MVP. (Photo credit: Patrick McDermott)

And so we said goodnight to the Southeast Division. With one last dance between the Washington Capitals and the Winnipeg Jets (née Atlanta Thrashers), the stakes were a division title and a guaranteed ticket to the postseason dance for the home team. It was a barn-burning good time, which doesn’t sound like a good time if you own a barn but you don’t so it was. The Capitals came out of the gates shooting and hardly stopped to catch their breath. All four lines were clicking, and that’s exactly the kind of hockey we want to see one week before the playoffs start.

Alex Ovechkin is the best.

Caps beat Jets 5-3. The Capitals make the playoffs. The Capitals are Southeast Division champions.

• Southeast Division: You were the best and the worst. You were a bad girlfriend, but we had some great memories anyway. The Capitals owned you and your sad, sad banners.
• Matt Hendricks had gone pointless (adj. - without a point) for over a month and goalless since March 2nd. That ended on Tuesday when Hendy scored on the scramble, bouncing the puck off Pavelec’s shoulder. If you were waiting for secondary scoring, your wait is over.
• Jason Chimera and Matthieu Perreault exchanged pretty passes behind the Jets net until Chimmer stormed the crease and scored his third goal of the season, the first one I’ve seen live. I actually called a Chimera goal right before the game (#thebank), but I guess that matters less since this is the 46th consecutive game I have predicted such a thing.
• The star of the first period was Big John Erskine. Along with Martin Erat, Ersk dove in front of a Winnipeg shot on an empty net to save an early goal. A few minutes later, Erskine swatted away a puck that bounced off and dropped behind Holtby. The play was reviewed, and Erskine was the savior.
  
• Evander Kane is sadly awesome. Fresh in the middle period and on the power play, Kane used Erskine as a screen and scored on Braden Holtby’s far blocker side. That should have been a wake-up call that the Jets would not go quietly into that good night.
• Steve Oleksy coudn’t clear the puck late in the second, allowing Blake Wheeler to tie the game up and make it exciting, but the MVP set up Nick Backstrom a few seconds later for a timing play goal, making it 3-2. Backy’s goal was reviewed because, once again, the guys in the war room in Toronto are huge fans.
• Matthieu Perreault got his tiny French Canadian frame into a scrum and came out with a goal with a couple minutes left in the second period. He thinks he’s people.
• Alex Ovechkin’s hit on Evander Kane was clean and devastating. Kane looked shook up, but he was back in the third in time to put a dirty elbow into Oleksy’s pretty pretty face.
• The Verizon Center blacksmiths were at the ready in the third as the Caps started targeting the posts with pinpoint accuracy. Even Volpatti pinged one.
• Nick Backstrom got boarded, no call. Referees are a joke in your town.
• Nik Antropov made it a one-goal game with a high slot shot to the top shelf. He had to fight through three Caps to get the shot off, and it was telekinetically directed to the twine. Gorgeous, but kinda deflating, but what happened next made it so much worse.
• Matthieu Perreault high-sticked Antropov with just five minutes to go. The Caps PK unit kept the Jets shotless, and Verizon Center went ape-bananas.
• MVP Alex Ovechkin scored the empty-netter, his 31st of the season. He’s taking over the world.

Joe B suit of the night

Fun hockey, to me, is Capitals hockey. That means tons of offense, creative passing, and lots of playing where the ice is painted. The Caps played fun hockey tonight. Every line was pressuring and producing, and anything could happen. That and the possession domination made this a very encouraging game to watch one week away  of the postseason.

You want to see your players dancing. And they did.

So this was the first of what’s now officially a five-game homestand. The Caps have two more games to play in the regular season, and then the real game begins.

I cannot freaking wait.

That was just a distinct ass-kicking motion.

— RMNB (@russianmachine) April 24, 2013

No-goal GIF by welshhockeyfan

Eff you. Brouwer is an anteater. (Photo credit: Travis Golby)

On Thursday, the Washington Capitals beat the Winnipeg Jets by coming out shooting and then protecting the lead. On Friday night’s insta-rematch,  the Caps didn’t own the puck by any measure, but they did carpet bomb the Thrashers so decisively that no one noticed. Goals went like this: Brooks, Brouwer, Beagle– and then Ovi and Green jumped in to disrupt the literary consonance– and then Byfuglien, and then Ovi again for some kind of poetic unity. It was a blowout when the Capitals needed it most.

Okay, maybe they coulda used it more at the beginning of the season. Sure. No no no, that’s a fair point. I hear you. Yeah. Okay. Listen I don’t wanna fight tonight. It’s Friday and the Caps won and won big. Can’t we all just get along?

Caps beat Thrashers 6-1.

• Blake Wheeler took liberties with Karl Alzner in the first period, prompting the ever-gentlemanly Brooks Laich to demand satisfaction. The following duel was penalized, but Wheeler’s initial hit drew no such comeuppance. That advantage might have mattered more if the Jets power play were not so horribly deficient on the night, mustering just 1 shot on goal through their first 6 power play minutes.
• At even strength, however, les Capitales had pretty dismal possession. The Jets finished the first period with a plus-13 in even-strength shot attempts and never gave any slack back. That would have been the story of the game, except the Winnipeg Jets filled their net with a matador*. Ondrej Pavelec let in three on nine shots, Al Pacino let in a trio more.
• (*Listen: about that last bullet. I didn’t get it either, but the guests at RMNBHQ demanded it. Like “Olé” I dunno guys I can’t defend it. They can’t all be winners.)
• Troy Brouwer scored one of the prettiest goals of the year, a 2-on-1 set up by Mike Ribeiro. Ribs was the dude-behind-the-dude on the game’s first two goals. Doesn’t mean the Caps shouldn’t trade him for a pocket full of golden dragons come the deadline.
• This bullet is here to justify the puppy pic at right. Like so many others, Jay Beagle scored tonight, his second of the year. Beagle caught a total BS penalty for goalie interference; he was clearly shoved into Montoya.
• And Alex Ovechkin scored too. Twice– once at 5 on 5 and again on power play. (It’s pretty obvious that these bullets are just naming people who scored, so if you’ve seen the box score, just step away from the recap and call it a night.) Ovi is on another streak, y’all. Alert the national hockey media. No, seriously, they won’t know otherwise.
• Mike Green made his Steven Stamkos stick work for him. He scored from waaaaaaay outside, ensuring wings if wings could be ensured, and proving that scoring on the Jets is like playing tennis with the net down.
• <sarcasm>Oh noes, Braden Holtby didn’t get back-to-back shutouts against the Atlanta Thrashers. We are utterly devastated. Bravo, Dustin Byfuglien/Mike Green’s skate, you have bested our champion.</sarcasm>

Joe B suit of the night

Six goals. Two by Ovi. Points for pretty much everyone. A shining performance by Holtbeast in net. Is there anything not to completely love about how the Caps acquitted themselves tonight and the night before?

The Capitals absolutely mollywallopounded the Jets. You’d have no idea that the Jets lead the division because — oh yeah, they won’t for long.

I have no clue what this means for the Caps’ prospects, but I do know that we should reserve all judgment until after Sunday night, when the Caps occupy Madison Square Garden.

That’s okay. We’ll take it from here, guys. RT @capitalweather: If anyone got a pic of meteor, please share, thanks so much….

— RMNB (@russianmachine) March 23, 2013

Photo credit: Marianne Helm

The Southeast Division Farewell Tour kicked off with a battle between the Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets. The Capitals managed to continue their strong five-on-five play from Tuesday and convert it into two early goals. Big Buff and the Jets tried to mount a comeback, but the Caps stuck two more daggers in ‘em instead. And oh yeah: Braden Holtby had his fourth perfect game this year.

Caps beat Thrashers 4-0.

• I don’t want to tell you something you already know, but yeah: Braden Holtby rules. That is shutout number four on the year.
• Troy Brouwer kicked things off early with a goal well screened by returned hero Brooks Laich. I think Brooks might’ve gotten a piece of it, but I’m wrong about most things, so what is one more? Laich was great all over: driving play (plus-6 Corsi), screening goals, and threatening with some shorthanded chances.
• Steve Oleksy fought James Wright and it went a little something like this:

• I was gonna give Dustin Byfuglien credit for being Atlanta’s best player, but then he checked Mike Green into the boards after a whistle, so eff that noise. Mike Green is off limits, you guys. That goes for you too, Evander Kane, who gave Greenie a cheap shot in the final minute. We’re TPing their cars later, so let me know if you want us to pick you up in our Chinook. We gotta stop off at WaWa to pick up supplies first, so just text me.
• Regarding Mr. GreenLife52, he looked pretty solid in his first game back. He certainly wasn’t getting soft minutes (around 23 minutes), and though he didn’t join the O too much, he looked great when he did. Let’s hope he can stick around this time. He’s too good to lose so much of his career to injury.
• Gee, I sarcastically wonder if RMNB will have a post dedicated to that shift by Alex Ovechkin in second period where he unleashed a bunch of MonStar hits? Cause seriously– other than that, the second period was booooooring. And I say that as a fan of Downton Abbey and Infinite Jest.
• Speaking of Ovi, he was the agent of the Caps’s second goal– feeding Marcus Johansson at the back door. I made some crack about Johansson being lucky to have such a great passer setting up him, but on review it was clear that Mojo put himself in position, got his stick on the ice, and let Ovi know to hit him up. It’s a gift to be wrong about a player sometimes.
• I wrote a joke about the name of a Jets player, but then I deleted it for being borderline naughty. You can scan the roster and guess which one.
• The return of the DOG. Steve Oleksy scrambled for a puck behind the goal line, chipping it over the glass in the process. DOG, old friend. Good to see you again. Now go away forever. Srsly, there’s talk that the over-the-glass rule might get rewritten for next year.
• Alex Ovechkin twisted the dagger with a perfect power play goal from his favorite spot. In addition to being Ovi’s second point of the night, it was also Nicky Backstrom’s first primary assist on a PPG this season.
• Ack last-second  bullet: Nicky Backstrom got a sneaky one-timer from the high slot late in the third and yeah he’s great no time to check grammar.

Joe B suit of the night

That was a terrific performance by your Washington Capitals. I’ll leave it up to you decide if it’s due in part to the return of Orlov, Green, and Laich. And while I’m still not keen on counting standings points, there’s no reason to be cranky about the Caps tonight. Big win over a divisional opponent, three-point night from Captain Alex Ovechkin, healthy roster for the first time since the Taft administration.

The best news of all: they get it to do it again tomorrow. A strange artifact of the lockout-shortened season: the Caps will play the Thrashers again on Friday night, right after JMU beats up on the Hoosiers. See you there? Naturally.

Ovi is having one hell of a game. Check NBC for highlights later. Surely you’ll hear about it.

— RMNB (@russianmachine) March 22, 2013

Photo credit: John Woods

The Washington Capitals looked like a troubled team before Saturday’s game at the Winnipeg Jets. With a grinder on their top line, a goal-scorer in Wojtek Wolski scratched in favor of a tough guy, and more injured players than you can shake a groin at, expectations were low for the early afternoon rumble in Manitoba. For twenty minutes, those expectations were met, and then the Capitals took control of their destiny and looked like a damn fine hockey club.

And oh yeah: Braden Holtby.

Caps beat Jets 3-0.

• First period possession was a mess for the Caps. After twenty minutes, the Jets led the Caps in shots 14-4 at even strength. The Caps turned it around mightily in the second though, eventually claiming the even-strength shot lead before the second intermission.
• Top-line forward Matt Hendricks (?) opened up scoring by tapping in a Mike Ribeiro pass. I love greasy goals too, but seeing plays that looked as deliberate at this one are probably better for this team right now.
• A John Erskine slapshot injured Blake Wheeler right before the Hendricks goal. In the first period, Anthony Peluso got injured somehow while beating up Aaron Volpatti. That left the Thrashers short two forwards for a long stretch of the game. Wheeler returned in the third.
• Here’s that Aaron Volpatti fight. Back in ancient Rome, the oligarchs would give away free bread and throw elaborate circuses to distract the population from realizing how bad the society was organized. Don’t know why that popped into my head just now.

• There are children who will fail geography tests because Winnipeg is in the Southeast Division. There are hikers who will die of exposure because they went northwest instead of southeast because the NHL is organized by crazy people.
• I predicted that spurned shooter Jason Chimera would finally score in the second period. I was wrong. With a wide open net, Chimera’s puck somehow found Pavelec’s glove. I know it’s seductive to blame shooters for dry spells, but the best thing to do with guys like Chimera is to encourage them to shoot even more. They’ll break through given the opportunity, and it’ll be worth it.
• The Caps played a pretty buttoned up game in the first 39 minutes– until Mathieu Perreault shoved a Jet into the Pavelec’s net. Yes, I also jinxed that. My bad, guys.
• Troy Brouwer leads the Caps in goals. He grew that lead in the dirty ‘Peg with a nasty wristshot that took some weird bounces before beating Pavelec.
• Mike Ribeiro, whom Hendricks called one of the best he’s ever played with, cleaned up an Ovechkin rebound in the third to make it a blowout.
• Zach Bogosian roughed up Matthieu Perreault in the third, making two consecutive games where Washington’s diminutive French-Canadian forward got into scary trouble late in the game. New rule: No Perry in the game’s last 10 minutes.

Joe B suit of the night

I love how the Caps came back from a really bad first period. Lucky to be scoreless after a sad opening twenty minutes, the Caps recommitted themselves to offense in the back 40 (is “back 40″ a thing in hockey? If not, can it become a thing?). Last game I took issue with the apparent habit of the Caps to get all jammed up. That definitely didn’t happen in Manitoba today.

That’s a sign of good leadership, which is something you’re really not gonna hear from the hockey media, who are more interested in increasing their public profile than actually enlightening their audiences. Alex Ovechkin (4 shots, 1 assist) was great today, and that’s what really matters. You can say he’s not “a real man” if you’re a chauvinistic ass, but I saw Alex grin like a schoolboy when he suckered Mark Stuart into a double-minor. Hashtag leadership.

And, oh yeah, one last thing: Braden Holtby is still incredible. When the Caps were seeing a fusillade in the first, I said Holtby was only thing that would stop this from becoming a blowout. Holtby did his job perfectly and inspired the skaters ahead of him to do theirs too. Nine straight starts, most of them sterling. No player has turned around his season more dramatically than Holtby, who looks more like a true NHL star with every passing day.

Great game.

ANGRY HENDRICKS. And Karl’s parody of Hendricks’ face. twitter.com/callyourbluff/…

— Katie Brown (@callyourbluff) March 2, 2013

This pretty much sums up the night. (Photo credit: Greg Fiume)

So our dads Peter and Ian decided to give your humble PuckBuddys the keys to the RMNB-car for recaps over the next few games. Ha! We promised them not to drive at dangerously high speeds with the top down while stealing people’s mail and laughing wildly. We promise you we won’t keep that promise.

Speaking of a wild ride, Tuesday’s geshrey was whether Adam Oates would pull his Caps back together under his new system, or whether they would revert to old ways/panic. Would this be the first home opener loss since the turn of the century? Would we rally from the Bolts shellacking and figure out our PK? Would Ribiero perform? Would Lady Mary really marry cousin Matthew? We have our answers.

10:02 in the 1st, Matt Hendricks gets the pass from Nicky for the first home score in almost a year, with a big crash o’ the net. That’s answered at 12:34 into the first, on a power play when the nasty Evander Kane sunk one on Holtby, unassisted. Andrew Ladd sinks a direct bullet at 16:26 – right through a non-existent Caps defense and a tired-looking Holtby (there, I said it.)

Second frame brought out a little toughness from both sides, with hopes on a Dustin Byfuglian penalty, yielding nothing. Kane knocks to Blake Wheeler, who then taps in at 14:32 to take the Jets up 3-1. PuckBuddys start crying. And then oh-noes: with less than a minute left, Slater tips in a dribbler for a boo-bird 4-1. Everyone grab your junk as Hendy puts Slater down after the horn; Verizon hall yawns.

In the third, an early Capitals power play nets Troy (handsome) Brouwer in the bin and washes out our chances. Remember when we were up in this game?  haha. Caps swarm to save Braden Holtby half-way in, which almost raises our spirits. Hendy tries to rally the team; nothing juicy follows. A spit more than 1 minute left, Troy-Boy (off Ribiero) swags it in but gives the Jets a PP.

JETS BEAT CAPS 4-2.

• On Your Toes: There’s really no question here; our Caps are just looking tired on their feet. The stars are asleep and the back-ups are napping. Mike Green ? John Carlson? Are you there?
• D-Men in Demand: Like last season, we’ve come to expect that the first line isn’t going to  save us. We instead look to Poti, Ward, and lately, to some degree, Crabb and Brouwer. What the hell is happening in front of the Caps net? We’ve seen Amsterdam professionals who were more open, if you follow. “Unappealing” is how Joe B. described it; we agree.
• Vortex of Awful: We’ve written before of the cold, dead hole of hopelessness that is Winnipeg. And sadly in their first season, they did much to confirm this. Evander Kane, tubby but dependable Dustin Byfuglian, badd-Ladd; they just had their way with us this evening. That’s as much a comment on them as it is us. No, wait: it reflects worse on us. See previous.
• Good Kabongs: We saw a couple good hits this game, as we have every meeting with the Manitoba Bruisers. That includes Nick Backstrom who just laid down the Scandinavian hammer on Mark Stuart; or as Joe B. described it, “issues with Stuart.” It wasn’t Sasha bongos, but it was a start. Memo to Matt Hendricks: we love you, but don’t pick a dumb fight after the bell. And we wish it wasn’t just you.
• Who’s Home?: Our DC Caps operatives code named “Michele” (heh) and “Dave” (secret, huh?) report that Verizon was less than full. “Inaugural hangover,” they said. “Naked” they said. “Why are we not shooting the puck?,”  we said.
• Don’t Panic: As in, it took exactly one game before “fans” started calling for #fireeveryone. It only gets uglier now.
• Welcome Home: We haven’t seen hockey in Verizon for 258 days. Since then, Verizon has hosted the Washington International Horse Show, Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champs (or as we call it, Spandex Ballet) JBeibs, Dylan and The Who (not on the same bill), WWE Raw and assorted hoops games. Don’t make us regret all these nobodies (yes Mr. Dylan we said that.)
• Unleash the Furies: A season or two back the Caps were famous for electric come-backs, as the home crowd unleashed the fury. Now we rely on this? If you have to unleash anything at three points behind, just check into the nearest Green Turtle and pretend the hot girl at the bar likes you. Heck, why not? Let’s just pretend everything. #worried.

Joe B suit of the night

What Did We Learn Tonight (WDWLT): Capitals – who is your spirit animal? Cheetah or slow loris? Are we rabid greyhounds or slobbering retrievers? If this were an inaugural, it would be poo-poohed with huge open spaces in front the net, poor action on the offense and incoherent strategy. And I thought Ian and Peter promised us a fun win.

What’s Next: So we camp out at home, practice one day and get our jocks in order for Thursday against le Canadiens. Le Flambeau and what what. Honestly, we like the way this sets up now, at least if we have a little more step in our offense and way WAY biggs action from our D-men. Otherwise: WE WERE RIGHT BRING BACK BOUDREAU. Just sayin’.

See you Thursday! Don’t blame us!

Photo credit: Bill Wippert

The Caps wasted a chance to climb the standings with Monday night’s loss to the Lightning, but we held out hope that our rivals– Buffalo (9th place), Ottawa (7th), and Florida (3rd)– would have crummy nights on Tuesday.

That did not happen.

The Buffalo Sabres climbed out a two-goal hole twice before beating Toronto in overtime. Jordan Leopold’s game-tying goal came with less than two minutes left in regulation. Check out this nine-man pile-up in front of the Toronto net:

If you can see the puck through that replay, you could be an NHL ref, too.

Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers needed two points to sew up the Southeast division title. Leading 3-0 in the second period, it looked like they would do it, but the Winnipeg Jets fought back despite having nothing to play for save pride. The Jets earned a lead, but Tomas Kopecky tied the game up with four minutes left. Of course, the Panthers ended up losing in OT, making that their 18th overtime loss of the season. That ties them with the 2008-2009 Tampa Bay Lightning for the most OTLs since the lockout.

Call that stat sour grapes if you want, because that’s exactly what it is. The Panthers are beating the Capitals because they waited longer to lose more games.

Also, Ottawa lost to the Canes. No one cares.

So here’s where we stand now [UPDATE: Posted an out-of-date version before. Fixed now.]:

• The New York Rangers have locked up the first seed in the East.
• Buffalo and Washington are in a virtual tie for 8th place, but the Caps have the tiebreaker (regulation/overtime wins).
• The Caps can catch Ottawa for 7th– if Ottawa loses to Boston and New Jersey and the Caps win their last 2 games.
• The Caps can catch Florida for 3rd– if Florida loses in regulation and the Caps win both games. FLA’s last game is against Carolina.
• Buffalo’s final two games are against Philly and Boston.

3rd, 7th, 8th, and – gulp— 9th place are still possible for the Capitals.

Pretty much anything can happen. But the biggest determining factor for the Washington Capitals remains the Washington Capitals themselves. Thursday’s home closer versus Florida needs a fever pitch.

And Saturday’s bout with the Rangers will be…

Come to our party at Front Page on Saturday, April 7. It’s a viewing party for Caps @ Rangers. It’ll be epic.

Photo credit: Rob Carr

Last time the Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets met, Ovechkin got taunted and the Caps lost a slot in the standings. The Caps remembered and came out swinging this game. But then Dale Hunter enacted his formula for something, and everything went to hell.

Thanks to Jeff Halpern, Jason Chimera went cruising along in the O-zone, tucking the puck behind Pavelec with his backhand. Alex Ovechkin recorded two consecutive goals in the second– a subtle wristshot and a loud 6-on-5 one-timer. The Jets rallied back with goals from Maxwell and Little before the second intermission. The Caps had literally no offense (seriously, none) in third until Spencer Machacek tied it up.

Into overtime, where Stapleton won it. Jets beat Caps 4-3 (OT).

• Dustin Byfuglien has been effective against the Caps this season, but his …uhh… gravitational pull kept him well behind the play for Jason Chimera’s screaming breakaway goal.
• Alex Ovechkin has 8 goals in his last 6 games and is riding a four-game goal streak.  That hot streak began started right after the Washington Post ran that brimstone-scented condemnation on March 10. Ovechkin was good on both ends of the ice tonight, blocking shots in front of Neuvy and rubbing his belly in front of Ondrej.
• Ovi was a force of nature, but he and his team were promptly quelled. After that third goal, the Caps did what they have done all season– playing hockey like making friends on the first day of school: shy, meek, shuffling their feet. That de-escalation allowed the Jets to erase the buffer that Ovechkin created in the second period and swarm through most of the third.
• Seriously, the Caps didn’t have a shot on goal in the third until almost 17 minutes in. That final period saw shots go 17-2. Is this who our team is now? Is this an identity that the players and fans can rally around?
• Brooks Laich fought Jim Slater. No punches landed. We have exclusive video:

• Both Mike Knuble and Alex Semin had their advances on Pavelec’s net rebuffed by the scourge we know as teh Post. These two golden chances, both born of sandpaper and insight, would have been goals in a universe that does not hate us. We live not in such a universe.
• Kanooble served on the top line, had muy muy scoring chances, and an assist on the first Ovechkin tally. It’s finally Knuble weather in DC.

Upside-down Joe B suit of the night

The Capitals did it again: they came out tough, and then they retreated. Call it sitting back, playing tight, being conservative. You can argue the vocabulary or the philosophy; all we see are the results. By generating little offense late in the second and none in the third, the Caps let a dominating 3-goal lead evaporate.

It’s not a working strategy. It’s a formula for losers, and it is contrary to the instincts of this team.

This loss isn’t a failure of leadership, of lacking effort, or holey goaltending. This was a deliberate release of the game’s direction by Coach Dale Hunter.

But thanks to Erik Cole’s tour du chapeau naturel, the Habs destroyed the Senators, so our boys gained a little ground. But Vezina lock Henrik Lundqvist gave up 4 to the Sabres, so the Caps are now beating Buffalo for 8th place by a mere tiebreaker.

Here’s our 2nd period intermission video, featuring Coolio!

The Jets are five points behind the Caps with one less game played. They have the worst road record in the Eastern Conference.

And since this happened, Alex Ovechkin has scored four goals in three games. Thanks a bunch, Winnipeg!

It’s been a long time since Verizon Center has seen their boys. How will we greet them? And how will we welcome the Jets, whose fans have been so snarky lately?

A few suggestions:

• Let’s go Thrashers! CLAP CLAP CLAPCLAPCLAP
• P-A-R-K / Your kids got no place to play / Winnipeg ooh ooh Winnipeg!
• Jets, you suck! Jets, you suck! ExceptforyouEricFehryou’recool! Jets, you suck!

UPDATE BY IAN at 2:30 PM

Want to bring a sign to the game tonight? There’s no better option than what Brendan Sheridan just sent to us: The Stay Puft Byfuglien Man.

Click on this bad boy above to get the full version and print it out! We want to see one on the glass tonight.

This is a legal hit in Canada.

Heading into tonight’s game, there was no doubt that the Jets’ season was on the line. With a loss, they would fall six points behind the Capitals for the eighth and final playoff spot — all but essentially eliminating them from the playoff race. “These are games that define your team,” Evander Kane told The Washington Times’ Stephen Whyno. “And we’re going to see what we’re made of.” Sure are.

Predictably, the Jets came out fired-up and scored first. Andrew Ladd tallied his 24th goal of the season on literally a magical backhander. 22 seconds later, the Capitals responded, as Marcus Johansson perfectly placed a slap-pass onto Brooks Laich’s blade and watched him tip it in past a helpless Ondrej Pavelec.

Late in the second period, the Jets regained the lead as Nik Antropov out-worked Ovechkin to the front of the net to flip one past Vokoun. Mathieu “I’m teeny tiny like a leprechaun” Perrault managed to tie the game again on a third period power play. Unfortunately, Dustin Byfuglien and his big rear were too much to handle. Jets beat Caps, 3-2.

• First, let’s get this out of the way now. The officiating was terrible. And by terrible, I mean Guns N’ Roses “Chinese Democracy” bad. In the first period, Marcus Johansson was checked directly in the head by Mark Stuart. You would think that the official ten-feet away from the play would call something, right? Nope. Then in the second period, as Jason Chimera back-checked, a Winnipeg player dramatically threw his own stick in the air to try and draw a whistle. No dice. Well, that is until the crowd started booing and having a hissy fit. Up goes the arm. Finally, in the waning minutes of the third period, Keith Aucoin took a high-stick to the face, which mangled his lip and drew blood. It seemed like the text-book definition of a double-minor. But not tonight. I hate ever using officiating as an excuse or a crutch, but it was bad. And lately, it seems like the Capitals have been consistently getting the short-end of the stick. Gary, please take notice and correct this immediately.
• The stat sheet says Alex Ovechkin had five shots and five hits. Yet, tomorrow, all I’m going to remember is his lackadaisical defense on Nik Antropov’s second period goal, the multiple big hits he absorbed, and the Winnipeg crowd chanting “Crosby’s better.”
• Presenting the first Alex Semin hip-check video in existence…
• Tomas Vokoun was sensational, and so was his goal post, as it turned away four potential Jets goals. Without it, the score would have been much uglier.
• Despite not registering a single point, Jay Beagle was named the Caps player of the game. And indeed, he played one of his best career games. His penalty killing during the Jets nearly 2-minute 5-on-3 power play during the second period was heroic stuff. At one point, he blocked a 90 MPH slapper from Dustin Byfuglien, found the strength to get up, and then broke up a scoring chance from his belly. Beagle also almost managed to score in the first period by going hard to the net and trying to stuff the puck past Pavlec. He also went a tremendous 14 for 20 in the face-off dot, which is huge in the absence of Nicklas Backstrom. It has been such a treat for me personally to see this guy turn into a NHL player. Hard work really does pay off.
• If I cross my fingers and pray before bed that Marcus Johansson didn’t suffer a concussion tonight, I’ll wake up and he’ll be fine tomorrow right?
• Brooks Laich‘s goal tonight was his fourth in six games. He’s heating up.
• Want some kind of silver lining? The Caps are 6-3-1 in their last ten games and still own sole possession of the eight and final playoff spot.

Joe B suit of the night

The Capitals will now turn their attention to two difficult sets of back-to-back games. First, they will travel out to Chicago on Sunday to take on the Blackhawks and then on Monday night they’ll face the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. Three nights later, they’ll make the drive up I-95 to take on the red-hot Flyers before returning home on Friday to take on these same Winnipeg Jets.

Guys, this is gonna be tense. It’s nail-biting time. These are four crucial games that may very well decide if the Caps are golfing in April or are division champs.

You see why we named RMNB Party 4: Judgement Day?

Well, I have faith. Do you?

PS – Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Apparently, Winnipeg Jets fans have a short memory.

Oh, you Canadiens. You’re so very clever. Next Friday though, it’s on.

S/T to @whistler and The Pensblog for initially posting the video.