Caps 4 Rangers 0 (Rangers lead series 2-1)

Ok, now that was more like it. The Caps played their best game in a month at a time when they needed it the most. Going down 3-0 would have signaled curtains but the Caps never let the Rangers sniff a commanding lead in the series by scoring early, playing excellent defense and getting good goaltending from Simeon Varlamov to get themselves back in this series.

This is the kind of effort the Caps need all the time. Clearly, it appears as if the key to beating the Rangers is to get a couple of quick ones past Henrik Lundqvist and making the Rangers play catch-up. That's easier said than done against King Henrik but this Ranger team does not appear equipped to come back from too many big defecits. The best part about tonight was that the Caps did not rest on getting a 2-0 1st period lead. They kept attacking New York, hemming them in their own zone for long stretches. They played with desperation, yet didn't press, something they struggled with in Washington, particularly in Game 2. Now, the matter is: Can they do this 3 more times? If they do, the Caps win this series. If the Caps bring anything less than what they did tonight, the Rangers could steal this thing yet.

Notes From The Hangar:

- Simeon Varlamov was very, very solid tonight. He made the saves when he had to, something Jose Theodore couldn't do. The team did a solid job of building a coccoon in front of him and limiting the quality looks the Rangers had. I wouldn't go so far as to say a star is born, but Varly was unphased by playing in a hostile Madison Square Garden, by Sean Avery's antics and by the 33 shots the Rangers put on. Dude is as cool as ice, at 20 years old no less, his rebound control is superb and his athleticism is off the charts.

- I thought John Erskine was the Caps best defenceman tonight. He played with his usual snarl but under control and he baited Avery into some stupid penalties. Erskine initiated but didn't retaliate.

- At the same time, I thought Mike Green was a weak link. Greener looked like he had Flubber on his stick the thing was bouncing off it so much. The guy was an adventure out there, especially in the 1st and 2nd periods.

- Alex Ovechkin was going like a madman tonight. Even more than usual. But unlike the two games in Washington, he didn't try to force plays. If he was the Tasmanian Devil in games 1&2, Ovie was controlled chaos tonight. His pass on Alex Semin's 2nd goal was a thing of beauty.

- I've said it before and I'll say it again, Brooks Laich is the perfect playoff player. That goal he got tonight was exactly what he needs to do in this series: get traffic in front of Lundqvist and bang in rebounds.

- The Caps had three lovely bing-bangers (one-timers into open nets) tonight. Both of Semin's goals and Tom Poti's goal were perfect passing plays.

- How awesome was Backstrom's pass on Poti's goal? Does that kid have eyes in the back of his head or what?

- Donald Brashear was a welcome addition back in the Caps lineup tonight. The Rangers didn't engage in much chicanery tonight knowing they'd have to answer to somebody.

- And now that I've mentioned the word chicanery, allow me to discuss Sean Avery's night. Games 1 & 2 showed what Mr. Sloppy Seconds can bring to the Rangers: physicality, agitating and creating mayhem in front of a goalie. Tonight showed how the diminutive, starlet-dating winger can kill your club. Avery spent almost 10 minutes in the box and none of those penalties were of the smart variety. Let's see, he punched Erskine in the face in full view of the ref, he ran Varlamov to earn an interference call, took another interference call trying to start something with Nicklas Backstrom, took a whack at Varly and Erskine in full view of the ref to get another roughing call and, finally, an early exit from the game. The Caps power play didn't punish Avery for all his sins but you could tell he was testing the limits of John Tortorella's patience. I'm surprised he didn't staple Avery's ass to the bench after that punch on Erskine. The funniest part, at least from a Caps fan's perspective, was watching Avery slink away the minute Brashear growled at him. Little man didn't feel like playing so rough then, did he?

And for the first time this series, I actually feel like posting the highlights from NHL.com.


So, one win in the books. Let's make it another on Wednesday night eh? Until then, let's call this one more...for the good guys.

Short Links/Hockey Brawl Of The Week

Because we are not above "little people" puns here at Hangar 39, we have the late, great Joe C. Kid Rock got about 90 percent less cool when he lost the man that was "3 foot 9 with a 10 foot dick." Today we don't have a lot from Ravens or Orioles world but plenty from Planet Caps. So let's get on with the show.

- The Schmucker on the O's looking into signing Pedro Martinez, who hopefully will bring his little Dominican friend with him.


- The Sun with an interesting story about Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and his buddy, Maryland hoops coach Gary Williams.

- Caps winger Donald Brashear is still a little shaken up following his KO at the hands of Nashville enforcer Wade Belak and could miss tonight's tilt with the Philadelphia Flyers.

- More from Tank and Brash, this time on fighting.

- Japer's with some nice work on Eric Fehr's contributions to the Caps this year and Brian Pothier's attempt to comeback after missing almost two years with concussion issues.

- For those in the Hershey, Pa area, the Stanley Cup and the American Hockey League's top trophy, the Calder Cup, will be on display. (Per On Frozen Blog)

- From the Philly side of things, Caps Public Enemy #1B will likely play tonight. That's right, Danny Briere and his emo bangs will be on the ice. No word if Panic At The Disco is doing his entrance music.

"Hey guys, is this where I can pick up my Jimmy Eat World tickets?"

YOUR HOCKEY BRAWL OF THE WEEK
In honor of tonight's Caps-Flyers rivalry game, I present this line brawl from the early 90s between these two clubs. Observe Officer Don Koharski taking notes while all five guys plus the goalies go at it. Way to go Officer Koharski!


Non-Sporting Links:

- The Quantum Mechanics of Bloomfield loves him some bailout humor.

- Maki At The Movies has all your entertainment links that are fit to print.

- The Icon has the word on The Rock's steroid use in college.

"The Great One says inject his ass jabroni!"

- More info from the Icon on the upcoming Nine Inch Nails-Jane's Addiction tour.

- Finally, your YouTube clip to swing your heavy metal hair to is "Get To The Choppa" by Austrian Death Machine. We here at Hangar 39 fully support the integration of brutal death metal and Arnold Schwarzenegger lines.

Hangar 39's Top Five Caps Fighters

Fighting has been a big issue in the NHL recently with talks by league big shots about banning, if not fighting, than pre-arranged fights. In other words, if you're going to fight and it's in the heat of the battle, fine, but you can't talk about with a guy in the faceoff circle and then drop 'em.

If the league ever succeeds in doing this, it would virtually eliminate the role of the goon in the NHL.


Now me, I enjoy fighters. People don't realize how hard it is to be in a hockey fight. Much like boxers and MMA fighters, there's a real art to a hockey fight. You have to be able to hit the other guy while holding his arms to make sure he doesn't hit you. And you have to be able to stand up on your skates while the other guy is jerking you around like a rag doll.

All this discussion about fighting got me thinking about some of the great goons the Caps have had over the years. Particularly in the 80s and early 90s, the Caps had to have at least one, sometimes two enforcers on the club. Mostly because they had to play the Flyers eight times a year and Philly always came stocked with an arsenal of guys who liked to mix it up. But it seemed every team in the old Patrick Division had a bunch of tough guys. The Rangers had Tie Domi and Kris King. Philly had Dave Brown, Craig Berube, Rick Tocchet and Terry Carkner. Pittsburgh had Jay Caufield. The Islanders had Mick Vukota and Ken Baumgartner. Every game had the potential to break out into fight night. The game may have changed over the years, but the need for enforcers lives on. So here now is my list of top five Caps fighters, in descending order.

Honorable Mention:
- Dale Hunter - Was more of an agitator than a fighter but he did participate in one of my favorite fights ever when he KO'd Penguins shitheel Ulf Samuelsson and broke Ulfie's jaw.

- Matt Bradley - A guy that is all heart but really should not be doing a lot of fighting. Too many of his bouts end with him looking like this...

- Chris Simon - He was one of the most feared fighters in the league before he scored 29 goals in 1999-00. After that, for some reason, he played like Peter Bondra, forgetting that the whole reason he scored 29 goals was because of his physicality. Now known for his suspensions more than anything else.

-Brian Curran - He didn't have more than a cup of coffee with the Caps but Curran was the very embodiment of a journeyman goon. Curran makes this list more as a lifetime achievement award than anything else for the staggering penalty minutes per game numbers he put up during his career.


And now for the countdown...

5. Craig Berube - The man known as "Chief" wasn't as big a fighter with the Caps as he was during his early years in Philadelphia. His reputation pretty much proceeded him. He also sported a sweet ass mullet.

The Chief could play the game a little bit and scored a key goal during the 1998 Cup Finals run in the series against Buffalo. While he was a valuble member of that '98 team, he's better known for his bouts AGAINST the Caps than anything else. But for a glimpse of his handiwork in DC, witness this tussle with Eric Cairns of the Rangers.


4. John Kordic - If you look up goon in the dictionary, Kordic's picture would likely come up. All the guy liked to do was fight. He didn't last long with the Caps, but he certainly endeared himself to the fans with bouts like this pair against Pittsburgh's Jay Caufield.

Tragically, Kordic had serious problems with drugs that ended up getting the best of him. He died in 1992.

3. Stephen Peat - One of me and my dad's personal favorites. Peat did not have much of an NHL skill set but boy could he throw punches. This bout with Boston's PJ Stock is one of the finest hockey fights ever.

Of course I cannot mention Peat without mentioning Video Steve Peat, who would pretty much fight at the drop of a hat. One of my proudest moments in video gaming was racking up over 700 PIM's and 15 goals with Peat in "NHL '04." He was like the video game equivalent of Carl Racki in "Youngblood."

2. Alan May - I've already kinda chronicled the birth of Alan May as a cult hero in Caps-land with his epic beatdown on Pittsburgh's Gord Dineen. From there on in, May was a fan favorite, even earning the nickname "Buster" during the 1989-90 season in honor of boxer Buster Douglas. As a kid, I remember when Kordic was acquired to team up with May. To me, it was like teaming up the Gretzky and Mario of goons. Twenty years later, Buster's epic 89-90 season, in which he racked up 339 PIMs, is still a Caps record. Here's a look at the man himself, dueling with Pittsburgh's Troy Loney.


1. Donald Brashear - Despite his loss to Nashville's Wade Belak, I still gotta give the top spot to Brash. Besides being my Facebook friend, the guy's been a top heavyweight in the league for what seems like forever. And he can play a little bit. He's no goal scorer and to say he's a little slow afoot is being generous, but whatever line he's on has always had high energy and works hard. But who cares about his forechecking skills, let's see the man in action...

...vs Jody Shelley...

...vs Georges Laraque..

...vs Riley Cote...

...vs Colton Orr...