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.

Round 1, Game 4: Rangers vs. Caps

With that clunker of a game on Monday, the Caps now have all the momentum, and our beloved Blueshirts are looking to find their confidence again. Young Simeon Varlamov has stifled the Rangers, allowing just 1 goal in 2 games. The Rangers will have to find a way to get second and third chances tonight, as Varlamov has proven himself to be quite good on first shots. They will also need to score on the PP, but since that seems to be like asking for a miracle, let’s start with crashing the net. It seems to be easier to do.

The Rangers will have to play with a little more desperation than on Monday. Going into Washington tied 2-2 is not going to bode well for them. They will need to be hungry; getting to the loose pucks first, finishing checks, going hard to the net, backchecking, etc.

Chris Drury, who has been playing with a hurt hand, is playing. He has played a total of 22 minutes in two games, and has not taken a faceoff yet. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him at wing tonight, flanking Dubinsky. I’m just speculating here, but considering the nature of his injury, and his limited abilities with it, I wouldn’t be totally shocked if he’s playing with a broken hand. Pure speculation though, and we probably won’t know until the end of the year.

I will be at the game tonight (!!!!), section 336 row A. I can’t wait to go, but I will not be partaking in any “Thunderstick” activities. The Garden will be rockin. For those of you watching from the couch, the game is on MSG/Versus at 7pm tonight.

Update 2:20pm: Rally towels tonight. I think Garden management was a little embarrassed, considering how badly pretty much everyone mocked them. No weapons to throw at Ovechkin tonight though.