| 26 April 2009
What a strange series this is turning out to be. First, the Capitals go down 3-1 and can't seem to figure out goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Then, John Tortorella explodes and Rangers fans turn into Maude Flanders screaming "Somebody please think of the children!" To top it all off, someone has been bitten.
Caps win 5-3 in Game Six as they trounce the Rangers while Tortorella watches from a dark, empty suite high above MSG.
Capitals actually got off to a shaky start and, in the beginning, Simeon Varlamov didn't look as sharp as we're used to, but that was quickly corrected as the Caps bulldozed their way over the Rangers. Three defenders contributed to the scoring, and Mike Green finally showed up to play in his best game of the series thus far.
Okay, take a deep breath. Relax -- now remember that Game Seven has not been played, not been won, and anything can happen. The Capitals came into last year's Game Seven on a wave of momentum, much like they are riding now, so before we go and declare ourselves the series winner (like Mike Milbury did for us...jackass) let's get to Game Seven and win that.
The Good
- Capitals defenders contributing to the scoring has to lead this off. Jurcina, Poti and Green all notched goals, and Poti had the best game of his career as a Capital.
- Mike Green is alive, we hope. Greenie notched his first goal of the series, but he looked much more confident on the ice, which is a very good thing.
- Alex Ovechkin is in another gear right now. He's battling, he's driving, he's doing just about anything you can ask of him. Good Lord, I can't wait to see him Tuesday night.
- Nik Antropov's freak-out just confirms how frustrating playing an offensive game with the Capitals can be.
- Sean Avery continues to be the best Capital on the ice. He was a -2 and spent 19 minutes on the ice. Why the Rangers think they can count on him boggles my mind, but he did get an assist. I guess that guarantees more ice time next game?
- Caps owned the faceoff circle yet again. All but one Cap (David Steckel) were above 50%. Fedorov stands out though, winning 12/17.
- Seeing Henrik Lundqvist on the bench to start the third for yet another game was just astounding.
The Bad
- Far too many stupid boarding, roughing and other nonsensical hitting penalties that lead to Rangers power plays.
- Maybe it was the early start, but the Rangers almost took control of the game early, and Varlamov did not look his best in the opening minutes.
- Caps intensity for offense really tapered off in the third. This can't happen Tuesday; the Caps need to have a killer instinct all game long.
- While Poti did have his best game of his Caps career, he did also get a delay-of-game call, the most undisciplined penalty of all.
- Caps were actually outshot in this game, 32-22, and it was fairly consistent (11, 10, 11) for the Rangers. While most of the shots weren't coming from high-scoring areas, it's a notable difference from the 20- to 21-shot nights of before. The D's been great, but they loosened up a bit in this one toward the end
The Ugly
- Donald Brashear's hit on Blair Betts. It was dirty, and while it sounds horrible, he just did the Caps power play a huge favor. Betts is one of the Rangers' best penalty killers. Not how I'd like beat the Rangers penalty kill, but it is what it is.
Your Tweets - Want to see your messages appear on Caps Kremlin? Follow CapsFans and tweet during the game!
randallboe A good win, but hope it doesn't get uglier. That's Rangers hockey, not Caps hockey.
Mulator Caps played an exceptional game! Love the irrelevance of Avery and Lundqvist in this game
TillyCapsFan Hard to keep focus with a 5-1 lead and 20 min to play; those 2 Rangers goals may help the Caps stay hungry for Tuesday.
blazingmoon simeon varlamov...the 3rd rookie goalie to win a stanley cup!?
Hanky77 callahan should have gotten an oscar for that flop
BanginPanger Does it not seem like Eddie O. is rootin' for the Rangers?
gigatronik I lost five pounds from jumping around and cheering so much ROCK THE RED!! SHED THE POUNDS
kcunning I've never seen a fan base walk as early as Rangers fans
Let's Go Caps! And remember, Tuesday night is Water Bottle Night!
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
