‘Ovechkin about to score’
courtesy of ‘afagen’
Capitals
Record: 22-8-6
Last Two Weeks: 4-3
Place: First in the Southeast
The Caps hit a bit of a skid this week. Sure, it’s hard to say that 4-3 is a skid, but when you’re as dominant as the Caps have been this season, it’s tough to watch losses at all. Especially when they’re shutouts like the game against the Sabres last week. Sure, Ovechkin is lighting it up like crazy, with 23 goals and 41 points, and Nicholas Backstrom is proving to be the assist machine with 28.
Injuries continue to be a bit of a plague, as they’ve sidelined important parts of the Caps lines, and now include Semyon Varlamov with a groin-strain. Perhaps the team is just road-weary? Long road-trips have taken their toll on teams past, so that’s entirely possible
One important piece of info, though, for Virginia-based Caps fans, the drive for a Capitals Vanity Plate for your car continues, and they need your help. On Frozen Blog has the details and applications close on the 31st.
‘YODER FOR SIX’
courtesy of ‘Tony DeFilippo’
Redskins
Record: 4-9
Last Two Weeks: 1-0
Place: Last in the NFC East
Tonight, the Skins face off against division foe New York in a game that holds only the opportunity for pride for the Skins. The Giants have made the playoffs are on the cusp of the Playoffs, needing to win out to make the Wild Card, the Skins are definitely out. “When all that’s left is the fall, it matters a great deal,” as President Bartlet misquoted the Lion in Winter. And that’s where we stand. A victory over the Giants is unlikely tonight, but certainly possible, and they have the added incentive of being able to knock the Giants right out of the Playoffs. The Skins have shown signs of life and fight in the last few weeks that early this season were definitely absent, and tonight’s game is a chance to prove they’re real.
The Skins have more than that on the line, though, as they’re courting Mike Shanahan for Head Coach. Shanahan would be a real commitment for the Redskins, and with luck, Dan Snyder will get the hell out of his way and let him do his job. The Denver Post seems to think that Allen and Shanahan are a package deal.
Wizards
Record: 8-17
Last Two Weeks: 1-5
Place: Last in the Southeast
Well, that’s not the sort of road trip that any club wants. The Wizards headed west to face the ever-strong Western Conference, and boy did that go poorly. Close, brutal losses to the Kings and Clippers and then a blowout from Phoenix, and all they came away with was a win over the Warriors. Sure, Agent 0 is putting up the points (with 45 on Friday night, and a triple-double against the Pacers), but no team can live off one player like that. The team is upbeat about their progress, which is certainly inspiring, but they have a long way to go in terms.
For one, it would be excellent if they could count on Agent Zero Fulltime. He went straight into “killer mode” against Golden State and so we’ve seen what Agent Zero can do, the question is, can he inspire the same in his teammates? We shall see.
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
“The Giants have made the playoffs, the Skins are definitely out.”
The Giants have not made the playoffs. In fact, they have to win just to stay alive at this point. The Skins could do much more than win for pride, they could play spoiler and end the Giants’ season tonight.
You are so right, DC, I had mentally swapped them with Philly in the standings.
Know anyone interested in writing the Sports Fix? I’m clearly not as good as I once was….
Hey, it’s always a good read from where I’m sitting, just wanted to give you a heads up on the error.
Yep, you’re right to do it! Thank you for the heads up :) Just two rough columns in a row :)
Shanahan… well, you guys could do worse I suppose. We used to call him ‘The Mastermind’ in Denver for a reason, after all.
Of course, that was after two Super Bowl championships… that name sort of got retired real fast when Elway retired and the team made it’s now-ongoing commitment to mediocrity.
The problem with Shanahan was that he got those two championships, and I think it went to his head- his ego was immense. Hopefully losing his job in Denver last year will take the edge off of that and he’ll be effective with the ‘Skins. I can’t speak for all Broncos fans, but I sure thought they should have removed him a couple of years earlier than they did- one playoff win since Elway’s retirement following the ’98 season shouldn’t have made for such a comfy coaching seat, in my opinion.