Caps v. Jets (Mar 23)

So you know how we pulled out some silver linings from last night's loss to Philly? Well, no such good feelings tonight, as the Caps blew a 3-0 lead and missed an opportunity to stomp on the Jets' collective jugular. At least CSN was on form. It's a rare night when Dave Johnson and Alan May are together and neither of them wins a star, but, well, I missed the pregame show, so there it is. Also honorable mention to Locker for taking the time to sign some autographs during the game. While doing color commentary. Because he's just that fucking awesome.


Third Star (1 pt):





Brent Harris. No idea who this guy is. Never seen him before. A quick glance at his CSN Washington profile page has him as “Comcast SportsNet's voice for the Baltimore region's sports scene.” So what the hell was the dude doing covering a hockey game? I have no idea, but despite the fact that he had on the most drab and colorless of suits, his calls of the Rangers/Sabres and Florida/Edmonton highlights were pretty good all around. Didn’t stumble over any names or anything, and he made sure to note the standings implications. Can’t really ask for much more than that. Except maybe a red tie or something.


Second Star (2 pts):





Kelli Johnson. Did basically the same thing as Harris, but takes second by virtue of the fact that A) she did it before he did, and B), she was rocking a bright red t-shirt AND lipstick. That’s some team spirit. Too bad the Caps choked anyway, but not for lack of trying on Kelli’s part.


First Star (3 pts):





Al Koken. Either Smokin’ Al read our review of Carlin’s performance last night and came out with the intention of putting his job in a stranglehold, or he was just straight terrified of Alan May and wanted to get back out of the studio ASAP. Regardless, Koken was on his game tonight, interviewing not one, but BOTH assistant coaches, and also had an (admittedly brief) chat with AotI fan-favorite Matheiu Perreault during the second intermission. That’s the way to give the people what they want, Al.


Last Star (-1 pts):





Chuck Gormley. Because no matter how many times he tries to drop his name in one pitch, Alan May is not his friend. Also, I just don’t like him.


Bleh. That is all for tonight.

Caps V Leafs (Feb 25)

Tonight the Caps looked to keep the moment rolling on the road in Toronto.  They did not disappoint.  With a strong 4-2 victory tonight the Caps are keeping themselves in the playoff hunt and giving us reasons not the throw in the towel as fans.  If this team can play like they did tonight and add some much need pieces at the trade deadline (see Alan May's comments) then I like what they could do down the stretch.  However those are two HUGE ifs and ones that this team has given us no indication they are capable on fulfilling.  Lets hope I'm wrong!  Read what we thought of the CSN crew below:

3rd Star (1 pt):

Tonight’s third star is Locker.  Locker spent the pregame talking up the city of Toronto, sending zingers at May (though not as many as he received), and highlighting the outstanding play of Neuvy of late.  As the game got underway, Locker explained the importance of teams trying to get certain matchups out on the ice in such an important game and how that would be effecting the line changes during the night.  He went on to talk about MoJo and how he has had to fill in for NB19 and what his speed brings to the team.  During the first intermission, Locker interviewed MoJo and asked if it was "your" best road period in a long time. Not sure if Locker meant "your" as in his personally, or "your" as in the team’s collectively. Johansson chooses to interpret it as the latter. Good, unselfish attitude. Locker also calls him “the king of wraparounds.”  Locker also interviewed Aucoin in the second intermission and it was really nice to see a guy who has paid his dues down in the AHL to get some recognition.  The thing that kept Locker from scoring higher tonight was a few contradictory statements he made.  First: “The 4 on 4 play should benefit the Caps”, followed by, “The Leafs great team speed should really be an advantage on this 4 on 4”.  Second: “The Caps cannot let the Leafs get on the PP tonight if they want to win.”, followed by, “The Leafs are 1-15 in PP over the last few games.  Their PP has really fizzled of late.”  What gives Locker?            

2nd Star (2 pts):

Alan May.  May was paired up with Dave Johnson tonight, so you know it was going to be a good show.  May spent the pregame show making fun of Toronto fans for being “flat”, taking shots at Locker, and talking about how important it is that the Caps make a move to acquire a player at the trade deadline that can fill the 1C/2C gap on this team, long term.  AMEN.  We like to think May’s particularly high volume of zingers aimed at Locker tonight was because both men are currently 1-2 in the AOTI standings as we enter the home stretch of the season, and May appears quite intent on going in for the kill. Locker seemed really want to be friends with May postgame: After being asked whether he preferred aggressive or passive play, Locker said, “Aggressive. Remember? You and I are on the same page.” May’s response? “You must be drinking that Canadian beer.” Translation: Nice try, Locker, but I’m bringing this thing home. I also rather enjoyed May’s description of playing aggressive hockey: “Two ways to go into a fight: Either go in throwing punches, or wait for the other guy to hit you. I’d rather be the guy throwing punches.” Well said, Alan, well said. Hopefully the Caps take note.

1st Star (3 pts):

Dave Johnson. Been a while since we’ve seen Johnson working with May, but their chemistry is as strong as ever. Nothing against Rob Carlin, but he just doesn’t bring the same kind of fellow tough-guy demeanor to the table, and he always seems a little bit intimidated by Alan May (and really, who could blame him? May is a scary fucker when he wants to be). Johnson, on the other hand, shows no fear. Even on top of his rapport with May, Johnson seems to have made a noticeable effort to improve his hockey knowledge since we saw him last. While he’s never been shy about offering his own commentary and analysis alongside May’s, tonight he seemed more insightful and in the groove than in the past. Also made me laugh: “It’s warm in February in DC, Winnipeg is leading the Southeast Division, and Alan and Locker agree. The world is obviously coming to an end.” No argument here. Take note, CSN. Keep these guys together. They’re great.

Last Star (-1 pt):

Jill Sorenson.  This was the first time in awhile that Jill was behind the CSN anchor desk and we were pretty excited to see her.  She always comes off as one of the more knowledgeable members of the CSN anchor crew.  Everything she wore tonight was a shade of red (mostly pink), which was a little much but still I like the team spirit.  She showed us her trademark “knowledgeableness” (sure that’s a word) by sounding surprised that the Caps were winning on the road.  She also had trouble saying “Southeast division-leading Winnipeg Jets” with a straight face and had to suppress a chuckle.  Unfortunately for Jill, she ruined an otherwise decent outing by talking about a Neuvy going for the shut out...in the second period.  With how much she clearly knows about hockey you’d think she would of know not to jinx him like that.  In the postgame Jill started out by giving us an apology from the bottom of her heart for jinxing Neuvy, which was nice and shows that she realized what she did and probably won’t do it again.

Thats what we have for you tonight.  As you know, the NHL trade deadline is this Monday.  That day we have something special planned for you guys.  My associate blogger Murshawursha is going to be Live-Blogging the entire day to keep you up to date with all the moves that go down along with his own commentary on the happenings of the day.  I'll be assisting him, but he lives for the trade deadline and this is going to be mostly his thing.  Look for a potential post setting up the Live-Blog coming sometime tomorrow, or if that doesn't happen just be prepared to jump right in to it on Monday morning.  It should be pretty great and I hope you all check it out!  The only other news is there is a new post up over at Fantasy Town, USA.

Thanks for reading!

-Dru

Caps v. Isles (Jan 17th)

Tonight was the first game in quite a while that has actually had a fully-staffed and full-blown pre- and post-game show, and CSN apparently decided they had to make up for lost time. Alan May and Dave Johnson were aces together, and tonight certainly gets five stars for overall production value.


Third Star (+1 pts): Julie Donaldson
Did a solid job holding down the first intermission and the post-game Sportsnet Central solo. Was just okay doing the highlights, but she scores bonus points for wearing a red necklace on a night where everybody else seemed more interested in wearing purple. She also gets some sympathy points for having to run through two sets of Penguins highlights in two consecutive appearances. Ouch.


Second Star (+2 pts): Alan May
I’d make some sort of comment about Man and Johnson being a dynamic duo tonight, but I feel like Alan would probably not be amused and possibly knock my block off, so I’ll refrain. Regardless, May turned in the kind of performance we’ve come to expect from him: Strong, informed analysis and a willingness to tell it like it is when the Caps don’t do so well, which they certainly didn’t tonight. May pulled no punches in the post-game show; he felt the Caps got manhandled by a team they should have beaten, and went on to detail the list of reasons why it happened: Too much perimeter hockey with no real net pressure in the offensive zone; spending too much time in their own D zone tires them out, making it hard to generate offensive pressure; and that the Caps’ PK stood still and gave the Isles too much space. He elaborated on the latter point via telestration. Still, May knows the importance of sportsmanship, and in the spirit of being a gracious loser, he made sure to congratulate Islanders forward PA Parenteau on his first career multi-goal game. I’d congratulate him, but Alan May doesn’t need my approval. He knows he’s a badass.

First Star (+3 pts): Dave Johnson
Dave Johnson was on pre- and post-game duty with Alan May tonight. Like Rob Carlin earlier in the season, his job was basically to set up topics for Alan to elaborate on. However, unlike Carlin, Johnson wasn’t afraid to bust out some analysis and commentary of his own to round out May’s always insightful comments. Also unlike Carlin, whom May always seemed to view with a certain “we’re not friends, stop making bad jokes,” May seemed to hold a higher measure of respect for Johnson, listening to and responding to Johnson’s comments. Perhaps its because they both look like tough dudes, perhaps there’s a measure of ‘kindred spirit’ there. Or maybe May just respects Johnson’s confidence. Either way, anybody who earns Alan May’s respect certainly earns mine. First star for Johnson.

Last Star (-1 pts): Chuck Gormley
Got through his bit without stumbling, but he was still very obviously reading from a teleprompter. His subject? Last year, after Mike Green got injured, McPhee went out and got Dennis Wideman. But this year, he may stand pat. No really Chuck? Maybe that’s because Dennis Wideman is still here (and an All-Star to boot). Regardless, not a terrible performance by Chuck’s rather low standards, but it was still the worst on the night, so he has to get the last star. And unfortunately for Chuck, my editor has also forbidden me from giving out “Nice try, good effort,” awards, so Chuck loses a point tonight.

Anyway, see you tomorrow, in a game in which Rene Borque hopefully gets his ass kicked.

Caps v Sharks (Jan 7th)

The Caps fell to the Sharks in San Jose and Mike Green got the injuries again. Whomp, whomp. It was also to barest of bones crew covering the game tonight. Three men entered, and three men left with some kind of points by default. Next game is Monday against LA, expect another skeleton crew for that game!

3rd Star (1 pt):

Joe B. Joe B. seemed to have written this game off as a loss before it even started. At least through the first two periods, he made sure to remind us every couple of minutes that the Caps were historically terrible against the Sharks, especially in San Jose. Nobody likes a downer, Joe B.

Second Star (2 pts):

Locker. Locker put in a solid effort. Just looking at him at the top of the show, we could tell he came ready to play, doing his best George Clooney impression in a dark suit with a purple tie that combined with his gray hair looked positively elegant. For the most part, Locker called a strong game. Highlights included a wonderful bit of alliteration in the first period when he mentioned that San Jose had the “Big Bomber on the Blueline, Brent Burns.” Amazing. He also put in a valiant effort at telestrating on the road with clearly inferior equipment, literally telestrating over top of game footage and not the normal overhead view. Despite less-than-ideal circumstances, Locker knew what the people wanted and was determined to give it to them.

The only thing keeping Locker out of the top spot is the fact that he jinxed the living shit out of us in the third period. After the Caps scored early in the third to tie the game at 2, Locker pointed out that it had been 6 games since the Caps gave up a third period goal. Literally two seconds later, San Jose scored. At least Locker had the good sense to acknowledge his mistake, commenting, “I’m gonna stop talking now.” But it was too late; The damage had already been done.

First Star (3 pts):

Dave Johnson. New guy around the Caps coverage. The internets tell us that he is the play-by-play guy for the DC United and the Washington Wizards. We assume that Dave probably begged the CSN bigwigs to let him cover someone other then the winless Wizards and so they stuck him on a late night Caps game. All by himself. That’s right, Johnson had to hold down the intermission breaks solo tonight. He didn’t really mess up during the highlights and had a pretty sweet sounding voice. We attribute this to his play-by-play experience. Even after a loss, Johnson tried to keep us upbeat by coming out for the (admittedly not very substantial) postgame show with a ton of energy. On a bare bones night, Johnson takes the top spot in his first appearance with the CSN Caps crew for not fucking up and not being annoying. Interested to see what he can do and how he will score alongside a full game day crew. He showed enough tonight to make him an interesting addition to the Action on the Ice competition.

Participants for the Night:

Locker: 12

Joe B: 8

Dave Johnson: 3

That's all we got for tonight. See you Monday!