MDF: (1) New York Rangers vs. (2) Washington Capitals Part II (Series 3-3) SEE OP

[BigDStars]

Game 7s a problem for Washington

Rangers 6-0 at MSG all time in Game 7s....13-3 in elimination games since 2012 and the Caps have not been very good; in the Ovechkin era they have had a chance to clinch 16 times and have lost 12 of them...

http://alongtheboards.com/2015/05/capitals-haunted-by-game-7-nightmares/

 

[These Are The Days]

The Rangers SHOULD win this game but if they run into a hot Holtby I think the Caps have this one locked up. I'll go by the obvious

1. The Caps are going to come out flying and containing Ovechkin and co will not be easy
2. The Rangers defense > Capitals defense
3. Lundy isn't letting in a thing tonight
4. There's more pressure on Holtby than Lundqvist

With that said I think it's a recipe for a Ranger win but I'm far from confident in it.

St. Louis and Nash need to step up and play the game of their lives. Without Kreider, Brassard and the steady stream of production coming from the blue line I think the Capitals would've locked this up a while ago. If they're a no show and Kreider and Brassard are neutralized... well then it falls onto the shoulders of guys like Stepan, Hagelin, Fast and the defense and with that said, how does it not favor the Capitals? The longer the game goes I think the more it favors DC. Lundqvist is going to be amazing tonight but if he doesn't get help in front of him (as Carey Price proved) you can't win a series with goaltending alone.

Usually I can make a choice but I honestly can't. Brain says the Rangers... heart says the Capitals. My gut says it's time for lunch. However I always lead with my heart.

I'll say Capitals win 3-2 in OT

I just haven't seen enough consistency from a few of the top guns in the Rangers offense. It's not for a lack of effort but I need results. The Caps on the other hand can erupt on any given night.

 

[These Are The Days]

Rangers 6-0 at MSG all time in Game 7s....13-3 in elimination games since 2012 and the Caps have not been very good; in the Ovechkin era they have had a chance to clinch 16 times and have lost 12 of them...

http://alongtheboards.com/2015/05/capitals-haunted-by-game-7-nightmares/

Boudreau's Capitals were built for the regular season. Weak defense, decent-at-best goaltending and a phenomenal offense only gets you to about round 2. Mitch Korn has made Holtby go from great goalie to God mode on a nightly basis. And Barry Trotz has the team buying into his system rather than the strictly "flash and dash" Captials we were used to seeing under Boudreau. For the first time ever I can see an Ovechkin-led team be able to take a lead, hold it and still keep fighting. That's not a diss to Ovechkin either. It's that they could keep fighting all they wanted and they'd still find a way to lose. But to Bruce Boudreau's credit he always played to the team's strengths but it was never enough.

I think these Capitals can pull off the upset because Barry Trotz knows how to win 1-0 and 2-1 and if that's what it takes his guys can find a way.

 

[Sam Spade]

I just saw a tweet that said the same refs from game 5 will be doing this game. Seriously, this is what the NHL decides to go with? Hopefully that tweet was incorrect.

Forget the obvious call from that game, their records for home teams v. road teams is something like 13-2 for the season and 4-0 combined doing Ranger games in the playoffs.

If I am a Capitals fan, and that is true, why would I even bother to watch this game? Joke.

http://scoutingtherefs.com/2015/05/8734/tonights-nhl-playoff-referees-linesmen-51315/

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

Rangers are the home team and therefore have the advantage.

The Rangers have all the momentum in the series having won the last two games.

Henrik is excellent in elimination games and game 7s. The Caps, not so much.

The Refs chosen tonight are decidedly in the Ranger favour. 4-0 for the Rangers and 0-3 for the Caps these playoffs.

All things point to a Ranger victory tonight.

Except...

This guy is going to defecate all over your Ranger dreams!

Revenge for 1986!

Let's go Caps!!!

 

[troyerlaw]

luck? I think the team that has a lot of luck is you guys. We've dominated much more of the play. We just couldn't score for **** because of the block shots. You guys are lucky our offense couldn't get pucks through body's.

Uh, okay. I mean, every single one of your victories in both series has been by one goal, and you guys were 101 seconds from being bounced in Game 5 of this one, and the game winning goal in Game 5 went in off our skate, and in Game 6, you got a good break on the disallowed goal. But if you feel that you guys have basically dominated, and WE'VE been lucky, i guess that's one perspective.

Personally, I see it as two very good teams going at it toe-to-toe. The margin has been slim. Tonight it could be a single bounce.

 

[Doctyl]

Boudreau's Capitals were built for the regular season. Weak defense, decent-at-best goaltending and a phenomenal offense only gets you to about round 2. Mitch Korn has made Holtby go from great goalie to God mode on a nightly basis. And Barry Trotz has the team buying into his system rather than the strictly "flash and dash" Captials we were used to seeing under Boudreau. For the first time ever I can see an Ovechkin-led team be able to take a lead, hold it and still keep fighting. That's not a diss to Ovechkin either. It's that they could keep fighting all they wanted and they'd still find a way to lose. But to Bruce Boudreau's credit he always played to the team's strengths but it was never enough.

I think these Capitals can pull off the upset because Barry Trotz knows how to win 1-0 and 2-1 and if that's what it takes his guys can find a way.

Trotz has never made it past the 2nd round in his career. This caps core has never made it past the 2nd round. Match made in heaven.

 

[troyerlaw]

MoJo unicorn fart is definitely the X factor. I think we can all agree on that anyway

 

[Turd Ferguson]

luck? I think the team that has a lot of luck is you guys. We've dominated much more of the play. We just couldn't score for **** because of the block shots. You guys are lucky our offense couldn't get pucks through body's.

So Holtby deserves no credit after all the amazing saves he has made numerous times in all 6 games? Both goalies have been human highlight reels. You may want to review the last 6 games highlights.

 

[troyerlaw]

Trotz has never made it past the 2nd round in his career. This caps core has never made it past the 2nd round. Match made in heaven.

And Rags/Lundqvist generally don't lose in Game 7s or elimination games, especially at home.

So there certainly is no objective basis for a Caps fan to be hopeful.

Then again, they still gotta play the game. Never know what can happen.

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

MoJo unicorn fart is definitely the X factor. I think we can all agree on that anyway

The Mysterious MarJo is the dream shatterererer.

 

[Sam Spade]

The Mysterious MarJo is the dream shatterererer.

Johannson will be lucky if he has a shot on goal, which will then match his series total. You can't win with a player like him getting top six minutes EV strength and top PP minutes.

 

[These Are The Days]

Trotz has never made it past the 2nd round in his career. This caps core has never made it past the 2nd round. Match made in heaven.

Look what he had to work with offensively. God this is gonna sound bad (sorry Preds fans) but when you're counting on David Legwand, Martin Erat, J.P Dumont and Pat Hornqvist to get it done every year you're lucky to make it to the 2nd round. I used to have a joke amongst my friends "Nashville: where the 3rd line is the 1st line" I don't know if it was him or Dave Piole but it's ****ing inexcusable when Vik Stalberg is your biggest free agent signing of the offseason and trading for Paul Gaustad is a big deal. When Steven Stamkos has more goals than your leading scorer has in points... you got a problem. Trotz for some reason always had poor offense to go by but he always kept the Predators competitive. It goes to show just how great of a coach he is when that's the talent you carry from night to night.

Trotz had about 2 legit years to win it all when he had guys like Hartnell, Kariya (albeit just til 2006), Arnott and Radulov to go with guys like Weber, Suter and Timonen. How they failed is beyond me.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Fully expect the Rags to get the first goal and steal all the momentum from the caps. Will most likely happen in the first.

 

[troyerlaw]

You can't win with a player like him getting top six minutes EV strength and top PP minutes.

Except of course for the 7 victories we already have. Which is the same number as the Rags. So. Maybe MoJo's presence alone doesn't kill our chances after all.

 

[Sigmapete1]

I just saw a tweet that said the same refs from game 5 will be doing this game. Seriously, this is what the NHL decides to go with? Hopefully that tweet was incorrect.

Forget the obvious call from that game, their records for home teams v. road teams is something like 13-2 for the season and 4-0 combined doing Ranger games in the playoffs.

If I am a Capitals fan, and that is true, why would I even bother to watch this game? Joke.

http://scoutingtherefs.com/2015/05/8734/tonights-nhl-playoff-referees-linesmen-51315/

Yeah with such a large sample size of 4 entire games they must be on the payroll.

 

[troyerlaw]

Fully expect the Rags to get the first goal and steal all the momentum from the caps. Will most likely happen in the first.

I see what you did there. And I approve.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I see what you did there. And I approve.

Well it is kind of obvious isn't it. Caps have no hope of pulling through, their better off praying the 60 minutes is run clock so the pain will end quickly

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

Johannson will be lucky if he has a shot on goal, which will then match his series total. You can't win with a player like him getting top six minutes EV strength and top PP minutes.

You vastly underestimate the Mysterious MarJo!

 

[troyerlaw]

Well it is kind of obvious isn't it. Caps have no hope of pulling through, their better off praying the 60 minutes is run clock so the pain will end quickly

I definitely foresee an easy blowout win for the Rangers, if that's what you're getting at

 

[Sam Spade]

Except of course for the 7 victories we already have. Which is the same number as the Rags. So. Maybe MoJo's presence alone doesn't kill our chances after all.

Yep and re-signing him will keep a real player like Vrana or Galiev or Barber in the minors next season, good luck with thinking like that.

The worst thing that happened for Capital fans was them getting that 3-1 lead. The Rangers are a better team top to bottom and this series should have never been this close. Rooting for Ovechkin to help get this done, but realistically, come on……

You vastly underestimate the Mysterious MarJo!

Its funny to make jokes but every time Johannson goes out on PP1 instead of Kuznetsov is a wasted PP for them.

 

[Cassano]

Rangers should win. They've been great at home in the playoffs.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I definitely foresee an easy blowout win for the Rangers, if that's what you're getting at

What i'm getting at is our goalie will end up playing like swiss cheese and our generational talent player will not show up. Rumor has it he missed the morning optional skate because he slept in. What kind of leader is that? Backstrom didn't look good this morning either, probably a hard day filming another Geico commercial in DC and flew out late after the team left the day before.

 

[troyerlaw]

The worst thing that happened for Capital fans was them getting that 3-1 lead. The Rangers are a better team top to bottom and this series should have never been this close.

Seriously? Because the Rags' own three wins were so convincing?? And the Rags looked so dominant against Pens? I think you are overestimating them a bit. They are favorites tonight, for sure, but if they win going away, it'll be the first time they've done it in 12 games this postseason.

 

[troyerlaw]

What i'm getting at is our goalie will end up playing like swiss cheese and our generational talent player will not show up. Rumor has it he missed the morning optional skate because he slept in. What kind of leader is that? Backstrom didn't look good this morning either, probably a hard day filming another Geico commercial in DC and flew out late after the team left the day before.

The other thing I foresee is new guys like Kuznetsov and Burakovsky shrinking from the limelight and not daring to make the big play. That's the other thing which really bums me out and gives me no hope