1. The No-Goal
Alright, let’s get right to it – down 3-2 halfway through the third period, the Caps thought they’d tied the game. The referees and fine folks in the League’s replay review office in Toronto thought otherwise.
Upon review…
Ovi is all of us.
A few minutes later, an actual explanation:
Reactions from the team(s)…
By the end of the game, Ovi had enough of Chris Rooney and the feeling was mutual:
And if you like salt with your open wounds…
2. The Rest of the Game
All of that said, the Hurricanes were the better team in Game 6, and it wasn’t particularly close. And if you don’t like shitty officiating (including but not limited to the play above and the embellishment call on Dmitry Orlov), try not to put yourself in a position where shitty officiating can have a meaningful impact on the outcome of a game.
The Caps were not good in Game 6, particularly after the first frame and on the power play, and so a questionable call denied them the game-tying tally. And that was pretty much all she wrote.
What say you, Coach?
That the Caps had a chance to possibly sneak in and steal this one owes to a couple of opportunistic goals and some fine goaltending. But this was more like Game 3 than Game 4, and nothing like Game 5. And it’s that last home game the Caps will have to try to replicate on Wednesday night.
Alex Ovechkin did do this, but he and Nicklas Backstrom can’t do it alone…
3. A(nother) Game 7
Hello darkness, my old friend…
Seriously, though, slow your roll, ESPN – those ‘Canes wins came a decade ago and only 11 of those Caps games are Ovi Era (granted… 4-7). So, grain of salt and all that.
But here we are and we might not be here much longer if things don’t change:
Oh, and you’re already sick of hearing about “Mr. Game 7,” but here’s a fun fact for you: Justin Williams has won every Game 7 he’s played in in the NHL and had at least a point in each… except for one…
And before we get out of here, one more fun Justin Williams fact: this is what he looked like when he entered the League…