Postgame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Ottawa Senators

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Ottawa Senators

When: March 31, 2010

In their 4th meeting of the season the Washington Capitals lost to the Ottawa Senators 5-4. The following is a statistical breakdown for the March 30, 2010 game and totals for the 2009-2010 season.

Pregame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Ottawa Senators

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Ottawa Senators

When: March 30, 2010

The Washington Capitals will meet the Ottawa Senators for the 4th time this season on March 30, 2010. In their last meeting on February 11, 2010 The Ottawa Senators beat the Washington Capitals 6-5. The following is a statistical breakdown for the February 11, 2010 game and totals for the 2009-2010 season.

Postgame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Calgary Flames

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Calgary Flames
When: March 28, 2010
In their 1st meeting of the season the Washington Capitals lost to the Calgary Flames 5-3. The following is a statistical breakdown for the March 28, 2010 game.

Wrestlemania Predictions

Since the segment on Friday did not go so smoothly (darn tech issues!!), I figure that I would just post some quick preditions for The Granddaddy of em all...WRESTLEMANIA!

Diva's Tag Match featuring All Faces vs All Heels:

Thrown in at the last minute so I say whatever team Beth Phoenix is on with Beth pinning Michelle McCool setting up their title program. It's a shame because the WWE actually has a couple good female wrestlers but Vince will always want eye candy with limited in ring skills (except Lita and Trish Stratus).

Rey Mysterio vs CM Punk/If Mysterio loses, he joins the Straight Edge Society:

This program is just getting started so I see CM Punk winning and furthering a potentially great feud. Punk is a much more effective heel because he can play off of his lifestyle because most wrestling fans probably do drink, smoke and do a few drugs. Mysterio rarely has a bad match and is always exciting to watch so this match will be the start of a great feud.

HHH vs Sheamus:

Sheamus and HHH are training partners and word is that HHH likes Sheamus. With that being said, I don't think that HHH is gonna put over the Celtic Warrior tonight. Sheamus got the big upset over Cena and Orton but I think Sheamus will look strong in defeat and beat HHH in the next PPV.

Randy Orton vs Ted Dibiase Jr vs Cody Rhodes:

This will be an interesting match to see if the WWE decides to keep Legacy as a stable or completely break up the group. Conventional wisdom says that Orton gets the big win and he will complete his face turn but keep the viper characteristics. The fan boy in me says that Randy and Cody are working together and turn on Ted since he was supposed to become a face in the near future. I am going with the wisdom saying that Orton wins once Ted Jr and Cody start trying to get the win.

Brett Hart vs Vince McMahon:

I am glad to see the Hitman return to the WWE but I feel that this feud is about five years too late. Hart is limited due to his age and health problems (stroke in early 2000's) so I know that we won't get to see the old Hitman. McMahon is also limited in the ring so this will be a short match (I hope) with McMahon tapping out in the sharpshooter. Since WWE is PG and blood/blading is outlawed, the match will not tell as great a story because I do want to see Vince busted open. It made the Hogan vs McMahon matche at Wrestlemania XIX pretty damn good.

Money in the Bank Ladder Match featuring MVP, Christian, Evan Bourne, Kane, Dolph Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, Jack Swagger, Matt Hardy, Drew McIntyre, and Kofi Kingston:

At the beginning of the year I would've said that Kofi Kingston was winning since he was getting a pretty big push but he is now been cooled. I know we will see some nice spots with Kingston/Bourne/Benjamin since they are some of the best athletes in the WWE but none of them will win. Swagger and Ziggler have been buried along with MVP. Kane is just there to add the big freakin haus (thanks Barsa!) so that leaves Christian and McIntyre. While I think that Christian has been nothing short of OUTSTANDING since returning to WWE I see McIntyre winning. Vince is supposedly very high on him and Drew got to beat a "local competitor" to gain entry into the match. The previous two losses for Drew were "erased" from the record books. Hope I am wrong and we get the major swerve but...

Morrison and R Truth vs ShowMiz (c) for the Unified Tag Titles:

There is no tag division and this will be a fairly quick match with the champs retaining. I like Morrision and R Truth individually but I think the material they have as a tag team is pretty bad. Morrision a great wrestler but better heel so I am hoping for a heel turn and individual pushes for Morrision/Truth. I like the ShowMiz team as Miz has become a better heel and Big Show works best when he is a comedic character and not just a big monster.

Edge vs Chris Jericho (c) for the World Title:

Jericho will always be my favorite wrestler. He is a hard worker who is never injured and will always put over people. It is never a good thing when he enters Wrestlemania as a Champion. I expect the return of Edge to be complete with a big win tonight. I think this will be a great feud but it works better as a grudge match with no belt in the picture.

John Cena vs Batista (c) for the WWE Championship:

I love how this match has come together and I love Big Dave as a heel. His promo from this past Monday made me want that match right away. The crowd started to chant "you can't wrestle" to Cena. Cena played off of it because it casts doubt in his mind that he can win. Batista has gotten the better of Cena and has injured him in the past. This feud will continue and I am predicitng the UPSET with Batista retaining. I have a feeling that Cena will win but it will further their feud and it will build Batista in a way that his career has not seen. Cena's character could have a makeover in the future as a heel similar to Batista.

Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker Career vs Streak:

This should close the show but I hear that Cena/Batista is last. Nothing needs to be said as this has been basically a year in the making. Michaels has been tormenting the Undertaker and put some doubt that the Undertaker could lose. At the end of the day, however, the streak will not end tonight and Michaels will lose. The Streak, if it ever ends, should go to an up and comer (like Randy Orton a few years ago) Rumor is that Michaels is set to retire after Wrestlemania but I think that he has one more left. One way to do this is to have the win tainted by outside interferene (hello HHH heel turn??) and to have Michaels have one final match so he can go out with a win. This match will steal the show again so get ready to be amazed.

Anyway, I hope to get all of these correct but I will see and we will revisit this following Wrestlemania!

The D.C. Sports Guys 3-26-2010




The guys get together to talk Caps, Terps, Wiz, Skins and UFC. Kevin also fails in an attempt to get Steele on the show to preview WrestleMania and is now committed to get call-ins to the the show working once and for all.

As always, send your comments, suggestions, or ideas to mailbag@dcsportsguys.com.

Intro
Capitals: 00:01:30
Terps/College Basketball: 00:34:10
The phone disaster: 01:03:33
UFC: 01:14:15
Wizards: 01:35:40
Redskins: 01:50:56
End

Postgame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes
When: March 25, 2010
In their 6th meeting of the season the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 (SO). The following is a statistical breakdown for the March 25, 2010 game and totals for the 2009-2010 season.

LIVE D.C. Sports Guys 3/26 at 9:00pm

Go to http://www.dcsportsguys.com/ to watch The D.C. Sports Guys LIVE March, 26 at 9pm. 

Before the show send an email to mailbag@dcsportsguys.com with any questions, comments or topics you would like the guys to discuss.

Participate with the D.C. Sports Guys during the show with the Pingbox web application. Using any browser that supports flash, listeners will be able to have a one on one chat with the guys during the show. This is a two way form of communication that requires no sign-up or accounts to use. Simply go to http://www.dcsportsguys.com/ during the LIVE show and the chat box will be located below both the video and audio only feeds. Just enter your name and message and the chat will begin.

Postgame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
When: March 24, 2010
In their 3rd meeting of the season the Washington Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 (SO). The following is a statistical breakdown for the March 24, 2010 game and totals for the 2009-2010 season.

Pregame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

When: March 24, 2010

The Washington Capitals will meet the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 3rd time this season on March 24, 2010. In their last meeting on February 07, 2010 The Washington Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4. The following is a statistical breakdown for the February 07, 2010 game and totals for the 2009-2010 season.

Summing Up GV

That game is STILL got me bummed up until I read this blog on http://www.baltimoresun.com It is probably the best way to sum up GV's wild ride at MD and how a kid who barely knew english in 2006 became one of the best players ever to wear the Maryland uniform. Read and enjoy!! Click the title to read the article

Bigger Impact on Today's Game?

The article that I found is not like the gem that set off Kevin this morning but it got me ready for game time and also has me thinking. Who will have a bigger impact on the game this afternoon, Vasquez or Williams?

Vasquez scored 16 but was 5-12 shooting and started to look like sophomore Vasquez and not the senior who started to limit the head scratching shots. Williams had a double-double by halftime and clearly controlled the offensive glass for Maryland. Even if we take out his 55% foul shooting (which will get better because he has a great shot for a big kid), Williams was pretty much unstoppable in the second half.

I know that this team is Vasquez's team but I think this tournament just might be starting to build a new leader for the Terps next season.

This game will not be easy but I have a feeling that the Terps are going to rise to the challenge. Gary Williams' teams embrace the underdog role and the "experts" (including the expert in chief) are liking Michigan State (last 09 Final Four team left in the tourney...UNC and UCONN are NIT this year). This is a formula for a Terps shocking the world type of game. I hope that I am right!!!

-Jonathan W. Steele

No love for the Terps

Gearing up for the Maryland vs. Michigan State game this morning I came across this gem of a video. CBS Sports had their “experts” break down today's match-up talking about “Connecticut's Jordan Williams”, how the Spartans close victory against New Mexico St. was “just one of those nights”, and how Maryland “doing anything against [Houston] doesn't matter”. They also provided great insight by comparing Maryland's “second place finish in the ACC” to a Spartan's team “that tied for the regular season title in the Big Ten”. In other words Michigan State is awesome and looking up correct facts about the Terps appears to be a waste of time.

You would hope that clips like this along with comments from our President this past week about how “Maryland has a great player, but Michigan State has a great coach” would provide plenty of bulletin board material for a team that has been under-rated for most of the season.

I'm not saying that Maryland should be considered a runaway favorite today, but come on, can't the Terps get a little bit of love from the national media? Let's not forget last year this same Maryland team found a way to beat both 2009 NCAA Finalists, North Carolina and... wait for it.... Michigan State.

Postgame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

When: March 21, 2010

In their 6th meeting of the season the Tampa Bay Lightning lost to the Washington Capitals 3-1. The following is a statistical breakdown for the March 20, 2010 game and totals for the 2009-2010 season.

Pregame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

When: March 20, 2010

The Washington Capitals will meet the Tampa Bay Lightning for the 6th time this season on March 20, 2010. In their last meeting on March 12, 2010 The Washington Capitals lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2. The following is a statistical breakdown for the March 12, 2010 game and totals for the 2009-2010 season.

Postgame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes

When: March 18, 2010

In their 5th meeting of the season the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 4-3. The following is a statistical breakdown for the March 18, 2010 game and totals for the 2009-2010 season.

Pregame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes
When: March 18, 2010
The Washington Capitals will meet the Carolina Hurricanes for the 5th time this season on March 18, 2010. In their last meeting on March 10, 2010 The Washington Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3. The following is a statistical breakdown for the March 10, 2010 game and totals for the 2009-2010 season.

The D.C. Sports Guys 3-16-2010



TJ and Kevin talk Tiger, Vegas, and Caps. Big J. shows up to to fill out brackets and comment on the Redskins off-season moves.

As always, send your comments, suggestions, or ideas to mailbag@dcsportsguys.com.

Intro
Tiger: 00:01:30
Vegas: 00:06:34
Capitals: 00:13:08
College Basketball: 00:53:00
NFL/Redskins: 01:40:20
End

Postgame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers

When: March 16, 2010

In their 6th meeting of the season the Florida Panthers lost to the Washington Capitals 7-3. The following is a statistical breakdown for the March 16, 2010 game and totals for the 2009-2010 season.

Pregame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers

When: March 16, 2010

The Washington Capitals will meet the Florida Panthers for the 6th time this season on March 16, 2010. In their last meeting on January 29, 2010 The Washington Capitals beat the Florida Panthers 4-1. The following is a statistical breakdown for the January 29, 2010 game and totals for the 2009-2010 season.

LIVE D.C. Sports Guys 3/16 at 8:30pm

After a short break the D.C. Sports Guys are back. Go to http://www.dcsportsguys.com/ to watch The D.C. Sports Guys LIVE March, 5 at 8:30pm.  The guys will discuss Ovie's suspension, the latest moves by the Redskins, Maryland's loss, Georgetown's run, and who they think will win the NCAA tournament.

Before the show send an email to mailbag@dcsportsguys.com with any questions, comments or topics you would like the guys to discuss.

Participate with the D.C. Sports Guys during the show with the Pingbox web application. Using any browser that supports flash, listeners will be able to have a one on one chat with the guys during the show. This is a two way form of communication that requires no sign-up or accounts to use. Simply go to http://www.dcsportsguys.com/ during the LIVE show and the chat box will be located below both the video and audio only feeds. Just enter your name and message and the chat will begin.

Postgame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Chicago Blackhawks


Game: Washington Capitals vs. Chicago Blackhawks

When: March 15, 2010

In their 1st meeting of the season the Chicago Blackhawks lost to the Washington Capitals 4-3. The following is a statistical breakdown for the March 15, 2010 game.

Postgame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

When: March 12, 2010

In their 5th meeting of the season the Washington Capitals lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2. The following is a statistical breakdown for the March 12, 2010 game and totals for the 2009-2010 season.

Pregame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

When: March 12, 2010

The Washington Capitals will meet the Tampa Bay Lightning for the 5th time this season on March 12, 2010. In their last meeting on March 04, 2010 The Washington Capitals beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4. The following is a statistical breakdown for the March 04, 2010 game and totals for the 2009-2010 season.

Postgame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes
When: March 10, 2010

In their 4th meeting of the season the Washington Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 in overtime. The following is a statistical breakdown for the March 10, 2010 game and totals for the 2009-2010 season.


Pregame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes
When: March 10, 2010

The Washington Capitals will meet the Carolina Hurricanes for the 4th time this season on March 10, 2010.  In their last meeting on December 28, 2009 The Washington Capitals lost by a score of 6-3.  The following is a statistical breakdown for the December 28, 2009 game and totals for the 2009-2010 season.

Strasburg Impresses in Spring Debut

The long-awaited spring training debut of pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg finally took place today in a Grapefuit League contest between the Nationals and Detroit Tigers. Given the amount of hype Strasburg's first test of major league hitting was given by the baseball media, it would have been a colossal, yet not totally surprising to see Strasburg get rocked in his first few innings on the mound. However, 2009's first overall pick didn't fail to impress, throwing two scoreless innings and striking out 2 batters, including Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera.

If you had read any baseball-minded website (including the Nationals website itself) this afternoon and you may have thought that Strasburg had tossed a perfect game, struck out 20 batters, or tossed a complete game shutout. In reality, he tossed two innings in a meaningless context against a mix of major league hitters (Cabera and Carlos Guillen) and other guys who may be playing double AA ball come April.

I'm not trying to put down Strasburg's efforts, but Nats fans need to be cautiously optimistic about what we saw from Strasburg today in Viera. Yes, he was good. Yes, he looks like he very well might be the 'real deal.' But at the same time, it is a long exhibitition season and an even longer regular season. The time will come (likely before the All-Star break) when Strasburg will get a chance to prove himself in a game that matters against big league talent. And while that debut too will be hyped up beyond all belief, it will take time to measure Strasburg's true impact in DC.

Postgame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Dallas Stars

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Dallas Stars
When: March 8, 2010

In their only meeting of the season the Washington Capitals fell in a shootout to the Dallas Stars 4-3.  The following is a statistical breakdown for the March 8, 2010 game.

Postgame Stats: Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers

Game: Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers
When: March 6, 2010

The Washington Capitals defeated the New York Rangers 2-0 in their 4th meeting of the season.  The following is a statistical breakdown for the March 6, 2010 game and totals for the 2009-2010 season.

Pre-Game Stats: Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers

Game: Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers
When: March 6, 2010

The Washington Capitals and New York Rangers have met 3 times this season.  The last time they met was on February 4, 2010 resulting in a 6-5 victory for the Washington Capitals.  The following is a statistical breakdown for the February 4, 2010 game and totals for the 2009-2010 season.

The D.C. Sports Guys 3-5-2010



Kevin, TJ, and Big J. wrap up the Olympics, analyze the Caps trade deadline moves, talk Terps and NFL free agency.

As always, send your comments, suggestions, or ideas to mailbag@dcsportsguys.com.

Intro
Olympics/Capitals: 00:01:30
Terps/College Basketball: 00:34:35
NFL/Redskins: 01:18:00
End

LIVE D.C. Sports Guys 3/5 at 9pm

Go to http://www.dcsportsguys.com/ to watch The D.C. Sports Guys LIVE March, 5 at 9:00pm.

Before the show send an email to mailbag@dcsportsguys.com with any questions, comments or topics you would like the guys to discuss.

Participate with the D.C. Sports Guys during the show with the Pingbox web application. Using any browser that supports flash, listeners will be able to have a one on one chat with the guys during the show. This is a two way form of communication that requires no sign-up or accounts to use. Simply go to http://www.dcsportsguys.com/ during the LIVE show and the chat box will be located below both the video and audio only feeds. Just enter your name and message and the chat will begin.

Post Game Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
When: March 4, 2010

The Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning met for the 4th time this season ending in a 5-4 victory for the Washington Capitals.  Stats for the March 4th game and totals for the 2009-2010 season are below:

Pre-Game Stats: Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Game: Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
When: March 4, 2010

The Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning have met 3 times this season.  The last time they met was on January 31, 2010 resulting in a 3-2 victory for the Washington Capitals.  Stats for the January 31st game and totals for the 2009-2010 season are below:

Post Game Stats: Capitals vs. Sabres

Game: Capitals vs. Sabres 
When: Wednesday March 3, 2010

Pre-Game Stats: Capitals vs. Sabres

Game: Capitals vs. Sabres 
When: Wednesday March 3, 2010 

The Capitals and Sabres have met 3 times this season. The last meeting was on December 23, 2009 ending in a 5-2 victory for the Capitals.

In their last meeting on Dec. 23
  • Power Play

    • The Capitals were on the Power Play for 02:50, 00:26 of which was on a 2 man advantage.
    • The Sabres were on the Power Play for 04:00 all of which were with a 1 man advantage.

  • Events

    • Blocks (39 Total)

      • 24 by the Capitals (4 by Jeff Schultz)
      • 15 by the Sabres (4 by Steve Montador)

    • Face-offs (60 Total)

      • 27 won by the Capitals (8 won by David Steckel, 8 won by Brooks Laich)
      • 33 won by the Sabres (12 won by Paul Gaustad)

    • Giveaways (20 Total)

      • 14 by the Capitals (4 players with 2)
      • 6 by the Sabres (2 by Steve Montador)

    • Goals (7 Total)

      • 5 by the Capitals

        • Nicklas Backstrom (2)
        • Alex Ovechkin (1)
        • Brendan Morrison (1)
        • Mike Green(1)

      • 2 by the Sabres

        • Paul Gaustad (1)
        • Tim Connolly (1)

    • Hits (37 Total)

      •  21 by the Capitals (7 by John Erskine)

        • Matt Bradley was hit 4 times.

      • 16 by the Sabres (4 Tyler Myers)

        • Mike Grier was it 3 times.

    • Missed Shots (26 Total)

      • Capitals: Wrist (5), Tip-In (4), Slap (3), Backhand (1)

        • 4 tied at 2

      • Sabres: Wrist (8), Tip-In (2), Slap (2), Backhand (1)

        • 5 tied at 1

    • Penalties (6 Total)

      • Capitals: Interference (2), Tripping (1)
      • Sabres: Tripping (1), Hooking (1), Roughing (1)

    • Shots on Goal (65 Total)

      • Capitals: Wrist (19), Slap (6), Snap (5), Backhand (2), Tip-In (1)
        • Alexander Semin led with 5
      • Sabres: Wrist (19), Slap (8), Backhand (2), Snap (2), Tip-In (1)
        • Tim Connolly led with 5

    • Takeaways (21 Total)

      • 15 for the Capitals (3 by Brooks Laich)


      • 6 for the Sabres (2 by Mike Grier)


    • Top Match-ups

      • Capitals Forwards vs. Sabres Defense

        • Nicklas Backstrom vs. Tyler Myers (16:24)
        • Alex Ovechkin vs. Tyler Myers (14:58)
        • Nicklas Backstrom vs. Henrik Tallinder (14:07)
        • Alex Ovechkin vs. Henrik Tallinder (14:04)
        • Alexander Semin vs. Tyler Myaers (11:50)
        • Alexander Semin vs. Henrik Tallinder (10:52)

      • Sabres Forwards vs. Capitals Defense

        • John Erskine vs. Paul Gaustad (09:16)
        • John Erskine vs. Tim Connolly (08:59)
        • Mike Green vs. Jochen Hecht (08:35)
        • Mike Green vs. Derek Roy (08:33)
        • Mike Green vs. Mike Grier (08:30)
        • John Erskine vs. Mike Grier (07:54)
        • Karl Alzner vs. Paul Gaustad (07:48)
        • Tom Poti vs. Jason Pominville (07:42)

      • Capitals Forwards vs. Sabres Forwards

        • Nicklas Backstrom vs. Tim Connolly (09:31)
        • Nicklas Backstrom vs. Paul Gaustad (09:26)
        • Alexander Semin vs. Tim Connolly (09:10)
        • Alexander Semin vs. Paul Gaustad (08:47)
        • Alex Ovechkin vs. Tim Connolly (08:29)
        • Nicklas Backstrom vs. Mike Grier (08:28)
        • Alex Ovechkin vs. Paul Gaustad (08:32)



Caps vs. Sabres Totals for the 2009-2010 Season
  • Power Play

    • The Capitals have been on the Power Play for 04:50, 00:26 of which was a 2 man advantage.
    • The Sabres were on the Power Play for 09:11 all of which were with a 1 man advantage.

  • Events

    • Blocks (108 Total)

      • 49 by the Capitals (8 by Jeff Schultz)
      • 59 by the Sabres (13 by Tyler Myers)

    • Face-offs (159 Total)

      • 89 won by the Capitals (29 by David Steckel)
      • 70 won by the Sabres (18 by Derek Roy)

    • Giveaways (74 Total)

      • 39 by the Capitals (5 by Mike Green)
      • 35 by the Sabres (8 by Tyler Myers)

    • Goals (11 Total)

      • 7 by the Capitals: Wrist (4), Slap (2), Snap (1)

        • Alex Ovechkin (2)
        • Nicklas Backstrom (2)
        • Brendan Morrison (1)
        • Mike Green (1)
        • Eric Fehr (1)

      • 5 by the Sabres: Wrist (4), Tip-In (1)

        • Paul Gaustad (1)
        • Tim Connolly (1)
        • Nathan Gerbe (1)
        • Steve Montador (1)
        • Henrik Tallinder (1)

    • Hits (103 Total)

      • 59 by the Capitals (8 by Alex Ovechkin)

        • Nicklas Backstrom has been hit 9 times.

      • 44 by the Sabres (7 by Tyler Myers)

        • Drew Stafford has been hit 7 times.

    • Missed Shots (80 Total)

      • Capitals: Wrist (13), Slap (9), Snap(8), Tip-In (7), Backhand (3), Deflected (1)

        • Nicklas Bacstrom leads with 7

      • Sabres: Wrist (18), Slap (8), Tip-In (5), Snap (4), Backhand (3), Wrap-around (1) 

        • Jason Pominville leads with 4

    • Penalties (28 Total)

      • Capitals: Cross Checking (2), Interference (2), Tripping (1), Game Misconduct (1), Boarding (1), Diving (1)
      • Sabres: Tripping (3), Hooking (2), Roughing (1)

    • Shots on Goal (172 Total)

      • Capitals: Wrist (48), Slap (17), Snap (16), Backhand (4), Tip-In (3), Deflected (2)

        • Alex Ovechkin leads with 12

      • Sabres: Wrist (42), Slap (16), Backhand (11), Snap (9), Tip-In (3), Deflected (1)

        • Jason Pominville leads with 9

    • Takeaways (45 Total)

      • 24 for the Capitals (4 by Eric Fehr)
      • 21 for the Sabres (3 by Jochen Hecht)

    • Top Match-ups

      • Capitals Forwards vs. Sabres Defense

        • Nicklas Backstrom vs. Tyler Myers (42:41)
        • Nicklas Backstrom vs. Henrik Tallinder (40:05)
        • Alex Ovechkin vs. Henrik Tallinder (38:25)
        • Alex Ovechkin vs. Tyler Myers (38:14)
        • Alexander Semin vs. Tyler Myers (25:04)
        • Alexander Semin vs. Henrik Tallinder (22:05)
        • Brendan Morrison vs. Craig Rivet (21:17)
        • Brooks Laich vs. Craig Rivet (21:04)
        • "Brooks Laich vs. Toni Lydman (20:28)
        • Brendan Morrison vs. Toni Lydman (19:11)
        • Tomas Fleischmann vs.Steve Montador (19:05)

      • Sabres Forwards vs. Capitals Defense

        • Mike Green vs. Jason Pominville (24:42)
        • Mike Green vs. Derek Roy (24:23)
        • Jeff Schultz vs. Jason Pominville (23:40)
        • Mike Green vs. Jochen Hecht (21:55)
        • Jeff Schultz vs. Derek Roy (20:29)
        • Jeff Schultz vs. Jochen Hecht (20:04)
        • Mike Green vs. Drew Stafford (19:45)
        • Mike Green vs. Tim Connolly (18:35)
        • Jeff Schultz vs. Tim Connolly (18:13)
        • Jeff Schultz vs. Drew Stafford (17:45)
        • Jeff Schultz vs. Clarke MacArthur (17:19)
        • Mike Green vs. Tim Kennedy (17:16)
        • Jeff Schultz vs. Tim Kennedy (17:05)

      • Capitals Forwards vs. Sabres Forwards

        • Nicklas Backstrom vs. Jochen Hecht (27:26)
        • Alex Ovechkin vs. Jochen Hecht (26:07)
        • Nicklas Backstrom vs. Tim Kennedy (24:17)
        • Nicklas Backstrom vs. Jason Pominville (24:11)
        • Alex Ovechkin vs. Tim Kennedy (22:40)
        • Nicklas Backstrom vs. Tim Connolly (20:31)
        • Alex Ovechkin vs. Jason Pominville (19:07)
        • Nicklas Backstrom vs. Mike Grier (17:04)
        • Nicklas Backstrom vs. Derek Roy (16:37)
        • Brooks Laich vs. Derek Roy (16:34)

Thoughts Before the Big Game

Greetings Terps Fans!

Tonight will mark the last time Greivis Vasquez, Landon Milborne and Eric Hayes take the court Comcast Center for the Maryland Terrapins. They are leading the Terps against the Duke Blue Devils with a share of the ACC regular season at stake. I cannot imagine a potentially better send off for these guys tonight. These three have put in four VERY hard years of work for this final curtain call in College Park. These three deserve all the praise they will get tonight as they have provided some very memorable moments, especially over the past two seasons. Who can forget the HUGE win over UNC last year and the pretty impressive run through the ACC Tournament beating two teams that had a big size advantage over the Terps. Of course, we can't forget GV scoring 2000 points and now sitting third all time in Terps scoring history. We don't have to remember the home losses to Morgan and American however...

Vasquez gets most of the attention because of the his perceived heelish (bad guy for non-wrestling marks) character and incredible playing ability. Vasquez will taunt opposing crowds and even the home fans (see the Morgan State home loss last year) but he brings ability, guts, heart, and energy when he steps onto the court. Yes, he puts up shots that will make you SCREAM but his competitive nature just wills him to be better each and every game. He will have a game like the first against Clemson this season but the very next game he will play like a man possessed and score 20+ can come close to a triple double. An example of this is his monster game against Carolina where he almost matched his triple double from last year.

Sometimes lost in this is the steady contributions of his fellow seniors. Hayes constantly leads the ACC in free throw percentage and he always has the ability to knock down a 3 when needed. This year, he also has been more aggressive and driving to the basket. Hayes gets the comparisons to Steve Blake but I think you can also compare him to Terrell Stokes. Stokes' senior year showed that he was willing to do anything for the team. He didn't try to score so he could allow guys like Lonny Baxter, Terrance Morris, and Juan Dixon shine. Hayes handles the point and defers to Vasquez. When Hayes' number is called, he delivers and helps keep the Terps winning.

Milbourne has played out of position taking PF duties when he is more of a natural SF. He is constantly guarding bigger opponents but is not a defensive liability. He averages 1.3 blocks a game and can give you 12 points a game as well. Milbounre was worked very hard on his shot and he is another guy overlooked by the accomplishments of Vasquez.

Even if the Terps fall short tonight, they already have a first round bye in the ACC Tournament (an MD first since the tournament expanded) and are a lock for the NCAA Tournament. The Terps are peaking at the right time and seem poised to make a deep run in both Tournaments this year. They have provided incredible memories for all of the Terp faithful. We should all salute them tonight and for the remainder of this season.