Caps 3, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
Had a Nats-Red Sox spring-training game to cover this afternoon and a family event to attend to this evening so I didn’t get to catch the Caps game until late tonight on the old DVR. Not much to add, really. Jose Theodore was excellent in goal and quieted any speculation that he won’t be the team’s No. 1 goalie in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Theodore finished with 34 saves on 35 shots and kept the Caps in front as the Blue Jackets dominated the second period.
Could Theodore have a meltdown in the postseason? Sure. Do I think his leash will again be relatively short? You bet. But the man still hasn’t lost a game in regulation since Jan. 13 (18-0-3). I know there’s some shady numbers crunching involved there – that Calgary loss last Sunday was just as much Theodore’s fault as rookie Semyon Varlamov, who relieved him after just 11 shots. But he’s earned the right to start.
Washington (51-15-12, 114 points) set the team record for wins in a season with 51, road wins with 23 and is now one point away from the organization’s first President’s Trophy. A San Jose loss on Sunday would do it. The Sharks (48-20-10, 106 points) are at Colorado. Otherwise, the Caps could clinch on Monday night at home against the Boston Bruins. It’s a great accomplishment that means absolutely nothing without a Stanley Cup to go with it – or at least a deep playoff run.
Tomas Fleischmann, Mike Green and Alex Semin scored for the Caps. That ties a career high for Semin with No. 38. Fleischmann (22 goals) has scored just two goals in his last 10 games with three points overall. That’s not great production for a player who could find himself out of the lineup in the playoffs if he’s not careful. The Caps just have too many options and Fleischmann isn’t seeing time on the fourth line.
Now for some fun. The Columbus Dispatch had some juicy comments from Blue Jackets forward R.J. Umberger after the game. About the Caps and their style of play he said:
“I don’t think any team in the West would be overmatched by them…Because they play the wrong way. They want to be moving all the time. They float in their zone looking for breakaways and odd-man rushes. A good defensive team is going to beat them (in the playoffs). If you eliminate your turnovers and keep them off the power play, they’re going to get frustrated because they’re in their zone a lot.”
Hmmm…Interesting. I will first note that this comment needs some context. Umberger’s team has played the Caps twice this season and been better both times. Remember, Columbus won in overtime at Verizon Center on Nov. 1. It also dominated the second period Saturday night and had a bunch of chances late to tie the game. He was – no doubt – peeved after another frustrating loss in a season filled with them. Fine. Let’s also remember Umberger played three full seasons for the Flyers and was part of that epic first-round playoff series in 2008 between Philadelphia and Washington. Think he really has any love for this group of Caps?
Now to Umberger’s comments. Obviously, they will strike a chord. There are plenty of people in the sport – scouts, broadcasters, players, fans – who think the Caps lack the defensive/goalie quotient needed to be a champion. And they may be right. It’s the phrase “they play the wrong way” that nags at me, though. Is there really one “way” to win a title? The Caps’ style has been good enough for 51 wins and – likely – the league’s best record. If you took a quick trip to the future and returned to tell me that they lose to the Devils in the Eastern Conference finals would I be shocked? No. We all know the issues the Caps have faced recently.
But R.J. – be serious. The Caps are 3-0 against the Penguins. They are 3-1 against the Sabres. They have wins over San Jose, Phoenix, Detroit, Nashville and at Chicago and are 6-4 against the current Western Conference playoff teams. How many NHL teams can say that? Is Washington a postseason lock? Of course, not. The Devils and Ottawa are both 3-1 against the Caps and even teams like the Rangers or Bruins could give them trouble in the first round. But the overall body of work says this is a Stanley Cup favorite. If Umberger thinks it’s so easy to “eliminate your turnovers and keep them off the power play” wouldn’t teams just do that more often? There’s only a handful that are so disciplined. And none of them are named after a 15th century navigator or Civil War soldiers.
