When Eric Murray and Hamish Bond jump into their boat in Rio, people wont be asking whether theyre going to win, but by how much.The New Zealand pair hasnt lost a race since 2007, so anything but a third consecutive Olympic gold medal would be a major upset.Some of their closest competitors have switched events to avoid having to compete against the blond Kiwis, something that has only strengthened their grip on the mens pair.Here are some of the other things to watch for in the rowing competition.NO SPLASHINGWater quality is a serious concern in the Rodrigo de Freitas lake, where an Associated Press investigation last year found high levels of viruses.Though the international rowing federation called the water quality very acceptable at last years Junior World Championships, its medical commission recommends rowers to avoid inadvertent immersion, including splashing.Taking no chances, the U.S. team will be training in special suits with anti-microbial features. Katelin Snyder, who coxes the U.S. womens eight, said shed gladly skip the tradition of throwing the coxswain in the water, saying winning would be enough of a celebration.THE FANTASTIC EIGHTThe U.S. womens eight is one of most successful teams in international sports, having won every World Championship and Olympic gold medal since 2006.The dynasty has endured even though the crews have changed. Only two rowers, Meghan Musnicki and Eleanor Logan, remain from the eight that won gold in the London Olympics.The biggest menace to the U.S. winning streak is likely to come from New Zealand or Great Britain, which nearly caught up with the Americans in a World Cup race in May in Switzerland.CATCHING CRABSWhen rowers talk about catching a crab theyre not thinking about trapping crustaceans from the boat.The expression is used to describe what happens when the oar blade gets caught in the water at the wrong moment. This causes the oar to flip, which slows down the boat and sometimes it can knock the rower into the water.Its rare among top-level rowers but it happens. Australias mens four caught a crab just ahead of the finish line in a World Cup event in May, which allowed Britain to surge past them and win.RULE BRITTANIA?Britain topped the medal table for rowing in London 2012 with four gold, two silver and three bronze medals. It was Britains biggest medal haul ever in the sport.Thats going to be tough to match for Team GB in Rio. Helen Glover and Heather Stanning will be hard to beat in the womens pair but 40-year-old Katherine Grainger, competing in her fifth Olympics, may find it tough to defend her gold in the womens double sculls. This time Grainger is partnering with Vicky Thornley.Britain has won 63 Olympic medals in rowing, second only to the United States.CROATIAN BROTHERSMartin and Valent Sinkovic are two-time world champions in the mens double sculls and big favorites to win Croatias first Olympic gold in rowing.They used to race in the quadruple sculls and won the silver medal in that event in London four years ago. After teaming up in the doubles in 2014 they havent lost a single race.Valent, 27, is a year older that Martin. Both say they were introduced to rowing by a third brother, Matija Sinkovic. Custom Nashville Predators Jerseys . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period. Craig Smith Jersey . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. http://www.authenticpredatorspro.com/Kyle-turris-predators-jersey/ . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Juuse Saros Jersey . Colin Wilson had two goals and an assist, and Mike Fisher scored a goal and helped set up two others in the Predators 6-4 victory over the Red Wings on Monday night. Matt Irwin Jersey . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. ARLINGTON, Va. -- ?? Barring a complete collapse, nothing the Washington Capitals do from the time the puck drops on the 2016-17 season until April will mean much of anything in the long run.Over the past nine seasons, there have been plenty of trophies: three for Alex Ovechkin as MVP and six for the most goals, one for Braden Holtby as top goaltender, one each for Bruce Boudreau and Barry Trotz as coach of the year and two Presidents Trophies for the team having the most points in the regular season. Eight times the Capitals have made the playoffs and eight times theyve failed to make it past the second round.The Stanley Cup is still very much within reach, especially with Ovechkin, Holtby and centers Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov in the prime of their careers. But with key players Karl Alzner, Justin Williams and T.J. Oshie eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer, the salary cap hanging over their heads and the uncertainty that follows, this is arguably the Capitals last, best chance to win the championship they looked to be building toward for more than a decade.When you get older, then the more think about that a little more, Alzner said. I would love to just win so you can stop worrying about getting that win.Last spring, after dominating the NHL for 82 games, the Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round before falling in six games to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Ovechkin, who just turned 31 and has led the league in goals for four consecutive seasons, brushed it off as, Last year is last year, though the sting of that loss stuck with players through the summer.Back at the rink for training camp, it was hard to deny a desire to fast-forward several months. But another first-in-the-NHL finish guarantees nothing, as the Capitals know all too well.Itd be nice to just jump back into June or May and say, OK, lets have another crack at it, but thats not the way it works, right winger Tom Wilson said. The tough part is the 82-game season: getting yourself into the position to have success, and then when youre there, to have success at the right time.After the Capitals played their best hockey early and midseason and the Penguins hit their stride for the stretch run and the playoffs, center Jay Beagle thought a lot about peaking at the right time. If he and his teammates learned any lesson from last season its that they need to be at their best at playoff time, something that hasnt been the case so far.ddddddddddddhe playoffs is about scoring big goals at big times, said Williams, who won the Cup twice with the Los Angeles Kings. The margin of errors very small. You dont want to be asking yourself why things didnt go right. ... You want to be asking yourself why it went right. We have a chip on our shoulder and we have a point to prove to everybody.Here are some other things to watch with the Capitals this season:HOLT-BEAST MODEHoltby, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, started 66 games last season and 72 in 2014-15. Expect him to play less and backup Philipp Grubauer more as Trotz, goalie coach Mitch Korn and the Capitals reduce Holtbys workload so he peaks for the playoffs like the New York Rangers did with Henrik Lundqvist a few years ago.CONSISTENT KUZNETSOVEven though he led Washington with 77 points and was an All-Star, Kuznetsov had just one goal and 12 assists in his final 31 games, including the playoffs, and must show better endurance over a long season. The 24-year-old Russian is due a big raise as a restricted free agent and can prove hes an elite player.BLUE LINE DEPTHAlzner, John Carlson and Matt Niskanen are Washingtons top three defensemen and then theres a drop off. Brooks Orpik is 36 and better in a third-pairing role, so the Capitals may count on Dmitry Orlov making the leap and taking on more responsibilities.NOTHING REGULARBackstrom chaffed at Presidents Trophy talk late last season after winning it in 2009 preceded a first-round exit. After winning it again last year, its not like the Capitals want to lose more games, but the balance between going hard in the regular season and pacing themselves warrants monitoring to see how it affects their place in the standings.ELLER, ELLER, ELLERAcquiring Lars Eller from Montreal gives Washington a solid third-line center behind Backstrom and Kuznetsov and could make it look more like Pittsburghs top-nine forward group. The Capitals didnt copycat the Penguins in many ways, but they want to have three scoring lines, and Eller is a big key to that happening.---Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SWhyno ' ' '