Forgive me if there is already one out there but I didn't see anything.... anyways... Let's go Caps and screw everybody else! I like the Caps chances this year, but I have already settled with myself that they will choke yet again.
Discuss away!
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I'm with you. I want the caps to go all the way and they definitely have the potential to this year if any. However, their ability to choke it away may surpass that just because they are the Caps. Until then LETS GO CAPS!!
If it makes you feel any better about the eventual choke, the Pens are clearly the best team in the league right now. Third string goalie? Missing Oli Maata and Geno? No problem, we're too good. It's just like 2009. Pens struggle, midseason coaching change, huge run to make the playoffs, beat the Caps in the 2nd round, win the Stanley Cup.
I'm not sure where Sullivan will pup Malkin when he's healthy. You can't break up the 2nd or 3rd line with how they're playing. Hard to believe he'd be best on 4th line but the PP will be nasty with him back.
It really does feel a lot like 2009. Raise another banner in Consol!
The Kessel-Bonino-Hagelin line can't and won't change. But Malkin isn't a grinder, so we can't put him on the 4th line. I know the 3rd line is playing well, but do you think they're playing better right now than they would with Malkin? Plus, Geno in the lineup with a line that can produce gives us favorable matchups against defensive pairings. Gotta think he slides in for Cullen and that line gets around the same minutes as the number 2.
I just like what Cullen has brought during the recent streak. I agree though, Malkin over Cullen would cause a storm against a third shift D.
I could also see him used as a situational player like in the past. Throw him in with Kessel or Crosby on long shifts and bring back the two headed monster until he's completely healthy.
I love what Zatkoff brought last night but I don't see many more 2-goal games without Murray or Fleury
Oh, no way. But it sounds like Fleury is close. He skated all week and was a last-second scratch. I imagine if Malkin is on a line they get the 2nd defensive pairing against them. That means the Kessel-Bonino-Hagelin line gets a 3rd defense pairing or the Rags try to run their top pairing out there a lot more and get them exhausted. Either way, I see that line for us having a huge series against whoever they match up against.
This really does feel like the best team we've had since Lemieux was lacing em up.
I'm rooting for the Crapitals, but let's be honest. They're gonna choke in the second round. Per SOP.
Similar to Villanova. /s
Given how the caps have been sleepwalking for about a month now and their propensity for choking, this is going to be a short playoffs for me.
Can't the sleepwalking be attributed to the fact that they locked up first place so long ago? With little left to work towards, they probably just put it on cruise control.
That can be a recipe for disaster when the postseason actually starts. Sometimes it's hard to flip that switch to aggressive, win or go home competitiveness.
The Blues stole one last night. STL were pretty thoroughly outplayed, yet came away with a win in overtime. Not exactly the confidence-giving win Blues fans were looking for, but hey. A win is a win, right?
I feel the same as Caps fans. No way the Blues make it through round 1 without choking. Reading various comment sections of local newspapers, I can say I'm not alone in that thought.
I dunno about the Blues, I watched most of the game and they were definitely were the most physical and had their fare share of scoring chances. Like the caps need tonight, Blues needed to win game 1 or that uphill climb against a team like Chicago was going to be tough
Hawks fan here.
Duncan Keith comes back next game for Chicago. Knowing this rivalry it'll boil down to Game 7.
I would say that Justin Williams will surely cure the Caps playoff woes, but then again, it may be the Caps that destroy Justin Williams' playoffs magic.
As a Flyers fan, I'm just jazzed my team is still playing hockey at this time of year
Gonna need the back end to play well. Orlov can't be miss playing the puck in the playoffs.
If the caps played like they did in the 2nd to last game against the Blues, this could be fun ride.... now thats a big "if" though
Caps over Flyers
Panthers over Islanders
Penguins over Rangers
Lightning over Red Wings
Stars over Wild
Blackhawks over Blues
Ducks over Predators
Kings over Sharks
Finals: Caps over Kings (democracy over monarchy)
Well before last night I was hoping Lundquist could possibly steal the series from the Pens and stop them in their tracks, but with that eye injury I am not sure it is going to happen. Well it was a long shot anyway. Pens are strong right now.
I am worried about the caps as has previously been stated. I think all caps fans are. I will begin to believe if we can dispatch the Flyers in about 5 games.
I love this time of year.
Flyers and Caps split the season series and the teams on total opposite ends of the momentum spectrum. A very physical series with the Flyers winning in 6.
Did anyone notice the guy behind the Caps bench last night with the VT jacket? Represent!!!!
I was at game 1 for caps/flyer, man that was great defense from the caps. I also knew we were going to get PP's after flyers racked up 4 in a row
The injury to Couturier probably just ended the Caps/Flyers series.
The guy has been kryptonite to Ovi over his career, and probably the Flyers best 5 on 5 forward this season.
Good hit by Ovechin, just one of those hockey plays that happens.
LET'S GO FLYERS!
/ducks
I just hope the can remain competitive in this series, because the Caps are pretty darn good.
GO FLYERS!
The kids looked like they had some jitters last night. Just wish I could make it up to one of the games. Been to many Caps/Flyers games and never been disappointed.
WE GOT ONE!!!!!
Caps are crushing the Flyers this series who are getting no help from their fans. Who woulda thought that handing out plastic bracelets to Philly sports fans would backfire. If anyone knows how to turn anything into a projectile it's Philadelphians.
they surely tried to fit the narrative tonight of what most people think of Philly fans as a whole... and succeeded lol
that game was ugly on behalf of all things Philly. fans were a disgrace. the hit on Orlov was filthy. that guy will get huge suspension. Caps had 9 PPs and scored on 5 of them, reeling off 6 straight goals to end game. I hope Orpik comes back for 2nd round. His head was ringing badly
they have good cheesesteaks, but thats all I got...
Does anyone know if postseason suspensions carry over to the next season? I have to imagine Bellemare will get a handful of games, probably somewhere around 3 at least. But if the series ends in less than 6 games, he won't have served all of the suspension, so does that mean he's suspended into next season as well?
yes they do
1 game suspension. I feel like that's right. Vicious hit but not so much that he should have been suspended for multiple games.
If it was the regular season, he would have had 3 minimum.
I think it would have been that regardless if Orlov sustained a more serious injury.
I mean, it only could have broken his neck. Not that vicious, right?
I mean, he pushed him but Orlov shouldn't have been bent over going into the boards like that. The push wasn't super hard, it wasn't a shove, he could have launched him into the wall. I agree that it could've hurt him much worse, but I don't believe he went in with the intention of seriously injuring him, unlike this hit from Schenn who literally was trying to snap Kuznetzov's ACL with this hit
Philly's motto: Do anything to win
It wasn't that long ago that Jeff Carter for the Flyers got hit in the head with a beer bottle in DC.
Fans do dumb things when it gets ugly.
Pretty much anyone who grew up watching Philly sports. The fanbase there is very passionate about their home teams... just not always in a good way.
Let me preface this by saying that I have been a HUGE Caps fans since day one. Yes...day one. I remember falling asleep listening to games on AM radio school nights in Junior High. They won like 9 games in their first season. I used to play one on one hockey with a buddy on frozen Four Mile Run in Arlington. That Islanders playoff series in the late 80's...No. No. I did not go there. Suffice it to say, few know my total/complete "Caps fan" pain.
But I think they will get it this year. Really. They just seem to have all the answers.
I saw bits and pieces of the game at work, so I have been catching up online since coming home, and I came across this summation, which I thought was so satisfying, so delicious:
"The opponent gets frustrated? The Caps bury them in goals. The other team gets dirty? The Caps bury them in goals. The opponent's fans throw trash and then leave to beat traffic? Goals, goals goals. There is no better response. Except for possibly dancing. Let's dance.
For the first time in franchise history, Washington has a 3-0 series lead. On Wednesday the Caps have a chance at a sweep, which would be appropriate given the rancid trash that has been Flyers hockey this series."
We Caps fans are witnessing positive history for a (breathless) change.
go caps gp
Flyers fans are "embarrassed"...they should be
Perhaps one of the most telling stats for me as a Caps Fan this series....
Playoff Pts.
Hotlby - 1 Assist
W. Simmonds - 0 Pts
Claude Giroux - 0 Pts
That's a beautiful thing.
Grew up a Philly fan in everything before pro teams were created down here in NC. Never in my life have I ever been so disgusted with a fanbase to completely turn my back on multiple franchises, but last night might have been the final straw. Fucking disgusting behavior from the fans, and really, the Flyers should be forced to play in an empty arena on Wednesday to close out the series. Those fans don't deserve a winner.
My only saving grace is that the team and staff were visibly disgusted with the fans as well. On the freakin night they honored Ed Snider, for christsakes. Gonna take me a long time to get over how disgusted I am right now.
Having also grown up near Philly and being in NC currently... isn't it amazing how positive the fanbases are down here? The Panthers are so easy to adopt as a second team, as are the Hornets.
Oh absolutely. And I struggle a lot with the not letting myself get too down about things after growing up a fan of Philly (parents grew up in Philly before moving down after college). People took the Super Bowl loss in stride down here, which blew my mind, cause I'm used to fanbases going through periods of mourning and dwelling on what didn't go right, and instead, people are just super amped up about this upcoming season. And the Canes, I mean their attendance is awful right now, but that's just a product of being so bad for so long (1 playoff appearance since they won the cup in 2006) but it should get better down the line now that they seem to have a path back to relevance through defense (seriously, within 2 years they could have the stringiest blueline in the game for a long time to come).
Having followed the Panthers and Canes (tough to catch the Hornets too much in Raleigh, but I try when I can) since their inception, its easy to be a fan when people always look for reasons to be optimistic rather than the opposite.
I just turned the game off. Not worth my time out here in AZ in the middle of dinner to watch.
I will say that the Philly "rep" is as much a badge of honor for Philadelphia fans as it is the result of lazy reporting by sports media that uses it as a convenient go to when other cities and fanbases have done the exact same things, which just kind of gets filed away and forgotten. But when its Philly, the narrative is "well of course in Philly..."
But last night was pretty pathetic by the fans (and the team on the ice and the continued mistakes of a rookie head coach in the playoffs). No excuse for it.
My team stunk last night. Ugh.
GO PENS!!! [dives behind desk]
There are dozens of us on TKP. Dozens!
Are the caps going to blow this one too?? Just when you think they have a series wrapped up they pull a VT Football and try and make it exciting.....in rd 1. This happened last year v the Rangers. I've seen this before.
only the caps could have 40 shots on goal and 10 against...and be losing!
My Sharks will either win the cup or be eliminated by someone other than the Kings!!! Equally historic feats, really.
it will feel good to close out the series in Philly..... hopefully
Blues get another chance to close out the Hawks tonight. Hope they can pull it off. Got really close last game, outplaying for the vast majority of OT only for Kane to turn it on and steal a win.
Oh come on Caps fer f@cks sake
I'm getting that "going from the penthouse to the outhouse" feeling again with the Caps.
Even if we don't gag away this series with the Flyers, we're probably looking at Pittsburgh next. And everyone knows how that story goes.
There is going to be a lot of clenching in DC if Philly scores first on Sunday...and I'm not talking about teeth
Lot of comments in this thread that Philly is playing dirty. The play on both sides has been chippy. Chimera's hit on Jake last night was every bit as egregious (and looked a good deal more intentional) as Bellemare's, and he only got a 2 minute Roughing out of it. Ovi has been getting away with quite a bit too.
Win or lose, it doesn't bode well for Washington to have to play another extra game on the road in what has become a very physical series
With 46 seconds left and the Blues up 3-2, they panned the crowd and found a lady Blues fan literally weeping into a scarf. Playoff hockey is intense.
Deadspin: Capitals Fans Behaving Badly
no fan base in any sport is perfect, all have their sour grapes.... just some more than others.
If that had been Flyers fans it would have made the national news
You can keep complaining about how much people at Philly fans, but let's look at some of the things Philly fans have done over the years.
They threw snowballs at the Cowboys players and coaches.
They threw batteries at JD Drew.
They put a full court system in their football stadium.
A guy threw up on a little girl.
They cheered Michael Irvin's career ending injury.
They threw snowballs at Santa.
They threw wristbands honoring their dead owner on the ice while their own players begged them to stop (and the refs were correct on the call!)
There might be some decent fans in Philly, but there are way more horrible ones (and just bad people) than any other fanbase I can think of.
I'm gonna keep my language in check...but this simple list of things demonstrates exactly the lazy nonsense that people keep perpetuating, and to finish with "there are way more horrible ones (and just bad people)" I take personal offense to, considering you probably know very few actual Philadelphia fans. I am one, as are a number of your TKP fellow posters. Are we bad/horrible people?
The stories about Michael Irvin and the Santa incident in particular are so completely erroneous in the public memory as to limit your "credibility" on the issue.
The throwing snowballs at Cowboys though is true. Thet was urged on by a young lawyer named Ed Rendell that became Philly mayor and ultimately governor of Pennsylvania. Fuck the Cowboys
One of the best parts of a rivalry is gross generalizations.
"uva fans are snooty assholes" "wvu fans have no teeth" and "Miami only attracts douce bandwagoners" (all three true) are just some examples. And a stereotype isn't true for an entire fan base.
But in all seriousness, fuck philly
If all three are true, then why use them as examples? Use something else.
Stereotypes exist for a reason. Philadelphia earned theirs. Like I said, most of them aren't bad, but there are a lot more from Philly that are horrible than there are at other stadiums. I've been to a Pens-Flyers game, it's not fun.
Yeah, and if we go based on one off events, Washington fans are racist homophobes who don't hesitate to throw objects regardless of wins or losses.
Ain't stereotypes fun?
That's not the stereotype of Washington fans. Their stereotype is that they're extremely fair weathered. Look, every team has horrible fans, Philadelphia just has more of them. WVU has basically the same stereotype for game experience as an opposing fan as Philadelphia, is theirs unearned?
Not sure I can handle many more games like the first two.
Neither can the Caps
Letang better get a 2 game suspension.... 1 at the very least
I don't see it being more than a game. It's 100% different than the orpik hit and wouldn't even be talked about for a suspension if it wasn't the very next game after his suspension. One game should be the high bar for a hit like letangs.
Then again, my glasses are different colors than yours
It was a different hit only in that it wasn't AS late (~.6 seconds vs ~1 second from Orpik) and Letang left his feet for the hit. But you're right, different color glasses. I'll take Letang sitting for one if Pierre will sit for 3 though. Can't stand that guy at all.
Yea, Letang was head hunting on that hit. I don't know his suspension history, but given the Marcus stayed in the game I would bet on 1 game.
I absolutely hate that NHL Player Safety considers whether a player was injured in making a decision on punishment. Take Bellemare on Orlov. That could have easily broken his neck, but since it didn't, Bellemare only gets 1 game. But Orpik gets 3 because Matta had to leave the game. Not going to argue about Orpik's punishment, but which is the standard? Because if it's Bellemare, how do you explain Orpik's suspension? If it's Orpik, then Letang is looking at at least a game. Consistency is their biggest problem.
I wouldn't want to have be the one to make those calls. I agree with your point but I also don't think factoring it in is that bad. I don't think Bellemare's hit was as bad when I re-watched it. It was made worse because Orlov bent over. I think Bellemare was just trying to drive him into the board and didn't realize his head was down. That being said, had Orlov had a concussion or been knocked out of the game then I think he should've been suspended longer.
Suspended 1 game
Shitty part of it being only one game is that it was announced today that MoJo missed practice today and will likely be a game time decision tomorrow. Apparently now being evaluated for concussion protocol. They based the suspension off the fact that MoJo came back and played, but now it appears he may miss at least one game and who knows beyond that.
And that's why you don't base suspensions off whether an injury occurred or not. What a stupid concept.
I don't think the Crapitals can win this series
Disappointing... Caps played better than Pitt last night but just couldn't finish. Need Backstrom to make some magic, he hasn't shown up yet this series.
Also Mr Game 7, Justin Williams
I think the winner of game 4 will win the series imo
I imagine that will probably be the Pens. They may take this series in 5 games
See I'm the opposite. I felt very confident in the Pens chances after the first game but not so much now that they're up a game. Puck luck was with the Pens last night and I don't know how sid will do without tanger
He still got Malkin.
I've been a Capitals fan forever...they just cannot get it done in the playoffs!
Every year. Every. Freaking. Year.
Same here and I have no confidence in this happening...but wouldn't it be ironic if the Capitals came back from a 3-1 hole after losing so many series up 3-1??
That Mike Weber play was horrible in overtime... he looked like an absolute duster. I can't believe they didn't play Nate Schmidt over him..
Blues look like they are avoiding the same curse that the Capitals have. Team really feels different than it has in past years. The game tonight against Dallas is really going to be big. A win and they are 1 win away from the WCF, which would be another huge accomplishment.
But I'm not holding my breath, Blues have let me down way too many times already!
Watching the Capitals in the playoffs is like watching the Hokies in a BCS game. Painfully frustrating.
The caps turn into another team in the playoffs. Different year, same crap.
Spot on.
Washington sports suck. Maybe being a bandwagon fan really is the way to go.
I'm starting to lean hard that way. My family has given up on the Skins. We relinquished our season tickets after 55 years a season ago. I've always been a Caps fan and have really ramped that up the past 8 or 9 years. That being said, it may be time to let go of that too. At least the Redskins don't get my hopes up every regular season by making the playoffs. The Caps just don't have the "it" factor to win when it matters. Up next, the Nationals will break DC fans' hearts again.
I'm guessing nobody should even get started on the Wizards.
At least we expect them to be bad. It's the Nats that are the baseball equivalent to the Caps, with the best records and no playoff wins.
The Atlanta Braves from the 90s through early 2000s were the baseball equivalent to what the Caps have been. Dominating the regular season, only to fall flat. #sauce: I'm a Braves fan.
Thought they nabbed at least 1-2 WS?
Yeah there was one (1995). I didn't think the Nationals were as good of a comparison. I don't think (until maybe this year) they've been as dominate in the regular season as the Caps have been. The Nats didn't even make the playoffs last year.
Have you watched the Wizards play the past few years? They are supposed to be winning. Expecting them to be bad was back in the era of Javale McGee, Nick Young, and Andray Blatche. Even this year they were supposed to do amazing. But of course, with DC sports, they choked losing with one of their best lineups and John Wall's best year so far.
Yeah I know they're actually pretty decent now but I think fans still hold the bar lower for the Wiz than the Caps and Nats
I dabbled briefly during the Gil Arenas years but just not an NBA fan. Probably best to stay away
I feel like every year we Caps fans get Charlie Browned in the playoffs. Good grief
Don't worry we'll see the Capitals in the Finals...Backstrom Geico commercials!
Oh they will definitely be going to the finals.... just sitting in section 111 rows 9 and 10
So Washies fans, will you be watching tonight or just sticking your head in the sand to spare yourself the agony? I'm doing the latter.
Melrose, one of the few talking heads I enjoy on the network, just called out the character of the team on TMZPN.
"You gotta think the Washington Capitals are not a team of winners. You gotta think they are a team of underacheivers that cannot win come playoff time. It's shocking they are in this position again."
Ive had a long scheduled date night with the wife so I dont have to decide. FWIW I think they win tonight.
I like Melrose, but I disagree with that. I have been thinking that this series is about games that are coin flips, and the Pens just won the toss 3 times. A LOT of NHL playoff games are like that.
Then, I read this article, which breaks down the luck angle even further, when talking about individual goals, and the Caps misfortune. It is a great read...even for Caps fans, now dull to the misery of it all.
"But, in the end, a puck actually going into the net is a little bit about fate too. The puck requires just a touch of destiny. And the only fair conclusion to make at this point is that providence, for whatever reason, frowns upon the Washington Capitals."
"Goals, unlike touchdown passes or out-of-bounds plays, can rarely be choreographed neatly. They emerge out of chaos"
and my favorite:
"Jim Murray, the legendary columnist of the Los Angeles Times, used to write that before he died he did not want to see Paris or Rome. He wanted, just once, to see a hockey goal. It's a fair point. Everything moves so fast, the puck bounces and dances so erratically, while power plays can change the basic geometry of the action. Goals still require just a touch of magic."
Caps and Downs
An, oh yeah....I'll be watching. And I'll be watching games 6 and 7 too! ha.
What a game. What a series. What the hell. Loads of respect for Holtby, he's the Hart trophy winner in my books
The Alex Ovechkin era has now completed its 11th season. During this time the team has 6 division titles and 2 President's Trophies. Not once in the entire era has the team made the Conference Finals. Talk about a complete waste of talent. And when you also factor in what Russia has done in the Olympics in this time... Yeah, starting to look like his legacy is going to be that he just can't win when it counts.
Death, taxes, and DC teams stepping in it: these are all certainties in life
It would be a shame if that was his legacy. He played a good postseason.
Brooks Orpik made a mistake and the caps paid for it. You can't have a top defender out for 3 games in the playoffs. You can't spend as much time in the penalty box (last night didn't help).
Oshie, Ovie, Holtby all played a hell of a postseason. The caps front office showed they understand the moves needed to play better in the playoffs. I think the future is bright, as long as they can take some of the emotion and late hits out and play more disciplined hockey.
How is he a waste of talent? Multiple 50 goal seasons, big hitter, team leader, has stepped up defensively under Trotz... Guys need to step it up when it counts and it is certainly not only his fault...
The team as a whole is wasting his talent.
At a certain point, and it will be sooner than we expect, his production is going to tail off, and once that happens, I think Washington is going to start taking a nose-dive in the standings.
All those offseason additions to the team, all those regular season wins. That doesn't mean anything if you're eliminated in the second round once again. Not once in his career has Ovechkin even had the opportunity to play for the Prince of Wales Trophy. That is not even remotely acceptable when you have the kind of superstar talent on your roster that Washington has had.
Thats a lot of crap though honestly. He had 7 points in 6 games during the series including 2 points in the game they were eliminated. Guess what his couterpart Crosby had? 0 points. The guy averages a point per game in 82 playoff games. He's got similar production to "winning" players like Kane. Ovechkin has never been, and never will be the problem for Washington. The guy does everything he can to win. If it were a team of Ovechkin's they'd be winning the cup every year.
I'm not even a Caps fan.
I vote we subcontract the development of the Caps to Russia and just take like ten Russian dudes and play them all together against that Landon-Donovan-muhfucker Crosby.
But wait, Crosby is Canuckian
In typical fashion, the Joe Hadeed Washington Carpetals get the early sweep under the rug again. Seems like whatever this team needs to win the playoffs, they just don't have it. How much experience do they need to keep up the intensity and not go through flat, uninspired stretches of play?
Onward to the Nats, then Hokies!
Well what's your definition of "winning" in the playoffs? I mean, sure, they haven't won the whole caboodle, but by definition they have won (multiple times).
Getting a postseason trophy of any kind would be a start
A trophy? Hell, they'd be happy just to have a chance to play for one.
Thought they did play for one end 90s/begin 00s??
Yes, in the 42 year history of the franchise, they have only won 1 postseason trophy and have yet to win a game in the Finals. In 1998, they made it to the Finals only to get swept by Detroit. They had a 4-2 lead in the second period of Game 2, but managed to get outscored 9-2 the remaining 7 periods of play in the series.
Wow! [this is to the org and team btw]
I want them to get to a round that a trophy is awarded to and win it. The Presidents cup doesn't count.
Being a Predators fan, I can honestly just say that I'm happy to see my team still playing at this point. Every ESPN "expert" picked the Ducks to win, and we took the series in game 7. The same situation has arisen this time around, and I truly think the Preds will take game 7 tomorrow night in San Jose. It's all about having the heart to win close games when you're being outplayed, and the Preds just seem to have it right now.
I was perusing the Sharks blog on SBnation and came across this article on the Caps, and thought it was pretty good. The margin between winning and losing in any professional sport is razor thin, and it's considerably smaller for hockey than most sports. Of course, being a fan of a team that also perineally underacheives in the playoffs, probably makes it easier to relate.
http://www.fearthefin.com/2016/5/11/11658750/the-washington-capitals-and...
I adopted the caps as one team I follow. Moved to DC area around 8 years ago. I know little about the rules of hockey but I like to believe I know a good amount about team sports that require 'puck' movement.
The team that controls the puck wins the series. The Caps are supremely talented as far as playmakers and shooters are concerned, but they don't touch what the Pens delivered as far as passing and anticipation are concerned for the majority of this series. There were far too many underplayed passes, missed passes, and failures to maintain control of the pock once the past arrived.
Hockey is a fast game. Crazy shit happens with an object of that shape moving at that rate of speed. However, I am going to pull a page out of Fuente's book and say that the Caps did not consistently deliver on the expected outcomes of those finite situations. Add 16 (made up number but I'd bet 10 bucks) busted opportunities up, per game, across a 6 game series against a team that is able to create the way that the Pens did and you lose. Every single time.
The good news for us Caps fans, adopted Caps fans or longtime diehards, is that this team actually showed some patience and restraint in crucial times where a good shot on goal was needed. That was not the case 1 year ago against the Rangers....where what I saw was "slap it down to the corner and see what happens." Next years playoffs will say a lot about Trotz as a coach. Cant really argue with the job he did in Y1.
I am a diehard Caps fan/hockey fan (currently play in a beer league) since I was probably 2 years old. I am living in London right now, and every single game in the playoffs this year, I was up until at least 4am watching every Caps game, hoping this was the year. I was actually thinking to myself (of course, the one year I am living in London, we are going to go to the Finals and I am going to not be there for it)... How stupid of me to think that!
Anyways, what is sad is that I am used to the pain now. I wasnt as hurt as I was last year because I am simply now officially used to/fully expect the Caps to bow out of the playoffs early. My pain and sadness has actually shifted toward Ovechkin... I feel bad for this guy. I dont care what anyone says, he is one of the top 5 players to ever play the game and WILL ever play the game hands down. I dont think a lot of Caps fans even realize how special of a talent this guy is... and to see that he goes another year without even MAKING it to the Conference Finals, going another year closer to retirement, hurts. People bash Ovechkin for the Caps playoff woes, he has nothing to do with it. Its an effing team sport. As much as I loathe Crosby, I would never blame him for not making it past the 2nd round and on the flip side, would never credit him for making it to the finals... Like I said, it is a team sport.
Rant over, just wanted to spill my emotions out. Disappointed in the Caps even though I expected it. Sad for Ovechkin. Maybe next year will FINALLY be our year.... Doubt it. Now I get to watch another team underachieve for 5 months: Go Nats!...
Great post. I haven't commented on it, because this one hurt me as much as any of the other ones. Well, maybe not as bad as the Islanders 4 OT game...
I felt great about the way they played, though. Coming back from 3-0...that was amazing, and a great thrill. I was in a packed bar, going nuts, and getting lots of chuckles - only one other guy there gave a crap about hockey, because he played for 30 years.
There IS always next year. Been saying that for over 40 years. Yeah, it hurts - I just LOVE the Caps, no matter what.
Blues headed to the Conference finals for the first time in 15 years. Feels good man. Real good. The 3 previous first round exits have allowed me to have zero postseason expectations. That way you can never be let down. I expect us to be swept in 4 in the WCF like the last time we were here after beating Dallas.
They did it for @soloucity!
If you haven't seen his twitter yet, you're missing out.
http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/6/11607108/twitter-land-of-opportunities-...
Drink the pain away
Dammit, I give up on embedding the video. Pretty funny stuff
Wow, he'll of a game. Murray has been awesome but I think it's time for MAF to take over
So happy for Marleau and Thornton. I'd like to see those two raise a cup almost as much as I wanted to see Beamer fill that trophy case.
Never much have been a fan of hockey. I don't bash it because I don't understand it and I don't like it when people bash my baby (soccer). So, this is the time of year I tune into the hockey. I usually wait for an elimination game in the Stanley Cup, and I will say, even though I can't see the puck, have no idea to the tactics of the game nor know no one outside of Crosby, Ovechkin and great American TJ MF OSHEE, I find it great to be quite entertaining.
Former Caps, Joel Ward and Eric Fehr will either win the Cup.... please let it be Ward
Wow what an easy Stanley Cup finals to choose a side for.
Go Sharks!
We won the Cup. Phil is awesome.
Praise be to Phil.
He was a monster in the first rounds and is such a likable guy. His interview for "bad breath" was hilarious.
I thought it was weird that Daley got the Cup from Crosby first, I figured it would have been Duper. So glad Dupuis goes out on top.
And you've got to feel for Fleury. Guy played out of his mind in the regular season and is overshadowed (and likely permanently replaced) by Murray when it really mattered.
But they won the Cup! Go Pens!
Read a few articles on the Daley thing. He got it first because his mom is in the hospital with cancer. She told him she just wanted to see him raise the Cup. Sid remembered that in the moment and told Daley that he would get the Cup first.
I am happy that we have our future goalie in place, but I still think he is just the future. We won the Cup with him, but a healthy Flower probably wins the Cup with this team too. Murray is still a year or two from being consistent enough to play 50+ games in the regular season. He just has some plays that make you realize how young he is; a little tentative to come out and sweep one away, or fighting through screens to find the puck (Game 5 wasn't his best). I loved how he responded after losses, but I still think Fleury is our starter next year with a 60-40 split.
Not bad. Chalk another in the case for 'burgh.
Flyers 2017 Stanley Cup Champions
I hate sports.
Caps or Sharks fan?
Sharks :(