CAPS WIN IN OT!!!

HUGE win last night for many reasons! Here are my thoughts:

1. The system works! Last night is what we have all been waiting for ever since the season ended last year. I had said earlier in the year that the season was largely a formality and this team will be defined by what they do in the playoffs. They changed the system in the offseason to focus more on defense and there is no question you could see the benefits of it last night. We were much tighter on defense and granted NY is not much of an offensive team but we really held their quality scoring chances to a minimum. Loved the defensive effort. We look much more like a playoff team than we did a year ago where we knew we were going to give up goals and just hoped that we would out score our opponents.

2. SEMIN! After all the hub bub about this guy not being able to score in the playoffs, the guy comes up huge with the one timer in OT for the game winner. Great goal and a great way for this guy to get the monkey off of his back. Hopefully he can feed off of this and keep the goals coming.

3. OVIE! Solid all around game by him and good to see him get rewarded with the hard fought game tying goal. He certainly seems to have sacrificed individual play for the team and it was good to see the stars shine last night which is what they need to do. Again, fair or not, he will be defined by what his team's do. He needs to raise the Cup to solidify his legacy.

4. GREEN! Great game back by Mike Green. He logged in a lot of playing time and showed very little rust. I was confident that he would be able to play in terms of endurance and skills as he has been practicing with the team for months. The question was going to be if he got overly excited being back in a game. He was very good. Solid defense and showed some offensive spark when he needed to. Great to have him back.

5. NEUVY!!! Can't say enough about this guy. He said before the game very calmly that he wasn't nervous at all and was excited about this moment and that the Rangers are a decent team but that we are "Way better." Loved the confidence. The "experts" give the edge to the Rangers in goaltending with Lundqvist but Neuvy was stellar. He came up with a few very big saves and showed no signs of any type of jitters. After the game, he was happy but calm and said that it is one game and he needs to now get ready for Game 2 on Friday. I love his quiet confidence and calmness. Exactly what we need from our goalie.

6. ARNOTT! The guy has been brought in here for this moment. He has done everything he has been asked to do. He has provided that veteran leadership this team needs. He has addressed the team and been vocal in what it takes to win the Cup. He has also taken some of the burden off of Semin allowing him to be the playmaker he can be. I loved that he was the one that made the play and assist to Semin for the game winner. I also loved that after all of the celebration with the team after the goal, Semin specifically went over to find Arnott to give him a hug. The two of them seemed to have formed a pretty good bond which can only translate to bigger things on the ice.

7. Staying the course! Last year, if the team found itself in a hole, they would have pressed and panicked and not been able to claw itself out. The last few weeks of the season we have won a number of close games by one goal with several of those victories coming in OT/shootout. Those victories have helped prepare this team for the playoffs. Last night, there didn't seem like that aura of panic when we got down. They seemed much calmer and stayed with the system as opposed to guys trying to do everything themselves. When Ovie scored, it seemed like not only a weight was lifted off of the team but that there is strong belief in the system, the coaches, and the players. Loved it!

I know that it is only one game and there is a lot of series left but it was a HUGE victory. If you watch enough sports, you know that games seem to follow similar story lines. Last night, I felt like we were the better team during the game. We were playing well and we had a number of very good scoring opportunities (hitting the post twice and Lundqvist making what I considered a lucky save on Backstrom's breakaway). Still, we couldn't punch it in and seemed like we were a little snake bitten. Again, if you watch enough sports, we have seen this story play out where the team expected to win plays better but can't pull away and the then the "weaker" team gets that one goal and the entire complexion of the game changes. That's what happened last night. Still, I loved that the guys bounced back, tied it up, and ultimately pulled it out in OT and I love that the guys that scored were our stars. It's just the kind of victory that can set the tone and keep things moving in the playoffs. It's an emotional victory and it has to be pretty disheartening for the Rangers knowing that they were close to stealing home ice and taking the series lead. Just as much as an emotional high it is for us, it is equally an emotional low for the Rangers.

Now we have to take care of business on Friday. A win puts us in great shape. However, a loss would really negate the emotional win we had yesterday. I expect another great game from the Caps. I believe the series will be similar to last night's game with many blocked shots and limited scoring. Still, I gotta believe we are feeling confident and this series is now ours to lose. Looking forward to Friday.

UNLEASH THE FURY!!!