And About My Neglected Habs...

From reading this blog, you wouldn't know that the Habs have first place in my hockey heart, but the Capitals have just been so exciting, you know? At any rate, the Canadiens begin their playoff series with Boston tonight, and while I haven't seen anyone who expects Boston to win, I worry that they'll make it a tougher, more physical series than we're anticipating. I can see them coming out with that season sweep by the Habs functioning as a big chip on their shoulders and a major motivation to prove everyone wrong. The Habs also desperately need to keep a lid on Chara, which is one reason I hope Komisarek returns to the lineup quickly.

A lot has been said already about Price and his lack of NHL playoff experience. However, having seen him in a Calder Cup final game last year against Hershey, I think he'll be just fine, especially with the confidence he's had since becoming the #1 between the pipes.

Quarterfinal Predictions - Just 'Cuz...

Det/Nash:
Lesley - Det in 7
Martin - Det in 6

SJ/Calg:
Lesley - SJ in 6
Martin - SJ in 7

Min/Col:
Lesley - Col in 6
Martin - Min in 6

Ana/Dal:
Lesley - Ana in 6
Martin - Ana in 5

Mon/Bos:
Lesley - Mon in 5
Martin - Mon in 5

Pit/Ott:
Lesley - Pit in 5
Martin - Pit in 5

Was/Phil:
Lesley - Was in 6
Martin - Was in 6

NJ/NYR:
Lesley - NJ in 7
Martin - NYR in 7

So What Happens at Intermission, Anyway?

In the first period last night, the Hershey Bears played 20 minutes of aggressive, hard-hitting, first-class hockey. Several players who normally don't hit hard were banging Wilkes-Barre/Scranton against the boards with aplomb.

Then came the first intermission. The team that came out for the second period bore little similarity to the team that had started the game - a problem that has plagued the Bears all season. So, this begs the question: precisely what is happening during intermission? What is preventing the Bears from playing 60 minutes of good hockey in the same game so frequently?

I actually think this would be less difficult if the Bears were consistently mediocre... but the fact that we can see periods of excellence makes the mediocrity much more difficult to swallow. If they would play every period the way they played the first one last night, we would be in a much stronger position vis-a-vis the playoffs. The fact that they can't maintain a high level of intensity, however, is worrisome for our chances in the postseason.

Let the games commence - and let us sweep the Flyers!

Honk If You Love the Caps

An incredible night at the Verizon Center once again, as the Caps kept believing and, against all odds, won the Southeast Division.

The first time I saw the Caps this season was on December 9 against the Thrashers. If you had told me that night that we would end up here, I would have laughed all the way back to my hotel.

As we drove away from Verizon last night, we joined in a throng of cars merrily beeping "Let's Go Caps!" Car after car after car honked, all the way down 9th Street, then down Constitution past the memorials. (I got a bit of stick from some kids about my Habs Fan license plate, but hey, what can I say, I'm a bit divided right now.) A rolling convoy of Caps fans, all delirious from witnessing another miraculous evening and determined to share the joy with everyone else - we were truly 'rocking the red.'

I realize this is echoing everyone else, but if Bruce Boudreau doesn't win the Jack Adams trophy, I'm going to be really peeved. (If Guy Carbonneau wins it instead, I'll only be mildly peeved. The Habs were picked to finish 13th in the conference by nearly everyone, after all.) To bring this team back from 15th to 3rd in the space of 4-1/2 months is a monumental accomplishment. If you're interested, the Washington Post has a great column about Bruce today.

So here we go, on to the playoffs... let's honk and scream and red-out the Caps towards a drink from that Cup, shall we?

A Watched Pot Never Boils...

Three games tonight that are critical to the Capitals, and waiting for at least one of them (if not more) to turn out the way we need... if I'm this nervous, I can't imagine how Bruce Boudreau must be feeling!

I find it irritating that DirecTV is blocking the Flyers game(especially as it's a sellout), but I'm working around that by listening to XM, flipping between Hurricanes/Panthers and Senators/Bruins, and watching the gamesheet for Hershey/Binghamton. I can't say this is the way to take a close look at any particular team, but at least I can keep up with the scores real time.

(As of this writing, Fla 2, Car 1; Bruins and Senators scoreless; Phl 1, Njd 0; Bears 1, Senators 0.)

We Keep Believing...

I lived in Dallas for part of its Super Bowl run in the 1990s. I clearly remember being down on Greenville Avenue (lower Greenville, in case you know the area and care) the night of one Super Bowl win, watching the traffic crawl and people behave like complete nutters and not caring at all.

Leaving the Verizon Center after the Capitals/Lightning game last night was a similar experience... the crowds screaming "Let's go Caps! Let's go Caps!" and "MVP! MVP!" all the way down the escalator and out on the street (despite the cold rain falling), even into the Metro stations, a sea of red everywhere you look. Riding the Metro in Caps gear is a friendly experience now, the red gear sure to start a conversation if not a cheer. On Tuesday night, we were stopped by several people on the street in Bethesda asking about the results of the game - a level of curiosity about hockey I've never before seen here.

This run to the playoffs is turning into a heady experience for DC, one that I hope carries through regardless of its outcome. Washington has long experienced the problem of being a city of transients, many (myself included) with other hockey allegiances who never could give Washington a piece of that loyalty because of its hit-and-mostly-miss play over the last several years. I hope that is changing for the franchise - all the pieces are in place for the Capitals now and I suspect this ride will continue to be an exhilarating one. Props to Ted Leonsis and his ownership group for delivering a product that should keep people coming back game after game!