Game 7 Is More Than A Win or Go Home Statement for Caps

Game 4 was fun to watch in person, Game 5 was awesome to see the Caps not give up after blowing a 2 goal lead and Game 6 was another OT thriller that the Caps unfortunately came up on the wrong end of.

If you haven't been excited or entertained by this series you either hate sports or don't know shit about it. As much as I hate that the series is now going 6 games, that its lacked fights and that there has been a lot of inconsistency in officiating this has been a great series which will end, fittingly in Game 7.

Its been quite eye opening to see how fans react from both teams on certain plays. In Game 4 Ovechkin ran into the back of a Bruins player and pushed him to the ice. All the Caps fans signaled for an interference, ,one came, and the Caps ended up scoring a goal. If you listen to the Bruins fans it was evident that Ovechkin should have been called for the interference. Maybe it could have gone either way, since it was right in front of me at the game I saw it clearly as the Bruins player slowing down and trying to keep Ovie from getting to the puck and Ovie saying f**k you its mine at all costs. I think in the end the no call was the best one.

Game 6 we had more questionable non-calls. The Bruins scored a goal after an illegal screen, that should have resulted in an interference away from the play, went uncalled and the the Bruins took the lead. Late in the 2nd period the Caps headed up ice when Bergeron collided with Chimera and went down to the ice. Chimera raced up the ice to score on a pass from Backstrom while Bergeron got up with a bloody mouth. Replays showed Chimera barely touched him, definitely not up high, and Bergeron spun around, as he's done all series at the Caps defensive blue line, and went to the ice, where one assumes he either bit his tongue or had one of those blood packs that wrestlers use.

In the end it was a bad pass up ice by Nick Backstrom, a bad defensive angle by Dennis Wideman, and a bad decision by Braden Holtby to come far out of the net to try and stop Tyler Seguin that ended with the Caps heading back to Boston for a Game 7.

The Caps entered yesterday's game with a ghastly 2-4 record in Game 6's when they lead the series 3-2. Their record in those Game 7's that followed? A dismal 0-4, in fact they have one only one Game 7 since Dale Hunter lead the Capitals over the Flyers in 1988 and that came in 2009, and 2-7 overall in Game 7s. Needless to say the Caps were hoping to buck the trend and take Game 6. Instead they will need to look at rewriting history by giving all they have to take Game 7 from the Bruins in Boston, where they are 4-1 this season.

That gives me hope but I also can't get myself to believe too much that this team will be any different than any other we've seen or just about any DC area team that chokes under pressure or in big games. I've been disappointed too many times rooting for my teams but I'll still be rocking the red and pulling for them all the way. I even went so far as to plea with all the local media, via Twitter, to not bring up, ask or talk about in any fashion, the Capitals failures in Game 7's in any other year. Why be so negative? The team is under enough pressure from themselves and the fans and they know the history and what's at stake so why bother adding to it? Hell the last four times all the media talked about was the team's inexperience and then their inability to win that 7th game so why not try to reverse the curse?

Karl Alzner has already said the team is going to come out and give it their all. Well I sure hope so and I hope they start off with more energy than they have most of the other six games, then again they've looked like they don't care and won some of those games. John Carlson said that the players know what they have to do in Boston...I hate those damn cliches. We all KNOW what you have to do and SCORE and WIN should be the top two things. In order to do so the players can't be tentative, they've got to take advantage of Tim Thomas challenging and leaving the net exposed, they've got to put home the shots that are there...I'm looking at you Marcus Johansson, they've got to clamp down defensively...I'm looking at you Dennis Wideman and they've got to control rebounds and not attempt the poke check so much...yeah I'm talking to you Braden Holtby, though less so than the rest.

Things this series has done is gotten people off the back of Sasha Fierce (Semin for you new readers) and his play has not only guaranteed an NHL payday it may lead to an overpayment by a franchise not named the Capitals, but would he be willing to stay for less and play with his best buddy? While Semin has played great he has not alleviated the pressure that is on Ovechkin to bring the Cup to DC. Regardless of the reasons he's been benched Ovie will not change how he plays, which is to say he'll either gamble badly and be lost and out of position on defense or he won't play any at all and on offense he'll try to beat anyone on him whether he should or not. The series has shown that Green is a capable defender and may finally be turning the corner offensively. Its brought Jay Beagle to the forefront of the fourth line and shown how hard he hustles to get to pucks and can annoy opponents with his tenacity. We've seen that Joelle (Ward) played himself into that contract in last year's playoffs and oh how I wish there was a way to sucker the Blue Jackets to take him and two 1st round picks for Nash, regardless of cap issues. This series also showed that Dale Hunter doesn't fully grasp match-ups and what it takes to win games. It took the suspension of Backstrom to get Knuble back in the line-up and he's managed to score and be physical. His veteran presence and leadership is exactly what they need right now. The other thing was putting Schultz out there instead of Erskine. With as physical as this series was expected to be and how dirty the Bruins can be Erskine was a must to be out there on the ice and finally in Game 4 he made his first appearance since February 12th and seeing him out there and getting at the Bruins players it has definitely played into them going after the Caps less because they know they'd have to answer to him.

What does Game 7 hold? History says a loss...hell the Caps have yet to win, or maybe did once, the night before I have an event at work. I have events Wednesday and Thursday this week so here's hoping that history doesn't play into the outcome. Many people believe its safe money to assume this game will be decided by one goal since the first six were, a record. I don't think that will be the case and I don't think it'll take an empty netter to make it a two goal game. The Bruins head back to Boston with the momentum of an OT win and their home crowd supporting them while the Caps head back probably a little deflated after the loss, in a game they probably should have won, back to being the underdog and with the pressure of their fans and a possible off-season roster shake-up looming. Neither team wants to see their season end now and I can honestly see either team moving on in the next round, and even to the Cup finals, regardless of who the opponents are over the next two round. I obviously want the Caps to win and will pull for them despite the history.

At some point you've got to break a trend and what better time than the present? Its time to put up or shut up. No more talking, no more excuses. If you're going to go down, make it respectable and go down fighting but winners find a way to win (yes so damn cliche) and the Caps have the ability to do it and the want to do it but will they give the effort to do it? No playing turtle in this game. If you take the lead, go for the jugular while still playing smart. Pressure, forecheck, backcheck, hit, shoot, block, score, do whatever you have to do but don't take penalties. Make this the statement for those NHL "History Will Be Made" commericals

When Backstrom Gets Suspended and The Officiating Continues to Suck The Gloves Come Off *Warning Strong Language*

Allow me to start off with a giant FUCK YOU to Brendan Shanahan and Gary Bettman.  The NHL decided to uphold the one game suspension that accompanied Nick Backstrom's match penalty at the end of Game 3 of the Caps/Bruins.

In the video statement that Shanahan released, around 11:15pm Tuesday night (really you wait till that late? Avoiding all day scrutiny you jackass?), Shanny states that he took into consideration the fact that Peverley wasn't injured and Backstrom had no prior history of discipline. This is the same reason he did not suspend Shea Weber who at the end of Game 1 of the Predators/Redwings punched the head of Pavel Datsyuk into the glass and then grabbed it and slammed it twice more into the glass. Weber received a fine for his actions, Shanahan received a lot of criticism. In Backstrom's case Shanahan also says that Peverley did raise his stick toward Backstrom's face but that the Backstrom was the aggressor and at fault.

I've watched the video of the hit many times and Peverley trips Ovechkin and Backstrom comes in for a high cross-check...you know a hockey play...hits Peverley in the shoulder and it rides up into his face. Suspendable? Perhaps! Fine worthy? Definitely.  (For a great take on the play look up former Caps player Alan May from his appearance on CSN Sports Night with Chick Hernandez)

Let's take a moment though and look at what how Peverley's stick was at Backstrom's face. Did Shanahan forget that Backstrom just returned from missing 40 games due to a concussion? You know the Bruins haven't forgotten that. If you watch the series they've targeted his head many times and rarely drawn a penalty. I mean he got clotheslined in Game 3 which drew one but he's also been hit by, at the least, Lucic, Bergeron, Marchand and Thomas all in the head. On multiple occassions, including Game 3, Lucic has made it a point to grab Backstrom by the head and rip his helmet off and follow it up with a punch. In the Game 3 incident Lucic got a roughing call on the play...but Backstrom got penalized too even though he didn't do anything..and even if he did its not unusal when officials let it slide. In Game 2 they locked him up at the end of the 2nd period and then grabbed him by his face mask. Late in the 3rd period of Game 2 Bruins goalie Tim Thomas hit him in the face with his blocker and that was followed up with a cross-check from another Bruin, and a third grabbing Backstrom from behind, around the head again, and tackling to the ice while hitting and shoving on him. NONE of those earned penalties nor did any earn a suspension. So even what if Backstrom was reckless at the end of Game 3 after putting up with that shit the first three games he didn't know what Peverley's intentions were. Add to it that in Game 2 Thomas kicks Troy Brouwer, that warrants a match penalty, and not only does it go uncalled the NHL doesn't review and fine or suspend Thomas nor any other Bruins player for any of the shit they've done to Backstrom or any other Capitals player.

There have been a lot of head shots that have gone uncalled in the series on both sides. Then you have Lucic taking down Brooks Laich before the face-off in Game 3. Instead of calling Lucic for a penalty they decided Laich needed to come off too. I believe both received unsportsmanlike conducts....so I guess being thrown to the ice is a penalty now...God the Caps are screwed if that's the case. Or how about when Chara tackled Laich, behind the net, next to the ref, and nothing was called. Chara laid on top of him on the ice and was hitting him and wouldn't get off and allow him to get back into the play (interference much) and nothing was called. So where is the punishment of the refs?  Twice this post-season the refs have missed an off-sides that lead to a goal, one of which lead to the game winning goal for the Bruins in Game 3...the call was missed by the same official that missed the one in Game 1 of the Penguins/Flyers series. Where the fuck is the fine or suspension of that ref?  Or what about the goal waved off in last night Predators/Redwings game? The puck was in the net and the ref blew his whistle and signaled no goal because he didn't think it went in. Why was he not behind the net? Why are they blowing the whistle so quickly now but at the end of the season the whistle didn't blow on two goals the Sabres scored when they played Toronto and Washington? Why are refs not punished when they continue to miss obvious calls game after game and let series get out of hand. Where is the spineless weasel Gary Bettman in all of this?

Also on the flip side in the Penguins/Flyers series James Neal, who has a previous history with the league, was suspended one game for multiple hits, one of which he left his feet. Yes that is a one game suspension, for two hits, for a guy with a prior history ...the same fucking punishment given to Backstrom. Let that sync in.  Of course if you listen to the pundits like EJ Hradek who tweeted that "having Dale Hunter support you can't help your cause #PierreTurgeon." That doesn't fucking matter asshole.

Of course if you listen to the Bruins and their fans the Caps have been the only ones that have done wrong in this series. The Caps have taken at least one shot at the head of a Bruins player in every game of the series...you know compared to the eight that Bruins have done every game, many of which I've documented in previous posts. You'd think that a team such as the Bruins, who saw teammate Marc Savard have his career ended due to a concussion on an illegal hit by the Penguins' Matt Cooke, would have a little compassion and not target Backstrom's head. Nope! They're as classless as I expected them to be. I get trying to win at all costs but where is the line that shouldn't be crossed?

Shanahan is trying to get the players to respect one another and show that certain types of plays won't be tolerated. Apparently grabbing a guy's head and slamming it into the boards will be allowed but other plays that occur hundreds of times a week will get you punished. I'm not sure where the line is then because I consider Weber's actions much worse than Backstrom did and even Neal...and I HATE the Penguins. This really intrigues me to see what kind of hammer will be dropped on Raffi Torres who hit Marian Hossa late, after he had moved the puck, and left his feet to do so. Torres has a history and anything less than the remainder of the playoffs and part of next season will be deemed light.

For now Caps fans are livid at the double standard in this series. The Bruins target heads and connect every time. Game 4 is a HUGE game for the Caps and it just became that much more difficult. Down 2 games to 1 the Caps will now play without their top center and arguably their best and most important player.  The Bruins did their job, they got into the heads of the Caps players, caused them to lose their composure and got one of their main players removed from a key game. If the Caps win Game 4 it will definitely ease the sting from the suspension. It will also send the series back to Boston without really any momentum. While the Caps would have the advantage from winning the last game Boston would have home-ice and crowd support which would neutralize the Caps momentum. Then again maybe the return of Backstrom would give the Caps the edge.

Regardless injustice was served to Backstrom, Caps fans, and the NHL Playoffs.

Caps vs. Bruins Game 2 - Where Karma Happens

Is there anything better in sports than playoff hockey? Honestly I don't think there is...maybe the NCAA Basketball tournament but really most people only have investment in it if they're betting on the tourney and while the upsets are nice they aren't long lived.

Playoff hockey though...the hitting, the atmosphere, the sudden death overtime and when the Caps are involved you better have a strong heart because the cardiac Caps have a thing about making things long and interesting. Game 1 ended 1-0 minutes into overtime and today's game looked and felt like it was going to go the same way. Until around the 2 minute mark of the 2nd period when Troy Brouwer put one 5-hole on Tim Thomas and gave the Caps a 1-0 lead.

Unfortunately the Caps couldn't hold the lead as the Bruins scored and were kind enough to run over Braden Holtby after the goal was scored. The play was clean though as Holtby put himself into that position. Luckily for the Caps that was the only thing that got past the young netminder in regulation and it lead to overtime where both teams had chances but none of them scored.

In the 2nd overtime I felt the Caps looked a bit more tired than the Bruins but they hang tough and Nicklas Backstrom sent a slapshot past Tim Thomas for the game winning goal and sending the series back to DC tied up at 1-1.

As the title states though that game winner had some karma attached to it.  Both teams are physical, in fact I felt that of all the teams in the East the Bruins were the most physical and dirtiest team in the East. While I may have some bias let us look at the facts. The Bruins on many occasions will gang up on a single player of the other team while no one else is around to come to their defense. During a "scrum" in front of the net, after Backstrom was trying to go for the puck but Thomas had made the save, Thomas took his blocker and hit the recently concussed Backstrom right in the face, add to it a cross check from another Bruins player as that happened and a third grabbing Backstrom from behind and putting him into a bit of a sleeper hold. Oh but this wasn't the first time in the game that happened. At the end of the 2nd period a fracas broke out after the horn and the Bruins went after Brouwer and Backstrom and Patrice Bergeron had Backstrom into a headlock then as the refs tried to separate them he grabbed Backstrom by his visor and appeared to say some unpleasant things to the young Swede...who gave a nice little shot back to Bergeron.

That's not to say the Caps weren't guilty of infractions that went uncalled, like Ovie cross-checking a guy in the face but hey the refs had already called Roman Hamrlik for a cross-check after he cross-checked two Bruins that had cross-checked him moments prior.. Obviously its playoff hockey and they let the boys play every now and then but even the seemingly anti-Caps NBC announcers, namely Mike Milbury, said as much...and I'm sure that's tough for him to do since he's a former Bruins player and coach.

Back to the play though. Alexander Semin gets criticized for disappearing in the playoffs and while he hasn't shown up offensively he was a huge part in securing today's win including sacrificing his body on a shot by Zdeno Chara, who has the hardest shot in the world. Blocking shots has been a huge key to this series too as the Caps, who gave up over forty shots on net today, ended up blocking at least 25 and held a 21-5 advantage in blocked shots...this is a team that usually has theirs blocked so its been a welcome sight. Now if we can only get that power play going.

Regardless of it all the Caps pulled out the victory, shaved some years off the life of their fans; as they been known to do over the years when it comes to playoffs; and head home with momentum. Braden Holtby has played amazing and will need to continue to do so if the Caps are going to steal this series. Here's hoping the next two games are as entertaining as the first two and that the Caps win both, preferably in regulation. I do expect the series to be even more physical and hope that the SEA OF RED in Verizon Center comes out in full force, we want as few Bruins fans as possible in that place.

Impressions From Last Night's Game 1 of Caps vs. Bruins

Despite the loss I found it to be a really great game. The hitting, the "just missed" chances, and some of the saves just made for an outstanding game.

The game was sullied, and yes I'm biased, by the refs not calling some dives, I believe on Marchand, in the 3rd, as well as the roughing Semin took after getting hit by Lucic and two other Bruins well after the whistle had blown, the hooking of Semin, and the interference and roughing by Chara on Hendricks at the players bench, the last two in the final minute of the third. Add to it the fact that the refs didn't call a delay of game on Tim Thomas for covering and freezing the puck with no one around him and the Caps definitely got screwed over once the refs swallowed the whistle, which seemed to happen after the penalty on the Caps goalie who had already been run over at least twice and been smacked in the back of the head with a stick of a Bruins player...no I'm not bitter.

All that said, despite the Caps lack of offensive opportunities in the 1st two periods they did a great job of containing the Bruins and did the one thing they've been lacking in the playoffs and what felt like the latter part of the season which was block shots or stop them in front, despite the 30 put on Holtby during the game.

Holtby definitely rose to the occasion last night and will need to be just as good, or better, on Saturday if the Caps want to come back to Washington tied at 1-1. Outside of a few big rebounds and one playing of the puck that left the net wide open, Holtby was strong in net and the only reason the Caps remained in the game.

While you can throw the regular season statistics and records out the window once the playoffs start someone forgot to tell the Caps offense they could abandon the aspects of not shooting the puck and playing piss poor on the power play. As much credit as you can give the Bruins, a lot of the Caps ineptness falls more on their players.

While the power play struggled the Caps did hold the Bruins, who aren't very good on the PP at home, at bay by killing off all 5 opportunities including a 4 minute "high sticking" by Jay Beagle. Seriously though that PP may not be good but Lucic and Chara are big and powerful enough and Seguin agile enough get that group rolling at any time. While I expected the Bruins to cash in at least once I was pleasantly impressed and satisfied with the effort the Caps displayed on the PK.

Jay Beagle was my forward of the night till that 4 minute minor, that's the kind of penalty that will keep you from getting a sweater in the next game. Hello Mike Knuble please pick up the white courtesy phone. Also seeing Mathieu Perreault and Marcus Johansson come back from some hard shots to the ankle and head respectively earns them major props. Both of those little rag doll midgets have taken quite a few hits and pucks to the head, its like their is some kind of magnetic force or something. If either of them goes down you have to wonder if maybe they'll throw Mattias Sjogren on the ice, they could...they won't, but it would be an interesting debut for sure.

The toughest thing about the loss was that it was a bad transition goal where Dennis Wideman didn't get back or into position, but at least we didn't deflect it past our own goalie as we've done in the past. The opportunity for a save by Braden seemed like it would be one of the easier ones for him..alas it wasn't and the best thing to come out of it, besides the Caps going out on the ice to show their appreciation of his effort, was the glass falling David Krejci...that's what you get for going after Holtby early...that and roughed up by John Carlson *stick tap*

Hopefully Game 2 is as good and exciting as Game 1 was. I'm sticking with my Caps in 6 belief but they'll definitely have to get to Thomas, screen him and run his own guys over him. I also expect that there will be at least one fight as both teams are definitely getting chippy with one another and there is still some bad blood from their last two regular season meetings.