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Sunday, December 01, 2002

By Dejan Kovacevic, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Mellon Arena patrons planning to boo Jaromir Jagr Tuesday might want to rethink the strategy.

It could just make the Capitals feel right at home.

Washington's players were booed Friday at the MCI Center by the 15,822 who paid to watch their team lose, 6-2, to the Senators.

The Capitals are 2-6-1 in their past nine, the victories coming over the lowly Thrashers and Flames. Jagr and Peter Bondra have been injured of late, but Washington was supposed to have plenty of depth, especially up front.

Bruce Cassidy, a rookie coach, fumed to reporters Friday: "We are an average team right now whose goaltender makes us look good from time to time. I'm singling out every player who wore a uniform. If we blocked more shots up front, maybe we wouldn't have to clear the puck so much. When was the last time we saw one of our guys coming off after a penalty kill limping? Blocking shots is part of the game."

Whoa, let's get this straight: The Capitals spent millions of dollars to acquire players from the Penguins so that they could block shots? Who is doing their scouting?

The Penguins, who Robert Lang described last month as a one-line team, have 75 goals to the Capitals' 59. Dick Tarnstrom has more points than any player on the Washington roster.

If it were another player who delivered a low hit to the knees of the Senators' Zdeno Chara Wednesday on Long Island, it might not have been a big deal. But Michael Peca? The Islanders' captain had complained bitterly about such hits after a submarine check by the Maple Leafs' Darcy Tucker in the Stanley Cup playoffs. But Peca was in the reverse role Wednesday, and Chara did not hide his anger. "Especially after what someone did to him, I never thought he'd do it to someone else," he told reporters in Ottawa. "That was a cheap shot." Peca's take? "He's 6-9, I'm 5-11. I still got him above the knee." Peca was ejected from the game but not suspended.

It's Peca vs. Tucker Friday on Long Island. Fans there are talking about arriving early to harass the Maple Leafs when they make the usual walk across the parking lot from the team hotel. Peca has vowed he will not pursue revenge.

The real problem with the Sabres, as the Penguins saw Friday, isn't talent or desire. It's an inability to finish. Buffalo's shooting percentage of 7.1 is worst in the league. Proven scorers Miroslav Satan and Stu Barnes have five and four goals, respectively. Others who appeared to have bright futures, such as Curtis Brown and Tim Connolly, appear to have stunted. As Coach Lindy Ruff said after watching Johan Hedberg save 43 of 44, "If our key players don't finish, then we have no chance of winning."

For all the attention Buffalo's financial situation is getting, there might not be an NHL franchise in a tougher spot than the Senators. The Globe and Mail of Toronto reported this week that the league recently gave Ottawa management a $9 million loan to sustain the team's operations. The newspaper also discovered that the franchise lost $10 million last season.

Hard as the Canadiens tried to downplay the fight between teammates Karl Dykhuis and Richard Zednik in practice Thursday, the truth is that it wasn't even an isolated incident. Three weeks ago, Craig Rivet and Donald Audette had to be separated after Audette was checked to the ice. Given the Montreal media microscope, be sure every move is being dissected.