The Washington Capitals did exactly what they needed to do last night, win a divisional game in regulation. This was the Caps 6th straight victory and they have propelled themselves to the top of the Southeast Division, and the NHL with a 12-4-0 record, and now lead the Southeast division by 6 points, and the NHL by just 2.
As usual, the Capitals came out with a somewhat off first period, appearing to yield the edge in play to the Lightning, and once again allowing the opposing team to score first. It is becoming such a regular occurrence, that it almost appears to be built into their game plan: come out flat, give up the first goal or two, let the other team get a little comfortable, then lower the boom. I'm still not sold on this though, especially against such a potent team as the Tampa Bay Lightning with Rocket Richard winning, and current NHL goal scoring leader Steven Stamkos. Last night, this game could have easily been been two or 3-0 in the Bolts favor in the first period had it not been for Michael Neuvirth's best friends, the goal posts. Neuvirth did have a hand in it as well though, stopping 38 shots last night. This was the first of 6 games between the two teams this season, in what is sure to become a heated battle for the division title this year, and for years to come as both clubs are continuing to improve while the rest of the division remains average or below.
The big story from Verizon Center last night however was not Stamkos, or even Alex Ovechkin, it was once again Alexander Semin who turned in his 5th career hat trick, 2nd in 9 games, and scored 5 points on the night, good for earning the NHL's #1 star for the night. 4 of his 5 hat tricks have come against Southeast Division teams. Semin is scoring at a torrid pace and is now with 7 goals, 6 assists in his last 6 games, and is in second place for the Richard trophy so far this season behind only Stamkos with 12 goals, 9 assists, for 21 points. Stamkos has 14 goals, and 26 points. Here are all 3 of Semin's goals.
photo: Nick Wass /AP
However the show was not to begin for the Caps until the second period, as Washington was shut out for the first 20 minutes of play last night. The Caps came out in the second with what appeared to be quite a bit more energy, and finally started to push back, get some chances, and dominate the play in stretches. As has been often the case the Caps also got some offence from the defence last night as well. Defencemen Tom Poti in his first game back from a long 11 game injury hiatus opened the scoring with nice backhand shot on a rebound from a shot Alex Semin from the opposite side. Mike Knuble got the Caps second tally with a great effort while standing virtually BEHIND the Bolts net. The Caps came down the ice on a 2 on 4, and somehow Brooks Laich ended up in front of the Tampa net almost alone. Steven Stamkos bothered Laich enough that he did not get a full shot off and it slithered just wide of a half empty net, but somehow, Knuble while moving from side to side behind the the goal line, and net, AND, being bothered by Pavel Kubina, got his stick on it and got it to go in the net.
photo: Nick Wass /AP
However it was the big 3 that really racked up the points last night combining for 12 total, with Semin's 5 points, Backstorm's 4, and Ovechkin's 3.The third period was the Caps, and Alexander Semins show. Semin got all 3 of his goals in the final frame, and it was 3/4ths of the Caps output for the period. To the Lightning's credit, they never fully folded, coming back to tie the game twice. The caps were also good on the special teams again last night allowing only 1 power play goal in 5 Lightning chances, while scoring 1 power play goal themselves in the two chances they were given. The Caps improved power play is now ranked 7th in the NHL, while the PK has moved up to 12th. Also of note last night was Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier, who did not return to the game for the third period and was a non factor in last nights game. It was announced after the game that Lecavalier had suffered a non displaced fracture in his right hand, and will be sidelined for 3-4 weeks. As usual, here is Bruce Boudreau's post game presser:
Hopefully all of this can continue for the Caps over what is going to be a busy weekend for them when they come up against two lesser teams. First up is the struggling Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo on Saturday night who have not won a game on their home ice yet this season, then its back home to Verizon Center for another Southeast Division tilt against the third place Atlanta Thrashers Sunday afternoon. The Caps play the Sabres twice in the next 5 days. With the way the Caps are playing of late, there really is no reason this winning streak cannot extend to 9 games, however the Caps must be ready, especially for Buffalo as they are likely going to be hungry to give the hometown crowd its first taste of victory at HSBC Arena.
In spite of the Capitals making a regular habit of giving up the first goal to the opposition, the Caps keep on rolling, this time beating the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden to take the NHL standings lead with 22 points. The Caps once again played a very solid game, but the nagging sloppy defencive play continues. Lately it always seems like its going to be a long night for the Caps, as they have given up the first goal 11 of the first 15 games played so far this season. Fortunately for the Caps it has not really mattered to much when it comes to wins vs losses. You almost get the feeling now that when the Caps give up the first goal, the "ahhh, we got em right where we want em!" I would almost even say that at times the Caps appear to play better, late in the game when they are down, or the game is tied. It certainly has appeared that way more often than not. While it doesn't necessarily feel as good as getting a lead in a game and keeping it for good, perhaps there is something to be said for being able to handle adversity and overcome it. I'm definitely liking that aspect.
photo credit - Nick Laham - Getty Images
Tonight the Caps relinquished the lead to the Rangers 3 different times in the game, finally pulling level for good mid way through the second period. The first period was a penalty filled affair with each team getting a power play tally and the Caps killing off an extended 5 on 3. There were a total of 28 minutes in penalties handed out to both teams, including a fighting major each to unlikely combatants Mike Green and Brandon Dubinsky for this nifty little bout, which we're going to call basically even, maybe the slight edge to Green:
Tonight the Caps got goals from where they have not been getting them of late, with Brooks Laich getting two, along with 1 each from Mike Knuble, who scored his first goal since Opening night, John Erskine, and Matt Hendricks. Both Alexander Semin and Green's 4 game goal scoring streaks came to and end tonight, but they were not held off the score sheet as Semin logged an assist and Green got 2 helpers. Alex Ovechkin also got on the scoring docket with an assist as well.
photo credit - Nick Laham - Getty Images
Somehow, even with the glaring defencive lapses, the Capitals are managing to find the offence they need night after night to keep putting 2 points on the board in the standings. Michael Neuvirth made his first appearance since being yanked 2 games ago in the Caps 5-3 win at home Vs Boston after yielding 3 goals in just under 7 minutes, two of them less than 1 minute apart. Neuvirth once again got the W for the Caps, stopping 25 of 28 Rangers shots tonight. Next up is another MUST WIN game when division rival, and the team you, the readers here voted as the biggest threat to the Caps in the southeast division this season, the Tampa Bay Lightning visits Verizon Center on Thursday night.
For the most part the Washington Capitals played a very solid game last night. Outplaying the Boston Bruins in the first period, but coming away with nothing to show for it. It seemed like it was going to be another night of frustration for the Caps as they just could not solve Boston goaltender Tim Thomas, even with a two man advantage and outshooting Boston 8-3. The period would come to an end scoreless. The second period would prove to be much the same. Washington had the decided edge in play, and in shots, and finally would break the game open, not only scoring first, but scoring 3 goals while keeping Boston off the board all together to take a 3 to 0 lead into the second intermission. The Caps opened the scoring early in the period, scoring just 59 seconds in and would keep the pressure on for the remainder of the period getting goals from Tyler Sloan, Mike Green, and Alexander Semin. Semin's goal was a particularly brilliant play catching the Boston defence off guard while they were on the power play by breaking up a pass at the Washington line and springing himself and Mike Green for a 2 on 1 break. The two had a nifty give and go exchange deep in the Boston zone and Semin whipped the return pass from Green past Tim Thomas for the shorthanded goal to make the lead 3-0.
The Caps and their fans were feeling good going into the third period having chased Boston's top man between the pipes in favor of backup goaltender Tuuka Rask. However the 3-0 lead the Caps had built going into the third period would soon disappear and it looked like Washington was on its way to another monumental meltdown. This was the 2nd straight game the Caps would blow a multiple goal lead allowing Boston to score twice on the power play in less than a minute. Caps coach Bruce Boudreau had seen enough and used his time out to attempt to settle things down, but it appeared it was not going to do any good. though as just under 6 minutes later Boston come back to tie the game at 3 all, and chase the Caps NHL Rookie of the month goaltender Michael Neuvirth. This the second straight game that the Caps would allow the opposition to score 3 straight however The Caps 3 goals in the 2nd proved to be enough, where as the previous game against Toronto the lead was only two. Only this time the Caps would have the answer in regulation. Enter defencemen John Carlson who at 13:25 of the final period would put the Caps back in the lead for good, scoring what would become the game winner with a blast past the Boston backup. Boston decided to lift their goaltender for the final minute and a half or so of the game but could not get much going. Boston became trapped in their own end with defencemen ending up playing goalie but that could not keep the Caps from scoring as Alex Ovechkin would eventually find the empty net at 19:-08, putting the game away for good. The Caps outshot the Bruins a whopping 39 to 18 for the game. All I have to say is *PHEW*! A great two first periods all but completely undone in the third by some lazy penalties and possibly some overconfidence, but the Caps were able to pull this one out. The Caps are now 6-1 on home ice, and have finally solved Tim Thomas and beaten the Bruins for the first time in 3 tries. Here are Bruce Boudreau's thoughts after the near meltdown turned win:
The inconsistency that has haunted the Washington Capitals of late again made an appearance at Verizon Center last night. This time however, the Capitals found a way to over come that and came away from their game with the Toronto Maple Leafs with the full 2 standings points. This pulls the Capitals into a tie for the Southeast Division lead with Tampa Bay, and a 3 way tie for the league lead in points in the NHL with Tampa and the Los Angeles Kings of the Western Conference. The Caps could not put together a solid 60 minutes of good hockey again last night, allowing the opposition to score first for the 9th time in 12 games. They also allowed Toronto to come back from a two goal deficit in the third period to take the lead. The Capitals played fairly well in the first in spite of allowing the early goal, and had a great second period, outscoring their visitors 3-0 and looking like they had this one in hand. The penalty killing also held off 4 Leafs power plays, and the Caps were outshooting the Leafs 20-12 until about the 18:00 mark of the 2nd. But, there was the problem; it was only the second period. The Capitals came out flat in the third, and Toronto took advantage, exploding for 3 goals in just a 3:03 span to come from down 3-1 at the start of the frame to take a 4-3 lead by the 7:17 mark.
photo credit: Susan Walsh - AP
It looked the another Capitals let down was going to cost them another game, and another 2 points. However the Capitals power play has begun to improve, and that continued last night scoring twice in 3 chances getting two timely goals. The first was Washington's first goal of the game from Mike Green, and the second was just as timely by Alexander Semin at 4:14 of the third period to tie the game up, and ultimately for overtime. At least this time the Caps did not give away a point to a divisional rival. It is worth noting that after being absent for much of the season, the Caps power play seems to have finally found its grove and has now converted on 5 of 8 chances in the last 2 games. We hope that trend continues as the Caps are going to need it to come away from games like tonight's game with the full 2 points. In spite of having the man advantage for 2 of the 5 minutes of the over time period, the Caps could not finish off the Leafs in the extra stanza. What they could not get done in the over time period however, the Caps finished off in the shootout. Michael Neuvirth held off both Toronto shooters, while both Alex Ovechkin and Semin found the twin behind Maple Leafs net minder Jonas Gustavsson to give the Caps the shootout win in front of another sellout crowd at the Phone Booth. The Capitals also got goals from Jason Chimera and Tomas Fleischmann. While victory is sweet, it will be short lived as the Capitals play host to the Boston Bruins on Friday night. As always, Caps bench boss Bruce Boudreau had plenty of thoughts on last nights performance, so here is his post game presser:
Even after tinkering with the lines and reuniting the the high powered scoring trio of Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Semin, it once again, it looked like it was going to be a long night for the Washington Capitals and us Caps fans late last night. The Caps took on the Calgary Flames in a game that went well past midnight local time and it appeared as if it may not even be worth staying up so late to watch. Again the Caps allowed the first goal to the opposition, another early goal, this time only 44 seconds into the game, and were down 2-0 by the time the game was barely 11 minutes old. In the first period the Caps once again looked sloppy and lazy, and were lucky to find themselves down by only 2-1 by the end of the first period. Michael Neuvirth, as he very often has been, was once again the reason the Capitals still had a chance to win this game. Even though the Caps lone first period goal came from Nicklas Backstrom on the power play, the same old nagging questions kept entering into many peoples minds about the power play, the top line, Ovechkin, what was wrong..etc. They just seemed off. Not like the Capitals we had come to know over the past few seasons, especially last season.
The Caps came out to start the second period, and looked a bit more energized, composed, and skated with more of a purpose in their step. At just 1:54 the Caps would get a another chance to put the power play to work when the Flames took a bad penalty for too many men on the ice. Just 16 seconds later, the Caps would get the opportunity of the night. They finally took full advantage. Alexander Ovechkin exploded for two goals in just 12 seconds to put the Caps in the lead for the night. The Caps went on to explode for a whopping total of 6 goals in the second period, 7 unanswered in the game, effectively ending the game by the time the horn sounded after the first 40 minutes of play leading by a 7-2 margin which would hold to be the final score. Mike Green and Matt Bradley also scored a mere 13 seconds apart at 10:28 and 10:41 to really break the game wide open. Although Bradley's goal was more of a gift, since he actually didn't score the goal. Calgary defencemen Cory Sarich attempted to clear the puck from high in the slot, but in stead whipped a wrist shot into his own net. It was clear at this point that things were coming apart at the seems for the Flames. The final Caps goal, and goal of the night came at 18:23 of the period with the Caps shorthanded. David Steckel was held, and hauled down on a breakaway by Flames defencemen Mark Giordano. The offcial raised his arm to make the call and after Steckel had slid on his stomach almost into the goal, pointed to center ice signaling a penalty shot. It was David Steckel's first career penalty shot and he nailed it. All of the sudden, the Caps once again looked like the offencive juggernaut of last season that we all knew and loved. The Caps got goals from:
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh
Nicklas Backstrom - 1 goal, 3 assists, 4pts.
Alex Ovechkin - 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 pts
Mike Green - 1 goal, 2 assists, 3pts
Matt Bradley - 1 goal, 1pt
Alexander Semin 1 goal, 1pt
David Steckel - 1 goal, 1pt
The Caps power play finally seemed to be clicking, scoring on 3 of 6 chances. They just seemed to be doing everything right, where up until the end of the first period last night the seemed to be doing not much of anything right. Perhaps it was that Boudreau opted for a team meeting to show them just how ugly of a game they had in Minnesota, or perhaps he let the team have it in the locker room between periods. Whatever it was, the Caps need to show the NHL more of it this year. This is only the third game this season where the Caps have won by more than one goal, and only the second where the Caps have scored 4 or more. That said, it was a dramatic improvement, and one that we hope will finally continue. The injury riddled Caps will get a much needed and deserved 3 day rest as they are off until next Wednesday night when the finally return home to Verizon Center to take on their second straight Canadian foe, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
For now, I'll leave you with Bruce Boudreau's post game presser for last night:
The Washington Capitals return home finding themselves once again in a MUST WIN situation. After being up 2-0 in the NHL's Eastern Conference Semifinal series vs the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Capitals have played poorly, and dropped both road games at the Igloo in Pittsburgh. Hopefully the Caps will have learned some valuable lessons from the past two games, and also once again use the home ice, and loud, red rockin Capitals faithful that pack Verizon Center, to their advantage. If the history of this series is to dictate anything, so far the home team as one all games, which puts the Capitals at a slight advantage for this game. However, it is going to take more than just a little luck this time. Defencemen Mike Green will need to come out of hiding, as will forwards Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin. The Caps will also need to see Simeon Varlamov once again take control of the game, as he had done for 5 staright games until game 3 in Pittsburgh. Varlamov had his first "bad" game of the playoffs last night in steel town, surrendering 5 goals on 28 shots, and allowing two goals which were pretty soft. Our offence needs to step it up once again, and our defence needs to clamp down in our own zone in order to give Varlamov a chance to do just that.
Also of note, it appears the NHL is NOT going to fine and / or suspend Alexander Ovechkin for his unfortunate knee on knee hit with Pens defencemen Sergei Gonchar. The hit appeared to be accidental and there was no evidence of Ovechkin intentionally moving his leg to hit Gonchar's leg. Gonchar left the game and did not return, and is doubtful for tonights game 5 in D.C. I posted a video of the hit in m previous post, for you to be the judge. It can be found here in this post.
Your's truly is now heading out to Verizon Center for tonights game, and I will be back later on tonight or tomrrow morning with my post game thoughts and write up. Until then...
Once again, the Caps came out flying. Nicklas Backstrom scored just 36 seconds into the game to put the Caps up 1-0. From there out, it was just about all Pens. Pittsburgh scored just a few minutes later to tie, and never looked back. At the end of the 1st period, the score was 3-1 Pens. Washington, in spite of scoring a short handed goal, would not fare any better for the remaining two periods, and would ultimately fall by the final score of 5-3. Not even Simeon Varlamov could salvage this one, as even he had his first "bad" game of the playoffs. Three Capitals star players, were nonfactors in this game as well, including Alex Ovechkin, who mustered just two shots on goal this game, and a total of 7 in his last two games. The other Caps of note, who had disappearing acts this game were Alexander Semin, and Mike Green.
The Caps looked sluggish shortly after scoring the first goal, and almost never picked up. It would only get worse for the Capitals after what would become the most controversial play of the night, and possibly of this whole series. At 14:55 of the period, with Washington on it's first power play of the night Brooks Laich carried the puck in behind the Pens goal. The Pens would regain control and attempt to being the break out, with Alex Ovechkin streaking in down the left wing boards. Ovechkin went straight for the puck that Pens defencemen Sergei Goncahr had poked away. Ovechkin kept going straight for the puck and ended up colliding with Gonchar, in what some are calling a dirty knee on knee hit. Upon watching the replays, it appared that Ovechkin was going for the puck, and was intending to hit Gonchar, but not with his knee. Ovechkin did make a move towards gonchar, however from the replays it appeared he led with his shoulder. Ovechkin's leg never moved, however it did land knee on knee with Gonchars right leg. Gonchar went down in a heap, and had to be helped from the ice and did not return for the game. Ovechkin was assesed a minor penalty on the play for "tripping".
After the game, Ovechkin had this to say regarding the hit:
"I tried to hit him and he tried to move to his left, and I don't have time to realize what is going on and I hit [him with] my knee. It was accident. I'm not the kind of guy who wants to injure a player like this, especially [because] I know Gonch. I tried to hit him with my shoulder and he moved left, but his legs were in the same spot."
You decide for yourself if you think the hit was dirty. I personally think it was accidental. It appears in the video that Ovechkin is in fact attempting to head with his shoulder. Here is the video:
While the Capitals did get fewer power play chances than the Pens, it can hardly be said the Caps did not get their power play chances. The Caps had 4 power plays, to the Penguins 6. Once again, the Caps were out shot for the game 28-22, although the Caps did outshoot the Pens 5-4 in the middle period, the first time the Capitals had outshot the Pens in a period this series. The Caps are getting decent scoring from their other sources, however if the Capitals want to silence the critics, they are going to need scoring from thier superstar players, in a more consisent level. Washington Can no longer afford to rest on its collective laures as it has the past two games, the series is now on the line. The Caps must do some serious soul searching, and find the strengh, determineation, heart, desire, chemisty, and wear with all, in order not to end up like the club they just knocked out in the first round, the NY Rangers. Thus far in the playoffs, it has seemed as if the Capitals play thier best when they are up against the wallk when the pressure is on, and when they are in danger. Let's hope that holds true tomrrow night at Verizon Center, for the team that wins game five will likely be the team that advances to the Stanley Cup Semifinals. And the ghosts of choking dogs past wich were slowly starting to find thier way in, are now looming arge over the Capitals, thier loyal fans, and Washington. Its up to the Caps to learn from history, and not allow history to repeat itself, for the 6th time.
The Washington Capitals took advantage of home ice thus far in this series, winning both games at Verizon Center to take a 2-o series lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins in their Stanley Cup Playoff Eastern Conference semi final match up. Tonight, the series shifts up to the Igloo in steel town, amid a spate of activity from both clubs. From the Penguins side, the Penguins are now starting to complain more. This time about the Capitals tactics on face offs, setting picks and / or interfering with their players, and also about the curvature of Alex Ovechkin's stick. Concerns are being raised from multiple sources with the Penguins orgainsation.
On the Capitals side of things, the Caps are dealing with some injury issues. Apparently Eric Fehr did not skate this morning, and will not be in the line up for tonight's game. In his place will likely be NHL veteran and Caps center Michael Nylander, who has been a healthy scratch for the first two games of this series. John Erskine, who is nursing a lower body injury persumably from taking a hard shot to the leg in game one, will also likely sit out for the 2nd straghit game. Likely to be in his place will be either Karl Alzner, or Tyler Sloan, who made his first NHL playoff appearance in Monday nights game two victory, playing a great game and also picking up an assist on David Steckle's goal in the 2nd period.
And so it continues tonight. The much hyped, epic battle of the NHL's two top superstars, Alex Ovechkin and Sydney Crosby once again takes center stage with the Capitals up by two games once again. As I am sure ALL Caps fans, both long time such as myself, and new alike, are now well aware of the Capitals playoff history Vs the Penguins. As I sated in this post, the Capitals have been up by two games on the Pens multiple times in the past, and just like the Rangers did when they were up 2-0 and 3-1 over the Caps last round, the Caps folded to lose the series. Tonight is an extremely important point in this series, and may just go a long way to show just how far the Caps have come, and just how different of a team these "new Caps" are compared to those great prennial playoff appearing, but also choking Caps teams of old. The Capitals must take some pages and some notes from the past, in order to look towards the future here. To win this game tonight would go along way in proving to themselves, and thier loyal fans, and the rest of the world that this Capitals team is not only as good as those of old, but is in fact better. It is my hope that after tonight, those old "choking dogs" ghosts that have plagued the Capitals for much of thier collective playoff career. From what I have seen thus far this playoff season, that little Journey song I was humming a while back, seems to be creaping into my thoughts more and more....
So I wake up this morning and start my reading and what do I find? Tarik El-Bashir, of Washington Post fame, is reporting on his blog, Capitals Insider, that two top Capitals prospects with the Caps AHL affilate, the Hershey Bears had been held out from last nights Bears playoff game vs the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate, due to an "illness". Hmmm... Flu? Worse... swine Flue? Oddly enough the two players in question are defencemen Karl Alzner (left top) and Tyler Sloan. (lower left) They just also happen to be the Bears top D paring. At the same time, we also learned that the Caps had recalled them both to the big club. It gets more interesting by the minute. Something was definitely amiss here. Why would the Caps recall two sick defencemen, and risk getting thier entire roster infected with the secret "illness" that was plaguing the two baby caps? was it worth the risk? Something was definately not right here. As we would later learn, it was all a big cover up. A ploy to throw off both the Bears and the Caps enemies. The baby Caps were never in fact "sick" with anything, and were on the ice practicing this morning at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington. Tyler Sloan told Bashir...
"I don't know anything right now. We've just been told that it's precautionary in case anything happens. I was going to rink for meetings, then went home for some rest and a nap and got a phone call saying, 'Stay home, you're sick. And your partner caught the flu."
The more menacing thing behind all of this was, why they were called up. As it turns out, they were called up largely as a precautionary measure. However, it is also now clear that John Erskine is "questionable" for tonights game 2 of the Caps Eastern Conference Semifinal series VS the Pittsburgh Penguins. Erskin did take a hard shot to the leg and limpped back to the bench during game one on Saturday. It is being reported that Erskin has some type of leg injury, and may need to rest for a game. The Caps are already without the services of defencemen Jeff Schultz, which has them with 6 healthy defencemen currently available. Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau told Tarik...
"We've only had six healthy defensemen up here and I think we were playing with fire if someone would go down in warm-up. We've got John banged up a little bit. He's going to try it and see if he can go. But we figured we take precautionary measures and call up a couple of guys just in case. If we had to go to one, they both know our systems as well as anyone."
So at least one of the baby Caps may likely get a shot at thier first NHL playoff game tonight against the Penguins. My guess, and hope, is that it will likely be Alzner. Alzner is a highly touted, big, speedy, and agile defencemen, and is considered by many to be the Capitals top prospect at the position. Alzner was drafted by the Caps in the 2007 NHL entry draft, 5th over all, and has had a great career thus far for Hershey. He has also gotten some NHL time under his belt with the Caps as well, appearing in 30 games for them over this past season, scoring 1 goal, getting 4 assists, and taking one penalty. His plus / minus rating was -1.
So that brings us to game 2. The series, and the matchup the whole world has uber hyped up and had been hoping for, Ovechkin vs Crosby, Caps vs Pens, resumes tonight @ 7PM on the Verizon Center ice. The Washington Capitals are looking to take full advantage of thier home ice and extend thier series lead to 2-0. If that is to happen, the Capitals MUST play a better game than they did in game one, where they were outshot, and were often out skated, out hustled, and also made many bad mistakes and givaways. David Steckel was quoted as saying regarding his goal, and the game...
"I think it was a wake-up call. We were getting our [butts] handed to us, pretty much. It was a joke. I don't know if it was because it was an afternoon, [but] we didn't come ready to play."
Pittsburgh is a dangerous team for sure, and it will only be a matter of time before a team that good takes advantage of the Capitals mistakes. Hopefully the Caps have identified where they could have improved from game one, and will take that to heart tonight and get on top of this game early, to stay. If they can do that, and Simeon Varlamov can continue his goaltending heroics, with the Caps getting scoring from all available sources, they should be just fine, and should once again come out on top.
When I first became a Washington Capitals fan, the Pittsburgh Penguins were hardly on my radar as a hated Rival. In fact for most of the time period up until the late 1980's, I thought of the Penguins as one of the lesser franchises in the NHL. The Penguins were consistently bad, and out of the playoffs for most of the 1980's, and were often finishing near the bottom of the pack in the league. That slowly began to change after the Penguins drafted two men who would be come bona-fide NHL superstars in the 1990's, by the names of Mario Lemieux, and Jaromir Jagr. It really was not until 1987 when I started to really feel a rivalry between Pittsburgh and Washington, and I can remember the exact game where those feelings were solidified and my disdain for the Penguins grew into hatred. It was a game at the Capital Centre back in March of 1987 when the Pens were in town playing the Caps. Things got ugly that game, and Mario Lemieux took a cheap shot after the whistle and went after the Caps Bobby Gould. Bobby Gould was no super star for sure. He was known has a hard working mucker and grinder, a blue collar, lunch pail kinda of player in the NHL, but he also did not take shit from anyone, burgeoning superstar or not. Gould was having none of it and pounded Lemieux, and knocked him out. Needless to say it got ugly from there, and it has been pretty ugly ever since, especially for Capitals fans. Here is the video of that fight back in 1987:
Bobby Gould Knocks Out Mario Lemieux:
Things very well may get ugly once again this series. There have been a few "dust ups" both on the ice between star players, and in the media between these two teams. The Rivalry is back on with the fans as well, as there is some rather nasty banter going on back and forth on both the Capitals message boards, and Penguins message boards. The most agregious I have seen to date have been from some Penguins fans. There have even been sub plots involving the Capitals handling of remaining ticket sales, and of some Capitals season ticket holders giving away ticket purchasing passwords to Pens fans for them to attempt to get tickets to games here in Washington. Even Washington's owner Ted Leonsis has attempted to make it even harder for Pens fans to get tickets by requiring a password for the "presale", and has also made it next to impossible to purchase tickets unless you have a Washington metropolitan area mailing / billing address. There are even rumblings that some season ticket holders who were outed for giving away or selling the password, are facing some action from the Capitals from not being able to purchase presale tickets to playoff games any longer, to outright season ticket revocation. If that is in fact that case, then I say good for Ted! Verizon Center has at times in the past been filled with black and gold, and the Caps and thier fans have finally had enough. Based on how few New York Rangers fans were able to make it in for round 1, I would bet there wont be much black and gold amongst the legions of red rockers at Verizon Center this series.
Well, most if not all of the faces have changed, and the teams have changed logos and / or colors a couple times since then, but the old rivalry that has heavily favored the Penguins and their faitful is once again front and center for both the Pens and the Caps, and their legions of fans. However, this time, this the rivalry that is on display in this Eastern Conference Semifinal series is also on display for the entire NHL, and in deed, the entire outside sports world in general. The NHL's wildest dreams have finally come true, and everyone will get to see the most coveted playoff battle of this generation. Alexander Ovechkin VS Sydney Crosby.
I mentioned previously that there have been some "dust ups" on the ice between these two clubs star players. The photo to the left is from one such incident at a game this past February here at Verizon Centre. Suffice it to say, if this is any indication, then I am certain this will rivalry will dramatically intensivy both on, and off the ice during this series, and probably for years afterwards. For those intersted, here is the video from the altercation in the photo to the left:
Alexander Ovechkin VS Sydney Crosby:
Both clubs have gone through good times, and bad since then, and both have been though a rebuild, and are once again each on the rise to the top. The difference this time is that the Washington Capitals have something they have not had in most series past when they have faced the Penguins in the post season. The Capitals have, a bona-fide superstar player. In fact, they have two. Alexander Semin, and now, Alexander Ovechkin. The Penguins once again have two bona-fide superstars as well, however they are not exactly the caliber that Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux were, at least not just yet. The Penguins have Sydney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin. While both are star caliber for sure, I personally would put them up there with the Pens two prior superstars, again, just yet. The only one that comes close in my mind, is the Caps Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin has taken the spotlight from the NHL's media darling in Sydney Crosby where it counts the most, with his on ice skills and heroics. Ovechkin is winning every individual award that Crosby and his fans wanted Sid the Kid to win, and is doing so with all the flair of a star the likes of which the NHL has not seen in decades, if ever.
Things have dramatically changed in the past two years for the Capitals. With the rebuild all but complete in Washington, the Capitals now find themselves in a position they have never been in... a serious contender for the Stanley Cup. Some believe they are just that, now. Some belive, that they are still a couple steps away from that. This series should go a long way to showing us all which mind set is the correct one at this juncture. A Caps win of this series, could go a long way towards propelling them deep into the post season, perhaps as deep as they went in 1998, and perhaps, just perhaps, all the way to Lord Stanley's Cup. But that my friends is a very big IF. The Penguins are a formidable opponent, and like the Caps are loaded with young talent that is just as hungry for a return trip for a second consecutive season, to the Stanley Cup finals.
There are plenty of "IFs" in this series . . . here are a couple of them to get you thinking:
If we thought Henrik Lundqvist was good in round one, then we should be very afraid of Marc-Andre Fleury. If Simeon Varlamov plays as good as he did against the Rangers, then the Pens should also be very afraid.
Could things finally be swinging in the Capitals favor after having lost 6 of 7 playoff series all time against a high powered Pittsburgh Penguins? Or, could the Penguins, who are once again high powered, and made another appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals last season be just too much for the Capitals? Could the Capitals finally be high powered enough to finally overcome thier nemisis? The last and only time the Caps beat the Pens in the playoffs was in the first round in the 1994 playoffs. The Capitals won that series 4 games to 2, and the Caps did not have home ice advantage that series. It all begins tomrrow at Verizon Center at 1PM EDT. Am I nervous about this series, you bet I am. That is partly why I am up at 5am writing this. However I also feel good. Our time, the Caps time, is coming, and hopefully it will start today at Verizon Center. I will be rocking my red, and humming a little tune by Journey that has kept me going the past couple of seasons. . . Dont stop... believin. . .
Welcome! I have been an avid Washington Capitals fan since 1977, when I attended my first game at Capital Centre, in Landover, MD, just 5 minutes from where I grew up in Bowie. I held season tickets from 81-92 there, in section 126, L. I then held season tickets from 99, until 07 at Verizon Center, first in 410 H, then in 408 E, then 408 A. This blog gets its name from where my seats have always been..."Behind The Goal Line". Being born and raised here in Washington, D.C. I also am an ardent & lifelong D.C. United, Nationals, and Redskins fan. This blog is not intended to be a "news" source, or anything of that nature, rather, it is just one lifelong fan and supporter's musings, opinions, thoughts, rants, perspectives, and observations on all things Caps, from on the ice, in the stands, to the front office, and around the NHL too. I will attempt to keep this updated as often as I can, so check back often as this is a work in progress. Click here for my profile.
