OK, Now That We've Had Time To Reflect...

When it comes to the reaction after the Capitals Game 1 loss to the New York Rangers, I am reminded of this passage from the movie "Ghostbusters"

Dr. Peter Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
Mayor: What do you mean, "biblical"?
Dr Ray Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath of God type stuff.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Exactly.
Dr Ray Stantz: Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!
Dr. Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...
Winston Zeddemore: The dead rising from the grave!
Dr. Peter Venkman: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!


I mean, I thought I was a bit over-the-top in my reaction but the Caps blog-o-sphere was abuzz with "Theo On Thin Ice" stories. After one game you have Stan Fischler (for those who haven't heard of him, think Clint Eastwood in "Gran Torino" but as a hockey writer) calling the Caps a paper tiger, Alex Ovechkin not worth his press clippings and hinting at a Ranger sweep. Of course, as predicted, much of the blame for the Game 1 loss is falling on Jose Theodore. As explained here, Theo is in the ultimate no-win situation. And as proved, after one game, the critics are flogging Theodore relentlessly. Imagine if he loses 3 more? Personally, I didn't think he was as awful as people said he was. He wasn't good but he wasn't Hardy Astrom either. Theo's play backed Bruce Boudreau into a corner and judging by Gabby's comments, he gave some thought to putting Simeon Varlamov in for Game 2. While it appears that Theo will get the start in Game 2, I get the sense Boudreau feels like he's got an impossible problem with 4 possible outcomes, two of which are bad.
1) You start Theo again, he plays much better and you win. Best case scenario.
2) You start Theo in Game 2, he bombs again and you go to Madison Square Garden down 2-0 in games. Technically, you're not dead, but the Doc is filling out the paperwork to have the feeding tube pulled.
3) You gamble and start Varlamov, he plays well and the team wins.
4) You start Varlamov, a 20-year-old rookie with exactly 5 games of NHL experience, he plays poorly and the Caps lose. Not only are you risking turning the kid into a basket case (ala Carey Price) but if he doesn't do well, who's next? Michal Neuvirth? Brett Leonhardt? Pete Peeters?

No, giving Theo the nod one more time is probably better than throwing Varlamov into the fire this early. Theo has a history of bouncing back, so you give him the chance and if he fails you give the kid a shot. The good news is, there might be no Jeff Schultz (bruised ego) for the next game!

So let's relax a little Caps fans. The Rangers still have to win four games. So far, they've won one. Wasn't it us Caps fans just last year who had visions of a sweep dancing through our heads after a rousing Game 1 win? It's one game, not a series.Make, no mistake though, the vultures are watching in a now must-win Game 2.

Rangers 4 Caps 3 (Rangers lead series 1-0)

I often tell myself to not blog angry. But fuck it, I'm blogging angry.

Maybe the omens were there that this was going to be an unusual night. It has been raining, cold and windy here on the East Coast for about 24 hours. It's some of the most miserable weather I've ever encountered in my 30 years on this planet. About 7 minutes into tonight's Game 1 my cable went out and I was forced to go to the Grotto Grand Slam sports bar, surrounded by Flyers and Penguins fans. I don't know exactly what hell is, but all they needed to do is wave some Terrible Towels and play "My Heart Will Go On" and it couldn't be much worse.

And then there was the game. Like a wrestling heel winning a match with his foot on the ropes, the Rangers stole a game they had no business winning. The Caps pretty much outplayed them in every facet 5-on-5. But the Rangers got 3 perfect snipes and one goal that was complete B.S. in every way. Scott Gomez came down the ice 2-on-2 with Sean Avery. The two Rangers criss-crossed and that jerk Avery stuck his leg out and tripped Mike Green, giving Gomez a free run at Jose Theodore. Of all the calls the refs made tonight, HOW IN THE FUCKING WORLD DID THEY MISS THAT!!!! Avery couldn't have been less discreet about it if he tried. He might as well have waved a sign that said "Hi, here's some interference!!" And yet no call. Theo compounded things by letting in a weak shot but still, that interference was an obvious call that has to be made. This being the Washington Capitals, whose playoff misfortune I documented earlier in the day, of course it ended up being the difference. OF FUCKING COURSE!

Random Notes:

- Being a hockey player myself, I know the pros are much better than I could ever hope to be. These guys have skill and speed that mere mortals could only dream of. That said, Jeff Schultz sucks. S-U-C-K-S sucks sucks sucks. The guy is soft, he can't score and he can't move the puck well. Other than that he's great. Brandon Dubinsky made him look like an in-house player with that "How's she going?" move on the game-winning goal. Please, Bruce Boudreau, I'm begging you. Get this chump out of the lineup and replace him. With anybody. Doesn't matter if its Brian Pothier, Karl Alzner, Sami Lepisto, hell, you can drag Rod Langway out of the stands. Anybody but Schultz.

- To give the devil his due, Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist was as good as his team needed him to be. He didn't flinch in the face of a hurricane of Caps shots in the 1st and 3rd periods.

- The Rangers found the spot on Theo and it was top shelf. Other than the Gomez goal, all three New York tallies were upstairs over the glove hand. Not good.

- The loss was a waste of an inspired effort from Alex Ovechkin. He was all over the place tonight.

- The Caps had some lovely hits in this game. Mike Green's shoulder check on Fredrik Sjostrom was a beauty. That was "Get In The Weight Room!" quality.

- Too many fucking penalties. What else is new?

- Avery's trying, with his trip on Green and whack at Theodore late in the 3rd, but he has a long way to go before I hate him as much as Scottie Upshall, Hines Ward or Ulf Samuelsson. Give him time though.

So that's it for this piece of shit game. Good riddance. Gotta shore up the D, stay out of the box, keep the Rangers going to the box and keep up the energy 5-on-5 in Game 2 on Saturday. Until then, say good night to da fuckin' bad guys.

Caps Playoff Education (Through Metallica)

Tonight, the Washington Capitals will open Game 1 of their 1st round playoff series against the New York Rangers. I figured I would do a preview, but one struggles with how to do one different than everybody else. After all, how can I do it better than Puck Daddy, Peerless or Japer's. I thought about discussing the Caps playoff chances through movie quotes, but Bill Simmons already cornered the market on that gimmick. Then it hit me, I love hockey and I love Metallica? Why not combined the two? And since one of my favorite Metallica albums is 1988's "...And Justice For All" why not use that to preview the Caps chances.

Just as a little background, "...And Justice For All" is probably the angriest, most progressive and most political album Metallica ever did. With multiple time changes, intricate guitar solos and lengthy song structures (the shortest track is 5 minutes long) "...And Justice For All" was Metallica pushing the limits of thrash metal to the most extreme. The arrangements here were so complicated, the band would soon completely change its approach because the tracks were so difficult to pull off live. The lyrics might be the angriest that James Hetfield has ever written, partly inspired by the death of bassist Cliff Burton in 1986. The album's concept is a broken justice system, but it also contains themes of insanity, paranoia, war and corruption. And on top of all that, it flat out kicks ass.

So, here now for your amusement is my useless opinion about the Caps-Rangers series, broken down under each track from "...And Justice For All." I'll put down the song title, followed by a player, place or things related to this series. Enjoy.

1) "Blackened" - Expectations

The first track on "...And Justice For All" starts off as Metallica albums did back in the day, with a dose of classical guitar before exploding into a full-on metal assualt. The song seems to be about the apocalypse and that ties in with what will happen shall the Caps fail to get out of the first round this year. A Southeast Division title and a playoff berth are no longer satisfactory. Fans have their eyes on a larger prize and expectations for this team are very high. Can the Caps handle having external pressure to win for really the first time?

For the Rangers, there's a different kind of pressure, that of playing in New York. But if there is one thing working in their favor, it's that most experts do not expect them to win this series. Knowing the world doesn't expect much of you can help ease the pressure. Since nobody outside New York thinks they can win, the Rangers can relax and just play hockey. It's up to the Caps, who have the better team talent-wise, to go out and crush any thoughts the Rangers may have about winning this series. If they let the Rangers steal a game or two early, it could be trouble.

Relevant lyric:
"Blackened is the end/Winter it will send/Throwing all you see/Into obscurity"

2) "...And Justice For All" - Caps power play

One of the longest and most complex songs on the record, the title track is a scathing indictment of the justice system. On the other hand, the Caps power play will be a scathing indictment of the Rangers discipline, should the New Yorkers decide to have a parade to the penalty box. The Caps had the league's 2nd-ranked power play and when it's clicking, it can be scary good. The Caps can put four-world class talents on the ice at the same time: Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green, Alex Semin and Nicklas Backstrom. Throw in the power game of Brooks Laich in front of the net and the Caps have a combination of passing, grit and skill that can score at will.

If there's one thing the Rangers can exploit however, it's the all-offense, all-the-time approach of Green and Ovechkin, who play the point on the power play. The Caps gave up a lot of shorthanded goals this year because Ovie and Green were up ice all the time, leading to easy breakaways and odd-man rushes. Last year, Caps Coach Bruce Boudreau had to change things up against Philadelphia, putting Ovechkin down low and the more defensively-responsible Sergei Fedorov at the point because Flyer penalty killers were exploiting the Caps aggressiveness.

Relevant lyric: "The ultimate in vanity/Exploiting their supremacy/I can't believe the things you say/I can't believe/I can't believe the price you pay/Nothing can save you"

3)"Eye Of The Beholder" - Caps secondary scoring

Another scathing lyrical track, this one about censorship. The lyrics take the view of the oppressor, telling his subject that he can have his freedom of choice, but only if he does it the way he's told. Censorship is also a relevant topic when it comes to the Caps secondary scoring. Pretty much anybody not named Ovechkin, Backstrom, Green, Semin and Laich, seemed to censor their goal-scoring for long stretches, especially in February and March.

Tomas Fleischmann looked like he was on his way to a 25-30 goal season over the course of the first 3 months, but he hit the wall big time in 2009, scoring only 4 goals since January. Eric Fehr looked like he was poised for a breakout at one point in 2009 but his scoring touch disappeared as quickly as it arrived. Fedorov will be there, he's always been a solid playoff performer. But what about Viktor Kozlov? He's yet to score a playoff goal in his 14-year career, only registering 6 assists in 21 career playoff games. That has to change, especially since he is likely going to be skating on Ovie and Backstrom's line. Anything the Caps get from Michael Nylander, Professor Matt Bradley, David Steckel and the returning Donald Brashear should be considered gravy. No matter who it is, the Caps need more than 5 guys to do the scoring in order to go where they want to go.

Relevant lyric: "Do you take what I take?/Endurance is the word/Moving back instead of forward seems to me absurd"

4) "One" - Alex Ovechkin

The most famous song off "...And Justice For All" is a grim ballad about a soldier who has lost his arms, legs, sight, speech and hearing. It was based off the 1938 Dalton Trumbo novel "Johnny Got His Gun" and has maybe the most well-known kick-drum solo in the history of music. That would seem to have little to do with hockey but the title can refer to what Ovie needs to be in this series. Like Neo, Ovechkin has to be "The One."

He's got the individual honors, he's got the adulation, now it's time for the league's best player to step up and carry his team on a long playoff run. Ovie needs a signature playoff moment and what better stage to start on than The Big Apple? Yes, hockey is the most team-oriented of games but the Caps happen to have the one player on Earth who can win a game by himself. The time is now.

Relevant lyric: "Now the world is gone I'm just one/Oh God, help me/Hold my breath as I wish for death/Oh, please God, wake me"

5) "The Shortest Straw" - Sean Avery

One of the more lyrically complex songs on "...And Justice For All," "The Shortest Straw" seems to deal with injustice on its surface. It could also be about a failed revolution. The lyrics do deal with the subject of infamy and there may not be a more infamous player in the NHL than Meester Sean AAAAAAvery ($10 if you can guess the movie that reference comes from. Just say the name like that but slowly.)


All the national pundits are wondering what Avery might do in this series. After all, the last time he was in the playoffs, he inspired his own rule. To his credit, Boudreau says the Caps plan is to ignore Avery. But let's see how long that lasts the minute Avery cheapshots someone, dives or runs away from a fight. Avery is capable of doing all three of those things on a shift. If the Caps are able to ignore Avery's antics, it will go a long way towards rendering him ineffective, even a liability to the Rangers if he is taking long sabbaticals in the penalty box.

Relevant Lyric: "Shortest straw/Challenge liberty/Downed by law/Live in infamy/Rub you raw"

6) "Harvester Of Sorrow" - Henrik Lundqvist

The simplest song on "...And Justice For All" is also one of its most intense and the title is what King Henrik could be for the Caps if he's on his game.

The Rangers netminder is the kind of goalie who can steal a series and the Caps will need to get to him early and often if they want to win. At the same time, if the Rangers are going to win this series, they need Lundqvist to be otherworldly in goal. On paper, the Rangers have the better 'tender but the Caps have the better team overall. Not to sound like Dan Fouts or Tim McCarver but whoever wins out in that battle will take the series.

Relevant Lyric: "Anger/Misery/You'll suffer unto me/Harvester of sorrow/Language of the mad"

7) "The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" - Jose Theodore

This song is about paranoia and no player on the Caps roster inspires as much paranoia as Theo. All year, the mainstream media has picked on the Caps goalie as the weak link. Now he has the chance to prove that the Caps can win with him in goal. The one thing Theo has going for him is that he's never lost a first round series as a starting goaltender. The bad news is that he's in a no-win situation in this series. If he and the Caps win, they were supposed to win. If the Caps lose, much of the blame is going to fall on the goaltender and all the media talking heads are going to say things like "The Caps would be Cup contenders if they had a better goalie." The fans calling for Simeon Varlamov to assume the starting role will get a lot louder if Theo fails to get the Caps out of Round 1.

Relevant Lyric: "Loss of interest, question, wonder/Waves of fear they pull me under"

8) "To Live Is To Die" - Mike Green and the Caps D

The final song written by Cliff Burton, this nearly 10-minute instrumental (with a brief speaking passage) was also the last instrumental Metallica would do until "Suicide And Redemption" from last year's "Death Magnetic." The final lines of the song are written on a memorial stone for Burton in Sweden, where he died while the band was on tour. In the context of the Caps, the title can also refer to Mike Green and his gambling style of play, as well as the defense corps as a whole.

With Greener, you're going to get his offense. He's the best D-man in the league as far as scoring goals and jumping into the play. But his go-for-broke style can also lead to odd-man rushes for the other team, as witnessed in the season finale against Florida. You don't want to see Green alter the style of play that has made him a Norris Trophy candidate, but in the playoffs, you would like to see him be more cognizant of his own end. Then again, Greener is the least of the question marks surrounding this defense.

Is Brian Pothier ready for the rigors of the postseason?

Which Shaone Morrisonn will show up? The consistent force from last season or the inconsistent defender from this season?

Is Tom Poti healthy?

Are Milan Jurcina and John Erskine too slow?

Is Jeff Schultz too soft?

The answers to these questions will go a long way towards whether the Caps live or die in these playoffs.

Relevant Lyric: "Cannot the kingdom of salvation/Take me home"

9) "Dyers Eve" - The Caps playoff history

The most personal song on the album, about James Hetfield's ultra-religious upbringing in Downey, Ca., "Dyers Eve" can also sum up the angst that builds up in Caps fans around this time. After all, this club's playoff history is as gory as an Eli Roth film. The list of collapses, chokes and heartbreak is longer than "War And Peace" Let's see, there was the Easter Epic in 1986. Ron Hextall's second goal in 1989. Blowing a 3-1 lead to Pittsburgh in 1992. Dale Hunter's hit on Pierre Turgeon in 1993. Petr Nedved in four overtimes in 1996. Jason Doig's too-many-men on the ice penalty in 2003 that cost them a three overtime game against Tampa Bay. Joffrey Lupul last year. It's ugly.

Of course, much of the team's history changed on this day:

This Caps team seems different. It's a club poised for a breakthrough. The door is open. Now they have to walk through it.

Relevant Lyric: "Dear mother/Dear father/You've clipped my wings before I've learned to fly/Unspoiled/Unspoken/I've outgrown that fucking lullaby"

The Hangar's Call: Caps in 6

Panthers 7 Caps 4

Well, the 2008-09 Washington Capitals regular season began with a 7-4 stinkbomb on the road against a Southeast Division opponent, why shouldn't it end that way? I guess the good news is that nobody died or got hurt. If nothing else, the Caps are good at keeping the fanbase on their toes.

All coach Bruce Boudreau was looking for in this game was to head into the playoffs on a high note. Preferably with a strong defensive effort in front of Jose Theodore. It wasn't too much to ask against the Florida Panthers, who were just eliminated from playoff contention. The game was meaningless. Plus, the Caps came into this same arena, against this same team a month ago and held them to 0 shots in the 3rd period. Shouldn't be too hard, right?

Umm, yeah. The Caps turned in one of the worst defensive efforts they have put on this year. It was a litany of bad pinches, poor puck-moving and too many odd-man rushes. The Caps D had no answer for Florida's David Booth, who racked up two goals and three assists. Even though he gave up 6 goals, Theo was mostly hung out to dry, facing a lot of two-on-ones, tipped shots and breakaways. Although he's played at a Norris Trophy level all season, Mike Green was maybe the worst offender. He got burned up ince on bad pinches for a breakaway goal by Radek Dvorak (who skated within 3 feet of Theodore and took a slapshot. My old teammate Louie would be proud) and a 2-on-1 goal by Booth. Greener's not going to want to send this one in on the Norris resume tape.

Besides that, the Caps as a team were outskated and outworked by the Panthers. They were fortunate to be in this one to begin with, and when Alex Ovechkin scored #56 to tie the game at 4 late in the 3rd period, it looked like the Caps may escape. But as was the case all night, the mental focus wasn't there and the Panthers scored two goals in 8 seconds (both on odd-man rushes) to end any hope for Washington. Just a very poor effort all around and not the way you want to go into the playoffs.

The only thing we did find out last night is who the Caps will be facing in the 1st round. And your winner is: the New York Rangers. Game 1 will mark the first time in almost a month the Caps have faced a playoff team. I'll have a little preview up here early next week but needless to say, the A-game is going to be needed. A first round exit is no longer acceptable. Now we're going to see if this team is the bunch that went 4-1 against NHL heavy hitters Boston and Detroit, or the team that got beat 4-1 at home by the 2nd worst team in the NHL.

Here's last night's horrorshow as documented by NHL.com.


So, it's on to the Stanley Cup playoffs and a date with the boys from Gotham City. But for one last time in the regular season, let's say good night to da bad guys.

Caps 6 Thrashers 4

Someone needs to make a tape of the 3rd period of today's game and play it before every Caps game from here on in. Whoever shows that tape needs to tell the team, "THAT is what you guys can do if you consistently bring it."

The Thrashers had no answer for the Caps in the 3rd period, as the boys in red seemed to come in waves, one right after another. They made Atlanta's defense look foolish, forcing a myriad of bad turnovers. Of course, the next question is, "Why can't they do that for 60 minutes?"

Third period aside, it was yet another listless effort through two. If my old coach Marc Felizzi was coaching this team he would be freaking out behind the bench telling the players "NO BLIND PASSES UP THE MIDDLE!!!!" Sergei Fedorov did it against Buffalo on Friday and it cost the Caps an extra point. Alex Ovechkin did it today and it cost them a goal. Just inexcusable stuff. These guys have been taught since Mites not to throw blind passes up the middle and they've done it two games in a row. As much heat as Jose Theodore takes in the clueless mainstream media, without Theo in the first period, the Caps might have been on their way to another stinkbomb against Atlanta.

But, oh that 3rd period. It truly is a pleasure to watch this team when they play like that. When they work and forecheck the crap out of the opposition, they are impossible to stop. The team that skated the 3rd period could win the Stanley Cup. The team that skated the first 40 minutes could get swept in the first round. That's the freakin' tightrope this Caps team walks and until they figure out a way to bring that 3rd period for 60 minutes, it's going to be a turbulent ride through the playoffs.

The Hangar's observations:

- Keith Aucoin was the best player on the ice today. He had a goal and an assist and you could see coach Bruce Boudreau get more confidence in him as this game rolled along. If Aucoin isn't taking a regular shift in the playoffs, well, somebody's got to lay off the peyote. Along with Brooks Laich and Dave Steckel, Aucoin is just the sort of guy who the Caps are going to need.

- Finally, Tomas Fleischmann scored a goal, temporarily ending his own personal nightmare of a 2009.

- The goal Colby Armstrong scored, Atlanta's first, is all on Tom Poti. He's got to step up and meet Armstrong a lot higher than the top of the slot. By that point, you're at the mercy of the shooter at the NHL level.

- I don't like that Milan Jurcina-Jeff Schultz defense pairing. They would get murdered in a 7-game series, especially against a speedy team like Montreal or Carolina. I know Brian Pothier was scratched to make room for Juice, but I'd rather see Pothier, Mike Green and Poti as at least half the defense in the playoffs. then have some combination of Schultz, John Erskine, Jurcina and Shaone Morrisonn.

- How did the Caps not score on that first period power play when TWO Thrashers broke their sticks?

- Speaking of the PP, it wasn't the best of days for the NHL's 2nd ranked unit. They gave up a shorthanded goal in the 2nd after Ovie's turnover (Repeat: NO BLIND PASSES OVER THE MIDDLE!) Too much Danglefest 2009 for the first few chances. But things did turn around when Aucoin was put out there. He slammed home a great feed from Ovie for his PP marker and in the 3rd, the Caps put on a puck possession clinic, even though they didn't score.

- Since the Caps are playing the Thrash again on Tuesday night, here's a tip: Do NOT let Ilya Kovalchuk have room. If he gets any space, he's deadly.

- I liked the combination of Eric Fehr, Michael Nylander and Brooks Laich. Nylander played a strong game, and got that 3rd period barrage rolling with his knucklepuck that eluded ATL goaltender Johan Hedberg. Fehr put the Caps ahead for good by going relentless towards the net. Fehr needs to take a page from my old teammate Derek Russ and don't venture more than 5 feet from the goal. Good things happen for him there.

- The Thrashers defense was brutal on Fehr's goal but they were worse on the next goal, a brilliant piece of tic-tac-toe passing between Aucoin, Fleischmann and Alex Semin. That goal was gorgeousness and gorgeousity made real (bet you won't find a "Clockwork Orange" reference like that on any other blog.) The passing and puck handling was great but the Thrash just looked clueless out there defensively. To the Caps credit, they FORCED Atlanta into that with hard work, quick puck movement and heavy forechecking. If they do that all the time they're going places (are you sensing a theme with this wrapup?)

- The Caps scored 6 goals today, none of them by guys named Ovechkin, Green or Backstrom. They're going to need that secondary scoring in the playoffs. Let's hope this game was just the beginning of more balance in the Caps lineup.

- Ovie did get two points today, drawing him closer to Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin for the league scoring title but this wasn't one of his better games. He had that bad giveaway on Jim Slater's shorthanded goal and seemed to give up a lot of good looks instead of trying to score goals. That's more like Nylander than Ovechkin.

- I praised Jose Theodore earlier this post, now I come to bury him. Jose- What the fuck were you thinking? He looked like he was trying to score a goal in Atlanta's empty net but whiffed and gave it right to Slava Kozlov. It was the best pass Kozlov's probably had all year.

Anyway, enough of my rambling, here's the highlights from NHL.com.


With this win, the Caps go back up two points on idle New Jersey for the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. As mentioned before, the team will make one more stop in Atlanta before closing out in Florida against Tampa Bay and the Panthers. So until then, let's call this one more...for the good guys.

Leafs 3 Caps 2 (SO)

For about 57 minutes tonight the Caps and Leafs got us to jump into the DeLorean and head back in time...to the Dead Puck Era. A time when 50 goal scorers were about as common as Halley's Comet and the only thing lower than the offence was the television ratings. Other than Alex Ovechkin's goal in the second period, there were very few moments of brilliance in this one. It was a game played between the blue lines, as the Leafs fired up the flux capacitor and rebooted New Jersey's hideous neutral zone trap. Martin Gerber (seriously, Martin Fucking Gerber! Ottawa ran this guy out of town with pitchforks for crying out loud) and Jose Theodore kept the game at 1-1, with Theo seeing most of the few good chances there were.

Then at about the 3 minute mark, the Caps finally turned it into their kind of game: fast-paced, high-tempo with lots of puck possession in the other team's end. But what really jump started the craziness was a Caps mistake. John Erskine got whistled for very iffy hooking penalty and on the ensuing power play, Toronto's Pavel Kubina (who scored the game-winner the last time these two teams played) fired a slap shot that had eyes, trickling past Theo to give the Leafs a 2-1 lead.

The Caps, as is their wont, came back, scoring on a wild scramble. Of course, it was Brooks Laich scoring the goal. It looked like Laich got the puck into net before shoving Gerber back into the goal. The ref was right there on top of the play in perfect position. That didn't stop Gerber from going all Tuukka Rask out there, bumping the referee and shoving the linesman, earning himself a game misconduct.

From there, our trip back to the Dead Puck Era came full circle as Curtis Joseph, one of the top goalies of that era, dragged his 41-year-old self off the bench minus a warmup. But the rusty CuJo looked more Fred Savage than Judge Reinhold (if you can guess that reference, you win a 6-pack of beer on me) and stoned Ovie cold with a brilliant pad save. He was even better in overtime as the Caps dominated play, outshooting the Leafs 8-0 in the extra session. The Caps got a power play late in OT and CuJo made two outstanding stops on Mike Green and Alex Semin to give his team a chance in the shootout.

Toronto's Jeff Hamilton, an amazing 53 percent in shootouts, scored on the first attempt against Theo, who hadn't faced any shots for roughly 6 minutes. It was yet another reason to hate the shootout: Caps were dominating action, with only CuJo's unbelievable performance keeping Toronto in it and end up losing because of a silly breakaway competition. Nonetheless, the Caps did have three shooters and CuJo stoned them all. Well, except Alex Semin whose propensity to miss the net is maddening. Still, give the old man credit, he dialed up the same kind of performance that Ottawa Senators fans got wayyy to used to seeing in the earlier part of this decade.

Here now are the game highlights, courtesy of NHL.com.

So, until next time, let's say good night to the 5-game road trip and say good night to da bad guys.

The Former Whale 4 Caps 1

First off, here's the highlights from NHL.com:

For about 20 minutes the Caps played a solid road game. The defence held up in what was a close, hard-hitting game. The kind of game the Caps have been winning lately. But things turned in the second. The Caps D started fumbling around with the puck and giving it away. All three Carolina goals (the 4th was into an empty net) were the result of poor plays by defencemen. Mike Green was the culprit on the first 'Canes tally. He tried to do that thing where he anticipates the hit but no hit came and Carolina worked it around to a wide open Rod Brind'Amour for a perfect top corner shot and a 1-0 'Canes lead. It was part of an up-and-down game for Greener who looked like he didn't want to take any hits on that bad left shoulder. He looked a little tenative at times chasing the puck into his own end.

Green did tie it up late in the second on a Greener special: top shelf over Carolina goalie Cam Ward's glove. It looked like the Caps were going to reassume command of the game. But the 3rd period brought two more defensive breakdowns. First, I have no idea what Brian Pothier was doing on the eventual game winner by Joni Pitkanen. Looked like Pots got caught flat-footed and Pitkanen just outwaited Jose Theodore.

The worst though was Shaone Morrisonn's play on Anton Babchuk's clinching goal. ShaMoo got caught looking at the puck and Babchuk was Johnny-On-The-Spot, putting a rebound past Theo to salt it away. Just a terrible defensive play by Mo.

Other notes:

-Tomas Fleischmann is officially snakebit. Dude had a ton of good chances but Ward robbed him at least three times tonight. Flash has had a miserable 2009 after looking like he might pot 25-30 goals early in the season.

- I liked the line of Fleischmann, Eric Fehr and, dare I say it, Michael Nylander. They worked very well together and Nyls has been putting the effort in. He's not a total liability anymore, in fact, he's played well, I think, since he came back to the lineup.

- Alex Semin did a little too much DangleFest 2009 for my taste.

- The ice at RBC Center sucked tonight. The puck looked like a basketball bouncing around out there.

- Theodore deserved a lot better than what his defence gave him tonight. He made several nice stops and the goals Carolina scored he had very little chance to stop.

- As good as Theo was, Ward was better. This guy scares me in a playoff matchup. He can steal games all by himself.

- Ray Whitney is another guy that scares me on this 'Canes team. He reminds me of the way Martin St. Louis used to play against the Caps. Just a darting little menace. The sort of guy that would get my dad to say "Hit that little shit!" Can't hit what you can't catch though. Whitney made Morrisonn look foolish with a little drag move in the 3rd period. Then again, it hasn't been hard to make Morrisonn look foolish these days. He's not having a very good year.

- I love how Joe Corvo raised his stick like he knew what he was doing after he shot a 180-foot bank shot off the glass and into the empty net.

So all told a tough loss tonight. Caps could have reduced their magic number to clinch the Southeast Division to 2 games (if my math is correct. Keep in mind the reason I'm a writer is because I suck at math) with a win but now will have to play a little bit more hockey. They have an 11 point lead over the 'Canes with 8 games to play. If the season ended today, this would be your 1st round playoff matchup. Credit must be due to the former Hartford Whalers, they played well and earned the victory tonight. Until next time, say good night to da bad guys.

Caps 3 Panthers 0

Now that was more like it. After getting murdered in Atlanta last night, the Caps bounced back with a very strong defensive effort to take two important points from the Florida Panthers in the hockey mecca known as Sunrise, Fl.

Sometimes in athletics, the best thing that can happen is getting right back out there the next day. When you lose as bad as the Caps did last night, you just want to get back out there on the ice and kick the shit out of whoever is next on the schedule. While the Caps didn't put on their shit kickers and kick some shit for the entire 60 minutes, they sure did for the last 20. The same Caps who were shredded by Atlanta last night morphed into the 1995 New Jersey Devils, holding the Kitty Cats to 0, I repeat ZERO, shots on goal in the third period. This is a Panthers team fighting for their playoff lives, the kind of desperate team that has given the Caps troubles this year. Hell, the last time the Caps saw the Panthers, Florida put a real thumping on Washington with a 6-2 victory at the Phone Booth.

Tonight? Different story. The Caps won the kind of ugly, defensive game they need to win to go places in April and May. This Caps team plays much better anyway when they focus on defence and not all trying to be Harry High School heroes out there.

A couple quick notes:

-I thought Sergei Fedorov looked very strong tonight. Maybe the game off last night gave him a little spring in his step. He is almost 40 and despite being in great shape, a little rest can help keep Feds fresh for the postseason when his two-way skills and experience will be very important.

- The big criticism lately has been about the Caps lack of secondary scoring. Well tonight, one of those secondary guys, Viktor Kozlov, scored tonight on a Sakic-like wrist shot.

- When Brooks Laich scored the first (and game-winning) goal shorthanded, it got me to thinking - when was the last time the Caps scored shorthanded? It seems like forever ago.

- Alex Ovechkin didn't get #50 tonight but Mike Green did get #25 in an open net to move him that much closer to the 30-goal plateau.

- I wonder how Jose Theodore kept himself busy since he didn't have any work in third period. Did he look in the stands for some groupie love? Was he contemplating writing a novel? Thinking of asking the usher to get him a green beer? I'm curious to know what goalies, who are strange birds to begin with, think about when they don't see any shots.

So that's it for tonight. The four game road trip through the Southeast Division continues Thursday night in Tampa Bay. Until then, let's chalk up one more...for the good guys!

Caps 2 Flyers 1

Excuse me while I channel my inner meathead...

"Yeah baby! Wooo!!! Feel my fuckin' bicep!"

What a game tonight. For the second straight game the Caps came out and earned two points. They came into The Building Formerly Known As The F.U. Center and outplayed the Philadelphia Flyers. I hope these last two games have shown the Caps what they are capable of when they work hard and do the little things. Yes, the highlight reel goals sell tickets and (occasionally) get you on SportsCenter, but its the mucking and grinding goals that win playoff series. Here now are some passes and fails.

- Epic Pass - The criticism of Jose Theodore all year has been that he can't steal games for the Caps. Well he stole the 2nd period. It was the only time Philly really turned it into their kind of game and Theo was more than up for the challenge. But for an excellent look by Mike Richards, Theo might have had a shutout.

- Epic Pass - Brooks Laich. Dude was born to play games like this.

- Epic Pass - To Flyers management for getting rid of Scottie Upshall. This game reminded me a lot of the Caps-Bruins games. It had a lot of flow back and forth and both teams played a clean, hard-hitting game. In my opinion, getting rid of Upshall and the nonsense he brought to the rink - diving, flopping, borderline cheapshotting - had a lot to do with that.

- Epic Fail - Not many tonight but if I must give one, I'll give it to the officials for making that chinsy interference call on Nicklas Backstrom with less than 5 minutes to go in the game. In a game that was so well-played by both teams why did they feel the need to call this borderline penalty? I agreed with Craig Laughlin's assessment. You call that in the first period but not with less than five minutes to go. Also, I give the refs another slight fail for disallowing Tomas Fleischmann's goal in the 3rd period. They waived it off (the second time Flash has had that happen to him in two games) because of goalie interference on Michael Nylander but it was clear that Nyls was shoved into Flyers goalie Martin Biron by Jeff Carter and was not incidental contact.

-Epic Fail - To the Philly fans. Mostly 'cause its a Caps post, its my blog and I'll do what I want. But also because they booed for 4 straight minutes after a Flyers goal was disallowed because Mike Knuble cross-checked Jeff Schultz in the back. It was an obvious penalty call but the Flyer fans acted like an Eagles game broke out.But the funny part was that just 5 minutes later, Backstrom gets that weak interference call and all the sudden the refs are OK again. Only in Philadelphia.


- Epic Pass - After a heavy collision with Flyers defenceman Ryan Parent, Alex Ovechkin cranked his game up big time. Fueled by a relentless booing from the Philly faithful, Ovie had the normally aggressive Flyers D on their heels and finished with a goal, an assist and almost 10 shots on net. It just seems that whenever he gets hit or is booed like that Ovie raises his game up a notch.

- Epic Pass - Philly fans may say Ovie's goal was a lucky turnover but there was no luck involved. Ovechkin and Alex Semin forced the Flyers to make a bad clearing attempt and much like LeBron James, Ovie isn't going to miss many layups.

- Epic Pass - To the Flyer coaches for starting Biron over Antero Nittymaki. In the three previous games against the Caps, Nittymaki looked like Patrick Roy. Biron played very well tonight but I'm sure there is not a Caps fan out there who was upset to see him in goal tonight.

So thats it for a very successful road trip, two wins, four very important points. Now its back to the Phone Booth for a Saturday game against Carolina before heading off for a five-game road trip. If the Caps bring this kind of effort, like we've seen against Nashville and Philly, there is no reason they should not be successful. Until the next time, let's chalk up one more...for the good guys.

Leafs 2 Caps 1

How do I count the ways on this game? Losing four out of five at home? Two of those games to Toronto and Colorado, two of the worst teams in the league? Yes, they didn't have Alex Ovechkin tonight and Martin Gerber (Martin Fucking Gerber!?!?!) made some terrific saves but there's no excuse for losing to this Toronto team. This is a club that is dying to win the John Tavares Sweepstakes in the draft lottery. They just held a fire sale where they traded just about any good, healthy bodies they had left. And the Caps just lost to them.

This is a team that Caps should have buried. They played well enough to win through two periods, then as Gerber was stopping them cold, the Caps wilted, let down their guard and the Leafs scored two cheapies. Of all the Caps, I think only Alex Semin played a complete game. No coincidence he got the Caps only goal. Jose Theodore also played well but the two goals he let in were shaky. The team in front of him did not give him a lot of help, getting shut out by the 13th best team in the Eastern Conference for 58 minutes. During a timeout, Coach Bruce Boudreau gave his team a well-deserved tongue-lashing. It still didn't wake these guys up and I'm not sure what will.By the way, what does it say about a team's defence when Sergei Fedorov is your 2nd or 3rd best defenceman? That can't be good right? You don't think the Pittsburgh Penguins, hellbent on revenge Sunday, are not licking their chops at the state of this Caps team. But instead of typing more, allow me to tell the story of this game through visual aids.










So that's it for tonight. Next game is Sunday against the hated Penguins at the Phone Booth. Me and the Bunk will be there so i'll have some photos from the game to go with any blog post I may have. If I haven't used that stress reduction kit that is shown above. Until then, say good night to da bad guys...

Some small links...

Get it? Sometimes I just kill myself! Anyway, here's your usual batch of links at a much later hour than usual, keeping you abreast of what's going on in the world of the Ravens, Caps, Orioles, THE Towson University Tigers, sprinkled with a liberal dose of pop culture. Can you count, SUCKAS!


- Jersey Joe Flacco made the rounds today at the Entertainment Steeler Programming Network (that's ESPN for those who can't figure your acronyms). The Sun has all the details. Of course, the Unibrowbomber was asked about one of ESPN's favorite butt boys, the recently released Terrell Owens, and whether the Ravens would have any interest in him. Quick answer: Absolutely, 100 percent fucking NO! As is his wont, Joe Cool (that's three Flacco nicknames in one segment. Impressive Ryan. Most impressive) deflected these queries with his usual Joe-speak. Do any of these ESPN guys remember how Terrell pretty much told the Ravens to go fuck themselves when they traded for him in 2004? Or how he mocked the recently re-signed Ray Lewis' pregame dance after scoring a touchdown against the Ravens in 2004? Or trying to justify his actions by saying he wasn't so bad since he never faced double murder charges like Ray? Or how in his book, Owens accused Ozzie Newsome of being a closet racist? I think Oz would rather do this...

...than sign Owens to play for the Ravens.

-By the way, Big Mike Preston has been on a roll this off-season. I love this idea, even though Ozzie would never do it.

- New Raven Matt Birk is happy to be in Baltmo. Glad to have you too Matt.

- O's win again in exhibition play with a 5-2 win over the Florida Marlins. Last year's first-round pick Brian Matusz looked impressive. A very good sign for the O's future pitching prospects.

- Caps try to get off the schniede (lost 3 of 4 at home) tonight against the bottom-dwelling Toronto Maple Leafs at the Phone Booth. Tank El-Bashir is reporting that Michael Nylander will be back in and Alex Ovechkin, Tom Poti and Jose Theodore are all expected to play.

-Not Caps related but a worthy read from Deadspin on ex-Flyer and current Tampa Bay headcase Steve Downie.

"You ain't got no future Steve! You're a A-1 nutboy, Grissom knows it."

Non-Sporting Links:

-Our resident movie reviewer Greg "Snake" Maki has his take on "Watchmen."

-Per The Big Lead and Vanity Fair. This a long but fascinating read from Michael "Moneyball" Lewis on the collapse of Iceland's economy. And here I thought Iceland was only known for this...


-Finally, today's YouTube clip to swing your heavy metal hair to is "Jesus Christ Pose" by Soundgarden (it does have a short Chris Cornell interview at the beginning with Spanish, I think, subtitles!). If this clip doesn't give you an epileptic seizure, I don't know what will.

Caps 4 Bruins 3 (OT)

Wow.

That's all I can really say about today's match with the Boston Bruins. After watching today's game, as a Caps fan, I want to see these two teams lock up in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Caps and B's have played four times. All four games were decided by one goal, two of which went to overtime. The good news for the Caps is: they've won three of them.

What I love about the matchup between the Caps and B's is that these teams play games that have a great flow to them. These games have been tough, hard-nosed but clean hockey games. That's the key for me. There's none of the nonsense that happens when the Caps play, say, the Flyers or Penguins. There's no Scottie Upshall's out there taking dives and there's none of this ridiculous "Crosby-Ovechkin" hype. No, just well-played and smart hockey.

This game left me exhausted. Every time it looked like the Caps were going to take command of this thing, the B's would come back. To be honest, the game going to overtime really favored the Caps because 4 on 4, the Caps can ice a much better team than the Bruins. And because the overtime period came at a point when the Bruins had really started to dominate the game. They forced the Caps to take penalties and they forced Jose Theodore to make some very tough stops. That line with Marc Savard and Phil Kessel was all over the Caps D, especially at the end.

One thing I thought was odd was: for such a well-played game, its funny that the last three goals scored by both teams were flukey tallies. Tomas Fleischmann gave the Caps a 3-2 lead in the 3rd period with a goal that went off a defenceman's skate. Then, Zdeno Chara tied the game up again with a goal that Theodore should have stopped. And then Alex Semin ended the game with Don Cherry's patented Hardy Astrom Special: a 70-footer that trickled under goalie Tim Thomas's pads.

Game pucks for this one go to Semin (goal and an assist)and Theodore. Despite giving up a shaky goal to Chara, Theo kept the Caps in the game and made a number of huge stops, including a gorgeous kick save on Patrice Bergeron in the 2nd period. As for Semin, he was once again a force. He is clearly very comfortable working on a line with Sergei Fedorov and Brooks Laich and his shorthanded play has been a revelation. He plays very well on that side of the puck because teams have to worry about him stealing the puck and going the other way. If nothing else, selecting Semin allows me to use this picture again...


So with this win the Caps move within seven points of Boston for 1st spot in the Eastern Conference and stay two points ahead of New Jersey for 2nd spot. The Devils crushed the Caps opponent tomorrow, the Florida Panthers, 7-2. It will be interesting to see if there is a mental letdown tomorrow after such a hard-fought game today. A win tomorrow against the reeling Cats would all but lock up the Southeast Division for the Caps with 18 games to go. We'll see if Coach Bruce Boudreau puts Michal Neuvirth in goal tomorrow after Theo saw a lot of shots (37) today. But that discussion is for another day. Today we'll call this...one more for the good guys.

Flyers 4 Caps 2

Ugh. That's about all I can say about tonight's game with the Philadelphia Flyers. Just a frustrating game all around. The Caps had plenty of chances but did themselves in with penalties and missed opportunities.

Oh, the missed opportunities in this game. Nicklas Backstrom hit the post on a breakaway. Sergei Fedorov was foiled by a nice defensive play by Flyers D-man Randy Jones on a 2 on 1. Dave Steckel missed the net on a breakaway. Brooks Laich was stopped by Flyers goalie Antero Nittymaki on another breakaway. Mike Green had one of his textbook backdoor plays and he was gunning for the top shelf, as he always does. Only this time he missed the net.

With all the missed chances, combined with another rash of minor penalties and you just knew the Caps were not going to get away with this one. A good team like Philadelphia will not let you get away with it. Sure enough, down 2-0, the Flyers started the comeback during a 5 on 3, a perfect tic-tac-toe passing play. By the time the 3rd period rolled around, Jose Theodore had played well but you could just sense things weren't right. Sure enough, Scott Hartnell ripped a shot over Theo's glove and the dam broke. The Flyers scored two more in rapid succession and the, until that point, mostly quiet Philly fans could be heard quite loudly at the Phone Booth.

I must say that I worry about a Philly matchup in the playoffs. This is the one team in the Eastern Conference that has had the Caps number. The Flyers have a style that works against the Caps: force the Caps to attack down the middle and then counter attack. Tonight was even more disturbing because Philly didn't have Kimmo Timonen, who for my money plays the best defense against Alex Ovechkin out of anybody in the league.

Much like the Pittsburgh game on Sunday, the Caps held a parade of guys heading to the penalty box. And while the penalty kill played very well under the circumstances, they were out there entirely too long, especially in the 2nd period. Some of the penalties were very fishy, such as the "roughing" call on Theo towards the end of the 2nd. It was a wishy-washy, ticky-tack kind of foul, although the real disgraceful part was watching big, tough (sarcasm alert)Scott Hartnell, who was challenging Donald Brashear earlier in the game, lay there on the ice like somebody stabbed him in the chest. Other penalties were flat out stupid, like John Erskine spearing Scottie Upshall in the groin. It was not only dumb because it occured after the whistle, in full view of the ref, but also because it was Upshall, who has a reputation for theatrics, shall we say. When the Caps last saw Upshall, he was flopping all over the ice like a fish during the Caps-Flyers playoff series last year.

Probably the best thing that can happen for the Caps though is that they get to come right back out on Thursday night against Atlanta. Any athlete will tell you after a heart-breaking loss like that, you just want to get back out there again. The only question is, will the team be able to summon up the intensity one more time after two playoff-style games against their two biggest rivals. My hunch is Michal Neuvirth will give Theo a rest on Thursday to have him ready for Saturday afternoon in Boston. The Caps have a good habit of bouncing back after tough losses and facing a Southeast Division opponent like Atlanta, should give them enough to come out with a better effort.

So until the Thrash come to town, let's say good night to da bad guys...