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Thursday, 3 May 2012
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Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Now A Best Of 5: Game 3 of Capitals-Rangers
The Caps took Game 2 from the Rangers at MSG on Monday night. This means the series comes back to Verizon Center tied up at 1 game a piece and becomes a best of 5 series. There is a few things to look forward to as they face-off tonight in Game 3.
I will be live tweeting the game tonight from @CapsAcrossPond so if you can't watch the game, head over there to keep track and to chat about the game, Caps, or just life in general. Look forward to hearing from you!
First the lineup: 8-19-90, 25-21-28, 26-83-20, 22-23-42; 27-74, 44-52, 55-6
No you're eyes are not deceiving on you. They finally put Ovi and Backstrom together again! Expect big things from this dangerous Swede/Russian/Swede combo. Unless Dale Hunter changes the lineup...again.
Ovi is hungry as all hell to play and score more. The low TOI (13:36) in Game 2 already raised his production. It will be curious to see if Hunter noticed that and plays him more. Plus with someone like Backstrom feeding him the puck, there should be a goal for our top line tonight.
However don't underestimate lines 3 and 4. They have been the ones that have been winning the battles along the boards and have been getting the Caps those dirty goals all postseason long. Knuble and Ward were the pair that lead to the series winner in Boston after all.
The D lines have remained the same throughout the series. Expect more of the shot blocking, Dale Hunter defense that we've been seeing.
The D lines have remained the same throughout the series. Expect more of the shot blocking, Dale Hunter defense that we've been seeing.
As far Holtby goes, all he needs to do is keep steady and play like he did in Game 2. He performed better after falling off a bit in the first game. In front of the home crowd, he should be able to hold the Rangers to minimal rebounds again which will frustrate the Rangers offense. As long as there are no bad line changes or errant passes (fingers crossed) he should be fine. This kid is a big reason the Caps are as far as they are. Plus look what he can do! (video from rmnbblog on youtube)
As soon as the puck drops tonight, Holtby will have officially have more NHL playoff experience than Michal Neuvirth. Through nine career playoff games, Holtby is 5-4-0 with a .931 SV% while Neuvie is 4-5-0 with a .912 SV%. Just thought that was pretty interesting.
Today is Jason Chimera's 33rd birthday! Happy Birthday from all of us big guy! Here's to hoping Verizon Center breaks out in "Happy Birthday" for number 25!
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Puck drop is at 7:30 in Verizon Center. Be ready to Rock the Red! You know I already am!
Lets Go Caps
Caps From an Hour South Down 95
I suppose I'm a little late to the new contributors bandwagon, but I guess its better to be late than never at all. First lets get the introductions out the the way. I'm Tim, twenty-one years of age, entering my junior year at VCU, and I am a complete homer for D.C. sports teams. I love the Nats, and I'll be all in on the Wizards and the Redskins if they ever become good--I am the definition of a bandwagon fan when it comes to those sports. However, the Caps have always been my first love. I've been with this team through good times and bad times.
Don't expect to see my posts bogged down with a lot of facts and statistics. I'll leave most of the post-game analysis to my colleagues. What you can expect from me are pop-culture and television references, constant references to Jay Beagle having a breed of dog for his last name (#woof), and a blinding prejudice toward Jeff Schultz.
I look forward to writing more posts, and hope that you enjoy them.
C-A-P-S! CAPS! CAPS! CAPS!
-Tim
Don't expect to see my posts bogged down with a lot of facts and statistics. I'll leave most of the post-game analysis to my colleagues. What you can expect from me are pop-culture and television references, constant references to Jay Beagle having a breed of dog for his last name (#woof), and a blinding prejudice toward Jeff Schultz.
I look forward to writing more posts, and hope that you enjoy them.
C-A-P-S! CAPS! CAPS! CAPS!
-Tim
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
Caps Win In Game 2, 3-2 Over the Rangers
This was the hard-hitting and high(er) shooting game that we had expected in Game 1. If you didn't catch the game last night, then you missed out on a thriller that surprisingly didn't take OT for the Capitals to seal the victory. Here's a recap of last nights action:
The first period started with the Rangers getting the majority of the chances due to their relentless forechecking but with 12:20 left in the first, the Capitals found the back of the net off the stick of Mike Knuble. Ward picked a pass and brought the puck into the offensive zone. Then he dished to Aucoin who then passed it right back to Ward. He saw Knuble parked in front of the net. Bam. Perfect pass and the puck is in behind Lundqvist.
Then a little less then 5 minutes later, the Capitals strike again. Carlson missed a bouncing puck inside the Rangers blue line and the kid who beat us in Game 1, Kreider, got a full head of steam down the ice for a breakaway. Holtby would have none of it as he made the save and the Capitals cleared it and dumped it into the Rangers zone. Then Chimera with his blinding speed, beat Lundqvist to the puck behind the net and kicks it to the front where Matt Hendricks tried a no-look backhander between the legs only to stopped by a diving Lundqvist. The puck then squirts right through the crease where Chimera taps it in off a defenders skate and the Capitals took a 2-0 lead. If that just sounds wacky then this video should help (courtesy of Fred Murtz on Youtube).
It was a bizarre play but gave the Capitals a 2 goal lead, a lead that we had only seen once in the playoffs during Game 5 of the Boston series. And just like they did when they got the lead against the Bruins, they went into defense mode and stopped attacking the Rangers.
The Rangers were all over them at the end of the period, spending most of the time in the Capitals zone. And in the final minute of the first period, after coincidental minors to Carlson and Staal, the Caps were beat on a 4v4 that brought the game within 1 off a nice pass from Gaborik to Richards.
The second period was hard fought but held scoreless by the two netminders.
Just seven minutes into the final frame, the Rangers score on the Knuble penalty and knotted the game at 2. This was the first power play goal of the series but Washington would not take it lying down. They gained two penalties in quick succession but could not convert on the first. No problem. The second one was all they needed. Backstrom won the faceoff which went straight to Ovechkin. He wheeled out to the point and took a MASSIVE wrist shot which blew by a heavily screened Lundqvist. It was perfect timing from the Captain. They had just completed the "Ovi sucks!" chant that they perform with 8:00 left in the third period. A little over thirty seconds later, Ovi is the one smiling and taunting the crowd.
It was awesome to see the Great 8 get the game winner because he's been somewhat transparent during these playoffs. For the Caps to win he needed to step up and he did just that with a beauty of a shot.
For the rest of the period the Capitals played defense and were able to hold the Rangers from scoring, though there were some scary moments. The Rangers were on the verge of scoring the equalizer with Del Zotto seeming to hit the crossbar too many times for comfort. However the Caps held firm and squeaked out the 3-2 win.
This was a momentous game for the boys in white. Here are some of the facts that that were brought around by Game 2:
The first period started with the Rangers getting the majority of the chances due to their relentless forechecking but with 12:20 left in the first, the Capitals found the back of the net off the stick of Mike Knuble. Ward picked a pass and brought the puck into the offensive zone. Then he dished to Aucoin who then passed it right back to Ward. He saw Knuble parked in front of the net. Bam. Perfect pass and the puck is in behind Lundqvist.
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| (photo credit: The Boston Herald) |
Then a little less then 5 minutes later, the Capitals strike again. Carlson missed a bouncing puck inside the Rangers blue line and the kid who beat us in Game 1, Kreider, got a full head of steam down the ice for a breakaway. Holtby would have none of it as he made the save and the Capitals cleared it and dumped it into the Rangers zone. Then Chimera with his blinding speed, beat Lundqvist to the puck behind the net and kicks it to the front where Matt Hendricks tried a no-look backhander between the legs only to stopped by a diving Lundqvist. The puck then squirts right through the crease where Chimera taps it in off a defenders skate and the Capitals took a 2-0 lead. If that just sounds wacky then this video should help (courtesy of Fred Murtz on Youtube).
It was a bizarre play but gave the Capitals a 2 goal lead, a lead that we had only seen once in the playoffs during Game 5 of the Boston series. And just like they did when they got the lead against the Bruins, they went into defense mode and stopped attacking the Rangers.
The Rangers were all over them at the end of the period, spending most of the time in the Capitals zone. And in the final minute of the first period, after coincidental minors to Carlson and Staal, the Caps were beat on a 4v4 that brought the game within 1 off a nice pass from Gaborik to Richards.
The second period was hard fought but held scoreless by the two netminders.
Just seven minutes into the final frame, the Rangers score on the Knuble penalty and knotted the game at 2. This was the first power play goal of the series but Washington would not take it lying down. They gained two penalties in quick succession but could not convert on the first. No problem. The second one was all they needed. Backstrom won the faceoff which went straight to Ovechkin. He wheeled out to the point and took a MASSIVE wrist shot which blew by a heavily screened Lundqvist. It was perfect timing from the Captain. They had just completed the "Ovi sucks!" chant that they perform with 8:00 left in the third period. A little over thirty seconds later, Ovi is the one smiling and taunting the crowd.
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| GIF via Jaspers Rink commentator Dimagus) |
It was awesome to see the Great 8 get the game winner because he's been somewhat transparent during these playoffs. For the Caps to win he needed to step up and he did just that with a beauty of a shot.
For the rest of the period the Capitals played defense and were able to hold the Rangers from scoring, though there were some scary moments. The Rangers were on the verge of scoring the equalizer with Del Zotto seeming to hit the crossbar too many times for comfort. However the Caps held firm and squeaked out the 3-2 win.
This was a momentous game for the boys in white. Here are some of the facts that that were brought around by Game 2:
- This game broke the Capitals 6 game losing streak in the second round of the Playoffs.
- The game MVP, Braden Holtby, was able to rebound from a disasterous Game 1 and control the rebounds, saving 26 of 28 shots faced. My personal MVP was the crossbar that was against us in Game 1 (Most Valuable Post).
- Even though his TOI was low (13:36 with only 3:33 in the first period), Ovechkin proved why he needed to be on the ice as his production was much better with 7 SOG and the GWG.
- The Rangers out-shot the Caps 28-25 (way up from the 14-18 in Game 1) but 15 shots were blocked by Dale Hunter's crew. The Rangers also tallied 15 blocked shots on the night, proving that this series is going to take some creativity in the offensive zone for both teams.
- The series is coming back to Washington tied 1-1. Headed back to home ice, the stats for the home team are not pretty (23 for 55 in these playoffs) but if the Caps can feed off of the Verizon Center crowd and continue getting traffic in front of Lundqvist, they will continue to succeed.
Game 3 tip-off is this Wednesday at 12:30 AM for those across the pond and 7:30 PM eastern time at Verizon Center. Be ready to Rock the Red and cheer our Capitals to a Game 3 victory over the King Henrik and the Bluecoats!
Caps in six. I believe. Lets Go Caps
Some British Hockey Violence, Just Because
Hey guys, here's a kickass bench clearence that happened last season in the EIHL (our top league)
Posted because we know you guys love some international hockey violence.
Posted because we know you guys love some international hockey violence.
Evgeny Kuznetsov Is Staying In Russia For Two More Years
We won! We won! Yep, we won Game 2 against the Rangers. It was all going so well, the series was at a tie heading into Game 3 and Kuzya was due to announce his decision about his future this morning, and it was widely expected that the 19 year old star would join the Caps in 2012-2013, especially after being photographed with this hat on:
Turns out the kid was trolling us along. And yes, Kuzya, we're mad. Here's a perfect reenactment of what happened (photo credit @hockeyshops):
Really? Really? We could have used him so much next season, but he says it's only for two years. This could be a good thing, hear me out. According to his EliteProspects report, he must improve his strength. Personally, I'd hate to see him go up against players like Andy Sutton or Milan Lucic. Also, he's only 19. It's a big ask for someone to move to a country where the language is totally different and you hardly know anyone there - as a 16 year old hockey player, if a KHL team offered me a contract (ha, as if) I would not go out there for at least a couple of years. He's human, guys, he's not a machine.
Caps From Across The Pond wish him the best of luck over the next two seasons and hope to see an all Russian Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Semin line in a couple of seasons' time.
Turns out the kid was trolling us along. And yes, Kuzya, we're mad. Here's a perfect reenactment of what happened (photo credit @hockeyshops):
Really? Really? We could have used him so much next season, but he says it's only for two years. This could be a good thing, hear me out. According to his EliteProspects report, he must improve his strength. Personally, I'd hate to see him go up against players like Andy Sutton or Milan Lucic. Also, he's only 19. It's a big ask for someone to move to a country where the language is totally different and you hardly know anyone there - as a 16 year old hockey player, if a KHL team offered me a contract (ha, as if) I would not go out there for at least a couple of years. He's human, guys, he's not a machine.
Caps From Across The Pond wish him the best of luck over the next two seasons and hope to see an all Russian Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Semin line in a couple of seasons' time.
An Aspiring NHL Journalist and Huge Caps Fan
I just saw a post from one of my new blogging "teammates" introducing himself on here and I thought I would do the same!
My name is William Hirsch and I am 20 years old. I am currently finishing up my Sophomore year of college at West Virginia University {GO MOUNTAINEERS!!!! :)}. I am majoring in Television Broadcast Journalism and Minoring in History. I currently work at West Virginia University's college radio station (called u92, on the web at u92.wvu.edu) as a sportscaster and the Assistant Men's Basketball Producer. I also do my part in broadcasting the Men's Ice Hockey, Women's Basketball, and Baseball games. I am having the time of my life taking part in these sports journalism activities at WVU with some great people who I hope to join in the professional Sports Journalism World!!!! When I return home to my hometown in Maryland this summer (right outside Washington D.C.) I will be starting my internship at NBC 4 in Washington D.C. in their Sports Department! I absolutely love talking hockey and I would love to bring my hockey knowledge to those that want to learn the game from me!
My Caps and hockey background:
I was born in Washington D.C. and am from Chevy Chase, Md. I started playing the game of hockey the exact same day Wayne Gretzky retired from the NHL but I have always had a strong passion for the Washington Capitals since a very early age. I have seen the best of the Caps when they made the Stanley Cup Finals in 1997-1998 and when they were the laughing stock of the NHL. I have played hockey at the travel and high school levels. I had dreams of playing in college but during my senior year of high school I broke two vertebrae's in my spine and ceased playing the game for health reasons and to try and make it as a NHL analyst. I dream of being the next Rick Jennerette in NHL play-by-play or taking Mike Milbury's sport on the NHL on NBC!!!!
Well ladies and gentlemen and fellow Caps fans, that is my life story thus far but I hope I make a difference in the knowledge you posses about the Caps!!!
Follow me on twitter (@capsfanatic_wvu) to interact with me and for what I like to think is good Capitals coverage and analysis!!!
Much Love,
Will Hirsch
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