Carpe Weekend
by Stephen Pepper on May 7, 2009 1:30 PM EDT
41 comments
Exactly two weeks ago, Cap City was despondent, disheartened (well, at least my borough of it). That impressive goalie that all the ladies adore, and that earned himself a royal nickname, was "stealing the series" for the New York Rangers, putting our heroes in a 3-1 series hole.
The Caps were the "ubertalented" squad chock full of young guns, reminiscent of the 1993 Nordiques de Québec, and the Rangers recalled a Patrick Roy-led Habs team "outshot and outchanced, but not outscored, during their six-game victory" over their provincial rivals.
Since then, perhaps the greatest alchemy in the history of D.C. hockey has occurred: that lethal offensive force has been joined with a goaltender slowly earning himself at least footnote mention alongside the legendary exploits of a 20 year old Roy, or a 24 year old Ken Dryden. It was becoming a year of magical thinking.
And then last night in Steel Town, on the finest and most spotlessly polished silver platter, the Capitals found themselves in a position to put a strangehold on this second-round series versus the Penguins. You don't need me to tell you that the hockey gods have long favored the Pittsburgers when the two clubs collide in the post-season. But yesterday it seemed as if the divine offered a heavenly bounty of gifts that might, if seized upon, go a long away toward making right on some painful history.
Decisively, crushingly. And in the Igloo.
Throughout the game, I was awe-struck (and I'm sure most of you were as well) first by the divine hand which twisted M-A Fleury's stick out of his grasp and directed the puck to a salivating Alex Ovechkin, and then, time and again, by the nerve-fraying avalanche of glorious chances that the Pens created, just a fraction of which converted would have led to a humiliating final score for the road team, all turned away, or botched. Dives by Simeon Varlamov backwards and forwards. Whiffs and shanks in front of a yawning net. Relentless forechecking pressure.
Though all signs pointed to complete implosion, and I rocked back and forth nervously on my couch, I deigned to tilt my head skyward and ask the moon, "Who will be our Petr Nedved tonight?" It seemed as if no matter what unfolded on that ice sheet, the Caps could not lose. And someone (Brooks Laich?) was going to bat 'er home at around 2:30 am this morning.
Yet, this seemingly magical opportunity was not seized upon. Even from the moment of Ovechkin's marker, the Caps showed themselves unable, or unwilling, to push back the onslaught of those waddling cartoon birds with the requisite effort. Quoth Boudreau: "When you get a goaltending effort like that, you have to win because they don't come around every day." Instead, the theme of the contest became Malkin Comes Alive! And the game, with a small detour, took its rightful course.
Now, it should be noted that, despite the aforementioned brilliance of young St. Patrick, a 2-1 OT win in Game Seven was still required for the Canadiens to vanquish the Hartford Whalers in the Adams Division finals. Including a heartbreaking 2-1 OT loss to the Whale in Game 4, on Insurance City ice. Nothing in the Stanley Cup playoffs comes easy.
But the Caps have it completely within their earthly power to put the hammer down tomorrow and return to D.C. for a series-ending thriller. The team was a collective doormat last night and the home squad released its most ferocious barrage of artillery. And it still required overtime to damage the Red Machine.
The mood in the room should be of confidence and focused anger. A defiant tilt of the head to say, "That's all you got?"
Win one tomorrow for Varlamov. Bring it home for your fans to enjoy victory against arch-rivals. Deal to the Penguins the same fate suffered by another flightless bird from centuries ago. The dodo.
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Sidney Crosby has requested that this picture be re-drawn – too many hats. Thanks.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on May 7, 2009 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions 20 recs
I hope the Caps listen to what the Pens are saying, and realize: they are in fact being out played. The question is whether they have the testicular fortitude to turn it around while the Mike Green Engine is still in the shop. We know they can do it for 10-20 minutes at a time. Can they do it for 60?
Luck and bounces be damned. We knew all along we were going to have to earn this one.
The keyboard is mightier.
by breed16 on May 7, 2009 2:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
whether they have the testicular fortitude to turn it around
Semin’s a big part of that, don’t you think?
by red army line on May 7, 2009 11:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Varlamov has been good, but to compare him to Roy or Dryden’s playoff performance? Come on.
Pension Plan Puppets*
* Blog contains less than 2% puppet content by weight.
by Chemmy on May 7, 2009 2:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Well, I said "footnote mention."
by Stephen Pepper on May 7, 2009 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not even there.
Pension Plan Puppets*
* Blog contains less than 2% puppet content by weight.
by Chemmy on May 7, 2009 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think the Dryden reference (no comparison is being made) is applicable given the career regular-season experience leading into a post-season introduction to the hockey world.
And he said “slowly earning,” as in “if he keeps it up, he’ll be getting the praise and the comparison.”
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on May 7, 2009 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fine. We can re-visit the point in June. Or not.
The point here is that we got a damn good one and better make good use of him while he’s focused.
by Stephen Pepper on May 7, 2009 2:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
so if Varly put the team on his shoulders and ran to the Cup finals, it isn’t worth that mention?
Sure, we should probably table that comparison till then, but I’m not sure he isn’t at least Dryden Esque in his appearance on the scene and his play so far.
by Chimaera on May 7, 2009 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But he hasn’t done that. You’re three games into the second round.
Pension Plan Puppets*
* Blog contains less than 2% puppet content by weight.
by Chemmy on May 7, 2009 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
C’mon. This is a hella lame tangent. Pepper wrote that the guy is “slowly earning” (as in, “in the process of”) the chance for a tiny mention alongside some other big rookie performances. He could lose that chance. He could continue to earn it. Why on earth are we arguing the semantics of this when no one’s saying “Varly is Dryden/Roy?” Would you have been more comfortable with “end note” instead of “footnote?” :)
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on May 7, 2009 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think they were thrown off because it wasn’t properly Bluebooked.
by Fehr and Balanced on May 7, 2009 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And I’m not trying to be debbie downer here, if the Leafs ever make the playoffs and have a rookie goalie play like Varlamov I’ll probably get his number tattooed on my back.
But what Roy did was absolutely legendary.
Pension Plan Puppets*
* Blog contains less than 2% puppet content by weight.
by Chemmy on May 7, 2009 2:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Preach on Brother Pepper!
If the Caps don’t come out flying tomorrow with one of their best games, then I’m not sure the team has a pulse.
Varlamov put the series and advancing on a platter for the team, and did his darnedest to usher them there himself. If they don’t feel at least somewhat obligated to ratchet it up and move on, then something is wrong.
by Chimaera on May 7, 2009 2:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Nice Work Pepper. With that said:
I BELIEVE
by vt caps fan on May 7, 2009 2:52 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
i believe too so I’d like to change this to:
WE BELIEVE
by danimal8 on May 7, 2009 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well said, great perspective. You’ve made my day!
by frets on May 7, 2009 3:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Gotta be honest. I was watching OT last night just waiting for the Penguins to score. I felt it was only a matter of time. I can’t remember the last time the Caps won a playoff game in OT. Was it 1998 against Buffalo (Joe Juneau)? It’s been a LONG while.
by killianskid34 on May 7, 2009 3:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
April 18, 2001. Capitals 4 @ Pittsburgh 3. Halpern GWG. Tied the series at 2-2.
by Stephen Pepper on May 7, 2009 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
My actual fortune cookie from dinner
(Originally posted the day after Round 1 Game 3)
by Icebat on May 7, 2009 3:47 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
I’m really happy for you and the Austin Icebats but we’re trying to focus on the Capitals here. =]
by zephyr on May 7, 2009 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
lol yeah , the previous post explained that the icebats are defunct and I don’t play hockey/a sport at this time so that pretty much narrows it down!
:)
It’s just a playoff ritual to post after each Game 3 now that we saw how round 1 turned out
by Icebat on May 7, 2009 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
SO where are the Texas Stars going to play? That rodeo barn in East Austin that the Ice Bats played in? The Erwin Center? Have they built something new in the area for them to play in? I remember seeing the Ice Bats in 1997 in that rodeo barn…
by killianskid34 on May 7, 2009 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I should know the answer to that but it escapes me at the moment.
I want to say they’re building a stadium in Round Rock: the cash cow/toll road/burbs just north of Austin (where the cops hand out speeding tickets like candy)
There’s a minor league baseball team up there that sends people up to the majors all the time and that seems to be working out.
I would prefer the Erwin center (downtown) but that would make too much sense/give hockey too much of a chance to actually succeed somewhere in the south.
by Icebat on May 7, 2009 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
New arena. Cedar Park, TX. 20 minutes from Austin. I wrote a bit about the demise of the Ice Bats here.
by Stephen Pepper on May 7, 2009 9:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Upgrading the franchise should be a positive step. Austin’s getting a lot of people from the east (particularly Jersey it seems like) so there should be a larger fan base. The Icebats were tough to watch on any more than an occasional basis for any half-knowledgeable fan. But it was “hockey” in Austin. If I’m still down here it’ll be interesting to see how they look.
by Icebat on May 8, 2009 1:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I honestly thought...
Ovie was going to win it in OT. Holy Red Jesus, he had the chance. I was staring at the ceiling thinking about that as soon as I woke up today.
by S h a g g y on May 7, 2009 3:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Were you thinking of this chance?
It seemed Ovechkin would be the hero, moving into the slot at one point with a clear lane to shoot, only to whiff on the shot.
“In overtime the ice was just a mess,” said Ovechkin. “I have 100-per-cent chance to score — and the puck just stopped.”
by Stephen Pepper on May 7, 2009 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Had the ice been decent he might have been able to.
by Ovechwin on May 7, 2009 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Apparently someone wants to kill Ovy
http://www.wpxi.com/sports/19397791/detail.html
" 60 percent of the time...it works everytime"
by shwedy on May 7, 2009 3:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I don’t see anything about “kill”.
Maybe someone threatened to use his “little sheep” Russian nickname
by Icebat on May 7, 2009 4:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Here’s where the “kill” comes in -
It was made by someone with the handle "pensforlife87" and it said "Im killing Ovechkin i’ll go to jail i dont care anymore."
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on May 7, 2009 4:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I still didn’t see the statement in the referenced link, so I went to see if maybe it was on CI. There is something there more specific but still not the actual “inappropriate” statement
by Icebat on May 7, 2009 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks, it’s one of those “developing story” deals.
The original news station reference that didn’t have the specific nature of the statement before was recently updated to include it, along with further details. Plus new info is coming out in a number of places, and we have a new discussion just on this now!
by Icebat on May 7, 2009 5:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
TTT Hockey: tictactoehockey.blogspot.com
TTT Photo: myunjustifiedego.blogspot.com
by turnituptoeleven on May 7, 2009 6:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
But something HAS happened...
A kid who has had no NHL experience has stepped in for a veteran award winning goalie and played as near to lights out as possible. He held the Rangers series, allowing the Caps to regroup and come back from a 3 games to 1 deficit. In this series he has stood on his head in a way we, as Caps fans are not familiar with. There are only so many comparisons in the world of hockey to explain this phenomenon. While we certainly know that this is a premature depiction of Varly’s accomplishments so far, as Caps fans we FEEL this. The subtext is, while we maintain belief because of our scorers, we can also, for the first time in a long time, expand that belief to include our goalie into the second round. It rings true in our hearts if not in our minds, and as Caps fans those hearts sustain us. I maintain that anyone can be a fan of a team that has won a Cup; they always have that benchmark to lift them (and throw in the faces of those lacking that chalice), but it takes character and an insular mythology to be a dedicated fan of a perennial also-ran. Whatever else may happen, Varly is kick saving his way into OUR mythology.
I hate Pittsburgh. And the Pens too.
by B8ovin on May 7, 2009 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington
|
70 | 47 | 14 | 9 | 103 |
|
Atlanta
|
69 | 29 | 29 | 11 | 69 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
69 | 28 | 29 | 12 | 68 |
|
Florida
|
68 | 28 | 30 | 10 | 66 |
|
Carolina
|
69 | 28 | 33 | 8 | 64 |
(updated 3.18.2010 at 12:42 AM EDT)
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