East
_ _ _ _ _

PHI v PIT
NJD v TB
CBJ v WAS
TOR v BOS



West
_ _ _ _ _

MIN v the 'Peg
Kings v Knights
SJ v ANA
COL v NSH

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Caps enter with their weakest team in years (that's bad)
But they're playing well (that's good)
But Brooks Orpik is still a regular starter (that's bad)
But they're starting a hot goalie (that's good)
But the team is cursed (that's bad)
But they have The Three Russian Machines (that's good)

I'll go with the easy pick: Nashville takes the cup. Tampa's been playing like ass for months now. And I still can't accept that Boston is actually good.

Here's hoping that PIT/PHI is a flaming pile of a circus freak show just like it was a few years back.

I'm very interested to see how the 'Peg and Vegas do out west.

Personally I am already mentally prepared for the Caps to lose to Pit in the 2nd round.

Cavs, Cubs, Eagles all recently won. This year the cup needs to go to Canada again finally.

Caps gonna win it all on a 16-0 run.

They are probably closer to Eagles/Cavs in this situation

Cubs are more tied to Toronto in the history and importance to the sport and history of it.

Also I'd just rather see Toronto win.

Caps have never won a cup, have only been to the finals *once* and that was in the previous century.

Shit they've only been to the *conference* finals twice in 40+ seasons

I believe they've choked more 3-1 leads than any team in NHL history.

They're 1-7 (!) all time in the playoffs vs their current arch rival, including losing to them in the playoffs of *every* season Pittsburgh won a cup.

The history of Caps misery is long and nearly unparalleled in modern professional sports.

An entire city with 0 championships is big, even if the Cavs are the least interesting/cursed of the 3, it felt like it counted more because of that.

You're right though, I think Hockey's distant 4th place among the 4 sports makes the Caps struggles feel less than a team like the Eagles.

Either way I'll still never root for them.

in this manner.

I know we're not winning it all and am 100% ok with that.

I just don't want to go down round 1 to the Flyers and have to hear their fans act like beating us is as good as winning back to back cups.

Of course I also don't want to lose to the Capitals and hear all the monkey off their back stories.

Eh fuck it, let's just win it all again and save all these issues.

yikes

(besides from Crosby being magic again knocking yet another puck into the net from mid air)

https://twitter.com/mattlightcomedy/status/984227232397840384

hits too close home, but still: lol

we playing with house money.

joint look like it was directed by Hype Williams.

>

Blow a 2 goal lead. Blow another lead by taking an offensive zone tripping penalty with under 5 minutes left. Lose in OT.

Sun rises. Sun sets.

Fucking unforced offensive zone penalties. One with less than 5 min left.

Without exaggerating, I think it was one of the most Caps playoff games I've seen.

i was just talking to some friends in our groupchat about the Caps always blowing it. then i flipped to Atlanta and forgot to check the score after it

Between his legs, between the defender’s legs, beats Bernier. Playoff Forsberg in full effect

https://streamable.com/48zrc

but I got a bunch of family in Nashville who are huge sports fans so I'm happy for them at least.

They're an extremely likeable team and going to a game there was great.

I saw all I needed to see in Game 1, and so last night I chose to do something else with my night rather than suffer through another game of blown leads, awful mistakes, and an OT loss.

I feel like my life decisions are finally getting better.

Agree.

https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/wj7bbn/the-washington-capitals-have-to-be-doing-this-on-purpose

Coming in I thought there could be a lot of long series but only like one road team winning. Looks like we will have two.

Caps-Jackets, I mean it is seriously harder to LOSE the way the Caps are losing than it is to WIN. This is a real achievement in failure. Blown leads, missed chances, heartbreaking losses, this series has it all. The calloused hearts of Caps fans can take it, a less jaded fan base surely would be on suicide watch after losing two home games to a wild card in that fashion. I think Columbus can beat the Penguins in the next round, too. They have a good team and came on strong late in the year after a saggy ass midseason. They are still a heavy team with a good goalie and now they have a lot of skill. The Hawks are dumb for trading Panarin, which was apparent as soon as they did it. Really the Hawks had a horrible offseason, maybe worse than Montreal, the Rangers, the Caps and the Kings, though they were all rotten.

Flyers-Penguins, eh, the Flyers are so bipolar that it might go 7 but they won't win. Future is bright for Philly though, guys like Provorov and Konecny are just scratching the surface of what they can do, the stars are back in form, Coots is now a bonafide star and they have guys like Hart and Frost in the system. Nice job by Hextall but it won't pay off this year. The Pens are a tough out but they don't have it all firing either. We'll see what they can do against more consistent teams that have goaltending, in fact we will see in the next round.

Bs-Leafs, I mean I don't get why people picked Toronto. They won the season series, which means fuck all, the Devils also won the season series against Tampa and only contrarian morons who hadn't seen either team were taking the Devils. The Leafs have a shitty defense and their best defensive forward got shitcanned in Game 1. The only thing holding Boston back from the Cup is being banged up, at 100% they are the best team in the league IMHO.

Bolts-Devils, I mean what can be said about the Devils' depth scoring that hasn't already been said about Afghanistan? They are a one-man team with a decent defense and maybe-maybe-not goaltending. I don't wanna say this was like getting a bye for Tampa but it was close.

Preds-Avs, hey the Avs are full of piss and vinegar but they only have three players you can really hang your hat on and the Preds have played half assed and still won. Mismatch here, the Preds have way more depth, defense and goaltending, which is pretty much the checklist of what matters in a playoff series. Nice to see McKinnon back in the playoffs though. This Avs team got a nice reset and will be good in the future; they are back on track.

WPG-Minnie, no Suter hurts Minnie or this could have been a great series. Nice pushback yesterday but I expect the Jets to be much better in Game 4. The Jets are so slept on, maybe a function of their location. Show me a team with this much skill up front and size on the back end that wasn't picked widely to win the Cup. I had them against Boston in the Final. If you haven't watched them, do yourself a favor and tune in. Wheeler had an incredible season, Scheifele is a stud, Laine is Ovechkin 2.0 and guys like Ehlers and Connor are really solid as well. Byfuglien is entertaining as hell and one of several big boys (BIG BOYEEEEEES!) they have on D.

Vegas-LAK frankly I was expecting a long series and gave the Kings as good of a chance as Columbus for an upset. The Doughty suspension hurt. The series is very close yet it could be over in four games. You wonder where the Kings go from here. Not much flexibility and not much in the system, but they need to get better. They are also facing Doughty's UFA status a year from now. Tough decisions ahead but in some ways they went in the right direction. Vegas I think has a sound shot in the next round (likely vs SJ) and their future is bright. If they return this same roster next year, they won't get the same results, but they have good prospects and lots of flexibility. They caked like Betty Crocker off that expansion draft setup, great management.

Ducks-Sharks is a boring series and it shouldn't have been. The Ducks started the season injured and never recovered. At 100% they were contenders but they haven't been anywhere near 100% all year. Sharks are just a sound team, nothing fancy, but effective. Kane was a nice addition, glad to see him in the playoffs finally. Maybe Jumbo returns later, that'll help their PP and let them slot guys in where they belong up front. DeBoer is a very good coach, it'll be interesting to see how he attacks the Vegas system, which is pretty tough. That will be a good series but I am hoping Anaheim can redeem this one a little. They have been pretty flat in the first two games, neutral zone play really sucks.

but jesus fucking christ is this a poorly coached team, with a head coach who's still picking starters based on offensive strategies from 1995.

This man actually actively sat Jakub Vrana, virtually the only forward on the team with elite speed.

Oh, Vrana also single handedly created the only ES goal in Game 1.

Trotz: BENCH HIM FOR GAME 2!

And the next time Trotz doesn't get out-coached in a series will be the first time.

Probably would have happened with anything short of a Stanley Cup but he just made their decision a lot easier.

Trotz does not get along with the FO for openers and I think that situation has been tense for a couple years. Even last season when they went all in, you got the sense he didn't care for the guys they got.

Then you have the fact that teams have requested permission to talk to Reirden and they have denied it.

The other neat and tidy thing, and I might be wrong on this, and that Trotz's contract is coming up, his assistants have a year left on their deals.

and I'm certain Reirdan is promised the job.

but why in the blue fuck did they keep Trotz after last year?

He was brought in for one reason: win a 2nd round series.

He loses in the second round in each of his first three years and they keep him on for a 4th season? what the fuck

No clue why Trotz was hired to take a team past the second round, absolutely zero track record of being able to do so. I guess you could make the argument that he got mos for his teams to overachieve but the few years we came in with really solid teams it was dump and chase and the same old same old. I love the guy but not sure why anyone thought he’d have a clue how to drive the Ovi sportscar w his style

was a major question we were all asking when he was hired.

Answer: not really. Ovi is gonna Ovi. But the bottom 6 production is a joke. And young players regularly get benched for inferior veterans.

He benched our fastest, youngest player after Game 1 in this damn series, even though he set up the only ES goal in Game 1.

I thought Trotz was a fine hire. I was fine giving him two seasons, MAYBE three.

Not firing him after three straight 2nd round losses, including two straight to an arch rival you should have been able to beat, is one of the great mysteries of human history.

No message

even if the bullshit expansion rules robbed the Caps of one of their best young players.

But that would have hurt Orpik's deployments lol

my guess is that McPhee was asking a mighty high price to lay off 88.

but who knows what it was.

Caps youth isn't deep right now, so giving up a prospect would have been tough.

Asshole still should have taken Grubauer though.

Generally speaking he wanted a first or a solid player to stay away from guys like that, more than that if you wanted him to take a shitty contract instead.

There were some teams in a bad spot like Washington and Anaheim. I think the Ducks gave up the right guy because the alternatives were Vatanen (more trade value) and Montour (who is going to be VERY good). The Caps were pretty much down to those two guys, they would have preferred to lose Grubauer but weren't willing to give enough to make him the guy.

Then other teams just bungled the whole process, but they were the ones you'd expect like Florida and I guess the Islanders. Columbus, eh, I dunno, I won't fault them.

You're saying he's better than your 1st round pick.

That's a tough call. Schmidt looks like he'll be a good player, top pair player. But I don't think he'll ever be "great". So do you take the known quantity, or keep your late first round pick?

Tough call.

There was a glut of goalies, otherwise I feel like Grubauer would have had more value. If Fleury wasn't available, Grubauer becomes much more attractive.

Though I would have considered trading a first and a player if McPhee would have taken Orpik's contract and laid off Schmidt.

Anyway, this VGK expansion situation was wild and I don't expect Seattle to have it nearly as good.

For them to take a shitty contract, too, it would have been more expensive. Look at what Columbus had to give to get them to take the Clarkson contract. A first, a third and Karlsson. Let's say Karlsson was just a very good third-liner instead of a top 10 MVP candidate, that's still a lot.

I also think Orpik would have been a tough sell to Vegas. A lot of these shit contracts they were able to bury on LTIR but they would actually have had to play Orpik so he'd count against their cap and completely disrupt what they want to do defensively. He is not their style of DMan at all.

https://streamable.com/o8nj9

He promised they’d come back to DC tied at 2.

What a performance! 20 saves in the third period! Dude was in rare form, I was excited when he got the start but DAMN. Bernier ain't seeing the ice in this series, healthy or not.

The big guns got that first goal back for him.

What a game by Josi. PK wasn't really cookin' tonight but congrats on the Norris nomination.

I hope this goes 7, fuck it, why not?

All credit to the Avs, glad we didn't go 7.

That was the first game we played all 60 minutes, felt good.

let that shit sink in.

since then, and every team has one in their history.

Go back to 00-01, since then every single franchise has won at least one playoff series except the Florida Panthers. The Knights are an expansion team and they have one! The Wild came into the league the same year in their third season they were in the conference finals (as were the Panthers, actually the Stanley Cup Final, but it was before the Jackets were in the league).

They are a genuinely pathetic organization, they just don't have the long track record of it that some others do. It's a shame because they have some players I really like watching.

BOS vs. TOR. 2013 all over again.

-Ovi

>Personally I am already mentally prepared for the Caps to lose
>to Pit in the 2nd round.

The Pens offense was on fire in round 1 but not much else. Offense slows down.

This team can't keep going, they just can't.

Caps in 6 followed by Washington fans acting like this cements them as the winners of the rivalry for good.

>Caps in 6 followed by Washington fans acting like this cements
>them as the winners of the rivalry for good.

Idiots on the internet probably.

But the best (only) Caps blog I read (the one at sb nation) knows damn well what's what.

someone posted a thread asking the value of a game worn ovechkin jersey. i basically told the guy you have to tell us more but start at 3000 and go up from there depending on numerous factors. some "rock the red" weiner responded accusing me of misinforming the guy and trying to steal his jersey at a cut rate. i had not seen the shirt nor had anyone else. i explained that we didn't know any specifics but yeah obviously it could be worth three or four times 3K, it just depends. he started insulting me and so forth and i just said "fuck you" and moved on. then the physical threats started and i get an inbox (after which he blocked me like a coward) that says "you follow n****r ball, no sense trying to have intelligent banter with you." this was ridiculous and offensive on so many levels. i investigated the guy, some ex-army, ex-corrections officer asshole. would love to fuck him over for it but it's on the back-burner.

people are picking the caps in this series. i am not. they look good but they have to prove history wrong first.

back 2 back 2 back

I've found myself rooting for the Leafs despite what a dickhead Nazem Kadri is. Then again, Kadri isn't half as dirty as Marchand.

Two reasons:

1. I think mostly because they're less scary going forward than the Bruins. Think with each round the pressure will mount on them, and think they're too young still to cope

2. Buck Foston

So for Round 2,

Tampa Bay vs. Boston
Washington vs. Pittsburgh

Vegas vs. San Jose
Nashville vs. Winnipeg

I made all my picks before the playoffs started. I had Sharks out in Round 1 (only series I got wrong) but maybe they will win this series. They sure didn't get off to a great start. WPG, BOS and PIT are a little nicked up, we'll see if it hurts them. I love what Winnipeg has going on, man, what a big, skilled team

Like they forgot who they were playing. Beautiful goal though.

The score 17 seconds into the series, then immediately in the 3rd, the Pens having great opportunities that just weren't going in and the overall feeling that the Pens can't just win forever, I was sure that was it.

All history says that was a dumb thought I had, but I just can't see how this can continue and I'm happy to be wrong.

>Like they forgot who they were playing. Beautiful goal
>though.

This series is going to be about which goalie comes up with bigger saves and/or gets puck luck.

Holtby lets in some savable ones in the 3rd. Murray makes a sprawling save on Connolly with less than 3 minutes to play.

Gonna be a fun series.

When is Malkin returning?

I saw the whites of their ice

This may go 7 now.

http://space-cadet.com/ovie/puckparallax.gif

https://streamable.com/8ws5x

Not taking sides on the call, but it provides a compelling argument

On no planet was there any video conclusive enough to overturn the call.

makes it tough, always

still they were down a goal.

i think this series is justifiably tied at one and going seven.

sucks about dumoulin, he was playing great.

I'm not upset

this house money is burning a hole in our pockets

I need to buy a defibrillator and keep it at the house.

key to nashville's game i think is D providing offense. they need to create turnovers and key transition. they need to score from the back end, too, like subban/ellis/josi need to combine for at least six maybe more like eight goals in the series.

winnipeg is too good at keeping forwards to the outside and boxing out to get a lot of deflections or second chances, which is how most goals are scored now. they are big and responsible. in the first game nsh piled up the shots but how many of them were really dangerous?

yesterday subban had it cooking from high in the zone and josi keeps knocking on the door. they got it going in transition, too, obviously got a couple goals off turnovers and resulting odd-man rushes. arvidsson to me was easily the first star of that game. he was doing everything. they still barely won though.

Pens just aren't playing with that killer instinct it takes at this time of the year, Washington looks like they want it unlike I've ever seen from them.

Responding to every set back, striking in big moments, playing smart in a heated series.

This one is Caps in 6 like I said before the series.

Hilarious

Meanwhile Preds shat the bed after being up 3-0 through he first, FML

3 in a row is fucking impossible in this version of the NHL

Hell 2 years in a row is virtually impossible.

Then Pens are not winning 3 in a row and I won't be upset about it. The Caps want this one way more than the Pens do.

This CAps team responds to adversity with big plays almost instantly, all series.

This Pens team seems tired and just not the elite team of the past 2 years.

Writing was on the wall. Caps in 6 still stands

Malkin is playing hurt and arguably Phil Kessel shouldn't even be in the line up.

Not that I'm complaining about either.

He's good at hockey. He just wrapped up one of the best complementary seasons Ovechkin has ever had on his opposite wing.

Based on what Kadri did to get 3 games last week, Wilson should have gotten 1-2, but whatever. He and the Caps can't complain.

Hopefully Barry doesn't dick the line up shuffle.

One time.. ok.

But 2 hits in 2 games? Dude gives no fucks.

Be happy he got 3 games and find something else to whine about.

The 1st hit in game 2 was worse than the hit in game 3.

The game 3 hit happened to break a jaw and look really bad in what wasn't really a bad hit.

The NHL basically said, we can't give the image we don't care about guys getting injured so let's give him a sum of all offenses suspension even if it doesn't make a ton of sense.

I won't whine about it though

- All three (!) plays on which he's concussed someone in the playoffs this year were reckless

- They were also all legal

- They were (reckless) hockey plays, not straight up dirty plays like when Brad Marchand elbows Marcus Johansson in the head when he's not looking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaJUlUzaZD0

Most importantly:

- Whether the NHL admits it or not, the suspension is a cumulative punishment and is DESERVED. (Based on Kadri's 3 game suspension last round, I think Tom's is 1 game too many. But I blame Tom Wilson for letting it come to this, not the NHL for its ever present inconsistency.)

This year Wilson turned in one of the best performances Ovi has ever had on his opposite wing. Wilson was a perfect complement with his puck retrieval and tenaciousness.

His loss hurts, and there is not a reasonable Caps fan I know who is happy with Wilson right now. But the team, and especially the coach, need to find a way to deal with it.

That way needs to not involve Devante Smith Pelly on the top line again in Game 5, or I hope Trotz is fired during warm ups.

I love DSP... he's an excellent 4th liner

that hit in and of itself was not suspendable, let alone three games. but given his history and his RECENT history, yeah, they nailed his ass. the injury was a big selling point and the rest was pretty fuckin' vague, kind of muttered about where he targeted and how he hit. big, clean hit that would have been celebrated and not really discussed in the past (though on the flip side someone would have beat the shit out of him or at least tried).

DSP is a good player, not sure if he is a solid player. Doesn't have real good foot speed and can get into penalty trouble. But yeah he has a nice motor, good hands in tight, a huge body and he has heart. Really liked watching him with Mississauga in the O and he was cool when he was in Anaheim, too.

but he's been having a good playoffs (and end of the season)

As long as you don't have an idiot coach like Trotz playing him 3 lines too high, DSP is a good all around 4th liner. Good puck retrieval. Good forecheck. Good hitting for his size. And doesn't have the worst hands in the world.

or at least these are the two best teams in the league.

I am thinking TB-WPG now, which will be a great series, too. I still can't really see past the Jets though. It's not rocket science. They have size and skill, lots of both.

>these are the two best teams in the league.

Heart; character; resiliency; focus; grit

All credit to the Jets, but we've just completely folded anytime we're faced with a little adversity. We've now given up 3 goals in under 5 minutes twice in this series. That is just inexcusable and insurmountable, and beyond frustrating.

Our second line has been invisible

they are so big that you can't get much around the net in a slower game, but you can't just open it up because the jets are very comfortable playing at a high tempo. let's not forget that until this season they were known as a run and gun team like maurice had in carolina really. this year they had a healthy defense and adequate (well it turned out to be way more than adequate) goaltending and they could play a more level game.

i think arvidsson and josi have been model guys for the preds along the way, ekholm at times too (especially in the first round). subban has giveth and taketh, pretty standard play from him where he is a little loose with play in his own end at times but also giving them a lot in the O zone.

obviously rinne has been pulled four or five times now and that isn't a great look. a couple times he played decent and it was more what was going on in front of him but he doesn't have the look of "oh shit this guy is gonna win the Cup" the way that say Quick did in 2012, not even close. hellebyuck has had that at times and when he hasn't he bounced back right away.

Primary assist or scored on two game winners in 5 games so far, under 5 minutes left each time.

He's playing like his life depends on this, especially in clutch moments.

no lead is safe for us.

Not good.

Just was the year for this to finally happen.

A nice run let's all rest

Gangster effort from Holtby and Ovechkin

all with 5 minutes left or in OT.

He put the whole fucking team on his back.

https://i.imgur.com/Unwh7k8.jpg

For only the 2nd time in the Playoffs I can recall. Ovechkin finally beats Crosby.

But I am so happy! Finally beat Crosby! Yes!

Ok...back to my Wizards depression.

Congrats to the Caps. G7 GONNA BE HYPE

Both were hockey porn.

I can't wait for this Game 7 so naturally we have to wait two days for it.

If he doesn’t come out in a Preds jersey and sing Bye Bye Bye I’ll be sorely disappointed

DC
Tampa
Vegas
Nashville (probably)

People are going to hate, but fuck it, these have been some pretty great series' up to this point. Seeing a bunch of people who normally spend their spring convincing themselves that THIS new coach will be the one to bring UT Vols football back celebrate a Stanley Cup would be cool as shit.

you're still looking at 4 'non traditional' teams

I hope it's a good game.

For family reasons I'm rooting for the Preds.

Still hoping for a miracle call within the next hour that a buddy of mine has a ticket and I can hit the road from Birmingham in time

Rocking the red now. Lets get that no neck madman a Cup

They brought in a lot of guys and Bonino was a good checker but only Turris did any scoring. Not in the playoffs. They couldn't get anything out of three lines in this series. Sometimes they had really good defensive structure and could get going in transition. Subban saved them on the power play but they got too caught up in that tonight. It was like the guy who can shoot threes in a pickup basketball game. Other guys passed on better shots. I feel like the better team won the series but it was rightfully very close. Obviously Rinne was not great in these playoffs either.

Devastating goals given up by Rinne early.

Offense can’t get anything going.

The Jets are realllllll good.

i had winnipeg over boston in the final. wasn't surprised tampa won though. washington i thought would lose in the first round probably. vegas i knew if they won one round, they'd win two, though the sharks started playing better than they were at the end of the season.

winnipeg is just loaded. they can come back from a deficit. they never blow a late lead. they were the best team at home during the year. they just won three out of four in nashville. you don't wanna give them a power play really, but they are the best team five-on-five. hellebuyck hasn't had two bad games in a row yet and he hasn't had many bad games at all. even when they give up a lot of shots, there aren't many second chances or opportunities for sloppy goals (let's face it most goals are scored within 10 feet of the net).

I wouldn't count Vegas out, they are playing very well as a team. They seem under-sized against Winnipeg though, and it seems like the Jets are playing just as well with a more talented team.

I think Tampa in the East, they have a very solid team and it's pretty healthy for this time of year.

I think the Peg takes care of business versus Vegas.

Obviously Tampa should be heavily favored to beat the Caps. Especially with it looking like Backstrom will miss some time. But hey, for years the Caps lost series where they were heavily favored. Maybe the switch has been flipped.

blew them out of the building in the first two periods. cruised in the third.

Great team defense, forwards are keeping their lanes. Caps are playing great.

anything can happen

They got a couple fluky goals but they could have had a couple more not fluky ones. Boston can tell you that it's just one game though. I like how they are playing but quality of opponent is guaranteed to be really good in both of these rounds.

Blew Tampa out of the building for the 2nd game in a row.

Total defense leading to offense after offense.

Nate Schmidt was a beast out there.

16 penalties in 3 games. I think 5 of 8 Tampa goals have been PP. Stop taking penalties.

Backstrom practiced on the PP today. His return is imminent.

the longer we play in even strength, the better our chances are. Win this and we're in good shape.

and that's dope.

can't be giving up 2 PPG per game.

lose the series at home or lose the series in Game 7

win/win (lose/lose)

No message

That Game 4 was a real backbreaker. They played well enough to win but for everyone dumping on Tampa's performance in the win, I'd like to remind them that goaltending and special teams are also part of the game. There is this obsession with 5on5 play now, sure it's important but it's not everything, especially in one game.

Vaso is approaching bath-salt mode (surprised how little talk there was of his Game 3, I thought he was great) and they have at least two lines clicking strong every night. The only reason I don't think they will win Game 6 is that they are streaky and also the Caps have a flair for the dramatic when it comes to being eliminated.

I can’t say Holtby singlehandedly won a game this series. Played lights out Game 6 against Pens, but I can’t say it was as outright dominant as Vas was in Game 4. I was at Game 4 and as the game marched on the vibe got more and more defeated with every save. It was clear that he wasn’t going to let them lose.

Still, it’s tough for me to call this Tampa team great. They’re really vulnerable in my opinion.

His career has had so many ups and downs, the climb on the top in the last few years has been fantastic to watch.

amazing.

Everyone knew the job was going back to Murray, and the second he struggled in the ECF they pulled him, but the only reason they were there was because of him.

It was such a great high to go out on from a city that always had a love/hate relationship with him but ended totally in love with him

Yes he had some spectacularly manic depressive stretches of his career but the team in front of him often had a lot to do with it. There are very few goalies in this generation with his kind of talent and he's always worked very hard in terms of fitness and technique.

But you also see how it can happen.

He had some really bad playoffs in a row and it didn't look like he was going to get back to stanley cup winning level.

Those Penguins flameouts earlier in this decade were BAD. He took an unfair amount of blame- but a goalie always does.

Never been close to winning a Vezina. Rarely considered top 3 at his position.

Yet his runs and body of work speak for themselves.

the Cup.

These other orgs, ehhh, I dunno. Calgary is always just a little off. Vancouver is a long way from anything good though I think they will get back to the playoffs before too long (maybe 2-3 years from now depending how they manage things). Ottawa is a dumpster fire right now and a raging one once they lose Karlsson. Edmonton, two words, Peter Chiarelli, the man whose teams succeeded in spite of him. Montreal is a also pretty wayward, how they are not turning over the management is beyond me.

.

and even better since Backstrom's return.

... or call-out-of-work-the-next-day depressing

but I'm kind of emotionally dead to a loss.

Something inside of me died after the loss in 2017.

But I'm still hoping the Caps break this streak. Somebody.

One of the longest losing streaks in the country. Going back decades.

Only because the R's last Super Bowl came like 3 months after the Twins last World Series.

(Of cities with at least 3 pro sports teams)

although I think if you look at simply making the championship or even a conference final, DC had (until this year) the longest streak by a mile.

You got the Caps in 98, after all.

But DC's conference finals drought was truly a thing to behold and one that's going to be tough to replicate.

I can't tell you how often the Caps have been on the other end of this shit.

Other goalie standing on his head. Every bounce going against you. Losing every loose puck.

But not today.

.

Skins won when I was about four but have no memory of that

Terps won a national championship, and that's been it for me

I've never really seen a winner. I'm just so, so, so happy.

Another hurdle down.

Caps at the very least deserve to get this one. Holding out optimism that they pull it off. DC can finally get some of that monkey off its back.

Ovie gotta get this one.

Harder than I've pulled for a team I'm neutral on in a long time. The fans need this, Ovechkin needs this, Vegas is cool but they can wait another year or two.

Punch a White House staffer during the riots.

>Punch a White House staffer during the riots.

right?

Vegas is a different team than anything Caps have faced: they're Tampa fast with Pittsburgh will and IQ. The smallest errors make the biggest differences when the skill level is this elite, the pace this fast, the stakes this high. It's a shame someone had to lose that game.

this isn't hyperbole - that was one of the most riveting sporting events I've ever seen...






...and damn I wish my team had won it. Onto Game 2 (must win?)

Tough loss. Refs lost control. Caps can play better.

Let's go get it.

- for starters, Vegas is obviously really good. They set the pace of play and forced the Caps to keep up. Caps' trademark physical play was nonexistent in first period and only came on later in the second and into the third. Something has to give here - either the series is just a track meet that Caps will surely lose, or Caps put bodies on Vegas sooner and slow them down as they did Tampa.

- I thought Fleury and Holtby both sort of...sucked? Though the pace was faster than any hockey game I'd ever seen, so maybe 10 goals is to be expected when playing at that breakneck speed.

- the Smith-Pelly turnover to set up Vegas' fifth goal was the backbreaker, and he knew it too judging by his reaction on the bench. These tiny errors against players THIS good can be costly.

- For the first time in about six weeks, Ovi just kind of blended in. It's tricky, I don't want him to press TOO hard and feel obligated to be the man, but we obviously need more out of him. If that was Vegas bottling him up or him just having an off game will be made clearer Wednesday night.

- Lars Eller...bro

- Game 2 is more or less a must-win. If Caps go down 0-2, there's reason to think they're cooked against a team this powerful. I know "anything can happen"...but I don't know. Vegas looked like M.Bison.

- I think a more poised Capitals team can take back the tempo and play their game. They'll need to find a way to better control the neutral zone like they did early in the Tampa series and did so well against Pittsburgh. And they really need to calm down enough to find a way get into Vegas' zone comfortably and set up their cycle - every goal we scored was wacky except for the power play. I'm hopeful and (pseudo) confident we can get this next game - call me a homer, but I think having seen Vegas' best firsthand and knowing they can score big on Fleury has to be reassuring if I'm in the visitor's locker room.

- caps need to be better in their own end
- none of the goals were really Holtby's fault but it would have helped if he stopped one or two
- Fleury looked very beatable
- the reason Ryan Reaves was so open for his game tying 3rd pd goal was because he cross checked the shit out of John Carlson from behind. Shitty time for the refs to swallow their whistle
- John Carlson could have easily had a hat trick, and also wasn't great on defense. That's kind of the JC74 experience
- Perron not getting kicked out of the game for jumping on the ice, being the 6th man, and cross checking ovi after Wilson's late hit was a lot of bullshit
- LV played their game, but the Caps can play a lot better. Here's hoping Barry & co come up with a good response.

https://twitter.com/sicolol/status/1001299129602052096

by putting bodies on them early and often. Shit just does not seem to work. The always come out of the gate with an insane amount of energy. You will be chasing the puck for 15 minutes and when you do get it. You are just dumping for a line change. Then they never let up. Every single one of their lines does the same thing and has the same energy. None of this we got two scoring lines and a couple of energy lines. Nope they all skate well and can score. So its wave after wave after wave of fresh bodies who can move. You definitely have to get out in front and score early. They are a frustrating team to play. They will make your team look like they are skating underwater while they just seem to be every where.

in decades, if not ever.

He comes down to earth even a little bit, they're a different team.

Brooks Orpik GWG!

Kuzy injury did *not* look good. Lars comes through as a fill-in yet again.

Caps had the edge in odd man rushes at like 7-1. They seemed to grab control as the game went on.

I think patience is huge versus Vegas. If you have to chip it out 10 times in a row before you get a good possession, then chip it out 10 times in a row.

In the 3rd period when Vegas was chasing the game they struggled to create offense. Their only truly great chance was off an *extremely* random end boards bounce.

I said earlier in this post that Holtby hadn't outright won us a game yet. Well he did last night.

Even though we only held a one goal lead, I felt like beating the 5 on 3 and then 5 on 4 was the moment. From there, we just clogged the neutral zone and sat on the lead.

- I'm glad we split, I think most people thought that was the most realistic outcome anyway

- but more importantly, I'm glad we took this game and are now coming home after that epic penalty kill and Holtby's instantly-iconic save

- not having Kuz is brutal

Can't remember the games at this point the series is a big blur, but he withstood some serious offensive barrages in some of those games.

Hopefully Lars can come through as huge as he did against Pittsburgh.

Yesterday was a great start.

Caps need to start buying these odd man rushes.

And Vrana has to be unluckiest man alive. He's getting great looks every game and hasn't scored yet. Hopefully it happens in the next few games.

Overall, Caps IQ seems more advanced than "SKATE FAST AND SHOOT"...though they did get duped into that in game 1

I add that "overall" because we nonetheless committed some of the most idiotic penalties I've ever seen last night. If we can iron those out I actually think we're good.

Smith-Pelley redeems redeems himself for that Game 1 blunder.

Two wins away

no jinx-o, but Vegas can't match the Caps talent, top to bottom, front to back. So if the Caps play like they are and the VGK system isn't cooking, they struggle to create offense.

2nd straight game where the Caps were the clearly better team.


Devante had some dumb penalties in Game 2 also. Then he scored YET ANOTHER crucial 3rd period goal. The bad Devante and the good.

I guess from a coach's standpoint there were fewer mistakes or breakdowns but they were also playing flat as fuck most of the night. They tried to get into the physical game a bit but that was the only place where they exerted any energy. I have to say I have been very impressed with Trotz's coaching in this series or maybe he is just doing basic stuff and the team is executing. After Game 1 he decided to take the puck out of the middle of the ice, suck the speed out of the game and make it all played along the wall. They took the risk of bringing another forward in on the forecheck and cutting the ice in half, basically forcing a play up either wall. Game 3 they limited Vegas even more, at least they had a fast start in Game 2. They were also really good around their own net, holy shit that first goal by Ovie was marvelous. All that said, I think this series will be tied in about 23 hours.

But Caps have mostly dominated the last two games and in the shock of the century (to me), Trotz has been coaching his ass off these playoffs.

He's been great, whereas his career to date had been 'good'.

And credit to the players. I've never seen a Caps team play the way this entire team is playing right now.

If VGK system isn't forcing turnovers, I haven't seen them be able to generate significant offense on their own.

Also through three games, Vegas best players haven't been remotely good enough. We'll see if they show up.

but, boy, if we can take this one...

I think the boys will be ready though. Just gotta execute and also get the bounces.

but this was the Caps night.

How many times have the Caps been on the other end of a 1st period like that?

Domination, with nothing to show but posts and an eventual loss?

© the god John Walton

http://www.trbimg.com/img-4fa937ab/turbine/hc-pat-sajack-to-star-in-the-odd-couple-at-con-001/600

Caps bout to buy all the vowels

more than any team in any sport (7-5 all time when up 3-1)

And then I remember that this team is playing so different, effort and mentally, than any Caps team before it.

When they go down, they roar back

When a team narrows their difference, the Caps add goals

When the opportunity to kill their opponent presents itself, the Caps step on throats

but this year they are undefeated in games where they can eliminate the opponent.

https://media.giphy.com/media/LFa31k5BKHXVu/giphy.gif

ROCK THE RED!!!


oh man, i hope they do it tonight. just get it over with. Caps fans don't need the stress of a game 6. i'm not even a huge hockey fan, but i know the die hards probably can't even concentrate on anything but the Caps today. Let's GO!!

https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1004715602349395968

but that music and the production. awesome. now i'm super hype about tonight.

The game starts in four hours, and there’s already several thousand fans down here

seemed like a wild time

That Holtby game-saving save back in Game 2 turned out to be what the Caps needed to get over the top.

as an extremely casual fan of hockey the caps are really the only team i've kept up with.

i fell on the ovi side of the ovi/crosby rivalry. and i actually thought they'd just never get over the hump.

so i'm very happy to see the Caps finally do it.
congrats to all you Caps fans.

Washington tonight. Smith-Pelley and Eller.

maybe the two most important secondary players

Really congrats to all the fans... Was rooting for them big time when the Sharks got eliminated because... well... they're Sharks East in my mind... But not anymore... Congrats! Congrats to the fans! Very happy for you!!!!!

Fuck you very much. Congrats, Caps.

They fucking did it

dc stand up.

It won't sink in until I come home tomorrow.

So happy for Ovie, man.

DEATH TO ALL MEMES

When I saw Ovie’s reaction and then Backstrom’s...and knowing what those two have been through along with the Caps fans. Cotdamn, I couldn’t hold the emotions back.

There’s that moment where something finally happens that you never thought possible, that no matter how close you are to it, you tell yourself - mostly as a rationalization and defense mechanism from years of heartbreak - “nah, it’s still not possible”...and then that final horn sounds and it’s actually real. It’s actually fucking real. Then it all comes pouring out.

I had that moment with the Eagles SB win which still feels surreal...and now I’m glad to see Caps fans who had just as agonizing losses get that same experience and emotion.

Congrats. Hats off.

>I had that moment with the Eagles SB win which still feels
>surreal...and now I’m glad to see Caps fans who had just as
>agonizing losses get that same experience and emotion.

just reading the words gives me that strange feeling that nothing in which I didn't directly participate should ever make me feel. but that's what being a fan is about.

I know long suffering Caps fans have to be completely overcome. the route they took to the top was epic. getting over both Pittsburgh and the hot-streak new team in town with some old foes contained reminds me of Peyton in '06 going through the gauntlet, then finally beating the Cheatriots in a meaningful game that started off like the typical Peyton choke

Down 3-2, it was a sad vibe. So imagine that mob once we tied it and then went ahead. The last seven minutes were excruciating, and then the clock went out and everyone is just losing it - “HOW MUCH TIME?!?”

The ovation in the street when Ovechkin hoisted the Cup was nearly as loud as the fourth goal. The guy. OUR guy, a winner! FINALLY!!!

Adult men and women are just weeping everywhere, streets are littered with trash, bootleggers already hawking their merch...it was a beautiful calm after a brutal storm.
Even now I just can’t believe it happened in Washington DC.

Celebrate your asses off

what an experience.

but I go on the blogs and social media and watch all the celebration videos (on ice and all the fan celebrations) and I get teary all over again.

They actually did it.

My wife and I were in tears watching at home when Alex finally hoisted that Cup. Unforgettable, for sure.

but when I saw that...

Think I overdid it a bit celebrating.
______________________________________________________________________________

"To Each His Reach"

but.....

Fuck aliens.

now i just need to explain to my client why I'm so far behind on this deadline

His silent reaction at the end is priceless. He's been the radio guy for 20 years.

https://twitter.com/BenRaby31/status/1004958143527317504

Very very happy for Trotz. He is an incredible guy, all-around. His son was at my mom's school in Nashville and the guy is an absolute champion for special needs kids.

Wouldn't wish the years of agony and heartbreak on anyone, but hope it made this run and last night all the sweeter for the Caps guys here!

So happy for him as well... I wish the Sharks had got him when Nashville let him go...

Glad to see him win one

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjw1Z8ghGlm/

https://cdn-b-east.streamable.com/video/mp4/sys4b.mp4?token=PvsSi1cjFu2sgGiDBn8tmQ&expires=1528492058

lol

even old man Orpik was looking

Adidas made a custom Caps shoe for the team and will be selling them to the general public in a couple weeks. Nike should really do the same thing for NBA champs now that they've got the NBA deal.

http://news.sportslogos.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Adidas-Washington-Capitals-Shoe-2018-590x407.jpg

http://news.sportslogos.net/2018/06/08/adidas-unveils-custom-washington-capitals-running-shoe/

What are the perks of winning a Stanley Cup?

There’s the ring of course, the banner in the rafters, and who can overlook getting an entire day with the Cup during the off-season?

Now you also get your own pair of custom team-branded Adidas running shoes.

Adidas unveiled their new Speedfactory AM4NHL (Adidas Made For NHL) shoe immediately after the Washington Capitals lifted Lord Stanley’s 34-pound mug over their collective heads. The Adidas shoe features the Capitals familiar alternate logo on the “medial” side of a red and white shoe with black trim and laces while the other (or “lateral”) side of the shoe features the three Adidas stripes in Capitals blue. The Caps primary logo and the NHL shield are both emblazoned onto the black heel patch.

In addition to the idea of a team-branded shoe (which I can totally get behind); according to the press release the shoe takes Adidas just two weeks to go from design to shelf, 38x faster than the usual 18-months required to complete this same process.

Each member of the Stanley Cup-winning Capitals will get their own pair of the new shoe, if you’re not one of the fortunate few to be a Washington Capital then you’ll have to try to grab one of the limited available which are on sale now to the general public for $200 USD a pair on the official Adidas site.

They made ones for fans for the NFL and NBA when they had the licensing, they were basic (think Air Force 1) with team logos.

Then later they made ZigTech running shoes that they issued to NHL teams, they were in team colors with the team logo on the tongue.

Some teams also had individual deals, one season the Ducks had some deal with New Balance but all they got were these grey and orange trainers that everyone wore around practice.

I wanted to make some shit like on that Under Armour website but they were super anal about anything have to do with teams, athletes, musicians, etc.

Ovi is literally never going to let the cup leave his hands.

https://russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2018/06/09/the-capitals-take-their-stanley-cup-celebrations-to-instagram/

https://twitter.com/jbillinson/status/1005496015225532417

Not mad at the Great8 one bit. He's earned it.

https://twitter.com/cjc_95/status/1005751386548637696?s=12

https://twitter.com/recordsANDradio/status/1005759758345748480

https://twitter.com/heyjulieann/status/1005663318730780672?s=12

https://twitter.com/jacobbogage/status/1005677245371961345?s=12

https://russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2018/06/11/nine-playoff-moments-that-made-the-caps-stanley-cup-champions/

We are Stanley Cup champions!'

I just do.

Great scene, as expected. The city-wide feeling of disbelief is giving way to cathartic celebration.

Most of the Caps are still chugging beer. I guess they haven't stopped since Thursday.

Orpik downed a Bud Light someone threw to him from the crowd.

Oshie chugged a beer because that's just what he does now.

DSP rocked a WWE belt all day. Including while double fisting:
https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1006531730667384832

It was great to be a part of it since I don't live near DC and didn't have the money for playoff tickets.

Made me happy to see Joe B and Locker lead the parade. Those are two of the best in the business and I'm glad they were involved since they don't get to call most playoff games.

John Walton (also one of the best in the game) had a video from the rally:

https://twitter.com/WaltonCaps/status/1006621085541060608

And this photo just sums up the whole day:

https://twitter.com/NoVa_Caps/status/1006620059559710720

Here's a full gallery:

https://novacapsfans.com/2018/06/12/images-from-the-capitals-parade-of-champions/

My insta is "tcjeffries" if you want to see my pics from yesterday send me a request

We were right on the corner of 7th street and Madison just before the buses pulled into the rally area, then we high tailed over to the Mall to catch what we could of the rally. We ended up super far for the rally but we had been really close for the parade thankfully.

After Ovi of course, TJ Oshie may be my favorite Capital ever. Talk about a guy who just totally gets life.

This team is just so inspiring - diverse in makeup, relentless in approach. When you consider how disengaged the Skins and Wizards are and contrast that with these guys slamming beers throughout their parade and diving in fountains in Georgetown, it makes them all the more endearing.

I think most would consider hockey to be a "white" sport. That wasn't the case at yesterday's parade, and I think that's reflective of the city's makeup. The crowd looked as eclectic as the town itself - black, white, brown, yellow ... young and old...couples and families...all ROCKING THE RED. It's a stirring thing to look at crowds of this size all smiling and chanting in unison, at a time when seemingly none of us can agree on anything else. Seeing the black family sitting in front of me stand up and scream in unison when DSP was announced made me feel just so good.

Think about the scene - A Russian caveman, drinking American beer, screaming to a sea of humanity as enthusiastic and eclectic as you'll find anywhere. Again, I'm 31 and I've lived here my whole life. I can say without question this is the proudest I've ever been of one of my teams. I used to pass off the excruciating Skins, Nats, and Caps losses as "just sports"...but when it goes your way, it's not just sports man. Leonsis isn't the most dynamic speaker, but he nailed one thing in his words yesterday - "We put the unity in community".

When Ovi screamed "WE NOT GON BE FUCKING SUCK THIS YEAR" I nearly cried. What a ride.

And it definitely seemed like all parts of the city came out to support the team and come to the parade.

And DSP. What a story. 3 goals in the finals. Fan hero. Team hero. They started chanting his name when he was on stage.

What a fucking team. An actual -team-

Very grounded kid, you could tell he came from a good family. He was a low-key stud in the O. He also was always a solid big-game performer. Even in Anaheim in 2014 when they blew that series against the Kings I think he was their leading goal-scorer over the two rounds. He has bounced around a lot in the NHL and I hope he can stick here. Very solid bottom six guy and I think he could develop into a good second power-play unit guy, which no one has really tried.

https://www.sbnation.com/2018/6/18/17475978/nhl-barry-trotz-resigns-washington-capitals-head-coach-after-winning-stanley-cup

>

https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1008786044156764160

We had believed Trotz was a free agent this summer. That’s not correct. There was a two-year extension if he won the Cup in WASH. But, as coaches’ contracts have exploded in value, it was below the current market. Both sides tried to negotiate an extension..

But they could not come to terms. Trotz is now a free agent, as WASH will grant permission to other teams who want to talk to him. 3/3

after the columbus win. todd reirden is probably in.

I thought it would be a real uncomfortable situation if they won the Cup and Trotz stayed but I didn't know the terms of the kicker. I guess it kind of worked itself out.

Maybe the Isles make a move for Trotz? I guess everything is sort of up in the air there.

He deserved more than $2M/year, but someone else can pay him the $5M/5 years he's looking for.

I love Trotz. I thank him deeply for his service and wish him well in future endeavors.

Let's see if Reirden is the guy.

who will, most assuredly, never win a championship

Ted would be a fool to pay an NHL coach on any kind of NBA coaching scale.

Sucks for NHL coaches. But they're low paid compared to players in the NHL or coaches in other sports.

All this being said, one impressive Stanley Cup run doesn't change who Trotz is as a coach. Great guy. Good nuts and bolts guy. Not the best at Xs and Os (although 2018 playoffs he coached his ass off). Not the best at adjustments and flexibility. And noticably weak at developing young talent.

In today's league, that last point is huge. And it's by far Reirden's biggest strong point.

He helped develop Letang. Carlson. Kempny. Djoos. Orlov. All benefitted heavily from Reirden. Reirden even helped Niskanen turn his flagging career around.

Is Reirden the man? Who knows.
Is he worth a shot? Easily.

I love Trotz. I thank him deeply. I wish him all the best. He deserves $5M year from some other team.

>Maybe the Isles make a move for Trotz?

that was quick