Wednesday, March 21, 2007

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Sabres, March 21st

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

The Caps hit the road tonight, traveling to Paris on Lake Erie . . . otherwise known as Buffalo, NY. The Caps are riding on a three-game points streak (2-0-1), something quite unusual for the club since the start of the new year. Tampa Bay and Toronto – the Caps’ last two opponents – offered a test of playoff-worthy opponents, but the Sabres will be a step up in class. With 99 points, they lead the Eastern Conference and sit second in the league in total points earned. In their last ten, Buffalo is 5-3-2, but will enter this game having earned points in their last four games (2-0-2).

The game will offer the Caps a glimpse of an old teammate – Dainius Zubrus – in his new duds. Zubrus is 2-0-2, +1 in nine games with the Sabres thus far in an average of almost 19 minutes of ice time a game.

As for the rest of the club, some of the particulars over the last ten games:

- 37 goals for/31 goals against
- Leading scorers: Jason Pominville (6-4-10, +4), Drew Stafford (6-2-8, +4)
- Power play: 3/28 (7.9 percent, none for their last 23)
- Penalty killing: 27/35 (77.1 percent)

Ryan Miller has been rather ordinary in goal, with a 4-3-2 mark, 3.03, .900, record over this stretch (compared to 2.75, .910 for the season).

Meanwhile, the Caps have outscored the opposition 15-5 over the last three games that marked the return of goaltender Olaf Kolzig.

It makes for an interesting game, and that’s with out the Alex Ovechkin-Daniel Briere subplot. Tonight, the Caps go for three wins in a row . . .

Caps 5 – Sabres 4.