Eric Mellin: The Hockey Gods Have Spoken; Caps Should Be Proud Rangers Defeat Caps in Game 7

Hell of a series and goaltending duel. This game and the entire series really came down to a coin toss. Two evenly matched teams and the caps will be a force for a long time especially as kuznetsov and burakovsky develop.

Ovechkin is heading to the World Hockey Championship to play for Russia. That guy just wants to play hockey.

Caps can't close a book. 5 series losses from being up 3-1. That's pathetic.

Juice=OV=Choke......


*Guaranteed what*

Good morning Eric. Long time reader, first time poster. Sorry to see your team lose out last night, but just not so sure it can be equated to luck, or hockey gods, being that they were up 3-1 in the series, and as such were in control of their own destiny. Either way as a lifelong Ducks fan since I first watched the Mighty Duck man Emilio draw up the flying V, was looking forward to seeing Getzlaf and Ovie battle it out in the finals after their epic twitter battle this year. Guess the hockey gods wanted something different.

Game 7s have not been kind to caps fans, that game 7 back in 09 was a nail biter as well

Caps should definitely be proud and so should Ovechkin. He didn't win last night but he was bold enough to put his neck on the line and scored their only goal, as we all know.

Holtby was incredible and the Capitals have zero to be ashamed of. Their fans should be proud regardless of not being able to close up 3-1.

Great series.

Game 7s have not been kind to caps fans, that game 7 back in 09 was a nail biter as well
- flyers4487

Caps should definitely be proud and so should Ovechkin. He didn't win last night but he was bold enough to put his neck on the line and scored their only goal, as we all know.

Holtby was incredible and the Capitals have zero to be ashamed of. Their fans should be proud regardless of not being able to close up 3-1.

Great series.
- MidnightMarauder

I see what u did there.....

Caps should definitely be proud and so should Ovechkin. He didn't win last night but he was bold enough to put his neck on the line and scored their only goal, as we all know.

Holtby was incredible and the Capitals have zero to be ashamed of. Their fans should be proud regardless of not being able to close up 3-1.

Great series.
- MidnightMarauder

The hockey gods can be cruel fickle female doges sometimes, and any team that is going to win the Cup needs their good graces and a bit of luck at some point during a run. That series was played between two teams that both deserved to win it. It came down to a bounce and the Rangers finding the goal before the Caps could simple as that. Just a great, compelling, on the edge of your seat series.

Best Caps team I've seen, and I have no doubt that they are going to have their playoff success in the near future.

All the best to you guys.

I see what u did there.....
- Ur Not Me

It's a huge factor. The Rangers are the only team to overcome a 1-3 deficit in back to back seasons.

Washington, kinda feel for them, they played really well but Hank shut the door and the Rangers got just enough to beat a white hot Holtby. It was as evenly played a series I have seen in quite sometime.

Caps took WAY too many bad/dumb penalties and there were none worse than Mike Green's.

like the buffalo bills in the super bowl

This game, this series, could have gone either way. It is not surprising that this was another one goal game and decided in OT. I tip my hat to the Caps, especially Holtby. This team will be tough in the future. Of all the Caps teams we have faced in the playoffs, this one was the toughest opponent. The only thing I noticed from the Caps this series was the absence of Backstrom, but that was evened out by the absence of St. Louis. It was a tough battle each game and each team could have won any of these games. The goaltending was phenomenal. Great series to watch, especially if you are not a fan of either team. Caps fans should hold their head high. They are going to be a tough team for the years to come. Trotz is a good leader and this team will get better.

Juice=OV=Choke......


*Guaranteed what*
- Ur Not Me

How's Visnovsky doing ?

How's Visnovsky doing ?
- MadCap2008

I'm not defending his trolling but making fun of a guy who's brains are scrambled is pretty low. That's barely a step above making jokes about Trotz's son.

The Rangers are a hard team to eliminate with Lundqvist in nets, and I think that Caps got really unfortunate the officiating decided to pocket their whistles in the latter half of the game (had each team been given 3 PPs, advantage Caps).

I compare you guys to being the LA Kings without Drew Doughty. When Boston/LA beat them out, it was because they had a defenseman that was a scoring threat and NYR have no response to that. Carlson and Green had pretty good seasons but you guys only got three goals from your back end in 14 games where you had 33 in 82 reg season games. You had ZERO in seven games from your d corps. It absolutely kills the amount of offense your forwards can generate if you've got nothing being generated there. Hopefully your GM notices this and does something about it.

Lot of people around the league were rooting for the Caps. Soon... I hope.

Caps did good. You can only have one winner, but it was damn close.

Eric Mellin: The Hockey Gods Have Spoken; Caps Should Be Proud
Rangers Defeat Caps in Game 7
- EricMellin

Holtby was incredible.

I'm not defending his trolling but making fun of a guy who's brains are scrambled is pretty low. That's barely a step above making jokes about Trotz's son.
- eichiefs9

Relax, I don't wish anything but health for Visnovsky, but some of you guys cried so much about that hit. How's this : are you looking forward to hanging the "Can You Hear Us" banner next to the off-center scoreboard in Brooklyn next year ?

Feel especially bad for Brouwer. Even though gone from the Indian Head for four seasons running now, I was pulling for him personally.

Congrats to the Caps on a great first season under a new coach and a great showing in the playoffs. I don't see how anyone could be unhappy with the level of play the demonstrated.

Relax, I don't wish anything but health for Visnovsky, but some of you guys cried so much about that hit. How's this : are you looking forward to hanging the "Can You Hear Us" banner next to the off-center scoreboard in Brooklyn next year ?
- MadCap2008

Yes, we promise to hang it on the same night the Capitals erect their monument commemorating account for 18% of all blown 3-1 series leads in NHL history by a team who has been in the league for less than 25% of its existence.

As a Hawks fan, and especially after the Winter Classic, I would have been legitimately concerned if the hawks met the caps in the finals this year. There's something different about this team under Trotz than recent year