When it comes to shuffling your lineup from week to week, tight end performance might be the toughest to predict. Unless you have a tight end who functions as a staple of his passing game, like Gates, Gonzalez or Witten, it may be safer just to stick with one guy that you believe in week in and week out. Even at this late stage in the season, Gates has just 6 TD to lead all tight ends, and no tight ends are over 600 yards yet this season. Nonetheless, here are this week’s tight end rankings, and match up previews.

Keep in mind that the power rankings, listed here, are based on year to date performance and not a reflection of your best options for week 12. Just below the power rankings are match up previews advising who should be better or worse than usual this week, based on their opponents. At the bottom, are the week 12 start rankings; that’s where you should look for help with your week 12 lineup decisions.

Week 12 Fantasy Tight End Power Rankings

TE Power Rankings Archive – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11

(last week’s rankings in parentheses)

1. Tony Gonzalez (1) – KC – 583 yds 5 TD

2. Antonio Gates (2) – SD – 479 yds 6 TD

3. Tony Scheffler (6) – DEN – 351 yds 2 TD

4. Kellen Winslow Jr. (5) – CLE – 402 yds 3 TD

5. Jason Witten (4) – DAL – 583 yds 2 TD

6. Dallas Clark (3) – IND – 459 yds 3 TD

7. Owen Daniels (7) – HOU – 555 yds 2 TD

8. Kevin Boss (8) – NYG – 217 yds 4 TD

9. Anthony Fasano (10) – MIA – 305 yds 3 TD

10. Chris Cooley (9) – WAS – 576 yds 1 TD

11. Bo Scaife (11) – TEN – 450 yds 2 TD

12. Dustin Keller (12) – NYJ – 341 yds 3 TD

13. Billy Miller (13) – NO – 388 yds 0 TD

14. Zach Miller (16) – OAK – 430 yds 1 TD

15. Visanthe Schiancoe (14) – MIN – 293 yds 4 TD

16. Jerramy Stevens (NR) – TB – 238 yds 1 TD

17. John Carlson (16) – SEA – 337 yds 2 TD

18. Greg Olsen (17) – CHI – 391 yds 2 TD

19. Daniel Graham (NR) – DEN – 202 yds 4 TD

20. Martellus Bennett (NR) – DAL – 206 yds 2 TD

Dropped from Rankings: Mercedes Lewis – JAX; Alex Smith – TB; Todd Heap – BAL

TEs Who Should Be Better Than Usual In Week 12: Dallas Clark @ SD; Bo Scaife vs. NYJ; Zach Miller @ DEN; Kellen Winslow Jr. vs. HOU; Dante Rosario @ ATL; Dustin Keller @ TEN; Mercedes Lewis vs. MIN

TEs Who Could Be Sleepers Based On Week 12 Match Ups: Todd Heap vs. PHI; Alex Smith & Jerramy Stevens @ DET; Joe Klopfstein vs. CHI

TEs With Tough Week 12 Match Ups: Jason Witten & Martellus Bennett vs. SF; Tony Gonzalez vs. BUF; John Carlson vs. WAS; Vernon Davis @ DAL; Chris Cooley @ SEA; Antonio Gates vs. IND; Heath Miller vs. CIN

TEs You Might Want To Avoid In Week 12: Leonard Pope vs. NYG; Benjamin Watson @ MIA; Casey Fitzsimmons vs. TB

And here are the week 12 Fantasy TE start rankings; it’s the projected top 35 TEs in the order that you should consider them this week. They were gotten using the Fantasy Flavor secret formula, and have their formulary numbers in parentheses, the lower the better. We’ll get all of the positional rankings out to you in time for the Thursday night game, so keep checking back for the rest.

1. Dallas Clark (13)

2. Kellen Winslow Jr. (15)

3. Tony Scheffler (20)

4. Bo Scaife (24)

5. Antonio Gates (28)

6. Owen Daniels (29)

7. Tony Gonzalez (33)

8. Kevin Boss (34)

9. Anthony Fasano (34)

10. Dustin Keller (34)

11. Zach Miller (34)

12. Billy Miller (38)

13. Jerramy Stevens (39)

14. Jason Witten (42)

15. Visanthe Schiancoe (43)

16. Chris Cooley (45)

17. Greg Olsen (53)

18. Alex Smith (53)

19. Mercedes Lewis (55)

20. Todd Heap (55)

21. Tom Santi (61)

22. John Carlson (63)

23. Daniel Graham (64)

24. LJ Smith (66)

25. Derek Fine (69)

26. Steve Heiden (73)

27. Vernon Davis (76)

28. Dante Rosario (78)

29. Donald Lee (79)

30. Heath Miller (80)

31. Martellus Bennett (80)

32. Brent Celek (80)

33. David Martin (80)

34. Alge Crumpler (80)

35. Jeremy Shockey (82)

Use the links below to check out all of the other positional rankings, and I’ll try to consolidate all of this week’s start rankings into one blog, that I’ll update as injury information becomes available too. Remember to trust your gut and have fun, and as always, good luck this week.

Peace,

T

(thyrl@wnst.net)

Week 12 QB Rankings and Previews

Week 12 RB Rankings and Previews

Week 12 WR Rankings and Previews

Week 12 K Rankings and Previews

Week 12 D/ST Rankings and Previews

The big news this week when it comes to tight ends is that on the back of one decent performance, Todd Heap has finally broken into the power rankings. He’ll have a tough time staying there though after a match up with a tough Giants defense on Sunday. Derek Fine still remains an interesting proposition, after being blanked last week. Since it’s pretty much hit or miss when it comes to tight ends outside of the top 5 from week to week, Fine could still be an intriguing start for this week, in a favorable match up.

Remember that we’re listing 3 separate areas of evaluation in each Positional Power Rankings blog. The power rankings, listed first, are a year to date assessment of the top 20 at each position. Under those, are listings advising who should be a little bit better or worse than usual, based on their match up this week. And finally, at the bottom of each blog is the formulary start rankings, which is gotten using the “Secret Fantasy Flavor Formula”. It’s two parts year to date performance, one part opponents’ defensive performance, with adjustments for injuries, anomalies, and playing time changes.

Remember, none of this is gospel. If it were that easy, it wouldn’t be fun to play the games. With that said, we’re very proud of our track record so far, and suggest that you use these and as many other resources as you can find, in order to formulate your own opinions. After all, it’s you who has to live with your lineup decisions

Week 11 Fantasy Tight End Power Rankings

TE Power Rankings Archive – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 - 8 - 9 - 10

Remember that the power rankings listed here are a reflection of year to date performance only, and not an inducement of who to start this week. Check the list at the bottom of the column for this week’s start rankings.

(last week’s rankings in parentheses)

1. Tony Gonzalez (4) – KC – 544 yds 5 TD

2. Antonio Gates (2) – SD – 469 yds 6 TD

3. Dallas Clark (5) – IND – 415 yds 3 TD

4. Jason Witten (1) – DAL – 549 yds 2 TD

5. Kellen Winslow Jr. (11) – CLE – 362 yds 3 TD

6. Tony Scheffler (6) – DEN – 351 yds 2 TD

7. Owen Daniels (3) – HOU – 541 yds 2 TD

8. Kevin Boss (10) – NYG – 217 yds 4 TD

9. Chris Cooley (8) – WAS – 529 yds 1 TD

10. Anthony Fasano (10) – MIA – 305 yds 3 TD

11. Bo Scaife (16) – TEN – 422 yds 2 TD

12. Dustin Keller (NR) – NYJ – 254 yds 3 TD

13. Billy Miller (NR) – NO – 388 yds 0 TD

14. Visanthe Schiancoe (9) – MIN – 252 yds 4 TD

15. Mercedes Lewis (15) – JAX – 287 yds 2 TD

16. John Carlson (12) – SEA – 298 yds 2 TD

17. Zach Miller (13) – OAK – 363 yds 1 TD

18. Greg Olsen (14) – CHI – 346 yds 2 TD

19. Alex Smith (17) – TB – 228 yds 3 TD

20. Todd Heap (NR) – BAL – 195 yds 2 TD

Dropped from Rankings: LJ Smith – PHI; Jerramy Stevens – TB; David Martin – MIA

TEs Who Should Be Better Than Usual In Week 11: Dallas Clark vs. HOU; Tony Scheffler @ ATL; Dante Rosario vs. DET; Mercedes Lewis vs. TEN; Bo Scaife @ JAX; Anthony Fasano vs. OAK

TEs Who Could Be Sleepers Based on Week 11 Match Ups: Matt Spaeth vs. SD; Justin Peele vs. DEN; Ben Watson vs. NYJ; Reggie Kelly & Ben Utecht vs. PHI; David Martin vs. OAK

TEs With Tough Week 11 Match Ups: Jason Witten @ WAS; Kellen Winslow Jr. @ BUF; Zach Miller @ MIA; Todd Heap @ NYG; Visanthe Schiancoe @ TB; Chris Cooley vs. DAL; LJ Smith @ CIN; Kevin Boss vs. BAL; Owen Daniels @ IND

TEs You Might Want to Avoid in Week 11: Joe Klopfstein @ SF; Brent Celek @ CIN

And here are the week 11 Fantasy TE start rankings; it’s the top 40 projected tight ends in the order that you should consider them this week. They were gotten using the Fantasy Flavor secret formula, and have their formulary numbers in parentheses, the lower the better. We’ll get all of the positional rankings out to you in time for the game tonight, so keep checking back.

1. Dallas Clark (12)

2. Tony Gonzalez (19)

3. Tony Scheffler (19)

4. Antonio Gates (23)

5. Anthony Fasano (30)

6. Bo Scaife (31)

7. Derek Fine (34)

8. Owen Daniels (37)

9. Kellen Winslow Jr. (38)

10. Mercedes Lewis (38)

11. Kevin Boss (40)

12. Jason Witten (41)

13. Daniel Graham (43)

14. Chris Cooley (44)

15. Dustin Keller (45)

16. Billy Miller (46)

17. John Carlson (46)

18.  Greg Olsen (51)

19. Alex Smith (51)

20. Jerramy Stevens (57)

21. Visanthe Schiancoe (59)

22. Tom Santi (60)

23. Zach Miller (63)

24. David Martin (66)

25. Brent Celek (69) *bump him 5 to 7 spots if LJ Smith can’t go

26. Martellus Bennett (69) * bump him 3 to 5 spots if Jason Witten can’t go

27. Todd Heap (70) *bump him 8 to 10 spots if Derrick Mason can’t go

28. Vernon Davis (73)

29. LJ Smith (74) *switch him with Celek if he’s probable or better

30. Jerrame Tuman (75)

31. Justin Peele (76)

32. Dante Rosario (77)

33. Robert Royal (78)

34. Alge Crumpler (79)

35. Donald Lee (80)

36. Matt Spaeth (81)

37. Jeremy Shockey (86)

38. Desmond Clark (89)

39. John Gilmore (89)

40. Steve Heiden (92)

Use the links at the bottom of the page for all of the rest of this week’s rankings. As always, keep an eye on the injury report and make adjustments accordingly, or call in to the show on Saturday from 4-7. And most importantly, good luck this week.

Peace,

T

(thyrl@wnst.net)

Week 11 Fantasy QB Rankings and Previews

Week 11 Fantasy RB Rankings and Previews

Week 11 Fantasy WR Rankings and Previews

Week 11 Fantasy D/ST Rankings and Previews

Week 11 Fantasy K Rankings and Previews

Red hats off to our 57 hockey enthusiasts who ventured down to the Verizon Center last night and “Rocked The Red” for the Caps-Hurricanes game. And, wow, what an ending!

Alexander Semin scored on an amazing pass from Alex Ovechkin and the Caps stole a 3-2 win with less than 11 seconds remaining in regulation, beating goalie Cam Ward and turning the rink into a joyous celebration.

We had kids, families, moms, dads and most surprisingly, MANY people who had never been to a hockey game before. We watched “Slap Shot,” gave away autographed pucks, ate Captain Harvey’s yummy sandwiches and brownies and talked “old time” hockey.

I suppose I’m a little spoiled having had hockey here in Baltimore most of my childhood. It’s been almost 15 years since we lost the puck, so I guess there really are a LOT of people who have never experienced the joy of hockey live. It’s kinda cool watching a kid see live hockey for the first time.

Many folks asked me if we’d be doing more “Puck Bus” trips this season. Given the quick sellout of our trip last night, I think we’ll be offering a multi-game “season ticket” for a Baltimore hockey fan club, which we’ll be starting here at WNST.net.

Stay tuned for more details…

But rest assured: After 17 years, I’m not done pimping the puck!

****
So, I got home last night just in time to watch the Browns’ most recent meltdown.

There were four minutes left in the game and the Broncos had the ball near midfield and were locked down at 4th and 1. They ran a draw, got a first down and I told my wife: “They’re the Browns. They’ll screw this up,” not realizing they had a 13-point lead earlier in the game.

Of course, the Browns defense caved in, allowing the game-winning score after watching Broncos quarterback Jay Cutlet scamper 20 yards on a draw play.

I don’t know what’s more of an embarrassment: the way the team plays or the way their fans behave.

They’ve now blown two-touchdown leads at home TWICE in the last four days!

I noticed that Phil Savage signed a major extension last year, so I doubt that he’ll be the one going out the door but Romeo Crennel has become public enemy No. 1 in Cleveland and I can’t think of a worse place to be a head coach than in Cleveland, where the fans boo the home team on first down in the first quarter virtually every week.

Sure, the football hasn’t been pretty. But I’ve said it for years – the Browns fans are the worst enemy of their own team, mercilessly booing and crushing their team in their own stadium year after year.

Given their two-game advantage over the Browns and the possibility of an emergence of the Broncos, it might’ve been better for the Ravens if the Browns would’ve won last night. With the 5-3 start for the purple, I’ve officially opened “scoreboard watching” season in my condo.

Heck, if it helps the Ravens, I’ll root for the Steelers or the Redskins or the Colts at this point.

I just want this team to get to the playoffs. A major step is this weekend, locking down a sixth victory and a road win deep in the heart of Texas.

I’m off to Houston on Sunday morning – we’re doing a “same day down and back” trip.

We’ll have the videos and blogs up on Sunday.

We’re striving to be YOUR place for Baltimore sports every day here at WNST.net.

Feel free to feed back with your comments here on my blog.

Here are the Week 10 Fantasy Tight End Power Rankings, and just in time to make sure that you’re armed for tonight’s game. As usual when it comes to tight ends, it’s pretty much hit or miss anyway once you get outside of the top 4 or 5 guys. In addition to the power ranks, we’ve also ranked out the top 40 tight ends for this week in the order that you should consider them.

Week 10 Fantasy Tight End Power Rankings

TE Power Rankings Archive – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 - 8 - 9

Remember that the power rankings listed here are a reflection of year to date performance only, and not an inducement of who to start this week. Check the list at the bottom of the column for this week’s start rankings.

(last week’s rankings in parentheses)

1. Jason Witten (1) – DAL – 549 yds 2 TD

2. Antonio Gates (2) – SD – 403 yds 5 TD

3. Owen Daniels (4) – HOU – 528 yds 2 TD

4. Tony Gonzalez (3) – KC – 431 yds 3 TD

5. Dallas Clark (5) – IND – 391 yds 2 TD

6. Tony Scheffler (7) – DEN – 259 yds 2 TD

7. Anthony Fasano (6) – MIA – 288 yds 3 TD

8. Chris Cooley (8) – WAS – 529 yds 1 TD

9. Visanthe Schiancoe (10) – MIN – 248 yds 4 TD

10. Kevin Boss (17) – NYG – 148 yds 3 TD

11. Kellen Winslow Jr. (15) – CLE – 251 yds 1 TD

12. John Carlson (12) – SEA – 244 yds 2 TD

13. Zach Miller (9) – OAK – 321 yds 1 TD

14. Greg Olsen (11) – CHI – 306 yds 2 TD

15. Mercedes Lewis (16) – JAX – 223 yds 2 TD

16. Bo Scaife (13) – TEN – 344 yds 1 TD

17. Alex Smith (19) – TB – 228 yds 3 TD

18. LJ Smith (18) – PHI – 106 yds 2 TD

19. Jerramy Stevens (20) – TB – 154 yds 1 TD

20. David Martin (NR) – MIA – 253 yds 1 TD

Dropped from Rankings: Billy Miller – NO

TEs Who Should Be Better Than Usual In Week 10: Tony Gonzalez @ SD; Mercedes Lewis @ DET; Kellen Winslow Jr. vs. DEN; Jeremy Shockey @ ATL; Visanthe Schiancoe vs. GB; Greg Olsen vs. TEN; Donald Lee @ MIN

TEs Who Could Be Sleepers Based on Week 10 Match Ups: Dante Rosario @ OAK; Michael Gaines vs. JAX; Justin Peele vs. NO

TEs With Tough Week 10 Match Ups: John Carlson @ MIA; LJ Smith vs. NYG; Antonio Gates vs. KC; Dustin Keller vs. ST.L; Bo Scaife @ CHI

TEs You Might Want to Avoid in Week 10: Benjamin Watson vs. BUF; Tony Scheffler @ CLE; Ben Patrick vs. SF

And here are the week 10 Fantasy WR start rankings; it’s this week’s top 75 wide receivers in the order that you should consider them. They were gotten using the Fantasy Flavor secret formula, and have their formulary numbers in parentheses, the lower the better. We’ll get all of the positional rankings out to you in time for tonight’s game, so keep checking back for the rest.

1. Tony Gonzalez (7)

2. Kevin Boss (19)

3. Owen Daniels (21)

4. Visanthe Schiancoe (22)

5. Antonio Gates (25)

6. Dallas Clark (26)

7. Derek Fine (26)

8. Anthony Fasano (28)

9. Kellen Winslow Jr. (30)

10. Mercedes Lewis (32)

11. Greg Olsen (35)

12. Billy Miller (35)

13. Zach Miller (39)

14. Tony Scheffler (41)

15. Jeremy Shockey (45)

16. Dante Rosario (48)

17. Bo Scaife (51)

18. David Martin (52)

19. John Carlson (53)

20. Steve Heiden (57)

21. Donald Lee (58)

22. LJ Smith (60)

23. Heath Miller (23)

24. Mark Campbell (61)

25. Michael Gaines (63)

26. Rober Royal (64)

27. Dustin Keller (66)

28. Jerrame Tuman (70)

29. Desmond Clark (71)

30. Daniel Graham (72)

31. Brent Celek (74)

32. Brad Cottam (75)

33. Justin Peele (76)

34. Tory Humphrey (76)

35. Alge Crumpler (77)

36. Vernon Davis (78)

37. Todd Heap (81)

38. Tom Santi (83)

39. Casey Fitzsimmons (87)

40. Delanie Walker (88)

Peace,

T

(thyrl@wnst.net)

Week 10 QB Power Ranks and Weekly Previews

Week 10 RB Power Ranks and Weekly Previews

Week 10 WR Power Ranks and Weekly Previews

Week 10 D/ST Power Ranks and Weekly Previews

Week 10 K Power Ranks and Weekly Previews

Its this simple. 15 who deserve props; 7 who got lucky; and one absolute “zero”. Don’t forget; no Ravens on this list; they get their own list Tuesday.

Props to……

1. The New York Giants
I am really struggling to figure out how this team is this good. They were 35-14 winners over the Cowboys Sunday; and it frankly wasn’t even that close. They made it look easy, too. No receiver had more than 34 yards on the day; and Eli Manning threw for just 147 yards. They absolutely overwhelmed Brad Johnson and Brooks Bollinger; and are in a very good place in the league’s best division.

2. Pat White
This guy was destined to be a Heisman Trophy winner at some point in his career; but it is not going to happen. He was destined to take West Virginia back to a national championship game; but that is not going to happen either. But trailing Uconn in Hartford and seeing Big East power shifting to the Huskies; White manned up; threw for a TD and ran for another in helping the Mountaineers move to 3-0 in the Big East. And in the process, he just so happened to reach 4,000 career rushing yards and 5,000 career passing yards.

3. Anthony Gonzalez
It wasn’t a sparkling performance for the Colts Sunday night; but when they needed it; Anthony Gonzalez made two big TD catches to help the Colts beat the Patriots 18-15. The Colts were desperate for the win; as they are just about out of the race for the AFC South title (Tennessee is running away with that particular crown), and a loss would have left them 2 games out in the AFC Wild Card race.

4. Tim Tebow
Think about this: in just his junior season; Tim Tebow has now rushed for more touchdowns in his career than Emmitt Smith did when he was at Florida (Tebow has 39, Smith had 36). He had 5 total touchdowns Saturday in Florida’s 49-10 pasting of Georgia; which successfully washed away the taste of their ‘07 loss to the Bulldogs. And just as a note; he also has 51 career passing touchdowns.

5. Man vs. Wild with Bear Grylls
Apparently Bear Grylls is the youngest Brit to have ever climbed Mt. Everest (he was 23 at the time). He is also the only man I have ever seen remove a sheep’s heart from its body and then eat it raw. I guess there was some controversy with this show because his “survival” situations may have been staged; but I don’t much care. The guy is an absolute maniac; and his show on Discovery is EXTREMELY entertaining on those nights when Appalachian State-Wofford just isn’t cutting it.

6. Devan James
His 99 yards and a touchdown aren’t the most overwhelming stats the Morgan State running back has piled up this season. But his running was crucial for the Bears; who had to kick a late field goal to hold off a pesky Florida A&M team 13-10 in Tallahassee to remain just a game off the pace in the MEAC. And with the 99 yards; James has now gone over 1,000 for the season. Do you think he might have been inspired by seeing Chad Simpson play on Monday night football last week? Or maybe the fact that Vinsanthe Shiancoe has caught multiple touchdowns this season? He could join them on Sundays in the future.

7. Girls who dressed up as Sarah Palin and ACTUALLY LOOKED LIKE Sarah Palin
Every girl who made the decision to go as Sarah Palin for Halloween knew that they were being a bit less than creative; as the VP candidate was easily the most popular costume choice of the year. I’m not normally a fan of the already popular Halloween costumes; but Governor Palin is sexy; so I was in favor of seeing girls dress up as her this year. For those girls who went with the Palin costume and pulled it off; thank you! You made Halloween more enjoyable for all of us.

8. The Jets’ secondary
There’s a logjam at the top of the AFC East, and it is because the defensive backfield of the Jets prevented the Bills from getting things going. The Bills were driving at the end of the first quarter with a 7-6 lead when Trent Edwards was intercepted by Abram Elam and returned 92 yards for a touchdown. And when the Bills were trying to put together a last ditch effort at the end of the 4th quarter; it was Darrelle Revis who intercepted Edwards in the endzone to finish things off. Revis also added a sack on the day.

9. Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree
If you want to snap a 5 game losing streak against a school that often treats you as their little brother; having your quarterback throw for 474 yards might be a help. It might be even more helpful if those last 28 yards come on a TD pass to your All-American wide receiver with just :01 to play to give your team a 39-33 victory. I looked at a friend of mine with 1:30 to play and said; “Texas gave them too much time.” He bet me a Chinese lunch the ‘Horns would hang on. Needless to say; I’ll be enjoying some orange chicken in the future. Texas Tech isn’t just a gimmick offense anymore; they’re a national championship contender……but they have a tough schedule ahead of them.

10. Chris Paul
I believe David Steele said Friday that his NBA Championship series pick was Cleveland-New Orleans. We can only hope for such an entertaining series; and the chance to watch Chris Paul work in the national spotlight. His crossover is the best in the game right now; and he was back at Saturday night against LeBron’s Cavs; going for 24 points and 15 assists as the Hornets won 104-92. Since acquiring James Posey; the Hornets have not lost a game…..3-0 in the regular season after an undefeated preseason.

11. Matt Ryan
If it weren’t for this guy, Joe Flacco might be a frontrunner for rookie of the year. Ryan continues to lead the Falcons to wins, and to contention in the NFC South. Ryan threw for another 220 yards and 2 TD’s Sunday as Atlanta beat Oakland 24-0; and Ryan has the Falcons just a game out of first place in the division.

12. Kurt Warner and Tim Hightower
Warner added another 342 yards and 2 TD’s Sunday as the Arizona Cardinals improved to 5-3 for the first time since……well…….ever (technically, the Cardinals have been above .500 at the season’s halfway point before; but not since they moved to the Valley of the Sun). Warner is a legitimate MVP candidate for a team in a division that is so bad that they might well clinch the title with their 5 wins. Hightower; the rookie RB from Richmond, was inserted into the starting lineup for injured Edgerrin James, and he responded with 109 yards and a TD to beat the Rams 34-13.

13. Dogfish “Punkin” Ale at Ethel & Ramone’s
When my girlfriend told me that her friend was coming to town from the Midwest and we were going to dinner on Halloween, I would be lying if I said I didn’t sigh. But when we picked up another of her friends who was joining us for dinner; I was pleased to find out that we would be dining with the former food critic at The Sun. She found this hipster Cajun spot in Mt. Washington (whose NOLA chicken was sublime); and dinner was topped off by a few Dogfish Pumpkin Ales. Much like Drew likes to enjoy his wine; I happen to enjoy my beer and try to match it up with food. I did not know for sure that a pumpkin spice brew word work so well with a Cajun dish; but it was a perfect fit.

14. David Stinebaugh
Is a bit of a homer pick for me to put a Perry Hall Gator on the list for a 2nd straight week? Absolutely! But it’s my list; and I’ll put my favorite future Terrapin on the list if I choose to! The standout not only caught a TD pass; but he also returned two fumble recoveries for touchdowns as the Gators cruised to a 35-6 win over Catonsville. Stinebaugh now has 9 overall TD’s this season and the Gators appear poised to clinch a playoff spot.

15. Candy Corn and Sweet Potato Pie
After all these years; this is still my go-to. We only had one trick-or-treater here at the “Casa de Glenn”; but I gave him a few Mr. Goodbars and Krackels; as I decided to save the candy corn for myself. When I realized that I could still eat breakfast Sunday morning because it was an hour earlier than I had thought (thank you Daylight Savings Time!), I was grateful for little bit of Sweet Potato Pie and Candy Corn that survived Saturday night’s Halloween Party. As I have said before; I would be willing to work physical labor for Rodney at Dangerously Delicious Pies if he would pay me in Sweet Potato goodness.

Getting lucky were……

1. The Navy Midshipmen
Look, it wasn’t luck that helped them shave Temple’s lead to 7 with less than 3 minutes to play. And to be fair; they were downright unlucky when officials gave Temple a first down with 1:45 to play on a pass that probably should have been ruled incomplete. But with a 40 second play clock and Navy having just one timeout; Temple coach Al Golden COULD have told his QB to take 5-6 seconds off the clock when taking a knee. Had he done that; the Owls could have run all but about 12 seconds off the clock. Golden certainly couldn’t have expected a fumble late; but the 40 second play clock HAS to be your friend in the final 2 minutes. If you haven’t seen the highlights, take a look.

2. Rob Bironas
If the Titans had lost to the Packers in overtime; Rob Bironas would be kicking himself for missing a 47 yard FG at the end of regulation. Instead, the Titans’ pursuit of perfection (are we allowed to talk about that?) is still alive; as Bironas nailed a 41 yarder in the extra frame to make Tennessee 8-0.

3. Dave Wannstedt
With his seat staying nice and warm week in and week out in Pittsburgh; Wannstedt needed a statement win over an improving Notre Dame team to help some Panther fans forget about the underperforming nature the team has had in the Wannstedt era. Wannstedt got his win; but it wasn’t because they did anything particularly right. The Panthers and Irish finished regulation locked in a 24-24 tie; and then both teams sat back and allowed the other to lose the game instead of doing anything to win. Notre Dame finally missed a FG in the 4th overtime; and Pitt converted theirs for the 36-33 win.

4. The Chicago Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Both teams were EXTREMELY fortunate to avoid embarrassing losses to terrible football teams. The Bears trailed the winless, hapless, and sometimes gutless Lions by ten points in the 2nd half before rallying to get a 27-23 win. The Bucs trailed by as many as 21 points before Jeff Garcia found Antonio Bryant for a TD and Alex Smith for a 2 point conversion to tie things up at the end of regulation; then Matt Bryant hit the game winning field goal in OT to put away the now 1-7 Chiefs 30-27.

5. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The Jackets hadn’t beat Florida State since 1975; and it almost didn’t happen again Saturday. Florida State RB Marcus Mims was marching towards the end zone with less than a minute to play; but he was unable to hold on to the football; and Tech’s Rashaad Reid covered it to finish up a 31-28 win. Georgia Tech had lost its last 12 games against the ‘Noles; and were lucky to avoid unlucky number 13. The Maryland Terrapins were also lucky; as they are now alone in first place thanks to FSU’s loss.

6. The Purdue Boilermakers
It was the kind of finish that my friend Jared Zabransky would have been proud of. Tied 42-42; Purdue backup QB Justin Siller found Greg Orton; who pitched to Desmond Tardy for a hook and lateral TD with just  :30 to play. The Boilers won 48-42; ending Michigan’s streak of making 33 consecutive bowl games. If you haven’t seen the play; you can see the highlights here.

7. Carl Edwards
I don’t know much about NASCAR: but I remember trying to get to school with my car running on fumes when I was in 11th grade. If I had known then that gas wouldn’t always be $1.09 a gallon; I might have thought it a better investment to use the little money I did have on gas. When Carl Edwards’ team decided not to refuel late; it could have cost him his chance at a Sprint Cup title. Instead, Edwards had enough gas to get home for his 8th win; and he’s still alive in the Chase; just 106 points behind Jimmie Johnson with 2 races to go.

And this week’s absolute zero is……

Those of us who picked Jacksonville to win the Super Bowl
The Jags have officially hit rock bottom. Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bengals won’t have to worry about finishing the season winless, as the Jaguars couldn’t finish their furious 4th quarter comeback in a 21-19 loss. How could I have thought that this team would win the Super Bowl???????

Talk to you in the morning.

-G

Here are the Week 9 Fantasy Flavor Tight End Power Rankings. It’s the top 20 TEs based on what we’ve seen so far, and a look ahead at this week’s match ups. In addition to the power rankings, we’ve identified the best and worst match ups for week 9 and ranked the top 35 TEs in the order you should consider them this week.

TE Power Rankings Archive – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 - 8

Week 9 QB Rankings and Previews

Week 9 RB Rankings and Previews

Week 9 WR Rankings and Previews

Week 9 D/ST Rankings and Previews

Week 9 K Rankings and Previews

Fantasy Tight End Power Rankings Week 9

The power rankings are based on year to date performance and not a reflection of who to start this week, match up information for week 9 is listed below the rankings. Last weeks rankings are in parentheses.

1. Jason Witten (1) – DAL – 549 yds 2 TD

2. Antonio Gates (2) – SD – 403 yds 4 TD

3. Tony Gonzalez (7) – KC – 369 yds 3 TD

4. Owen Daniels (3) – HOU – 395 yds 2 TD

5. Dallas Clark (15) – IND – 328 yds 2 TD

6. Anthony Fasano (9) – MIA – 251 yds 3 TD

7. Tony Scheffler (6) – DEN – 259 yds 2 TD  

8. Chris Cooley (5) – WAS – 451 yds 1 TD

9. Zach Miller (11) – OAK – 312 yds 1 TD

10. Visanthe Schiancoe (4) – MIN – 223 yds 3 TD

11. Greg Olsen (8) – CHI – 296 yds 2 TD  

12. John Carlson (12) – SEA – 214 yds 2 TD

13. Bo Scaife (10) – TEN – 318 yds 1 TD

14. Billy Miller (NR) – NO – 323 yds 0 TD  

15. Kellen Winslow (14) – CLE – 187 yds 1 TD

16. Mercedes Lewis (17) – JAX – 185 yds 2 TD

17. Kevin Boss (NR) – NYG – 118 yds 2 TD  

18. LJ Smith (NR) – PHI – 106 yds 2 TD  

19. Alex Smith (16) – TB – 216 yds 2 TD

20. Jerramy Stevens (19) – TB – 154 yds 1 TD

Dropped from Rankings: David Martin – MIA; Heath Miller – PIT; Donald Lee – GB

Here’s a look at who should be a little bit better or worse than normal based on this week’s match ups.

TEs Who Should Enjoy Their Week 9 Match Ups: John Carlson vs. PHI; Greg Olsen vs. DET; Zach Miller vs. ATL; Anthony Fasano @ DEN; Bo Scaife vs. GB; Donald Lee @ TEN; Robert Royal vs. NYJ

TEs Who Could Be Sleepers in Week 9: David Martin @ DEN; Justin Peele @ OAK; Alge Crumpler vs. GB; Reggie Kelly vs. JAX; Joe Klopfstein vs. AZ

TEs With Tough Week 9 Match Ups: Tony Scheffler vs. MIA; Alex Smith & Jerramy Stevens @ KC; Heath Miller @ WAS; Tony Gonzalez vs. TB; Kevin Boss vs. DAL; Jason Witten @ NYG; Dustin Keller @ BUF; Todd Haep @ CLE; Mercedes Lewis @ CIN; LJ Smith @ SEA; Chris Cooley vs. PIT

And finally our “Formulary Start Rankings” for week 9. They’re gotten using the secret Fantasy Flavor Formula, which is basically 2 parts players performance, one part defensive expectations against them and a fraction of my gut thrown in to account for injuries and anomallies. The formulary number is in parenthesis behind the player’s name, the lower the number, the better your player’s chances at a big day.

1. Anthony Fasano (18)

2. Zach Miller (19)

3. Owen Daniels (20)

4. Dallas Clark (23)

5. Greg Olsen (24)

6. John Carlson (25)

7. Tony Gonzalez (32)

8. Bo Scaife (32)

9. Jason Witten (34)

10. Visanthe Schiancoe (34)

11. Chris Cooley (37)

12. Tony Scheffler (41)

13. David Martin (44)

14. Kellen Winslow (45)

15. Mercedes Lewis (51)

16. LJ Smith (54)

17. Robert Royal (54)

18. Justin Peele (55)

19. Kevin Boss (57)

20. Donald Lee (57)

21. Jerrame Tuman (58)

22. Martellus Bennett (62)

23. Alge Crumpler (62)

24. Desmond Clark (62)

25. Alex Smith (64)

26. Jerramy Stevens (66)

27. Heath Miller (71)

28. Dustin Keller (71)

29. Tory Humphrey (71)

30. Tom Santi (73)

31. Daniel Graham (81)

32. Steve Heiden (81)

33. Brad Cottam (84)

34. Reggie Kelly (88)

35. Ben Patrick (88)

Check back tomorrow for the defense and kicker rankings and catch me on the Comcast Morning Show with Drew tomorrow around 9: 45. And of course you can catch the Fantasy Flavor on Saturday from 4-7 and as always, good luck this week.

Peace,

T

(thyrl@wnst.net)

Thyrl’s Mobtown Blog Pound 2.0

I’ll admit it. I’m biased.

I inexplicably fell in love with hockey when I was five years old at the Baltimore Civic Center at an AHL Nova Scotia Voyageurs-Clippers game. I saw the ice. I saw the action. I was hooked. During my 40-plus years on the planet,  many of my best and most personal sports memories have been made at hockey games.

Most of the people who’ve listened to my show or read my work over the past 17 years know of my affinity for the puck. We’re running our first-ever “Caps Puck Bus” next Thursday night (tickets are only $50 for the whole evening of fun) and I expect it to be memorable.

Last night, I made my first of many pilgrimages down to the Verizon Center in D.C. to see the Caps take on my adopted favorite team, the Nashville Predators. It was a memorable game. The Caps took it to the Preds early, at one point holding a 23-5 lead in shots and a 2-1 advantage. Nashville came back to even the score late in the game, forcing a rare OT shootout, which the Caps won taking a 4-3 victory.

Sure, Alex Ovechkin was missing last night, away with his ailing grandfather but it was still an eye-opening experience seeing more than 15,000 people in the rink last night all “rocking the red” on a chilly Tuesday night.

Sure, I’ve had my differences with the Capitals over the years. First (and this is no secret), I thought the combination of moving into D.C., firing David Poile, changing the logo and those hideous blue jerseys were all bad ideas. It hurt the franchise and it made me feel less connected after being a guy who for a decade drove to the Capital Centre in a red, white and blue sweater at least 35 times a year to see Mike Gartner, Gaetan Duchesne, Dave Christian, Bobby Carpenter and company beat up the Flyers, Islanders, Penguins and Rangers. Some of my favorite memories in sports were waving white pompoms and screaming at Ron Hextall.

I also had another problem as a Caps fan in the 1990’s: my radio show ended at 6 p.m. and getting from upper Towson to downtown D.C. made it impossible to see an entire game. So, I just went on a hockey hiatus in some ways, for nearly a decade.

Last season, the Capitals reached out to me personally and asked me to come back to Caps games. I went to a few games during the stretch run and wound up taking a bunch of friends (including Hockey Meg, Agent Orange and WNST blogger Ed Frankovic) down to games. For Game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoff series against Philadelphia, we threw Drew Forrester and Phil Jackman into a car and had a blast.

Like I said, I’m a hockey goober. I met my wife at a hockey game in Manchester, N.H. I have scores of friends who’ve entered my life and stayed through hockey. My best pal, Tom Kapp, allowed me to take his kid to a game a dozen years ago in Hershey and now his kid, Tyler, drags him from rink to rink in his quest to be an NHL goalie.

Hockey can be infectious like that. I’ve said it many times: it’s the best sport there is for the sheer energy and action.

So, why have I adopted the Nashville Predators of all teams? Their one and only head coach in their 11-season existence is Barry Trotz, who was the final coach of the Baltimore Skipjacks before they left town for good in 1992. I covered Trotz’s team for the Baltimore Evening Sun for two seasons and we became friends. Trotz went on to win the Calder Cup in Portland, Maine the next season, got the Predators job before the expansion in 1997 and has been their coach ever since. For some reason, we’ve always remained close and in touch.

Over the years, he’s been a frequent guest on WNST and a great friend when we’ve gone to Nashville for games. I’ve probably seen the Preds play in 15 cities across the country over the last decade and I have a closet full of swag he’s been kind enough to send me over the years and I’ve always enjoyed rooting for the Predators because Trotz is such a special guy. (And think about how rare and unique that is in this day and age: he’s the ONLY coach they’ve ever had!)

But, back to the Capitals and hockey locally.

The Caps reached out to me with one message: WE WANT BALTIMORE TO EMBRACE THE CAPITALS! They asked me if I could help or if I had some ideas.

I said I’d help by promoting the sport I love in Baltimore. (If I ever get rich with WNST.net I would absolutely bring a hockey team to Baltimore and be a complete idiot about promoting it and making it work. There’s NOTHING better than going to a hockey game, if you ask me!)

Even without Ovechkin last night (most hockey people would tell you he’s the best player on the planet), the building was still mostly full and the atmosphere the Caps are building is something that should be enjoyed by any sports fan.

If you haven’t been to a Caps game lately, I can honestly say that you’re missing out on some great sports fun.

And it’s easier than you think…

The ride was traffic-free and painless last night (left the house at 5:30, made a stop and was still in my seat 15 minutes before the 7 p.m. start). They’ve done a great job branding their players and the “Rock the Red” promotion. Truth be told, Caps games are a LOT of fun and I’m looking forward to re-embracing my adolescence and throwing on my red, white and blue sweater more often this year.

We’ll be doing a series of “Puck Bus” promotions over the course of the season. Or at least as many as we can effectively market and sell. You fill the seats and we’ll continue to take hockey fans down to D.C.

Hockey has been gone from Baltimore for nearly 15 years. The only way it could conceivably come back to Baltimore is if I get rich enough to do it because I’m the only fool who would even think about trying it again after it’s failed so many times here. (By the way, I’m a LONG way from fulfilling this dream of mine so don’t hold your breath on this one! LOL…)

So, in the interim, I’ve decided that I’m going to embrace the Caps, go to the games like I used to and have some fun while I’m still young enough (even at 40 and aging rapidly) to do it.

Last night brought back all of the memories, right down to accidentally running into the legendary Rod Langway while I was grabbing a beer at the concession stand.

I like the Zamboni.

I like the action.

I like “The Good Old Hockey Game.”

I like shootouts.

I like funny Canadian accents.

I like the horn blowing after a goal.

I even like the silly movie clips (“UNLEASH THE FURY!!!!”) they play on the HD screen at the Verizon Center.

And most importantly, I love the game and the action and the strategy of the sport.

Like I said, the Caps are doing a really nice job down in D.C. with that hockey team. But the only way to find out is to go to a game.

We’re going next Thursday and we’ve made it easy.

Just pay the $50 and show up at the Park and Ride in White Marsh (4:15 p.m.) or I-95/UMBC (5 p.m.) and we’ll take care of the rest.

The link is here if you care to join us.

Game on!

Let’s rock the red…

Now that we have your attention, it’s NHL season again. And the Washington Capitals have reached out to WNST during the offseason and we’re trying to have some fun during trying political and unstable times.

For anyone who has followed my career, you know I have one pretty strong lifelong passion that I was truly self-indulgent about: hockey.

The breakthrough in my sports media career came when I was 16 years old and covering Baltimore Skipjacks and Washington Capitals games at The News American. I also covered both of those teams in various forms (as well as the Bandits) for The Evening Sun. I was the beat writer and in 1991 I met Kenny Albert. We did a talk show together and — voila — WNST is born.

Well, sorta…

It would be impossible to tell you how much fun and how much joy hockey has added to my life.

The many, many Stanley Cup playoff excursion I’ve been on…

To Vancouver, Anaheim, Dallas, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Long Island, Manhattan, Raleigh, Miami, Nashville – I’ve seen playoff games in all of these cities.

I’m great pals with Predators coach Barry Trotz and would fulfill a lifetime dream of mine, drinking a tasty beverage from Lord Stanley’s goblet if Nashville ever won The Cup.

I met my wife at a hockey game, an AHL classic in Manchester, N.H.

Hockey Meg is in my life because of hockey. So is Howard Scher, Ed Frankovic and a bunch of other cool people.

Hockey is great. And honestly, people who love hockey are great. And even the players who play hockey with their super quirky Canadian accents are also pretty cool and were always a blast to be around.

If I ever got wealthy from WNST.net, the first and only really stupid thing I’d do is fulfill my wish to own a hockey team. Truth be told, I’d bring a team here in a nano-second and try to market it and make it work.

I love hockey.

The Washington Capitals, who brought me so many cool memories back in the 1980’s at the Capital Centre that I don’t even know where to begin discussing how much fun I had back in the days with Phil Jackman, have reached out to WNST and said this:

“How can we get people from Baltimore to embrace the Capitals?”

Drew Forrester and I went down to Northern Virginia (and WOW, what a facility they have down there) and told them that we could put some real hockey fans together from Baltimore who would like to embrace the Capitals if the Capitals wanted to embrace us.

So, lo and behold, we’re offering many discounts on the website for Caps game and we plan to go to many games this year with some official “WNST Puck Buses” to games in D.C.

We’ll discount the tickets (natch!) and we’ll see if we can create some memories and some fun.

I miss hockey badly. I get to Nashville on occasion. I go to games when my wife goes home to New Hampshire. And sometimes we even take in a game in Hershey on a Saturday night around Christmas.

But we’re going to “Rock the Red” during 2008-09 and try to find some “old-time hockey” spirit.

Anyone interested in being included on the “Puck Bus” presale (coming in the next week), drop me a note at nasty@wnst.net

The first roadie is Nov. 6th vs. Carolina. We’re going to keep the tickets in the $50 to $60 range with all of the trimmings: food, beer, soda for kids, ticket, ride, swag, fun, DVDs, meeting other hockey idiots with puckheads like me.

Stay tuned…

Sad Day for Hockey Fans – Paul Newman Dies at 83

It is a very sad day today for all hockey fans as Paul Newman died Friday as a result of cancer at age 83. To many hockey fans the movie Slap Shot is our hockey bible and that movie could not have been pulled off without the superb acting of Newman as Charlestown Chiefs Player-Coach Reg Dunlop. Dunlop was the guy who “put a bounty on the head of chief Syracuse punk Tim McCracken” using his own money and who can forget some of the other great Newman lines from that film such as “That’s gotta be true, Dicky Dunn wrote that!”, “They convicted Oglethorpe!”, and “SCOUTS??!!”

Newman is my all time favorite actor and some of his best movies were The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, and The Color of Money but there is no doubt that Slap Shot was my favorite because it was about the sport I love the most, hockey. Not a single hockey season will go by without me popping in that movie and having a few laughs. Just a few weeks ago I caught a portion of it on cable and found myself cracking up at the same lines I’ve heard hundreds of times. Slap Shot is to hockey fans what Caddyshack is to golfers.

So I’m sure later tonight many hockey fans, including Caps Coach Bruce Boudreau who had a cameo role in Slap Shot, will be raising a beer and toasting Newman while quoting many of Dunlop’s lines from that great 1977 film. I know I will be so here’s to the Charlestown Chiefs and Reg Dunlop! RIP Paul Newman.

Caps Update

Yesterday the Caps sent the following players 24 players to the Hershey Bears (AHL): Greg Amadio, Dean Arsene, Jay Beagle, Francois Bouchard, Sean Collins, Viktor Dovgan, Michael Dubuc, Alexandre Giroux, Josh Godfrey, Andrew Gordon, Bryan Helmer, Andrew Joudrey, Maxime Lacroix, Daren Machesney, Tommy Maxwell, Patrick McNeill, Graham Mink, Travis Morin, Michal Neuvirth, Oskar Osala, Steve Pinizzotto, Sasha Pokulok, Darren Reid and Kyle Wilson.

In addition, I posted this in the comments section of my blog from Thursday night but if the Caps were to choose 23 players for the big club to start the season here are the ones I think would be on that list:

Forwards (14): Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin, Federov, Chris Clark, Laich, Nylander, Kozlov, Bradley, Steckel, Brashear, Gordon, Fleischmann, and Fehr

Defensemen (7): Green, Poti, Morrisonn, Schultz, Erskine, Jurcina, Alzner

Goalies (2): Theodore, Johnson

To those who read my blogs you know that I have been watching closely the development of 2007 Caps 1st round draft pick (5th overall), Karl Alzner, primarily because an NHL Director of Scouting told me he was by far the best defensemen chosen in the 2007 draft and is pretty much a can’t miss player. I go back and forth on whether he should start the season in Washington or in Hershey. Based on what I’ve seen and some comments Boudreau made about him after the rookie game last week I am starting to lean towards him being in Washington and learning in the NHL. This is risky but based on what I’ve seen and heard Alzner can handle it.

Alzner did not play in Thursday’s game in Washington because he played the night before in Raleigh in a 4-1 Caps win. He logged 22 minutes and was paired with defensemen Jeff Schultz, who also played for the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL as a junior. Boudreau has compared Alzner to Schultz because their style of play is very similar. I had a chance to talk with Karl after Thursday’s game and here are some of the things he said about his first pre-season game on Wednesday night.

“I thought it went okay, we played so good as a team it made it easy to play and that is fun. I just tried to play ultra simple and it is easy to play a game when you are not trying to do too much and I had a great partner to help me through the entire game.”

On fellow Caps defensemen Schultz, who was drafted in 2004 (3 years before Alzner was drafted):

“Jeff and I did play together when I was 16 and 17 and I played a few shifts with him here and there. I know what Schultzie is about and I know how he plays so it is easy for me to kind of expect where he is going to go with the puck and what he is going to do. As soon as I hit juniors he was one of the guys I looked up to and one of the guys who was so successful so everything he does I try to do. I love the way he plays, he’s simple, he’s in good position and has such a good stick so if I can play like him I will be happy.”

As I mentioned above Alzner played 22 minutes in Carolina on Wednesday and here is what he thought afterwards:

“I felt good, didn’t feel tired at all so that is a plus. I was surprised I was thrown out there as much as I was but I look it as [the coaches] giving me the opportunity to prove myself and I’m hoping I did what they wanted me to do.

On special teams:

“That power play is too good for me to get out there but the penalty kill was good for me to play on.”

On Caps goalie Sergei Varlamov, who stopped all 20 shots he faced in the first period on Wednesday night:

“He was unbelievable. There were instances for like a minute straight that he was peppered with shot after shot. That is probably the best I’ve ever seen him play and I’ve played against him for quite a few times,” finished Alzner.

Karl, who turned 20 this past Wednesday, is quietly confident and humble at the same time. I’ve spoken with him four times now and each time I walk away more and more impressed with him. If he remains as solid on the ice as he seems off of it this will be a draft pick that the Caps brag about for a long time and someday I am convinced he could likely be wearing the “C” on his jersey as Caps team captain (Note: Alzner was captain of Team Canada at the 2008 World Jr. Championships and they won that tournament).

The Caps are in Boston on Saturday at 4pm and you can catch the audio feed from the game on WashingtonCaps.com

Caps Sweep Home and Home with Carolina

Alexander Ovechkin had two goals, including one on a penalty shot, and an added an assist as the Washington Capitals defeated Carolina, 5-2, before 13,266 at the Verizon Center on Thursday night in the Caps preseason home opener. Despite the fact that this was a preseason game the Great #8 didn’t fail to entertain adding numerous body checks, several of which were on Carolina defensemen Dennis Seidenberg, to go along with his three point night. The win completed a home and home preseason sweep of the Hurricanes by the Caps (Washington won 4-1 on Wednesday night in Raleigh).

The Caps came out slow giving up 15 shots in the first period, including two power play goals, as the Hurricanes raced to a 2-0 lead. The Carolina goals were the result of some big rebounds given up by rookie goalie Michal Neuvirth but after that he shut the door and made 24 saves on the night.

“I thought [Neuvirth] was a little shaky at the beginning and then just settled right in…the other team worked really hard and its difficult sometimes, there isn’t a lot of Carolina Hurricanes on the forward list out there…so they’re working hard and we’re taking it easy a bit because human nature says we don’t even know half of their guys…but we stayed the course and eventually played a little better as the game went on,” said Caps Coach Bruce Boudreau.

The #1 star of the game was given to Christopher Bourque, son of Hall of Fame defensemen Ray Bourque, who had a goal and an assist but was a big factor in the first four Caps goals (it was his pass that set up Ovechkin’s initial near breakaway that led to the penalty shot that tied the game at two in the second period). Bourque, who is 22 years old and was taken in the 2nd round of the 2004 NHL entry draft by the Caps, is improving.

“I thought he was good…the little guy looks like he found that step and I’ve asked him to find that extra step and he looks pretty quick…one thing about Chris is he’s always competed hard his whole life and he does that and I thought he was very solid tonight,” said Boudreau about Bourque.

Michal Nylander, with two goals, also turned in a strong game coming off missing the second half of last season and the playoffs due to shoulder surgery. Washington needs a good year from Nylander, especially when they are paying him $5M for this season. When asked about #92’s shoulder and if there are any doubts about him being recovered Boudreau said, “No, it’s good….Nyles should have gotten one of [Viktor Kozlov’s] assists last night so in my mind he has four points in two games…you know he had 89 points or something the year before he got hurt..he’s got a lot of pride and is fighting his way saying I’m gonna show everyone how good I am again.”

There was more encouraging news on the night as team captain Chris Clark played 14:29 of ice time providing two assists and got into a scrap with Canes defensemen Tim Conboy in the third period. Clark missed almost all of last season with numerous injuries.

“It was fun, a little bit of everything tonight, some checking…everything was there for me tonight to test,” said Clark on the game and then on the fight with Conboy he added, “you have to get into one eventually so we’ll start now.”

I asked Chris Clark about the heightened expectations this team will face and if as a leader he is talking to the team about what to expect, especially given that he has experience going to the Stanley Cup Finals as a member of the 2004 Calgary Flames team that lost to Tampa Bay in Game 7.

“We pretty much have our whole team back and we didn’t win the last game of last year but it feels like it since the season ended up on such a high note. The guys are trying to remember that run and thought about it all summer so it is something we are just trying to continue,” started Clark, “There is a lot of expectation, you know it is great, we haven’t had that the last three years here.  It is something and it is fun because we have to live up to those expectations…we have the team to do it…once the season starts, once the grind gets going, guys will figure it out. You know we have a lot of guys who have won, Feds (Sergei Fedorov) has won two cups, so he is the guy who should be talking about it but it is something definitely that will be coming up later on.”

Despite the fact that Carolina fielded a mostly minor league roster tonight the Caps appear to be off and running. The team is fun to watch because of its offensive minded and up tempo philosophy.

Other Notes: Defensemen Mike Green logged 25:51 of ice time and had 1 assist in the game. Tom Poti played 20:14 of ice time that included a great defensive shift where the Caps killed all 73 seconds of a two man advantage for Carolina. Caps Goalie Darren Machesney stopped the only three shots he faced in the third period but got the win since Washington scored three times in the final period. Boyd Gordon was 11-6 on faceoffs for Washington. Ovechkin had four official hits and eight shots on goal. Despite being outshot 15-9 in the first period Washington outshot Carolina 30-29 overall. The Caps play their next three preseason games on the road: Saturday at Boston, Monday at New Jersey, and Wednesday at Philadelphia. The Hershey Bears, Washington’s AHL farm team, opens training camp on Friday (September 26th).