Go Capitals!

[tomson75]

I know there is a large contingent of Washington area Cowboys fans here, so I thought I'd see if any of you watch hockey. The Capitals have had one of the most dramatic turnarounds in hockey history. This series against the Philthy Flyers should be a good one.

 

[thekavorka]

I bet most people who live in a non-playoff city are rooting for the capitals and Ovechkin.

if the stars get knocked out, i'm hopping on to the capital bandwagon.

 

[Danny White]

I'm here in Virginia as well, and while I've heard about what the Caps have been doing on 980, I don't follow hockey at all, so I'm not up on the team too much.

What specifically has made their turnaround so special this year?

I did go to one game last year and got to meet Ted Leonsis. Nice guy, but he does have a good-sized ego on him.

Anyway, to the extent that I care about hockey at all, I hope the Caps do well.

 

[tomson75]

I'm here in Virginia as well, and while I've heard about what the Caps have been doing on 980, I don't follow hockey at all, so I'm not up on the team too much.

What specifically has made their turnaround so special this year?

I did go to one game last year and got to meet Ted Leonsis. Nice guy, but he does have a good-sized ego on him.

Anyway, to the extent that I care about hockey at all, I hope the Caps do well.

Well, for one, I believe they are the first team in NHL history to go from the 14th or worse spot in their conference at the midway point, and make the playoffs (the Caps secured the 3rd seed in their conference by winning 11 of their last 12 games...a small miracle in itself).

They've been one of the best teams in the NHL since firing their coach just short of the midway point...I think at one point they were 8-18-4, and they finished 43-31-8.

They have the most dynamic player in the NHL in Ovechkin, and he's surrounded by several young promising stars in Green, Backstrom, and Semin. Leonsis has faced much criticism for his moves in the past, but after putting these young guys together with some veterans like Fedorov, Nylander, and Cooke, he's reaping the benefits, and the fans are responding like never before.

This series is going to be exciting....game one is currently 4-4 in a back and forth battle.

***** If you've never been to a hockey game, get off your tookus and get some tickets for this playoff series while you can. You can thank me later.

 

[tomson75]

This team is looking pretty special right now. If not, they certainly have a penchant for the dramatic...

....after being down 4-2 after the second period, the young Mike Green gets 2 scores to tie it, and Alexander the Eight finishes them off with 4 minutes left. Caps go up 1-0 in the series with a 5-4 win.

I love this team.

 

[tomson75]

http://proxy.espn.go.com/nhl/notebook?page=nhl_notebook_080412

Led by Mr. Ovechkin, playoff drama in full effect

ESPN.com
Updated: April 12, 2008, 11:44 AM ET
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Greg Fiume/Getty Images
Alex Ovechkin, left, and Mike Green helped the Caps fight back from a 4-2 hole to beat the Flyers.
Five Things We Learned Friday Night

By Scott Burnside

1. This isn't a newsflash, but Friday night's compelling, dramatic contests illustrate vividly why the Stanley Cup playoffs represent the most compelling championship tournaments in all of sports. Not to be too hyperbolic, but what a night of hockey.
Whether it was the wild and woolly shootout in Washington, where the Capitals erased a two-goal deficit to beat Philadelphia 5-4 on Alexander Ovechkin's first playoff goal, or the Pittsburgh Penguins' offensive machine firing on all cylinders as they beat Ottawa 5-3 behind 54 regulation shots, or the second straight overtime game between Colorado and Minnesota, or the war that is the New Jersey Devils-New York Rangers series, it was a night knee-deep in tension and drama.

2. For all of his genius -- and it is substantial -- New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello may have to go back the drawing board to consider his post-lockout team-building strategy. The Devils have scored two goals in the first two games, both losses at home to the cross-river rival Rangers. Meanwhile, former Devil Scott Gomez has four points all by after picking up an assist on the winning goal by Sean Avery. That goal came just 23 seconds after Jaromir Jagr had broken a scoreless tie in the third period. Gomez won two Stanley Cups with New Jersey, but signed a whopper $51.5-million offseason contract to play for the Rangers, leaving a gaping hole in the Devils' offensive lineup that has not been filled. The way this series is going, Lamoriello will be able to start contemplating next season's lineup in about five days.

3. Maybe we shouldn't be surprised after the season he's had, but where does Ovechkin come up with this stuff? After leading the NHL in goals and points and dramatic flare, No. 8 had a tepid start to his playoff career (the shooting machine had just three shots on goal Friday in Game 1 versus the Flyers). But Ovechkin then set up the tying fourth goal early in the third period and later stripped poor Lasse Kukkonen of the puck and beat a flailing Martin Biron with the winner with 4:30 left in the first playoff game in Washington since the spring of 2003. How loud was it in Verizon Center? Sergei Fedorov told Washington Post columnist Mike Wise that it was so raucous, his stick broke and he couldn't hear it. Fedorov added that the Center was the noisiest place he's played in during his Hall of Fame career. Ovechkin led all players with eight hits as the Caps won for the 12th time in their last 13 games.

4. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes this time of year, and there was hardly a less likely hero on the night than 38-year-old Keith Carney, whose goal 1:14 into overtime gave the Minnesota Wild a 3-2 victory over Colorado and evened the series at 1. It was Colorado captain Joe Sakic who scored the winner early in extra time in Game 1, his NHL-record eighth overtime playoff goal. Carney? His seeing-eye shot from the left faceoff circle that eluded Jose Theodore marked his second goal this season. His last postseason goal came in April 1999. Earlier in Game 2, it looked like Colorado's Ryan Smyth was going to be hero of the night when he tied the game on the power play with 44 seconds to play. But it was Carney, a native of Providence, R.I., who got to bask in the glory.

5. And one last thing on the drama-meter. Of the 25 goals scored in Friday's four games, 13 were scored in the third period or overtime.

Scott Burnside is the NHL writer for ESPN.com.

 

[Biggems]

PENGUINS PENGUINS PENGUINS

The ice birds are back baby

 

[tomson75]

PENGUINS PENGUINS PENGUINS

The ice birds are back baby

You guys got lucky in the draw this year. Ottawa is absolutely done for. You might as well have had a bye week. Hopefully we'll see you guys in the next round. I can't imagine the hype for that one....Ovechkin/Backstrom vs Crosby/Malkin....big time stuff there. It'd be huge for the sport.

 

[Biggems]

luck?

Crosby has been hurt twice this year, missed a lot of time. For a good while we were near the lower part of the conference.....Then, hit a hot streak and marched up the standings. We earned our seeding. Every team earned the seedings they earned.

If I am not mistaken, we got Ottawa last year too, and they totally thrashed us.

I don't watch hockey, except when Pittsburgh is on TV down here in San Antonio, which is like almost never. However, I am hoping to see some of the playoff games, cause this team has become really exciting. Crosby gets all the pub, but Malkin can definitely hold his own out there on the ice.

 

[tomson75]

luck?

Crosby has been hurt twice this year, missed a lot of time. For a good while we were near the lower part of the conference.....Then, hit a hot streak and marched up the standings. We earned our seeding. Every team earned the seedings they earned.

If I am not mistaken, we got Ottawa last year too, and they totally thrashed us.

I don't watch hockey, except when Pittsburgh is on TV down here in San Antonio, which is like almost never. However, I am hoping to see some of the playoff games, cause this team has become really exciting. Crosby gets all the pub, but Malkin can definitely hold his own out there on the ice.

Yeah, luck.

I know how the seedings work, but thanks anyhow.

Your team is playing a team that earned their spot through their play in the first half of the season. Ottawa has been losing ground consistently since the midway point, and is totally out of gas.

It came down to the last game of the season between Philly and Pittsburgh. When Philadelphia beat you guys, it catapulted them to the sixth seed from the eighth seed. Hence you guys get to play the beaten up Senators, and the Capitals get to play a very hot Flyers team.

Maybe I should have said "luck of the draw". It wasn't meant to be an offense towards your team. They did earn their seeding, it is Ottawa that probably shouldn't be there. Carolina has been a much better team than they have for the last three months...far more deserving.

 

[Biggems]

Yeah, luck.

I know how the seedings work, but thanks anyhow.

Your team is playing a team that earned their spot through their play in the first half of the season. Ottawa has been losing ground consistently since the midway point, and is totally out of gas.

It came down to the last game of the season between Philly and Pittsburgh. When Philadelphia beat you guys, it catapulted them to the sixth seed from the eighth seed. Hence you guys get to play the beaten up Senators, and the Capitals get to play a very hot Flyers team.

Maybe I should have said "luck of the draw". It wasn't meant to be an offense towards your team. They did earn their seeding, it is Ottawa that probably shouldn't be there. Carolina has been a much better team than they have for the last three months...far more deserving.

Well, the Pens did lose like 3 of their last five or something like that. They had a chance to really take the 1 seed and run, but struggled down the stretch.

I don't know enough about other teams to know who I would and wouldn't want Pittsburgh to play......I just want the Pens to win.

 

[superpunk]

1.) Screw the Penguins. Seriously.

2.) I need to get some tickets. DC101 was having a thing where if you came down and got a mohawk, you'd get free tickeet to last friday's game, but I was out of town. The series is going at least 5, though, so I'll have another chance. Damn Philly goaltending...

 

[superpunk]

Well this kind of sucks.

 

[Biggems]

Doo Bee Doo Bee Doo

Beware Of The Penguins

 

[tomson75]

Well this kind of sucks.

Lmao...I'm telling you. I had these guys just about written off. It looked like they had completely run out of gas.

Now, after being down 3 games to 1 (and outplayed badly in games 2 and 3), they've pulled even with two incredible come from behind games to their credit. Semin is on fire. Brashear and Federov are acting like the cagey vets championship teams always seem to have. Ovechkin looks comfortable for the first time in the playoffs, and we're heading back to home for game 7.

Tonight's game was a sweet win. 4 unanswered goals makes for a comfortable ride home.

I'm going to have to scrounge craigslist for some game 7 tickets. I can't miss this one.

BTW, the fans in philly suck in hockey too....after the Capitals took a 4-2 lead with over ten minutes left, damn near half the crowd left. The other half stayed and booed their team.

Go Caps!

 

[Biggems]

Guess we are gonna draw the Flyers, cause the Crapitals can't get their act together.

 

[tomson75]

Guess we are gonna draw the Flyers, cause the Crapitals can't get their act together.

You're neat.

I guess you missed the fact that we've won the last two games, and that we're taking game 7 back to DC...either that or you can't read. Maybe you're just stupid. "Crapitals" certainly suggests the latter.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=280421015


Capitals score four unanswered goals to force Game 7 vs. Flyers


PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Alexander Ovechkin was truly "Alexander the Great" with the Washington Capitals' season on the line.

Held without a goal for four straight games, Ovechkin scored twice in the third period to lift the Capitals to a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night and send the series back to Washington for a decisive Game 7.

The Capitals have rallied back from a 3-1 hole and have a chance to win only the second Game 7 in franchise history Tuesday night. The other one should be painfully familiar to the Flyers faithful: Dale Hunter scored an overtime goal that led Washington past Philadelphia 20 years ago this month.

The Caps have a shot to advance on home ice thanks to Ovechkin's timely goals. They are trying to become the 21st team in league history to come back from a 3-1 deficit and win a best-of-seven series.

Ovechkin never seemed overly concerned that he hadn't scored a goal since the Game 1 winner. The Flyers had stymied and frustrated the NHL's leading scorer so much that he wasn't much of a factor the last four games.

After the Caps erased a 2-0 deficit late in the second period, Ovechkin made the Flyers pay early in the third.

Viktor Kozlov picked off a pass deep in the Washington zone and fed Ovechkin at center ice. He took the pass and skated untouched before he beat Martin Biron for the breakaway goal and a 3-2 lead 2:46 into the third period.

Ovechkin was just heating up. He ripped a one-timer on a cross-ice pass from Brooks Laich eight minutes later to give Washington a two-goal lead.

All those Flyers fans who had taunted Ovechkin for three games suddenly fell silent. The only noise heard at the end were the Capitals banging their sticks on the boards in celebration.

The Caps will play Pittsburgh with a series win. The Flyers would get Montreal.

The sold-out crowd was dressed in their matching orange T-shirts and they only grew louder as goals from Daniel Briere and Mike Richards put the Flyers up 2-0 in the second.

The Capitals, who rallied from a two-goal hole in Game 1 to win on Ovechkin's game winner, pulled through again.

Nicklas Backstrom pulled the Caps within one with this third goal of the series midway through the second.

Alexander Semin's third goal of the series with 1:57 left tied the score at 2. Biron was sprawled in the crease after he made a sensational save to stop John Erskine's shot, leaving Semin with a clear look for the easy goal.

Cristobal Huet made 33 saves for Washington, settling in to have a good night after a tough start.

The Flyers were cruising when Briere scored his NHL-best sixth playoff goal for a 2-0 lead only 1:18 into the second. The goal made the Flyers 2-for-2 on the power play -- Richards scored one 3:49 into the game -- after they entered 6-for-26.

Richards' goal was a positive sign that it could be the Flyers night: The team that scored first was 5-0 in the series.

Now make it 5-1.

Game notes
Flyers defenseman Jaroslav Modry was scratched. ... Richards has a point his last four games. ... Semin has a four-game scoring streak.

 

[Biggems]

You're neat.

I guess you missed the fact that we've won the last two games, and that we're taking game 7 back to DC...either that or you can't read. Maybe you're just stupid. "Crapitals" certainly suggests the latter.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=280421015


Capitals score four unanswered goals to force Game 7 vs. Flyers


PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Alexander Ovechkin was truly "Alexander the Great" with the Washington Capitals' season on the line.

Held without a goal for four straight games, Ovechkin scored twice in the third period to lift the Capitals to a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night and send the series back to Washington for a decisive Game 7.

The Capitals have rallied back from a 3-1 hole and have a chance to win only the second Game 7 in franchise history Tuesday night. The other one should be painfully familiar to the Flyers faithful: Dale Hunter scored an overtime goal that led Washington past Philadelphia 20 years ago this month.

The Caps have a shot to advance on home ice thanks to Ovechkin's timely goals. They are trying to become the 21st team in league history to come back from a 3-1 deficit and win a best-of-seven series.

Ovechkin never seemed overly concerned that he hadn't scored a goal since the Game 1 winner. The Flyers had stymied and frustrated the NHL's leading scorer so much that he wasn't much of a factor the last four games.

After the Caps erased a 2-0 deficit late in the second period, Ovechkin made the Flyers pay early in the third.

Viktor Kozlov picked off a pass deep in the Washington zone and fed Ovechkin at center ice. He took the pass and skated untouched before he beat Martin Biron for the breakaway goal and a 3-2 lead 2:46 into the third period.

Ovechkin was just heating up. He ripped a one-timer on a cross-ice pass from Brooks Laich eight minutes later to give Washington a two-goal lead.

All those Flyers fans who had taunted Ovechkin for three games suddenly fell silent. The only noise heard at the end were the Capitals banging their sticks on the boards in celebration.

The Caps will play Pittsburgh with a series win. The Flyers would get Montreal.

The sold-out crowd was dressed in their matching orange T-shirts and they only grew louder as goals from Daniel Briere and Mike Richards put the Flyers up 2-0 in the second.

The Capitals, who rallied from a two-goal hole in Game 1 to win on Ovechkin's game winner, pulled through again.

Nicklas Backstrom pulled the Caps within one with this third goal of the series midway through the second.

Alexander Semin's third goal of the series with 1:57 left tied the score at 2. Biron was sprawled in the crease after he made a sensational save to stop John Erskine's shot, leaving Semin with a clear look for the easy goal.

Cristobal Huet made 33 saves for Washington, settling in to have a good night after a tough start.

The Flyers were cruising when Briere scored his NHL-best sixth playoff goal for a 2-0 lead only 1:18 into the second. The goal made the Flyers 2-for-2 on the power play -- Richards scored one 3:49 into the game -- after they entered 6-for-26.

Richards' goal was a positive sign that it could be the Flyers night: The team that scored first was 5-0 in the series.

Now make it 5-1.

Game notes
Flyers defenseman Jaroslav Modry was scratched. ... Richards has a point his last four games. ... Semin has a four-game scoring streak.

Wow they played game 6 already....The Crapitals won huh? GO CRAPITALS....I think Philly would give the Pens a much tougher time than the team from DC....all the Pens have to do is hold down Ovechkin and the series is theirs....

 

[tomson75]

Wow they played game 6 already....The Crapitals won huh? GO CRAPITALS....I think Philly would give the Pens a much tougher time than the team from DC....all the Pens have to do is hold down Ovechkin and the series is theirs....

Well seeing as how you've already admitted that you don't even watch hockey on a regular basis, I'd say what you think is pretty much crap. Why don't you go "crap" in someone else's thread since you obviously don't have anything valuable to offer to this one. K?

However, the Penguins will be heavily favored if the Capitals advance. Teams that have uneducated, bandwagon fans such as yourself tend to be heavily favored. Weird how that works out, huh?

 

[superpunk]

lol, I thought it was unfair of Locker to say that the Philly fans were leaving. "Maybe they're just going to the bathroom" I said.

Then I definitely heard them booing their team when the team still had a chance for a comeback!

What a garbage sports town.

What's that?

Alexander the Great?

**** yeah.