2011-2012 Caps Season

[nicefellow31]

I have never been a diehard hockey fan, but I'm going to try and take a bigger interest this season. Since I root for all things D.C. (except for Georgetown basketball. Go Terps!) I'll start the Caps Season thread. Hopefully some of you more knowledgeble hockey guys/girls can help me out. From reading some of the sportspages sounds like a Stanley Cup or bust season for the good guys. What do you think and what are your expectations?

[Ibleedburgundy]

I haven't watched any of the exhibition games so I'm hoping there are some strategic changes - mainly having to do with Ovechkin. He needs to stop floating, and not just on defense. Needs to be more willing to fight for the puch along the boards. I'll know after one game if they've addressed this.

Not a good sign that Vokoun is not starting the first game of the season. He took a massive pay cut to be here, and he expected to be named starter in return. He had a bad preseason and Neuvirth has had a good one. IMO Neuvirth is destined to be a decent - but not elite - goalie.

[RedskinsDave]

The whole season comes down to what they do in the playoffs. We know they will be competitive and possibly dominant in the regular season. I still can't believe they gave BB another shot.

[skinfanjon]

The whole season comes down to what they do in the playoffs. We know they will be competitive and possibly dominant in the regular season. I still can't believe they gave BB another shot.

This. Ill watch most of the games as usual, but you could tune in come april and not miss a thing. 100 points, win the Southeast, yawn. Will the playoffs be different this time???

[InsomniaKiller]

Neuvirth's preseason was fantastic, not just good. He gets the start as a reward for that, but it's meaningless in the end. Whoever started tonight was going to sit Monday, and Monday is a game against a more potent offense. Both goalies are going to play a lot of games, and if one of them gets hot, he'll play for a stretch. If Vokoun doesn't end up starting the majority of the games, it's because he's been outplayed.

Neuvirth had a good season last year, and he's young. He could be a very, very good goalie for us for a long time, while Vokoun, in the meantime, is just here to help us for this season.

The offseason moves we made seem to be smart ones, but we'll have to see how the team looks on the ice for a couple weeks before we can know for sure.

I'm glad hockey is back. My expectations are to be entertained and hopefully win the Stanley Cup, but I'm not one of those fans who thinks watching sports is a waste of time if your team doesn't win it all. There will be a lot of changes made to the team if the don't at least make it to the Conference Finals, but there are a number of core players who aren't going anywhere regardless of what happens.

[Patrick]

I guess starting off the season with a win is good BUT come on .... let's try dominating.

[cal_junior]

I guess starting off the season with a win is good BUT come on .... let's try dominating.

Keep in mind there are a lot of new faces on this team. I'd have been stunned if they were a well-oiled machine right out of the shoot.

[828791Redskins]

I have never been a diehard hockey fan, but I'm going to try and take a bigger interest this season. Since I root for all things D.C. (except for Georgetown basketball. Go Terps!) I'll start the Caps Season thread. Hopefully some of you more knowledgeble hockey guys/girls can help me out. From reading some of the sportspages sounds like a Stanley Cup or bust season for the good guys. What do you think and what are your expectations?

If you want to turn into a diehard go to a few games. I wouldn't say Stanley Cup or bust, but I don't want to see another playoff waxing this year. They need to be a better team inside the blue lines, on offense and defense. Also the fore check wasn't the best last year either.

[InsomniaKiller]

Looks like this year's team will resemble the 09-10 Caps moreso than last year's squad. It will be an exciting team to watch, I think.

Terrible debut by Vokoun. Not pleased, especially after I get the impression that he was a little pouty about not starting game 1.

Have to start Neuvirth on Thursday.

[cal_junior]

Terrible debut by Vokoun. Not pleased, especially after I get the impression that he was a little pouty about not starting game 1.

Have to start Neuvirth on Thursday.

It's a long season and Vokoun is a stud. No reason for concern. It was a huge mistake starting Neuvy in Game 1. Don't acquire Vokoun if you're not going to treat him like a No. 1.

BB literally created controversy out of thin air.

[redskin_rich]

It's a long season and Vokoun is a stud. No reason for concern. It was a huge mistake starting Neuvy in Game 1. Don't acquire Vokoun if you're not going to treat him like a No. 1.

BB literally created controversy out of thin air.
Disagree... Neuvy outplayed Vok in the pre-season. It's more controversial to play politics than to simply reward what's earned.

[RedskinsDave]

I love that between the NHL network and Vs. I get to see nearly half of the Caps games.

[cal_junior]

Disagree... Neuvy outplayed Vok in the pre-season. It's more controversial to play politics than to simply reward what's earned.

The preseason isn't a competition when you're talking about a guy with Vokoun's resume. He was brought here to be the No. 1.

[RedskinsDave]

The preseason isn't a competition when you're talking about a guy with Vokoun's resume. He was brought here to be the No. 1.

Well the Caps aren't the Redskins so they don't just pay a vet and not have an actual competition for the job. So far, Neuvy is the right choice.

[Ibleedburgundy]

Disagree... Neuvy outplayed Vok in the pre-season. It's more controversial to play politics than to simply reward what's earned.

That's a rather small sample size though. Why not look at their entire careers? During the broadcast last night they were saying Vokoun has the second highest save percentage in the entire NHL over the past 5 years.

That would be like the Browns bringing in Drew Brees and telling him he needs to compete with Colt McCoy.

OTOH, Vokoun was terrible last night lol

[cal_junior]

Well the Caps aren't the Redskins so they don't just pay a vet and not have an actual competition for the job. So far, Neuvy is the right choice.

Not sure how closely you follow hockey but I know you're aware that in all sports there are players whose resumes place above the level of having to prove themselves during preseason.

This is an extreme example, but let's say the Redskins signed Troy Polamalu. If a younger safety happened to out-perform him during preseason nobody would be advocating Polamalu should come off the bench.

[cal_junior]

OTOH, Vokoun was terrible last night lol

I believe Vokoun said it was his worst game in five years. And even under those unusual circumstances he was still light's out during OT and the shootout.

Vokoun is the guy this season.

[InsomniaKiller]

It's a long season and Vokoun is a stud. No reason for concern. It was a huge mistake starting Neuvy in Game 1. Don't acquire Vokoun if you're not going to treat him like a No. 1.

BB literally created controversy out of thin air.

And if he wants to be treated like a No. 1, he should play like No. 1. He didn't look like one last night. He'll have his chances, but Neuvirth should start Thursday. He plays well against Pittsburgh.

Vokoun's performance is the worst performance by a Caps goaltender I've seen since Varly in game 7 against Pittsburgh a couple years ago. It's a small sample size, sure, but there's no excuse to play that poorly, especially if you're trying to prove that your poor preseason performance was some meaningless fluke.

He's got history, sure. But he's done nothing for us. Same reason I was glad to see McNabb benched. I don't care what Vokoun's done elsewhere, if he can't perform here, it means nothing.

We'll see him over the weekend and hopefully he'll live up to his billing and eventually start 50 games for us this year.

[cal_junior]

And if he wants to be treated like a No. 1, he should play like No. 1. He didn't look like one last night. He'll have his chances, but Neuvirth should start Thursday. He plays well against Pittsburgh.

Vokoun's performance is the worst performance by a Caps goaltender I've seen since Varly in game 7 against Pittsburgh a couple years ago. It's a small sample size, sure, but there's no excuse to play that poorly, especially if you're trying to prove that your poor preseason performance was some meaningless fluke.

He's got history, sure. But he's done nothing for us. Same reason I was glad to see McNabb benched. I don't care what Vokoun's done elsewhere, if he can't perform here, it means nothing.

We'll see him over the weekend and hopefully he'll live up to his billing and eventually start 50 games for us this year.

Hockey's closer to baseball than football in terms of the long-term being what counts. Neuvy v Varly is one thing, but you don't go game-by-game with elite players who have established who they are.

Vokoun's been great for 600+ NHL starts with three different teams, to say nothing of a sparkling international resume. Michael Neuvirth doesn't even have 80 starts at this level. Neuvy has far more to prove than Vokoun does.

[cal_junior]

I can't think of a better way for Vokoun to redeem himself than playing well against the Penguins tonight. Neuvy is hurt ("lower-body") and didn't make the trip to PA.

It should be interesting . . .

[Ibleedburgundy]

I can't think of a better way for Vokoun to redeem himself than playing well against the Penguins tonight. Neuvy is hurt ("lower-body") and didn't make the trip to PA.

It should be interesting . . .

Does that mean Holtby will be on the bench?

[InsomniaKiller]

Much better performance from Vokoun, although I was more than a little concerned after he let in the first shot for a pretty bad goal.

As I'm typing this, Pittsburgh ties the game, but 29 did enough to make up for the soft one he let in. Can't blame him for the tie. Looks like another overtime is likely.

Caps were outplayed in the 1st and 3rd periods, but looked good in the 2nd. Sloppy game in many regards.

[Ibleedburgundy]

When you look at the number of shots on goal in that game, it was pretty lopsided in Pittsburgh's favor. The Caps were mostly outplayed. Vokoun kind of stole that one.

[cal_junior]

When you look at the number of shots on goal in that game, it was pretty lopsided in Pittsburgh's favor. The Caps were mostly outplayed. Vokoun kind of stole that one.

Yup. The first period was particularly brutal, the Pens could have been up 3 or 4 to zip after 20 minutes.

[nicefellow31]

Pretty good game last night against the Penguins. As I stated before, I'm paying more attention to hockey this season. All of the post game talk centered on Arron Asham punching the stuffing out of Jay Beagle. From what I observed, Beagle "roughed up" one of the Pen's better players, Kris Leating (a non-fighter). Asham is the enforcer on the Pen's so he invited Beagle (another non-fighter) to "drop gloves" which resulted in Beagle getting his face punched in. That leads to three questions that I would like answered by some of you experienced hockey fans:

1. Do the Caps have an enforcer?

2. Since Leating (a non-fighter) skated away, why didn't Beagle (a non-fighter) skate away? Did he feel pressure to fight because he is role player? Also wouldn't it be up to the Cap's enforcer to take care of Asham?

3. Why did the Caps accept the beating of a teamate? They were irritated at Asham's taunting afterward, why did they let him get away with it?

[Ibleedburgundy]

Pretty good game last night against the Penguins. As I stated before, I'm paying more attention to hockey this season. All of the post game talk centered on Arron Asham punching the stuffing out of Jay Beagle. From what I observed, Beagle "roughed up" one of the Pen's better players, Kris Leating (a non-fighter). Asham is the enforcer on the Pen's so he invited Beagle (another non-fighter) to "drop gloves" which resulted in Beagle getting his face punched in. That leads to three questions that I would like answered by some of you experienced hockey fans:

1. Do the Caps have an enforcer?

2. Since Leating (a non-fighter) skated away, why didn't Beagle (a non-fighter) skate away? Did he feel pressure to fight because he is role player? Also wouldn't it be up to the Cap's enforcer to take care of Asham?

3. Why did the Caps accept the beating of a teamate? They were irritated at Asham's taunting afterward, why did they let him get away with it?

I don't claim to be an experienced hocky fan but I will relay what I read from experienced hockey fans (who disagree with one another on the subject).

1. Not really. Perhaps DJ King, but he wasn't suited up against the Pens. He probably will be next time. Ovechkin generally doesn't fight but he is also an enforcer. He would have no problem trucking Crosby, Letang, or Malkin. He's done it before. Given Crosby's injury history, the Pens are playing with fire.

2. Letang actually has been in a few fights. Beagle should have skated away from Asham. He may have fought in the hopes that he would draw a penalty on the Pens for instigating that would offset the penalty he just made by shoving Letang. What he probably should have done was try to fight Letang.

3. Fighting in the end of the 3rd period when you are winning or tied is dumb. No need to give the other team a man advantage and take a stupid penalty. The down team always wants to fight. The leading team often has to resist - which apparently is difficult for these guys because they have huge egos and don't want to be seen as cowards.

There is a complicated code among the players for when a guy should or should not fight, who they should fight, and when they can turn down a fight. I don't think anyone expects a guy like Beagle to drop the gloves with a guy like Asham. But he did, and so he chose the risk.

That said, Asham did apologize for his gestures and he is apparently a respected player. If you watch the fight he also holds Beagle up to prevent his head from impacting the ice - which is a respectable thing to do.

[cal_junior]

1. Do the Caps have an enforcer?

2. Since Leating (a non-fighter) skated away, why didn't Beagle (a non-fighter) skate away? Did he feel pressure to fight because he is role player? Also wouldn't it be up to the Cap's enforcer to take care of Asham?

3. Why did the Caps accept the beating of a teamate? They were irritated at Asham's taunting afterward, why did they let him get away with it?

I'm not an expert per se, but I'll give it a shot.

1. DJ King is the team's only true enforcer, but he's not much of a player and wasn't in the lineup Thursday. He'll get rotated in on the 4th line every once in awhile. As far as regular players go, Matt Hendricks is the most experienced pugilist. But Hendricks wouldn't have been much of a match for Asham.

2. Is it clear that Asham did the challenging? It seemed to me that Beagle was pretty active in the invitation process. Regardless, I think Beagle fought because he's the kind of player who needs to do whatever he can to keep his jersey. He probably feels that teammates and coaches will notice if he's got the guts to fight for them.

3. I wonder how many of the players knew about Asham's taunt during the game itself. Considering he did it while skating towards the penalty box (away from the Caps' bench) and while Beagle was gushing blood all over the ice, it's possible none of the players saw it during the game. Bruce Boudreau said after the game he hadn't seen it.

[nicefellow31]

Thanks for the info. It seemed to me that the Caps got "punked" in that whole situation, but I didn't factor in score and game condition. I also did some additional reading and the consensus I got was that the team could use an enforcer. I also get the impression that rest of the league considers the Caps to be a finese (ie. soft) team.

[wide_awake]

Thanks for the info. It seemed to me that the Caps got "punked" in that whole situation, but I didn't factor in score and game condition. I also did some additional reading and the consensus I got was that the team could use an enforcer. I also get the impression that rest of the league considers the Caps to be a finese (ie. soft) team.

The problem is that the "enforcer" is a dying role in today's NHL. There are too many fighters that can score, hit, and skate well enough that you don't have to dedicate a single roster spot to a sole fighting specialist. Penguins are a perfect example of that. The trend is to get away from having one player who can only fight.

And that's why our "heavyweight", D.J. King is hardly ever in the lineup. Although you guys forgot to mention Erskine, who can definitely fight but also avoids it because of his concussion issues. And on a side note, Ovechkin NEVER fights. He has just a small handful of career fights and he's not a good fighter, I don't think it's a given he could take out anyone.


We use to be considered a soft team but hopefully that will change. Brouwer is getting top minutes and has a ton of hits. Ward was also brought in for his physical style too.

[cal_junior]

I also get the impression that rest of the league considers the Caps to be a finese (ie. soft) team.

This was definitely the case a few years ago when the Caps were a high-scoring, no defense unit. They've assembled a much tougher roster.

And on a side note, Ovechkin NEVER fights. He has just a small handful of career fights and he's not a good fighter, I don't think it's a given he could take out anyone.

Nor should he. You'll never see the league's elite skill players fight unless an extreme situation comes up.

Taylor Hall last year is the perfect example of why stars shouldn't fight. He suffered a season-ending high ankle sprain here:

hqVcBEhI7OU

[InsomniaKiller]

Vokoun has played really well his last couple starts. I'm not the type to complain when my team is winning, so I'll just say that there are two sides to what's going on right now.

On the one hand, they still haven't really played a complete game yet. They've looked great at times, but haven't really put it all together for 3 periods.

That being said, they still haven't played a complete game, and they've yet to lose. If they can play more consistently when they hit their stride later in the year, they'll be great. As it stands, they've won every game they've played, and a couple of those were against really good teams. Great start to the season.

DJ King was brought onto the team to fill the role of enforcer. We let our previous enforcer go a couple years back. The '09-'10 season was played without anything resembling one, although we had a guy or two who were more than willing to get their faces bloodied up when someone needed to fight. Unfortunately, King hasn't really worked out here. I don't know if it's his talent level or just not fitting the system, but whatever it is, we've seemed to be better off giving the jersey to a better skater than him.

[nicefellow31]

Again, thanks for the answers to my questions and information. I came across this story (http://baltimoresportsreport.com/capitals-penguins-john-carlson-goes-trolling-20338.html) and it says what you guys are saying.

This edition of the Capitals hasn’t relied on a great deal of agitation toward its opponents. So far, the squad has showed its’ willingness to be physical, but mostly going to set the tempo in the offensive zone versus trying to get inside an opponent’s head. Jay Beagle is not a likely candidate to fill the role of agitator, having never dropped the gloves in an NHL game before. On nights when the Caps need a true enforcer, Beagle will probably hand his fourth-line sweater to D.J. King.

Can you enlighten me on which opponents will require the services of D.J. King? I remember the Flyers having a reputation as a tough team. Who are some of the other ones?

[cal_junior]

Great quote from Bruce Boudreau after tonight's win:

"When it comes to April & May, I'm not gonna be able to sit here and say, 'Hey, we were 5-0. We got that record. Isn't that great?'"

[skinfanjon]

Great quote from Bruce Boudreau after tonight's win:

Straight from the file of "No S**t".

[RedskinsDave]

I sent a message to Van Pelt on twitter last night telling to piss somewhere other than our cornflakes. We know May matters more but that's no reason to ignore a good start.

[cal_junior]

I sent a message to Van Pelt on twitter last night telling to piss somewhere other than our cornflakes. We know May matters more but that's no reason to ignore a good start.

I'm well aware of how the NHL works and so I'm pretty measured right now, but if the Caps beat Philly and Detroit I may have a tough time keeping myself from getting excited.

[cal_junior]

There is no such thing as a important October NHL game, but tonight is the first time where the Caps will not be able to win if they are mediocre. (Pittsburgh is still good without Crosby, but they aren't a championship team.)

In terms of evaluating where they are at this stage of the process, going on the road to face Philly should be eye-opening.

[cal_junior]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Capitals just beat a very good Red Wings team 7-1 and I dont think they played all that great.

It's a fun time to be a Caps fan.

[oldskinfan]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Capitals just beat a very good Red Wings team 7-1 and I dont think they played all that great.

Hopefully this shows up in the playoffs, but this entire roster is contributing and they are really stepping up to all the challenge so far. You have to like the job McPhee has done and getting Voukoun at bargain price is the topper.

[cal_junior]

Hopefully this shows up in the playoffs, but this entire roster is contributing and they are really stepping up to all the challenge so far. You have to like the job McPhee has done and getting Voukoun at bargain price is the topper.

The depth is definitely the most exciting thing. The problem with the NHL is so much of it becomes luck/who is hot when the playoffs begin. Having 3-4 legit lines can get you through that series when a few top guys aren't playing well.

And a healthy Wideman + Hamrlik makes the defense pretty awesome. I don't think a lot of people realized how much the Caps missed Wideman during the playoffs last year.

I think we got a little bit lucky with Vokoun that he was so sick of losing he was willing to take less money to play for a contendor. He could have gotten more elsewhere.

[Ibleedburgundy]

Have to wait until Thursday for another game? Thumbs down.

[cal_junior]

Have to wait until Thursday for another game? Thumbs down.

I thumbs up your thumbs down, lol.

Another interesting challenge coming up: The Caps play 8 of their next 11 on the road. It'll be interesting to see where they are come Thanksgiving.

[cal_junior]

No Mike Green tonight (ankle), so let the depth-testing begin!

Also for some reason it irritates me that the Oilers' rookie scoring stud looks like he's 11 years old:

http://i42.tinypic.com/2daiwcp.png

[cal_junior]

Again, thanks for the answers to my questions and information. I came across this story (http://baltimoresportsreport.com/capitals-penguins-john-carlson-goes-trolling-20338.html) and it says what you guys are saying.



Can you enlighten me on which opponents will require the services of D.J. King? I remember the Flyers having a reputation as a tough team. Who are some of the other ones?

The Caps are probably going to be enforcer-less. DJ King was placed on waivers today.

[nicefellow31]

The Caps are probably going to be enforcer-less. DJ King was placed on waivers today.

I see that was at his request. Apparently he wanted more ice time.

[cal_junior]

I see that was at his request. Apparently he wanted more ice time.

And I don't blame him. He was never going to get more than a 5-8 games in DC. The Caps are all about evenly rolling four lines this season and King just isn't skilled enough to be on the ice for 15 minutes a game.

Cody Eakin was recalled from the Bears today. It looks like he'll replace Halpern (healthy scratch) tonight as the 4C. He has the potential to be a big part of the future so it'll be interesting to see how he looks.

[cal_junior]

I think we've figured out the problem with No. 8. He's gotten all domesticated:

http://i42.tinypic.com/105trat.png

[cal_junior]

Not sure what to think. It's hard to analyze a game when one team spends so much time in the box.

But if the Caps can bottle the energy they had in that third period they might have something.

[cal_junior]

Let's hope this is a portent of things to come:

GW6U7Ln9FGA

[RedskinsDave]

I think there are too many road games left for this team to make the playoffs. Hunter has done nothing to improve the team. They had a better record under potty mouth.

[Ibleedburgundy]

Caps played well against FLA last night. Even though the final score was only 2-1, I thought the Caps pretty much dominated the game. They took way more shots and played most of the game in the Panther's zone.

It was Knuble's best game of the year IMO. He was creating havoc in the crease by getting in Theodore's face and generally making opponents feel the pain. He's lost two steps but he'll always be a smart player.

[RedskinsDave]

They really miss Backstrom.

[Ibleedburgundy]

Epic win tonight. Ovie with the GWG in OT. Brouwer with two goals to take the 8th spot from Winnipeg.

[RedskinsDave]

Epic win tonight. Ovie with the GWG in OT. Brouwer with two goals to take the 8th spot from Winnipeg.

When it looked like it was going to be a second straight shut out at home to the lowly Isles, I was ready to go kick GMGM in the throat for not trading Knuble. I still don't get why he didn't but that ending was fantastic, especially since my in-laws are Lawn Guylanders who pretend to be Isles fans when they beat the Caps.

[wide_awake]

Kuznetsov ain't coming over next year, if ever. Little prick. You think you're so good but you don't want to compete against the greatest players in the world?

UGH! There goes a #%!ing hundred point player. Get get rid of the Semin headache and we get another one. GMGM has to go.

[Ibleedburgundy]

Kuznetsov ain't coming over next year, if ever. Little prick. You think you're so good but you don't want to compete against the greatest players in the world?

UGH! There goes a #%!ing hundred point player. Get get rid of the Semin headache and we get another one. GMGM has to go.

That is definitely bad news. I was redaing in the post today about how rookie contracts are limited in the NHL and the Russian teams could actually offer him far more $$$.

[wide_awake]

That is definitely bad news. I was redaing in the post today about how rookie contracts are limited in the NHL and the Russian teams could actually offer him far more $$$.

He'll get more now but he'd get a lot more in the NHL later. Also how could a player refuse the opportunity to try and win the Stanley CUP?!

Screw him and his hat tricks and 9 point games.

[RedskinsDave]

As if this season hasnt sucked enough, it looks like Hunter, the Caps sucking and Ovi becoming average all played a part in his decision.

[Patrick]

Don't know how they did it but they are in ............

[wide_awake]

Don't know how they did it but they are in ............

PLAYOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFSSSSSSSSSS

[Ibleedburgundy]

I went to the game last night. The place was rockin' in the third period. Everyone went nuts when we saw that Buffalo lost and then Semin scored. Awesome night.

There were these two Panthers fan groupie girls sitting behind me. They were so hard core they even dyed their skin orange.

[RedskinsDave]

My brother said the timing of the "unleash the fury", the Buff score and the Semin goal was unreal.

[Keino]

I am happy they made it to the playoffs while Tampa did not. Hopefully this team can get hot. It is entirely too talented to be barely making the playoffs. Maybe they can pull a NYG.

[WinnpegSkinsFan]

Good luck to the Caps. they have a tough one with the Rangers but I would love to see Tortorella go ballistic if they get upset. But just wait until next year with my Winnipeg Jets:

[RedskinsDave]

They actually ended up the 7th seed so the first round starts in Boston. Like I need any extra reason to hate that god forsaken town.

[WinnpegSkinsFan]

They actually ended up the 7th seed so the first round starts in Boston. Like I need any extra reason to hate that god forsaken town.

You're right. God do I hate the Bruins (and the Flyers). I hope the Caps send them to early tee times this year.

[Farmer Ted]

How many years in a row is it now that the Caps have started the playoffs with an overtime loss? It must be at least 4, if not more.

[cal_junior]

Bruins. So dirty. So cheap. Can't. Stop. Hating them. Must. Find. More. Scotch.

[RedskinsDave]

Bruins. So dirty. So cheap. Can't. Stop. Hating them. Must. Find. More. Scotch.

Yet they were the ones on the power play half the night. Hmm, black and yellow and get all the calls? I think I've seen this movie.

[Ibleedburgundy]

The worst was the no-call when Chimera got cross checked from behind about 5 seconds after the whistle right in front of the ref. He was shoved into the ice and took out two Bruins as a result. How on Earth was that not a penalty?

[oldskinfan]

2-1 double OT win despite chippy goal by Bruins.
Backstrom is back!!!

[RedskinsDave]

The NHL is a corrupt Canadian pile of crap. Backstrom getting a suspension and nothing being done about that pusswad Marchand taking dives is awesome. Roger Goodell would be proud.

[Ibleedburgundy]

I agree with Dale Hunter that the Bruins were targeting Backstrom's head. It's no coincidence that Backstrom was getting punched in the head in every scrum, and then clotheslined, and slammed into the ice head first five seconds after the whistle (astonishingly with no penalty).

That said, the Caps are foolish to play the goon game with the Bruins. They won a championship by gooning. Caps would be better off playing a clean game and making the most out of the power plays.