back on when play resumed).

To take the lead for the Red Wings, another one of those goal-drought players stepped it up. Valtteri Filppula got the deflection off of Rafalski’s shot.

Nearly six minutes into the second period, Ovechkin got the puck from Alexander Semin and was speeding toward the Red Wings’ net. Even with Brad Stuart back to cover, I had a feeling that wasn’t going to be enough. And it wasn’t. His bullet of a shot got past Jimmy Howard and tied the game up at two. I booed, but then applauded. Hey, he didn’t score in either of the games I attended back in January; at least I got to see him score now.

When Zetterberg scored on a hard-angle shot in the third period, I saw the puck go in the top corner behind Neuvirth, but it took the goal light a few seconds to go off. In those few seconds, those crazy thoughts of, “Well…maybe it didn’t go in…” passed through my mind. That quickly passed and Joe Louis Arena exploded in triumph.

The Capitals played a good game of hockey. They kept the pressure on the entire time, down to the very last buzzer. While people around me were shouting for Zetterberg to get the empty-netter to get us free curly fries at Arby’s for a hat trick, I was just praying for them to clear the zone. Had they had Nicklas Backstrom in the lineup, they would have been that much deadlier. I would say something about Mike Green, but you all know how I feel about him. Let’s just say he got off easy by not being in the lineup.

Jimmy Howard played a solid game and had some serious saves. It’s always scary to see Semin take a wrist shot because they’re so dangerous, but Howard was steady and seemed to lock it down. Rafalski had a nice game back from a moderately lengthy absense, getting three assists. And Todd Bertuzzi played a pretty good game defensively.

This is the kind of hockey us Red Wings fans like to see around this time of the year: solid defensive hockey, cycling offensive hockey, and lots and lots of puck control. When a team gets clicking like the Red Wings did Wednesday night, it’s a pretty dangerous thing.

And kudos to the guy behind me talking about Alexander Ovechkin being a Russian spy.

Christina Roberts
NHLHS Detroit Red Wings Correspondent
Twitter: @franzenmuth
Email: christina.roberts@nhlhotstove.com

Breaking news from the NHL today regarding tomorrow’s Winter Classic between the Penguins and Capitals in Pittsburgh. The NHL announced that the game will be moved from its original start time of 1 P.M. to 8 P.M. New Year’s night.

The NHL made this decision based on weather reports that suggest a storm front moving through the region that could cause steady rain in the morning and early afternoon. The front is expected to move through and cooler conditions are expected for game time. If they determine they game cannot be played tomorrow then it will be moved to Sunday January 2 and will start at noon.

The NHL also has a contingency plan for in case weather inhibits play once the game has begun. If two periods are completed and it is deemed the ice surface is no longer playable, the NHL will call the game and the leader after two periods will be awarded the win. If the game is tied after two periods and the teams are tied, they will proceed directly to a shootout to decide a winner. If the ice is so bad that they cannot have a shootout, the shootout will be completed at the Verizon Center before the next game between Pittsburgh and Washington on February 6th. If two periods are not completed then the game will be officially postponed and will start from the beginning on Sunday.

Those are just contingency plans and will only be used if absolutely necessary. Weather reports show a cool and dry evening in Pittsburgh once the storm front passes through in the late afternoon.

Other notes:

–The Pens and Caps alumni teams played to a 5-5 tie in the inaugural Winter Classic Alumni Game at Heinz Field.

–The Pens will hold a morning skate at 10:30 at the Consol Energy Center.

–Heinz Field parking lots will open at 2:30 P.M.

–Gates will open at 5:30 P.M.

–Penguins’ center Jordan Staal is listed as a game time decision per head coach Dan Bylsma.

–This will be the first Winter Classic that will be played in primetime.

–Due to the late starting time, the Winter Classic will only have to compete with the Fiesta Bowl between UConn and Oklahoma.

–The Pens and Caps each held a practice on the ice after the alumni game. Each practice was followed by a family skate for the players and their families.

Again, the NHL announced that the 2011 Winter Classic will now begin at 8 P.M. tomorrow night rather than the original 1 P.M. starting time.

Happy New Year everyone!!!

Robbie Naugle
NHLHS Pittsburgh Penguins Correspondent
Email: rnaugle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @pensfan087

It was indeed a rare occurrence for Brian Boucher.  Not only was this his first start since October 25th, it was coming in a big game against the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals.  These types of starts are usually reserved for the clubs’ number one, and that is definitely 22-year-old Russian rookie Sergei Bobrovsky.

But with talk that Bobrovsky may be wearing down after 12 consecutive starts, head coach Peter Laviolette made the decision to go with Boucher in the battle of the top two teams in the conference.

After allowing a Marcus Johansson goal midway through the opening period, Boucher played a stellar game against perhaps the most lethal offensive attack in the NHL.

As Boucher held the Capitals from scoring any further goals, Claude Giroux, Mike Richards, and Jeff Carter all tallied for the Flyers to give Philly a 3-1 lead with 10 minutes left in the third period.

But that’s when the Philadelphia penalties began.   A problem in recent games, the Flyers showed a lack of discipline that has haunted the team over the past week in losses to the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning.

With defenseman Kimmo Timonen in the penalty box for holding, Nicklas Backstrom pulled the Caps to within one with a power play tally.

Worse yet, Richards was called for a slash on Eric Fehr as Backstrom scored the goal.  Washington was going right back to the man advantage.

As has been the case lately, the Flyers penalty killing unit couldn’t come up with an answer.  It took the Capitals just 28 seconds to tie the game, as Jason Chimera was able to knock his own rebound past Boucher.

Andreas Nodl has been a revelation for Philadelphia so far the year, and less than two and a half minutes later restored the Flyers’ lead.  Playing on a line with Richards and the struggling James van Riemsdyk, the trio had generated some good scoring chances.

On the go ahead goal, van Riemsdyk carried the puck behind the Capitals’ net and whipped a backhand pass in front onto Nodl’s stick.  Nodl’s spin-o-rama backhander found its way through Washington netminder Michal Neuvirth for his fifth of the season, and Philly led 4-3 with just over seven minutes left.

After two failed power plays of their own, Philadelphia would give up another chance late in the game.  Danny Briere clipped defenseman John Carlson with a high stick, and Fehr ripped a one timer over Boucher’s shoulder to tie it with just 38.8 seconds left in regulation.

This was the type of undisciplined play that led to so much trouble last year when the team’s up-and-down performances nearly cost them a spot in the postseason.

The Flyers couldn’t take advantage of a Backstrom penalty late in the overtime, and Philly headed to their first shootout of the season.

It seemed appropriate that Boucher was in net.  His heroics on the last day of the regular season in a shootout against the New York Rangers propelled the club into the playoffs.

In succession, Boucher would stop three of the most offensively gifted players in the National Hockey League.

First was Backstrom, and “Boosh” got just enough of his high shot with the glove to keep it out.  Next was Alexander Ovechkin, who also attempted a to pick the top corner.  But Boucher flashed leather and snagged the shot.   After Briere put a shot through Neuvirth’s five-hole, it was all up to Alexander Semin. Semin dangled and made the perfect move.  With Boucher sprawled across the ice Semin lifted a backhander past the fallen Flyers’ goaltender, but it hit the post and stayed out.

In beating the Capitals, Boucher got his second win of the year and his first since October 23rd against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

With the injured Michael Leighton practicing with the team and set to return soon, there has been talk as to how the goaltending situation will play out with the three netminders.  Conventional thinking would be that Boucher is the odd man out but on this night, Boucher showed that he can still contribute.

And Briere was able to redeem himself with the shootout-winning goal after taking the undisciplined stick foul late in the game that led to the Caps’ tying power play marker.

Undisciplined play continues

The night ended on an upbeat note, but one thing is for certain – Laviolette needs to address the players as to the bad habits that are creeping back into their game after the ten straight wins.

The Flyers lead the entire NHL with 117 minor penalties, and this is obviously a statistic that needs to change.  In just 21 contests, so that is almost six per game.  The teams with the next highest total are the Anaheim Ducks and St. Louis Blues, both with 100.

Compared to the Florida Panthers’ league fewest total of 54, it’s plain to see that Philly is facing many more self-induced penalty killing situations.  And with the PK units recent struggles, that is something that Laviolette will need to work on.

Taking a Flyer:  It was an unusually quiet night for Ovechkin.  Although he managed to record an assist on Backstrom’s goal, Ovie ended the game with just three shots on goal, and missed high and wide on most of his shot attempts, especially noticeable on his power play one timers…van Riemsdyk played his best game in recent memory, assisting on Nodl’s goal and creating scoring chances…Nikolay Zherdev was moved to the club’s fourth line with Blair Betts and Jody Shelley, and saw just 6:21 of ice time after scoring two goals and three points Thursday…Ville Leino has slumped as of late.  Last night, he registered just one shot on goal and no points in 14:39 of ice time.  Leino has only one assist in his last four contests…the power play was 1-9, and is just 2-24 in the last four games.  Maybe Zherdev seeing some time with the man advantage would be something for Laviolette to employ.

David Strehle
NHLHS Philadelphia Flyers Correspondent
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia

At a point last season the team decided to use Tomas Fleischmann at the pivot position but quickly moved him off the line in favor of Brendan Morrison and then later Eric Belanger. Sure enough this season they are trying Fleischmann there again, who has very limited experience playing the position.

The winger-turned-pivot may be the right choice for the job as they continue to experiment.  However, head coach Bruce Boudreau found out recently he probably should keep Nicklas Backstrom with Alexander Ovechkin.  Boudreau tried Backstrom on the second line in between Alexander Semin and Brooks Laich to mixed results.  The defensive awareness of both Backstrom and Laich actually counteracted each other and made the trio less dangerous.  Meanwhile, Fleischmann also did not work with Ovechkin and Mike Knuble.

In fact, the experiment lasted all of one period before the Capitals switched back and eventually defeated the lowly New York Islanders in overtime.

Faceoff percentage is becoming a somewhat concerning stat for the club as they rely more and more on Backstrom to take important draws in the defensive zone.  According to Neil Greenberg at Capitals Insider, Backstrom has taken the majority of his draws on the other end of the ice.  Eventually all of this pressure could throw off his production somewhat as he is below a point-per-game pace through five (although that is clearly nothing to worry about this early in the season).

Nevertheless, with all of these problems the team still manages to win.  Their goals forced are fourth in the League despite playing one less game than the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks.  As expected they sit at the top of their division and could hold that position for the rest of the season.

The offense with its supposed hole up the middle continues to run effectively, so the team probably will maintain the course as they did last season.  One thing they still need to improve on is grit on the blue line, especially since they are currently missing both Mike Green and Tom Poti.  However, if the team continues their winning ways with all their flaws they will probably hold onto their $3,344,818 million cap space and splurge at the deadline.

It seems like the Caps will stay the course and will only fix a hole if they actually stop winning.  The jury will remain out if this super-skilled dynamic team can translate this regular season success into the playoffs but it looks like they will take another go at it without added grit.

When the Washinton Capitals re-signed center Eric Belanger, it was believed he would come at the expense of versatile forward Tomas Fleischmann. With only one year left before becoming an unrestricted free agent and other forwards like Alexander Semin and Brooks Laich needing to be re-signed, the man known in DC as Flash may be utilizing his super-speed for another team when the season starts.

Fleischmann broke the 20 goal plateau last season for the first time in his career and finished with 23 goals and 28 assists.  Although he managed to put up nice totals he battled injuries like he has almost every year.  His production in 69 games looks impressive, however six other forwards scored over 20 goals, with Flash only scoring more than third-line presence Eric Fehr.

His non-contact game and inability to work the corners make the Capitals even weaker come playoff time.  For the third straight season the team failed to make a deep playoff run and it could be because of relying too much on finesse.

Nevertheless, the team simply cannot trade Semin or Mike Green, despite the charmin-soft game they play.  Bruce Boudreau’s run-and-gun system feeds their consistent output so as long as they can put the puck in the net they will be excused.  In summary, the Caps are forced to live and die by the sword with many of their more talented players.

But why should they accept the same of an injury prone, defensively challenged but skilled winger?

With all the skill keeping him would be a luxury.  Filling the roster with tougher or more defensively responsible players like DJ King, Matt Bradley, Belanger and Jason Chimera could balance the team while allowing Fehr to play on a top-two line role.

Moving Fleischmann for a defenseman would be an excellent management of assets but the team looks to have another motivation to trade him.

According to Cult of Hockey, he is being shopped for either Sheldon Souray or Kevin Bieksa which honestly could be a bit more of the same.  Replacing a soft but skilled forward for a defenseman could be even a lateral move which could block either John Carlson or Karl Alzner but would show that GM George McPhee feels his team’s best opportunity to win would be now with Semin and Laich still on board.

In short, Fleischmann is part of the problem but it is a problem the team still fails to see.  Until the team has more balance, they look like another President’s Trophy winner and playoff exit– which bodes well for fantasy owners and not fans.

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