They Just Got Tired
This wasn’t an all-of-a-sudden swing to the Caps. This was a very gradual tilt. The Rangers were great in the first period, outplayed the Caps, and everyone had one of the best periods I had seen from them all year. Zherdev had his best shift of 2009.
Then came the second period, another strong period for the Rangers, but you got the sense that the Caps were gaining momentum. They were starting to get better shots, beating the Rangers to loose pucks, and getting more room to be creative.
Then came the third period. Summarized with two words: One Shot.
They just got tired. They didn’t have the personnel to match up with Washington at the skater level. They needed to win the goalie matchup, and Simeon Varlamov was spectacular. You have to hand it to the just-turned-21-year-old. He was fantastic.
I’ll let Stas handle the Avery-bias, and the inconsistent officiating from the entire series. He will have a lot to say on that. I’m looking forward to reading that.
But, let me say this, the Rangers, on the last game of the season, played their hearts out. They just got tired. I applaud the Rangers for taking this series to seven games, when I thought they were going to be done in five.
Kudos to the Rangers for stealing three games. Kudos to the Henrik Lundqvist for being a God in net. Kudos to Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan, who were the only two Ranger forwards to consistently play well and look like they cared. Another kudos to those two, who will be wearing the C and the A real soon. Kudos to Dan Girardi and Marc Staal, who were solid all series.
This is why they play a seven game series. The better team will usually win. The Capitals are a better team.
By Mike A., April 28, 2009 @ 10:29 pm
I hate that weird feeling you get when the season ends. It’s like, what am I going to do for the next four months? Thankfully there’s always baseball.
Dave Reply:
April 29th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Baseball doesn’t give me the same feeling that hockey does. It’s going to be a long four months.
By Rick in Boston, April 29, 2009 @ 7:02 am
If you want something to still cheer about, two Rangers prospects are still playing their way to the Memorial Cup:
2008 3rd rounder Evgeny Grachev (OHL Rookie of the Year) has continued his stellar play on the Brampton Battalion’s road to the OHL Finals with 24 points (11 goals) and a +10.
Free agent overage signee Tysen Dowzak with the Kelowna Rockets will be playing in the WHL finals. Dowzak’s a stay-at-home type guy, with just two points in 16 playoff games, but a nice +7.
I know the Brampton game is available through the OHL website, not sure if Kelowna’s will be streaming.
Dave Reply:
April 29th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Thanks for the tip. I’ll post about it soon.
Rick in Boston Reply:
April 29th, 2009 at 9:29 am
My pleasure. I try to follow the Rangers prospects just the same as the Yanks.
By wvbillz, April 29, 2009 @ 8:15 am
Yeah, I guess you can go watch your Mutts collapse AGAIN just like your boys did last night….Thanks for making us Flyers fans feel a little better this morning
Dave Reply:
April 29th, 2009 at 8:43 am
I wouldn’t really call last night a collapse by the Rangers. I mean, the Caps were the better team, and dominated the entire series from the drop of the puck in Game 1. Hank stole 3 games.
Good to know that people in Philly read this though. Movin on up in the bloggin world.
Dave Reply:
April 29th, 2009 at 8:46 am
And anyway, I’m a Yankee fan.
By wvbillz, April 29, 2009 @ 9:56 am
Hey Dave, Sorry Bud, I just had a bad case of “misery loves company”. Your boys were outmatched skillwise but (because of Hank) gave it a good ride, be proud of last night’s effort, great game, and I guess it helps a little that the Devils defined collapse last night. Good luck with your Yanks, I’ve heard that “good seats are still available”, maybe ARods return will boost attendance…
Dave Reply:
April 29th, 2009 at 10:05 am
Yea, available for $1300 a ticket….
By MaddMatt, April 29, 2009 @ 10:10 am
At least we don’t have a horrible cap mess to deal with over the summer…
Dave Reply:
April 29th, 2009 at 10:25 am
I sense sarcasm…
I’ll have a post about this coming up. Probably within a week. I want to run some numbers. My initial post about it in February was way off, considering how Dubi and Cally played.
MaddMatt Reply:
April 29th, 2009 at 10:37 am
At least Zherdev didn’t play himself into more money.
I’d like to keep him, but not for a boatload.
Dave Reply:
April 29th, 2009 at 11:38 am
But Dubi and Cally played themselves into more money.
It will be interesting to see how Sather handles this.
By becky, April 29, 2009 @ 10:03 pm
Still can’t help but wonder what the series would have looked like if the refs weren’t playing for the Caps, I loved every time AO would give them a look on the rare occasion that they didn’t call something for him.