West:
#1 STL vs #4 MIN
#2 NSH vs #3 CHI
#1 ANA vs #4 WPG
#2 VAN vs #3 CGY
East:
#1 MTL vs #4 OTT
#2 TBL vs #3 DET
#1 NYR vs #4 PIT
#2 WSH vs #3 NYI
Who do you have winning the cup? Post your bracket below...
Forums:
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Comments
Um Capitals, duh
Anyone else going to a playoff game tonight?
I'll be at Verizon on Friday!
I think the winner of the west will come out of the first group (STL, NSH, CHI and MIN), with all four teams having legit chances. I want to go with STL or NSH finally breaking through, but hard to choose against the Blackhawks in the playoffs. But for the sake of fun, I'll choose the Preds. Mainly because I can hate watch Filip Forsberg and curse George McPhee and Martin Erat.
In the other west bracket, my mind tells me ANA should run away with it, but both WPG and CGY are Cinderellas that would be fun to see win. I'll choose the Ducks, but root for the Flames and Jets.
OTT has played out of their minds for over 20 games now, and I think MTL is beatable, so I'll go with the Sens in 7. They're playing for their assistant coach Mark Reeds, who passed away from cancer yesterday. I am really uncomfortable with this opinion, but I don't think TB will have much problem with DET (because I think this way, DET will probably sweep them). I'd have TB over OTT to win that group four.
Finally, the Rangers should handle the Pens with ease. I think the Caps match up well against the Isles, and should win that series. I'm going full homer and picking the Caps over the Rangers because I'm an idiot, not because I really think they will beat the Rags in a 7 game series (they can, but it's not a 50/50 shot or anything).
Then...STL over ANA, WSH over TBL and WSH over STL for the cup. Doubling down on homerdom. FWIW, if I were betting, just replace "WSH" with "NYR" all the way down the line.
No idea. I watch practically zero regular season hockey but love the playoffs. Best playoffs in pro sports.
Octopi Hockey Town!
definitely better than burgers in Ottawa or rats in Florida
I'd love to see the Blackhawks hoist the Cup again, but I really think it's St. Louis's year.
Rangers will win the Cup... As much as it pains me to say it. But pulling for my boys, will be at Game 2 Friday night. Hoping for a lot of this in the weeks to come:
Lets Go Capssss
It is certainly possible.
Anyone know who the last team to win the President's Trophy and Stanley Cup in the same year was? I feel like it has been a long time and it is almost becoming a curse.
From Wikipedia, the 2012-2013 Blackhawks. But it's only happened 8 times since the named it the presidents trophy in 1985. Still, 8 out of 28 trophy winners is better odds than a straight up 1 out of 16
ETA: it happened 12 times in the NBA over the same span
8 teams have done so all-time:
86-87 Oilers
88-89 Flames
93-94 Rangers
98-99 Stars
00-01 Avalanche
01-02 Red Wings
07-08 Red Wings
12-13 Blackhawks
FWIW, the trophy has only been awarded since the 1985-86 season, so the President's Trophy winners have won the Cup 30% of the time.
That was the worst I've seen them play this year...game 2 here we come!
I don't think it was the worst they've played this year, but it's definitely up there. The Flyers game on a Sunday afternoon back in Feb. was pretty dreadful and they laid a complete turd against the Stars on March 13 when I went for my birthday.
So...... the playoffs start on Friday, right? Sounds good!
Its really hard to pick a Washington sports team in the playoffs...like really hard but screw it! Go CAPS!!
USA!!! USA!!! USA!!!
J! E! T! S! jets Jets JETS
Caps! Ill be at the game tonight! weeeee
Caps or Preds all the way...
No Pens fans around here? It'll be one (series) and done for them, but I'll enjoy it until then!
Present.
Id love for them to knock off the rags but just dont see it happening after the worst month of hockey possible. But hey, philly and Boston didn't make the playoffs and it looks like the caps will be making early departure again, so not all is terrible.
Unfortunately with Jim Rutherford in charge, it really is downhill from here. Trust me on this one, the man knows how to lay waste to good situations.
As long as the Caps lose, I can't be all sad.
Pens fan here. Hoping for a miracle, or some injuries, or the two-headed monster to destroy everyone.
I'm stuck next to "that guy" who won't shut up about how bad everyone on the team is. Sigh...
Semi related note: does anyone else have problems "behaving" at professional venues? I just want to stand the whole time and yell things.
Yes. I always go into a game with the mindset of maintaining some sort of conduct and decorum but inevitably I end up yelling at someone or some thing that happens. I cannot stand bad officiating calls when it's obvious. The most recent one was Deon Newsome's targeting call during the UVA game. He didn't even touch the guy. I know it makes the people around me uncomfortable but I have no tolerance for ineptitude, especially when it negatively affects the Hokies. I'm 30 now and have a kid on the way. I think my heckling days are over.
First time in a while that the playoffs have started and I have no apprehension about the Sharks losing.
Caps!! But of course something will happen and they'll lose. Totally think they got robbed last year....I think or maybe two years ago...whenever ovechikin complained about the refs against the Rangers. For whatever reason the Rangers seem to be the caps kryptonite in the playoffs. Can't stand them.
I think the playoffs is their kryptonite. But hey you make it there and you have a chance to get the 16 wins.
Caps played like absolute shit last night. Saw good hockey/forecheck for maybe 5-10 minutes, everything else, Isles just dominated. Seems like they were in the Caps zone 90% of the time. Caps just couldn't get it out of their zone and when they did, they did mostly lob passes, one and done possessions all night long. Very frustrating to watch it last night. Holtby gave up a soft one early on which kind of killed the vibe. I'll be there friday night and I think they will come back stronger, but to be honest.... you cant see much worse hockey from the Caps than you did last night
One of my buddies is an equipment guy for the Caps. He said that he's never seen Trotz as pissed as he was after the game last night, but it was weirdly encouraging. Basically a "You guys played the worst game you'll play in the playoffs this year tonight. You're gonna work your asses off on Friday night to ensure that doesn't happen again."
I like Trotz a lot. As a Caps fan I'm jaded and expect an early exit, but dammit if I wasn't pissed when they lost last night.
Can't blame him. That was one of the worst showings from the Caps I have seen in a while, not just playoffs. Lets hope it doesnt get worse or this will be a quick exit for the Caps
I'm a Flyers fan, but the Caps remind me of the Eagles a bit. Years of being either bad or close but no cigar...I can root for that. Temporarily.
Hoping the Rangers kick things off right tonight! I have been a diehard fan since I was a kid (yes, pre-Messier starting with Mike Gartner being traded to New York to play with 88 Olympian Brian Leetch). 94 was glorious, the 20 years since have been torturous.
I like the team, but I know that nothing determines series more than goaltending and matchups. The Kings and the Bruins were match up poison for the Rangers small mobile defensive group. The Rangers are not a great possession team, so teams that can keep the puck in the offensive zone and keep the Rangers from getting breakaways are a really tough matchup. If Tampa and the Islanders get goaltending they scare the hell out of me. I think the Caps have better goaltending (didn't show last night) but if the Rangers can contain Ovechkin the other guys aren't consistant enough to win a series. Montreal is a good match up for the Rangers, but Carey Price is right there with Lundqvist as the best goalies in hockey. Until last year, the Rangers tended to lose series because Lundqvist, for all his greatness, seemed to give up one fluky untimely goal that killed chances to win. He had to be as good as he was against Pittsburgh last season in every series for the Rangers to win the Cup. Also, Rangers need the Rick Nash of October-early February of the 2015 season and not the Rick Nash who was terrible in the playoffs last year.
Interesting stats (from this WaPo blog post), especially if your team lost game 1:
-Visiting NHL teams that win Game 1 have won just 84 of 219 (38.4 percent) of their Game 2s. The rate drops to 33.3 percent (29 of 87) in preliminary rounds.
-Visiting teams that go up 1-0 have captured the series at a 56.2 percent clip overall and 51.7 percent in the preliminary rounds.
Even if the lower seed wins game 1, it's still barely over a coin flip in preliminary rounds.
yea those stats mean nothing, I mean, its only 1 game. Caps win tonight, we're back at ground 0
Neil Greenberg of the WaPo Fancy Stats blog says the Caps will win more games if they suck less.
Barely over 50% becomes significant when you look at the amount of data points. The visiting team has a huge advantage once they win game 1
Islanders fan here. The Stanley Cup playoffs are the best. Anyway picks a day late for me:
Rangers over Pens in 5 (I hope the Pens at least make the Rangers work for it but I don't think that happens either)
Isles over Caps in 7 I know that Caps as a team play way better then how they played last night but if Holtby begins to feel overworked from his heavy workload and the Isles stay out of the box it could a semi-short series. Also last night was the best the Isles have played the second half of the season and if they can keep it up they will be a tough out.
Habs over Senators in 7: This series is going to get chippy real fast and still think Price is better then the Hammond. With Stone possibly being out and Subban not getting a suspension this series could also end up being a fast win for the Habs.
Lightning over Red Wings in 5: The wings have looked awful lately but then again if they actually get good goal tending they could be a pain for the lightning.
Second Round:
Lightning over Habs in 6: TBL offense is really good but Price is still the best in net so who knows.
Rangers over Isles in 7: Pains me to say it but I think the Isles are still a year away, this is definitely a series everyone will want to watch.
Lightning over Rangers in 7: Lightning offense just finds a way to beat Henrik or Cam if they need to go that route.
Calgary over Canucks in 7: toss up for me I don't know much about either team except that both aren't very good Corsi wise.
Ducks over Jets in 7: The Jets will make this a good season but I trust the Ducks goalies more.
Predators over Blackhawks in 7: Tough series that I think is definitely a toss up, Rinne gets the edge in goal over Crawford/Darling
Blues over Wild in 6: Dubnyk has been hot but the Blues are just tearing it up right now, Dubnyk steals a few games though
Blues over Predators in 7
Ducks over Flames in 6: Flames luck burns out
Blues over Ducks in 6: Blues are a deep and talented team, they deserve to be one of the favorites here
SCF:
Blues over Lightning in 7
Caps looked much better tonight overall. Ovechkin was a monster forechecking, Backstrom had a slick keeper, Grubauer got a spot start win when the team absolutely needed it. Gotta try to steal one on the island now
Look at this domination:
Not sure I can quantify it quite like that graph did, but the last thirty mins of the game were caps dominated. Go Caps!
The Rangers' National Anthem guy has the diction of Edith Bunker. Good lord why do people love him?
Ugh... phantom call on Hagelin (never touched him on the replay) costs a lead.
Probably the best example of a "___ out" Ive ever seen. This is the Calgary "C of RED"
This is what happens when an entire fanbase buys into an Effect game
Or when an arena buys shirts for everyone. Calgary is crazy though
I would not put it past any of the Canadien teams to have fans that would go this all out.
In another pic you can see that they're the official jerseys, not free shirts. Those things cost a lot of cash
I also love how easy Joe has made posting pictures
Damn. That's impressive
Another first round exit approaches.
I love playoff hockey, but when I watch the Caps...
wow dude, don't even bother watching then. I understand your pain with the past early round exits (big time caps fan as well) but I mean its only 2-1. Yes its a must win and a win tonight ties it up and even if they fall down 3-1. Caps have come back from that before (NY Rangers). And yes, we have been on the bad side of that too (Habs) but it aint over til its over, have some faith my dude.
I think we are all just a little tired of this guy showing up in the playoffs......
The Caps don't like making anything easy.
The word Caps could also be easily replaced with "Washington Sports"
But in all seriousness, those stats just mean that this serious is far from over. Most likely will go 7
DC sports have broken me.
I can also relate and sometimes the Hokies dont help either haha
I bet the white out in Winnipeg tonight was awesome. This Rangers vs Pens game has the strangest vibe, even with the good guys up 2-0
Any other Lightning fans out there?
Hopefully you live in Florida!
This made me chuckle when I read this a week or so ago
Nope! Octopi Hockeytown!
double post...
Wow, no suspension for Byfuglien for going all Dale Hunter:
For the 94 Rangers team, we had Joey Kocur- hence things did not happen like this. Kocur scared the bejesus out of people yet could still play and didn't even worry about the choreographed silly fights. I don't like the staged fighting in hockey, but the number of stick infractions with zero fear of repercussions are becoming a huge problem.
Teams didn't take liberties when Joey Kocur was on the other side. If they did...
That's like going a quarter Hunter:
Ha, true. But still a cheap shot to the head way after the goal.
What I really don't understand... why has every game of the playoffs for the Caps been on a different channel?
Be glad that its on TV
When the Canes won the Cup in 2006 while I was taking summer classes at Tech, the only games I got to see without going down to Raleigh were the Finals, as the first round was on Fox Sports South, the 2nd and ECF rounds were on Versus (which wasn't carried by Comcast at the time).
Thank god for online streaming of radio broadcasts, or I would have gone crazy that year.
Channels have to weigh the options: Law and Order reruns or NHL hockey, what's going to draw more viewers?
Man can't win when your getting outshot like they are tonight. Their shots on goal the other nights were atrocious as well. Just plain number there.
MY HEART. What a game. Glad to have home ice back, it's best of 3 time!
Also, DC sports trifecta what uppppp
totally agree. I thought the played their best in OT last night. Really kept the pressure up and it paid off.
Its amazing how different they looked in OT than they did for most of the game. They were getting dominated in their own D zone with mostly one and one shifts in their offensive zone and then come OT, they had better passes, entering the zone better, and forechecking was on point, which lead to Backys goal. Going to game 5, so pumped!
Drop the puck already! I want to see if the Islanders actually step up and back up all the lip service they've been giving the media about the Wilson hit. My guess is they do nothing.
Should I open this can of worms...?
Thoughts on Willy's hit?
In today's NHL any aggressive play like that where a player is injured is going to draw a penalty. Even though he didn't leave his feet and the puck was in the general vicinity, I don't have a problem with the charging call. The refs witnessed the play in real time and Wilson had a full head of steam coming in. I don't think he deliberately targeted his head. Visnovsky crouched bracing for the hit and Wilson is several inches taller. Just my view of it. I am sure an Islanders fan could paint a completely different picture.
I thought it was probably a charge, but close. However, the Islander that came over and crosschecked Wilson hard after the play should have gone too. I don't understand why they allow the retaliation some of the time, but not all of the time.
The Pens-Rangers series has been abysmally officiated. Pens fans are howling about the stick infraction calls they have been getting, but all have been legitimate. What is not being called are absurd amounts of interference through the neutral zone by both teams. The clutching and grabbing has made the series look like a Panthers-Devils pre-season game from 1996.
If you watch the replay, Wilson only takes one stride between shooting the puck and making contact with Visnovsky and that one stride looks like it was to change direction away from the end boards. He glides the whole time towards Visnovsky not generating anymore speed.
Side note, sorry I haven't gotten back to you about shad fishing. Weekday mornings are typically bad for me, but I do have tomorrow off if you are free.
Sadly, river is up too high to really fish. I am heading to SWVA for my new nephew's baby shower and the spring game. Other than one good day, most of my trips have been pretty poor this spring.
I personally thought it was a clean hit. Violent, but clean. Seems to be a common trend in all sports that violent almost always equals illegal, even if clean. But I'm a Caps fan so I feel that my opinion is invalid.
I agree, the violence of the hit made the penalty.
Terrible call, giving that 2 minutes.
You're sending me to the sin bin for my opinion on the hit?
Er, no, meaning "that was a terrible idea to make that a minor penalty."
Bad "taeks" get you game misconducts, not a lousy minor.
I disagree I think the Isles come into the game playing fast paced like game one. With Grabovski being back in the lineup the offense will be performing even better then in recent games with how well Grabovski pushes offensive play. Only problem is going to be who comes in for Lubo. Hopefully the choice is Pulock as his shot will help on the power play and plays a similar game to Lubo as well.
Cool hand pass, Tavares. Islanders scored within seconds
Someone call 911 cause there's a massacre happening at the Verizon Center right now!
Wow. I thought the Caps would win, but that was a beat down. The Isles response after all the tough talk was Anders Lee? Did he draw the short straw or something? Gotta love Clutterbuck and Martin losing it at the end of the game and getting tossed. Let's close out Nassau Coliseum in style boys!
Yea the Isles looked slow and tired. I still expect it to go to game 7, but they are going to need to get right in a hurry. Lee was definitely overmatched.
All the chirping to the media and then not sending Martin out to handle it really made the Isles look soft.
Very true. Martin instead went with cheap shots in the 3rd and got booted.
Caps vs Isles will be on NBC at 3 pm on Saturday if the Preds beat the Hawks tonight (4-1 Preds late in the 3rd right now). My Grandpa's 90th birthday party is at 3 pm on Saturday, in a place with no internet or TV. FML.
Just keep calling the Washington Post sports desk
(And happy birthday to your grandfather)
Such a place exists? Are you going to Middle Earth or something?
I bet even Bag End is wired for FiOs and wifi by now.
Interesting little tidbit, the condos above the Verizon center are NOT wired for FIOS.
I'm going to my grandparents church down near the New River. Crossing my fingers that I'll be able to get a signal.
HAGELIN..... WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
We want the Cup! We want the Cup! We want the Cup!
Poor Zuccarello though.
I hope he is ok. If you are a Penguins fan, you better hope that Rutherford's ideas for righting the ship don't include dealing either Sutter or Hornqvist. They were both excellent in this series.
It's widely rumored that Rutherford isn't lasting the weekend as GM...
Can't say I am surprised at all. He ruined the Hurricanes and in one season didn't exactly set Pittsburgh on the right track. He has no concept on what a good defense is... And you say he better not trade Sutter? Hell, he already traded him once....
Hence the comment, although Kordan Staal is a damn good player when healthy.
Fleury was amazing. Otherwise the Rangers really route the Penguins even with getting minimal production from Nash and St. Louis. Those guys have to pick it up.
All I can say is this needs to be the year for the Blueshirts; I have a feeling our window to win the Cup again, may be over with soon after this season.
They have a great defensive core and Stepan, Kreider, Hayes, Hagelin, Miller, and Buchnevich gives them some homegrown talent up front. But yes, they don't have much depth. Now is the time, and then hope that a kid like Tambellini and Bechnevich can become stars.
See y'all soon, hopefully. Just like old times
Hope the caps bring the same intensity that they did during game 5. They dominated that game from at least 2 period on and the 3rd was a joke. Anyhow, looking forward to the spring game, got the Caps on record so once the spring game is over I can watch them from the start.
Ugghh...game 7 it is for the Caps. Islanders seemed to have control for the majority of the game. At least the game 7 is in Washington.
Yea Caps were passive the whole game and let the Islanders be the aggressors. Love and hate game 7s.
I don't get it. The one game that they played super aggressive they end up winning 5-1. All the other games they have seemed passive for the most part (didn't see game 2) and have lost. Even game 4 they looked passive most of the game until OT when they came out aggressively and look what happens....they win!! Frustrating to watch them play.
The end of that Caps game was outstanding.
Can't believe they called that penalty at the end but not the boarding on Ovie from earlier. WHATEVER ON TO THE 2ND ROUND
WE'RE COMING RANGERS
Or the blatant tripping in the middle of the ice at the beginning of the game?
Inexplicable that the refs called zero penalties until the Isles were down with 2:30 left in the game.
Considering the refs seemed like they were going to let them play and not let penalties change the game, that roughing on Carlson was outrageous. Much more blatant no-calls than that. Refs served that up to the Isles wrapped up on a silver platter. Thank god they didn't score
As I said early in this thread... It's the best playoff in pro sports. The atmosphere in the building near the end of the 3rd was electric. As Gorilla Monsoon used to say "You could cut it with a knife!"
Let's go Capsl Bring on the Rangers!
From one shitty NY team to the next!! Lets go Caps!
Haha trust me, there is no hating.... The only hatred I have is with the Pens
Hey can you please be quiet, the Malkin/Crosby group is about to tee off
....damn rags
Let's Go Rangers!!
I refuse to acknowledge Wade Redden being a Ranger.
Game, Set, Match
Im a Washington sports fan (born in '90).... I have nothing haha
come on....you were like one when the skins won their last superbowl
Not even 1... May baby
Last night was fun. My first Caps game 7 in person, so maybe it was me that they were missing there all of these years...
Well if the NYR series starts on Thursday, as expected, you should plan on making a trip to NYC around May 5-7. We are all counting on you!
Confirmed Thursday start
Confirming that I can't read a calendar........ Game 7 wouldn't be until the 12-13.
HOLY SHIT THAT BUZZER BEATER FROM GRETZKY'S OFFICE. OVECHKIN WAS A FUCKING ANIMAL TONIGHT
Not sure the announcers could have more upset that New York lost... man I hate NBC Sports Network.
no kidding....it seemed like anytime the caps were doing well and scored they were like Caps score. and when the rangers scored they were all....."GGGOOOOOAAAALLLLL!!!"
Beat the King, crown the Caps! WHAT A FINISH!!! LETS GO CAPS!!!
3 open nets and a post. Rangers had the better of the play most of the night, but missing those gimmies plus Yandle refusing to shoot on chance after chance put them in a bad spot. I am not going to bitch about the Backstrom hit from behind because if Krieder had slipped down to defend Ward the official would have had time to react and call it. Instead it happened too fast and Ovi made one hell of a play.
The real pooch screw was having Dan Boyle on the ice pretty much ever against Ovechkin. The Rangers have four very good defensive defensemen who understand that when Ovi rushes down left wing, you overplay the middle and force him wide. He doesn't handle well on the backhand and you have secondary help on the other wing. Instead, Boyle was on (on a PK no less) and backed off the blue line. This allowed Ovi to turn to the slot and have a good angle for a shot.
Boyle is an atrocious defensive player. He was on for both goals against last night and that was no coincidence. Vignault has to match up better situationally to win the series and protect Boyle and Yandle.
I don't think that hit was illegal. Backstrom led with his shoulder and clearly makes contact with Boyle's shoulder first. You can even see that Backstrom purposely avoids skating straight at him so he wouldn't hit him in the numbers. If Boyle hadnt turned at the last second, or If he had kept his head up, it wouldn't have even been that hard of a hit.
It wasn't a hit to the back. It was charging. Check the rule. Two + strides to the boards is a charge. Nevertheless, the problem was Stepan getting lost and Krieder not collapsing on the play. Plus, if JT Miller can hit an open f#$%n net and we are having a different discussion this morning.
I believe they got rid of the number of strides for this season. Boyle was holding the puck against the boards in a 1 1 playoff game in his own zone at the end of regulation. You are going to get hit in that situation.
You'll have to forgive me because I don't know every nuance of the rules, more a general understanding, but what defines 2+ strides? Looking at the rule book, it states "2 fast strides." Watching the replay, Backstrom's last stride was from the center of the ice, probably 25 feet from where he hit Boyle. Regardless, if the goal wasn't scored, nobody would be talking about the hit at all.
Yeah, I have to think if the Caps don't score there that hit is a non-issue. The fans right in front of the play don't react, the announcers don't react, and frankly, no one comments on it until they see the New York coach throwing a fit on the bench.
Then suddenly it's a terrible missed call, NBCSN calling it a "controversial finish", etc. The Rangers lost. They had other chances to score, the Caps had other chances to score, but none of that matters.
Having Ovechkin generate so many chances when the Rangers had last change was not a good look. If Boyle was the issue, this Caps fan wouldn't mind seeing more of him... No goals came out of it, but I think the double shifting threw Vignault off in the second.
As far as hitting posts and missing open nets: the Capitals had a couple close calls as well, but the Rangers did carry the play for most of the game. Gotta play to the whistle though
Boyle was on for both goals against. After watching him all season, that wasn't an accident. It was abysmal bench management by Vignault.
Very different from seeing Torts smother Ovechkin in MSG. Can't believe Boyle let him get away with the use-the-defender-to-screen-the-goalie move...
exactly- ever since the Hal Gill series the book on Ovechkin is to take away the dip to the middle move. Overplay the center and he goes to the wall on the backhand. Yes, he could slip by and drive the net, but he hasn't shown the willingness to do it. He instead continues to go to the middle and because of the positioning he turns the puck over. It was brutal to see Boyle backing off.
oh c'mon..... What about OV's and Ward's goal post hits? Each team had their equal opportunities to score and didn't capitalize on them at those times. And I don't think Rangers had the better play for most of the night, yea they had more SOG but Caps made them play their game... neutralized NY's speed. And there were non calls that could of been called on either teams, but it looked like the Rangers gave up on the play and OV didn't.
Rangers definitely had stretches of the game where they controlled play. The Caps played a good road game though. Sound defensively, cashed in on Rangers mistakes, and Holtby made the stops they needed him to. That being said, they will need to play better today if they want to win. They can't miss on the opportunities that the Rangers give them (ward and Brouwer) and they need to clear the puck out of the def zone when they get possession. If they continue to allow the Rangers to hem them in and wear them down with that speed cycle game, they are gonna be in trouble. I'd like to see the Caps turn up the physicality a notch. The forwards need to pound on Giraridi and McDonagh on the forecheck and ozone cycle. Hopefully the Rangers are still focusing on the end of the last game, they've certainly done enough whining about it.
After stealing game 1, they are free rolling today..... all you got to do is take one game from the first two (if you are they away team) and you are solid..... BUT..... taking game 2 and going up 2-0 coming home would be CLUTCH
French might be interested in this http://blueseatblogs.com/2015/05/01/matching-up-on-alex-ovechkin-is-more-important-than-shadowing-him/
I agree with Dave. 1) Herman is an idiot. I tried to agree with him that the game winner last night wasn't Boyle's fault (he shouldn't have been on the ice, but Boyle didn't make a bad play) and that blowhard argued with me. So many of the younger hockey bloggers look at possession stats and use that to make their arguments, even though your eyes will tell you those stats are misleading IF you understand the game. God help my blood pressure if fancy stats start being used for offensive linemen.
2) And more to the point, you can't shadow Ovechkin because his game doesn't translate to the shadow. Despite setting up the goal, he is a shooter first and has certain areas of the ice where he is most effective. On the rush off left wing, you overplay his forehand and make him deke and go wide. On the power play, you have to deny passes from the RW halfboards without a) letting Ovechkin sneak in from the point to the back post and b) without leaving Brouwer open in the slot. When Ward is out there on the PP, you can overplay the passing lane from the RW half boards to the point because Ward stays in front of the net without fading back to the slot. Brouwer doesn't.
Hal Gill gave the entire league the book on stopping Ovechkin. Nobody has been better up until this year at executing that book than Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, and Marc Staal. So why in the blue fucking hell did Alain Vignault have Dan Boyle, whose reputation is as a rover/wanderer who isn't good positionally on defense to be getting a shift on a penalty kill when you have FOUR SOLID defensive defensemen in Staal, McDonagh, Girardi, and Klein all available.
Pancakes aren't fancy stats?
I think the possession stats are useful, but not exceptionally polished. And any worthwhile stats geek will say they can never show the while story. My personal pet peeve is the lumping of all shots together instead of qualifying them. The Caps spent the better part of a decade writing a fucking dissertation on how shots from the outside don't mean diddly against good goaltending. As far as the Rangers' defensive strategy:
All series, baby. All series
I can't count the number of times as a Caps fan, I've seen games like last night go the other way. Especially in the playoffs!
It's bizarro world! The things that usually happen to us our happening for us.
Lots of this today!
Holtby is a freakn Wyvern in the net. Both goalies in fact
Damn GG that game was worth the 3 hours. Let's get em at home Caps!
Yeah, that was a hell of a game. Caps can't take the first period off on Monday
This was awesome:
This was not:
5 down, 11 to go. Nothing is going to be easy until the Rangers "top guys" (Nash and St. Louis) start finishing.
French, Is it just me or is yandle killing you guys. That whole second period, I kept thinking to myself, why is vaigneault keep sending him out there. Just mistake after mistake.
I am scared Nash and St. Louis are going to get going that may be doom for my caps. But that was a hell of a hockey game. Holtby and Lundquist are playing dominant.
Nash scares me but St. Louis doesn't anymore. He can't handle a pass anymore... doesn't have that scoring touch anymore too
St. Louis used to score goals two ways- break aways and the power play. It seems like he gets a few chances on the PP, but he never gets breakaways anymore. He looks like Chris Drury did at the end of his career, where he couldn't carry the puck a step against pressure without losing it and didn't have any touch on his shots.
Nash is fine. Earlier in the season, he was getting the same kind of chances and it seemed like EVERYTHING he shot went in. Now, it seems like the goalie is getting squared to the puck. Nash is playing much better than he did in the playoffs last year.
Yandle stunk from the moment he got into the NYR uniform. He is a soft player, and I believe part of that comes from being the big fish on a bad team. No matter what bad habits he formed, he knew he was going to play 25 minutes a game in Phoenix. Now, those mistakes are exposed and magnified. Both he and Dan Boyle have been awful. However, as bad as Yandle has been, Boyle is the guy who has really killed them. He backed off the point on Ovechkin's first power play goal of the series. He got the puck knocked free on the hit from behind from Backstrom. He got beat by Kuznetsov to make Game 2 close. He plays harder than Yandle, but his positional fundamentals are awful. No Ranger D is out of position more. No Ranger D wanders below the red line more when puck support isn't needed. He is a disaster. The Rangers are stuck with Yandle. but I expect Boyle to be bought out and Bradley Skjei to take his place next year.
I agree boyle hasn't been good either. SOme of it with yandle can also be attributed to the difference in conference's and how they play. In the east, the playoffs are more rugged west is more finesse at least in my eyes.
I realize that he isn't going to be Scott Stevens, but take a hit to make a play for crying out loud.
Jay Beagle he's my dog!
You know what, regardless of which team you pulled for, that was a heck of a hockey game.
That being said, LET'S GO CAPS!
Agreed!
C A P S
T H O
GAME 3 SUMMARY:
Hopefully the Caps come out with some fire in the first period tonight. Got to imagine the Rangers are gonna come out guns blazing down 2-1 and being shutout last game. The Caps can't afford to dig themselves a two goal hole like they did in Game 2.
Anyone headed down to the VC tonight?
Caps need to score first and come out aggressive in the first period. They aren't going to win the game from how they play in the first period, but they can certainly lose it
boy I wish I was...I'll be relegated to my couch (because I can't afford tix)
I was at game 5 of the first series though and that was awesome!!!
save money for the first home game against Lightning ;)
hey let's not get ahead of ourselves...we were in a 2-1 hole against the islanders and fought back to win the series..Rangers are just as capable of doing that
it was a joke....
Gosh I hope Washington doesn't start playing well in the first period anytime soon... I'm not prepared for the apocalypse yet.
It aint over til its over, but as a long time caps fan, I get chills thinking the Caps are one win away from reaching the ECF since '98
Man I remember that. That was against the Sabers right? They (the sabers) had Hasek in goal who was a beast. Plus I believe the dark prince played for them...Mirolsav Satan. that was a pretty good series. Of course we all know how the finals went......
So I totally was bummed because the caps came out pretty slow and seemed like they played defense for the majority of the 1st and halfway into the 2d. They seemed to play alot more aggressive halfway through the second and for most of the third. Wonder if they were just trying to brave the storm that they knew the Rangers were going to bring coming out in the first and then apply pressure later in the game. One more to go.
MCDONAGH. I AIN'T HEARD NO FAT LADY!
Hey Bat Dad. I didn't hear no bell.
Heck of a game. We'll just have to get them in D.C.
It feels so much like the 2009 series, with the Caps as Torts Rangers. That series was 3-1 Rangers on the back of a terrific forecheck game that messed up the Caps D and a great performance by Lundqvist. Then inexplicably the Rangers started to drop back into a shell and lost all aggressiveness on O. The Caps seems to be back in a shell trapped in their own end for long stretches and Holtby has played out of his mind. The Kreider goal seemed to fool him. If that happens, the dam could break. The Caps destroyed the Rangers in Game 6 in 09, and then Federov vs Wade useless piece of donkey excrement Redden happened in Game 7.
I dont think Krieider's goal fooled Holtby as much as it got a great deflection off og Orpik's skate. It seems like to date the Rangers haven't been getting those breaks and the Caps have which is odd to say given the Caps playoff history. Sucks that game 6 is on Mother's Day since my wife isn't a hockey fan. Might have to offer foot rubs so I can watch!
Holy crap, I felt like the caps played defense the entire game minus maybe 5 whole minutes and a breakaway. They seemed to get more aggressive after they scored but then in the final 3 minutes they didn't seem to pressure any. they just let the rangers sit there in their zone. I know that's a hard game to win though, in madison square game 5. You knew the rangers were going to come out with all they had at home facing elimination. Though I'm Wade's goal in game one was just as frustrating for the rangers. Hopefully the caps will finish it off at home.
Game 7 here we come
Abbreviated and illustrated play by play of Caps-Rangers game 6:
Fuck
Fuck
Yay
Fuck
FUCK
Yay
Yay
...
I wonder if any team has won the Cup and taken every series in the playoffs to 7 games......
Game 5 was even more frustrating to me than six just because of the timing when NYR scored the equalizer. Amazing though that they finally dominated shots on goal and hits yet end up losing by 1. Almost turned it off when it was 4 - 1. Great game though.
In the modern era it has never happened... 2 teams have won 3 rounds in 7 games (Boston in 2011 and Los Angeles last year) but for each, there was one series where they smoked a team (Boston over Philly in 4 games in the 2nd round, and Los Angeles over the Rangers in 5 games in last year's Finals).
However, way back, when the playoffs were shorter, both Detroit (1950) and Toronto (1964) took both of their series to 7 games.
Cool, thanks......
Can Paul Pierce play forward for the Caps? We need clutch.
Well...
Ah the classic DC sports meltdown. Being a DC sports fan sucks something awful.
YOU GO TO HELL FRENCH. YOU GO TO HELL AND YOU DIE
With him in front of goal, we will always have a chance. What I am afraid of, is will the Rangers stumble in the next round like they did the last few times after the caps?
Oh you can......and you will......
When it comes to NHL teams that have lost a series after being up 3-1...the Capitals own 18% of those failures.
Ugh, as a Flyers fan I dislike the Rags way more than the Capitals
when they put up the stat before OT that said the Caps were 1-2 in OT this year in the Playoffs and the Rags were 3-0 I knew we were doomed.
It's like watching the Hokies sometimes....you get that feeling when they just aren't going to pull it out. The caps looked clumsy with the puck most of the night to me. They had some good chances and some good effort in OT. Those three penalties in row thought killed them....obviously since NYR scored on the third one. I mean can you help them out anymore???
So last one in this thread, go ahead and get the lights, OK?
Anyone know a good Anaheim Ducks bar in the DC area? I want to watch Boudreau coach in the 3rd round.
Meanwhile, in Chicago...
It'd be pretty anticlimactic at this point, for it not to be Hawks vs Rangers playing for the Cup
Yeesh it must be BRUTAL being a DC fan. kburkeVT is so used to the letdowns he didn't even go off in anger. How do you guys do it??
You just come to expect it. I think my dad puts it best, DC sports is all about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Eventually you just become numb to it all- why do you think DC sports fans go absolutely bonkers anytime anything remotely good happens?
At the very least, your explanation will help me not become so irate at washington fans when they go bonkers over seemingly trivial victories. I probably would too in that scenario
...it's a lot like being a VT fan; you just get used to it.
Full disclosure, I'm not a Redskins fan so it must be more brutal for ya'll.
Well at least being a Redskins fan is entertaining in a "I can't take my eyes off this horrific train wreck" sort of way.
Well, the Caps may be out, but at least the Pens are getting trolled by the Discovery Channel...
https://twitter.com/Discovery/status/598881558842482688
Can't embed this one; need all three tweets for full context.
I saw this, it is AWESOME, especially since I live in Penguin/Flyer territory.
In all seriousness, my god what a series from Braden Holtby. The Rangers were terrific in the 1st period of every game except Game 7 and Holtby kept them in the games. Lundqvist was equally good but it sure felt like Holtby was the busier of the two goalies.
The Capitals now need to look at their structure. If I am their GM, I look at the team and you can quickly identify the guys who raised their level of play in the series. Kuznetsov was excellent. Jason Chimera and Joel Ward were a constant net presence. Troy Brouwer added so much nasty and had a ton of chances. Brooks Orpik, despite a couple of bad bounces, was outstanding. His presence single handedly kept net front traffic to a minimum early in the series. I am very high in Burkakosky. He does an excellent job of finding soft bubbles in coverage and getting chances. And finally, regardless of other Rangers fans opinions, Ovechkin is one of the top players in the league and he was excellent even when the puck didn't go in.
Unfortunately, the structure has gaps. I will start with Nick Backstrom. Before Backstrom suffered a major concussion a few years ago, I would have argued that he, not Ovechkin, was the most important cog in a championship run. He got the huge contract and then had the head injury. I don't care about numbers; if you watch the game closely and understand the areas where you have to go to control a game, Backstrom just isn't an elite number 1 centerman anymore. People will scream bloody murder, but a top center can do more than dish to the far point from the half wall. He was overpowered on the wall (especially in Game 6 and 7), didn't generate possession or get guys great shots consistently, and when he was checked closely he didn't control the puck. He is still a very good player, but he isn't a top 10 center in the league and the Caps needed a top 10 center to effectively compliment Ovechkin. Backstrom's contract takes up so much space that IF a top guy (Eric Staal) became available they couldn't add him to the roster.
The second guy is Mike Green. Mike Green is a love/hate guy for me. As a young player, he broke my heart as a Ranger fan often (Valentines Day 2007 or 2008 sticks in my craw because of it was the first time I bought 100 level seats.) But, he never was really solid defensively and needed to be paired with a defensive defenseman who could cover for him, and his offense had dipped as injuries creeped up. In Game 7, he took an absurdly stupid cross checking penalty that set up the Hayes goal. He was a liability in his own zone throughout. Unless he takes a gigantic pay cut, I expect him to leave as a UFA this summer with Orlov stepping in on the 3rd pair.
I agree with all of this. I was content with the game 7 loss (mostly because I already knew the Caps would collapse, they are a DC sports team) because both teams played a superb hockey game... EXCEPT for Mike Green. Guy drives me nuts with how much of a liability he can be and his poor decision making. That cross checking penalty...
I like Mike Green the person. No player has been nicer talking to my step son when I have taken him to Kettler (the Caps practice facility in Arlington). He, Jeff Halpern, and Tomas Vokoun will always hold a special regard from me.
Carlson is another guy that I wonder about. Very good, very talented player, but he just seems to go into outer space from time to time. He is a guy who sometimes didn't look like he had the same compete level as some of his teammates. He seems like a bit of a kook after watching him goofing off in practice many times over the years.
He is an American hero though.
Mike Green is almost definitely gone this year. One of the cap-hungry (no pun intended) teams will end up throwing money at him. On the Caps end, they have the top 4 all set, with a lot of money invested. The bottom pairing gets a free boost Orlov, then they can keep Gleason, or they keep Schilling up full time, or find a cheap FA option.
During breakdown day today, Trotz reaffirmed that the second line center spot is now firmly Kuznetsov's. I expect him and Burakovsky to be the young core going into the future.
I don't know what they'll do with Ward. He's had another great playoffs under Trotz, similar to the one that landed him on the Caps to begin with. He's getting older though, and I don't know how the Caps GM feels about long term deals to older people. The one data point is Orpik, but that was a special case of extreme need. The organization is supposedly very high on Tom Wilson (he even got some 1st line time this season before finishing with the grinders). If they think he can take the first line net presence role full time, Ward might be playing elsewhere.
Finally, that was a hell of a series. When it comes down to overtime in game 7, I can't say the caps "should have" won. Rangers showed in games 5+6 they were the better team, and simply outlasted the caps in game 7. While I'm emotionally crushed I can't view this as a failure. Losing to Montreal in 2010 was a failure to achieve even minimal expectations: this team was predicted by many to miss the playoffs and list to the president's trophy winners in a razor close series.
For now there is summer, but winter is coming.
Ward is not going to resign simply because he is going to require probably a 4 year deal at approximately $4 mil per. Someone is going to pay him that simply for his playoff success. Its unfortunate cause I like him as a third line winger.
I have recently started to feel that the caps are a team that has the wrong guys slotted in the wrong positions. We finally have a legit 2nd center. I think we have too many guys that are playing 1st and 2nd line wing that should be playing on the third or even fourth line. I like a lot of those guys but until we start slotting players in their correct roles we will continue to not move past the 2nd round of the playoffs.
I recently heard there is a possibility of a major trade that the caps could pull off this offseason. Alzner, Laich and a 1st rounder going to edmonton for Jordan Eberle. I cringe at losing Alzner and this scenario most likely will not happen but it is interesting to think about.
Rangers take Game One, Stanley Cup or BUST!
The damn Blackhawks are doing everything they can to cause me sleepless nights and hypertension in this Anaheim series.
I've seen some rapid scoring but 4 goals in less than 2 min? Crazy. Nothing else quite like playoff hockey
Edit: Hey Illinois, you enjoying your palpitations tonight?
Edit 2: Wrote that before OT, wasn't trying to rub it in. As someone who doesn't have a dog in this fight, its been fun to watch
That finish just encapsulated what this series has been. I went from "GREAT SAVE!" to "SON OF A FUCK!" literally faster than I could say the words. Whichever team advances, they'll be so physically and emotionally drained I don't know how they'll continue.
So, many, ulcers.
And the Blueshirts force a game 7.
Jesus H. Tapdancing Christ. I have never felt less confident up three goals with under four to play.
Bring on Tampa.
And that is how it's done, gents.
I thought it was actually a bit of a sloppy game. There were a lot of golden scoring chances for both teams where players missed the puck all together, or didn't get off the type of shot they were trying for. There were a couple of pretty open looks that most of those guys would probably hit 95% of the time. I think both teams were jittery, especially starting out. Chicago seemed to gain a ton of confidence when they took the lead though. It was fun to watch though!