Hoo boy, the Washington Capitals are not making this easy. The New York Rangers pretty much owned the zone, but the Caps had a secret weapon, codename: Burracuda.
The Rangers were on attack for the game’s first half pretty much always, but Braden Holtby had them solved– at least until Derick Brassard beat Alex Ovechkin on the rush to score New York’s first goal since the late 80s. It looked grim for the home team, but then Andre Burakovsky did unbelievable things. He scored late in the second and early in the third, breaking out on the national scene in a way the league hasn’t seen since Evgeny Kuznetsov did the exact same thing last round.
Didn’t even have to use Ovi.
Caps beat Rangers 2-1. The Caps lead the series 3-1. Is this real life?
- Man, the Caps were stinking up the joint at five-on-five. Except for the Beagle line (yes, I know), the Caps were getting assaulted pretty much non-stop. It was the second line that got it the worst. By the end of the second, Evgeny Kuznetsov‘s line was outshot (attempts) 16 to 4. That’s baaaaad.
- On the other end of the possession spectrum were Jay Beagle and Tim Gleason, who were either getting some easy match-ups or had stolen the talent of Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, Charles Barkley, Muggsy Bogues, and Shawn Bradley. Real strong games from unlikely folks, but none more so than…
- Andre freaking Burakovsky! He’s been the sweetheart of analytics nerds like me all season, but he didn’t even have a sweater at the start of the playoffs. Now he’s got two goals and unlimited confidence. The first was a solo effort thing, stealing the puck and beating maybe the best goalie of the last decade. The second was a rush, set loose in neutral in the third and giving the Caps the lead. The kid is breath of fresh air for a team whose offense has often been suffocated. My penultimate snapshot was all about the squad of young blood now entering this team. It’s truly gonna be a bright future, and Burra is leading the way.
- Dominic Moore, a shitbutt, hit Braden Holtby in the head, which is a penalty. Related: I don’t understand this tweet:
https://twitter.com/anthonyweiner/status/596117827213463552
- The third period became a penalty parade. Glass and Glease punched faces. Wilson did Wilson things. Orpik and Brassard got frisky with one another, and neither team got a power play from it. I dig it, but maybe I just dig four-on-four hockey.
- Mike Green hooked Carl Hagelin in the third period to allow the first penalty shot of the playoffs. Holtby had it because of course he did. Green was grateful.
https://twitter.com/myregularface/status/596132667474583552
- Alex Ovechkin didn’t get his first shot on goal until deep into the second period– a nifty wrister after an offensive-zone faceoff won by Nick Backstrom. Ovi heated up after that, but if I were Trotz I’d investigate how to improve the top six for Friday. One thought: moar Andre.
- Rick Nash is a great player, but he’s not converting. Are the New York or national media eating him alive yet?
- In what way is life unfair? Well, the combination of Henrik Lundqvist‘s volpine good looks and dauntless defense is a good example. When Hank deprived us of the scoarpik we’ve been building towards since the beginning of October, that’s another example. The post offered a bit of help, but Lundqvist made an incredible, pivotal save on a guy who definitely will score eventually.
- …Unlike Troy Brouwer, who will never ever score again.
Gleason’s poor face (Image: @myregularface)
Wow!
The Capitals are one win away from doing what they haven’t done in 17 years: advance to the third round of the playoffs. And they’re not doing it on the back of the greatest player in the game, Alex Ovechkin. They’re doing it with depth players digging deep and with young guns blazings and with Braden Holtby playing truly elite hockey. It’s a team sport after all.
Three chances to end this thing, starting with Friday night in Manhattan. Go Caps.
