On Thursday, Mojo suited up and made his debut, skating on Karlskoga’s second line as their right-winger. Wearing familiar #90, Johansson finished without points and a minus-1 in Karlskoga’s 3-1 loss to Södertälje.
Meanwhile, Johansson’s new teammate, Martin Thelander, posted a video on Viasat’s Facebook page documenting a typical gameday for him. Johansson is included in the clip, interviewed by Thelander, who interviews Mojo with a banana.
Fifty-four-year-old pop icon Madonnamade her grand return to the area this week, performing two sold-out shows at Verizon Center on Sunday and Monday. During one of the concerts, something quite spectacular happened. Something that without HD video, I could not have confirmed or believed could possibly be real.
You see, during a break in music, Madonna chatted up her fans and asked if anyone would like to write a four letter word which describes her on her back. As Madonna gazed out to the crowd, she settled on two young Swedish men in the front row — who happened to be Washington Capitals forwards Mattias Sjogren and Marcus Johansson — and tossed them a marker.
As Johansson goofily grinned and filmed with his iPhone, Sjogren scribbled “Sexy” on the back of one of the most famous singers of all-time. Really.
What do we need to do to get Marcus Johansson‘s development to take that next step? Was this year’s tumult and instability too much for him? Do we need to encase Marcus Johansson in a hockey simulation where nothing ever goes wrong next year? Send him up a mountain on a quest for truth? Get him to meet DJ Tiesto? Because if we need to, we’ll do it.
A day after their thrilling 3-2 victory over the Rangers to even the series, Washington took to the ice at Kettler Capitals Iceplex Sunday morning. As they prepared to head to New York for a pivotal Game 5 Monday, the team’s sprits were high and the beards long. Below, check out some of my photos from the skate.
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.
The New York Rangers got the breaks they needed to beat the Washington Capitals in Game One. It seems like nothing went right for the Caps.
The first period was scoreless despite the Rangers dominating early and the Caps buzzing late. A little past halfway in, Artem Anisimov converted a wraparound after Mike Green failed to contain him. Jason Chimera tipped in a saucer pass from Brooks like before the second period’s final buzzer. Chris Kreider’s slapshot restored the Rangers’ lead as Mike Green signaled for a line change. Brad Richards piled on with a net-crasher. Rangers beat Caps 3-1.
In preparation, we peaked back at last year’s quarterfinal series between the Caps and Rangers in hopes that it might give us a glimpse at the future. No matter their predictive value, these five games were a freaking blast. Join me for some good memories behind the jump.
This playoff year, NBC has introduced a new quirk into their coverage of the NHL playoffs: they allow one player from each team’s top line to introduce his linemates in a short segment videotaped in the locker room. Earlier in the Caps Bruins series, we were treated to Brad Marchand introducing his trio. Today, Alex Ovechkin had the chance to rock the mic. And he brought the awkward.
2:56 into the second overtime of Game 2, Marcus Johansson created a turnover in the Bruins’ offensive zone and hit up fellow Swede Nicklas Backstrom with a pass. Backstrom knew what to do with it.
Backy skated the puck to the slot, snapped a shot through Andrew Ference, and beat Tim Thomas over his shoulder. Caps win 2-1!
Last season, the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup with grit, a stiffing defense, and a big weirdo in net by the name of Tim Thomas. Thomas had an incredible 1.98 GAA, .940 Save Percentage, and 4 shutouts in last year’s playoffs. In the Finals, Thomas went into beast mode, giving up only 8 goals in 7 games, giving Boston its first Stanley Cup since 1971-72. Naturally, he was the Playoffs MVP.
Well the Bruins are back to defend their title and are trying to become the first team since the 1997-98 Detroit Red Wings to win the Cup in back-to-back years. Standing in their way however, will be our 7th-seeded Caps, a rag-tag group of veterans, AHL’ers, and Russians that I’m pretty sure Pierre McGuire and Mike Milbury still think are Eurotrash.
Unless he suffers a gruesome injury or chooses to skip out on a game because of an Obama appearance, the Capitals will have to find a way to consistently score on this Tea Partier from Flint, Michigan. And that, for them hasn’t been easy.
Timmay is a career 14-5-3 against Washington, which includes a save percentage north of .920. He’s consistently beaten the Caps in their own barn, winning 7 of 9 career games against them. While Thomas went 1-1-1 against the Capitals this year in 3 starts, he also stopped 82 of 89 Washington shots. He was nearly impenetrable, no matter how much we only want to remember his — um — poor performance in the March 29th shootout.
So on those 7 goals, how have the Caps beaten Thomas? Is there a particular place on the ice that the Caps have had more success shooting?
