Caps Are Southeast Division Champions Once Again

Here is what it looks like from the Verizon Center as Ovechkin seals the deal and sends the Caps into the playoffs as the 3rd seed. (Via EllisJJ2)




Click the volume to unmute (via @CapsRocket91)


Oh and free wings too, lol, you think it would say SOUTHEAST CHAMPS

The Most Beautiful Loss In The World

252 Days...

When the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning dropped the puck on Saturday night, it was a few hours over 252 days since the Caps faced off against the New York Rangers in their final period of action back in May of 2012.  Since that time the Caps were eliminated from the playoffs, an 8th seed won the Cup, a season was almost cancelled, and earlier in the day, the NHL made its "triumphant" return.

And that is what makes this scene so beautiful.  Caps fans were expecting to take that game 7 against the Rangers at the end of last season and when it didn't happen their mouths began to water as we awaited the next season to begin.  Both the players and the fans were hoping the season started the next day.  Instead the lockout happened and it didn't even happen as regularly scheduled.

John Tortorella Faux Press Conference

The coach of the New York Rangers John Tortorella always gives great press conferences.  Check out this latest one!

Follow me on Twitter! @TheDugsSports

Comin Home

I'm coming home, I coming home, tell the world that I'm coming home...

So the Caps have taken the "home ice advantage" and are coming back to Verizon to play two.  Now in many sports this would be a great sign.  In the NHL Playoffs?  Not so much.  While I'm still going to give the Caps the "Unleash The Fury Advantage" these games could easily go 1-1 again.

Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday, I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgotten my mistakes...

Well not quite.  I remember the mistakes (Brooks Laich! Knuble stick to face!).  I remember the mistakes even more than I remember the great plays.  However, coming back home with a 1-1 "lead", all is forgiven.  Just don't do it again! (easy for me to say).

I'm coming home, I coming home, tell the world...


Well Caps fans?  Are you going to do the 8 minute "Ovi's Good" countdown?  Are you going to rock the red?  Are you going to unleash the fury?  Or are we going to hear a Let's Go Rangers chant like I did last night at the Nationals game?

So let everyone know today that the Caps are still alive.  Wear your red shirt to the office.  Knock out some of your front teeth and walk around in an Ovi jersey.  Drive down 66 honking your horn to the tune of Let's Go Caps!  Start that LUND-QVIST chant at the office.  TELL THE WORLD, THE CAPS ARE COMING HOME!

 

It's your Second Chance, Caps

Game 2. A game where the Rangers can gain a a two game advantage, one step closer to knocking us out of the Playoffs, or the Caps can get back into the groove of things and win, splitting it just like the series against Boston. pretty important, isn't it? Actually, all of the games in the Playoffs are important. Every second count. There are no safe leads (as exhibited in the Flyers-Pens series), no safe players (Torres-Hossa check, anyone?), and no safe team (The Wings were the first out in the West).

That is why giving it all you've got every game is monumentally important. The Caps didn't do that yesterday. They were deflated, they had no offensive zone pressure, the defense was lacking throughout the game, players were taking stupid penalties (come on, Semin!), and, most of all, the players just weren't bringing it. They had less heart than the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz.

I know, it's a new team, you have to get adjusted. But the playoffs are the Playoffs! You play with the same pressure throughout, don't just give up when you get past the second round. No one's going to win the game for you! And, to all he guys who took stupid penalties, whacking someone on the legs is going to give the other team a better opportunity to score and, thus, win. It's not retaliation, it's stupidity. Just give him a dirty look next time, mm'kay?

To win tomorrow's game the Caps have got to bring it like they did in Boston. To quote Joel Ward from @KCarrera, "...I don't think our desperation level was as strong as it used to be." Simply put, they weren't out their busting their hinneys. If they do that, they can win easily with some of the Rangers bigger offensive players out. Also, just based on the fact they both have the same basic teams as last season and the Caps won the series in 5.

Don't give up yet, Caps fans. Yeah, the Caps are infamous for crapping their pants in the early rounds, but how they played against Boston should give even the most hardened Caps fan a glimmer of hope. It ain't over yet, so don't count out these Weagled underdogs. LET'S GO CAPS!!

a song that seems fit for the game tomorrow;

Written by Camilla Alsobrook (@Camcoco10), Caps BBall's Teen Correspondent.  Camilla also writes for Puck Buddy's and Captial Connection.

A Playoff Recap From Someone Who Only Follows The Caps

So this season as you know I watched all the Caps games.  However, aside from that I didn't do much else in the hockey realm.  I checked the NHL standings a bunch.  I followed a few teams without watching them.  I watched that HBO show and then the Winter Classic.  And I watched 2 minutes of the Penguins Flyers game the other day.  So here is my take on the playoffs:

• In the playoffs, the games are 4 periods instead of the traditional regular season 3.
• The Flyers & Penguins are playing the series without goalies, as is the Pennsylvania tradition.
• Gatorade Jugs are ass holes and you may smash them at will.
• The 8th seed Lakers are up 2-0 on the Vancouver Grizzlies.
• MAF LOL.  No clue what that means, but I think it is true.
• Nashville and Phoenix have hockey teams.
• That was clearly a penalty.
• I think Caps fans may hate the Penguins more than they like the Caps.
• Nobody cares that the Blues are in the playoffs.
• The Panthers are the worst team in the playoffs, but are a 3 seed.
• The Devils goalie played in the first ever Stanley Cup Finals...I think.
• The Blackhawks and the Red Wings have made the playoffs every year ever.
• The Senators are the 8th seed and not the Capitals?  When did that happen?
• Every hockey player that is not on the team you root for is an ass.  
• Aaron Asham is an ass no matter what team you root for.
• Goalies are allowed to throw punches at guys who have recently missed 3/4ths of the season due to concussions.
• After the home team wins you can smash them over the head with a giant glass pane.
• During Overtime, the referees go into the locker room to watch the game on the big screen.

So that is what I've got so far.  Not sure what is true and what isn't but I think I was pretty accurate. 

Caps In The Playoffs, Do People Care?

I went to Nationals opening day yesterday.  The game was pretty packed but not full by any means.  There were hundreds of empty seats.  Lots of people were just standing at the bar not watching the game.  About 50 people were sitting in a "lounge" area just chatting like they weren't at a baseball game.

That is about the level of caring I think the casual DC fans have for this season's Caps playoffs.  After the baseball game I went to a few bars to watch a DC playoff team.  Everyone else at the bar went there to drink on a Thursday night.   There was 1 other guy out of the 100 people at the bar that was reacting to the exciting overtime playoff game.

As a non-Caps fan before this season, even I watched the playoffs the past 2 years.  I went to a Nationals game where people were watching the game on tiny TVs instead of the baseball game they paid to go to.  It was a different feeling in the area last night.

The casual fan is assuming the Caps will lose and they don't really seem to care about watching it happen.  I guess that casual fan used to be me, and all of you were getting upset at me for not paying attention to the Caps.

Man was it annoying to watch the Caps lose a heartbreaker and nobody did anything but look up at the TV for one second then get back to drinking...

Oh and guys at the bar, pink shirts are for girls...

NHL Playoffs, Where A Team 6 Games Under .500 Is a 3rd Seed

So I made it through 82 regular season hockey games.  I learned a lot of stuff thanks to commenters, Twitterers and Facebookers.  I figured out that SOB trapeziod, overtime points, and those oh-so annoying lower body injuries.  But just when I thought I figured everything out, the playoffs arrive.

This season the Florida Panthers won 38 games.  Because there are 82 games in a season, I can reasonably deduct that they lost 44 games.  38 wins and 44 losses.  38 wins and 44 losses.  I say it over and over again and I still can't comprehend what happened.

In the NFL (2010) the Seattle Seahawks won 7 games and lost 9 games.  They not only made the playoffs with the 8th best record in the conference (6 teams make playoffs), but they also had a first round home playoff game.  Crazy.

Every now and then a team or 2 in the NBA Eastern Conference make the playoffs under .500 while teams in the Western Conference with better records are left out.

And this season, my first watching the NHL, the Florida Panthers were a 3rd seed in the playoffs at 6 games below .500.  Some of this has to do with the fact that you are rewarded for losing in OT (still annoys me).  The Panthers racked up a league leading 18 of them.  18 points for 18 losses.

All 15 other teams in the playoffs had more wins than the Panthers and even one team that didn't make the playoffs.

No matter what way you look at it, the playoffs in each sport aren't perfect.  But the fact that the Panthers are a 3rd seed because of Overtime Wins and non-playoff reseeding seems just completely wrong.

Playoffs?

F Yeah Mother F'er Playoff Time B's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back In Control

After the Sabres destroyed the Washington Capitals 5-1 last week, things were not looking good for the Caps.  They weren't far out of the playoffs, but Buffalo was on fire, and the Caps were still the same streaky team.

Well the Sabres have decided that they do not want the playoffs, and they are looking to give it to the Caps.  So do the Caps want it?

Buffalo lost their last 2 games giving up 9 goals to the Penguins and Leafs.  Meanwhile the Caps have won their last 2 games, both in shootouts, both after giving up 2 goal leads.   While it isn't looking pretty for either team, the Caps have come out of the weekend with the upper hand.

The playoffs are sitting right there on the shelf.  Looking around there is nobody watching.  There are no security cameras.  The playoffs don't even have an electronic security sensor.  Your move Caps.

Only 3 games left...

Good Thing The NHL Cancelled Realignment?

If the NHL moves their conferences, then the Rangers, Penguins, Flyers, and Devils would all be in the conference with the Caps.  If only the top 4 teams make the playoffs, then this is what the standings would look like if the conferences were already switched.

Conference D
Rangers	93
Penguins	89
Flyers	85
Devils	85
Caps	76

While many people see it necessary to move team (incuding myself), it could be a blessing in disguise that the NHL has postponed this change.  The Caps would be basically out of it trailing 9 points.  Instead of only 1 point out like they are now.