411 replies to this topic

[RedOctober3829]

Washington presents a huge challenge. What does everybody else think?

[BoSoxFink]

I know people think I'm crazy, but this matchup terrifies me. The Bruins have traditionally have had problems with this team. Ottawa would have been a perfect matchup.

Granted, Im not saying the Bruins can't or won't win. Infact I think they will win but I could easily see this series going 7 games.

[mikeford]

If Braden Holtby pushes the defending champs to 7 games I'll eat my hat.

[PedroSpecialK]

Chara is capable of shutting down Ovechkin, half of the opposing defense is Dennis Wideman, a scrambled Mike Green, and John Carlson, and Braden Holtby's got Dany Sabourin behind him in nets.

I am remiss to take anything for granted with this team, but I think they win this series in 5.

[SawxSince67]

Quick look, but neither Ovechkin nor Semin have goals in the 3 losses to WAS. They have, however, combined for about 6 assists.

Bs split with them, appropriately, during the .500 period of the season, lost to WAS at the nadir (4 straight losses) and lost a SO during the season ending resurgence.

Discomfort!

Who will start in goal for the Caps and for how long?

Edit - spilt v. Split

Edited by SawxSince67, 07 April 2012 - 10:06 PM.

[ivanvamp]

On the positive side, the Bruins outscored Washington 269-222. They held opponents to just 202 vs. Washington's 230. They had a +67 goal differential compared to Washington's -8. They accumulated 102 points vs. Washington's 92. In other words, over the course of the season, Boston was a vastly better team in every conceivable way than the Caps were.

On the negative side, the Bruins were just 1-3 against Washington this year.

<gulp>

[RedOctober3829]

anyrhing can happen in a 7 game series. Ovechkin and Semin scare me to death. Survive and advance in 5.

[Turrable]

Oh cool, a whole series worth of Caps' announcers. Guuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh.

[Manzivino]

Tough matchup, but there are no gimmes in the playoffs. The Bs are going to give up goals, Washington has a ton of firepower, but their defense is shaky and while I really like Holtby longterm I don't think he's ready to beat the Bruins on his own. Match Chara-Seidenberg against Ovechkin-Backstrom, spot the Bergeron line against the top two lines as necessary, & stay out of the penalty box and theyshould be alright. I see the Bs playing disciplined two-way hockey and grinding out a hard fought win in 6.

[Maurice09]

I see 6 or 7 as well. A series of Capitals announcers beats the hell out of Penguins or Sabres announcers. Just do what I do when the Sox play they Rays or White Sox.....the mute button is our friend.

[Spaulding Smails]

At first thought I didn't like the matchup but the more I think of it, the Caps can't "pack it in" and provide the tight D and good goaltending like the Habs did last year in the Bruins' toughest matchup IMO. Bruins should take this in 5, 6 tops.

[mpx42]

Interesting that both Boston and New York face teams they went 1-3 against in the regular season.

[Titoschew]

Just don't see this going more than 5 or 6 in the Bruins advantage. If the Caps still had Jose Theodore I'd be BoSoxFink level petrified but they don't.

[Lose Remerswaal]

If Braden Holtby pushes the defending champs to 7 games I'll eat my hat.

Is there an ETA on the return of the regular goalies?

[Domer]

SERIES B	TIME (ET)	#2 VS. #7	NETWORKS
THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2012	7:30 P.M.	WASHINGTON AT BOSTON	NBC SPORTS NETWORK, CBC
SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 2012	3 P.M.	WASHINGTON AT BOSTON	NBC, CBC
MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2012	7:30 P.M.	BOSTON AT WASHINGTON	NBC SPORTS NETWORK, CBC
THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012	7:30 P.M.	BOSTON AT WASHINGTON	NBC SPORTS NETWORK, CBC
*SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012	3 P.M.	WASHINGTON AT BOSTON	NBC, CBC
*SUNDAY, APRIL 22, 2012	TBD	BOSTON AT WASHINGTON	TBD
*WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012	TBD	WASHINGTON AT BOSTON	TBD

[RedSoxFan]

beat me to it

Edited by RedSoxFan, 08 April 2012 - 12:06 PM.

[Titoschew]

Fucking matinees.

[PedroSpecialK]

2 home matinees is a travesty

[RedOctober3829]

I'm really glad they didn't put any of the Bruins games on NHL Network. If they are going to put all of these games on national TV, how can they put games on a channel that isn't available on most basic cable systems?

[j44thor]

2 home matinees is a travesty

3PM isn't a bad start time. 1PM games would suck but 3 leaves plenty of time to get properly lubricated.
Could also be a small advantage for the B's who played 15 games starting before 6PM compared to 6 for WAS.

[Gammon_Clark]

I was expecting to read "this is the first time since xxxx that Bruins and Capitals will square off in the playoffs" but I haven't come across it. Will someone please tell me the last time we played them? I cannot remember the last time we faced them..

[Domer]

I was expecting to read "this is the first time since xxxx that Bruins and Capitals will square off in the playoffs" but I haven't come across it. Will someone please tell me the last time we played them? I cannot remember the last time we faced them..

1998 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, and I'm still bitter about Tim Taylor's toe in the crease.

[Turrable]

What's the best strategy for buying tickets to the games in D.C.? Buy now while they're available, or wait and hope the B's take a series lead and drive the price down?

[Dollar]

hope the B's take a series lead and drive the price down?

That's my plan. There's too much demand for Caps tickets around here that the prices are going to be too high for me. I'll take my chances with a discounted Game 4 with the Bruins up 3-0. If not, I'll head out to the bars.

Edited by Dollar, 08 April 2012 - 04:36 PM.

[FL4WL3SS]

Bruins sweep this series.

[ajml]

2 home matinees is a travesty

I only see one home matinee!

[Boston Brawler]

B's in 5. We'll take the first two, they take one, then we take the next two.

[The Napkin]

Caps have recalled Sabourin. Looks like Neuvirth is a no go.

[TheShynessClinic]

Caps have recalled Sabourin. Looks like Neuvirth is a no go.

That's really great news. I know Holtby is supposed to be a future #1, but he's a 22 year old with little pro experience. I think/hope that NHL Playoffs are way too intense/fast paced for him and he goes into a Luongo-esque shell.

[RSN Diaspora]

That's my plan. There's too much demand for Caps tickets around here that the prices are going to be too high for me. I'll take my chances with a discounted Game 4 with the Bruins up 3-0. If not, I'll head out to the bars.

You can also loiter outside the Verizon Center, and as the game gets closer to face off, scalpers will become more desperate. Since DC law forbids even selling them for face value or less outside the arena, you'll want to start mumbling about your need for tickets as soon as you get off the Metro.

The face-value prices are ridiculous: $90 for nosebleeds. I was lucky enough to have a family member get me access to their corporate tickets--no way I was gonna pay that kind of dough.

[OilCanCoulter]

I got seats in a box from one of my vendors, but in the past, I have watched craigslist and they will pop up all the time. Reach out to the season ticket holders, many are just trying to move them, and don't want to get pinched for ridiculous prices. Stub Hub usually stays high until game time, and then you are stuck with the instant download tix. If you are really lucky, we will be up 3-0 and you can get people dumping Thursday tickets on the cheap.

[Zososoxfan]

Didn't get to see a lot of Caps hockey this year, who are the top 3 candidates for hatred? Divers, punks, instigators, finger-biters, etc.

[ajml]

Didn't get to see a lot of Caps hockey this year, who are the top 3 candidates for hatred? Divers, punks, instigators, finger-biters, etc.

In my opinion they aren't too bad overall in that regard. Maybe Ovechkin for leaving his feet or kneeing on half his checks and Mike Green for just looking like a douche. Chimera can be a bit of an instigator I guess. I really like Brooks Laich.

[PedroSpecialK]

They do have this guy on the blue line

[Laser Show]

I've got some spare cash was hoping to catch one of the games at the Garden. I'm assuming that the $90+ on stubhub will be my best option?

[ajml]

They do have this guy on the blue line

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCI7Y6i4_vo

Technically he's a diver but I look at him more as a Game 7 hero.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pdpR4rQF8jA_vo

Edited by ajml, 09 April 2012 - 02:50 PM.

[Turrable]

The face-value prices are ridiculous: $90 for nosebleeds. I was lucky enough to have a family member get me access to their corporate tickets--no way I was gonna pay that kind of dough.

Holy shit, this I was not aware of. StubHub was showing me $70 as the minimum and I figured that was above face.

[PedroSpecialK]

Apparently Thomas will be using his new Warrior pads this postseason.

Joe Haggerty‏ @HackswithHaggs
Just chatted w/Tim Thomas. Sounds like he'll use new @Warriorhockey goalie pads for #Bruins playoffs. Said he helped design them #BruinsTalk

Things are about to get... bouncy

[Dollar]

Apparently Thomas will be using his new Warrior pads this postseason.



Things are about to get... bouncy

From what I can gather on the Warrior Facebook page, he seems to have made the change to Warrior on January 18. Not sure if he's used them exclusively since then, but that looks like it was the first game he wore them.

Edited by Dollar, 10 April 2012 - 11:47 AM.

[PedroSpecialK]

Definitely hasn't been exclusive - they stood out to me a lot against Buffalo but I might not have been paying much attention since he started wearing them. At the very least, this is from the March 19 game v. Taranna:

Edited by PedroSpecialK, 10 April 2012 - 11:51 AM.

[FL4WL3SS]

Bruins in 4.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Thomas mentioned getting new pads a few weeks ago, right around the time his shitty stretch in March was ending. Said the prior pads were getting worn out.

[cshea]

McQuaid hasn't practiced at all this week, so it appears as though he is out to start the series. The team is terming it as "upper-body" and he's "up in the air." I think he may have gotten concussed on the Chimera hit, then he tried to push it and come back too quick.

[mrweed]

I initially found myself in the camp of a few posters here worried about the Caps' firepower and wishing we didn't have to worry about enigmas like Ovechkin, Semin and the dreaded "rookie goalie". But with more consideration I've come around, and here's why:

The Bruins have a huge matchup and coaching advantage. By having the last change at home and a true shutdown pair, they all but force Hunter to split up Backstrom and Ovechkin or risk having them neutralized by Chara-Seids. And since I don't think Backstrom is up to speed yet AND he owes a great deal of his early career success to Ovechkin, I don't see Hunter splitting them up.

The Caps can make this a long series if the Bruins struggle to solve Holtby, but if he's human, the Bruins should be frontrunners here. Little doubt the plan will be to get it deep and wear down a weak defense. The Caps are notoriously terrible in their own zone and the Bruins should feast on that. I realize the regular season matchup wasn't great for us, but this is a different element. I think the Bruins win in 5.

[FL4WL3SS]

I'm thinking Bruins in a sweep.

[kenneycb]

Not that this is new news or anything but the B's app that I use to watch "The Bear and the Gang" confirmed Horton's out for the playoffs with a concussion.

[PedroSpecialK]

Linky goodness

Boston Bruins‏ @NHLBruins
Nathan Horton to miss 2012 Playoffs due to concussion, Chiarelli to speak today at 11:15 at Ristuccia http://bbru.in/horton041112 ^BB

[NickEsasky]

Probably to everyone's benefit to just get it out there now to avoid questions and expectations. Hopefully he gets healthy and comes back ready to go next season.

[DLew On Roids]

Didn't get to see a lot of Caps hockey this year, who are the top 3 candidates for hatred? Divers, punks, instigators, finger-biters, etc.

As the resident Caps fan, let me tell you: Don't bother. This is a bunch of pussies. Maybe Ovie will piss you off if he gets rolling--the jumping-into-the-boards thing when he scores is probably pretty aggravating to opponents, but I doubt you'll see much of that.

I despise this team as currently constructed. They will be lucky to take one game against a team built like the Bruins.

[ForceAtHome]

As the resident Caps fan, let me tell you: Don't bother. This is a bunch of pussies. Maybe Ovie will piss you off if he gets rolling--the jumping-into-the-boards thing when he scores is probably pretty aggravating to opponents, but I doubt you'll see much of that.

I despise this team as currently constructed. They will be lucky to take one game against a team built like the Bruins.

You sound like a DC fan, alright!

As for the players who could piss you off... Ovechkin for his exuberance and tendency to hit a bit high. I don't think he's a dirty player, I think he "plays on the edge." Your mileage may vary. Semin has been known as a diver, although I don't think he's been bad lately. A bigger culprit for diving could be a guy like Perreault. Chimera likes to agitate, but he's mostly a clean player. After the McQuaid hit (which I think was blown was out of proportion), it will be interesting to see if there's any added disdain between Chimera and the Bruins. Brouwer hits everything he can, but again, in a very clean manner. The team doesn't really have a lot of on-ice punks.

I think Holtby is being overlooked here. He's a very capable goalie and I expect him to be solid in the playoffs. If the Caps give up a lot of goals, I expect it to be more a function of shoddy defense rather than poor play from Holtby. I actually think Holtby and the Caps will win the series. If Chara-Seidenberg are going up against Ovechkin, that's going to leave Ference-Boychuk to Backstrom and Semin which I'll take any day. I think Semin is going to play like he wants to get paid this go around, but time will tell.