Three things we’re talking about today when we’re talking about the Caps…
1. Updates(ish)
The Caps had an optional skate yesterday and Spencer Carbery met with the media to provide… a typical NHL-coach-in-the-playoffs-talking-about-injured-players update:
Not ruling them out is a positive sign, at least, and one would think that Jensen would be closer than Sandin, but good luck getting more this time of year. Here’s Carbery’s full scrum, for those interested:
2. Pickers Picking Picks
So yeah, you might’ve heard that the Caps are underdogs in this series…
Cup chances now that the east field is set. The atlantic is a lot more competitive than the metro. pic.twitter.com/XSqUMUCord
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) April 17, 2024
MoneyPuck gives the Caps a 10% chance of pulling off the upset. EliteProspects has Rangers winning in four games. SNY thinks the Caps win… one game. Ditto The Hockey News. (ESPN, it should be noted, boldly predicts the Caps in six… or seven.)
But it’s not “Caps against the world,” it’s “Caps against the Rangers,” so let’s play the games and see what happens.
3. Four Twenty Won
Given the time of year and the Caps’ postseason history, you’d expect that they’ve played many a playoff game on April 21. But did you know that they’ve won their last three 4/21 games in overtime (over Columbus, Toronto and the Isles? Or that they’ve faced the Rangers once on that date and beat ’em 6-3 on the strength of a John Druce hat trick? Or that their overall record in 4/21 playoff games is 9-2, with wins in their last six straight spanning the entire Ovi Era? In fact, the only team that’s beaten the Caps on this date is (of course) Pittsburgh, against whom the Caps are 2-2 (one of those being the Joe Reekie game). Alex Ovechkin, for his part, has five goals and two assists in six 4/21 games, but they might really miss April 21 hero Nick Backstrom, who has two overtime tallies among his five goals and five helpers on the date. Le sigh.
What does it all mean? Absolutely nothing! Unless…