Caps vs. Sabres tonight!

It's got the feel of a Game 7 playoff game. Both teams are tied with 84 points but the Caps hold the tie breaker and thus hold on to the 8th seed. Buffalo is arguably the hottest team in the league right now and Ryan Miller is finally playing the way everyone expects him to play.

Fortunately, the Caps get to play them at home although the home crowds have been more skeptical as of late and haven't been as raucous. I expect Ovi, who has been on fire as of late, to double shift just as he did last game. I think Hunter wants to get more offensive production from him and Ovi seems to want the extra ice time. He typically looks forward to the big games/stage so I expect him to continue his hot play.

The key to the game is to get the first goal. We have to get the crowd energized. It's going to be an emotional game and we have to get momentum on our side. We also have to prove that we can break Miller. The other big key is to play strong defense. Too often this season we have defensive break downs or times where there is an overall lack of effort from the team. We have to be able to take the game to them and get the Sabres back on their heels. We can't afford to sit back and watch and then decide to play later in the game.

This is the biggest game of the season (of course given our seed in the playoff picture and the amount of games left and how tight the race is, every game from here on out is the biggest game of the season). We have to prove to ourselves that we belong in the playoffs. I like the way the Caps have been playing lately. We have to get this win tonight.

LETS GO CAPS!!!