Headlines:
The Capitals are cap-less
Ok, that's all I can come up with but this is getting pretty concerning now. They have only 3 wins in the past 10 games, have been scored on 35 times during that time. Both Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth are struggling and for now it seems it's a time share. It's not pretty for those who invested in Vokoun this season. Now quick, who is the leading goal scorer on the Caps? Not Alex Ovechkin. Not Nicklas Backstrom. Not Alexander Semin. It's...Jason Chimera? To be fair, Backstrom and Ovechkin are not far behind Chimera but it's still is disconcerning that they're shooting like mad men but getting nothing done. With the whole team struggling to find consistency and key injuries happening, one can only hope things get better sometime soon.
More headlines and injury notes after the jump...
Blues are the opposite
Back when Ken Hitchcock was a coach for the Dallas Stars, he was a well respected and very good coach. It's good to see that not much hasn't change with Hitch since his hiring with the Blues. They have won 7 games in the past 10 games, and have kept the opponents to one goal or less in 6 of those 7 wins with 3 shutouts. Things are looking on the up and up for this team and as long as the defense and good goaltending comes through, the offense will keep finding ways to score and win. The time to buy low on some of the Blues may have now passed.
Stars are falling...
It's sad to see when a team seems to be going well when injuries are hampering this team left and right. This did not help matters when the team lost their star goaltender Kari Lehtonen and Trevor Daley to a groin injury. More can be said later on. But what is more frustrating is the growing list of injuries doesn't help to explain the udder lack of scoring by this team. They have been shutout in 3 of the past 10 games and have only won 3 games in that same span. I am not sure if teams have figured out their plan or if the injuries are taking a mental toll on their offense but things are not looking any easier for the Stars and it may be high time to look elsewhere for help as long as things aren't going well for them.
Injury Report
Kari Lehtonen, Stars - As I mentioned already Lehtonen recently got injured and it was determined to be a groin injury. What is not known is the severity of it. One report said it was severe, another said the Stars "dodged a bullet". Whatever the case, he was placed on the Injured Reserve list and will be out at least week but it may be safer to say it could be longer given his history with groin injuries.
Chris Pronger, Flyers - He's been dealing with sickness for the past few games but he traveled with the team so he may not be too far from returning soon. Keep on close ear on when he plays again.
Taylor Hall, Oilers - He injured his shoulder and just based on observations, it doesn't sound pretty. There's no word on how severe the injury but make sure you pay attention to what reports say.
That's it for now but if you use Twitter, be sure to follow all of us on there at @Faketeams, @MattPTurner and @StephenKaczmar and ask away on any hockey related questions!