Playoff Picks 2013

48 games in the books. Normally that would be a look at the halfway point in the season, but this year, the abbreviated season makes for an abbreviated prognostocation of the playoff race that is not.. abbreviated. I would do Western Conference picks up to the Conference Champs one day, and the Eastern picks the next. This year, why not put it under one roof. Also it's late and I am tired.

Western Conference Quarterfinals

#8 Minnesota Wild vs. #1 Chicago Blackhawks - Does anyone really think the Hawks are going to have the season they had to drop a playoff series to the Wild? As much as I like seeing the underdog take out the number one, the Wild haven't had enough consistency to get it done this season, even with big time summer signings. Sorry, but Hawks in 5.

Blackhawks defeat Wild in 5 games

#7 Detroit Red Wings vs. #2 Anaheim "Mighty" Ducks - New lease on life, the Ducks under the direction of Bruce Boudreau have proven to be a power house in the Western Conference. But, wait, where have we heard this tale before? The Red Wings are a sleeper team this year, and if they can finally put it together, you really can not count them out. Wings wake.

Red Wings defeat Ducks in 7 games

#6 San Jose Sharks vs. #3 Vancouver Canucks - The goaltender drama of the Canucks certainly caused an early stir for the Canucks, but the pair have put together a great backstopping tandem that added stability to Vancouver. This will be a great series, one for the record books. But the Sharks are playing well of late... so there.

Sharks defeat Canucks in 7 games

#5 Los Angeles Kings vs. #4 St. Louis Blues - A rematch of the Conference Semifinal a season ago, the Blues look to exact revenge against the reigning Stanley Cup Champions. Should be a good match up full of twists and turns and some pretty good hitting. Underdogs again, the Kings looked poised to make another deep run, not much the Blues can do about that.

Kings defeat Blues in 6 games.

Western Conference Champs

Yada yada yada, so on and so forth, bottom line is the Blackhawks make this post season their personal coming out party. So yea, Chicago wins the West.

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

#8 New York Islanders vs. #1 Pittsburgh Penguins - If any team sort of "over did" it to load its team with talent full of rentals to make the playoffs, then the Penguins are the mid-life crisis buyers of the NHL. Bringing in the big guns that included the stealing of Jarome Iginla from Boston, the Penguins are poised to push for the Cup even with out Sidney the first round or so. Islanders would be a fun underdog to watch though.

Penguins defeat Islanders in 6 games

#7 Ottawa Senators vs. #2 Montreal Canadiens - A team on the rise, the other stumbling into the playoffs. This was a hard one to dissect. Senators get Erik Karlsson back from injury and it should provide a short boost for the injury-riddled team. The Habs are a pretty fast talented team that could out talent the Senators.

Canadiens defeat Senators in 6 games

#6 New York Rangers vs. #3 Washington Capitals - I will break down this matchup in due time (we don't start until Thursday for Pete's sake). Caps playing stellar hockey down the stretch, Rangers sort of hanging around until a final push late in their season. Sorry Rags fans, no Ilander/Ranger series this year.

Capitals defeat Rangers in 7 games

#5 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. #4 Boston Bruins - For a team that going into the third period was a lock for the win, the Bruins have fallen into "no lead is safe" territory. The Maple Leafs are just begging to make an example out of them. Couple of interesting story lines with Phil Kessel returning to face Boston in the playoffs.

Bruins defeat Leafs in 5 games

Eastern Conference Champions

Everything points to the Penguins making it out of the East. They have the most talent that could include the return of one Sidney Crosby. But the road they have to traverse is full of teams that don't have the pressure they have to make it to the Finals. I don't think this team can plug all the holes in time. The Habs or Bruins are also favorites, but unless something extreme happens, Pens should take the East crown.

Stanley Cup Champs

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Picking a winner between two teams that didn't face each other in the short season. But to quickly make a decision, Blackhawks are far to good of a oiled machine for the patch work Penguins.

Blackhawks first team to repeat Cup champions since the '05 lockout.

There you go Chicago, you are welcome. Breaking down the Rags and Caps up next.

All's Fehr In Overtime

Capitals 4, Bruins 3 OT
Game Summary - Event Summary

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The Washington Capitals rallied from 3-0 to over come the Boston Bruins with a highlight reel goal by Eric Fehr in overtime to win 4-3.

The Capitals got contributions from a wide swath of players tonight. Mike Ribeiro, Tomas Kundratek, Wojtek Wolski and Fehr all scored for the Capitals. Recently signed and called up Steve Oleksy got his first career NHL point on an assist and Kundratek scored his first NHL career goal. Fehr's game winner capped off a three point night for the winger with the goal and two assists. He was also the only Cap with a +3.

It was looking a lot like the Capitals were set up for another disappointing outing, even though they were playing solid through most of the first period. On the Capitals' first power play opportunity, Brad Marchand broke up the play near the blue line and John Carlson blew a tire on the skate back. Alex Ovechkin had no choice but to hook the speedy forward drawing the penalty shot for Marchand. The Bruins would go up 1-0 on his penalty shot goal. Things then broke down for the Caps late in the first when Zdeno Chara picked up his own rebound to make it 2-0, and Ovechkin again was penalized and Dougie Hamilton scored on the ensuing power play.

Down 3-0, the Capitals entered the second period sticking to their game plan. They were solid five on five play and Braden Holtby came up with the next 24 saves combined in the last two periods. The Bruins cracked when a point shot by Oleksy was knocked down by Ovechkin who made a sparkling pass to a wide open Ribeiro at the side of the net. Nearly five minutes later, the Caps cut the lead to only one goal off of a nice face off win by Nick Backstrom to Fehr who dropped it to Kundratek. The Caps' rookie defenseman shot it and it glanced off of a Bruin and past Tuukka Rask. The Caps would tie it in the third period when Fehr chipped passed the puck on a fast break and the puck trickled through Hamilton to a waiting Wolski. He slid the puck under Rask for his first goal since Feburary.

Adam Oates must have been feeling the good mojo from Fehr and Backstrom because he started the pair in the overtime period. Just 37 seconds into the extra period, the Caps would complete the comeback with a spectacular highlight reel goal by Fehr. The entire four man unit broke the puck out of the zone with some good passing and good speed through the neutral zone. Backstrom saw Fehr streaking into the zone and head manned the puck near the Bruins' blue line. Fehr split the defensemen who both closed in on him and as he fell he chipped the puck up over Rask's left shoulder, squeaking the game winner just past the leaning goaltender. Two big points for the Capitals.

Alex Ovechkin didn't score, he had a beauty of an assist on Ribeiro's goal, but he was certainly a factor in the game. Not once did he crash the net, but three times Ovechkin knocked the goal from its pegs. The aggressive move seemed to spark the rest of the team. Backstrom had three assists by playing a very controlled game. Something we have not seen from him in some time. 

Quietly, the Capitals have strung together a nice little winning stretch here with 7 W's in their last ten games. The Caps still need to play the division tough as they will take on rivals Florida Panthers Thursday night.

Caps Notes:

• The Capitals have outscored their opponents 9-0 in the third period in their last five games.
• This is the second time in Fehr's career he has had a three point game, the first was against Boston on March 3rd 2008 where he had 3 assists.
• The Bruins were 9-0 after scoring first and 9-0 when leading after the first period this season. The Caps tarnished that perfect stat tonight.

Historic Series Has An End

Capitals 2, Burins 1 OT Washington wins series 4-3
Game Summary - Event Summary

AP

It was an incredibly tight series. It was unheard of to go six straight games decided by one goal. Well, make that seven games. It would take overtime in game seven to decide a winner in this tight checking, defensive struggle and it would be a Joel Ward pouncing on a loose puck in front of Tim Thomas just under three minutes into the overtime period to eliminate the reigning Stanley Cup Champions and move to round two. The Capitals do away with the Bruins four games to three with a 2-1 win at TD Garden.

"It's what hockey is all about," Caps coach Dale Hunter said of the win in game seven. "Winning it in overtime in the seventh game, that's something special and well deserved by our guys."

It would be the unsung heroes that would show up big for the Washington Capitals in game seven. Matt Hendricks scored his first goal of the series when Milan Lucic misplayed the puck along the half boards. Jason Chimera picked up the gift, banked the pass back to John Carlson who took a quick shot at the net. Hendricks got his stick on the wrister and deflected it past Thomas for the games first goal in the first period.

The Bruins would storm back and in the second period would finally capitalize on a Braden Holtby mistake in the second period. The Caps' goaltender couldn't contain a point shot and it trickled behind him, Tyler Seguin dove for the loose puck behind Hotby and slammed it into the open net. The tying goal came in the later moments of the second period and it looked like the goal re-energized the Bruins offensive push and they took it to the young goaltender.

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Rich Peverley tried to rattle the rookie goaltender after Holtby pushed him away from the crease. He turned and faked a slash on the Caps' netminder. Holtby crossed his arms and didn't even flinch. It mirrored the Capitals demeanor all series long, they didn't get goaded into the Bruins dirty play and get worn down by their hard checking style. They played a patient game and it proved to be a great strategy against the reigning Cup champs. The teams' calm demeanor seem to come from their rookie goaltender.

As Holtby stood strong, the Caps followed suit and over time would seem inevitable. In the over time period,  Patrice Bergeron almost won it for the Bruins when a point shot rebounded to him, but he sharked the shot and the puck harmlessly drifted wide of the net. Just a couple of minutes later, the Bruins, who were going for a line change, turned the puck over by hitting Mike Knuble with the dump in pass. Knuble was able to quickly bring it up the ice and force a two on one with Ward breaking in on this right side. Knuble fought off the backchecker to get a backhanded shot off. Ward, instead of going to the side of the net, cut in front and stabbed at the loose puck that beat Thomas stick side to end the game and the series.

"I was just trying to follow [Knuble] up just in case the puck [was] loose," Ward said of his series ending, overtime goal. "I just kind of saw it and I gave it one of the hardest whacks I have ever given the puck."

The top lines for both teams seemed to be quieted by the tough defense both teams played. No points for the Caps big four of Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Nick Backstrom and Mike Green.

Special teams continued to be critical in this series. The Caps couldn't score on their only power play chance in the third period when Bergeron took a hooking call. Alex Ovechkin, who had been muffled for most of the game had a glorious chance when Mike Green found him open across the slot. But Dennis Seidenberg reached out with his leg and stopped the shot that was destined for the back of the net. But the Caps were able to kill all three of their penalties and held the Bruins scoreless with the extra man advantage. Including a golden opportunity in the dying minutes of the third period when Chimera was called for holding with 2:26 left on the clock.

"That was the probably the most frustrating part of our game was that power play that could have ended the series and the game," Bruins coach Claude Julien said after the game. "But I guess when you look at the whole picture I think it was more than that."

The more Julien was referring to was a very tight series between the Capitals and the Bruins. Through the seven games only 40 shots separated the two teams (208 for the Caps, 248 for the Bs). Only 5 power play goals were scored from a combined 42 chances. The Caps were 3 for 19, Bs were 2 for 23. But there was a glaring difference in totals for shots blocked; 92 for the Bruins and 139 for the Caps. Sacrificing the body and having good puck support in front of Holtby were key to winning against the Bruins.

"[They] have a great team over there," Hunter said of the Bruins. "We know what they are all about, they have character over there. It took everything we had. We have great character guys too and that is why it came down to seven games, one goal. That's unheard of ... You have to credit both teams for that."

"It was a challenging year for our guys," Julien said. "It was a challenging series as well. [The Capitals] made it tough on us and they deserve a lot of credit for the way that they played and the number of shots they blocked and how they helped their goaltender through and their young goaltender played extremely well."

"Seven one goal games, you don't get that very often," Holtby said of the Bruins and the tight series. "I am proud of our team, how we out dueled the defending Stanley Cup Champs. They're a great team as they showed last year and this year. The way they play is true to playoff hockey and it shows a lot about our character in here."

Caps Notes:

• The Capitals second round scenarios pan out like this: If the Rangers defeat Ottawa, Caps will play the Rangers. If Ottawa wins, the Caps would play either the Flyers or the Devils depending on the outcome of the NJ/Florida game seven tomorrow night. Got it?
• All 18 of the Capitals playoff wins in the last four years have come with a rookie goaltender in net.
• This is the first time in NHL history all seven games were decided by one goal. Four games were decided in overtime while two other games were decided with in the last two minutes of the game.

So Close...

Capitals 3, Bruins 4 1OT Series tied 3-3
Game Summary - Event Summary

(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

The Capitals had to battle back each goal the Bruins scored. So the Bruins scored in the overtime period and didn't give the Caps a chance to come back. Tyler Seguin, mostly quiet for the series, nets a game winner in overtime and the series will go to a deciding game seven back in Boston.

"Any experiences you get in the playoffs, it just adds to you," Head coach Dale Hunter said of his team going into a game seven. "You know what to expect. Game 7s are exciting games because it’s do or die for both teams and they’re awesome to play in."

Mike Green got his first goal of the series. Jason Chimera and Alex Ovechkin also scored for the Capitals. Braden Holtby still played admirably but came up short. In a game that each team exchanged goals it would be the Bruins with the overtime winner after a Nick Backstrom give away in the neutral zone. Just 3:17 in the overtime period and Seguin forced a game seven.

"It’s tough, but we still have a chance on Wednesday," Backstrom lamented. "We are just going to refocus and play our best game in Boston."

The Caps looked to close out the series at home taking the Bruins to the brink of elimination. It looked as if they might be able to do it early on, getting a slew of chances on Tim Thomas early. But the Bruins had a counter attack and a point shot tipped in beat Holtby to give the visiting team the early 1-0 lead.

Green would score just under 4 minutes later as the Caps kept a good forecheck going on the Bruins. He had an earlier chance but missed the shot wide. His point shot looked as if it would also go wide, but it deflected in off of a Bruin defender's shin and in behind Thomas to knot the game up at one apiece. The Bruins would get a late period goal from David Krejci who scored on the power play.

The Caps would answer in the second period when Backstrom found a streaking Chimera breaking to the net. a simple saucer pass found the mark and Chimera scored his first goal of the series to tie the game up at two. The Bruins again would get the lead midway through the third period when Andrew Ference followed up a broken play and pounded the loose puck in.

(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

It looked as if the Bruins put on the shut down mode to their defense and Ference would go home with the game winner. But the Caps would answer with under five minutes to play. Off the faceoff, Backstrom won it back to Ovechkin who tapped it off his skate to his stick and beat Thomas five hole to tie the game up at 3.

The Caps special teams were both a shining moment and a hindrance. Their penalty kill continues to impress. Even though they allowed a power play goal now in two games, they did kill off a lengthy 4 on 3 while Ovechkin sat out for taking a double minor for high sticking.

"They didn’t get much at all, especially on the 4 on 3," Holtby said of the effort of his penalty kill. "Even when they tried to shoot we were in the lane every time and that’s hard to do on a 4 on 3. It was good, that kept us in the game."

It even gave the Caps a little momentum in the second period. But they were 0 for 4 on their own power play. At times they could have taken the lead with the man advantage, but the power play unit often looked disjointed and sloppy at times.

Game seven will be in Boston on Wednesday night. Both teams will take the extra day off to rest up as both teams prepare for a do or die situation. The Caps just have to keep doing what they are doing, playing stingy defense and making the most of their chances when they get them.

"I’d have to answer that it’s fitting for us," Claude Julien, Bruins bench boss said of taking the series back to Boston. "When you look at the way the series has been played, you’re right; it’s been a dog fight from start to finish."

Caps Notes:

• All six games have been decided by one goal. This is the first time in NHL history that the first six games of a series have been one-goal contests.
• Green tallied his first goal of the playoffs and the sixth of his career. He is now tied with Sylvain Cote for seventh place in goals among defensemen in franchise history. It is also his first goal for the Capitals since October, Green has missed 50 games with a groin and concussion injuries.
• Caps out blocked the Bruins 12 to 9.

Pushed To The Brink

Capitals 4, Bruins 3 Washington leads series 3-2
Game Summary - Event Summary

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Troy Brouwer scored with just 1:27 left in regulation to give the Washington Capitals their first lead of the series and pushed the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins to the brink of elimination. It didn't come easy. After getting the series' first two goal lead, the Caps let the lead slip away. A late power play gave the Caps the little room they needed to take the seven game series back to the Verizon Center with a shot at knocking off the Bruins.

It was a typical Boston/Washington game thus far in this series. Tight checking and two goaltenders going toe to toe with some ten bell saves. It would take a mad scramble in the second period and an injured Bruin to finally open space for the Caps. Joe Corvo laid sprawled on the ice after blocking a shot. But the B's couldn't get control of the puck to whistle down the play and the Capitals took full advantage. Alex Semin found the loose puck in front of Tim Thomas and pounded home the rebound to open the scoring.

Jay Beagle, mostly known for his face offs and defensive play, also scored for the Caps. His first career NHL playoff goal and point. It started with Beagle making the defensive play to get the puck t of the zone and the forecheck forced the Bruins to dump it up the boards, Beagle intercepted the dump out and walked in and shot it on net. The puck hit the Bruin defender's stick and fooled Thomas to give the Caps the first team in this series a two goal lead.

After that, it seemed the Caps controlled the pace and dictation of the game. But blown coverage on the defensive end for the Capitals left Denis Seidenberg open for a perfect shot that fooled Braden Holtby. Then just :28 seconds later, Brad Marchand scored a garbage goal off of the point shot between Holtby's pads. Just like that, the game was tied going into the third period.

Mike Knuble, on the roster replacing a bruised up Matthieu Perreault, crashed the net on a Joel Ward shot and was rewarded with a rebound and a goal just 3:21 in the third period.

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The way Capitals' goaltender Holby was playing, it looked as if that would be the final goal of the game. He stone cold robbed youngster Tyler Seguin when a pass found the crafty forward alone in front of the net. But Holtby stretched out and made the pad save keeping the scored 3-2 at that point. Holtby would finish the game with 34 saves and had a .918 save percentage for the game.

Special teams would take over for the rest of the game. After going 0 for 14 on the power play in the series, the Boston Bruins finally notched a power play goal on the Caps stingy penalty kill. Johnny Boychuk got a slapper from the point through Holtby to tie the game at 3 with over 11 minutes left in the game. The Bruins nearly had an earlier goal on the power play, but Zdeno Chara hit the crossbar.

Benoit Pouliot took a slashing call on Nick Backstrom to give the Caps the extra man advantage. In the previous power play, the Capitals almost allowed a shorthanded goal when an errant pass from Marcus Johansson missed the target for Brook Laich and Pouliot was in for a break away hit the post with his shot. For most of the power play, the Caps looked disjointed. But a streaking Brouwer found a small opening above Thomas' glove and put away the game winner with 1:27 to play.

At times the play got away from the tight defensive stingy play that has dominated the series. There was some firehouse hockey in the third period with teams exchanging chances, Alex Ovehckin nearly corralling a bouncing puck on one end and Marchand nearly undressing Mike Green on the other.

It wasn't free of the rough stuff either. Both teams took to the game physically with the Bruins outhitting the Capitals 35 to 27. Thomas took exception to John Carlson crashing the net and nearly took off the young defender's head with his blocker. Chara got his bell rung when he took Jason Chimera to the wall, and Chimmer gave him a love tap with the back of his elbow as the two were tied up. Both teams battled in corner scrums and clashes for loose pucks. For the most part, both teams kept their discipline.

The series comes back to the Verizon Center where the Caps look to end the series at home. But the toughest test of the playoffs would be to face the Bruins who were 4-0 in games facing elimination, including the final two games of the Finals with Vancouver.

Caps Notes:

• Seidenberg's goal ended a streak of 84 minutes, 9 seconds of shutout by Caps' netminder Holtby. 
• Danny Sabourin was recalled to Hershey and Michal Neuvirth made his playoff debut as back up goaltneder.
• Alex Ovechkin finished with a -1, 5 shots, one shot blocked, one missed shot and 5 hits. He was held with out a point for the second game of this series, the first was in game one.

Semin's Laser Ties Series

Capitals 2, Bruins 1 Series Tied 2-2
Game Summary - Event Summary

AP

The only thing that has been consistent about the play of Alexander Semin is his inconsistent play in the post season. From being a game changer in one series to completely falling off the map in the next, fans and experts have criticized the Capitals winger of having all this pure raw talent but wasting it. It certainly wasn't wasted tonight as Semin's laser beat Zdeno Chara and Tim Thomas for the only power play goal of the night and helped the Capitals tie up the series with the Boston Bruins at two games apiece with a 2-1 win.

"There was a good shot there by Semin," Bruins bench boss Claude Julien told reporters. "Couldn’t have asked for a better shot."

The Caps could not have. With both teams aching to stay penalty free, the Bruins were called for three in fractions to the Capitals' one. Washington had their chances in the first two, but when Semin circled to the side board from behind the Boston net on the third powerplay, just about everyone stopped and hesitated. Semin pulled the puck back and placed the perfect wrist shot through the legs of Chara (who didn't know whether to advance to block the shot or stand pat) and beat Thomas through the crook of his left elbow to hit the top corner of the net. It happened with just 1:17 left in the second period.

Marcus Johansson also found the net, just 1:22 after the opening face off. After some puck mismanagement by the Bruins in the neutral zone, Ovi took out one defender with a hit and it opened a two on one with Brooks Laich with the puck and Johansson streaking down the right side. A pretty pass through the defender by Laich set up the first goal of the game for the Caps as MoJo shot high over a sprawling Thomas.

It would be the only shot for the Capitals until the dying moments of the first. The Bruins jumped all over the Capitals. They out shot the Caps 14-3 and would get the equalizer over a turnover. Rich Peverley found himself on a two on one of his own, but faked the pass which froze Caps' net minder Braden Holtby and he found room on the short side.

(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Holtby, who at times has shown bouts of goaltending genius, was once again a solid back end for the Capitals when things broke down defensively. Holtby would stop 44 of 45 shots for a .978 save percentage for the game.

"[The Bruins] came out real hard tonight," Caps coach Dale Hunter said.  "[Their] forecheck was hard and we turned the puck over a few times. Holtby was very good. He stood tall and kicked out a lot of rubber tonight."

Again it came down to two goaltenders matching each other save for save as Thomas and Holtby stood tall when they needed to be. Earning the game's first star, Holtby has been the difference maker for the Capitals this post season. Even in the last second of the game, the puck found his glove and he jabbed it skyward as the horn sounded.

He had some help. Holtby's stats are impressive, but the Capitals were committed to blocking shots in front of him including the last minute of play where players were sprawling in front of heavy point shots to preserve the win. Jay Beagle seemed to be everywhere to stop a puck, stopping five himself to lead his team in blocked shots. Even Alex Ovechkin sacrificed the body to stop three shots. When shots did get through, the Capitals seemed to be there to gobble up any rebounds and keep the Bruins from getting to loose pucks in front of Holtby.

The Capitals were using the body more effectively this game as well. Matt Hendricks came with the body leading his team in hits with seven. They out hit the Bruins 44 to 34. John Erskine played his first game in nearly two months and his physical presence was felt, nullifying the Bruins big forwards in front of the net.

"It’s unbelievable," Erskine said of returning to the line up. "I was watching last game here. Just to jump on the ice with those guys and have the fans going nuts. It’s playoff hockey so it’s a lot of fun."

While the hitting was high, the Caps stayed disciplined. Taking only one peanlty, a hooking call to Mike Knuble, the Caps kept the special teams in their favor. Their PP scored, their PK kept it out.

Giveaways were a sour point with the Caps in game 4. They turned the puck over 14 times with 12 players guilty of losing the puck at one point or another. On one turnover, just moments before Alex Semin's game winner, led to a odd man rush up the ice for the Bruins. The hustle of Johansson saved a goal as he reached for the cross ice pass to Milan Lucic and tipped the puck harmlessly to the corner. It is an area the Caps will need to tighten up.

The Capitals were badly outshot all game as well. They only really sustained enough pressure for 15 shots in the second period, but only three shots in the first and third periods of play.

"Giving up that first goal and playing catch-up hockey," Bruins coach Julien said. "We tied the game. We were right back where we wanted to be. But at the end of the night the results weren’t the ones we wanted. When you shoot 40 shots on net you would expect your team to get more than one goal so there’s obviously some areas that we’re not happy with."

The series now becomes a best of three games and it shifts back to Boston for a back to back afternoon tilts on Saturday and back to the phone booth Sunday. That is three games in four nights. The Caps are sitting pretty right now with the series tied up at two and if they continue to do the same as tonight, albeit with less turnovers, the Caps could take the series lead on Boston ice.

"I think we just [have] to carry that momentum into Boston and get a good start there too," said Erskine.

"I always said after the first game, it’s going to be [a] long series and you never know what’s going to happen," the Capitals' captain said of the back to back games on the horizon. "Again, step-by-step, game-by-game we going to take it and we are going to try to win the series."

Caps Notes:

• The Capitals have the only two power play goals in the series and it is their second straight game with a PP tally.
• Keith Aucoin received his first career playoff point with an assist on Semin's goal.
• Mike Knuble replaced the suspended Nick Backstrom for game 4.
• Per Caps PR: Marcus Johansson scored his first goal of the playoffs. He now has collected eight points (3g-5a) in 13 career playoff games. Johansson has tallied more playoff points than any other player from his 2009 draft class.

Offense Shows Up

Capitals 3, Bruins 4 Boston leads series 2-1
Game Summary - Event Summary

(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Zdeno Chara had the last laugh. His shot with just under two minutes to play deflected off of Roman Hamrlik's stick and beat Braden Holtby for the game winner. It capped what many were expecting another low scoring affair. Both teams ignited their offenses and not even a raucous home crowd could push the Capitals to a home win as the Boston Bruins take game three by a score of 4-3 and a series lead as well.

The Caps were using their speed well on the forecheck early in the game, eventually leading to a Bruin penalty. Alex Semin corralled a loose puck and fired it on net and it slipped past Tim Thomas for the series first power play goal. Things got a bit chippy though as the game wore on and the Referees seem to be playing the Bruins tune when Nick Backstrom and Milan Lucic were called for matching penalties at the end of the first period. That lead to a four on four and things opened up for both teams.

Rich Peverly scored just :35 seconds into the second period to tie the game and Alex Ovechkin answered just :15 seconds later to restore the Caps lead. Ovi took a flip pass from Brooks Laich and he was able to break through the Bruins top defensive pair. As the puck was bouncing, he shot it past Thomas for his first goal of the series. Laich himself had quite a game, scoring his first of the series breaking down the right wing side with a beautiful feed from Backstrom. He out waited the aggressive Thomas and was able to beat him high after the Bruins goaltender went down.

The Caps seem to have a handle on this game for most of the first half. But they scrambled for much of the second half of the game and the Bruins took advantage. Holtby did not play poorly, a few of those shots he would have liked to have back, like Peverly's goal that hit his glove and helmet but still found it's way to the back of the net. The game winner off of Chara's shot was deflected past Holtby.

(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Special teams finally played a role in this series. But it would be the four on four variety that made the difference for the Bruins. With the open ice, the Caps seemed to scramble too much. Two of the B's goals came from four on four situations. The Capitals still have the only power play goal of the series as their penalty killing is still hot. The Bruins have yet to score a goal on their power play (knock on wood).

Part of the Bruins success comes mostly from turning this series into an emotional one. The Capitals seemed to do a good job of turning the other cheek, not letting the after whistle stuff get to them at TD Garden. But at the phone booth, in front of the red faithful, they seem to be caught up in the after whistle scrums and letting the Bruins get under their skin.

Backstrom seemed to take his physical game too far when he took a cross checking penalty late in the game that lead to the four on four game winner by Chara. Then he hit Rich Peverley high with a cross check earning him a match penalty that comes with an automatic one-game suspension pending an official review from player safety. Although it did look like the Bruins embellished the first hit, Backstrom could be out for game four for his high cross check on Peverley.

The Capitals need to get back to their bread and butter in this series, which is play a more patient game. They at times looked very sloppy on both ends of the ice and the extra curricular stuff after the whistles didn't really do them any favors. The Bruins are doing a better job of clogging up the front of the net, something the Caps did well in games one and two was to keep shots to the outside and let Holtby see them all. That didn't happen here and as a result, the Bruins take the series lead off of garbage goals and traffic shots.

Caps lose the home ice advantage giving up one game at home. But with two days off between games three and four there is time for them to regroup and get back to what they need to get done. The Capitals were 47% in the face off dot, which is not helpful. Jeff Halpern, who has been a healthy scratch, could come in and help in that regard if Backstrom is indeed out for game four.

Caps Notes:

• Alex Ovechkin moved passed his head coach Dale Hunter to move into second for Capitals career playoff goals with his tally tonight.
• Even though they lost the game, Caps' centerman Brooks Laich earned the game's first star. 
• It is Backstrom's first match penalty of his career, assessed at 20:00 of the third period.

All Tied Up

Capitals 2, Bruins 1 2OT Series tied 1-1
Game Summary - Event Summary

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Braden Holtby probably did not think his first two games in the NHL playoffs, the story line would follow him. The way the 22 year old played for the Capitals in the first two games has the series all tied up between Washington and the Boston Bruins. Just add a couple more overtime periods to the mix and a goal by Nick Backstrom early in the second overtime, and the Caps go back home tonight with the series tied at one game a piece with their 2-1 double overtime victory.

Troy Brouwer got things started for the Capitals in scoring for the series. Late in the second period, Alex Ovechkin was once again stifled along the boards, but he threw a shot at the net. After a few bounces, the Bruin defender Greg Zanon was afraid to cover the puck in the crease and Tim Thomas did not want to get his stick in the face of the sprawling Zanon. Brouwer, who was cutting hard to the net, found the loose puck and jabbed it under Thomas for the first goal of the series for the Capitals.

The goal looked like it had the legs to hold up as the game winner, but an unfortunate bounce off Jeff Schultz's leg and some hustle by Bruin forward Benoit Pouloit, the Bruins were able to tie the game with seven minutes left in the third.

While chances did come for both teams, it seemed neither side was willing to relent their defensive strategy. Credit Dale Hunter for mixing up some of the defensive make up often going to a one - four trap, to a one-two-two, and even yes a Tampa inspired one-three-one at times. But teams were working hard to keep chances minimal for the other team. And that carried over into the overtime periods.

But after a seemingly harmless shot by Backstrom that forced an early faceoff draw in the second overtime to the right of Thomas, fortunes changed for the Caps. They even lost the face off draw. Marcus Johansson showed some skilled stick work to take the puck off of a Bruins defender's stick while being tied up by another player. When he knocked the puck free, he pulled it back to an open Backstrom who buried the bouncing pass near side on Thomas.

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

The one-up-manship between Thomas and Holtby stole the show. Matching at times shot for shot, both goaltenders where able to keep their respective teams in this game. With the win in overtime, Holtby now ties Tim Thomas with a .83 goals against average and leads the league in save percentage with a .973. He stopped 43 shots in this game and had a .977 save percentage.

Hunter did make a switch in lines for Game 2, putting Johansson up on the second line to play with Backstrom and Alex Semin and putting Jason Chimera back on the third line. The move did make the second line a bit more of a threat. Hunter also tried to find ways of getting Ovechkin out from under foot of Zdeno Chara, often double shifting the left winger or throwing him out with different lines to create more space for him.

When he was not concerned with hitting, Ovechkin turned his focus in Game 2 towards shots. He would get 3 shots on net and still got some physical play in with 5 hits. Jay Beagle had a few good chances to score himself, leading the team with 6 shots on Thomas.

The Caps' PK once again impressed, killing off the only two penalties they took. But the power play again struggled going 0 for 3 which included seeing Chara sit for two minutes. Although they failed to score a power play goal, the Caps did see some momentum (and shots) come their way because of it.

While the PP struggled, the Caps' overall defense was spectacular at times. When it faltered, Holtby was there with the save. Karl Alzner played his best game thus far in the post season, earning the game's second star. He was a +1, with an assist to boot. He also lead everyone on the ice, Caps and Bruins, in blocked shots with 5. He was spectacular as a shut down defenseman paired with John Carlson. The pair were able to keep the Bruins' top line to just nine shots, 0 goals, 0 assists.

The Caps also shored up the faceoff dot a little. They mostly went with three men in the faceoff dot in Backstrom, Brooks Laich and Beagle. Overall the strategy worked as the Capitals won 53% of their faceoffs. The game winning goal came off of a faceoff loss.

The Capitals are in a really good position coming back to the phone booth with a win at hand. Making it into a five game series, they are hoping to feed off of the home crowd energy on Monday night.

Caps Notes:

• Alex Ovechkin has never been held with out a point in two straight playoff games in his career. He had an assist tonight.
• Per Caps PR: The Capitals are 8-6 all-time in the playoffs in Game 2’s when trailing 1-0 in a series. Since 2006, teams that win Game 2 of a series have gone on to win 38 of those 55 series (.691 winning percentage).
• Mike Green led all Caps in ice time (33:28) and led the team in plus/minus with a +2. He had 4 shots on net, had 3 hits and 3 blocked shots.

Holtby Stands Tall, Caps Fall In OT

Capitals 0, Bruins 1 OT1 Boston leads series 1-0
Game Summary - Event Summary

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

The first star for the Washington Capitals just happened to be a 22 year old rookie goaltender Braden Holtby playing in his first career Stanley Cup game. In the opening round of the seven game series between the Bruins and Caps, Holtby would force overtime with 29 saves through the first three periods of play. But a slapshot off the wing was the only shot to beat the young netminder by Bruin Chris Kelly would do the Caps in as Boston takes the 1-0 series lead.

Holtby stood tall for most of the game taking on a barrage of Bruins' shots, including a long series of penalty kills in the second period. The B's didn't make it easy on the rookie netminder getting into his grill every chance they got. Holtby even took a rough penalty punching out a charging Chris Kelly as both teams were playing 4 on 4. He was 29 for 29 through the first three periods, but the first shot by the Bruins in the overtime period was the game winner, just 1:18 into the extra frame. He would earn second star status for the game.

After playing somewhat solidly in front of him, the Caps did give too much room to a streaking Kelly who powered a slap shot glove side beating Holtby. The Capitals had 22 blocked shots compared to the Bruins' 17. Roman Hamrlik lead the team with 5 blocked shots.

AP

Alex Ovechkin may not have accumulated the shots in this game, but he did rack up on hits. He had an explosive hit on Dennis Seidenberg in the second period that sent the TD Garden faithful to their feet. But he only had a single shot on net, even though he threw his body around for 7 hits. In the playoffs more is expected of the Caps' captain. He didn't deliver much offensively and was often stifled by the Bruins defense that often closed three players down on the star player.

As much as the bodies were flying around, it would be the smallest Cap that made the biggest difference out front. Matthieu Perreault was all over the ice tonight, and even had a good chance late in the third, but couldn't corral the puck for a shot off a rebound. In fact the Caps did a terrible job jumping on rebounds on some mediocre saves by Tim Thomas.

The Capitals' PK was perfect tonight, able to kill off all four penalties they took. While the PK was chugging right along, the Caps power play is still struggling. With only two chances all game, the Caps need the PP to click soon or it will be a short post season for them. 

But it is not all doom and gloom. The Caps are only down a game in a seven game series. They were able to keep the crowd out of it for most of the game, stifled and frustrated the Bruin forwards and nearly wore them down as the game went along. It was a great road game in a long series.

The Caps will have to lean on the third and fourth lines to find success. With a deep defensive squad the Bruins have, it will be important for the role-playing guys to step up.

Caps Notes:

• This was the first playoff game in franchise history in which the Caps went to overtime tied 0-0.
• Mike Knuble, Dmitry Orlov, Cody Eakin, Jeff Halpern, and Mattias Sjogren were the healthy scratches for the Capitals.
• Weird happening at the end of the game as the Bruins celebrated the overtime goal. The Fans punched a pane of glass out and it hit David Krejci. Hopefully that is a bad omen for the B's going on in this series.

So Boston It Is

It has been a trying year on the Washington Capitals. A season that was steeped in a roller coaster of emotions. The highest of highs, to the lowest of lows, the Capitals have clawed their way to seventh in the Eastern Conference. Breaking 5 straight seasons as Division Champs, just two points shy of that title. Limping (quite literally for some) into a post season.

But it is a new season; the post season. And the Capitals will settle for starting things off on the road against the reigning Stanley Cup Champions Boston Bruins. Let's break down the match up and show a few key stats between the pair of teams.

Even Strength - Advantage Boston Bruins. No one in the league has scored more goals at even strength than the Bruins have. They have 191 goals for playing five on five and their goals for/against ratio at even strength is 1.34 and is good enough for third in the league in that department. As for the Caps, they are middle of the pack with 149 goals (15th in the league) and a goals for/against ration of 1.00.

Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images

Power Play - Advantage even. Believe or not, the Bruins and Capitals are 15th and 17th respectfully with the extra man advantage. The Bruins power play has hit a lull, a bright spot in the playoffs last year. They are 17.2% effective. The Capitals once mighty power play has cooled off in the last two seasons. At 16.7%, they find themselves in the same struggling boat as the Bruins to make teams pay for taking penalties. But the Capitals fail in allowing short handed goals against with 10 going in on them this season. Tied with Pittsburgh in that category, and only the Red Wings (11), Lightning (12) and Devils (13) are worse in the league allowing goals in on the power play. Boston has only allowed one short handed goal, best in the league.

Penalty Kill - Advantage Boston Bruins. The Bruins aren't the best in the league, but they are shade better than the Capitals. Ranked 11th in the league, it would be wise for the Caps to shore up their power play as the Bruins have a 83.6% kill rate. The Caps are ranked 21st in the league with a 81.6% kill rate. However, the Caps of late have been stellar in the PK department. They were only scored on twice in the last 12 games. They killed off 26 penalties during that stretch.

AP

Goaltending - Advantage Boston Bruins. Caps will be going to the playoffs with what looks like the third in line back up to their number one and a back up that is the only one other goaltender with a NHL contract that has seen zero time at the NHL level this year for the Capitals. Braden Holtby will have to hold down the fort with only seven games under his belt this season. In fact, Holtby has only been in net for 21 games at the NHL level. What is surprising is his record, which is a not-to-shabby 14-4-3, a .929 save percentage and 2.02 GAA. His back up, Danny Sabourin has more experience with 57 NHL games under his belt. However his stats aren't great at 18-25-5 and posting a career save percentage of .898 and 2.88 GAA. Boston is solid with Tim Thomas in net, although not as good as he was last season. He has 35 wins in 59 starts, a .920 saver percentage and 2.36 GAA. Marty Turco is not available for the playoffs for the B's as he was signed after the trade deadline. Instead it will be minor leaguer Anton Khudobin doing the back up honors for Thomas.


Final Thoughts

Honestly, a road start for the Capitals is not the best thing going into the playoffs. But I don't think it is a bad thing necessarily. While it is nice to start at home in the post season, the Caps have sort of taken that part of their game for granted. Their best games in the playoffs have been on the road. All of their game seven debacles and two early loses last year on the way to being swept happened in the confines of the Verizon Center.

The Caps have had success against Tim Thomas and the Bruins at TD Garden. Both wins were one goal decisions and both were in the month of March. In fact the Capitals won the season series against the B's 3-1 this year, including a win with out the help of Alex Ovechkin for one game serving a suspension at the time.

The Bruins will beat up on the Capitals as they have the clear size advantage when it comes being physical on the puck. With some big boys on the back end in Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic and his ugly mug up front, the Bruins will look to take the Capitals physically. But this is also a team that has struggled against skilled teams like the Caps and Penguins. If the Capitals can break down the Bruins size with speed, there might be a glimmer of hope for the Capitals to make it out of the first round.

But there is more to come as I will break down what the Caps need to do in the playoffs to find success, and of course my fearless predictions (which usually don't stand up past the first round, but hey it's fun to do).

First Round Winners And Losers

The first round of the NHL playoffs had just about everything. And age old rivalry, some new foes in post season play and more game sevens than you can shake a hockey stick at. This is what the playoffs should be, right? Some games have been whoppers of games, while others have been snoozers.

So let's get to it, the first round winners and losers:

The Winners

Stanley Cup Fearless Predictions: Eastern Conference

Whoa Nelly! Are you ready for the up for grabs Eastern Conference? No team has shown true dominance through out the dominance. In fact, it took to the last handful of games for each of the division champs to secure their crown. But even the pundits can't seem to agree if division champs Boston, Philadelphia or Washington is strong enough to take the Conference. Which makes the field wide open, much like it was last year where the bottom seeds shocked the millions of office pools through out Canada.

To pick a winner is like winning the lottery. Last year the two lowest seeds were battling in the Conference final. Can that repeat again?

Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals

#1 Washington Capitals vs. #8 New York Rangers

Of course I am going into more detail about this particular series at a later date. The quick overview is Washington will have to learn from it's mistakes through the last three post seasons. All of them have gone to seven games. Even with the Capitals high powered offensive players, it struggled this year to score. But where the offense faltered the defense picked up. For the Rangers, there is little or no fear going into this series. They have taken 3 of the 4 games in the regular season series including a pair of blow out games were the Broadway Blueshirts beat the Caps 7-0 and 6-0. Ouch. If the Rangers can show the offensive spark they had against the Caps in the regular season, the Caps will be going home early with a plethora of questions.

Washington sneaks by New York Rangers in 6 games

#2 Philadelphia Flyers vs. #7 Buffalo Sabres

The Flyers have tripped up in the final stretch of the season and lost their first place in the Eastern Conference to a surging Capitals team. Even though they had to deal with some pretty big losses on the blue line in Chris Pronger and a inconsistent netminding conundrum they are still a scary team to face in the playoffs. They face a team that has turned it on as of late just to make the playoffs. Philly's hard nose play should wear the Sabres talent guys down. I just don't see how Ryan Miller can stop them all.

Philadelphia defeats Buffalo in 5 games

#3 Boston Bruins vs. #6 Montreal Canadiens

Who isn't going to watch this hard charged series. You have history, intrigue, and controversy. Every thing a classic series should have. Will the Habs get their day by putting Zdeno Chara on the golf course early? Can Tim Thomas stop a sneaky Canadien offense that seems to relish in big game goals? Can Carey Price live up to the hype that Jaro Halak left last post season? A lot of questions that are worthy of watching to see the answers. If Boston can lock down defensively and negate the Habs' speed, they will have a much better post season than the come from behind debacle against Philly a year ago.

Boston takes out Montreal in 7 games

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa reminds me a lot of the Caps two years ago. Great offensive talent but so-so defense and okay goaltending. The big question is how the Penguins are going to approach them with out their offensive keys in place with Sidney Crosby not likely to return until round two and no Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins have survived nicely with out either in the line up with others picking up the slack. If Tampa can survive the relentless forecheck of the Penguins and keep the play in Marc-Andre Fluery's end, then they should pull out the upset. But this is a team that needs more playoff experience before that can happen.

Penguins knock out Tampa in 5 games.

Eastern Champion: Boston Bruins

The Bruins have a chance to take it all and the way Tim Thomas is playing, it's plausible to see them conquering the Eastern Conference. They will have to survive an emotional first round against Montreal and battle Washington and Philly to take the Eastern crown. I do think the Capitals can make it to the Conference finals, but injuries will plague them through the post season. It will be Boston that takes honors here.

Stanley Cup Winner: San Jose Sharks

I picked them last year, and for much the same reasons I pick them to win it all last year. Shaking free of their demons, I just like the direction this team is taking themselves. But it will be no easy task for them. They have to keep their scoring up and their goaltending has to be top notch. Plus a series between Boston and San Jose would be pretty intriguing with the age old trade that sent Joe Thronton to the west coast.

Coming up... Series breakdown between the Caps and Rangers.

Classic Cardiac Caps

Capitals 5, Bruins 3
Game Summary

It was the best first two periods by the Washington Capitals, followed by a Boston Bruin rally in the third. What looked to be a walk away domination, the Caps took a couple of bad penalties early in the third period and it spurred a Bruin offensive outburst. It was stemmed when John Carlson put a slapper past the Bruin goaltender with over six minutes remaining to get the game winner.

While no goals were scored in the first period, the Caps played their best first period of the season. They held the Bruins to only 3 shots in the first while peppering Tim Thomas with eight shots of their own. In the second the dam broke for the Bruins when Tomas Fleischmann wins the face off and shovels it back to Tyler Sloan who cranks it past Thomas for his first of the season.

The Caps' defense wasn't done there as the Bruins defenders broke down in the zone and Alex Ovechkin found Mike Green open cross ice. Green waited out Gregory Campbell going down for the block and beat Tim Thomas high glove side. It would extend the Caps lead to 2-0. Green would figure in on the third goal when Alex Semin makes an aggressive move on the penalty kill. It would lead to a two on one with Brooks Laich and Green the trailer. Semin passed it back to the Caps defender who gave it right back. Semin's shot slipped under Thomas and the Caps would take a 3-0 lead into the second intermission.

The first half of the third it was a different story. Jason Chimera took a hooking call off the face off and while he sat for two, the Bruins' power play took advantage as Micheal Ryder scored. Then John Erskine was called for interference and the Bruins rallied to cut the lead to one goal with another power play goal by Nathan Horton. Then a bad turnover by the Capitals lead to a Shawn Thornton goal off an odd man rush.

Bruce Boudreau would pull Michal Neuvirth after the third goal and replace him with Braden Holtby. It would be Holtby's first action in the regular season in the NHL. After the change, the Caps started to clamp down on the sudden hot Bruin offense. Holtby would only face 4 shots, but they were all huge saves. John Carlson would put the cherry on top netting the game winner off another face off win. Add an Alex Ovechkin empty netter and the Caps are close to tying up the season series with the Bruins who already have the 2-1 advantage.

A first for Holtby

Braden Holtby not only got the win, his first NHL win in his first start, but he also donned the hard hat in the locker room following the game. For a rookie who wasn't expected to see much of any ice time while backing up Neuvirth, to be thrown in to a game tied with the tide going against your team is asking a lot of any goaltender, let alone a first timer. Holtby would face 4 shots, repelling them all.

Zero Zdeno

It wasn't a great game for Zdeno Chara. He finished with a -4 and no shots on net. A big part of the Bruins offense, especially on the power play, the fact he had no shots means the Caps did a good job of keeping him from being a factor for the Bruins.


A ten minute brain cramp

The Caps played the perfect first two periods, only to allow a talented Bruin team to roar right back and tie the game up early in the third period. The Bruin rally would be snuffed out when Boudreau would change goaltneders and the Caps' defense suddenly woke up again. In the first 9:51 of the third period, the Bruins would score three goals on five shots.

Shaky Neuvy

While Neuvirth wasn't scored upon until the third period, he had only faced 9 shots through the first two periods. After the power play goal, which had very little to do with the Caps' netminder, he seemed to struggle going down early on Bruin advances. Both the second and third goals could have (and should have) been stopped. Boudreau would pull him after the third goal.

Caps' D helps with Caps' O

Three of the five goals the Capitals scored tonight came off the sticks of the Capitals' defensemen. Sloan, Green and Carlson contributed to the scoring effort tonight. Jeff Schultz was the Caps best in the plus/minus column with a +3 and had an assist.

Fantastic Faceoffs

While the Caps trailed in face off wins (45%) against the Bruins, two big draws led to two big goals. The first was Fleischmann's draw back to Sloan that led to a goal. The second was Boyd Gordon's win the led to Carlson's goal. Both were clean face off wins.

Streaks

Ovechkin continues his point streak now through 5 games with 8 points during that stretch (3g, 5a). Semin has a three game streak for both goals and points, 6 points (3g, 3a).

A Little Spooky

It's my annual look at the league as Halloween comes around. Can't skip on tradition, so here is a quick look around the league to take a look at some of the scary things that are afoot in the NHL.

Penguins' Horrifying Home Record: 2-4-0 in their brand new building, including two losses to heated rival Philadelphia. One thing they have going for them, the Winter Classic will not be played at CONSOL Energy Center. The only teams they have beaten at home have been Ottawa and an overtime win against the NY Islanders. Still it is not as bad as Phoenix that has only won once in Glendale Arena.

Devils' Decapitated Cap: After signing a whopper of a contract with Ilya Kovalchuk, the Devils have run into salary cap troubles. They started the season with only twenty players on their roster, leaving little room for injuries or bad play. They have dressed as little as 17 players for a game. Lucky for them, some injuries have helped to alleviate the pressure. But unless a trade is looming, they will have to make tougher choices further down the road like letting a veteran player go.

Tim "Trick or Treat" Thomas: What a great and scary start for the Boston goaltender. He has won every start this season for the Bruins (5), but what is really blood curdling is his goals against average at this point in the season, .50. Yup, that is half a goal allowed per game. Credit a great Bruins defense and Thomas' recent spooky-good play.

Steven "Slimy and Scary" Stamkos: 18 points through nine games. He is averaging 2 points a game. Not a bad start kid.

Alex "The Invisible Man" Ovechkin: Usually a man in the lead of the scoring race or close to the top, it is hard to find Ovechkin's name in the top twenty of either the goals column or points. It is still early, but his scoring production has dropped sharply, including three games where he failed to score a single point. He started the season with five straight games with at least a point. Not good news for you fantasy players out there.

Carolina's House of Horrors: Zero goals on home ice. That is it for the Hurricanes. Shut out in their last 2 games by both Washington and Pittsburgh, the 'Canes are looking for answers on to their home ice woes. They did score a goal while in Europe when they were considered a home team. But since returning to RBC Center, the 'Canes offense has sputtered.

Eve of Halloween Routs: These games weren't even fair in some cases. Philly routs NY Islanders 6-1, Pittsburgh embarrasses the Hurricanes 3-0, Boston veto the Senators 4-0, Detroit dismantle the Predators 5-2, Dallas shoots down the Sabres 4-0, Colorado unravels the Blue Jackets 5-1,  and Capitals douse Flames 7-2. In all the winning teams scored a combined 56 goals while the losing end only mustered 14 goals.

Caps Can't Solve Bruins Second Time Around

Capitals 1, Bruins 4
Game Summary

In the second game in a home and home with the Boston Bruins, the Washington Capitals showed flashes of what it was like a year ago. Facing a good goalie and a tough defense, the Caps' power play sputtered, the PK fell apart and mental mistakes you can count on two hands. After the Bruins play the perfect road game, the turn around and play the perfect home opener in front of their fans. The Caps however find more questions about their struggling offense.

Jason Chimera goal was only a result of a errant pass by Bruins' goaltender Tim Thomas that lead to a nearly empty netter. The Caps would only get that single point on the night.

The Capitals power play continues to struggle. At pivotal points in the game, they had the chance to crawl back into game. But the Caps were caught standing around and any chances they had were swallowed up by Thomas. There is little or no movement on the Caps' power play. The passes are predictable and there seems to be no need to change the system.

While the PP struggled, the penalty kill was going along just swimmingly. Until tonight. The Caps could only kill off the first penalty, then took a nose dive allowing three straight power play goals by the Boston squad. The Bruins moved the puck masterfully with the extra man. The set up got the Caps defenders running around and tired them out. Goals came easy after that.

Boudreau tinkered his lines again moving up Marcus Johansson to the second line, hoping the promotion to better talent might get the rookie going and make that second line come together. Tomas Fleischmann continues to fall short of expectations. Flash was demoted to the third line and was nearly invisible tonight.

This effort was sort of lacking. The Caps have to find other ways to win when the defense squeezes all the chances out of a game. Four power plays were squandered for the night. If the Capitals scored as many power play goals as PP goals against, this game would have been tied.

The Caps also had the time to come back and improve over the loss to the Bruins from Tuesday night. They failed to do that.

The Caps get back into Southeast Division play by facing the Atlanta Thrashers at home Saturday night. This after the Thrash handed the Capitals a season opening loss. And then they take on the Hurricanes in Carolina on Wednesday night. Both should be good tilts.

Bruins Spoil Caps Win Streak

Capitals 1, Bruins 3
Game Summary

It was the perfect road game for the Boston Bruins. They got the early goal, played physical as well as desciplined, took the crowd out of the equation and got solid goaltending when they needed it from Tim Thomas. The Washington Capitals couldn't wake up offensively as their power play has turned stagnate. They see their win streak end at four.

In honor of Caps Girl, I will be comparing tonight's highlights to ex-girlfriends.

• Marcus Johansson first NHL goal is like my very first girlfriend Tina. While Johansson scored on his first, I didn't (hey, I was in 5th grade, I think we just sat in her basement and colored). His goal was started by Matt Hendricks creating the turnover deep in the zone and Jason Chimera feeding a beautiful pass in front to a waiting MoJo. Johansson beat Thomas top shelf, welcome to the NHL kid.
• Kendra was constantly coming down with some kind of illness. Sort of like Michal Neuvirth's sudden exit from the game after two goals. Neuvirth complained of dizziness and a headache, taking himself out of the game. Semyon Varlamov came in and stopped all shots but one, a floater shot that had eyes around a well placed screen. 
• The Capitals' power play was disappointing like my ex-girlfriend Rose. With all the great talent on that top power play line, the Caps have fallen into a PP funk. They are falling into a habit of over using Alex Ovechkin at the point for the shot and standing around way too much. It looks good on paper, but the Caps PP isn't cutting it.
• Just like Erica, there were a couple of good fights. Although it was more of the physical kind in the game where Hendricks got reacquainted with Gregory Campbell. The two went to blows with Campbell decked Ovechkin rudely into the boards and Hendricks stood up for his captain. Campbell looked like he was really looking forward to a rematch, wildly swinging his arms. Hendricks just waited his turn and threw in a few good punches. John Erskine also got a scrap in against Milan Lucic. A bad trade off for the Bruins. And no, I never hit women, although took a few punches in the arm from Erica. 
• Finally, the Capitals' PK is definitely like my beautiful wife. Just like my wifey, the PK came up big killing off all 4 Bruin power play opportunities. It was dependable for the Caps and a center of great pride for the team. They even mastered a :53 second 5 on 3 frustrating the Bruins offense.

 I joke about the ex's. The Capitals did play a good hard game. They just didn't come up with the goals. They finished checks, played tough through the neutral zone and used their speed effectively on the Bruins defense. Thomas' play was really good tonight and the Bruins' defense did a good job keeping Ovechkin in check for most of the game. 

Caps get a chance at redemption as they head up north to Boston to finish this home and home with the Bruins on Thursday night. This will be a great opportunity to see what the Caps have learned, and what changes they make to their play in the second game. But if the Caps put forth the kind of effort they did tonight, I doubt it will be disappointing. 

Stanley Cup Fearless Predictions - Eastern Conference

The Washington Capitals finished an amazing season winning the President's Trophy and the race for eighth was a bit riveting with a near miss by the New York Rangers who lost their playoff spot by a shoot out. It makes panning out the Eastern Conference no easy chore. But I will try anyway.

Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals

#1 Washington Capitals vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens

There will be a more comprehensive breakdown of this series hopefully by tomorrow. But the long and short of it, Montreal just doesn't have the guns to run an open style of game with the Capitals. Canadien coach Jacques Martin will most likely play a controlled game where one goal will be the deciding factor and bet his team can grind out a defensive transition game to make it close. But the Caps are far to skilled and if the games are going to be decided by a goal or less, the best bet is the Caps score it.

Washington defeats Montreal in 5 games.

#2 New Jersey Devils vs. #7 Philadelphia Flyers

If there was ever going to be an upset in the first round of the playoffs, best bet is it is in this series between the Devils and Flyers. The Flyers played New Jersey surprisingly tough this season, partly because of their size. The Devils don't usually like to get into a physical type game and the Flyers aren't happy unless someone is getting thrown out of a game. It is going to come down to goaltending, and my money is on Martin Brodeur.

New Jersey defeats Philadelphia in 7 games.

#3 Buffalo Sabres vs. #6 Boston Bruins

This is actually a tough series to figure out. Buffalo just doesn't score much and Boston is a very defensive team. So it is going to come down to goaltending. Boston's Tuuka Rask is a rookie, but has played strong enough to over take the number one job from veteran Tim Thomas. While in the other net, Ryan Miller has played so well for the Sabres that many are considering him this year's MVP. Rask was 4-1 against the Sabres, while it's hard to ignore Miller's good play. It is literally a coin flip. Injuries also play a pretty big factor as both seem to be limping into this series.

Boston defeats Buffalo in 7 games.

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Ottawa Senators

When are these two not going to square off in the first round of the playoffs. Ottawa was destined for disaster at the beginning of the season, but they found a savior in Brian Elliott. He helped the Senators rise to a playoff spot when most left the team for dead. The Penguins are the returning Stanley Cup Champs, and taking on Ottawa was not what it was like 3 years ago when they lost that emotional series. If the Pens come out sluggish or play to Ottawa's level, the Sens could steal a series away. I doubt if a healthy Evgeni Malkin and their coach Dan Bylsma will let that happen.

Pittsburgh defeats Ottawa in 5 games.

Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

Washington Capitals vs. Boston Bruins

The Caps offense against the Bruins defense. They should be close games and the Caps will have to deal with a lot of Bruin hard work. If the Capitals can hold their own on the defensive end, it's no contest. The Bruins don't have the offensive power to over match the Caps. Most likely the Bruins will play a tough game keeping the score close to one goal differential as possible, much like the Canadiens did the round before.

Washington defeats Boston in 6 games.

New Jersey Devils vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

A divisional matchup with Stanley Cup implications. The Penguins will have to face down a tough defense in the Devils while holding their own on the back end. This is were they will miss a few of their defenesmen gone way of free agency. Marc-Andre Fluery will have to out duel the best if the Pens hope to repeat. The Devils will have to lean heavily on Ilya Kovalchuk to get them to the next step.

Pittsburgh upsets New Jersey in 7 games.

Eastern Conference Finals

Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

The road to the Stanley Cup Finals in the Eastern Conference will go through these two teams. Again, the ratings will be huge, the games will by hyped and Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby will not disappoint. But just like the Penguins were determined after they lost to Detroit to not repeat, the Capitals will look for the same. Last post season, this series would eventually decide the Stanley Cup winner. A possible repeat of the same?

Washington defeats Pittsburgh in 7 games for the Eastern Conference Crown.

Caps move on, at least in theory, to the Stanley Cup Finals. But wait, no fearless prediction can go much further with out a look at the Western Conference first. That will come out this afternoon along with my pick for the Stanley Cup winner. I am so excited, I could just spit.

Caps Finish With 121

Capitals 3, Bruins 4 OT/SO (0-2)
Game Summary

For a game that really did not mean much in the standings there was plenty of fireworks between these two Eastern Conference foes. The Washington Capitals would come up just short and Alex Ovechkin would miss out on any hardware for the regular season as they drop one in a shoot out against the Boston Bruins 4-3.

Alex Semin scored to reach 40 goals on the season, a career high for the Caps' forward. Capitals also got goals from Eric Belanger and Mike Knuble. While the Caps had the lead twice (1-0 and 3-2) but some break downs in defense and the Bruins new found confidence in offense were able to match the Caps with some big goals by Micheal Ryder and Marco Strum.

The real fireworks came just 2:43 into the game, just twenty seconds after Semin's goal to give the Caps the lead, when Jason Chimera ran Tim Thomas. Thomas returned the favor with a few jabs of his blocker into Chimera's face. The Bruins goaltender would draw a double minor for the punches and Chimera would get a misconduct later when he went back to talk to Thomas about the rest of his blocker that was still in Chimera's face.

That seemed to wake Thomas up and the Caps seemed to struggle after that encounter. The Bruins seemed embolden by the incident. The result was a gutsy game by the Bruins and a well earned 2 points won in the shoot out.

It was clear the game didn't mean much for the Capitals' head coach Bruce Boudreau. He put Boyd Gordon and Matt Bradley out to take the shots against the Bruins goaltender. Both failed to score, as the Bruins got scores from David Krejci and Miroslav Satan.

Ovechkin came up short on both the Rocket Richard Trophy and the Art Ross Trophy as he was shut out from getting a single point or goal. Sidney Crosby and Steven Stamkos would tie for the Rocket and Henrik Sedin will win the Ross.

The Capitals finish the marathon season with a franchise record 121 points, the President's Trophy for best regular season record in the league (a franchise first), franchise record road wins at 24 and the first team outside the original six to get 120 points in a season.

It was a season of firsts as the Caps finish first in team goals (318), first in the league in wins (54), first in the league on the power play (25.2%, the Caps have never led in the NHL), first in the league in road goals (157), first in power play goals on the road (38), first in team +/- (+74, the closest team in second is Chicago with +46), first in Goals For average of 3.8.

The Capitals also found out who they will face the Montreal Canadiens. Preveiw of that match up will come soon.

This was a great season by the Washington Capitals. But turning that success into playoff success depends on a great deal for them. If Jose Theodore continues to hold true to form, the Caps would benefit from a tighter defensive crew. There is not much to complain about though, since the goal differential of +85.

Caged Laich Takes Down Bruins

Capitals 3, Bruins 2 OT
Game Summary

Brooks Laich took a late penalty in the third period when the game was tied at 2. He sat in the box feeling helpless. He didn't have to worry about it for long, the Caps were able to kill it off and take it to overtime. Then Laich turned his fortunes around as he blocked Alex Semin's shot and put in the rebound himself. The Capitals win a big 3-2 in overtime against a team desperate for as many points as the Boston Bruins can get to stay in the playoff picture.

These two teams have not seen each other since February 1st. Both teams spent the first half of the first period. Nick Backstrom would break the stalemate after Zdeno Chara left him to hit Alex Ovechkin. Ovi saw Backstrom open and passed it to his linemate and took the hit from Chara.

"I saw Chara right away and I said, 'Oh geez'" Ovechkin said about absorbing the Bruin defender's hit.

The open Backstrom squeezed the puck through Tuukka Rask and trickled over the line. The play went to review to see if the puck had crossed the goal line completely as Dennis Wideman tried to clear the puck behind his goaltender, but there was not enough to overturn the goal called on the ice.

"I thought I had it," Bruins goaltender Rask said. "It's obvious it's a goal because (the league) took a look at it upstairs. Tough goal."

"I am not one hundred percent convinced [the puck went over the line]," Bruins head coach Claude Julien said. "But the decision is made and you move on and that's what we did."

Move on they did as the Bruins came on late in the period with their forecheck. Jose Theodore came up with some big saves as the defense were caught running around a bit. One of his saves included a two pad stack denying a Micheal Ryder shot, a save he called "Old school."

"I have been approaching the last twenty games like the playoffs," Theo said of good play of late. "You can't get away from the details and that is what I am focusing on right now, just controlling rebounds, challenging shooters and feeling comfortable."

But the Bruins won the face off and Chara shot it towards the net, Wideman tipped it past Theo and the game was tied with just 1.6 seconds left in the first period.

The Bruins worked off of their late period goal and pressed the play as the Caps just looked content enough to keep the B's at bay. The Caps got away with a penalty as Semin clipped Chara in the face, forcing the defenseman to bleed badly. He would return to the game. Boston took the lead moments later when the Caps defense broke down leaving Patrice Bergeron on a semi break away and he made a nice move on Theo to put it behind him.

"I liked the way we fought back," Julien said.

But late in the second period, the Caps would strike as Ovechkin seemed to get his legs back. he made a move out wide on the Bruins defenseman and tried to pass it out front. The blocked pass came back to him and he shot it to the front of the net where Mike Knuble was crashing in. The puck went off Knuble and into the net with :30 seconds left in the second period. He played well enough to earn the game's number one star.

"[Ovi] competed, he got involved," Boudreau said of Ovechkin's play in this game. "He wasn't afraid to hit .. ever since that suspension I think when he is going into hit guys, he has been turning away a little bit."

Both team had chances in the third, but couldn't capitalize sending the game into overtime. Wideman would once again play a big part in the turning point in overtime as he took a high sticking call on Tomas Fleischmann just :24 seconds into the extra frame.

On the ensuing power play, Bruce Boudreau put out 4 forwards; Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Nick Backstrom and Brooks Laich. Laich would score in front of the net just :44 seconds into the overtime period to give the Caps the win.

While it is just another regular season game, there is a possibility the two teams are a possible first round matchup.

"We want to play well against anybody," Laich said of playing the possible first round foes a couple of games before the post season. "I don't know if it helps or not, maybe we make them angry."

Since wrapping up the President's Trophy, the Caps sat Mike Green and John Carlson out as healthy scratches. Others may also be scratched for tomorrow night's game against Pittsburgh as well.

Caps Notes:

• Per Caps PR: The National Hockey League will conduct media conference calls this week with head coaches Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings (Tuesday), Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins (Wednesday) and Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals (Thursday). Not sure if these are the finalist for the Jack Adams award.
• In prospect news, the Capitals signed free agent Dustin Stevenson to a three year entry-level contract. The 6'5", 220 lbs. defensemen was named the SJHL Player of the Year after posting 47 points (11 g, 36 a) and 134 penalty minutes in 56 games. Currently he plays for the La Ronge Ice Wolves and is playing in the SJHL playoffs. He leads all defensemen with 17 playoff points (7 g, 10 a).
  

Who Would You Like?

There is no question the Capitals will finish first in the Eastern Conference. It who is going to come in eighth to face them that is the real question. The Caps have a chance to face up to four different teams depending on how the rest of the season shakes out. The Boston Bruins (84), Philadelphia Flyers (84), New York Rangers (82) and Atlanta Thrashers (81) are all fighting for the last spots into the playoffs and a chance to play the Washington Capitals.

So let's take a look at these four teams and how they have matched up with the Capitals through the past season. Unlike the Rangers and Flyers, the Bruins and Thrashers still have games remaining on their schedule against the Caps (Bruins 2 games left, Thrashers 1 game left). All bring unique challenges to the Capitals come post season.

Boston Bruins

The Caps have yet to play this team post trade deadline, so until we see them in action, there is no real way of figuring out how either team will fare in the post season against one another. To gauge how these two teams will match up, we will have to go on nearly season old data and how each team has been playing lately.

When I think of the Bruins, I think of Zdeno Chara and a pretty good defensive core. When Tuukka Rask plays his best, the Bruins are a tough team to score against. There troubles come on the offensive end of the game. The lose of Marc Savard hurt them pretty bad and they are not getting the output from others like they did a year ago when they won the Eastern Conference.

The first meeting between these two was a 4-1 win for the Caps as the two faced off to open the season in October. Alex Ovechkin had two goals and Brooks Laich scored a pair of power play goals. The second meeting didn't come until February where the exact same result 4-1.

If the two were to meet in the post season, I highly doubt the Bruins have the offensive punch to match the Caps. The only way the Bruins have a chance is to lock down defensively and wait out the Caps onslaught. And that could lead to a frustrated Washington squad. I highly doubt the Bruins could shut down the Capitals for long.

We will have a better idea how these two teams match up as they play their final two games of the season in the next two weeks.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers have a goaltending problem, they just can't stay healthy in net. The Caps and Flyers have a post season history, and it would probably be one of the most watched series outside a second match up between the Penguins and Caps.

The Flyers won the first game of the season series as Danny Briere scored the OT winner 6-5. After that the Caps handled the Flyers with little trouble winning 4-2, 8-2, and 5-3. Ovechkin scored on his 2,000 career shot on a penalty shot on Ray Emery the last time these two teams faced each other.

This first round match up will be a physical one as the Flyers will try a intimidate the Captials since they can't really match the Caps potent offense. Role players like Scott Walker, Jason Chimera and Matt Bradley will have to go to work defending their team's top players.

If the Flyers aren't looking to take Alex Semin and Ovechkin's heads off, they will be trying to get at the Caps defensive core and should take a few penalties in the process. The Caps power play will play an important role in a series like this, and the way the Flyers goaltenders look shaky that will not bode will for them.

New York Rangers

Another team the Capitals have some history with. The Rangers bring another good defensive squad. They also bring a lot more speed than any of the other teams. They have some scoring threat with Marion Gaborik and if Henrik Lundqvist is playing his best it could be another hard series for the Capitals.

The Rangers won the first game in the season series 4-3, then lost the next three to the Caps 4-2, 6-5 and 2-0. The Rangers were one of the teams that were beat by the Caps during their long win streak in January.

If these two teams meet in the post season in the first round, look for the Rangers to attempt to block just about every shot the Caps try to take. If they are not blocking shots, then Sean Avery will be trying to get a burr under Mike Green's butt. There should be plenty of left over emotion from the last time these two met in the post season.

While the Rangers will try to shut down Ovechkin by blocking shots, the Caps found away around it last time. I don't see any reason why they wouldn't again. If they can get some solid goaltending from either Semyon Varlamov or Jose Theodore and the defense holds up the Caps should have a better result.

Atlanta Thrashers

The Thrashers were essentially sellers at the trade deadline. They unloaded Ilya Kovalchuk and the sudden loss in weight gave the Thrashers a bit of life. They are normally an aggressive team, but have found a good balance of offense and defense to make a run to the playoffs.

The Caps will play the Thrashers Monday night to finish off the season series and are going for the season sweep of their division rivals. The Caps have won the previous five games 5-2, 8-1, 4-3, 5-4 and 2-1.

The Capitals have had some heated exchanges with their divisional foes. But the Caps have dominated the team this season, with or without Kovalchuk. But they are a handful if Nik Atropov and Maxim Afinogenov decide to poor on the offensive talent. The bottom line is though, Ilya Kovalchuk is still the Thrashers top scorer this season and he isn't on the team.

If these two were to face each other in the first round, Atlanta will have play more defense than offense. They just can not play an open aggressive style of play with the Caps. They have lost that way before.

Who would you like?

Of the four teams and the possible outcomes the team I would like for the Caps meet in the first round would probably be the Boston Bruins. The Bruins will be limping into the post season playing the least consistently. Having Marc Savard out of the line up hurts the Bruins offensive threat, but the team is still dangerous because of their defensive play. It should be a hard fought first series that would be good for the Capitals to get their offense some confidence.

The Thrashers would not be a challenge enough for the Caps to prep them for tougher battles down the road. The Rangers have some settling to do from a season ago and could be dangerous if they get on a roll. The Flyers might wear the Caps down and test their depth if they start getting the injury bug. Boston just seems like the right fit for the Caps.