The time for analysis is through. This was the wrong kind of game to open the post-season especially after last year’s bitter ending. Playoff hockey isn’t cherry-picking at the blue line, waiting for an opponent to break down. Playoff hockey isn’t going 1-on-3 when your last name isn’t Ovechkin or Backstrom. Playoff hockey isn’t getting fancy and putting the puck through a defenseman’s legs.
Playoff hockey is going hard to the net. Playoff hockey is making your own bounces. Playoff hockey is ugly goals. There was not near enough of that tonight. Period. The Caps deserved to lose 3-2 in overtime, and they now trail Montreal 1-0 in the series.
Let’s get this over with.
- Each time a goal is scored because Tom Poti fails to clear the puck, that just means he hasn’t learned his lesson.
- Where was Alex Ovechkin? Every defender in the league knows he will try to cross, so it’s no wonder his shots get blocked. The Russian Machine made Jaroslav Spacek look like Zdeno Chara.
- The powerful hits populating the first half-hour of hockey were fun and impressive, but they clearly don’t win hockey games. I’d rather see a smart pass than a devastating ka-bong.
- The power play should stop looking for Ovechkin and start worrying about getting bodies in front of Jaroslav Halak. Shots on net. Shots on net. Shots on net.
- The officials picked an odd time to start calling penalties, giving Mike Green a well-deserved minor for delay of game with 30 seconds left in regulation. He should have gotten another two for tripping up the Canadiens’ overtime breakaway. Would have saved us some time and heartache, too.
- The inconsistency of the Caps’ offense can be traced all the way back to their own blue line. They completely failed to stage plays in their own zone or the neutral zone.
- Tomas Plekanec talked [stuff] about our goalie and then backed it up. Good on him. Chimera: fight him.
- Jose Theodore is an excellent goalie. Imagine how good he’d be with a competent squad of defenders in front of him and a stack of forwards who actually cared about backchecking. (John Carlson gets a bye.)
- And you know what? If Mike Green doesn’t want to be Mike Green, John Carlson will. Maybe someone should put an A on his chest. He seemed like one of the few players who elevated their games and understood what playoff hockey is all about. Someone thank Dale Hunter for teaching this kid the right way to play. He’s gonna be a beaut.
Anyways, %$@# the ;Nads. See you Saturday.
