Photo credit: championat.com

Alex Ovechkin flew for approximately ten hours to Helsinki with the intention of helping the Russian national team win the 2013 World Championships. Jet-lagged, he did what he could, scoring a goal and recording an assist against the United States during their quarterfinals game on Thursday. That help was not nearly enough, as the defending champions suffered their worst defeat ever in a World Championship game, a 8-3 loss to the United States. After half a year in the KHL, a shortened NHL season, a too-short playoff run, and a single game at Worlds, Ovechkin’s season is now officially over.

Ovechkin, who spoke to Sovetsky Sport’s Pavel Lysenkov after the game and had his words later translated by Puck Daddy’s Dmitry Chesnokov, was disappointed.

“We lost due to egregious mistakes in the neutral zone, even though we talked about it [beforehand],” Ovechkin said to Lysenkov. “This is carelessness. We could have saved the game when it was 2-1, but we made even more mistakes. The Americans didn’t play super hockey. But we can’t make mistakes.”

“Don’t compare [the loss] to Vancouver,” Ovechkin said, referring to Russia’s collapse to Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics. “It’s different here. I do not regret coming [here], although it’s a shame how it turned out.”

Ilya Kovalchuk added, according to Chesnokov, that Russia “s&*$ their pants,” a reference Ovi used after the Capitals lost to the Rangers in game seven.

Ovechkin’s goal was predictably beautiful. As the Great Eight skated down the right wing, he sniped a shot past John Gibson’s left shoulder and the post.

Ovi’s goal is at the 1:05 mark.

But Russia’s breakdowns in the third period were too much to overcome. Ovechkin, disappointed, was named Russia’s best player after the game. In 20:31 of ice time, he had 8 shots on goal, and two near misses.

GIF by welshhockeyfan

Photos

All photos via championat.com

View the rest of championat.com’s slideshow.

Late starts in the playoffs have an impact on how some Caps fans watch games. For example: take five-year-old Ben from Cleveland, Ohio, who had to go to bed during the latter stages of game five on Friday night because it was past his bedtime. No matter, the next morning Mom restarted the game for Ben as soon as he woke up.

That’s a good way to start your day.

Earlier in the day, we reported that Taylor Swift mentioned the Washington Capitals during her show on Saturday night at the Verizon Center. (She did so again Sunday too.) Hard-hitting stuff, right? Well now we have video.

Check out the 3:36 mark. Warning! Screaming. Lots and lots of screaming.

During her introduction, Swift said, “I’m going to give you a heads up about another thing about this tour, about this concert you’re about to see. You’re going to see one particular color, more than all the other colors. You might be sitting there asking yourself, ‘Why is this one color going to be in the forefront of everything at this show?’ It’s mostly because the Capitals and them being in the playoffs.”

So there’s that. The only way this could have been cooler was if Mattias Sjogren wrote ‘sexy’ on her back with magic marker.

Let’s also discuss how I did two posts on this topic today and spent an hour on YouTube searching for her quote. I’m not sure what that says about me, but feel free to let me know in the comments.

In game six on Sunday night, the Capitals did not receive a single power play despite a few egregious fouls by the New York Rangers. One of the worst missed calls came in the first period, when Mathieu Perreault was decked into the boards by Michael Del Zotto.

But there was also the time Rangers forward Ryan Callahan elbowed Jack Hillen, and then Hillen got whistled off for roughing.

Then, when Rangers forward Derek Dorsett might’ve slew-footed Mike Green. Green got a call for cross-checking.

The Caps got nicked for ticky-tac plays all night, including a cross-checking minor to Joel Ward late in the third period after he crashed the net. The Capitals been called for 31 penalties in the series; the Rangers have been sent to the box just 19 times. The penalty parade is more lopsided at Madison Square Garden, with the Capitals penalized 17 times. The Rangers have just 7.

After the game, Alan May shared his displeasure.

1st Star today for Rangers #25 referee Marc Joannette, even worse today than he was at MSG Wednesday. Should be ashamed, very bad

— Alan May (@MayHockeyCSN) May 12, 2013

Then May took the officiating to task on CSN’s Caps Postgame Central.

We’ve seen this three times at Madison Square Garden in the last week. The same referee Marc Joannette on Wednesday night — the same guy — today turned his back and looked away when Mathieu Perreault was hit five seconds after a puck, rammed from behind headfirst into the glass, not a call! The Capitals couldn’t get a call all game long, they set them back. They were very tired at the end of the first period, they had to kill of the 5-on-3 again. The only one that’s a clear cut penalty is the puck over the glass. But the Joel Ward penalty in the third period was absolutely disgusting and embarrassing that it was called. And I really can’t believe that guy was assigned this game again!

While the Capitals were apparently frustrated by the calls, they tried to downplay it in postgame interviews.

“Tonight shouldn’t have been so lopsided,” Braden Holtby said, according to Steve Whyno. “It shouldn’t have. We all know that. … We won’t use it as an excuse.”

Alex Ovechkin also expressed his displeasure, saying “it’s nothing we can control.”

The Capitals have a discipline problem, sure, but the officiating needs to improve or else game seven will be a total mess. Let the officials know what’s up on Monday.

Additional reporting by Chris Gordon.

Skating in just the second NHL game of his career, Tom Wilson immediately saw his role on the team expanded. Wilson got a lot more ice time and more of the same with: big hits and strong skating.

For the most part, at least. Wilson lost a skate blade after a collision with Ryan McDonagh and had to hobble his hulking frame back to the bench like a goofball.

GIFs

The blade falls off, see bottom right corner of the screen. (GIF by welshhockeyfan)

Ouch. (GIF by welshhockeyfan)

The struggle. (GIF by welshhockeyfan)

Wilson Laughs. (GIF by welshhockeyfan)

A few days ago, a funny GIF of Alex Ovechkin was passed around the internet, showing Ovi slumping his shoulders after some defensive breakdowns down low led to a lay-up goal by Stepan. Then Deadspin published an article titled Alexander Ovechkin Would Prefer Not To Play Defense, which Peter and Alan May debunked pretty thoroughly.

While no one is saying he’s Pavel Datsyuk, Ovechkin plays some hard defense when needed. Example: game six, when Ovi blocked a couple of shots in a short burst– laying his body down in the effort.

GIF by welshhockeyfan

Video

Via Fedor

You can tell he’s been practicing.

While Mike Ribeiro got all of the accolades after scoring the OTGWG to give the Caps a 3-2 series lead Friday night, a few other Capitals gave valiant performances as well. One of those players was checking-line forward Matt Hendricks, who, in just 9:42 of ice time, blocked seven New York Rangers shots, a game high. He also had four hits.

Last year, after the Caps beat the Bruins in the first round of the playoffs, I spoke to Hendricks about his role as a wagon, a guy who sacrifices his body and does all of the little things to win.

“We’re more the role players, the guys who take pride in their niche on their team that doesn’t really revolve around scoring and putting up points,” Hendricks said nearly a year ago. “But we love our job, we love to be the guys in the trenches, blocking shots, paying the price at those times of the games to win.”

Hendricks continued, “When it comes down to the bumps and bruises, we have a lot of equipment on, but there’s a lot of soft areas in that equipment. Pucks do hit there a lot when you’re blocking them, sticks and slashes — it leaves you pretty banged up.”

On Friday, just two minutes into the game, Hendricks blocked a Dan Girardi shot with his right ankle. The Capitals forward struggled to the bench after the puck was cleared down the ice and winced in pain. Three minutes later, during Hendricks’ next shift as a penalty killer, he blocked two more shots. All in all, Hendricks would block six shots in total during the first period. Here’s a look at six of the seven shots he blocked on the night.

Block 1

Blocks 2 and 3

Blocks 4 and 5

Block 6

Ouch. No, I don’t know how he’s still able to stand up either.

Unfortunately for Hendy, he did not receive a respite at practice on Saturday morning. While the team was doing drills, The Paralyzer took a puck to the face.

Matt Hendricks was struck by the puck in practice, was cut above his mouth but no worse for wear.

— Katie Carrera (@kcarrera) May 11, 2013

No big deal, he came back and kept practicing.

This time of year, to win and advance, you must sacrifice your body and be tough. Luckily for the Capitals, their fourth line winger is as tough as nails.

Videos via welshhockeyfan

Photo credit: Patrick McDermott

Game five of the Capitals-Rangers series was just as taut as the preceding four, but the Caps seemed to have the upper hand from the second period on. Still, it took until overtime for the game to be decided– and by none other than the Caps’ much-maligned bad boy, Mike Ribeiro.

Often known as a hot-head weak on the faceoff dot and prone to bad penalties, Ribeiro was the opposite of that on Friday night. Ribeiro won 70% of his faceoffs– many of them crucial defensive-zone draws– and drove play better than any other Caps forward. His pestering of Brian Boyle drew the penalty that led to Joel Ward’s tying goal, and his relentless occupation of Lundqvist’s net led to a pivotal game-winner.

You wanted CRASH THE NET? I give you MIKE RIBEIRO.

Video

GIFs

GIFs by official-nhl

GIFs by welshhockeyfan

Video via @dcsportsbog

Mathieu Perreault finally gives the people what they want: a playoff #PerryCelly. It’s a short and sweet celebration, just like MP85. What. A. Win.

Get the shirt here.

Photo credit: @AmandaReportsDC

GIF by welshhockeyfan

Photo credit: Bruce Bennett

Thursday night, the New York Rangers opened the scoring in game four after Braden Holtby made an aggressive play that ultimately backfired. Holtby fired a saucer pass up the center of the ice that was intercepted by Taylor Pyatt, who knocked the puck out of the air with his stick. Brad Richards ultimately scored on an empty net.

With three out of four games in the Caps/Rangers series having been decided by one goal, it was a play too risky for Holtby to try. Capitals’ head coach Adam Oates agreed with that sentiment Thursday after practice.

“Probably. Obviously in hindsight he could’ve made a better decision, gone up the wall,” Oates said to The Washington Post’s Katie Carrera. “But he saw something and we trust him.”

Holtby disagreed.

“I thought I made the right play,” the Lloydminster, Saskatchewan native said. “I just need to get that a foot higher in the air, make him take a high stick. He made a great play knocking that down. He doesn’t make that; that’s a breakaway the other way. That happens.”

No, that’s too risky. That kind of play shouldn’t happen.

One game earlier, Holtby iced the puck on a Capitals power play, which was equally as infuriating.

Playing the puck as a goaltender is a supplemental part of the game. When Holtby starts blurring the lines between easy plays and ones that could end up in the back of the net, he looks a bit too brazen. And really, he should leave that to Patrick Roy, who did stuff like this his whole career.