09 February, 2012

Category Archives: Marcus Johansson

The Club That’s Needed Has Been Built

24 October, 2011

The sort of Capitals club I’d want to see contest an NHL postseason would be able to roll four lines almost interchangeably, impact achieved rather uniformly among them, and cumulatively, deliver an impact that wears down a quality opponent the longer games go. In the absence of possessing an authentic “shutdown” defenseman, this designer Capitals [...]

Also filed in Alexander Ovechkin, Dennis Wideman, Jeff Halpern, Mathieu Perreault, Mike Green, Morning cup-a-joe, NHL playoffs, Old Time Hockey, playoff hockey, Tomas Vokoun, Troy Brouwer, Washington Capitals, Washington the hockey town | Comments (7)

Referendum Hockey Is Here

3 May, 2011

We are going to learn a great deal about the DNA of the Washington Capitals over the next 36 hours. Immediately before them is an enormous if suddenly unexpected task: attempting to gain, on the road, viability in a series everyone predicted them to win but in which tonight they face what is almost certainly [...]

Also filed in Alexander Ovechkin, American Hockey League, Bruce Boudreau, Calder Cup, Hershey Bears, Jason Arnott, Michal Neuvirth, Morning cup-a-joe, NHL playoffs, Nicklas Backstrom, Tampa Bay Lightning, Ted Leonsis, Washington Capitals, Washington the hockey town | Comments (28)

Game Notes: A Tale of Four Teams

21 April, 2011

Ah, the joys of being a Caps’ backer. Last night at the hellhole Garden, we witnessed hockey of the highest and lowest quality from the Capitals. It was a see-saw of a game ended in double OT by Jason Chimera. By virtue of his crashing the net! Alex, Andrew, and Lis, our resident Young Gun [...]

Also filed in Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Bruce Boudreau, Morning cup-a-joe, New York Rangers, NHL playoffs, Washington Capitals | Comments (5)

A Bad Matchup Indeed — for New York

16 April, 2011

This Rangers club was supposed to be a bad matchup for these Capitals. Big up front, racsally around the net, opportunistic offensively, a good defensive club backstopped by a premiere netminder. Turns out, the Capitals are a very bad matchup for New York. Through two games in this opening round series it’s the Capitals playing [...]

Also filed in Dennis Wideman, Eastern Conference, Jason Arnott, Jason Chimera, John Carlson, John Erskine, Karl Alzner, Michal Neuvirth, Morning cup-a-joe, National Hockey League, New York Rangers, NHL playoffs, Washington Capitals | Comments (11)

Memo to the Revisionists: It Was a Tale of Two Seasons

8 April, 2011

How will you remember the 2010-11 Capitals’ regular season? I ask because at least one prominent person in town – the team owner — thinks that to date I’ve judged his team too harshly on the campaign. My critique began near the end of last summer, when I observed management execute a largely passive approach to roster improvement in the offseason, while East rivals Pittsburgh and Philly aggressively improved. Not that I’m a throw-mad-money-at-free-agents kind of guy; never have been, never will be. But if you’ve just been vanquished in round one, as the Caps were last April, and you sit on your hands all summer, rest assured your conference peers will gain ground on you.

Through about 50 games into 2010-11, there was plenty of ground-gaining, you’ll recall. For instance: the Caps, having won the Southeast division title just a year ago by 40 points, trailed the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Southeast in late February. That’s ground-gaining alright. And it’s not as if Tampa in the offseason acquired Bobby Orr and Mr. Hockey in their prime.

Also filed in Alexander Ovechkin, Brooks Laich, Bruce Boudreau, Dennis Wideman, Front Office, George McPhee, HBO's 24/7, Jason Arnott, Marco Sturm, Mike Green, Mike Knuble, Morning cup-a-joe, National Hockey League, Scott Hannan, Ted Leonsis, Washington Capitals | Comments (16)

More One-Goal Drama, Further Climbing up the Standings

6 March, 2011

You didn’t want this one preserved on the DVR, but the bottom line is that a Mike Green-less Capitals club has scratched and clawed its way through a litany of one-goal victories of late to reclaim first place in the Southeast division. The Caps are alone in first place in the Southeast for the first [...]

Also filed in Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Boyd Gordon, Bruce Boudreau, Eastern Conference, Florida Panthers, Jason Arnott, Marco Sturm, National Hockey League, Scott Hannan, Southeast Division, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals | Comments (0)

Two Young Centers, Two Stories of Struggle with Consistency

11 February, 2011

The Washington Capitals’ Marcus Johansson and Mathieu Perreault are in a unique situation. Despite coming from completely different backgrounds and being in two totally different places in their careers, both are faced with the exact same problem, proving they are worthy of the second line center job.

Also filed in American Hockey League, Hershey Bears, Mathieu Perreault, NHL, Washington Capitals | Comments (6)

Readers React: On Thoroughbreds Being Asked To Be Clydesdales

31 January, 2011

I’m highly suspicious of the likelihood that the actual jockey for the great Secretariat, Ron Turcotte, is an OFB reader; nonetheless, a commenter identifying himself as such had over the weekend what I regarded as the best reflection related to my Saturday morning cup-a-joe, which dropped the gloves on this stinker of a Caps’ season: [...]

Also filed in Alexander Semin, Cody Eakin, Columbus Blue Jackets, Eastern Conference, Evgeny Kuznetsev, George McPhee, Jason Chimera, Mathieu Perreault, Matt Bradley, Matt Hendricks, Mike Knuble, Morning cup-a-joe, National Hockey League, Southeast Division, Tampa Bay Lightning, Trap hockey, Washington Capitals | Comments (16)

Apprenticing in a Pivotal Pivot Position

19 January, 2011

In the postgame visitors’ locker room at Wells Fargo Center Tuesday night Jason Chimera approached Marcus Johansson, his linemate in overtime of the Capitals’ 3-2 loss to the Flyers, and patiently and supportively explained to the rookie the imperative of maintaining defensive zone coverage on the opposition defender bearing down on their netminder.  Johansson’s rookie [...]

Also filed in American Hockey League, National Hockey League, Philadelphia Flyers, Prospects, Washington Capitals | Comments (19)

OFB TV: A Sunday Sigh of Relief

16 January, 2011

The Caps were in the midst of another troubling winless streak entering play Sunday and thorugh two periods were looking as if they would extend that streak to four games. But a key turnover and an ill-timed penalty by the visiting Senators reversed Sunday’s momentum, and the Caps prevailed. One of our favorite guests and [...]

Also filed in Eastern Conference, National Hockey League, OFB TV, Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals | Comments (1)

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