Stanley Cup Playoffs - Caps vs Habs Game 4

Semyon Varlamov is the man. Mike Green and the rest of the Caps defense owes this guy a beer. Varly turned into the Varly all of Caps nation fell in love with last year. His second period prompted Joe B to proclaim "He's back." And without Varly coming up big in the second period this series looks a lot different.

Alex Ovechkin finally broke the Caps power play drought in the first period but a a minute later the Canadiens beat Varlamov to tie the game. I don't blame Varly for that goal because the defense in this game really let him down. The second period looked a lot like game 1 and game 2. A lot of mismanaged puck handling between the blue lines, poor defensive play, and a lot of pressure made things tough for the Caps in the second period. Varly saw 21 shots and only surrendered 1 goal on a Canadiens power play. The saves Varly made were incredible. He was the Caps penalty kill and kept that Caps in a game that could've been ugly fast. The Caps just couldn't get anything going in the second period.

The Caps ended the second period with a short handed breakaway by Boyd Gordon leading to a Knuble goal. And when he scored Bell Centre went dead silent.

The third period saw Ovechkin and Chimera score to go up by two. They put in an empty netter, got a little lazy and saw the Habs score and then put in another empty netter to win Game 4 and take a 3-1 series lead.

I saw a bunch of issues in the game and although I don't think any of them preventing the Caps from winning this series but it is a slight cause for concern going forward.

The biggest issue I had with tonight was the Caps got away from what made game 3 so good; the Caps weren't crashing the net and getting rebounds to score goals. The Caps had a lot of good scoring chances but there were a lot of rebounds just laying there with Price out of position and if the Caps had done a better job getting to the net this game would've been over in the first period. Defense clearly isn't the Caps strong suit so they need to make sure they get the puck in deep, forecheck, and get the rebounds and score. Score early, score often.

And that brings me to my second point of concern... Defense. SOmething is wrong with Mike Green. He seemed to shy away from getting hit tonight and he was out of position of the first Canadiens goal. The Gomez breakaway from game 2 had Green lagging behind the play. I don't know if he's hurt, sick, or just terrible in the playoffs but something's wrong.

Also on the defense is Tyler Sloan. Shaone Morrisonn was out tonight and I can see why Erskine wasn't activated for tonights game but the defense can't have Tyler Sloan, forward converted to defenseman out there going forward. Sorry Sloan, I don't like it when you're on the ice.

Game 5 on Friday should be a good one. I have complete confidence the Caps will close out this series on Friday and send the Habs back to Canada crying.

Birds and Cages

So this blog has become my own personal hockey column as of late and it will probably continue to be for some time. But maybe it's time for something a little different.

Life never works the way the expect and dealing with that can be tough. And honestly, I don't deal with that well. Vince Anderson at Revolution NYC talked about mourning our dreams and that struck a chord with me. Sometimes we need to let dreams die and sometimes we need to let go of dead dreams so we can grab hold of new dreams. Sometimes we just need to dream.

I guess my biggest thing right now is not being one of Job's friends. They were so convinced that Job has sinned and done something wrong ad God was punishing him for his sin despite Job's claims of innocence. I think it's easy for me to wonder if things aren't happening in my life because of sin and if I would only get things straight then God will open the floodgates. And so I rack myself with guilt trying to figure out how I failed God.

But I don't think God wants me to become one of Job's friends. Because I'm unproductive when I spend all my time in guilt and not spending my time praising God and living for him. Repentance is great and God wants us to repent but I become pretty useless to his purpose when I'm miserable and spending all my time beating myself up.

The truth is I'm selfish and my outlook needs to be refocused. God is good and it's really about what God has done for me.

The rest of the Stanley Cup playoffs

I'm not only watching the Caps and honestly, it's been an interesting playoffs so far. The home teams are struggling a bit. I'll start with the rest of the Eastern Conference.

Philadelphia vs New Jersey:
I kept hearing that Philly wasn't a team you wanted to play in the first round and they've handled New Jersey pretty well. Boucher has been pretty solid in net for Philly and they need that if they're going to get anywhere. I'm not sure the Devils can put together a win streak and take control of this series. They haven't been able to generate enough offense and Philly has been a scrapy team and getting to Brodeur. I like Philly winning this series but it might take 7 games to do so.

Buffalo vs Boston:
With Vanek out the Sabres are in trouble. Yes, Miller is great in goal and he can keep them in games but you need to score to win games and these tight 2-1 games are going to be tough for Buffalo to get. Boston has a tough defense with Chara leading the way. If Cooke comes back for the Bruins it'll be lights out for Buffalo. I'm not willing to tip my hand to Boston yet because Ryan Miller has been outstanding in goal. But this series probably also goes 7 games.

Pittsburgh vs Ottawa:
I thought this would be a close series but with Pittsburgh taking the series lead I'm giving this series to the Penguins in 5. Ottawa will have to do something tonight to get me to change my mind. I don't think the Sens have enough to stop Crosby and Malkin and I feel like Pittsburgh is beginning to hit their stride and they could be tough going forward. Pittsburgh's goaltending might be a cause for concern going forward but I don't think Ottawa will be much trouble/


Western Conference

San Jose vs Colorado:
Poor San Jose. They can't catch a break. They lose game 1 at home causing everyone to go ahead and call this another year where San Jose can't get it done in the playoffs. Then with the series tied at 1 a piece they make a huge mistake at the beginning of overtime; the defense puts the puck into their own net and Colorado gets the win. It's embarrassing. Goaltending was a huge problem in the first two games of the series and the Avalanche could very easily be up 3-0 in this series. And I'm not buying into San Jose. I don't think Colorado has any real punch going forward in the playoffs but I like them beating the Sharks in 6.

Detroit vs Phoenix:
Bryzgalov. Remember that name. Hockey town might be the favorites in this series but the Coyotes are the number 4 seed and were one of the hottest teams going into the playoffs. Bryzgalov has been the man in goal and I like Phoenix's chance against Detroit in this series. The Red Wings won't lie down so I'm seeing a hard fought 7 game series but the Coyotes are coming out the victors.

Chicago vs Nashville:
Despite dropping game 1 and despite Nashville's goaltender Rinne playing great I still like Chicago. I think in Nashville tonight, they'll manage to take game 3-1 and win this series in 6. The Blackhawks are the better team and even though these series have all been pretty even matched and surprising to some extent, I still think Chicago takes their experience from last year and put this series to rest. Rinne will be tough to beat in goal but the Hawks have enough weapons to make it happen. They won't need to score much more then 2 or 3 goals a game to win.

Vancouver vs LA
Hello LA. The Kings are the most surprising series leader of this years playoffs so far. LA has been fantastic on the power play and were 3 for 3 last night in the victory that sent Luongo to the bench. Quick has made the big saves when he had to and the Kings are being tough on the forecheck. Vancouver can still pull this series out and I'll still give the Canucks an advantage in this series but it'll take 7. I'll Vancouver in 7 but they need to be better on the penalty kill or LA will win this series in 6.

The Meltdown

I figured I'd post this here to.

Stanley Cup Playoffs - Caps vs Habs Game 3

Wow. Now that was the Caps team I'm used to seeing play. That's the team I've bee waiting for 2 games to see. The Caps took game three 5-1. They take the series lead 2-1 and more importantly, they made a statement.

The first period wasn't terrible for the Caps. They had some bad passes in the offensive zone, the penalty kill wasn't as solid as I thought it could've been and they were a lot of breakaway chances for the Canadiens.

Jose Theodore got the hook tonight and Varly was the goalie for the game and all I have to say is thank god. This was playoff Varly from last year and the saves he made in the first period were incredible and heart stopping at times. It was good to see Var so good again. He was lights out and the goal he gave up was on a Habs power play and the defense let him down.

The goal scoring tonight came from everyone: Gordon, Fehr, Ovechkin, Laich, and Bradley. Five different goal scorers, and with the exception of Ovie all the scoring game from the 3rd and 4th lines. The Caps are a high powered offense and putting up four goals in the second period shut up Bell Centre fast. The first period had Bell Centre loud. Really loud. But after three goals and Halak getting the hook, the noisy arena turned into a library. And it was great!

I know Gabby was saying Theo could start in goal on Wednesday but it's going to be hard to pull Varly after how good he was tonight. It was a great moved and Bruce looks like a genius because of it. I don't think anyone will question him if he gives Theo the nod for game 4 but I don;t see a reason to go with Theo when Varly has played well against the Canadiens this years.

I like the Caps chances to make this a 5 game series. If they can put together a game like tonight on Wednesday, I think that will completely demoralize the Canadiens. My point of concern is the Caps have yet to score on the power play and Green and Semin haven't contributed like they need to for this team to make the finals. If Green and Semin can get rolling and the Caps figure out hwo to beat the Habs power play, this series is in the bag and the Caps can have a day or so of extra rest before round 2. I don't doubt the Caps winning this series, I would just like to see them figure some things out before they get deeper into the playoffs. But tonights game was very hopeful and a step in the right direction.

Stanley Cup Playoffs - Caps vs Habs Game 2

A little late getting this post up. Game 2 was exciting. I'm kind of happy I missed the first period and only heard the second on the radio.

Being up 4-1 in the NHL is usually enough and the way the Canadiens defense had been playing I'm sure they probably felt like they could keep it up. And then Nick Backstrom happened. A goal late in the second to cut the lead to two before the second period ended and then a goal sandwiched between goals from Ovechkin and Carlson. Plekanec scored for the Habs late in the third to take back the lead and then John Carlson scored with just over a minute left to take the game to overtime. And then 30 seconds into over Backstrom lit the lamp for the win, getting the hat trick and tying the series at 1 game a piece.

Backstrom stepped up in a big way Saturday night and John Carlson has continued to be the best defenseman on the ice for the Caps in the playoffs. Ovechkin drove the net, got big hits, and scored a goal, all things that need to happen if the Caps are going to win this series. And I have a feeling this series could take a real quick turn in the Caps favor.

Jose Theodore was pulled after he gave up two goals on two shots, a move Boudreau said was to try and give the bench a lift. And yes Varly still gave up three goals but he played well (you have to remember the Caps defense don't always make it easy for the goaltenders). This move has led to the question, who will start in net on Monday night? Theo or Varly? And it's almost a 50/50 tossup. But my opinion is Theo will be in goal come game time. Last season saw Jose pulled in game two only to have Varly become an instant love for Caps fans. But Gabby's a good coach and I think this year is different. Theo has played really well all season and although he has given up some soft goals in this series, the defense and the play between the blue lines hasn't made it easy for him.

If the move on Saturday was to try and help the bench and give the team a little life, then having Varly start on Monday doesn't make sense. Theo wants to start Monday night. He wants to play better and help his team win this series and win the Stanley Cup. And if Theo gets the defensive help he needs and if the offense can produce like they did in the third period of Saturday's game, Theo will be just fine in goal. I think Boudreau will give Theo the nod in game three but I wouldn't be surprised if Varly started game 4 or 5. I think the plan all along has been to run with both goalies and if one got hot to ride him but I don't think Theodore was ever going to get the nod for every game of the playoffs.

There has been some stellar goal tending in this years playoffs but there's also been a lot of scoring. Where there have been some amazing saves and some real highlight reel stuff, the scoring in about half the games has been crazy. The Caps are good at scoring. Scoring 2 goals in game one was shocking. I think I can count on one hand the times the Caps have scored only two goals in a game this season. They are a high powered offense and it'll be hard for even the best goaltenders to keep them under 3 goals a game. The Habs defense in game 1 was amazing and it looked good for two periods in game 2. But one the Caps started coming straight down the middle in the third period and driving the net, they made it really hard for the Habs defense to stop them. You'll see more of that in game 3.

My final thought is simple; The Caps need to be better on the power play. The Canadiens have done a great job defending the umbrella and taking away the passing lanes that make the Caps power play affective. Boudreau is going to need to figure out how to score with the man advantage. To really take hold of this series and crush the Habs, they're going to have to score on the power play.

Rock the Red!

Stanley Cup Playoffs - Caps vs Habs Game 1

I'll probably post my blog thoughts on each of the games for as long as the Caps go through the playoffs (although I'll miss part of the game on Saturday).

So the Caps dropped game 1 in overtime. A stunning 3-2 loss that I think really had all of Caps nation in stunned silence. I was shocked. Not so much shocked on how they lost, just that they did. I was covering this game for Washing Sports Jam and I had tweeted that one of the poor passing turnovers was going to end up being the killer and in the end it was.

The Caps had a pretty strong 1st period. They out shot the Canadiens 19-7. A power play goal given up, followed by a Joe Corvo slapshot ended the first period 1-1 and all seemed ok. Halak looked god but the feeling was that if the Caps kept up their intensity, they would beat Halak and put this game away in the second.

But they didn't. Knd of back and forth for the first 10 minutes of the second period and then the Habs turned it on. They had a nice long shift from their top line in their offensive zone to keep the pressure on Theo and to wear down the Caps. No goals in the second period but things weren't looking great.

The third period brought a Backstrom goal that lifted Verizon Center and my hopes. A 2-1 lead was nice and if the Caps could keep the pressure on and could get another goal then the game would be over and the Caps would take game one. But on a nice breakaway Gomez was left open and had an open net that tied the game up.

The end of the third period and overtime was some sloppy play. Poor passing from the Caps through the middle that just seemed lackluster and half-hearted, like they didn't need to try hard because they could come back and score at will. But the Canadiens' defense was strong and held the Caps, continuing to force turnovers between the blue lines and in overtime one of those turnovers led to the Habs game winning goal.

First off, Theo was strong in goal. All I've heard for two days is how the Caps can only go as far as their goaltender will allow them and to be honest, I'm confident in Theo's abilities as a goalie to keep the Caps in games and winning games. He made a lot of great saves to keep the game going as long as it did. Theo went 30-7-7 this year. That's pretty good. In fact, that's really good. Yes it helps when your team can score 4 or 5 goals a game but Theo's been a monster all year and in the Caps defense was better, Theo would be getting more respect.

Ovie had no shots tonight... And although I think for the Caps to be successful in the playoffs Ovechkin has to be scoring but I don't blame him for tonight. The defense played him well. Which is my second point, The Caps have to find a way to beat the Canadiens' defense. The Habs play team defense. WHen the Caps would get the puck and try to start a breakaway their would be all five of the Canadiens' back on defense. They did a good job of protecting Halak and a great job at clogging up the middle. The Caps need to have better passing between the blue lines and they need to beat the defense.

Lastly the Caps need to shoot the puck. They had a 2 on 1 and a 3 on 2 where they got on shot of goal. That's a problem. The 3 on 2 had Halak on his bely and Backstrom didn't pull the trigger. On Wednesday night all four of the playoff games had goals scored that were taken from bad angles or blind shots that got redirected for goals. The shots don't have to be pretty or perfect but you have to pressure Halak if you want to win.

I'm upset I'll miss most of game 2 but I look for the Caps to play much much better then they did tonight and I look for Ovie to have a goal. Down 1-0 sucks but I'm not counting the Caps out.