Bear Recap-The Hershey Bears faced the East Division rivals in the Binghamton Senators last Friday night. Hershey started out slow and ended up down 3-1 and 4-2. They clawed back to tie the game at 4 with two third period PP goals.  The PK held their own going 9/10 on the evening and keeping the tie within reach. Sabourin made some point blank saves late in OT to get the game to the shootout. Binghamton would take the shootout win 5-4 scoring twice as all 4 Bear shooters were stopped. Saturday Hershey put a solid team effort up against Adirondack and helped Philipp Grubauer earn his first AHL shootout with 40 saves. Special teams was the answer as Hershey scored a SH goal and 2 PP goals. The PK also went 5/5. The game winning SH goal was a 185 ft shot along the boards by Patrick McNeill that hit the glass and coasted into the net vacated by Scott Monroe to play the puck. This full moon night had one more crazy event in store for the Bears as a clearing shot from Adirondack deflected of the glass and hit backup goalie on the night Dany Sabourin in the forehead. The cut required 7 stitches to close. The Bears then headed to the beach to take on the Albany Devils in Atlantic City. A slow start melted the Bears hopes of a win along with some key turnovers deep in their zone. Hershey tried to keep pace but it was too little too late. Albany escaped 6-4 on the 2 first period goals they tallied before the Bears seemed to hit their stride. The Bears are now headed to Wilkes Barre/Scranton and then home to face Norfolk and Syracuse this weekend.

Philipp Grubauer #31 in warm-ups before the Flyers game on 2/27/13.

Photo Courtesy of Ryan McNally.

Philipp Grubauer-The story just begs to be put on the big screen. Philipp Grubauer goes from the ECHL Reading Royals to the AHL Hershey Bears to the NHL Washington Capitals in mere weeks. His AHL debut had been delayed numerous times over the past 2 years for a myriad of reasons but his patience and play paid off. I am not sure if Grubauer thought he was going to see actual game time last night but with Neuvirth out ill he got the call to head to Philadelphia to backup Holtby for the evening. After a slow Capitals start and a 4-0 Flyers lead, Holtby got the yank to give Grubauer his first NHL action. 14 shots later the horn sounded with a 4-1 Capitals loss but Grubauer had stopped all 14 shots he faced and some pretty decent Flyers scoring chances. I know many in Reading and Hershey were kicking social media into high gear as Grubauer took to the ice in the second period. Grubauer has been reassigned back to Hershey before the Capitals leave for Winnipeg this weekend. I have a feeling #31 won’t be a stranger in Washington in the future.

Go Bears. 

Scoring on the power play has been a regular occurence lately. (CTPost)

The Washington Capitals won their second consecutive game on Tuesday night, knocking off a depleted Carolina Hurricanes squad by a 3-0 score inside Verizon Center.  Nicklas Backstrom, John Erskine, and John Carlson scored for the Capitals and Braden Holtby made 33 saves for his second shutout of the season in the win, which raises Washington’s record to a modest 7-10-1, still near the very bottom of the Eastern Conference but only four points out of first place in the Division, which may be the easiest playoff spot in sports.  The Caps have now outscored their opponents 8-1 over their last 120 minutes of play and are starting to change the minds of many who thought this team was washed up.  Well, changing some minds.  But I digress.  Quick hits:

It’s so funny to me that three weeks ago, several people were saying the Capitals should trade Braden Holtby and he could not get the job done despite calling for him to play when Michal Neuvirth was in his run of excellent form.  Now, Holtby has a firm grip on the Caps’ top goaltending job after seven consecutive starts in which he has stopped 207 of 221 (.937) and is 5-2, as calculated by the admirable Jack Anderson.  This is just another example of how lucky the Capitals are to have two young, good goalies that make responsible numbers on the salary cap instead of grossly overpaid older goalies and veteran backups.  Holtby has been great and when he slows down, Neuvirth will step in and be good.  This after Holtby was signed to a very cap-friendly deal until the summer of 2015 on Monday, and it has been a great two weeks for the goaltending position in this organization.

Enjoyyy, everyone. (Clydeorama)

The Washington Capitals hammered the New Jersey Devils in the third period on Saturday, riding four final frame goals past their visitors to chalk up a 5-1 win.  Powered by an Alex Ovechkin hat trick, Washington also got a shorthanded goal from Eric Fehr and a power play marker from Troy Brouwer in the five-goal onslaught, only their third game with that many goals on the season.  Braden Holtby, making his fifth consecutive start, was solid in victory, and the loss picked the Capitals put of the Eastern Conference basement on points percentage.  Still, however, Washington faces a long uphill climb to make the playoffs.  Some more observations:

Vintage Ovechkin.  There is no other way to describe a dominant performance from a player who has taken his deserved share of criticism, but silenced his critics temporarily with a game that had been coming.  All three of his goals sent memories of 2009 dancing through our heads – a wide open one-timer, a snapshot through the defenseman’s legs, and another fling into the goal from the slot.  He was dominant, and this could be the beginning of another hot streak.  The key, as always, is continuing it.  That is what matters, and that is what Washington needs to be successful.

Oh, dear. (NJnow.com)

The Washington Capitals lost their second consecutive game on Thursday night, falling to the New Jersey Devils 3-2 in Washington in the first half of a home-set doubleheader with the Eastern Conference Champions.  After scoring two power play goals, on each from Mathieu Perreault and Mike Ribeiro, to take a 2-1 lead into the third period, the Capitals fell apart in the third period.  Taking bad penalties and paying the prices of said penalties, Washington allowed two goals in the first ten minutes of the frame and were unable to climb back into the game when gassed after killing so many power plays.  With the loss, the Capitals fall to 5-10-1 and remain in last place across the Southeast Division, the Eastern Conference, and the entire National Hockey League.

These penalties are just getting ridiculous.  The Capitals were playing well at even strength Thursday, not necessarily dominating but holding their own and controlling the end of the second period en route to an intermission lead.  Then, the Capitals took six penalties in the opening 11 minutes of the third period and conceded twice.  Adam Oates has said it countless times: though the penalty kill is playing well (and it played really well Thursday), continually killing penalties drains the bottom six and gets the top six cold.  It’s a recipe for failure and until Washington figures it out, they will continue to lose games.

Braden Holtby was a stud tonight as he continues to rebound from his crash at the beginning of the season.  He didn’t have a realistic chance on any of the goals and made some huge saves to keep the lead for the Capitals and then keep them within striking distance.  I think he will be rested on Saturday, however, in favor of Michal Neuvirth, who deserves a shot after sitting on the pine for two weeks.

Alex Ovechkin looked energized on Thursday night.  The Capitals’ captain moved well on his skates in all three zones, something we certainly have not seen enough of, and pulled off some highlight-reel moves that almost led to goals for his team.  You felt like he was going to score during the first two periods, and he almost did on a breakaway late in the second.  He missed on the breakaway and then took a dumb penalty in the third period to put his team shorthanded (again) after a good kill.  He’s now at ten points in 16 games.

Tomas Kundratek continues to impress in the ice time he is given at all strengths.  The Czech, who was acquired almost on a whim last year, was called up as a result of injuries and suspensions this year and has been solid for Washington, even piled up some points.  He’s been a bright spot in the Washington D corps of late and with Mike Green still out, he will be needed to continue to eat more ice.

At this point, the Capitals will need a big miracle in order to make the playoffs.  With their three consecutive wins last week, it looked like the team had turned a corner and was beginning to build momentum, but two games against elite Eastern Conference sides have produced losses.  One-goal losses, but losses nonetheless.  As I wrote at the beginning of the season, this is not a championship caliber team, and I really hope the team’s management and especially ownership realizes it and makes the appropriate adjustments.  This is not Adam Oates’ fault, it is their fault – and though better times are definitely ahead as this partial rebuild comes to fruition over the next calendar year, it’s ugly now.  It is time to start looking towards June, and adding another great, young player like Seth Jones or Nathan MacKinnon.  It is that bad, and there is that little hope for a playoff spot because of the way Washington is playing and the simple math of this shortened season.

Washington will practice Friday before hosting the Devils at noon on Saturday in the second half off this off doubleheader.x

Harry Hawkings is a college student credentialed to cover the Capitals for RtR.  Follow him on Twitter here for all your news needs this season.

Neuvirth isn't playing tonight, but this Devils-related photo was just too much. (Clydeorama)

The Washington Capitals will welcome the New Jersey Devils to Verizon Center this evening as they look to rebound following a disappointing loss at the hands of the New York Rangers on Sunday night.  The Capitals, 3-1 in their last four, are 5-9-1 on the season for 11 standings points, which places them last in the Southeast Division and the Eastern Conference.  The Devils, who many thought would slide back with the offseason loss of captain Zach Parise in free agency, have instead thrived, and are 9-3-4 for 22 standings points; that places them atop the meatgrinder Atlantic Division and second in the Eastern Conference.  This is the second game of the season between these two teams, as the Devils too round one 3-2 in overtime in late January.

The ageless Martin Brodeur will start a second consecutive game for Peter DeBoer as he continues his magical career.  Brodeur has been excellent this year, posting seven wins in 12 starts with a .912 save percentage and 2.29 GAA; he only allowed two goals the last time these two teams met.  On the injury front, only former Capital Dainius Zubrus is absent from the Devils’ lineup with a wrist injury; tough guy David Clarkson had been considered questionable with a back injury but practice fully Wednesday and will play.

Braden Holtby will start his fifth consecutive game for Adam Oates this evening, fresh off an excellent 38-save performance in Sunday’s loss.  Holtby, who was brutal earlier in the year but has righted the ship considerably recently, has a 4-5 record in eight starts and nine games while posting a .888 save percentage and 3.68 GAA.  Centers Brooks Laich and Marcus Johansson will miss the game with groin and upper-body injuries, respectively, while workhorse elite defenseman Mike Green is questionable with a lower-body ailment that forced him to miss Sunday’s game.  Fellow rearguard Jack Hillen is still out with a shoulder injury suffered in the first game of the season and will not play.  With no call-ups, expect the same lineup as in New York, which means Roman Hamrlik in the press box.

Puck drops 7:09-ish.  Check back later.

Harry Hawkings is a college student credentialed to cover the Capitals for RtR.  Follow him on Twitter here for all your news needs this season.

Battles, hockey plays, great goaltending. (Clydeorama)

The Washington Capitals are in New York, New York, this evening to take on the Rangers as part of “Hockey Day in America.”  Washington, having won three in a row, comes in to this contest with a record of 5-8-1; their 11 standings points place them last in both the Southeast Division and the Eastern Conference.  The Rangers, who lost in a shootout against the Islanders in their last game, are 7-5-1 for 15 standings points; this places them third in the Atlantic Division and eighth in the Eastern Conference.  This is the first meeting between these two teams this season and therefore the first since their seven-game playoff series last spring, which the Rangers won.

Henrik Lundqvist is sure to get the call in goal from John Tortorella after being rested earlier this week.  Lunqvist, the reigning holder of the Vezina Trophy, has a 2.48 GAA and .912 save percentage on the season but has been much better than that of late, allowing only five goals in his last three starts.  On the injury front, superstar forward Rick Nash is questionable with an undisclosed injury, and will be a game dime decision; if he cannot play, Chris Kreider will get his jersey.  Other than that, Tortorella has his full lineup at his disposal.

Braden Holtby will get his fourth consecutive start from Adam Oates this evening.  The young goaltender has been less than spectacular overall on the year but has been noticeably better over his last three starts, all wins; he has posted a 3.90 GAA and .877 save percentage, along with one shutout, this season.  On the injury front, centers Marcus Johansson (upper body) and Brooks Laich (groin) are both still out with their injuries while defenseman Mike Green is questionable with a lower body ailment.  Should Green be unable to go, Tom Poti would play for him while Roman Hamrlik would be a healthy scratch.

Puck drop will be 6:10-ish, and the game can be seen locally on NBC Sports Network.

Harry Hawkings is a college student credentialed to cover the Capitals for RtR.  Follow him on Twitter here for all your news needs this season.

February Point Streak-The Hershey Bears faced the East Division leaders in the Binghamton Senators last Friday night. The Sens are injury and call up swiss cheese right now but always put up a good fight. The Bears power play got a workout with 8 advantages and converted on 2 of those. Philipp Grubauer looked strong saving 23 out of 26 and improved his record to 4-3 with a 4-3 win. Sunday’s game was against the basement of the East Division, the Norfolk Admirals. The game started at 5 but Hershey didn’t show up until the 3^rd period. Norfolk has a comfortable lead at 3-0 on 16 shots heading into the final frame. From the first shift of the third period you could see it might turn out to be a very different game then the first 40 minutes. The energy and physical play had been turned way up. Barry Almeida scored 1:42 into the period and you could see the Bears start to come out of hibernation a little more every minute. Ryan Potulny would pot a beautiful pass to the back of the net at the 10:35 mark to even further wake up the building until it erupted with just 35 seconds left. Ryan would score again and tie the game at 3 to force overtime. The game would eventually end in a 4-3 shootout loss for the Bears but their heart was sure on display for Valentine’s Day week. The Bears are now headed to Hamilton, Toronto and Rochester for a weekend triple play up north this weekend.

Casey Wellman #19

Photo Courtesy of Carl Minieri.

Casey Wellman-Zach Hamill was sent to the Florida Panthers organization on January 31^st. The counterpart to the trade headed to Hershey was Casey Wellman. Casey even took Zach’s number and wears number 19 for the Bears. Casey has played 5 games for the Bears and has certainly shown his worth already. His speed is one of the biggest assets the Bears needed to create a quick transition out of the defensive zone and into an offensive stance. With Oates system, the Capitals have not lacked shots on goal like the Bears had because the Caps were better suited with players who could transition up the ice faster. You can also immediately see he is not afraid to take a shot and get in the crease. He had 5 shots alone in his first game. Casey has 4 assists in the 5 games with the Bears but more importantly assisted on both of Ryan Potulny’s goals on Sunday night to force the game to OT. His energy has helped to spark the team along with newcomer Peter LeBlanc. The Bears will expect a lot from him as he becomes familiar with his surroundings.

Changing Crowd-I am not sure how educated the crowd is at the Verizon Center since I haven’t attended enough games to get a feel for the home crowd. I will say this about Hershey though the crowd is a changin’. (This is gonna make me sound like a rocking chair porch dweller) Back in Hersheypark Arena (Old Barn) the crowd was filled with the die hard blue collar workers of the surrounding region. The crowd, for the most part, were avid hockey fans on many levels and had grown up with it. They knew the game. They knew the players. They knew the history. And the teams coming in to the Old Barn knew this. They hated to play here because the crowd was practically on top of them and knew the game and play so well that their comments were very educated heckles. Section 25, where I learned the game, was known as “Murderer’s Row.” I had a mother of a girl I took to a game once ask me how many of us were ex-cons. When the Giant Center opened up there were some immediate changes that happened. The crowd was no longer “on top” of the ice to be easily heard with a pointed heckle. The crowd itself changed as well slowly through the years too. With the addition of Club Seats and the Suites more people were introduced to the game through the White Collar approach. You had businesses buying seats and giving them to clients or employees who didn’t know the game or had never been to one before. A great way to develop new fans but you also had spectators who came because they had a free ticket and tagged along with another. This has completely changed the complexion of the Giant Center fan. You have people who are uneducated in the game of hockey or some even come to have a social hour. Sometimes the uneducated like to Boo or yell shoot for three periods straight. I know we were spoiled before in the level of dedication to the game of those in the seats but depending on the game you have no idea the type of fan or non fan who could be sitting next to you. As a 25 year season ticket holder for the Bears, I am pretty far from any seats that are open to be purchased on a game by game basis and I count my blessings. The simple fact is be kind to the people who go to the game to watch the game and keep your conversations down and pay attention. If you want to conduct business do it in a suite or in between play. You might want to pay attention for your own safety depending on where your seats are in relation to the safety netting around the rink. I am just sharing my viewpoint of how the crowd has changed over the years. We certainly hold the team to a high standard in Hershey and we have become a bit spoiled over the last 75 years with 11 Championships and reaching the Finals another 11 times. Hershey and Giant Center are still a wonderful place to see a game. That is story and I am sticking to it. Now, Get off my lawn!

Go Bears. 

Troy Brouwer was a hero on Tuesday night. Can he do it again? (Clydeorama)

The Washington Capitals are in Tampa, Florida, this evening to take on the Lightning in another Southeast Division clash as they look to build on the momentum they have built with two wins over the Florida Panthers.  Washington, having won two in a row, is 4-8-1 for nine standings points; this places them last in both the Southeast Division and the Eastern Conference.  The Lightning, who came back late to tie the Canadiens on Tuesday but still lost in a shootout and are 6-5-1 overall for 13 points.  They therefore stand second in the Southeast and ninth in the Conference.  This is the second meeting between these two teams this season as the Bolts beat the Caps 6-3 on opening night.

Lightning coach Guy Boucher is almost certain to go with starter Anders Lindback in goal following a 31-save performance against the Habs earlier in the week.  Lindback, acquired from the Predators over the summer, has started nine games and posted a 2.94 GAA and .903 save percentage so far in his first season as a full-time starter.  On the injury front, Boucher’s team will be without power forward Ryan Malone, who was recently placed on injured reserve with a lower body injury and will miss at least ten days.

Braden Holtby, despite allowing five goals in what was actually not a bad performance on Tuesday, will start again for Adam Oates, the youngster’s third consecutive go in the net.  Holtby has posted a 4.04 GAA and .874 save percentage on the young season but has still made some big saves and will continue to be given chances to prove himself.  Marcus Johansson (upper body), Tom Poti (upper body), and Jack Hillen (shoulder) are all out and not even on the trip, while center Brooks Laich was just cleared for contact and is not expected to suit up either.  That said, expect an identical lineup to the one that beat Florida 6-5, which means Roman Hamrlik in the press box.

Puck drops 7:39-ish.  No recap from me tonight because of school obligations.

Harry Hawkings is a college student credentialed to cover the Capitals for RtR.  Follow him on Twitter here for all your news needs this season.

Oppa Brouwer GWGagnam style! (ESPN)

The Washington Capitals won a thriller in Sunrise, Florida, on Tuesday night, outgunning the Florida Panthers 6-5 in overtime at their home arena.  The Panthers took the lead twice following an opening goal from Mike Ribeiro, including a two-marker advantage in the third period that looked to have ice the result for the defending Southeast Division champions.  But a late charge, fueled by goals from Eric Fehr and Alex Ovechkin, tied the game late for Washington before Troy Brouwer won the game on a second-chance goal following a beautiful lead pass by Nicklas Backstrom.  With their win, the Caps are now 4-8-1 and no longer last in the NHL.  Small victories, y’all.

Penalties continue to be a worrying trend with this edition of the Capitals.  It seems as though whenever the Caps begin to play well, they take a penalty of the stupid variety – a puck over the glass, a lazy stick play – and it either costs them a goal or costs them all of their momentum.  That is something that cannot happen for a team that needs all the help they can get offensively right now and needs their defensive players to be rested for even strength play, not worn out by killing penalties.

Ahh, the sweet taste of victory.  Nice, when you can get it. (Clydeorama)

The Washington Capitals are in Sunrise, Florida, Tuesday night to take on the Panthers as they attempt to build upon their 5-0 thrashing of this same team on Saturday night.  Florida, the defending Southeast Division champions, have done their best so far this season to encourage the idea that last season was a fluke by going 4-6-1 in the early going for nine standings points; they are therefore fourth in the Southeast Division and 13^th in the Eastern Conference.  The Capitals have been the only team in the division worse; they are 3-8-1 for seven standings points and are they are therefore last in both the Division and Conference.  This is the second meeting between these two teams this season.

After Jose Theodore was blasted by his former team three days ago, Kevin Dineen is likely to go with Scott Clemmensen in goal tonight.  Clemmensen is 0-1-1 on the year with a 3.77 GAA and .853 save percentage, and has been relegated to backup duty most of the year accordingly.  Dineen will be missing three regulrs for this contest as Ed Jovanovski (knee), Scottie Upshall (ankle) and Sean Bergenheim (groin) are all out with long term injuries and will not partake.

Braden Holtby has been confirmed as the starter in goal by Adam Oates following his shutout of the Panthers on the weekend.  The young goaltender, who has crashed hard following his unsustainable statistical start in the NHL, looked very good on Saturday and will look to continue his momentum.  On the injury front, both Marcus Johansson (upper body) and Jack Hillen (shoulder) are not on the trip and will not play with their injuries.  Center Brooks Laich, who has not played a game this season, is on the trip but has not been cleared for contact.  To that end, expect the lineup to remain the same from Saturday, but we will see for sure at the morning skate.

The puck will drop 7:09-ish.  Check back later.

Harry Hawkings is a college student credentialed to cover the Capitals for RtR.  Follow him on Twitter here for all your news needs this season.