We learned earlier this week that Matthew Tkachuk had informed the Calgary Flames he would not be re-signing with them and that a trade was imminent. Well, that trade has happened.
He’s headed to Florida and the return is massive. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first on the news.
By Chris Cerullo 3 months ago
The #TimeToHunt has come and gone as the Florida Panthers have been swept in four games by the Tampa Bay Lightning in round two of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. After taking out the Capitals in six games in the first round, the Cats will depart the postseason without a win against their in-state rival.
With a 2-0 shutout on home ice, the Lightning sealed the deal on Monday night. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 49 stops in the clincher.
By Chris Cerullo 5 months ago
The Washington Capitals were maddeningly inconsistent and had mediocre goaltending during the regular season while the Panthers set a salary cap record for most goals in a season (340) and won the Presidents’ Trophy. The two teams’ first-round series didn’t seem likely to be competitive. Instead, the eighth-seeded Capitals pushed the Atlantic Division champs to the brink.
The Capitals played physical against the Panthers and committed to a suffocating defensive game. “We can play offensive hockey in the beer league in the summer, right?” observed Evgeny Kuznetsov during the series. The Capitals mostly got fantastic goaltending from Ilya Samsonov in five games played.
The Capitals managed to take a 2-1 series lead in Game Three, but they could not close it out. Despite having leads during the next three games, the Capitals lost Games Four, Five, and Six, and were first-rounded for the fourth consecutive season.
The Caps have not won a playoff series since 2018 when they won their only Stanley Cup in franchise history. After falling to the Panthers 4-3 in overtime, uncomfortable questions were raised to the team’s leadership group, including if its aging core is able to win another championship. Alex Ovechkin is 36, TJ Oshie is 35, Nicklas Backstrom is 34 and coming off a hip injury that kept him out the first few months of the season, and John Carlson is 32. The first-pairing defenseman was on the ice for every Panthers’ goal (four) that was scored in the decisive Game Six.
The Washington Capitals dropped Game Six in DC to the Florida Panthers and the overtime loss meant that their season is now over. A first-round fate that we all have grown far too accustomed to since the wonderful, fantastic summer of 2018.
Last morning numbers post until October. Y’all rock.
By Chris Cerullo 5 months ago
The Washington Capitals have fallen to the Florida Panthers. The Capitals took the lead twice in Game Six but declined several opportunities to either protect or extend those leads.
The Caps struck first: Nic Dowd diving to take a shot on the rush. The Panthers tied it less than three minutes later off Ryan Lomberg.
Early in the third, Nicklas Backstrom executed an expert deflection to give Washington their second lead of the night, which evaporated seven minutes later when Claude Giroux scored on the rush.
With five minutes and forty-three seconds left in the game, Aleksandr Barkov got a layup to put the Panthers up. The Capitals were 63 seconds from elimination when Anthony Mantha and TJ Oshie played ping-pong in the crease to tie the game and force overtime.
Carter Verhæge won it overtime.
Caps lose. Florida wins the series four games to two.
By Peter Hassett 5 months ago
The Washington Capitals have not won a playoff series since raising the Stanley Cup in 2018. Tonight, they can only stave off elimination via the hands (or I guess the paws?) of the Florida Panthers and their fourth-straight first-round exit with a big a** W in Game Six.
The Capitals will have to do so without Tom Wilson for the fifth straight game. Tom skated after arriving home on the team flight Thursday, but ultimately could not join the morning skate earlier today.
The Capitals will turn to Ilya Samsonov who will receive his fourth straight start in this series. Sammy will need to be SAMsational against Sergei Bobrovsky.
Tonight’s game is on NBC Sports Washington. John Walton will have the call with Craig Laughlin as Joe Beninati is day-to-day with an illness. Here are today’s Daily Deals.
Carter Verhaeghe has been the Florida Panthers’ best player in their first-round series against the Washington Capitals. The 26-year-old center has given the Capitals fits and leads the Panthers in goals (5) and points (10).
Verhaeghe had a career-best postseason performance on Wednesday, scoring or assisting on every goal the Panthers had (2g, 3a). Florida won Game Five 5-3 and will look to close out Washington in Game Six at Capital One Arena, Friday.
That’s why the following news is significant.
The Washington Capitals held a 3-0 lead in Game Five over the Florida Panthers with almost half of the game over and done with. That lead evaporated in an instant and the Panthers didn’t just stop there.
That was horrible.
By Chris Cerullo 5 months ago
The Washington Capitals collapsed against the Florida Panthers in Game Five, giving up five unanswered goals. They now trail in their first-round series three games to two and face elimination in Game Six.
But the good news is that Game Six is at home and will be in front of Caps faithful. Perhaps they can will them to victory?
Teams that win Game Five to go up 3-2 in a series win that series 79-percent of the time. So, it’s safe to say this was an important one.
TJ Oshie with yet another goal in this series gave the Caps an early lead. Justin Schultz pounced on a loose puck to double the lead and TJ Oshie would grab another to give them three. Florida would respond with three straight in the second to tie it up as the Caps forget how to play hockey.
Carter Verhaeghe yet again. Claude Giroux sealed it.
Panthers beat Capitals 5-3. Panthers now lead series 3-2.
By Chris Cerullo 5 months ago
