JP made a fair point in the aftermath of last night’s win over the Blues:

It says something about the expectations surrounding this Caps team that back-to-back wins (now five in a row and seven out of eight) can be not only unsatisfying, but in some ways downright troubling.

So true, so true. We’re way beyond the point that just a win will make us happy – hell, remember back in the day when a decent showing in a loss was enough to tide us over? And the fact that we, the coaches, the GM and the players themselves get frustrated at a lack of effort, practically seeing those two points as a loss, shows where our collective mindset is.

Now we just have to get the product on the ice to match that mindset and we’ll be…all set.

So that game last night was interesting. Or the second half was interesting, while the first half was interesting only when playing fast and loose with the definition of the word. And there’s a lot that could be said about the lack of energy at times or the bizarre flip-flop that occurred after the (blatantly uncalled) cross check on Semin. But there’s not really a point to rehashing it, especially after everyone else who matters has weighed in with better analysis than I could provide.

The plain fact is that this team needs to learn that no one in the NHL gets taken lightly – anyone can beat anyone else at any point during the season. So you play the Red Wings the way you would play the Devils the way you would play the Lightning…and everyone in between. Right now the Caps are playing a little Russian Roulette (pun sorta intended) with their effort lately, and they’re getting away with it. But eventually that barrel will have a bullet in it.

Or something. I never really understood the rules of that game.

Going beyond the lack of effort in general last night, there were some things worth mentioning:

- I don’t think I’ve made it a secret that I adore Viktor Kozlov and (almost) everything he does, and have since we acquired him last summer. Boudreau called him the “unsung Russian” and it’s true, a lot of people take for granted the things he does so well. He wins battles along the wall, he makes passes a lot of people can’t make, and he is so gigantically enormous and strong that he is nearly impossible to simply shove off the puck.

Last night was one of those nights that makes me want to shout “TOLD YOU SO” to everyone who has railed on him…but I will suppress the urge to do so and just say that his performance on the scoresheet was simply more of the same. It was great to see him rewarded for his efforts last night – and if you think those points were just a product of being on the top line, keep in mind that when he scored his second goal, #8 and #19 were nowhere to be found. That one was all Kozlov and some excellent trenchwork by Boyd Gordon.

- Speaking of Gordon, one could say that he’s very quietly put together one of the best efforts among the Caps over the past few games – but he does everything quietly.

Suffice it to say, though, that Boyd is one of those guys whose contributions you don’t always notice yet they’re almost always there, lurking behind the flashier numbers and louder mouths of his Caps compatriots. It’s the reason I was confused by the one year deal he was given in the offseason, and the reason I’m hoping that they don’t just let him slip away when that deal is up.

- I think we can forgive Varlamov his one mental slipup last night (hence the title) – he came through for the Caps in a big way and showed no signs of losing focus after taking the world’s most annoying penalty ever.

Now quick, someone get a picture of that moment and stick it in the baby book next to the puck from his first win and his inky little footprint. Awww, memories…

- Another game, another injury. I’m not sure when we passed the point where this entire season became an exercise in ridiculousness, but the mere fact that the Caps aren’t dead last is still staggering to me. A visit from the Blues last night was like a visit from the “there but for the grace of god go I” fairy – say it with me, people, depth is goooood.

So in the interest of full disclosure I should say that I was going to write some blues about the Blues for this preview. I really was.

But I couldn’t find anything that rhymed with Cam Janssen is an asshat.

C’est la vie.

Out here in our little Eastern Conference bubble we don’t always know what’s going on with the other half of the league – but it’s pretty noticeable that things just haven’t been going so well in the Gateway City this season.

The Blues are in the midst of a fairly massive rebuild that some thought might be over already, especially considering the 4-1-0 record they posted in their first five games. Since then, however, it’s been all downhill. While good showings by Brad Boyes and some of the youngsters have provided a silver lining, shaky defense and fluke injuries have marred what could have been a more interesting year for the Blues. And when we say fluke injuries…we’re talking fluke, like the rogue golf cart that tried to eat Erik Johnson’s leg or Sarah Palin’s red carpet hit on poor, unsuspecting Manny Legace.

Now we here in the Cheap Seats don’t set too much store by numbers – at least not without investigating the context, as well – but when the context of ugly numbers is more ugly numbers, you start to realize that, yes, the whole picture really is just that ugly.

30 games in and here’s where the Blues stand:

- last in the Central Division and the Western Conference with 27 points, a record of 12-15-3
- allowing 3.33 goals against per game, 27th in the league
- 28th in the league at 5 on 5 with a goals for/against ratio of 0.80 – which apparently is bad, I don’t know. But the Caps by comparison have a 5-on-5 ratio of 1.19, putting them at 7th in the league
- 81% effectiveness on the penalty kill, 17th in the league
- average 26.9 shots per game, 29th in the league
- allowing 30.7 shots per game, 23rd in the league
- average 17.5 PIMs per game, which puts them behind only Philadelphia, Anaheim and Vancouver as the most penalized teams in the league
- 32 major penalties, which again puts them behind Philadelphia, Anaheim and Vancouver; so let’s hope Brashear ate his Wheaties this morning, eh?
- .455 when scoring first, 29th in the league
- .500 when leading after one, 28th in the league
- only three players who are at least +1 for the year (two of whom are not playing due to injury)

In fact, one of the only bright(ish) spots so far for St. Louis has been the power play, which is ranked 7th with 22.6% effectiveness.

Ah, but here’s that pesky context again. That number is slightly inflated thanks to a ridiculous start to the season with the extra man; in the first 8 games of the year the Blues scored 13 times in 38 opportunities for a 34.2% power play. Since then? They’ve gone 18 for 99, which is just over 18% – that would be good enough for 18th in the league.

So the numbers are ugly indeed. Plus the Blues are riding a four game losing streak, are 5-9-1 on the road this year and are coming into a building where the occupants have only lost twice all season. Sounds like exactly the kind of team the Caps could lose to if they’re not careful.

The good news is this – they’ve just come off a dirty win in which they had no business earning two points, most likely because they took their opponent too lightly, and yet did in fact manage to earn two points. Their coach and their GM have publicly criticized the performance against the Islanders, as have many of the players themselves. There’s no way they roll over and go to sleep for a second game in a row.

Not tonight, Ovechkin Bobblehead Night, the happiest of all nights! It can’t be done.