Landry arrives

Robs will try and create issues by Landry's late arrival to OTAs but it isn't any big deal. Landry is one of the most well conditioned players in the league so it's not that big of a deal. Sure, we would have all liked to see him there for unity but OTAs are largely for the younger, more inexperienced players or backups to show what they can do. Training camp is where it really begins. That is when you strap on the pads and get to work.

Landry is kind of immature that way in that I think he will blow off some things he doesn't see as absolutely mandatory. He had an autograph signing about a year ago that he blew off and he gave the same excuse that he did for missing the first part of OTAs -- that he had some personal issues to take care of but he apologized. It's not a big deal so don't worry Robs.

Bye, Bye, Jon-Jon!

Jansen was released today. Good move. I like the guy and he has been a great Redskin but he has suffered too many serious injuries (A ruptured Achilles tendon in 2004, two broken thumbs in 2005, a torn calf muscle in 2006, a broken ankle in 2007 and a sprained knee in 2008) and he is 33. He has WAY too much wear and tear on the body. Apparently he thought he could still play and the Skins let him come in and prove it but the coaching staff didn't feel like he could compete and let him go. The good thing about that is they still gave him enough time to hook on with another team and probably serve as a backup and it also pretty much locks up Stephon Heyer as the RT. He has to feel pretty good that he is the guy. Heyer has worked hard and wanted that RT position badly.

PATHETIC!!!

Can't really say much more. To win Game 6 the way that we did in OT and then knowing we are coming back to our house for a Game 7, you'd think the Caps would be pumped to play. We got demolished. I suppose I can take some comfort in knowing the better team won. All series I didn't feel like we were the better team. The victories we had in the series, we stole. Sure, we had some decent stretches and some good goals and luck counts for something but when you really look at the series, we were not the better team.

In nearly every game, there would be long stretches where the Penguins were in our attack zone. They out shot us by like 80-90 shots in the series. For goodness sake, we were out shot 18-5 in the first period yesterday. Who did it look like came out ready to advance in the playoffs? Brooks Laich said it best after the game when he said that it was a really good year but unfortunately it will be remembered for this loss. Absolutely no energy. I was embarrassed watching the game.

I understand that several of the Caps were injured but that's no excuse. At this point, every team has players playing with injuries. It is hard to take solace in the fact that we had a good year and that we may have found a future franchise goalie and we have the greatest player in the world and we have a young core team built around the superstar but it's still hard to accept the type of effort that was given yesterday. Honestly, we looked like we were in a slower gear and we were just fumbling around with the puck. It felt like a youth league team up against an NHL team. Green again was non existent, Semin kept tripping over the blue line, the veteran Federov takes a stupid retaliation penalty, defensive lapses, can't clear, can't crowd the net, taking long range slap shots with easy looks. That won't get it done.

Worse is that I think we were outplayed but I really felt like we were outcoached in this series. I don't understand all the nuances of hockey and its strategy but all year we were one of the top shooting teams in the league and we were obliterated in that category in this series. I can understand one or two games but when it happens in every game of a 7 seven game series, there seems like there is some coaching that goes into that.

Look, I really like this team and feel like we should be encouraged because of the young talent we have on the Caps but it was an inexcusable effort yesterday. Given the type of season we had, the playoffs were a disappointment. I said all along that the only way this season would be a success was to get to the conference finals. Hopefully we can use this as a learning experience but next year we have to go in thinking we are a top tier team and the goal legitimately must be winning the Stanley Cup.

I suppose I will now shift my focus to the Cubbies...until football season starts creeping closer.

Win and go on. Lose and go home.

It's as simple as that for the Caps tonight. They took the early 2-0 series lead only to fall behind 2 games to 3 but battled back in a nail biter for a victory in Game 6. All of that sets up what should be a memorable deciding Game 7 show down. I imagine the atmosphere will be electric. Big stars shine in big games and I think Ovie is looking forward to tonight. However, just like in Game 6, we will need others to step up because the one thing the Penguins will now allow happen is for Ovie to beat them. Mike Green should have his stick back tonight so it would be a great time for him to show up in the playoffs and make something happen.

Hopefully Varly comes up big as well. It's strange because outside of one game this series, he has been spectacular in the playoffs and I almost feel like we expect to see that kind of performance each game. We all know that you need great goaltending in the playoffs and need for the goalie to come up with 2-3 great saves. I just hope he has at least one more in him tonight.

I said yesterday that the Philly series in 1988 was the greatest. As we get closer to tonight's game, this has the potential to be the greatest series given the rivalry and the stars and the almost Stanley Cup Championship type feel this series has garnered. A win tonight and we will have stolen this series because we have been outplayed but it will certainly rank right up there with any series the Caps have ever played.

I'm looking forward to this game with great anticipation and the nerves are already beginning to flutter. I'm sure the same is true for all Caps fans. So a final call out to all Caps fans...UNLEASH THE FURY!!!

LETS GO CAPS!!!!

CAPS WIN!!!!

FANTASTIC game!!! Caps come from behind and do what many thought they weren't capable of doing and win a game in OT on the road IN PITTSBURGH!!! The great news is that we force a series deciding Game #7 back in D.C. on Wednesday night. The bad news is that we still are not playing that well.

Last night was tremendous in that we won but there were long stretches where we were just getting beaten. We started the game with some aggressive play and got 3 or 4 shots early but then we just fell apart. We were outshot 18-5 in the first period alone. Thank God for Varly because without him, we wouldn't even be able to sniff a Game #7. That guy's play has been unbelievable. The other big issue is that we are still giving up WAY too many odd man rushes. You can see that the Penguins defenders often times skate with the forwards on the attack to create these rushes. Also, our defenders have to do a better job of reading the plays. They will some times go up and try and make a hit at mid ice but doing that takes them out of position and results in the odd man rushes. We have to be smarter. Another concern is still Mike Green. That guy is no where to be found. All season, in nearly every game, he had an impact and you were aware of him on the ice but in the playoffs he has virtually disappeared.

Still, I am happy for the victory. Ovie guaranteed the win and that we would be coming back for a Game #7 and he was right. The best part about it was that we scored 5 goals and he didn't have a single one. The goals came from our supporting players like Kozlov, Semin, Fleischman, and Steckel who fittingly got the OT game winner after missing the open net game winner in Game #6. That's just what we needed. Sudden death hockey is some of the best sports has to offer. Each shot we take, you hope it finds a way in and each shot the opposing team takes, you pray is stopped. You can't help but think that when they hit the cross bar in OT, how one second and one inch can be the difference between playing on or going home. It's funny too because all too often sudden death goals end up being softer shots or fluke type rebounds or deflections. You just hope that you get the right deflection. Last night, we did.

Anyway, hopefully we get more of the same goal scoring from people not named Ovie on Wednesday because it's clear the Pens are being very cautious defensively when Ovie is out there. The Penguins are making us find a way to score without Ovie and last night we did. We need to find a way again on Wednesday. Who is going to step up and be the hero? I have to say again though that I cannot say enough about Varly. That guy has been unbelievable and is the Caps MVP for this series. Nerves of steel and cat quick reflexes combined with unbelievable flexibility. This guy is a beast!

Couple of other notes about last night's game that really bothered me was that when we took the lead and there was still like 13 minutes left, we just fell into one of our lapses. I was counting down the minutes and the minutes were taking forever and it felt like an eight minute power play. We stopped being aggressive which I prefer not to do but fine. Worse was that we stopped playing good defense and it was like lets just stand around and watch Varly get pelted and see how many shots he can stop. For F sake, make a play...somebody! Given the way the Penguins were just attacking and controlling the puck, you just knew it was a matter of time before they scored. That cannot happen.

Also, the Caps have GOT to take more shots. Just take the shots. Fleury is not being tested. He is not as good as Varly. You can't score unless you take shots and the Caps are not testing this guy. The support guys are not taking the shots when they should. Yesterday, there were a few times when I felt like guys were looking to make the extra move or the extra pass and it ended up getting broken up without a shot. Just take the freaking shot! We will score on this guy!

Finally, the refs are still blowing the calls. I feel like we have kind of gotten the shaft in that department this series but for God's sake, how do you call that type of cheap ass slashing call on Laich with two minutes left in regulation in a tie game when the team you call it on is facing elimination?!!! Thank God we didn't lose it on that power play because that would have been a very bitter way for the season to end.

Anyways, there are still issues but we find ourselves in another Game #7. We seem to thrive in these elimination games but they sure are nerve racking. It will be good to be back at home and I know Ovie loves this stage. The Red will be Rocking and it's going to be an unbelievable atmosphere. It's been a great series that shouldn't come as any surprise to go the full seven games. I'm looking forward to it. We'll see who steps up and who cracks under the pressure.

LETS GO CAPS!!!

Do or Die Tonight

So the Caps had a much better game on Saturday night. However, they still ended up losing at home and now have to go back to Pittsburgh down 3 games to 2 and their season on the line. They definitely played better Saturday and took a 1 goal lead into the third period but lost it. Ovie was able to tie it with 5 minutes left and it was sent into OT and I felt good that they would come out on top and they had a chance only 20 seconds into OT when Steckel had a wide open look from close range but he mishit it and he missed the net.

Malkin ended up getting the game winner about 5 minutes into OT on an intended pass that richocheted off of Poti's stick right into the Caps net. It's unfortunate and the second time we have lost like that in OT in this series but typically that's what happens in OT. It's a fluke goal or unlucky bounce or something like that that ends it. Sudden death OT in playoff hockey is some of the most intense moments in all of sports and you just hope that you can come out on top.

Whatever. After taking a 2 games to none lead in this series, we find ourselves where we are and it's a must win for us tonight in Pittsburgh where we have not played well in this series. Hopefully we can find a way to pull out the victory and bring this back to D.C. Frankly, there is a lot of pressure on Pittsburgh as well. They won't want to come back to D.C. and getting that fourth victory in a series is always the toughest.

For the Caps, we need another great performance from Varly. We also need heroics from Ovie but need for others to step up and get goals. The question is who is going to step up. Again, we need Green to start playing. The Caps tried to inject him more into the offense on Saturday and maybe that is what is needed. Maybe Federov should play more defense as he is very good setting up plays and playing the point. However, his speed is a liability. That's the other thing. WAY too often in this series the Pens have had odd man rushes. That has got to stop. We have got to find a way to slow down and limit their number of shots. The Caps all season have typically outshot their opponents but we are getting killed in that department in this series. That's a tough spot to put our young goalie in. Boudreau is a great coach but I kind of feel like we are being outcoached in this series.

Bottom line is that we need a win. There is no other way around it. We have to find a way to win this game. I love what the Bruins were able to do last night down 3-1 in their series. They blew out the Hurricanes. We need a game like that tonight to get some momentum back. We need to play with reckless abandon and throw everything out there tonight. We have no choice because there may be no tomorrow.

LET'S GO CAPS!!!

It's on like DONKEY KONG!!!

Big game tonight. The Caps have a chance to take a 3-1 series lead and bring it back home for Game 5. The Pens have the opportunity to hold on to their home ice advantage and tie the series.

I expect the Pens to play again with a sense of desperation. It will be a question if the Caps can match their intensity. I don't think we can expect Varly to put up the same type of game as he did in Game 3 (although I hope he does). We need to go up early and get that crowd out of it and then continue to pressure.

Bottom line, we need to be more aggressive and play with a sense of urgency. We need to skate and get open and we need to be aware of their forechecking and clear the puck and start our attacks and take shots. Much of the season, we have been an attacking hockey team but last game we were on our heels the entire game.

It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.

Hopefully Mike Green and Alexander Semin decide to show up tonight.

UNLEASH THE FURY!!!!