We Just Pucked All Day and All Night

Once again, we were faced with a barrage of pucking Friday and Saturday from daytime all the way through the night.

Friday night's highlight was Washington's 6-0 destroying of the Tampa Bay Lightning who came in on a five-game winning streak that meant absolutely nothing to the Capitals. Alex Semin had his third hat trick of this season in this game - a natural hat trick at that - all in 4:29 in one period. The Caps clearly didn't care, and put on that killer instinct, scoring in every period of the game, including four in the second period.

Aside from the obvious offensive numbers that Washington is known for, the Capitals put on some spectacular defense. Along with Tampa's winning streak, they came in scoring the most power play goals in the league and a 32% efficiency rate during the five-game winning stretch. And yet, Washington held Steven Stamkos, the intruder in all things Ovechkin/Crosby, to no points for only the fourth time this year. The Lightning power play went 0-for-5. All the while, Semyon Varlamov only saw 17 shots, which is awesome because it's less work for him; thus, less likely to get hurt.

Varlamov looked much healthier though, and more confident, as his goaltending seemed more refined and polished. He had much better save selection, and didn't lunge at every rebound around him (and miss it). If he out-performs Michal Neuvirth, I'll be the first to congratulate him, but I'll wait. I'm waiting... I'm gonna sit here and wait... *looks at watch*

Saturday's main event for me was the late game in Los Angeles featuring the Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks where the Hawks took the game 2-1. This game had everything a neutral fan would want: hard hits, a close game between two legitimate teams that went down to the wire, huge saves, and uh... this (check the bottom part of your screen). Kevin Westgarth vs. John Scott



This certainly was one of the best fight moments I've seen in a while, as the refs decided to stand back and let the two players go, even though clearly Westgarth's face got shattered. Nonetheless, Westgarth still had some fight in him until he chose to exit the bout, tapping Scott and giving him the acknowledgment of his victory. Scott isn't that great of a player (like, at all) but I sure wouldn't want to take him on the ice... okay I'm not taking anyone on, with me and my 4'11'' self.

Anyway, the rest of the game, though slow right after the fight at a 1-0 Chicago lead, turned out to be a great one. The Hawks eventually scored another goal from Patrick Kane to go up 2-0, but the Kings' Anze Kopitar made it a one-goal match with about six minutes to go in the game. However, the Hawks held on for the 2-1 victory.

And if you haven't read it yet, I did a guest post a couple of weeks ago for the folks over at Hockey Community. Check out how to build a backyard hockey rink, and see what true love for hockey looks like! Video is courtesy of Ross Bergen from Massachusetts.

I hope you enjoyed all the pucking the past two days. We get less of a load on us tomorrow with only three games all starting at 5 pm. Find me on Twitter and we can chat about the games!

Caps get it handed to them

For your first post on "All We Do Is Puck," I will focus on what the puck happened in the Caps/Thrashers game.

The Washington Capitals lose 5-0 on the road against the Atlanta Thrashers. Against a team who is second in the league in 3rd period goals allowed, the Caps were not able to pull anything against the usually struggling defense of the Thrashers. The Caps sure weren't the only team to get their asses handed to them tonight, as the Chicago Blackhawks lost 7-2 to the Calgary Flames (ouch!) and the New York Rangers were defeated 5-1 by the Colorado Avalanche.

Granted, the Caps have played poorly in their last game in Atlanta for the first game of the season in a 4-2 loss. The Caps also struggled mightily in the last two Thrashers games at home, winning 4-3 in OT after a comeback effort, and winning a wacky 6-4 match earlier this week. Of course though, none of them takes the cake like this one.

Bruce Boudreau, believing he is making some kind of magic trick, switches up the lines about 500 times a game, much less throughout a period of games. Well, tonight proved he was no Houdini, clearly getting no results on the board.

It's not like the Caps played THAT badly either tonight. Braden Holtby, who I say should become the Caps backup netminder, made some small rookie mistakes that resulted in 3 goals on 7 shots. Such mistakes included lunging after a puck about 5 feet from the crease, and not watching the player with the puck. The defense probably did a better job tonight than they did Wednesday night against the Sabres.

This game was just one of those games. The Caps clearly looked like they just didn't really care and were just looking forward to tomorrow night's matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers at home. Throw-away game much?

The Capitals are arguably "the worst-best team in the NHL" this season, having only less than a handful of definitively won games. When they do win, it looks like a fat kid trying to run to the top of a hill, and making it to that very top just before they pass out. I don't know. People say take the two points and run, but I'm pretty sure that won't get the Caps further than they've been in the playoffs.

Yes, there goes that word again: playoffs. People say, "They'll turn it on in the playoffs. They'll peak later in the year. You don't want to peak too early after all." But the question is, do you want to suck until you get to the playoffs?

That's what nobody wants to hear or talk about in Caps Nation, because it's been talked about, and people get high-up in emotions about it. Who wants to complain about their team all day after all? Caps fans should not be mistaken with Cubs fans, or Leafs fans for that matter.

Nonetheless, it'll be on their minds. A proper attitude might get you somewhere, but I'm going to say it again and again: there are pieces the team needs before people can legitimately talk about playoffs. Package: Varlamov and Fleischmann.

Awww crud! One more thing: Alex Semin's point streak comes to an end after tonight.

But not to worry. I'm not one of those people who like to complain about their team after one game! So before I pass total judgment on the Caps, I'd like to see some trends. So meet me at The Hockey Writers tomorrow for that.

For the Caps' sake let's hope there's less "pucking" around in their own zone against the Flyers. We all know what happened to them last game.... *channel inner 1974 type offense*

That Was Quick - On to the Stanley Cup Finals

So I tried to make a successful round in picking teams again, and yet, again, I failed. At least it couldn't have been as astronomically bad as the last round since there aren't as many teams to scout, analyze, and pick. However, I still managed to be wrong.

Out West, I figured the Blackhawks were too good for the San Jose Sharks. Chicago in previous series looked a little bit inconsistent, as they did during the season. Nonetheless, I just didn't see the Sharks being better than the Hawks. It was as easy as that.

I still thought that the series would be a little more competitive, predicting the Hawks winning in six or seven games, but the Sharks ended up completing a four-game sweep of San Jose. The individual games featured a Sharks team that was very good and had a lot of fight, but the Hawks were just that much better.

Chicago looked dominant, despite their slow starts. Three out of the four games, the Sharks scored first, although Chicago would often get their legs moving later in the game and dominate the remaining time.

The Blackhawks, at least, were the one team I can say I picked correctly all the way through, as I had them in the Stanley Cup Finals since the beginning of the playoffs. In fact, my Western Conference picks were not that heinous throughout the entire playoffs, so congratulations to me!

In the East, however, the mess continued for my predictions. I assumed that the Flyers would struggle mightily, as they still didn't have Jeff Carter and lost Maxim Lapierre, and thought that they spent everything they had completing the historic 3-0 comeback against the Boston Bruins. I also thought that the Canadiens would have had luck on their side, and the continuing stretch of Jaroslav Halak's impenetrability.

Boy, I was wrong...

The Canadiens decided to play dead and lose 6-0 in Game 1 to the Flyers in Philadelphia. But I wasn't moved because in the last series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Habs lost 6-3 in Game 1 and won that series in seven games. So I had no worries.

Again, I was wrong...

The Flyers continued to punish the Canadiens, winning Game 2 by the score of 3-0, giving them another record in the books in having the longest scoring stretch. I had faith after Montreal returned the favor by winning Game 3 5-1 on home ice, and figured that they just needed to change the venue.

Then came Game 4 and the Habs went back to the same crappy-crap-crapshoot style of hockey, losing that one 3-0 in another scoreless effort with only 17 shots (they call that something like the Diffusion of Responsibility in psychology). You must give credit when it is due, though. Michael Leighton, goaltender of the Flyers, has been outstanding in the place of Brian Boucher. Just imagine if he went down - Chris Pronger or something would have had to play goalie.
*Lester Patrick for the New York Americans anyone?

Game 5 was hopeful for those who picked Montreal to win, as they seemed to win every game where they faced elimination. This hope was built up when they scored first in Philadelphia. But once they let in an unfortunate goal (video coming soon), it went downhill from there. The Habs regained life after being down 3-1 coming within one goal at 3-2, but they were unable to get the equalizer and there it was - the #7 seeded Philadelphia Flyers were the 2010 Eastern Conference Champions in the playoffs.

How the hell this happened is beyond me; it baffled me enough a #7 seed got home-ice advantage in the Conference Finals.

Oh well, I am on my knees with this one to be right...

STANLEY CUP FINALS

#2 Chicago Blackhawks over #7 Philadelphia Flyers in 5 games

The Blackhawks are too legitimate to lose to the Flyers in the Finals. The Western Conference has shown to be much stronger, and that the best teams truly do win out. I will give the Flyers credit to steal one game from them, but I highly doubt they have enough to win, even though they got almost their whole team back, minus Boucher.

I don't care that Barry Melrose predicted this final from the start. I still am bitter, I will admit. Considering the Flyers ran through a team they owned during the regular season a million times in New Jersey, then played a #6 seed and an #8 seed, they were given a better path than most of the other teams playing in the playoffs for an extended period of time. Nonetheless, they got past it, and I will give them that.

Still, the Blackhawks are winning, and I'm going to need them to win anyway. I live in a place there are wayyyyy too many Flyers fans right now.

The Finals will begin Saturday, May 29 at 8 p.m. on NBC at Chicago.

And no worries Red Sox fans, hockey season is almost over, and I will be getting to baseball soon :).

NHL Playoffs Round 3 - This is getting old...

"It's the NHL Playoffs," you say. "Why would you be getting tired of this!?"

Simple answer. It's not the playoffs I'm tired of, it's that I CONTINUE TO BE WRONG EVERY TIME!

We already went through how in Round 1, the Caps, Devils, Senators, and Coyotes were my downfall, and how the Caps were the source of intense grief.

I was at least content with my Western Conference picks. The West was much more predictable since they all seemed to be seeded at their appropriate talent level.

The East, however, was a mess. According to my Crashing the Net post, I would have only predicted one series correctly. But I covered my tracks by claiming on fellow sports guy Jay Scott's radio show that the Flyers would have a very high chance of defeating the Devils because of the Devils' failure to match up well against them.

So we move on the Round 2. I should have gotten through the tough part, right? Well, not so.

I easily explained away how the Canadiens would be too tired. The Habs would have spent too much energy to come back against the Caps with all that shot blocking to play the Penguins, who seemed to handle the Senators pretty well.

Flyers were too battered after losing two big players in Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne during Round 1. Secondly, the other underdog, the Bruins beat the Sabres in five games (at least I called that one), and would probably finish off the Flyers easily.

Out West, I expected the Sharks to choke in the second round like they normally do, and predicted the Blackhawks would have just a little bit more for the Canucks in a tough six or seven game series.

So much for all of that!

Caps fans were quite frustrated after the Penguins beat the Habs 6-3 after three straight games of the Caps scoring only one goal against Jaroslav Halak. The following game, Montreal turned back to form, winning 4-3. The rest of the series the two teams traded one-goal wins and losses until the Canadiens won Games 6 and 7, winning Game 7 convincingly by a score of 5-2, now dethroning the defending Stanley Cup champions.

The Bruins were handling the Flyers pretty well, and were on the verge of sweeping them going up 3-0 after Game 3. However, Simon Gagne returned to the Flyers, and so did their ability to win. Philadelphia would take over the pace early on in the next three games, and tied the series at three-all. The Bruins turned the tide very early in Game 7, and led 3-0, taking a 3-1 lead after the first period. The Flyers took the game completely in the second period though, and went on to win the game and the series 4-3 in regulation. Much to the dismay of the Bruins' home fans, Philadelphia became the first team in 35 years and only the third in NHL history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit and win.

For the Sharks, I just sounded really stupid, as they ran through Detroit, beating them in five games. Needless to say, I had no founding for picking against them, and I will admit that.

At least I was accurate for once, choosing the Blackhawks to win over the Canucks in six games. I expected the individual games to be closer, as the Hawks were able to average 3.83 goals in the series (about five in every win) and won games like Game 7 5-1 and Game 4 7-4. But Game 1, the Canucks won 5-1 and won Game 6 by a score of 3-1, making me question their consistency like I did before.

So here are the Conference Finals predictions (sigh)... here we go...

Eastern Conference Finals
Round 3
#8 Montreal Canadiens defeat #7 Philadelphia Flyers in 6 games

Western Conference Finals
Round 3
#2 Chicago Blackhawks defeat #1 San Jose Sharks in 6 or 7 games

STANLEY CUP FINALS
#2 Chicago Blackhawks defeat #8 Montreal Canadiens in 5 or 6 games

I look forward to the possibility of an Original Six Stanley Cup Final. It's great for hockey to see these teams experience the glory again.

Many can make the sentimental pick for the Blackhawks considering the following circumstances: The Hawks had classic greatness in the days of goaltender Charlie Gardiner (who died after winning the 1934 Cup, in case you didn't know, new hockey fans) in the 1930s, and then in the 1960s with Tony Esposito, Bobby Hull, and Stan Mikita (need I go on listing?). Then the Blackhawks had their more recent years of sucking, and now experience the possibility of winning a Cup with young superstars.

However, the way Montreal has gone back to the old ways of playing and added the confidence in young players i.e. PK Subban. You can almost put behind you the fact that they won 24 Stanley Cups, including their last one coming in 1993. Either way, it would be a great series, and definitely the best for viewers watching.

Of course, as a hockey fan, we all know I'm going to watch regardless, and I'm going to enjoy it. I'm just going to boycott a Flyers entrance to the Finals a different way.

p.s. I am working on fixing my East Coast bias, so no worries, West Coasters, I've got your coverage this round!

NHL Playoffs - Round 2 *FIGHT!*

It is the advent of the second round of the NHL playoffs, and I feel absolutely rotten about my picks.

But before I dive into my second round predictions, we must interrupt this program for a little message about the Capitals...

...Aside from the fact that my bracket's all messed up, my heart is broken as a Capitals fan. Of course. Yes. Throw it at me that the #1 team in the NHL lost to the absolute last team in the playoffs. I've already thought about it and it kills to know that the Flyers and the Bruins/Penguins would have only been demolished by Washington had they gotten past this round.

As I mentioned in the playoff preview article in The Hockey Writers, the Caps would need to make their playoff series short and sweet. A four or five game set with the Canadiens would have been ideal, as the Habs were not seen as a threat to advance anywhere in the NHL playoffs, so the top tier squad of the Capitals should have been able to trounce the Canadiens.

The Caps, however, began the series poorly, losing Game 1 and barely winning Game 2. Games 3 and 4 displayed the kind of dominance the Caps were capable of, as they won 5-1 and 6-3 respectively. But the instead of using this game to send Montreal golfing, the Caps lost that one 2-1.

Game 6 was the most pivotal and deciding factor in this series as to who was going to move on. Washington had every chance to keep the game close. And had they even won 4-3 instead of the final score of 4-1, they would have been in better shape to beat Halak and the Montreal defense in Game 7.

I already talked about Game 7 though, and it's all in my Game 7 reCAP on The Hockey Writers. So let's not dwell on here about it...

...As a result, my predictions of the first round winners were almost shot to hell. Besides Washington's epic fail, the Flyers did, in fact, beat the Devils like I said on the radio show, but not like I said on my Crashing the Net bracket. The Ottawa Senators didn't pull off the upset over the Penguins like I had thought/hoped, and the Boston Bruins' attack was too much, even for Ryan Miller of the Sabres, as Buffalo lost in six games. Thus, all top three seeds in the East were eliminated.

Out West, I almost had it, except for I predicted that the Coyotes would be able to be a nice story throughout the playoffs, especially after beating Detroit, but that didn't happen. The Red Wings let the series go to a Game 7, only to embarrass the Yotes 6-1 in the final match. So much for "throwing the snake" in Phoenix.

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Nonetheless, here we go again, with an updated version of the playoff predictions:

Eastern Conference Semifinals (Round 2)
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins defeat #8 Montreal Canadiens in 5 games
#6 Boston Bruins defeat #7 Philadelphia Flyers in 6 games

Western Conference Semifinals (Round 2)
#2 Chicago Blackhawks defeat #3 Vancouver Canucks in 6 games
#5 Detroit Red Wings defeat #1 San Jose Sharks in 6 games


Eastern Conference Finals (Round 3)
#6 Boston Bruins defeat #4 Pittsburgh Penguins in 7 games

Western Conference Finals (Round 3)
#2 Chicago Blackhawks defeat #5 Detroit Red Wings in 7 games

Stanley Cup Final
#2 Chicago Blackhawks defeat #6 Boston Bruins in 5 or 6 games

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Any remarks, comments, criticisms, or condolences, place them in the comments section or hit me up via Twitter @LadyHatTrick.

Ovechkin Suspended for 2 Games - Fair?

During Sunday's thrilling Capitals 4-3 OT comeback win against the Chicago Blackhawks, Alex Ovechkin was ejected after what appeared to be a boarding infraction when he pushed Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell and Campbell fell injured on the boards.

I'm going to post the hit here so that once again, you can make the call:




I will concede to this: The hit wasn't the best hit that Ovechkin could have made. I don't agree that he hit him in that situation. Knowing that Ovechkin has probably the strength of a god, he should have known better and probably have drawn back while Campbell recovered the puck - THEN lay a big hit on him.

HOWEVER, the most was given to Ovechkin as a result of this hit. Following the incident, Ovechkin heads to the penalty box for a five minute major. Then, it was learned that he received a 10-minute game misconduct. THEN, Ovechkin is ejected from the entire game!

Luckily for the Capitals, this happened early on, and gave the team ample time to adjust so that they could comeback from a three-goal deficit to win.

Unfortunately for Ovechkin, today there was a hearing and it was decided that the Capitals' superstar forward was going to be suspended - again - for two games...

Now, like I said, I'm not entirely defending the hit. Ovechkin has to learn how to keep his strength in check, regardless of how "reckless" he wants to play. But did it warrant a suspension? No. It didn't even warrant the ejection even, and the major penalty would have done.

Where Ovechkin hit him (referring back to the video), it was actually on the shoulder pad of Campbell, and not entirely from behind, as originally thought. Also, the hit occurred a little further than where a typical boarding penalty would be called. Nonetheless, Ovechkin still hit Campbell in a dangerous spot, and in the position of an official, of you are on the fence with a call, especially like boarding, you would go ahead and call it.

So in a perfect world, Ovechkin would have been still called for a five-minute major penalty for boarding. A game misconduct might be a little more, but the hit was dangerous, and I would even let that go. But an apologetic Ovechkin still had to leave the rest of the game? Not so sure about that one.

As harsh as it may sound, Campbell is slightly also at fault for not obeying one of those rules that every hockey player is told from youth: keeping your head up. Campbell could have been more prepared for an incoming body. Campbell was also not in the best place to play the puck; thus, putting anyone who came across him at risk for hitting him dangerously. There is no benefit to this, as that is no strategy, so it wasn't done purposely.

Here's where the biggest of big problems lies... Why isn't Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins suspended? Where was his penalty/game-misconduct/ejection/suspension sequence? In my previous two posts, I make reference to Cooke's elbow to Boston's Marc Savard's head. This hit ended Savard's season, and puts the Bruins without a key player. However, it was concluded that Cooke will receive no punishment...

O_o... Yet, for a much less intentional hit that was not to the head, rather an unfortunate situation of bad timing aka shit happens, Ovechkin got a suspension added to his in-game punishments. Funny, because this Cooke hit just occurred last week!

It is in hope that the NHL gets a consistent system together - and not consistency regarding lack of suspensions for headshots. The second the NHL got some good press for the Olympics and the success of the Capitals, then things like this take precedent. I will not disclose further thoughts as to how I feel about how they made this decision to suspend Ovechkin. But, if you know me personally, you already know what I have to say.

At least Versus and Direct TV have reached a new deal today. Now to get hockey on a better channel... Not gonna happen under Gary Bettman's watch unfortunately.