Only a few players in the NHL are as synonymous with their teams as Alex Ovechkin is with the Washington Capitals. It's nearly impossible to think of one without the other.
He's played the LA Kings just seven times in his career though, winning the first two meetings and now having dropped five straight - after last night's lopsided 5-2 loss.
When the dust settled, here's what they were saying in the Caps locker room...
Ovechkin on the overall game - "I don’t think it’s all about me; it’s all about us. We wanted to have a good start and we had a good start. Two mistakes cost us almost the whole game—Wideman lost a guy in our zone and he got a goal and Laich lost a puck. I’m not calling out only these two guys, I had mistakes in our zone and everybody had mistakes in our zone and that cost us the game."
Ovechkin on his team's performance - "I think we had a pretty good start. We had emotion and we scored the first goal. After that we just stopped playing and my line had a couple of chances. Including that, we didn’t do anything in the offensive zone and I think there was communication in the neutral zone and we started playing in the defensive zone."
Showing posts with label Capitals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Capitals. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
VIDEO: Jack Johnson scores, talks about doing The Tebow
Goal celebrations may be on the decline in the NFL, yet the LA Kings sure seem to be getting into the act. Fresh on the heels of Drew Doughty and Jarret Stoll doing the 'love tap' celebration a few weeks ago in Chicago, defenseman Jack Johnson posed for a quick 'Tebow' after he found the back of the net tonight vs. Washington...
After the game, Johnson explained it this way - "Have some fun while you’re scoring. I was watching the Broncos game with some buddies that flew in from Michigan and they said that if you score, you have to ‘Tebow’. I said, ‘You’re on!’"
He also said that it was a one time thing and don't look for him to do it again in the future.
As for the overall game, Johnson went on to say "It’s a great feeling to give our goalie some breathing room finally. They’ve been playing out of this world all year. It’s nice to kind of give them a break here finally."
The game was also filled with plenty of intensity, something Johnson welcomed - "It’s fun, it’s refreshing to play a team like that. Everyone wants to see new teams and I thought it was a fun hockey game."
What about that Ovechkin guy? "It’s fun to play against guys like that," said Johnson. "It’s just as much fun for us to play against him as it is for fans to watch him. He’s a great player and it’s fun to play a team we don’t see very much."
For a different look at Johnson's 'Tebow' - here's video from the Washington feed. See what the Capitals announcers had to say as it all unfolded.
More notes and quotes up later.
The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:
Jarret Stoll and Drew Doughty talk about the 'love tap' celebration - includes video
Johnson and Sutter talk LA Kings power play
After the game, Johnson explained it this way - "Have some fun while you’re scoring. I was watching the Broncos game with some buddies that flew in from Michigan and they said that if you score, you have to ‘Tebow’. I said, ‘You’re on!’"
He also said that it was a one time thing and don't look for him to do it again in the future.
As for the overall game, Johnson went on to say "It’s a great feeling to give our goalie some breathing room finally. They’ve been playing out of this world all year. It’s nice to kind of give them a break here finally."
The game was also filled with plenty of intensity, something Johnson welcomed - "It’s fun, it’s refreshing to play a team like that. Everyone wants to see new teams and I thought it was a fun hockey game."
What about that Ovechkin guy? "It’s fun to play against guys like that," said Johnson. "It’s just as much fun for us to play against him as it is for fans to watch him. He’s a great player and it’s fun to play a team we don’t see very much."
For a different look at Johnson's 'Tebow' - here's video from the Washington feed. See what the Capitals announcers had to say as it all unfolded.
More notes and quotes up later.
The Mayor
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www.facebook.com/MayorsManor
RELATED ARTICLES:
Jarret Stoll and Drew Doughty talk about the 'love tap' celebration - includes video
Johnson and Sutter talk LA Kings power play
Mike Richards has something his linemates don't
The Capitals will be without forward Nicklas Backstom and defenseman Mike Green tonight, as they flew back to D.C. earlier today with nagging injuries. Kings forward Mike Richards certainly won't be crying over their absence. He's played against both guys enough in his career to know the damage they can inflict on their opponents.
In fact, Richards has played more games against the Capitals than his two wingers combined. Left wing Dustin Penner has only seen the Caps four times in his career and right wing Jarret Stoll has faced them five times. You could even add in Anze Kopitar's five games and Dustin Brown's seven, and you'd still only have 21 games total - not enough to surpass Richards' 22 regular season games.
However, it was a post-season encounter with the Capitals that was quickly brought up when he was asked about his favorite memory against them. "We (Philly) beat them in game seven in Washington my third year in the league," recalled Richards. "It was a pretty good series too. We were up 3-1, they came back to tie it 3-3. Then, we ended up winning in overtime against them."
As for tonight's game, Richards shared the following outlook - "They'll be a tough opponent for us. As good as they are offensively, they still play a good defensive system. Obviously with Ovi and Semin, even without Backstrom, they still have a good offensive team. They have three or four guys on the back end who really move the puck well. So, it's going to be a tough challenge for us and we just have to be good defensively."
To read Brown's pre-game comments, including his thoughts on Alex Ovechkin and how to beat the Caps, click here.
The Mayor
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In fact, Richards has played more games against the Capitals than his two wingers combined. Left wing Dustin Penner has only seen the Caps four times in his career and right wing Jarret Stoll has faced them five times. You could even add in Anze Kopitar's five games and Dustin Brown's seven, and you'd still only have 21 games total - not enough to surpass Richards' 22 regular season games.
However, it was a post-season encounter with the Capitals that was quickly brought up when he was asked about his favorite memory against them. "We (Philly) beat them in game seven in Washington my third year in the league," recalled Richards. "It was a pretty good series too. We were up 3-1, they came back to tie it 3-3. Then, we ended up winning in overtime against them."
As for tonight's game, Richards shared the following outlook - "They'll be a tough opponent for us. As good as they are offensively, they still play a good defensive system. Obviously with Ovi and Semin, even without Backstrom, they still have a good offensive team. They have three or four guys on the back end who really move the puck well. So, it's going to be a tough challenge for us and we just have to be good defensively."
To read Brown's pre-game comments, including his thoughts on Alex Ovechkin and how to beat the Caps, click here.
The Mayor
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Dustin Brown on Ovechkin and how to beat the Capitals
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| Capitals' Alex Ovechkin (photo: M. Zampelli) |
He has six points in those six games (two goals and four assists), with both goals coming in DC. Even so, Kings captain Dustin Brown sounded like a man with a plan when asked for his memories of playing the Capitals in the past and to share any thoughts on the game tonight...
"It's always exciting when you have a player like Ovechkin coming in," began Brown. "He's one of the premier players in the league. We don't play him very often. We've always played really good defense (vs the Caps in the past) and that's why we've been successful against them. They're pretty high-powered offensively. If we can just make them play defense - they don't like doing that. I think that's how we won last time. Ovechkin scored on the very first shift in Washington and we didn't really give up any chances after that, and we dominated the game. So, we need to key in on a couple of their players and make sure we're really good defensively."
The game last year Brown referenced was won by the Kings 4-1. Jonathan Bernier was in net that day and only faced 23 shots. Coach Darryl Sutter is giving him the start again tonight.
As for Brown's individual performance vs. the Capitals, he has one goal in seven career games - and it came at home on November 20, 2008.
The Mayor
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Friday, June 24, 2011
Dean Lombardi 'troubled' by Ryan Smyth trade request
When the NHL schedule came out yesterday it revealed the Kings will host both the Washington Captials and Pittsburgh Penguins. Sid and Ovi coming to town? Usually that's enough to talk about on a boring Thursday in June.
Yet, leave it to Dean Lombardi to throw that one out the window.
First, he made a huge trade with the Flyers, acquiring their captain Mike Richards in exchange for a package that included hockey's number one prospect, Brayden Schenn.
Then, hours later, he dropped another bomb on the conference call - yes, Ryan Smyth DID ask for a trade.
As discussed here on MayorsManor earlier in the week, Smyth's team of preference was the Oilers. And our poll showed fans were split on what the Kings should expect in return (results here).
Lombardi, known for his honesty when answering these type of questions, was his usual blunt self...
"This has kind of evolved over the last two months, actually. When Ryan asked to be moved, at first I was really troubled. Ryan, in our first 40 games last year I thought he was one of our better players. He kind of tailed off a little and then, in the playoffs, was one of our best players. And certainly, left wing, it’s not one of our strongest positions. So first off, my reaction was, `No way,’ and I couldn’t figure out why, because I think Ryan had adapted well."
Yet, leave it to Dean Lombardi to throw that one out the window.
First, he made a huge trade with the Flyers, acquiring their captain Mike Richards in exchange for a package that included hockey's number one prospect, Brayden Schenn.
Then, hours later, he dropped another bomb on the conference call - yes, Ryan Smyth DID ask for a trade.
As discussed here on MayorsManor earlier in the week, Smyth's team of preference was the Oilers. And our poll showed fans were split on what the Kings should expect in return (results here).
Lombardi, known for his honesty when answering these type of questions, was his usual blunt self...
"This has kind of evolved over the last two months, actually. When Ryan asked to be moved, at first I was really troubled. Ryan, in our first 40 games last year I thought he was one of our better players. He kind of tailed off a little and then, in the playoffs, was one of our best players. And certainly, left wing, it’s not one of our strongest positions. So first off, my reaction was, `No way,’ and I couldn’t figure out why, because I think Ryan had adapted well."
Saturday, February 12, 2011
All Hail The Kings and Their Men
The Kings continued their recent hot play with another victory today in Washington.
It was a solid game all around, especially defensively and in goal. However, the surge in offense (four goals) was a welcome change for a team who just couldn't find the back of the net in their last game.
After the jump are video highlights, but first some notes:
* Anze Kopitar scored his first goal in 11 games and only his second in 21. He was playing with new linemates, flanked by Michal Handzus on the left and Wayne Simmonds on the right. Having Simmonds by his side wasn't entirely new, they've spent time together over the last few seasons - most notably last year when Justin Williams went down with an injury. Together the line produced two goals and six points vs. the Capitals.
* Jonathan Bernier continued his strong play in net. With the one allowed today, he's now given up just five goals in his last four starts. Expect him to start again against vs. Columbus on Wednesday.
It was a solid game all around, especially defensively and in goal. However, the surge in offense (four goals) was a welcome change for a team who just couldn't find the back of the net in their last game.
After the jump are video highlights, but first some notes:
* Anze Kopitar scored his first goal in 11 games and only his second in 21. He was playing with new linemates, flanked by Michal Handzus on the left and Wayne Simmonds on the right. Having Simmonds by his side wasn't entirely new, they've spent time together over the last few seasons - most notably last year when Justin Williams went down with an injury. Together the line produced two goals and six points vs. the Capitals.
* Jonathan Bernier continued his strong play in net. With the one allowed today, he's now given up just five goals in his last four starts. Expect him to start again against vs. Columbus on Wednesday.
Johnson and Westgarth on the Capitals and 24/7
Earlier this morning we heard from Kings captain Dustin Brown about the excitement of playing Eastern Conference teams.
Kevin Westgarth and Jack Johnson continue those thoughts below and talk about the recent 24/7 series on HBO...
[note: Jack Johnson comments after the jump]
MM: Did you watch any of the HBO series on the Capitals-Penguins?
KW: I thought that was great. I think hockey players come off as a bit of potty mouths, but definitely some down to earth, tough kind of guys. I thought it was cool. They (Washington) are another team that's finding their groove again. Obviously, at that time (of the taping) they we struggling pretty good. They've come through it, as I believe we have - touch wood (he knocked on his stall). I think the game will be another great test. They're an incredibly dynamic team. They can do nothing for 45, 55 minutes and all the sudden they're all over you for the rest and sniping goals. It's always a danger and it's always something to look out for.
Kevin Westgarth and Jack Johnson continue those thoughts below and talk about the recent 24/7 series on HBO...
[note: Jack Johnson comments after the jump]
MM: Did you watch any of the HBO series on the Capitals-Penguins?
KW: I thought that was great. I think hockey players come off as a bit of potty mouths, but definitely some down to earth, tough kind of guys. I thought it was cool. They (Washington) are another team that's finding their groove again. Obviously, at that time (of the taping) they we struggling pretty good. They've come through it, as I believe we have - touch wood (he knocked on his stall). I think the game will be another great test. They're an incredibly dynamic team. They can do nothing for 45, 55 minutes and all the sudden they're all over you for the rest and sniping goals. It's always a danger and it's always something to look out for.
Dustin Brown Ready For Something New
While normally the Kings don't see the Eastern Conference teams too often, seven-year pro Dustin Brown has actually played the Washington Capitals every year he's been in the league except one (2007-08).
Of those six games, four have been in Los Angeles. So, today will be a rare chance to get an up close look at Alex Ovechkin on his home ice.
And it was two season ago that Brown scored his only goal against the Capitals, the game-winner in a 5-2 win for LA (video of the goal here). The game was far closer than the score indicates though, as the Kings scored two empty net goals in the final minute of play.
When the teams rematched in LA again last season the contest was just as close, with the Kings pulling out a 2-1 victory.
Jonathan Bernier will get the start this morning in Washington and Jonathan Quick will try to garner some revenge in Philadelphia tomorrow.
As for Brown, what does he think about today?
"As a player, it's fun playing the Eastern Conference. You just don't know the players as well. We play Anaheim, San Jose, Dallas and Phoenix - and we know them so well. They're huge games (too), but you kinda get a different type of an excitement when you're playing the Eastern Conference teams."
More from Jack Johnson and a few others coming up before the puck drops this morning.
The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:
Clearing the Crease with Jonathan Bernier
Brown and Johnson on Playing Pittsburgh
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Two Minutes In the Box... with Willie Mitchell
Over the summer, the Kings were in that same position. So, while the Ilya Kovalchuk negotiations dominated the early headlines, perhaps the deal deserving equal attention was Dean Lombardi's ability to acquire Willie Mitchell.
The Kings GM loves to compare hockey to baseball and in MLB it's said that pitching wins championships. In the NHL, it's defense (and goaltending...and your centers...but, hey, that wouldn't make for a good story).
Mitchell was coming off a serious concussion that forced him to miss the second half of last season. Just hearing that worried Kings fans who know all too well about how things turned out with players like Jason Allison and Adam Deadmarsh.
Perhaps this was different. Premier teams in the league - such as the Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks - were also heavily pursuing the free agent blueliner. Low and behold, he signed in LA, making a strong defensive core even better.
Below are some comments from Mitchell about how he's fitting in with the Kings, what he's learned about Drew Doughty and the play of young Jake Muzzin...
MM: Any thoughts so far after a few games here with the Kings?
Thursday, March 11, 2010
10 Tidbits - The Story of Zeus
According to Greek mythology, the God Zeus is often depicted by images of him striving forward with a thunderbolt in his hand.Times have changed through the years, yet Michal Handzus is often seen skating forward, stick in hand...increasingly, the stick has been raised in the air as the Kings just scored another goal.
Things have never been better for Handzus here in Los Angeles. He's about to put a bow on his 3rd regular season with the Kings - one that will most likely see him in his first playoff series with the team. Today, on his 33rd birthday, he's the latest subject in our 10 Tidbits series.
Enjoy the Story of Zeus...
* While the God Zeus is known for his many children, Handzus may be known for his collection of jerseys - having played for a handful of NHL teams...five in all - St. Louis, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles.
* Perhaps Zeus was destined to sign with the Kings...not only because of Greek mythology, but because of former Kings owner Bruce McNall. While it's unclear if McNall sold or collected Zeus coins as part of his massive collection, there is a link nonetheless. According to various New York Times articles from back in the day, McNall sold several ancient vases to the Hunt brothers, one depicting the death of the Lycian prince Sarpedon, a son of Zeus.
* Almost immediately after signing a four year, $16 million contract in the summer of 2007 the criticism began. Fans and media alike thought that was a lot of scratch to lay out for a guy coming off of major knee surgery...and having played only 8 games the season prior. Did it work? Well, after Michal's first season in LA, Kings GM Dean Lombardi had this to say in an interview with the Daily News "We expected him to be better. He started skating better in the second half. He's not the fleetest afoot anyway. He got himself in a rut and started pressing. He'd be the first to tell you he wasn't where he expects to be. Until the last couple months his skating wasn't where he expected to be. Next year, I expect him to be more like we expected him to be when we got him." Yep - 7 goals, 21 points and a minus-21 rating is probably not what everybody had in mind.
* If year one was a failure, year two was more what Lombardi had in mind. For the second straight season with the Kings Handzus skated in all 82 games - this time netting 18 goals and 42 points (fourth best on the team, behind the big three of Kopitar, Brown and Frolov). Equally impressive was that he increased his shots on goal by 61%.
* Has worn #26 in each of his NHL stops, with one exception...during his brief stay in Phoenix he wore #16. Mike Sullivan was already wearing his number when he was traded to the Coyotes late in the 2000-01 season. Ironically, it wasn't like Sullivan was married to the number...he'd played on four teams in his career, each time wearing a different number. Maybe Zeus didn't want to 'compensate' him for changing.
* Thrives in international competition. When he's represented his home country of Slovakia the numbers are impressive - 9 points over 12 games at the World Jrs, 17 points in 25 games at the World Championships (note: he's represented Slovakia 4x at the WC) and 7 points in 9 Olympic games. He's earned two medals for his efforts, a silver at the 2000 WC and gold at the 2002 WC. Many of those teams included former Kings like Ziggy Palffy and Jozef Stumpel.
* On December 5, 2002, he became only the second player in NHL history to score a penalty shot goal in overtime when he beat the Rangers Dan Blackburn with just 37 seconds left in the extra frame. Coincidentally, the only other player to do it also beat the Rangers (when Nashville's David Legwand put one past Kirk McLean on December 23, 2000).
* Awards: Was runner-up for the NHL's Selke Trophy in the 1999–00 season, given out to the top defensive forward. Selected by the media as the Kings Best Defensive Player for the 2008-09 season, an award he may win again this year. Last season he also received an award from his teammates. The Unsung Hero award goes to the player they deem "contributed the most to the team yet did not get the proper recognition for their contributions."
* Was drafted by the St. Louis Blues and recorded his first two milestones with the team. 10/22/98 - first NHL point (an assist) at Ottawa. 11/28/08 (the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend) - first NHL goal in a home game vs. the Washington Capitals. The Blues won both games.
* In Monday's 6-0 win over the Blue Jackets Handzus recorded his 400th NHL point and his 100th point as a member of the Kings.
Zeus, per Greek mythology, is the King of the Gods. Handzus is primed for a triumphant return to the playoffs next month. And the Kings are hoping he can wreak havoc and put that thunderbolt to good use.
The Mayor
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www.facebook.com/MayorsManor
RELATED ARTICLES:
10 Tidbits on Wayne Simmonds
10 Tidbits on Drew Doughty
10 Tidbits on Dustin Brown
10 Tidbits on Willie Mitchell
10 Tidbits on Alexei Ponikarovsky
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Saturday, January 2, 2010
Kings-Caps has Olympic Feel
The buzz is alive for the 2010 Winter Olympics. All the rosters have now been announced and some of the guys that were left off have been popping up in recent Kings games and making their presence known. A few days ago in Calgary it was Dion Phaneuf and Jay Bouwmeester. Today it was Mike Green for the Caps and Ryan Smyth for the Kings.
Green, skipped over by Team Canada in favor of the Kings Drew Doughty, tied the game just a couple minutes into the second period. He also led all players in the game with a whopping 30:33 of total ice time.
Smyth, also left off of Team Canada, scored a goal of his own with time expiring in the first period. Rhyno's powerplay goal finally gave the Kings something to show for their dominating performance in the opening 20 minutes of play - other than leading the shot totals 11-4. Up until that point the Kings just couldn't get anything by Caps netminder Michal Neuvirth, even with two other powerplays earlier in the period.
The sold out crowd had barely returned to their seats for the second when Green tied things up after Parse went off for tripping. Like LA did in the first, Washington dominated the shots in the second - with the numbers 13-3 in the Caps favor - but they only had one goal to show for it.
Then, just a few minutes into the third, Smyth was called for boarding. Washington was hungry for their first lead of the night, but it wasn't to be. Another Olympian came to the rescue for LA. Michal Handzus, who will play for Slovakia, netted a short handed goal for the Kings. The Caps continued to put pressure on throughout the rest of the game, however LA was able to hold on for a 2-1 win...their first day-game victory at home this season.
To show the difference in the make up of the two teams, Alexander Ovechkin led all skaters with seven shots. The Kings didn't have a player with more than three. You may recall back in training camp Coach Murray stressed the Kings need to have a shot mentality this year to be successful. Instead, today it was Jonathan Quick - yep, another Olympian - lifting the team to victory.
Next up - the Sharks on Monday.
One19
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
Green, skipped over by Team Canada in favor of the Kings Drew Doughty, tied the game just a couple minutes into the second period. He also led all players in the game with a whopping 30:33 of total ice time.
Smyth, also left off of Team Canada, scored a goal of his own with time expiring in the first period. Rhyno's powerplay goal finally gave the Kings something to show for their dominating performance in the opening 20 minutes of play - other than leading the shot totals 11-4. Up until that point the Kings just couldn't get anything by Caps netminder Michal Neuvirth, even with two other powerplays earlier in the period.
The sold out crowd had barely returned to their seats for the second when Green tied things up after Parse went off for tripping. Like LA did in the first, Washington dominated the shots in the second - with the numbers 13-3 in the Caps favor - but they only had one goal to show for it.
Then, just a few minutes into the third, Smyth was called for boarding. Washington was hungry for their first lead of the night, but it wasn't to be. Another Olympian came to the rescue for LA. Michal Handzus, who will play for Slovakia, netted a short handed goal for the Kings. The Caps continued to put pressure on throughout the rest of the game, however LA was able to hold on for a 2-1 win...their first day-game victory at home this season.
To show the difference in the make up of the two teams, Alexander Ovechkin led all skaters with seven shots. The Kings didn't have a player with more than three. You may recall back in training camp Coach Murray stressed the Kings need to have a shot mentality this year to be successful. Instead, today it was Jonathan Quick - yep, another Olympian - lifting the team to victory.
Next up - the Sharks on Monday.
One19
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
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