Caps 4, Carolina Hurricanes 3 (overtime)
The Caps moved ever closer to clinching the Southeast Division title with Wednesday's win over the Hurricanes. It certainly wasn't easy. Leads of 2-0 and 3-2 disappeared quickly - Carolina scored 18 seconds after Mike Green had made it 2-0. Jussi Jokinen scored 4:01 after Green's second goal made it 3-2. But this is the Caps we're talking about. It's not like we haven't seen this before. They took the game into overtime - their fifth extra period in nine games - and won it on Tomas Fleischmann's goal with 1:40 left to play. That was just his second goal in the last 16 games.
All in all, a satisfying win. The Caps penalty kill was better, seemingly more aggressive. They stopped 4-of-5 Carolina chances. Jose Theodore made 28 saves, including two...
Game #67
Caps (44-13-9, 97 points) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (27-31-7, 61 points)
Caps will see a lot of the Southeast Division down the stretch - eight of the final 16 games - and the next two are no exception. Tonight, Carolina returns to Verizon Center for the first time since a Dec. 28 win over Washington. That's actually the last time the Caps lost in regulation at home. The Hurricanes will use both recent trade acquisitions from Washington - defenseman Brian Pothier and forward Oskar Osala, who spent much of the year at AHL Hershey, but was an emergency recall today from AHL Albany.
Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said during his pregame meeting with reporters that's he's getting tired of having to juggle playing time. It's one thing to do that with line combinations - which Boudreau...
George Mason coach Jim Larranaga will get a chance to give his youthful squad some more experience later this month when it plays in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Mason will host a first-round game against an opponent to be determined on Tuesday, March 16, at the Patriot Center. The second annual event includes 16 teams from mid-major conferences.
“With 10 players in the freshman and sophomore class, it is important for our young team to gain the experience that only a postseason tournament can provide,” said Larranaga in a statement. “The CIT presents us with an excellent opportunity to give our players a taste of the postseason.”
This will be a program-record third straight postseason appearance for Mason (17-14), which got off to its best start ever in...
On Tuesday afternoon the Nationals and their fans got a glimpse of the future when phenom pitcher Stephen Strasburg, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft, took to the mound for his first spring training game. But he isn't the only rising star in major league camps this spring.
Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves » Actually ranked ahead of Strasburg by some Baseball America writers in their top prospect rankings. Were there really 13 teams -- including the Nats -- who passed on this kid in the 2007 draft? The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder is still just 20. Yet he tore through the minors and has shown the power and plate discipline needed to be the Braves' Opening Day right fielder.
Brian Matusz, Baltimore Orioles » The fourth pick in 2008 has nowhere near the power stuff of Strasburg....
It's hard to see anyone other than Ohio State's Evan Turner winning the Naismith Award as college basketball's best player. And the consensus seems to be Kentucky freshman John Wall is a close second. But at this stage of his career, is Wall, the SEC player of the year, better than Maryland's Greivis Vasquez, the ACC player of the year?
That debate might be closer than you think. Vasquez has been a more productive offensive player this season with 19.6 points a game (2.8 more than Wall) despite averaging more than a minute less playing time. Of course, Wall has a better supporting cast, so he doesn't have to shoulder the load as much. Why then -- with a lesser roster -- does Vasquez average 6.3 assists to Wall's 6.2? The Venezuelan star also has a turnover rate of 3.3. Wall commits 4.0...
By: John Keim
03/10/10 3:50 PM
Perhaps nobody will be happier about the Redskins signing nose tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu on Wednesday than Albert Haynesworth. That is, if Kemoeatu recovers from a torn Achilles he suffered on the first day of camp (that required a second surgery in December, delaying his rehab a couple weeks) and can still play.
But if he can, then the Redskins will have found their nose tackle. And that means Haynesworth can play end when the Redskins line up in a 3-4.
Kemoeatu is a typical beefy nose tackle: He's 6-foot-5, 345 pounds and strong against the run. He's also 31 and may or may not be ready for training camp. His two-year, $7 million contract is front-loaded and contains roster bonuses and workout bonuses.
If he comes through, then the Redskins (who will be hosting running back Larry...
In a move that was expected MASN replaced Buck Martinez who is now the voice of the Blue Jays with long time Baltimore great Mike Flanagan. He will split time with lead color analyst Jim Palmer and will join play by play voice Gary Thorne.
Flanagan will join the Orioles broadcast team as a color analyst for the 2010 season. Flanagan will make his MASN debut in the broadcast booth for the Orioles game against the Oakland Athletics on April 15th.
Flanagan, 59, has spent more than thirty years with the Orioles as a player, coach, front office executive and broadcaster, and brings a comprehensive knowledge of the game of baseball and the Orioles franchise to the broadcast booth.
Drafted by Baltimore in 1973, Flanagan spent eighteen years in the Major Leagues, mostly with the Orioles....
The second day of the Big East Tournament will have Georgetown facing a South Florida team that upset the Hoyas at the Verizon Center earlier this season.
The two will face off at noon on ESPN TV, radio will be ESPN980 AM, (Sirius-XM, BigEast.org and broadband on ESPN360 will have all the Big East games for those caught at work or in class today.
The 2 p.m. game on ESPN will be St. John's taking on Marquette to end the day session. The night session will have Seton Hall facing a Notre Dame team that no one wants to play at 7 p.m. and the nightcap is Cincinnati-Louisville.
Again all games are on ESPN, ESPN360 with radio on Sirius-XM and BigEast.org....
Four games on the opening of the ACC Tournament gets underway Thursday. My20 will carry all the games in the Washington area. If you are watching at work, you can see the games on both Raycomsports.com and also at ESPN360.
Boston College will face Virginia at noon, Wake Forest will face Miami at 2:30 p.m. The night session will begin with Georgia Tech taking on North Carolina on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. Then the nightcap has Clemson and NC State back on my20 at 9:30 p.m.
Virginia Tech fans will get to see the Hokies play on Friday at 2:3 0p.m. against the winner of the Wake-Miami game on my20 then Maryland will take on the Georgia Tech-North Carolina winner at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
Radio for all ACC games are on Sirius-XM with all Maryland games on 106.7 FM in D.C. and 105.7 FM in Baltimore....
The post-All-Star-break, post-apocalyptic-trade Wizards have settled in, and that doesn’t appear to be a good thing.
On Sunday, Washington took the 2008 NBA champions nearly to the wire – if that’s what you can call 41 of 48 minutes – before folding. Tonight, the Wizards didn’t unfold until it was too late in their loss to the Rockets.
“You think we would start the game the same way, and then to come out here and lay an egg, it’s frustrating, disappointing,” said Al Thorton.
Without trying to break the game down too much, a couple ideas jump out:
If there’s one player on the rise, it’s Shaun Livingston. With the Wizards down, 56-42, early in the third, head coach Flip Saunders officially abandoned Randy Foye and...
By: John Keim
03/09/10 9:00 PM
The Minnesota Twins will find out in about two or three weeks exactly what their chances are to win a pennant this season. That's when they'll learn the fate of closer Joe Nathan, who has a tear in his elbow.
The four-time All Star closer could learn at that time that he'll need season-ending Tommy John surgery. Goodbye pennant hopes. At the least it would force Minnesota's tough young team to be creative at the back end of the bullpen.
One option? Former National reliever Jon Rauch, who saved 17 games for Washington in 2008.
But another choice could be Francisco Liriano, who until Tommy John surgery in 2006, seemed destined to become an ace. Now he's a (sometimes) good, but not great, pitcher. He might serve the Twins better as a closer. With a top closer, they were, by far, the...
By: John Keim
03/09/10 9:00 PM
The only question left after Stephen Strasburg's two innings pitched Tuesday was a simple one.
What year will he be inducted into the Hall of Fame?
Seriously, how could he miss?
What, you think we should be a little patient or something? Maybe let the kid pitch a regular season game?
Nah. We've seen enough.
OK, we really haven't. But what we did see in Strasburg's spring training debut was like seeing the trailer of a good movie. It made us want to see more. A lot more. Oh, and soon, too. We know he won't be up until June or so, and we can wait. The Nationals need to be smart and patient with Strasburg and continue to do what they can to limit the pressure on him. Of course, that will be difficult given what he means to the franchise.
But we loved what we saw in his two innings vs....
They come from smaller conferences, most via automatic bids, and often are eliminated during the opening weekend. But low-seed Cinderella teams are the best part of March Madness, often leaving indelible memories that outlast their time on the dance floor. This year, two Virginia teams have a chance to go farther than most. And it's because they should be treated as dangerous threats, not as party crashers.
Richmond, behind guards Kevin Anderson and David Gonzalvez, enters the Atlantic 10 Tournament at 24-7 (13-3) and with an RPI ranking of 24. They'd be a lock for either a seven or eight seed (ESPN's Joe Lunardi has them as a six) if the NCAA Tournament started today. That's some heavy artillery for a team that finished third in the A-10 during the regular season.
But the Spiders are...
By: John Keim
03/09/10 9:00 PM
The Big Ten and the Pac-10 opted to save $300,000 by eliminating gifts to players and VIPs at their conference tournaments. Great. But we'll take the swag, thank you.
Here are our top five gifts to players at conference tournaments:
1. SEC » Four conferences provide choices and we like these choices best, though we'd like it even more if Kentucky fan Ashley Judd was among the choices. But we digress. We'll opt for the Apple iPod Touch (8 GB). Others might like the Sony digital camera. Know what the Kentucky kids consider this? A step down from the recruiting process. We're joking!
2. ACC » Nintendo Wii package and an Under Armour backpack. Right in a college kid's wheelhouse; play video games and have a cool sack to tote your belongings. But what if you don't have a TV?...
Minor news post-practice here at Kettler Iceplex. The Caps signed right wing Dmitry Kugryshev to a three-year entry-level contract. The 20-year-old Russian has spent the past two seasons with the Quebec Ramparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He had 74 points in his rookie season in juniors. This year he's made another solid leap with 83 points in 64 games. Kugryshev was the Caps' second-round pick in 2008 at No. 58 overall. He was selected one spot behind Eric Mestery, the team's first choice in that round.
The QMJHL is Canada's third-best junior league after the WHL and the OHL - though stars like Sidney Crosby have come through its ranks over the years. It just doesn't have the depth of top prospects. Kugryshev does have 28 goals, six shy of his total last season. His 83...
On a lighter note to start, Wizards head coach Flip Saunders said the team is "going total AAU basketball after this, games every day."
After Washington hosts Houston tonight, they'll have one day to recuperate before playing on three consecutive nights, then departing the next day for a four-game swing out west that includes visits to Utah, Denver, Portland and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Yikes.
With that in mind, the Wizards re-upped Shaun Livingston for another 10-day contract. They need all the bodies they can get.
"In practice he looks good," said Saunders. "I wanted to play him in Boston. But we played so well early, and by the time I wanted to play him, I thought it was too late to put him in that kind of situation. Hopefully, we’ll get him some time here....
U.S. Olympic star Lindsey Vonn will chase her third-straight Overall World Cup title tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET on Universal Sports television, as athletes continue their quest for the coveted Crystal Globes in the 2010 FIS Alpine World Cup Finals from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Vonn has already clinched the downhill and super-G World Cup titles heading into the finals, and currently leads the overall category with 245 points over Germany's Maria Riesch. Currently, Vonn is tied with Bode Miller for the most World Cup wins by an American with 32 – a win in any of the disciplines would make Vonn the most successful American skier in World Cup history. Miller has decided not to compete at the Finals due to an injured ankle.
Universal Sports will present same-day coverage, as...
It would seem logical to hazard a guess that D.C. United, for the time being, is basically set at three of the four major positions: forward, midfield and goalkeeper.
But not defender, where in light of the injuries of Marc Burch and Bryan Namoff, trialists continue to be the theme with 18 days to go before the season gets underway.
Former Chicago Fire defender Daniel Woolard, Bolivian veteran Juan Manuel Pena, and Jamaican Jermaine Taylor joined United in Mexico, where they will play a friendly tomorrow against Santos Laguna. Barry Rice, another defender, is still with the team, and don't forget that last year's draft pick, Lyle Adams, and this year's fourth round draft pick, Jordan Graye, are also defenders, as is Lawson Vaughn.
Despite all the potential additions, the back four,...
The Washington Capitals/Dallas Stars game on VERSUS last night was the network’s best regular season NHL game ever in Washington, D.C. with a 2.1 local HH rating. The game, which peaked at a 2.7 HH rating between 8:00-8:15 p.m. ET, made VERSUS a top-rated cable network in the market.
The 2.1 HH rating is up 91 percent as compared to the Capitals 2009/10 regular season average on VERSUS (1.1) and up 62 percent from the Capitals 2008/09 final regular season average (1.3)....
CSN will again be the home of D.C. United this season, but not until May. Three of United's first four games don't currently have local TV coverage, only through MLS's packages online and TV.
That said, D.C. has again pulled off some pretty sweet scheduling, such as playing June 10 game at Seattle, a nice appetizer on World Cup Eve on ESPN2. The return leg against the Sounders, with whom United already has struck a nice little coast-to-coast rivalry, is also on the broadcasting giant.
Comcast's best game are D.C.'s visit to Red Bull Arena on July 10 and the first visit by Peter Nowak and the Philadelphia Union on Sunday, Aug. 22.
Here's the list, with home games in bold:
Day Date Opponent Time Television
Sat. March 27 at...
Caps had a well-attended practice the day after a 4-3 shootout loss to Dallas. They are back in action on Wednesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes. Only Alex Ovechkin and Mike Knuble took the day off. And with both players Bruce Boudreau made clear that the team needs them to "get their rest." Ovechkin because he played in Vancouver. Knuble because ... well, he's 37. He's earned it.
Defenseman John Carlson, forward Quintin Laing and goalie Semyon Varlamov all stayed late to work with assistant coaches Arturs Irbe and Bob Woods. Forward Scott Walker said he won't know until tomorrow if he's back in the lineup. He was a healthy scratch on Monday along with Laing, Tyler Sloan, Tomas Fleischmann and Shaone Morrisonn. Boudreau has another day of lineup headaches awaiting.
This is...
Here's what Mike DeCourcy of Sporting News has to say:
First team
G James Anderson, Oklahoma State
G Scottie Reynolds,Villanova
G Evan Turner, Ohio State
G John Wall, Kentucky
G Greivis Vasquez, Maryland
Second team
G Sherron Collins, Kansas
G Jon Scheyer, Duke
F Damion James, Texas
F Wesley Johnson, Syracuse
F/C DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky
Third team
G Jordan Crawford, Xavier
G Jimmer Fredette, BYU
G Jacob Pullen, Kansas State
F Darington Hobson, New Mexico
C Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
Fourth team
G Jerome Randle, California
G Devan Downey, South Carolina
G Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech
G Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga
G Tweety Carter, Baylor
Fifth team
G Andy Rautins, Syracuse
G Trevon Hughes, Wisconsin
F Lazar Hayward, Marquette
F Kyle Singler, Duke
F Austin Freeman, Georgetown...
The Chicago Blackhawks, currently second in the Western Conference with 91 points, host the Washington Capitals, who lead the league and the Eastern Conference with 97 points, in a game between the league’s top scoring offenses at the United Center on Sunday, March 14 at 12:30 pm ET on NBC Sports.
Mike “Doc” Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Pierre McGuire (inside-the-glass reporter) call the action. McGuire will pull double duty, hosting NBC’s studio show alongside analyst Mike Milbury on site at United Center.
Sunday’s game features the league’s top two scoring teams and some of its most prolific individual scorers. Washington tops the NHL with a 3.88 goals per game average, while Chicago is number two at 3.22. The Capitals...
In case you haven't seen the full All-Big East and All-ACC lists, here they are. Scroll down further to have a go at my picks for All-American:
*unanimous selection
ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM
Greg Monroe, Georgetown
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
Dominique Jones, USF
Wes Johnson, Syracuse
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova *
Da’Sean Butler, West Virginia
ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM
Austin Freeman, Georgetown
Lazar Hayward, Marquette
Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall
Andy Rautins, Syracuse
ALL-BIG EAST THIRD TEAM
Jerome Dyson, Connecticut
Kemba Walker, Connecticut
Samardo Samuels, Louisville
Corey Fisher, Villanova
Devin Ebanks, West Virginia
BIG EAST ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati *
Alex Oriakhi, Connecticut
Vincent Council,...
OK things get started in Madison Square Garden at noon today. USF takes on DePaul then the mid afternoon game UConn takes on St.John's. Both of those games will on ESPN and the night session will move over to ESPNU with Seton Hall faces Providence at 7p.m. then the 9p.m. game will be Cincinnati taking on Rutgers. All Big East tournament games can be seen on ESPN360 Broadband and radio on Sirius-XM.
Georgetown will get the winner of the USF-DePaul game to be played on Wednesday on ESPN and ESPN360. Radio will be on...
