Which Series is This More Like?...

The Capitals won the Southeast Division this year, and are down 2-0. So, which series is this most like?

2005-06 - Southeast-winning Carolina Hurricanes lost the first 2 at home to Montreal, then replaced Martin Gerber in net with Cam Ward. Ward led the 'Canes to victories in the next 4 games, then they went on to win the Stanley Cup.

2006-07 - Southeast-winning Atlanta Thrashers lose the first 2 at home in the series against the Rangers. They lose Game 1 4-3, then replace goalie Kari Lehtonen with Johan Hedberg. Hedberg loses Game 2 by a score of 2-1 (on a freak bounce-shot by Sean Avery), and they go back to Lehtonen for Game 3. They lose that game 7-0, and Hedberg is back in net for the loss in the elimination game, Game 4.

Will Jose Theodore be back in net for Game 3? He accepted responsibility for the loss in Game 1 and wanted a chance to redeem himself, but Caps' coach Bruce Boudreau went with the rookie, Simeon Varlamov. Will he do a switch, even though Varlamov only let in one goal? Hedberg had a decent game in Game 2 but sat the next game.

* * *

That was great defensive coverage by Tom Poti on the Ryan Callahan goal. Poti went to cover Markus Naslund on his right side, and with his left hand, motioned for the other Capitals defenseman to cover Callahan. Thing is, there wasn't another D-man there, Callahan easily accepted a good pass from Naslund, and scored the only goal of the game.

I don't care if you're reading this as a Ranger or Islander fan. Be happy Tom Poti is on neither of these teams anymore.

Playoff Predictions...

Since my predictions are generally not entirely correct, and since everyone, their mother, and their mother's father are doing predictions, I'll keep mine short and simple. I imagine Bryan will be doing some as well tonight or tomorrow, even though his beloved Islanders are now dearly beloved. Hey, Bryan, if you want to make things interesting, let me know.

Eastern Conference
(1) Boston vs. (8) Montreal - Boston in 5
- Say what you want about the "history" between the 2 teams in the playoffs, mostly how Montreal has won 24/31 playoff series (a fraction normally reserved for longer months on a calendar), but Zdeno Chara, Marc Savard, Milan Lucic, and Tim Thomas weren't on the Bruins when the Habs were whooping them. And I don't see Maurice Richard, Patrick Roy, Ken Dryden, or Larry Robinson suiting up for the Canadiens, either.

(2) Washington vs. (7) Rangers - Rangers in 7
- Sticking with my prediction from the other day. Shut down Ovechkin, keep Green in control, and score a few goals. Henrik Lundqvist will outplay Jose Theodore any day of the week, and if the over-priced players on the Rangers actually play worth half of their contract, they can and will win.

(3) Devils vs. (6) Carolina - Devils in 6
- This is the least interesting series there is in the whole playoffs, besides maybe Vancouver vs. St. Louis. I vote the Devils, because this incarnation of the '06 Champs is 3 years older, slower, and doesn't have Doug Weight or Mark Recchi. Cam Ward is overrated, as well.

(4) Pittsburgh vs. (5) Philadelphia - Penguins in 6
- Flyers have a fantastic offense with Briere, Carter, Gagne, Giroux, and Richards, and Braydon Coburn can be a game-changer. But Martin Biron, as much as I like him, is no match for Crosby, Ovechkin, and Sykora.

Western Conference
(1) San Jose vs. (8) Anaheim - SJ in 4
- San Jose would have much rathered seen St. Louis, Columbus, or Nashville, but got stuck with Anaheim. Still, they should walk by them because they're hungrier and deeper than the last time the two met.

(2) Detroit vs. (7) Columbus - Columbus in 6
- I'll give the sentimental pick to the Blue Jackets, in part because I think Steve Mason will outplay Chris Osgood/Ty Conklin. I think Antoine Vermette adds a lot of dimension to the club, and if their injured players (Freddy Modin, Derick Brassard, Rostislav Klesla) can return, they can give the Wings a good run for their money. I think the Blue Jackets can beat Detroit, but that might be the end of their run. However, if this series goes to Game 7, I would give the edge to Detroit. Jackets in 6, though, final answer.

(3) Vancouver vs. (6) St. Louis - Vancouver in 4
- Vancouver has been hot, and I think Roberto Luongo is going to shut it down. Mats Sundin probably won't win his first Stanley Cup this year, but he should atleast go further in the playoffs than he has with Toronto the past 3 years.

(4) Chicago vs. (5) Calgary - Chicago in 5
- Simple: Calgary enters cold, Chicago enters hot, and with a smokin' hot goalie in Nikolai Khabibulin. He has been on fire, and if he cools off, Cristobal Huet is ready to go. Mikka Kiprusoff had a good season, but has been uncharacteristically inconsistent, which could be his downfall. Olli Jokinen and Jordan Leopold will help this team, but any team with Jamie Lundmark on it can't go far. Trust me.

What teams have the edge? A solid offense, a respectable defense, and a great goaltender is what you need. If Lundqvist catches fire - entirely possible - will the rest of the team follow suit? Probably not. If Ovechkin becomes Gretzky, will his goaltender become Roy? No.

So, who? Boston seems to have the total package, so does San Jose. But of the teams who are not ranked 1st in their conference, it seems Chicago has the best combo of goalie and forwards.

Set in Stone: Rangers vs. Capitals

It's all set up, and presumably will begin Wednesday night from the Verizon Center.

Washington (50-24-8 -- 108) vs. The Rangers (42-30-9 -- 93, one game left)

The four games this season...

Capitals 3, Rangers 1 - 11/8/08 - This game was so long ago that Aaron Voros scored the Rangers' only goal on a pass from Brandon Dubinsky. Capitals started backup goalie Brent Johnson, Chris Drury failed on a penalty shot with the score 2-1 with 2:15 left to play, and Alexander Semin scored an empty netter to seal the deal. Alex Ovechkin had no goals and was foiled all night by an incredible Henrik Lundqvist, who let in one goal when it hit the glass behing the net, bounced and hit the crossbar, hit Lundqvist in the head, and Brooks Laich batted it in. The 2nd goal was scored after the net came loose, and Lundqvist argued play should've stopped. It didn't, Caps win.

Capitals 5, Rangers 4, OT - 12/23/08 - Rangers go up 4-0, Capitals storm back to tie it, including 2 goals by Ovechkin. Ryan Callahan scored 2 as well, Drury had 3 assists, and Nigel Dawes had 2 assists. Jose Theodore started the game, got pulled, and then was put back in to start the 2nd period. This was an ecstatic first half of the game, and a gross second half that shone a light on some of the team's offensive and defensive problems.

Capitals 2, Rangers 1 - 1/3/09 - Petr Prucha had the lone goal for the good guys, and Marc Staal matched up well against Ovechkin all night long. However, Ovechkin scored the game winner while shorthanded with 32 seconds left in the 2nd. This was their 12th SHG-against of the year. Steve Valiquette was in net and did play well. This game was also notable for Everyone's Hero Wade Redden getting in - and winning - a fight against Chris Clark.

Rangers 5, Capitals 4, SO - 2/11/09 - Down 2-1 after one period and tied 4-4 after the second, the Rangers had 10 minutes of power play time (including a double-minor for high-sticking) and didn't score once. The Rangers were slumping badly during the stretch of the year, as they were 0-4-1 before this game and 1-4-3 afterwards. Lunqvist was in net, so was Theodore.

So which will we see, those 5-4 games of those 2-1 games? I think if it goes 2-1, it's the Rangers winning, but if Lundqvist lets up those 4 or 5 goals, the Rangers won't be able to overcome.

Official Prediction: Rangers in 7. Yes, I'm serious. No, it's not a homer pick. I've been saying they could beat Washington all along. Once you get past Ovechkin and Green, they aren't scary at all. Jose Theodore? Get real. Lundqvist can outplay him every night.