Game 7 Live Blog
Posted: April 22, 2008 by Gene
Category: Game Posts
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Pre-game
- Flyers are suiting up bruiser Steve Downie. Downie is best know for being a goon, and his hit on Dean McAmmond that landed him a 20 game suspension.
- The pressure is all on the Flyers tonight. Will they come flying or dead like the past two games?
- Can the Caps stay out of the box this game and avoid the dumb too many men on the ice penalty? Flyers PP unit is converting 20% of it’s chances.
- Caps must shut down the Briere-Prospal-Hartnell line tonight. They have collectively owned the Caps so far in the series.
- I don’t know how much more I can rave about the Semin-Backstrom-Laich line. They’re on fire and expect them to have another big game tonight.
- Ovie finally came through big last night scoring the go ahead goal and the insurance goal in the 3rd period. Will Ovie continue coming up big in the 3rd period (3 goals, 2 of them go ahead goals)?
- Just as a heads up, expect a few less updates through out the game than usual, I think I’m going to be way into the game.
1st Period
- 3:48 Flyers seem to love to commit interference penalties. PP for the Caps.
- 5:00 Hatcher gets called for anelbow. 5 on 3 PP for the Caps
- 5:30 Biron has been flashing the glove early.
- 5:46 GOAL!!! Backstrom scores in the exact same fashion as the Flyers 1st goal last night. They’re still on a 5 on 4 PP.
- 14:00 Heres Flyers first PP opportunity. The call was weak at best. PPK team needs to step up.
- 14:30 Flyers tie it up. It barely squeaks by Huets. Caps need to do a better job of clearing a lane in front of Huet so he can see the shot clearly.
- 16:00 Double minor on Fedorov.
- Another penalty on the Caps. A full 2 minutes of 5 on 3. Another weak hooking call made by the refs. This will be the pivotal moment in the game.
- WOW! What a great job by the PPK team for the Caps, they killed off the full Fedorov double minor and survived a full 2 minute 5 on 3. I bet the Caps will use the kill as a huge momentum swing just like game 6.
2nd Period
- 1:35 Refs are loving the hooking call. Caps must convert on this PP to maintain the MO.
- 2:52 Another hooking call, this time on the Caps. Refs are really calling it tonight tonight. Time for the Caps to adjust and keep the stick off the body.
- 4:10 Flyers don’t look together, a really bad offsides play on their PP.
- 9:53 Goal by the Flyers. Huet was knock over by the a defensive player checked into him. Kind of like the regular season goal that was called off on the Caps, but a lot worse.
- 15:30 What an insane wrister by Ovie. All tied up 2-2.
3rd Period
- 5:00 Refs are letting the players play and keeping their whistle in check. I’ve seen a few plays which probably would have been called in the 1st.
- 8:00 So far theres been a lot of back and forth play, nothing in particular to note.
- 10:00 Caps are starting to get more physical with the Flyers.
- 14:25 Flers look like they don’t care. Caps are getting chances with ease.
- 17:30 Great chance, but Ovie couldn’t connect with Fedorov.
- It looks like it’s 1988 all over again.
OT
- Will we see Ovechkin do his best Dale Hunter impression.
- 1:10 Hip Hip Huet. He just kept the boys off the tee for the summer.
- 4:10 Poti called for the trip. The season could end here.
- Game, Flyers win. What a series and season by the Caps.
Those Who Forget the Lessons of History Are Doomed To Repeat It
Posted: April 21, 2008 by Gene
Category: Five for Fighting
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Hey Flyers, 1988 called and they want their choke job back. Ok, maybe thats a bit of an overstatement and a bit premature, but let’s compare the 1988 series to todays’
| 1988 | 2008 | |
| Game 1 | L, 4-2 | W, 5-4 |
| Game 2 | W, 5-4 | L, 2-0 |
| Game 3 | L, 4-3 | L, 6-3 |
| Game 4 | L, 5-4 OT | L, 4-3 OT |
| Game 5 | W, 5-2 | W, 3-2 |
| Game 6 | W, 7-2 | W, 4-2 |
| Game 7 | W, 5-4 OT | ? |
In both cases the Caps were down 3-1 to the Flyers then rallied to force a game 7. Can the 2008 Caps deliver an exhilarating overtime victory like the 1988 team did. Only time will tell.
Game 6 Live Blog from my Couch
Posted: April 21, 2008 by Gene
Category: Game Posts
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Pregame Notes:
- I don’t have to tell you guys, but todays game is huge for the Caps. How huge? Huge huge. And to understand the scale of huge huge, think sextuplet preggers huge.
- Semin is playing great as of late, especially with Backstrom at center. The two have great and are very dynamic together, expect another high production night for their line.
- Ove, is well passed due in terms of goals, we’ve seen Ove go through a scoring drought in mid-Feburary but he’s too good of a scorer to only have 1 goal in a series. Expect to see Ovie light the lamp tonight.
- Will the Flyers come out hard tonight and get back to the aggressive forecheck that was so successfull for them in games 1-4, or will they come out passive like in game 5?
- Can the Caps finally keep Briere off the stat sheet?
- Will the Caps continue to get in front of Biron on the PP which has been hot as of late?
- Hip Hip Huet!! I’m sorry I called for your head earlier. Can Huet continue making the big saves in the clutch?
1st Period
- :30 Great early chance by Semin on net. An early one goal lead would of been huge huge.
- 2:59 Bradley gets called for interference.
- 3:49 Costly penalty, Flyers score on a lucky bounce off the backboard, but still, a forward should have had the backdoor closed none the less.
- According to the guys on comcast, the team that scores 1st wins 70% of the time in th playoffs.
- 5:00 What a great save by Huet, he stayed man with the puck and bailed out the two defenseman who were burned on the play.
- 7:20 Caps are giving the puck up in their defensive zone again, not a good sign for a Caps victory.
- 8:50 What a great scoring chance for Ove. He can smell that next goal coming to him soon.
- 13:00 Caps PP. Upshaw called for tripping Fedorov. Bit of a dive on Fedorov’s part, but we’ll take it.
- 13:30 What a great hit by Green.
- 14:00 Bad PP by the Caps, they never really got setup on the offensive zone and got only one shot off.
- 16:30 Another PP for the Caps, hopefully they can do something with this one.
- 18:30 What the hell is Poti crashing the net on the PP? I guess he’s been watching Green play too much.
2nd Period
- 1:20 Goal by Briere. It’s official, Caps=Briere’s bitch
- Another too many men penalty. The basics boys, the basics.
- 3 interfence penalties against the Flyers. The Caps need to convert this.
- 9:30 GOAL. What great passing by the Semin-Backstrom-Laich line. There’s still some life left in the Caps. 2-1
- Another GOAL!!! Semin-Backstrom-Laich line again. This time its Semin. Bad rebound on Birons part. 2-2 all even.
- Caps are really pouring the pressure on the Flyers and its paying off. The Flyers are looking a little dead on the ice.
3rd Period
- :30 The greatest sound any goalie can hear is the ping of the goal post. Caps need to lock down the slot, if they want to prevent another chance like that.
- 2:45 OVIE!!!!! We all new it was going to happen today!!! What a great pass by Kozlov to put Ovie on the breakaway. 3-2 Caps.
- 5:47 Caps PP. Let’s get some insurance.
- A bad series of penalties by the Caps. Flyers will be on the 4 on 3 and the 5 on 3 PP when their penalty expires. Time for the defense to step it up.
- 9:15 Great plays by the PPK team. Could prove to be the pivotal stretch in the series.
- 10:41 GOAALLL!!! OVIE again. What a great PP goal. Assist by Fedorov and Laich. 4 unanswered goals. The pressure is officially on the Flyers for the rest of the series.
- Game over, Caps win 4-2. Game 7 tomorrow.
Game 5 Live Blog
Posted: April 19, 2008 by Gene
Category: Game Posts
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Pre-Game
- Will Eddie Olzyck think the crowd is 50/50 again?
- Can the Caps box out the Flyers offense and prevent 2nd and 3rd chances that cost the Caps game 4?
- Will Ovechkin find his scoring touch. Only one goal in the past 4 games?
- Can the Caps prevent the Flyers from getting off to a quick lead in the first?
- Will Briere continue his dominance on the Caps?
1st Period:
- Looks like Bruce Boudreau is keeping the game 4 line ups.
- :54 Bad play by Semin, you have play aggressive, but smart in a game like this. You can’t just punch a player in a scrum and expect to get away with it.
- 3:00 Decent PP kill by the Caps are still allowing the Flyers to get in front of the net and distract Huet.
- 5:00 Great save by Huet on Briere. Caps are still allowing Flyers to get the quick break out from their zone.
- 6:10 Interference call on Carter, can the Caps convert.
- What the hell, thatshould be a penalty shot for Ovechkin, he was behind all the Phili players when the penalty happened. Oh well, 5-3, Caps need to convert.
- 7:30 GOALL!! Backstrom on the 5-3 from Semin and Laich. 1-0 Caps, they’re still on the PP. What a great pass by Semin on the goal.
- Caps fans are booing whenever Briere touches the puck. Sorry guys, but Philli fans were louder on Ovechkin.
- My Olzyck vision is telling me theres a 2:1 ratio of Flyers to Caps fan.
- 13:00 Pretty good “Flyers Suck” chant going. Semin just barely misses and hits the post on a mini break.
- 15:00 The Semin-Backstrom-Laich line is getting a lot of good chances today. Don’t be surprised if the get a huge 5 on 5 goal before the night is out.
- 19:30 Ovechkin is reminding the Flyers where their bench is. What a great hit.
- Overall it was a good physical period by the Caps. The defense played great minus one Briere break away.
- Caps are leading the hitting 22-9
2nd Period
- 1:40 SERGEI!!!!! My man crush gets the goal. What a great effort by Kozlov in the corner and a great scree/pick by Ovechkin in front of the goal
- A quick goal was what the Caps needed. Let’s see if the D can lock it down now.
- 8:00 The Flyers just look that today. I’m not seeing them doing anything that made them successfull in the first four games. Only 5 shots on Huet so far.
- Wow, I just noticed, Donald Brashear playoff beard is very impressive. I’m very jealous.
- 10:40 Flyers PP, Can the D throw down the hammer?
- 12:20 Flyers 5 on 3 for 20 secs. Prospal scores on great pass from Briere. Now the question is was on the clock for the penalty during the goal. If it was Fedorov’s time, it’s 5 on 5, if not it’s a 5-4. Looks like it wasn’t, still Flyers PP. 2-1 Caps
- 14:31 Caps kill off the remainder of Fedorov’s penalty. C’mon Caps, let’s get some insurance goals.
- 14:48 Caps PP. What a move by Ove. Get a man in front of Biron!!
- 16:02 WHAT THE HELL REF?!?!? The puck wasn’t even close to being covered. Bad whistle by the ref.
- 19:50 Green, gets caught being too agressive in the offensive zone again which leads to a good rush by the Flyers. The man needs to know how to stay defensively responsible.
- So far so good, the Caps have managed not to give up the turnovers in their defensive zone which have haunted them over the series.
3rd Period
- UNLEASH THE FURY!!!
- 1:00 Well the Caps just gave up one of those turnovers iwas talking about, good thing the Flyers couldn’t convert.
- 4:00 Flyers are really giving it to the Caps and getting back t the forecheck that has given them the 3-1 lead in the series
- 8:00 Interference call. Almost as weak as the Kozlov call the other night, but we’ll take it. Caps PP.
- 11:00 The refs are f’ing morons. That should be a penalty shot for Bradley. Not a power play. I think the refs need a refresher on when its a normal penalty call and a penalty shot. That’s the second time today they’ve blown that call.
- 13:00 Two really bad PP’s for the Caps, they had some chances, but no consistent pressure in the offensive zone.
- 14:30 Great PP goal by Semin from Green. See what happens when you get that much traffic in front of net like that. 3-1 Caps.
- 15:17 Hatcher scores, 3-2. It’s not over yet boys
- Game. 3-2 Caps win! 3-2 Flyers in the Series.
- Huet had a great game. Can’t wait for game 6.
Game 4 Live Blog from my Couch
Posted: April 17, 2008 by Gene
Category: Game Posts
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Pregame notes:
- Huet will get the nod tonight despite my previous entry. I guess I don’t have the amount of pull in the club house like I thought.
- According Tarik, looks like Fedorov and Backstrom are switching lines. Its going to be Ovechkin-Fedorov-Kozlov and Laich-Backstrom-Semin. Personally I’d like to see what a line of Ovechkin-Fedorov-Semin could do.
- Let’s see if the Caps can manage to minimize the critical turnovers and tighten up sloppy transitional game that has been killing them in the series.
- Can the Caps neutralize Daniel Briere? He’s owned the Huet and the Caps defense notching 4 goals and 2 assist with a +/- of plus 5
1st Period
- :48 another bad give away in defensive zone. 1-0 Flyers.
- 1:08 the boys are getting physical. Caps PP results. Remember, get a man in front of Biron.
- 2:41 Great pass by Ovechkin to Backstrom for a PP goal. 1-1
- 5:30 Mike Richards is a slap passing fool.
- 6:23 Another penalty. Caps on the wrong side of a 5 on 3. Let’s see if the D can step it up.
- 7:57 Another penalty. Caps on the wrong side of a 5 on 3. Let’s see if the D can step it up. Wow, sounds familiar.
- 10:10 The D steps up big, only 3 shots on goal during the span of penalties.
- 12:59 HUGE 5 on 3. GOAL!!!!! Ovechkin to Backstrom to Semin for the goal.
- The young guns are finally getting it done for the Caps.
- 18:33 2-2. Jeff Carter scores on another take away in the defensive zone.
- 19:08 Ovechkin-Backstrom-Semin line out there. Interesting.
- Over all, 1st period is wash. Flyers have a great forecheck going for them resulting in 2 goals. Caps are converting on the PP, but also need to stop committing so many penalties.
2nd Period
- Mike Green is really pushing the puck into the offensive zone. Better be careful to make sure a winger stays back.
- 5:56 Great screen by Laich to allow Eminger to score. 3-2 Was. Looks like Laich may have deflected it, We’ll see if he gets credited with a goal later on. Okay, I was wrong, looks like it was deflected off a Flyer player.
- 7:30 Ovechkin with a between the legs shot. He’s trying to get to fancy with his game.
- 8:40 Great play by Briere to prevent the Semin slam dunk.
- 9:38 Semin is hurt, hope he can get back quickly. It’s the first time he’s looked good on the ice in a long time, it’d be a shame for him to be out for the rest of the game.
- 11:13 Semin is back on the bench, looks fine.
- 14:08 Got give it up to the PPK team so far. They’re doing all the small things right to keep Phili off the board.
- 18:00 Semin is hurt again, think he got a high stick. Man can’t catch a break tonight.
- 19:24 What a bush league play by Cobourn. Can the Caps convert the ensuing PP?
3rd Period
- 6:00 A quiet start to the 3rd period. Caps are doing a good job keeping the puck in front of them.
- 7:00 Ove, my man, you need to bury those.
- 9:30 Hip Hip Huet!!!! See you on sports center Top 10.
- 9:35 Too many men again. Can’t keep given the Flyers that many opportunities.
- 10:01 PP goal by Briere. 3-3
- Is the Ovechkin miss going to haunt us?
- 13:00 Hip Hip Huet!!!!!! The man is on fire!
- Huet is making some great saves but he’s leaving some juicy rebounds.
- 17:15 Ref blew that call. Not only could Kozlov not stop, he was checked into Biron.
- 19:30 Biron wanted to be Santa Clause in April.
- OT, if you think regular playoff hockey is intense. Get ready for OT playoff hockey.
OT
- Nobody goes home til’ some one lights the lamp
- How many more times can Huet flash the leather?
- First five minutes have been intense, Caps are doing a good jub ofkeeping the pressure on the Flyers and getting quality chances on net.
- Green, I get the fact that your an offensive defensmn, but for the love of all thats holy, stay back on the rush. Anything beyond the circles in the offensive zone should be a no no for you!
- Sorry about the lack of updates, but it’s freaking OT hockey, I can’t take my eyes off the TV.
- The game looks like it’s the Caps to loose, let’s see who the hero will be.
OT 2
- Knuble scores in double OT. You can’t leave a guy alone in front of the net like that and expect to win.
I’m done for the night. Pulled a all nighter last night and still haven’t slept.
Ollie the Goalie?
Posted: April 15, 2008 by Gene
Category: Player Posts
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I feel I must preface this by stating that as a Michigander, theres nothing we love more than a goalie controversy, ok, maybe a good quarterback controversy might fit the bill too.
It’s that time once again ladies and gents, theres a feeling in the air, a murmur in the streets, a whisper on the internets. What are they all talking about? Is it the possibility of seeing the Pope Mobile? No. Is it the buzz of the playoff hockey in DC since 2003? Close. Is it Caps nation worried about the 2-1 deficit in their series to the Flyers? Warmer. Is it a call for coach Boudreau to start Ollie instead of Huet for game 4? Ding ding ding. Ok, maybe no one else is thinking this besides me, but it is time for to entertain the argument of Ollie over Huet.
A case for Huet:
- His play down the stretch was key to the Capitals clinching the South East Division
- 11-2-0 record and 1.63 GAA in the regular season with the Caps
- He’s been playing pretty well in net, but the defense hasn’t done him any favors
- 2.50 GAA and .924 SV% carreer playoff stats(befor game 3)
- He’s has an awesome cheer which we made a sign for
A case for Ollie:
- Has played 45 playoff games with a GAA of 2.14 and a SV% of .927
- Found a second wind when Huet came to town
- Has taken the Caps the the Stanley Cup Finals before
- Caps are 1-2 and need a change in pace goal
- Huet has given up 11 goals in the past 3 games
Personally I think its time to give old Ollie a go. What do you guys think?
Game 3 Live Blog from my Couch
Posted: April 15, 2008 by Gene
Category: Game Posts
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After the 1st period its 3-1 Flyers. Heres are some of my notes:
- What happened to sending bodies to the front of the goal? 0-2 on the power play and I did not see a single Cap screening Biron
- Huet looks bad again. On the replays, he looks like he’s reacting a half second slow on everything. 3 goals, all glove side high. I guess I was wrong about blocker side high. Anything high is getting by hims.
- 2 goals were mistakes on transition. Braydon Coburn outlet pass caught the forwards off guard and sprung the 3-2. And of course, the Jurcina give away. Let’s try to tighten it up boys.
- Ove, 1 goal, 1 assist. Brashear, 1 goal, 1 assist. Anyone else think something is wrong here?
- The late power play goal by Briere is a heart breaker with less than 10 seconds to goal. Got to admit the slap pass by Mike Richards was pretty.
2nd Period notes:
- Why is Ove the man screening Biron? If anything the person screening the goalie on that line should be Kozlov
- Finally a power play goal. Good screen by Laich and a great pump fake by Green. Thats how you do it boys.
- Is there nothing Green can’t do? What a great defensive play to save the goal. It should be 4-2. Heck maybe Green should strap on the goalie pads tonight.
- The late power play goal by Briere is a killer. But you got to admit the slap pass by Mike Richards was pretty
- 4-2 Flyers lead,can the Caps pull out another come back like game 1?
3rd Period Notes
- What the hell Comcast? Fix your crappy broadcast equipment and let me watch the game. If I miss a goal there will be hell to pay.
- Put some hot noodles in front of Semin cause he’s fanning on everything tonight.
- GOAL!!!!!!!!! Ok, admittedly, that shouldn’t of been a goal. Laich’s stick was above the cross bar and deflected it in. 4-3 Flyers.
- Bad turnover again. Penalty shot. Goal. The hockey universe rights a wrong. 5-3 Flyers.
- 6-3 Flyers. Final.
Dissapointing Loss
Posted: April 13, 2008 by Gene
Category: Game Posts
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It was bound to happen eventually. The emotional run for the Southeast Division finally caught up to the Capitals in their 2-0 loss to Philadelphia this afternoon. Plain and simple, the Capitals looked dead on the ice today. Nothing seemed to click. The power play was 0-6 with very limited chances and the defense looked timid after Umberger’s break away goal that gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead in the first.
A few of observations I’ve made about the first two home games:
- Huet is not on form. Seems like the Flyers have his number blocker side high.
- Ovechkin looks like a lost dog who ate a bag of sugar before hopping on the ice.
- I know it’s never really been a part of their game, but the Capitals really need to have a big body in front of the net screening the goalie on power plays, a la Tomas Holmstrom in Detroit or Ryan Smyth in Colorado. 1-9 is not going to get it done in the playoffs.
Hopefully coach Boudreau can get this ship back course by Tuesday’s game in Philadelphia.
Live blog from Verizon
Posted: April 11, 2008 by Gene
Category: Five for Fighting
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just got into the verizon center. there’s an electricity in the air. can’t wait for the game.
Sorry guys, EDGE was horrible @ Verizon and couldn’t get a decent connection. But the game was great, and the crowd was LOUD. I’m not sure if it cam across on TV but the 3rd period was louder than most rock concerts I’ve been to. I can still hear the echos of MVP in my head.
Hip Hip Huet!!!
Posted: April 10, 2008 by Gene
Category: Five for Fighting
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Heres just a quick video of the sign I made for game one Friday night. I hope to see you there. Lets go CAPS!!!Also I’m going to try to some live blogging from the Verizon Center during the game about the crowd and some of the things you may miss by watching it on TV. This is all dependent on whether I can get EDGE reception on my iPhone.
