Resigned to elimination, the Washington Capitals wrapped up their season – regular and otherwise – with a perfunctory game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was unpleasant.
Boone Jenner scored on the rush, taking a pass from Mason Marchment to beat Clay Stevenson. Anthony Beauvillier responded by deking Lumbus goalie Jet Greaves after a stretch pass from Trevor Van Riemsdyk.
On the power play late in the third, Jakob Chychrun scored the game-winner. Alex Ovechkin had the secondary assist.
Caps win.
- I remember I was at a stoplight at the corner of 3rd and East in Downtown Frederick in my champagne brown Honda Accord when I heard European dance music coming through my radio, which was analog-tuned to DC101. Elliot Segal of Elliot in the Morning was interviewing a young Alex Ovechkin, recent draft pick for the Washington Capitals. Ovechkin was just a kid – not yet conversant in English and shy in situations like this – but his passion was evident even then when the (very bad) music was playing. It was joy. More than high-volume shooting, more than durability, joy has been the core quality of Alex Ovechkin.
- I was just thinking about that.
- With 9:27 remaining in the first, Ilya Protas put a wrist shot on net. The rest of the period happened, and then half of the next period, and then with 9:14 remaining in the second Beauvillier scored on this great play. Just a li’l offensive lull for one third of the game.
- Two players who will be unrestricted free agents come July: Trevor van Riemsdyk and Brandon Duhaime. Hey, look at this thing I made!
- What does it mean that Clay Stevenson was goalie here? Does it mean anything? Is it just “eh, let him go.” I think maybe I’m looking into this too deeply, seeing secret Targaryens everywhere. Or maybe he’s going to be the backup next year.
- We’ve been asked what we’re going to do with “RMNB” now that Ovechkin is (probably) gone. We’ve been on the record about this for a long time, but I’ll restate: nothing changes, but we will be reverting to our original name, Laing’s Gang.
- With about five minutes left in regulation, on the power play, Alex Ovechkin had a chance up close. I wasn’t ready for it. It got me.
Last suit of the season.(Of the era?)#joebsuitofthenight
I don’t know if there was a big black cloud hanging over Columbus, or if it’s just whatever ailment I’m dealing with, but this was an awful season finale.
Maybe it was an awful season? Not because the team was bad; they weren’t. They were just close enough to good that the failure of coaching and management to get them over the line is infuriating. They were 26th place in power-play percentage, with Alex Ovechkin scoring just five times on the advantage. At long last, Kirk Muller solved Alex Ovechkin. The Caps fourth line might have been the least used in the league – throwing off deployments for the three above it. They advertised their wish to get a top-six forward but instead got a guy whose total ice time is the exact same duration as “Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres” by Rush. The team bled chances more and more as defenders seemed increasingly confused on who they should be covering. Between December 5 and January 31, they didn’t win two games in a row.
One could say they wasted the final year of the greatest player of all time (or at least one of them).
I don’t know. Maybe it’s cynical to think Ovechkin already made up his mind, and maybe it’s credulous to think he’s deferring his choice. Maybe he needs to know more about his fitness, or maybe he needs to hear an offer from Dynamo. Maybe he needs to be convinced of the team’s future, or maybe he needs to examine his own passion – that same joy exploding from him over the radio twenty-whatever years ago. But if he’s not saying this is the end, then I’m not writing this as if it’s the end. TBD.
Here come the playoffs, sans Caps. You’ll have to pick a team to bandwagon. We’ll dust off Keith, a Coin, and make some guesses. The Bears are making a push. The Caps have a couple first-round picks in the draft. They will have a LOT of money to spend in free agency.
Here on RMNB we’ll be all over that, plus The Decision, plus every stupid thing I can think to post between now and training camp. There is a lot.
Until then, thank you for hanging out. I don’t know if you and I have ever spoken or if we ever will, but even if we’re not friends IRL, we are still something to each other. Comrades maybe.
I leave you with the words of Rush, from “Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres”
We can walk our road together
If our goals are all the same
We can run alone and free
If we pursue a different aimLet the truth of Love be lighted
Let the love of truth shine clear
Sensibility
Armed with sense and liberty
With the Heart and Mind united
In a single perfect sphere
Actually, I don’t know what the shit that means. Crash the net. See you soon.
