Photo illustration by Ian Oland.

Guess what tomorrow is? That’s right! Canada Day!

It also happens to be NHL Free Agency, the wildest and kookiest hockey day of the year. The Capitals aren’t expected to make any world-shaking moves this year, but you never know. The spirit of capitalism can possess even the most level-headed of GMs and make them act like crazy people, so stay tuned here tomorrow while we update you on what’s going down. The Caps have a few holes to fill, a few free agents who will find new homes — and who knows, maybe McPhee will trade Backstrom for Jeff Skinner or something, and we’ll all have to drink ourselves into oblivion.

Anything is possible! But luckily, not everything is likely, so follow us below the jump for your Guide to Free Agency 2012.

How much cap space do the Caps have?

from capgeek.com

The Caps have $20,805,428 to spend this offseason, but they also have a good part of their own roster to re-sign. Expect most of the unrestricted free agents to walk; expect most of the restricted free agents to sign. The Caps have made qualifying offers to Jay Beagle, Mathieu Perreault, Mike Green, and John Carlson, and though Perreault and Green may warrant some thought, they will likely be signed.

Once the Capitals have taken care of their own free agents, expect them to have anywhere from $10-15 M to spend. With that, they could buy this beautiful home in McLean, Virginia! Alternately, they could sign some hockey players.

Who is likely leaving?

Photo credit: Clydeorama

Mike Knuble:  Shut up. We’re not crying, it’s raining on our faces.

Jeff Halpern:  We bear no ill feelings for the former Caps captain as he gets set to leave Washington. Quite the opposite, in fact, Halpern filled the role that he was brought in to fill admirably, and was good-natured about adversity when things weren’t going his way. Jay Beagle seems set to step into his shoes, but we have no issues recommending Halpern’s services to a good home. Four stars, would acquire again.

Dennis Wideman:  Already traded and signed with the Calgary Flames, to a 5-year, $5.25 M/year contract with a no-movement clause. Well okay. You do whatever you feel is good, Calgary.

Where will Semin go?

Photo credit: Greg Flume

Sadly, probably not here. For the first time in his NHL career, Semin will explore the possibility of signing with a team other than the Washington Capitals, maybe even in the KHL. We love him, but that’s why we’re letting him go. We heard that in a country song one time.

What are the Caps’ needs?

Photo credit: Kathy Kmonicek

The Caps have gone a long way towards replacing Semin’s production with the acquisition of Mike Ribeiro, who scores 20 goals like clockwork and will be a capable 2C. However, as far as positional depth goes, we still have big hole on wing that will need to be filled. There aren’t many top-six quality wingers on the free agency market, and the Caps probably won’t be in on any of the big names. Nonetheless, here’s who’s available.

P.A. Parenteau: The 29-year-old winger is a relative unknown, which is a side effect of playing with the New York Islanders. Caps fans should know him, however, as the pain in the neck who seemed to score against us at every opportunity.  We recognize this as the cry for help that it is, and would be happy to rescue him from Long Island Purgatory if the price is right.

Ray Whitney:  Another underrated winger playing some of the best hockey of his life at the age of 40. The Caps haven’t been too kind to their senior citizens in recent years, but maybe new coach Adam Oates can tempt a fellow playmaker into our ranks. Of course, the rumor is that he wants to go back to Carolina where he still owns a home — which leads us to wonder, why does everyone always want to go to Carolina? Do they know something we don’t? Is it the weather, what is it?

Dustin Penner:  Penner hasn’t played up to expectations for awhile now, but this last season with the L.A. Kings was a disaster, with the left winger scoring only seven goals in 65 games, not to mention his unfortunate run-in with a stack of pancakes. Still, L.A. fans weren’t complaining when he scored the OT goal to send the Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals. He can’t hear you, he’s got his two Stanley Cup Rings plugging his ears.

What about defense?

Photo credit: Jim McIsaac

Dmitry Orlov stepped up as a surprisingly NHL-ready defenseman last year, which means we have one less hole to fill, but with with Dennis Wideman’s absence the Caps are in need of one more solid D.

Jason Garrisson: Garrison is coming off a career year with the Panthers, scoring 16 goals and 33 points as a defenseman. He’s recently been credited as a player who “does everything Wideman does and more”, a power play quarterback who can actually defend as well. A defenseman who can defend? Sign us up!

Matt Carle: The Caps would do well to stay away from this one. Wideman’s signing made the market for an offensive defenseman look awfully scary, and there will be many teams who will be interested in the former Flyer’s services. That said, he’s a heck of a player, and we wouldn’t be upset about acquiring him as long as we didn’t have to sell any limbs to do it.

Bryan Allen: A much more reasonable option. Canes’ GM Jim Rutherford made Allen an offer, but Allen wasn’t interested, choosing to go to free agency instead. Allen won’t get the kind of paydays that some of his more offensive counterparts will, a defensive defenseman who logs tons of minutes and regularly kills penalties, who also led the Canes with 188 blocked shots. That sounds fine by us.

Who should the Caps avoid like the plague?

Jaromir Jagr: NOPE.

Martin Brodeur:  Brodeur is a legend, and one of the best who ever played. He can go be a legend somewhere else, we prefer hot-blooded up-and-coming goalies to elder statesmen.

Andrei Kostitsyn: Unless we plan on trading a problem for a problem, avoid like the plague. Kostitsyn is a poor man’s Alex Semin with bonus coaching issues and mob connections. Nope.

Wishful thinking

Zach Parise: Regular 30-goal scorer Parise is a prize in a shallow field, and we estimate he will sign a 20-year deal for 500 gold bricks a year. It’s unlikely that the Caps will make a play for Parise — in fact, the most likely suitors seems to be the Minnesota Wild and the Pittsburgh Penguins, so we should probably be preparing ourselves to hate his guts instead.

Don’t do it, Zach. Make good choices.

Bobby Ryan:  Now this one is a little more likely. Once Parise finds a home, Ryan will be the next biggest prize on the market, and one that the Caps are a little more likely to take a shot at. He’s one of the best deals in the league when it comes to salary versus production, having scored at least 30 goals for the last four season at a cap hit of $5.1 million. We’ve love to see him in a Capitals uniform, but the asking price is still steep. Put in a good word for us, Bruce?

Ryan Suter: What Zach Parise is to the forward market, Suter is to the defenseman market. In the Caps’ case, that means he’s an elaborate distraction meant to draw all eyes and offers so we can quietly slip in and talk to the others. We’ve got little to no chance at landing him. We will probably survive.

Shane Doan:  Doan bleeds Coyotes red and it would be tough to pry him out of Phoenix, but July 1st has rolled around and he is still unsigned. This guy plays like a prototype for a Canadian supersoldier, tough, gritty, productive, and would be a dream in the Caps’ lineup. Has he had enough of the constant ownership issues? Is he looking to go to a contender? Do we ask the same leading questions about Shane Doan every year?

Don’t expect too much of a splash tomorrow. George McPhee has never been inclined to throw money around in free agency, because he’s not stupid because he prefers to build through the draft and through trade instead. But a serious rebuild of the core has been threatening for some time now, and perhaps this is the year that core finally splits up.

At least one of the former Young Guns seems set to leave town tomorrow. Will it be more than one? Will we be shocked and angry, or underwhelmed? Will our favorite players still be in Caps red at the end of the day? We’ll have to wait and see.

Photo credit: Clydeorama

If we were reviewing Dennis Wideman‘s season before the All-Star Break, or even in March, this would be an entirely different story. We’d talk about his almost-hat-trick, his stellar offense, his first All-Star Game. We still talk about all of those things, but there is a lot more yelling — because unfortunately for Dennis Wideman, the playoffs happened.

Cap Hit: $3,937,500. Nice round number. Wideman is UFA on July 1st.

Milestones: Wideman was elected to the NHL All-Star Team for the first time in his career, which mostly went on to serve as a source of puzzlement and punchline later.

Best Moment: The almost-hat-trick. In a game in December, Wideman appeared to score three goals, but later insisted he had not and asked for one goal to be reviewed. It was indeed not his goal, but Brooks Laich’s. This display of honesty led me to photoshop my second creepiest image of the season.

Things We Said About Dennis Wideman: “Hey Dennis Wideman, what are you doing?” “Dennis, you may want to rethink that thing that you’re doing.” “DENNIS EARL WIDEMAN GET OFF THE ICE RIGHT NOW AND GO SIT IN A CORNER TO THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU’VE DONE.”

Alignment: Neutral Evil

First Irrelevant Google Images Result:

Media Consensus: “Dennis Wideman, what are you doing?”

Spirit Animal: Deer in headlights.

Team Role: Wideman was expected to be a puck-carrying player and to provide offense from the blueline, while being as little of a defensive liability as possible.

Execution of that Role: Everything went reasonably well except for the “not being a defensive liability” part. Wideman set new personal bests in goals and assists, and his 46 points were good for third on the team, providing a team-high 35 assists and  outscoring several forwards. Unfortunately he was a nightmare in his own zone, which might have been more acceptable if “defense” wasn’t right in his job title.

Postseason Performance: Dennis Wideman appears to be allergic to the playoffs.

Beard Rating:

Photo credit: Cheryl Nichols

Respectable, and slightly ginger. Seven out of ten.

Likeliness to Return: Please go away.

Usefulness in a Post-Apocalyptic Setting: You could probably count on him to be of superficial value until a critical moment when he would accidentally drop all of your supplies into the bottom of a lake. Two out of ten.

Other: Overall Year-End Rating: Six Bad Sashas.

For statistical analysis of Wideman’s season, see Japers’ Rink or Peerless Prognosticator. 

There were a few common themes to the Capitals’ last postseason interviews, before they went their separate ways for summer. The first question posed was always about Dale Hunter, who has made the decision to return to the London Knights franchise in Ontario rather than stay on to coach the Caps. The team expressed universal admiration and gratitude for what he brought to the Capitals in his short tenure, often focusing less on his system than on the character and sense of accountability he was able to instill.

There was clear disappointment at the early ending to the season, but a different tone to the team’s assessment of their year than the year before — many of the Caps mentioned that they thought they were able to go out in a way that they feel better about this year, though of course they’d all still rather be playing hockey.

Read on for the details of Jay Beagle‘s injury, Brooks Laich standing outside Hunter’s window holding a boombox, and Hunter’s odd career model for Alexander Ovechkin.

Alex Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin had 9 points in 14 games, but it was his shot-blocking and his willingness dump the puck into the offensive zone that got him national attention this postseason. Ovi, dressed in casual Nike leisurewear, spoke mostly about Hunter, mentioning that he reminded him of an old coach.

He said that moving forward, the leaders in the room will have to continue to be cohesive, as he felt they were near the end of the year. “I think at last, we were a team in the playoffs. I don’t know if you guys see that or not, but I was in the locker room, I was on the bus, I was playing, and it was a team. You lose like a team and you win like a team.”

“I think he just bring a system right away, when he came to the locker room,” said Ovechkin of Hunter. “It doesn’t matter if I like it or not, I have to play it because he’s my coach. Again how he said, you have to be a plumber, so I was a plumber.”

Ovechkin will now travel to Stockholm to play for the Russian National Team in the World Championships.

Braden Holtby

Braden Holtby, dressed in some kind of strangely cowl-necked sweatshirt, said it has been a season where he had to “grow up fast,” but denied the pressure was ever really on him.

“This has been the place that I’ve wanted to be forever. Obviously it’s not the result that we wanted, what I wanted, but it shows that we do have the capabilities in this dressing room and as an organization to give ourselves a chance every year to win a Cup.”

When asked about what he would take away from Dale Hunter’s coaching, Holtby emphasized his patience, and his willingness to let the team find its own identity. “There’s usually a lot of pressure on guys put on through coaches and whatnot to figure things out quick, I think he was very patient. That was what we needed as a group.”

Holtby said he looks forward to competing with Michal Neuvirth for the starting position, and with Tomas Vokoun leaving Washington, it seems that he will get a chance to do so.

Brooks Laich

Brooks Laich, still defiantly unshaven and looking like a handsome extra in a period drama, seemed perhaps most visibly affected by Dale Hunter’s departure. He repeatedly expressed admiration and respect for the coach, saying that he is still trying to talk him into staying.

Though he expressed disappointment at the way the season ending, he only had good things to say about the chemistry in the room near the end of the year. “It was the tightest-knit group and the hardest-working group that has been here, I believe. The team that played two nights ago was the hardest-working team I’ve ever been a part of, and the closest. The atmosphere and the culture has really changed, and everyone is of equal importance.”

“It’s a different feeling going home this year than it was last year.”

Dennis Wideman

Dennis Wideman, dressed in cowboy flannel, said he understands Dale Hunter’s decision to return to London, having played there in the past. “It’s a great city,” he said. “I still try to get back there as much as possible. All his family is there, his kids are there [...] I think it’s just where home is for him.”

He said he has not yet talked to his agent about his impending UFA status, but confirmed that he’d like to be back. “Why not,” he said. “Yeah, I’d love to be back.”

George McPhee

George McPhee was dressed incredibly sharply, of course, and broke the news about Dale Hunter stepping down. “I thought he did a great job of coming in and helping us out,” he said, explaining that the front office has known that his stay could be a temporary one. “Trying to hire a coach in the middle of the season is a difficult process, the vetting process there is a long one, and so to have Dale to be able to come in, even if on a temporary basis, was something we liked a lot.”

He said that he plans to take his time and be deliberate in choosing a new coach, and that the process may go into July or August if necessary. He also gave an update on Evgeny Kuznetsov, saying that they’ve talked to his agent, and he is not going to make it over to the NHL this season. “He’s a young guy, he’s only twenty years old. We understand why he may not want to leave yet, but at some point, he’ll want to come to this league, it’s the best league in the world, and he’s a heck of a player.

Jason Chimera

Jason Chimera, wearing a gray V-neck shirt of mourning, admitted that the Game Seven loss was very painful, saying “I’d be lying to you if I said it doesn’t hurt. It hurts, it hurts quite a bit.”

He talked about the difference between the road to the playoffs this year than in other years. “I think this year we kind of battled our way to get in, we kind of went through a lot of stuff during the year, kind of of ups and downs, we got ourselves in, we gave ourselves a chance.”

He called previous seasons “easy” compared to this season’s struggles. “This year it was kind of — a lot of guys had down years offensively, we struggled as a team to get in. Once we did, I think we kind of came together. That says a lot about us. That’s what I’ll take away.”

Jay Beagle

(Here he is really, though.)

Jay Beagle, wearing a cotton shirt in a lovely shade of sky blue, revealed that he broke his foot blocking an Anton Stralman shot in Game Five, though he still continued to play the rest of the game. He said that he felt “useless” on the ice, taking fifteen and twenty-second shifts by the end of Game Five, but that he didn’t want to leave his team a man short.

Though he’d had his foot X-rayed by Game Six and was aware it was broken, Beagle says he tried so hard to play through it that he was dressed and walking down the tunnel before Hunter and the team trainers pulled him aside. “It was better for the team not to play,” he said, “although it was hard obviously to get undressed while your team is about to go to an elimination game.”

It was almost even more difficult for him to watch Game Seven from home, after having surgery on his foot that ended his season for good. “It was tough to be a spectator, it was tough to watch,” he said. “You hurt for the team, and in the other aspect, you kind of hurt for yourself that it’s over.”

Jeff Halpern

Jeff Halpern, looking like somebody who has barely dragged themselves out of bed to go to the grocery store after a bad breakup, said he does plan on playing next year, and will prepare the same way during the summer regardless of his USA status. “It wasn’t the finish to the season I personally would have liked,” he admitted. “The team was doing well, but as far as for my own personal career and future, you hope that there’s a lot of other opinions out there.”

He said he was happy to get back into the lineup in the last few games, and said he felt very good by the second game that he played. “I was unhappy,” he said of the long stretch he spent in the press box. “I wouldn’t expect anyone to not be in the lineup to be happy about that. You try to come to the rink, you try to have a smile on your face and support the guys as much as you can. I tried to do that as best as I could.”

He said the biggest change in returning to the area after many years was the difference in expectation for hockey in Washington, saying he was surprised at “how much hockey has grown to be not just a fun sport to be a part of, but an important team in this area.”

John Carlson

John Carlson, wearing a “74″ Caps hoodie, didn’t seem concerned about his upcoming RFA status, saying “I think that hockey makes it pretty simple, the way things happen when you’re young. I certainly can’t complain, I’ve been given a great situation since I’ve been here. I like the city and I like playing here.”

It was clear his mind was still on the season just behind them, saying that the loss “sucked a little more” because of how hard the team had been playing. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter how you lose, I think everyone is just as disappointed, but maybe you take a little more out of it than say, last year.”

Karl Alzner

Karl Alzner, wearing a baseball sleeve tee and new stubble in place of his glorious beard, used three “very”s to get across just how well-liked Dale Hunter was by the players, saying he “transformed” the team into a team that “works extremely hard, is very honest, one that I think that other teams don’t like playing against.”

He said he never had trouble adapting to Hunter’s defensive style of play, pointing out that he never sees the puck carrier anyway unless he’s trying to check them. He acknowledged the overall growing pains the team went through this year, though, saying there were “meetings and shouting matches”.

“When you have that and get that out in the open, things usually gets better after that,” Alzner said. “Kind of a stupid saying, but someone said it and it was perfect — you got to crack a couple eggs to make an omelet. That’s exactly what’s happened, we kind of broke things down and slowly start to build it up. It’s going to be exciting to see how everything pans out.”

Matt Hendricks

Matt Hendricks, in a blue cotton t-shirt, said it was going to be a tough couple of weeks watching the rest of the postseason play out. “It doesn’t get any easier.”

He said Dale Hunter’s most significant impact on him was giving him confidence, and the opportunity to play a significant role on a team. He said he does not expect that’s something he will lose, and that he now knows he can contribute on an NHL level.

“He gave me that chance, and he worked with me until I did exactly what he wanted me to do, night in and night out. Once I achieved that, he started giving me more and more opportunity, more minutes, to prove to him, and myself, and the team that I can do that. Without him giving me that chance, I’d still be looking at myself as a fourth-line guy that fights, and scores a little bit. Now I feel like I have a better role, and a bigger year.”

Michal Neuvirth

Michal Neuvirth, wearing a gray shirt and a distracting silver chain, confirmed that his injury was to his hip flexor. He said that he was disappointed that things happened the way that they did, but that he understands he has no control over that kind of accident. “These things happen.”

He said that he was able to get close with Tomas Vokoun in his time here, and that he picked up a great deal from the veteran goalie, both in conversation with him and simply observing him in practice and in the games. “He gave me a lot of his thoughts about the game,” Neuvirth said. “I can’t say one bad thing against him.”

He said that he does expect to compete with Braden Holtby for the starting position next year, but pointed out that it doesn’t matter who starts the first game of the year, and said that was one of the biggest lessons he has learned in his NHL career so far.

Mike Green

Mike Green, very matchy-matchy in a red Reebok shirt and red hat, acknowledged that it was a difficult season for him, missing games with injury early in the year and seeming to struggle to find his scoring touch when he began playing regularly again.

He seemed confident that he’d found his groove again, though, later in the season and into the postseason. “I felt mentally the best I’ve ever felt, and physically — you get your bumps and bruises. I feel great, I feel like I did four or five years ago on the ice, and that’s comforting for me.”

He wasn’t willing to get into specifics regarding his upcoming UFA status, but like Carlson, expressed a desire to stay in Washington. “I’m excited to come back if that’s the game plan,” said Green, “and that’s what I want, so we’ll see. I love it here, it’s a great organization, a great city, I believe we’re going to win a Cup here, and I want to be part of it.”

Mike Knuble

Mike Knuble, in a brownish-beige polo shirt, says he’s open to playing next year and that he feels healthy, with no nagging injuries. “Mentally too,” he emphasized. “I still enjoy playing the game, I still enjoy coming out to the rink every day, I enjoy being around the other players. I think that’s half the battle, is wanting to be there as you get older.”

He also lent a veteran voice to the search for the Stanley Cup, saying that he does think the Caps are very close. “Everybody’s got that microscope out at the end, trying to figure out what separated this champion from everybody else this year. Some people kind of chase that, try to build their team that way, and then that flavor of the year changes the next year. I think the personnel in there, the guys in the room are good players who care about the game and want to win. I think this year got a little more of a taste. A bounce there, or two, and we could be playing hockey right now. But we’re not.”

Tomas Vokoun

Tomas Vokoun, wearing a black athletic shirt, says he feels healthy as this point and is prepared to test the UFA market. He said he did not plan on being back in Washington, and that it was never his intention to be in Washington for more than one year.

He did express disappointment at not being able to play in the postseason. “I waited for a chance like this for a very long time,” he said, “and you get hurt — that’s life. Worse things happen to people. It just didn’t work out.”

Vokoun has been rumored to be headed to Russia to join the new Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team in the KHL.

Troy Brouwer

Troy Brouwer, surprisingly looking as if he has actually seen a hairdresser in the past month, said he thinks the team will be able to maintain the things they learned from Dale Hunter in his short time coaching. “I know it’s a long summer here, but hopefully guys remember that to win in the playoffs, you have to sacrifice, block shots, do the right things, and that’s just what he tried to instill in us the entire time he was here.”

He had praise for Jay Beagle and his attempt to play in Game Six, saying he was an ideal teammate. “The way he was walking, the way he was feeling it, it was kind of clear to the guys how it would turn out, but we love the guy for trying like he did.”

Nicklas Backstrom

Nicklas Backstrom, wearing a white cotton shirt and at least two chains, said the team really came together when the playoffs began, starting with the first game of the Boston series and feeling stronger in the system as the postseason went on.

“For me personally it’s been a little up and down, with my concussion,” said Backstrom, who missed 40 games this season with a head injury. “I think I’ve been doing all right, when I’ve been playing. But as a team, I think we’ve actually been better than people thought, and we’ve been changing a lot of things a lot of people didn’t think could happen.”

“I think everyone worked hard,” he said, when asked what lasting impression Hunter would have on the team. “That’s something I’m always going to remember. Work hard, and good things happen to you.”

Dale Hunter

Photo credit: Paul Bereswill

Hey you: thanks for reading RMNB. Crazy season, right?

We started the year with our Winter is Coming promotional series. We documented a crazy winning streak, and then its astonishing decline. We said goodbye to one coach and hello to another. We saw gruesome injuries. We analyzed the Caps’ struggles at and before the trade deadline in our Capitals During Wartime series. We made posters and signs to pump up the fans and the team both. And we tracked the Caps as they made the playoffs by the skin of their teeth.

Yeah, we had exhaustive coverage this season, but there are so many questions left unanswered. Here are few we’d like to address this summer.

Collective Bargaining

The NHL Players Association and the league have to find common ground this summer lest they risk another lockout. No one wants a repeat of the lost season, but with hockey’s popularity on the rise the stakes are pretty high. Many decisions hinge on the outcome of these negotiations.

Free Agency

The following Caps players will be unrestricted free agents this summer: Alex Semin, Mike Knuble, Jeff Halpern, Keith Aucoin, Dennis Wideman, and Tomas Vokoun. If McPhee doesn’t re-sign him, Semin will command a lot of attention on free agency day. Mike Knuble is getting older but wants to keep playing. Jeff Halpern is a hometown boy with fantastic talent on the faceoff dot. Dennis Wideman is an all-star/playoff goat who might want a big pay day. Tomas Vokoun’s crummy goaltending is mostly responsible for Bruce Boudreau getting fired. Anyone wanna take bets?

On the RFA side, Mathieu Perreault, Jay Beagle, John Carlson, and Mike Green are all on the docket. Will the Caps risk a qualifying offer on Mike Green? Perreault didn’t play in the postseason, but Jay Beagle was a star– who gets paid?

Dale Hunter

Word leaked that Hunter’s contract as head coach of the Capitals was for one year only. George McPhee and Brooks Laich each have said they want him back next year, but Hunter has a very comfortable gig as demigod of the London Knights association. We’ve been very critical of Hunter hockey here, but his postseason results were attractive. Will Hunter give it another shot?

Hershey Bears

The Capitals’ current AHL farm team, the Hershey Bears, do not have contract for next season yet. They signed a one-year extension over a year ago. Both teams struggled this season, and the Caps pretty much depleted Hershey’s talent in the spring– so what will happen during the offseason? And will the Norfolk Admirals, who were freaking amazing this year but who have a similarly frayed relationship with Tampa Bay, be involved?

And why do we keep hearing about Baltimore whenever this topic pops up?

Alex Ovechkin

Ovi is probably going home to Russia this summer. There’s no real drama here; we just wanna know what kind of wacky hijinx he’ll get in to. No way he can beat the wookiee suit. I mean: no way, right?

Evgeny Kuznetsov

The KHL superstar has been playing games with our heart all year. Will he come to the Caps this year or not? We don’t know. We’re gonna keep on translating and covering anything we can get our hands on– but at this point we trust nothing until there is ink on paper one way or the other. We’d love to have another Russian on the team for selfish reasons, so we’re firmly in the “C’mover, Kuzya!” camp.

Braden Holtby

For a span of 16 hours last year, Braden Holtby was the presumptive #2 netminder for the Washington Capitals. Then the Caps acquired Tomas Vokoun for a song, and Holtby had to toil in Hershey all year. He had a disappointing season until the Caps called him up for some late-season heroics. Holtby became a star, besting one future hall of fame goalie and nearly felling another. But goalies are passed around like sriracha in the offseason, and you know he’s an object of desire for many teams (Brian Burke, what up.) So is Holtby our future franchise goalie? If not, will the Caps use him to acquire what they truly need…

Second-line Center

Aside from deadline acquisitions that didn’t last, the Capitals have been without a strong second line pivot for the past few years. Whereas many other teams are supposedly built from the middle out, Washington has treated its 2C as a swappable part. Brooks Laich, Marcus Johansson, and Mathieu Perreault have all given it a shot, but it hasn’t worked out. Having a talented top-six guy backing up the top line can give the Capitals options on offense that they’ve never had before.

That’s all I’ve got. What did I miss? What other questions will be plaguing you between now and September? Whatever happens, we’ll be here writing and cracking jokes. Don’t be a stranger.

This guy. (Photo credit: Bruce Bennett)

The Washington Capitals went back to the dimly lit den of sin called Madison Square Garden on Monday night. Against the New York Rangers, with whom they were tied 2-2 in the series, the Caps struggled to muster the offense that had characterized their last couple games, but they did have a little traction on the power play. Unfortunately for them, however, the Rangers had more.

Anton Stralman got a softy on Braden Holtby in a dominant first period for the Rangers. The tide turned in the second period, and Brooks Laich evened it up with a sneaky snap after an offensive-zone faceoff.

John Carlson earned the lead with a barrage of slap shots on a third-period power play. But in the final 20 seconds of the game, Joel Ward’s high-sticking penalty gave Brad Richards the tying goal. With 7 freaking seconds left.

So we went to overtime once more, but it didn’t last long. Marc Staal ended it on the power play.  Rangers beat Caps 3-2 (OT).

• Joel Ward, man. That penalty hurt, but I’m gonna give him a pass. Fencing with Hagelin like he was, it’s way too easy for a stick to ride up like it did. Goofs happen– even in the playoffs. With 20 seconds left. hweougweoguwe. One bad penalty has cost this team so much. We won’t know exactly how much for a few days.
• Braden Holtby‘s first goal against was a soft one, coming from outside through a screen that looked an awful lot like the Escape Goat. Still, if Holtby had controlled that puck, we’d all be singing happy songs right now. Instead it’s like Beck’s Sea Change up in here.
• It looked like the Rangers dominated this game. The shot totals were silly (26 to 10 after 40 minutes) and the Rags got the early lead, but the game was closer than it seemed. You can thank a defiant Caps blueliner squad for keeping New York on the periphery and some offensive gusto for creating scoring chances (many of which did not count as shots). The Rangers made their outside shots count, recording their first and the eventual game-winner in that style.
• The penalty kill was sterling for 59 minutes. Guys like Brooks Laich and Jay Beagle were stunning while playing a man down, gasting the flabber of a not-that-awesome New York PP until the final 10 seconds of the game. But it went bad. Oh so very bad.
• Nick Backstrom‘s third period breakaway backhand beat Henrik cleanly, but that stupid crossbar said, “away with you, puck!” Unrelated note: let’s increase the size of the net by like a quarter inch next season, mmk?
• After this series is over but before the handshakes, can Jason Chimera and Chris Kreider race end-to-end? My money is on the guy who didn’t get whistled for a phantom high-stick on Dennis Wideman.
• The Caps were egalitarian in the shot-blocking game, totaling 25 among 12 players, including the captain. Shots, however, were a more exclusive affair. The Caps were kept under 20 in regulation, with Brooks Laich and Jason Chimera accounting for half of them. Alex Ovechkin had not a one.
• Despite a rough season in his own end, John Carlson‘s slapshot was a bright spot in the regular season campaign. Now, in the second season, Captain America’s slapshot should have been the GWG. Should have. Should have.

Series record: Rangers 3, Capitals 2

I’ve never seen anything like that. The Capitals had a strangehold on the Rangers with precious seconds left in the game. One bad penalty and a worse penalty kill lost them the lead and the game in the space of two minutes.

Explosive decompression. The air got sucked out of the Capitals in the blink of an eye. The guys have to feel like they got the wind knocked out of them right now. What should have been a cakewalk to the conference finals is now something much different.

There’s a shadow hanging over Wednesday’s game six. We knew it would be an elimination game, but we didn’t think it would be for our guys.

How are they going to react to this loss? To have the victory on the tip of their sticks only to see it snatched in a blink– it’s gotta be humbling for them. Will Braden Holtby withstand the anguish? Will Alex Ovechkin return to prominence? Will Jason Chimera regain his step?

Hell. Yes.

Shake it off. There’s a lot of hockey left to be played. See you Wednesday night.

Photo credit: Greg Fiume

The golden years of the Capitals’ “Young Guns” — Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, Alex Semin — are over. Back in 2009, they were scoring almost constantly, having career years as the Caps blew out teams on the way to the Presidents’ Trophy.

Mike Green does his best Alex Ovechkin impersonation. (Photo credit: Nick Wass)

Three years later, Bruce Boudreau is gone, the goals are way down, and Washington barely made the playoffs. But Saturday afternoon against the New York Rangers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals they made a reappearance.

“We’ve been here the longest,” Backstrom told reporters after the game. “We need to step up.”

Ovechkin — whose struggles the past few seasons have been well documented — started the scoring off with a knuckling slapper that Henrik Lundqvist could not handle. Then, after New York tied the game up, Backstrom unleashed a fantastic snipe from the slot. And with the contest knotted at two with 5:48 left in the third, Green fired a bullet from the point on the power play to send the series back to New York even at two games apiece.

“Game over Green, I guess,” said Brooks Laich. “He’s a game breaker, he makes a great shot, and it ends up being the game-winning goal.”

According to Stats LLC, this is the 13th time the Ovechkin-Backstrom-Green trio has tallied in the same contest. The Caps are 13-0 in those games.

“Young Guns?” Green said with a laugh in the Caps locker room when asked about the group. “We’re not so young anymore.”

For Green, the goal was only his second since November of last year. It’s been a difficult last couple of seasons for the 26-year-old defensemen. He has played just 81 games since the start of the 2010-11 campaign, missing time because of multiple concussions and a lingering groin injury that required surgery.

“I know that I can still score at least — it’s been so long,” Green chuckled. “I think my role has changed a little bit around here since my injury. It’s never easy after one with surgery. [I’m] just doing what’s asked of me. I was fortunate enough to get the game-winning goal tonight.”

Photo credit: Mitchell Layton

A long way from the 30 goal scorer and Norris Trophy finalist of yesteryear, Green has had to adjust to less ice time as John Carlson and Karl Alzner have become the team’s top defensive pairing and Dennis Wideman has taken over some of his responsibilities as a big minute offensive blueliner.

Said Alzner of his teammate: “He’s been having a lot of chances, he’s been doing all the right things, and whatever he may have lacked this year in goal scoring he’s made up for in defensive play in my opinion.”

“I think it’s good for his confidence,” Alzner continued, referring to the game-winner. “He’s had so many close chances. Goalies have made big saves, posts, crossbars, and ones that he normally puts in. It nice that he can get not only a goal, but a huge goal. I’m hoping that it kick starts something extra for him because that guy, when he gets fired up, he gets really fired up. He can help his team like crazy.”

Photo credit: Mitchell Layton

After the grueling march of disappointment that was Game Three, we expected a rallying effort from the Caps. But we weren’t naive enough to expect a different kind of game. We know by now that the Capitals are capable of playing only one-goal games. What we didn’t know is that they could get goals out of Alex Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom, and Mike Green in the same game. It was like 2009 up in here.

Here’s how it went:  After a battle in the corner, Alex Ovechkin ripped a one-timer that beat Lundqvist’s glove for the game’s first goal.

Artem Anisimov tied it up early in the second by beating Braden Holtby, who was left helpless when Brooks Laich and Alex Ovechkin couldn’t block a weirdly bouncing pass. Nick Backstrom reasserted the lead by tenderizing Artem Anisimov and then putting Chimera’s pass in the net. Artem Anisimov won an icing race against Jeff Schultz and set up Marian Gaborik for another tying goal through Holtby’s five-hole.

Mike Green put the Caps up with a powerplay goal late in the third. It was the game-winner. Caps beat Rangers 3-2.

In the second period, Alex Ovechkin delivered a hit on Dan Girardi that earned him a minor penalty for charging. Ovechkin’s skates clearly left the ice before the hit, raising the specter of suspension. NBC’s Mike Milbury says the hit was unacceptable and deserves a fine or suspension, Keith Jones says it was a defensive move and the charging penalty will suffice. Here’s the hit:

Apparently I’m so tainted by my biases that my opinion doesn’t matter, but I’m on Keith’s team. It looked shoulder-to-shoulder to me, although we’ve seen how Shanahan considers any kind of airborne hit equivalent to the wild west. If Ovi did indeed connect with Girardi’s noggin, the “principal point of contact” line of reasoning is irrelevant. Ovechkin is responsible for what happens when he launches himself off the ice.

Regardless, we’d really appreciate it if Ovechkin gets this out of his game. Not the dirty hits; I mean hitting in general. Uncle Ted doesn’t pay nine gazillion dollars a year so Alex can hit dudes, he does it so Alex can SCOAR MOAR GOALS. Ted can probably find $600k for some mook to hit guys, but goals are so much more precious.

Photo credit: Mitchell Layton

• Alex Ovechkin‘s goal was a happy accident made possible by an uncharacteristically rookie goof from stud Chris Kreider and a bad glove save by Henrik Lundqvist. Let’s see more of those mistakes please, kthxbye!
• Jeff Schultz is gonna get a lot of flack for losing the icing race (although icing had already been waved off) against Artem Anisimov, but the blame should be shared with the team’s Escape Goat, Dennis Wideman. Wideman allowed Anisimov to get past him, and sent the puck behind the net off his glove– nullifying the icing. But let’s not forget that Jeff Schultz led the Caps in blocks with 9 (6 more than any Caps player, 8 more than any Ranger) and looked tough throughout the game. With some better communication, this pivotal play would’ve been no big deal at all. So lay off the Giraffe. He’s still better at hockey than you are.
• We saw one of our all-time favorite traditions today: the washed-out Mike Knuble playoff goal! Along with the puck, Kanoobs was shoved into Lundqvist by Stu Bickel. The puck must’ve gone in, but there was no evidence. Besides, the officials already waved the goal off. How many times have we seen this? I can recall three Knuble goals– all potential game-winners– that have been nullified in the playoffs since 2009. That’s Mike’s style of play and a big part of why we love him, so I guess we’ve gotten used to this. The NHL has made us cynical.
• Players sort of underestimate Nick Backstrom, don’t they? He’s got the reputation of a effete Swede, so when he decked Artem Anisimov to open up ice for a big goal, everyone was shocked. Anisimov didn’t see it coming: he was skating in to give 19 a tough hit to the shoulder, but Backstrom anticipated and delivered a pre-emptive response. I’d love to see more of that kind of grit from Backstrom. He’s already a three-dimensional player with upsides in every game situation, but being a more physical player might earn him a little space to make the magic we know he can.
• Alex Semin was the only Young Gun not to score today, but it doesn’t matter. Sasha was one of the best forwards on the ice (plus-7 Fenwick, 4 shots)– and  without any of those wacky stick penalties that are so often concomitant.

Series record: Capitals 2, Rangers 2

Knotted. Like each game so far, this series is tight. The tension is high. But like your boy RG3 says: no pressure, no diamonds.

How great was it– not just to win– but to do so on the backs of the stars? Alex Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom, and Mike Green were your goal scorers today. Each of those players had a tough season: Ovi with his suspension and media scrutiny, Backstrom with a concussion, Mike Green with a defective body that is apparently no longer covered by a manufacturer’s warranty.

But here they were, playing great hockey when it mattered most.

The Capitals and Rangers are tied. We’re looking at a best-of-three series now– two in New York, one more at home. If the Caps can win, they’ll advance to the Conference Finals for the first time in more than a decade.

They can do it.

Now: go celebrate. It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon. It’s Cinco de Mayo. It’s Free Comic Book Day. Go have a party.

Here: I’ll get you started with this dance remix of Bailamos.

Photo credit: Mitchell Layton

The Washington Capitals returned home with hopes of gaining a series lead over the New York Rangers. Fans got involved with some rousing “O! V!” cheers, the Caps got their offense moving, and the ice was as soupy as you’d expect in the D.C. spring. But this game was unlike any others. It was a thing of History. Capitals history. And you can probably guess from that alone how it turned out.

After a scoreless first, Ryan Callahan converted a power play by tapping in a puck served up for him after bouncing off of Matt Hendricks. John Carlson tied it up with a dangle-icious wrister that went top shelf.

The third period was tense, but offered no resolution to the game. And so we went to overtime.

Alex Ovechkin rang the post on a huge breakaway– leading to some goal lights and a bit of premature celebration, but it was waved off. And thus we needed double secret overtime.

Brian Boyle blocked Mike Rupp’s sure-thing game-winner, and thus we needed triple overtime.

In trip OT, Jeff Schultz made the block of his life using his pants. Yeah, his pants. That’s how weird stuff got.

But then Marian Gaborik coordinated with Brad Richards to finally end it with some behind-the-goal-line action.

Rangers beat Caps 2-1 (3OT).

• Caps Escape Goat Dennis Wideman served an awfully long shift in the second period. Clocking in at 2:06 per our pal JP, Wides was ground down to fine dust. Wideman lost the offensive zone twice, once leading to a dangerous shorthanded opportunity. He just plain old had a rough time–and that was magnified by his hefty time on ice. But we’re not on a tirade here: Wides had some magical moments on offense, including a set-up for MJ90 that should have been the GWG. Like an hour before the real ending.
• Meanwhile, Infiltrator lamb John Carlson continued his playoff awesomeness streak, scoring his first goal of this postseason to tie the game. It wasn’t the JC74-signature slapshot either– it was a soft-hands wrister that you’d expect from a finesse guy. Not that we’re complaining. That was Carlson’s first goal since the last game of the season, which was also against the Rangers. JC74 had boku chances to end this, but didn’t everybody?
• Humidity. This is the latest game the Caps have played in DC since 2009, and you know what summer in DC is like. The ice was a mess and probably played a big role in the grind that this game turned into.
• Matt Hendricks had another monster great game– breaking out of the gates with a few great shots on with some supersized shifts. Hendy leveled some of the game’s best hits and drew a great retaliatory slashing penalty from Ryan Callahan. Hendricks’ OT hit on Ryan McDonagh was the biggest (clean) hit of the postseason so far.
• Speaking of Rangers D, they were dropping like flies. Dunno what Stu Bickel‘s deal was, but he saw hardly any ice since the second period (3:24). Dan Girardi missed some ice after colliding with Henrik Lundqvist during OT. Massive respect for Ryan McDonagh for not missing a shift after Hendricks leveled him.
• Man, Stu Bickel. What do you do on the bench for so long? Sudoku? Read Game of Thrones? Pinterest? Would Torts allow that? I think he would. He’d understand.
• The 8 -19 -90 line was expected to produce, but a weak spot revealed itself in winger Marcus Johansson. Mojo had the worst possession numbers on the team (minus-5) and more than his fair share of turnovers, but the real crime was his hesitancy to shoot. At the end of the second and start of the third, MJ90 was teed up for primo scoring chances, but he waited too long for his shots. The hunger to win really woulda been helpful. At like 10 PM.
• Nick Backstrom is partly at fault for Johansson’s rough possession numbers. Backy went an embarrassing 10 for 29 on the faceoff, which is bad enough to suggest that something bad wrong on that Swedish physique. The Caps may need to activate Jeff Halpern for a faceoff boost next game if Backstrom can’t be relied upon.
• Mike Knuble gets paid to crash the net. Every once in a while that will result in a penalty. That’s what happened in Game Three, but it was a total scam. Knuble stopped politely at Henrik’s grill but was promptly cross-checked by a pair of NYR D. A weak whistle any time of year– an infuriating one at the end of the playoff regulation.
• I saw Alex Semin shove a Ranger out of the crease. With my eyes. It actually happened. So did him committing a trip in overtime though, so it’s a wash. I really thought Sasha got all those stick penalties out of his system, but he’s averaging a PIM per game this postseason.

Series record: Capitals 1, Rangers 2

Holtby's mom is priceless. (via SB Nation)

Wow.

Well you just witnessed history, and once again the Capitals were on the losing side of it.

This game was punishing in a way we haven’t seen in a generation. As a fan, I feel like I have the flu. I can’t imagine the suffering the players are experiencing right now.

It’s dumbfounding– simply astonishing– how many near-goals there were. How many miracle saves, how many posts rung, how many sacrificial blocks. Players on both teams deserve our admiration and respect after this effort. All of the enmity we like to dump out on the other guy just doesn’t seem right now. This loss stings worst than any before, but it’s different because of the marathon that preceded it.

The game began at 7:40 pm on May 2nd. It ended at 12:16 am on May 3rd. It was the third longest game in franchise history. It was a cataclysmic heartbreaker.

Dennis Wideman clocked over 40 minutes on the ice. Dan Girardi was damn near 45 minutes. That’s herculean. Stu Bickel… three and a half minutes.

And Ryan McDonagh played 53 minutes and 17 seconds. Stand up and clap for that.

Hey. Braden Holtby and Henrik Lundqvist played world-class hockey. If you’re a Caps fan, you’re allowed to hate Henrik, but you’ve gotta respect him. And Holtby might given up the 3OTGWG, but he stopped 47 pucks over a couple hours of hockey. Not a quantum of blame involved.

Wow. Just wow. It’s like Steve Jobs’ death rattle right now.

Okay, we’re in a bit of a hole now, but Game Four holds a lot of opportunity. It’s a nooner, so we’ll have to figure out some way to get pep in our step. In the meantime, let’s all get some rest.

Don’t despair. This thing ain’t over, it’s just late.

Crash the net! (Photo credit: Mitchell Layton)

Three times in Game Six did the Boston Bruins gain a lead over the Washington Capitals. And three times did the Caps tie it up. But the Caps just couldn’t finish off Boston.

Rich Peverley was credited for deflecting Bergeron’s blue-line bomb past Holtby. Mike Green got that back with a slapshot from way out, bouncing off Greg Zanon’s lower body in traffic. David Krecji used his speed to convert a power play and restore the Bruins’ lead. Jason Chimera evened it up by finishing off a great setup from Nick Backstrom at the end of the second period. Tyler Seguin’s rebound made easy feeding for Andrew Ference, giving the Bruins their third lead of the day. Alex Ovechkin canceled that out with a laser-quick  shot off the faceoff with just five minutes remaining.

Into overtime, which Boston dominated until Tyler Seguin got the game winner. Bruins beat Caps 4-3 (OT). We’re going to Game Seven in Boston.

• Mike Green‘s goal was his first since October 22, 2011– when Bruce Boudreau was head coach and dinosaurs ruled the earth.
• Alex Ovechkin‘s high stick to Zdeno Chara‘s face drew blood, so a four-minute power play ensued. The Bruins and their fans had been waiting for that call since game one, but the Caps PK unit held them to a single shot. Epic kill.
• And then again in the 4-on-3 kill that wrapped around the second intermission. Hendricks got called for a trip a few second into 4-on-4 hockey, leading to a very tense opening to the third period. The PK unit– Alzner, Beagle, Laich– was superb for the duration.
• Jason Chimera clipped an unaware Brad Marchand before his goal. Julien wanted the call but didn’t get it– either because Marchand’s embellishment is hockey’s version of baroque caligraphy or because Ted Leonsis worked the refs on a blog post a few days ago. We think the latter is the reason, but we’re gonna give Ted the secondary assist on the goal anyway.
• The pride of the Caps defense had been sweeping away the loose pucks and rebounds that Braden Holtby’s occasionally produces. Even Dennis Wideman, whose very presence in the lineup is mystifying, excelled at clearing the slot. But when it failed, it failed big– giving Andrew Ference a teed-up puck to hit.
• We lack the intellect and vocabulary to have a cogent discussion about how Dale Hunter manages ice time. Aucoin getting tons of time on the power play? Yeah. Mike Green getting short shrift so that Wideman gets more ice time? No clue. For example…
• As pointed out by maven Nate Ewell, the two even-strength shifts that Alex Ovechkin and Nick Backstom shared resulted in goals. We recommended this after game one, and we are totally cocky about it now.
• Man, Tyler Seguin really picked a good time to get into this series, eh? Birdpoop.

Series record: Capitals 3, Bruins 3

Yeah, that sounds about right. The Capitals never held a lead in this game. They were playing catch-up for way too long, and that’s not a plan for success.

The Ovechkin line was used heavily in overtime. He and his mates have long been criticized as lacking defensive awareness, and that criticism rings true right now. Tyler Seguin was alone in the slot when Lucic set him up for the win. Not sure what Wideman was doing. Not just on that play, but in general.

So we’re going back to Boston in a few days. The Capitals should be disappointed but not discouraged. They played good hockey today. They’ve proved lots of people wrong already. When they win on Wednesday, they’ll have proven everyone wrong.

Crash the net! (Photo credit: Brian Babineau)

The Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins had split wins in each other’s cities. Saturday afternoon’s bout in Boston was the first of two games within 30 hours, and another example of how tight this series has been.

After a scoreless first, Alex Semin wristed the puck past Tim Thomas while Joe Corvo writhed in pain in the periphery. Jay Beagle sent a loose puck dribbling past Thomas to make it 2-0– the first time either team has had a two-goal lead all series. Dennis Seidenberg got some space from Ovechkin and beat Holtby near-side to get the Bruins on the scoreboard. Just a few seconds later, Marchand (with help from Peverley) pushed the puck through Holtby’s five-hole and tied the game.

And then…. in the third period…

KANOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOBLE!

Yes. Mike Knuble crashed the net to make it 3-2 for the Capitals. Johnny Boychuk tied it up while Dennis Wideman was in the penalty box. On the Brouwer Play, Troy Brouwer scored a brouwer play goal, his first brouwer play goal and the game-winner. Caps beat Bruins 4-3.

• Braden Holtby is mortal. We all knew this, right? Those two goals he surrendered within half a minute were the product of bad defense (Ovechkin getting smoked in neutral, Erskine and Wideman not clearing the crease), but Holtby still should’ve stopped either or both. It’s the playoffs, and we expect the world. We expect him always to do stuff like that full-split toe stop on Tyler Seguin in the third period that had gentlemen across the continent going “Eeeesh!”
  
• John Carlson was penalized for running Tim Thomas in the first period, despite his being flanked by three Bruins guiding his way in. Here’s a quick lesson in physics: Inertia says things in motion stay in motion; ice has a very low frictional coefficient; and momentum is shared among connected bodies. The Bruins didn’t have to extend their arms to push Carlson into Thomas, they just had to be there, moving steady.
• Blocker punch from Thomas on Carlson in case you’re keeping track.
• Jay Beagle! Scoring goals, blocking shots, killing penalties, writing in diaries, doing outdoorsy things on off-days!
• Alex Ovechkin had no patience for Zdeno Chara‘s post-whistle nonsense, which is to say he had all the patience in the world. When Chara got dirty with his stick, Ovechkin did not retaliate. Boom: power play. Meanwhile, Chara tried to cream Jason Chimera into the glass at the end of the first period, but only got the wind knocked out of him instead.
• We don’t root for players to get hurt. Ever. But losing Joe Corvo is like losing weight. Get well soon, Joe!
• We’ve called Alex Semin some variation of “vanished” for the past few postseasons. He’s got goals in three straight games. We’re shutting up now. His tally on Saturday was the result of being tough in the crease. Just for clarity: we’re talking about Alex Semin, number 28, being tough in the crease.
• The two-goal lead: the Capitals have seen them disappear all season. It happened again in a blink today as the Bruins converted on consecutive shifts. Dennis Wideman, playoff goat, was on-ice for both of those goals and gave the Bruins a big power play in the third. He’s been on for 7 of the 9 Bruins’ goals this series, and all of their goals at even strength. If he plays Game Six, it’s on the coaches.
• Johnny Boychuk‘s power play goal was the first such the Caps have given up this series.
• Patrice Bergeron missed a good portion of the game after absorbing a big hit from Alex Ovechkin. He stayed on the bench, but missed shifts. Add Corvo’s injury to that, and Claude Julien was working with a depleted lineup. Bergeron returned late in the third.
• Give Mike Knuble ice time in the offensive zone and he will crash the net. Crash the net enough and he will score. These are Dependable Things that everyone should know.
• So many bullets today.

Series record: Capitals 3, Bruins 2

One small note: without getting to say goodbye, we’ve already see our last CSN broadcast of the year. There were whispers of Sunday’s broadcast getting on the station, but that didn’t happen. Thank you to Joe Beninati and his phalanx of suits. Thank you to Craig Laughlin and his hockey smarts and weird accent. If you go right now, you can check out their post-game on CSN.

The difference maker, again, is special teams. The Capitals’ penalty kill is nigh-perfect, and they’re the only team in this series getting plural goals with a man-up.

Tim Thomas, rebound factory, didn’t have the wherewithal to shut down an egalitarian Capitals offense. When goals come from guys like Beagle and Brouwer and Knuble, the opponent really has to dig deep. The Bruins couldn’t do that, and now they stand on the verge of elimination.

Sunday’s game is early. 3PM back in DC. Fans, the challenge has been issued: bring it like it’s never been broughten before.

We’re gonna prove the hockey pundits wrong.