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Posts tagged: overtime

The Long, Long, Long Ride

1 Comment May 4, 2012|clyde|Puck

I had always wanted to be at one of those marathon (this is the word everyone agreed to use, right?)Â multiple overtime NHL playoff games. I always figured that if it was at one and the Washington Capitals were playing, the Caps would, you know, lose because Capitals. This left me prepared, so it was easier to accept the outcome. Karl Alzner may have a had harder time, though.

The toughest time I had last night was watching the girl sitting in front of us. She was bouncy. Very bouncy. Not like a bouncy personality (well, I don’t know, maybe she doesâ€¦I just don’t know her), but physically bouncy. Bouncy in her seat. Bouncy while standing. It was as if she could not contain herself.

When my youngest daughter was four years old, she would run in a circle through the kitchen, living room, dining room, and foyer screaming at the top of her lungs, “I CAN’T STOP! I CAN’T STOP!” and she couldn’t. Bouncy Girl last night reminded me of her. She blocked our view, was distracting, and not someone I would willing chose to sit behind (and be afraid to sit in front of lest she spill her beer). We asked Bouncy Girl a couple times to not lean so much and everything. We could tell she tried, but just couldn’t manage. It was different than the Masshole Boston Bruins fans two weeks ago. We wanted to see the game, but we were also being entertained by the show she was putting on. It was quite bizarre. Then, as the overtimes melted into more overtimes, she lost some steam and turned into the Not Quite As Bouncy Girl. It was alright.

For the broader Semifinals series, I’m a little surprised at how optimistic I am after that loss. Over the past year or two, almost every time the Capitals have taken a lead in a game there has been a tension in the air that, somehow, the Capitals would find a way to cough up that lead. For the few years before that, when the Capitals were playing dynamic, exciting hockey, being down a couple goals was never a worry. The Young Guns carried the air of “We got this,” and would pull out super exciting finished on a regular basis. Never any worry.

It’s probably just me, but that feels like the feeling in the air again. The current Dale Hunter brand hockey sure isn’t exciting like the Bruce Boudreau era, but what we want are wins, right? At least in the playoffs. So the Capitals are down 2-1 in the series. Braden Holtby and Matt Hendricks and everyone else last night sure were playing with the “Don’t worry, I got this” attitude.

Or maybe I’m just fooling myself.

To read more stuff about the game, you know where to go: Russian Machine, Japer’s Rink, District Sports Page, Ed Frankovic, and On Frozen Blog. Unfortunately, it looks like the box score was too big for Capitals Outsider to handle, so none of that. 🙁

A benefit of being late to post photos is that others have had a chance to post theirs. Check out Cheryl’s, Tom’s and Jen’s photos. And look at mine below or on flickr.

$Backstrom Can\'t Find Puck$

It Was A Long Game

0 Comments May 3, 2012|clyde|Puck

For now, just one photo that tells the whole story of the three overtime game.

More later.

Squared Off For the Big Game

0 Comments March 24, 2012|clyde|Puck

I don’t know about anyone else, but before last night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets, I still hadn’t recovered from the last Jets game against the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center. There was just no reasonable way to describe how that game went from being 2 minutes away from a 2-0 win to a 3-2 loss in overtime other than bad luck. Really bad luck.

Last night, it wasn’t bad luck so much as thinking that 26 minutes of domination is enough to win a 60 minute game. I miss Bruce Boudreau as much as any Capitals fan. I miss a lot of the style of play int he Boudreau era, but this really good effort, but only for a little while, is one I wouldn’t mind never seeing from this team again.

There were two moments while the Capitals were still leading that I got that sinking “they’re gonna lose” feeling. The first was seeing the Brooks Laich fist pump from last season’s 24/7 on the scoreboard after his fight with Jim Slater. I thought it was fun seeing it up there. I just all the sudden had that feeling. The second was a little after the beginning of the third period. I saw a Jets fan with a sign making her way down to her seat near the glass. The text on the sign read: “I Travelled 1247.4 miles from Winnipeg to watch the Jets Defeat the Caps Again! Go Jets Go!” and I found myself thinking, “Oh cool! I’m going to title it ‘Whoops,’ or something hopefully a little more witty.” Immediately followed by, “Oh no, they’re really gonna lose.” Sigh.

That’s what I was thinking about the game. To read some stuff that makes sense, try the regular places like Ed Frankovic, On Frozen Blog, Japer’s Rink, Russian Machine and District Sports Page.

Look at my photos below or on flickr.

$Little Shoots But Doesn\'t Score$

$Carlson and Puck Fall in Pavelec\'s Crease$

$Everyone Celebrate\'s Chimera\'s Goal$

$Wideman Can\'t Believe Call$

$Carlson Can\'t Block With One Glove$

Hearing About Yelling

0 Comments March 9, 2012|clyde|Puck

Way back when in ought-eight, ought-nine, when the Washington Capitals trailed by a couple goals, there was never any worry about whether they’d come back, only about who was going to be credited with the goalâ€¦and who are we kidding? It was almost always Alex Ovechkin unless it was overtime, in which case it would be Mike “Game Over” Green. It always worked out. Until April or May, at least. This season, though, and much of last season, holding a two goal lead is stressful as the wonder is focused on if they’re going to hold it, blow it, and how close it will be.

Last night was more of the latter, but a little of the former. The Capitals had to win in this game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. They had the lead, they fell behind and Ovechkin won it in overtime. Of course, this was in a game against a goalie making his first NHL career start and suffering from what sounds like a pretty nasty case of dehydration. He was visibly off late in the third period and overtime, most noticeably during stops in play where it looked like he was holding onto the goal for support to keep standing. But whatever it takes, a win is a win. Unfortunately, it may be game over for green for a little while after the hit he laid on Brett Connolly, but that’s beside the point.

The theme of the night seems to have been yelling. Coach Dale Hunter yelled at the Capitals in the second intermission. Green was yelling from the bench, Dennis Wideman was yelling when shooting, and Ovi was yelling after he scored. And when was the last time we saw him jump into the glass like that after scoring? Personally, I’ve missed seeing that.

You know where to go to really read about the game, and it ain’t here. It’s over at places like Ed Frankovic, On Frozen Blog, Russian Machine, Japer’s Rink, District Sports Page and such. I have some photos below and on flickr.

$Puck Falls on Beagle\'s Back$

$5. I\'m Going to Score Five.$

$We\'re This Close To The Playoffs$

$Smiling and Cheering For Ovechkin\'s Overtime Winner$

Brouwer Brings It and Ovie Rolls Out More Magic

0 Comments February 29, 2012|clyde|Puck

Before last night’s game I realized that the warmup music they were playing was what they used to play back in the go-go days 2009. Through Twitter, Jordan Greenberg (the guy that plays the music), told me they’ve been playing it all along. If this is true, I must be getting older and forgetting stuff. Hope I remember that can be a useful skill.

The game itself against the New York Islanders went through a number of phases. The phase where the Capitals were pretty much dominating, winning every battle for every puck, getting off lots of shots and giving up almost none, yet managing to end the period not he wrong end of of an 0-1 score. Second period was kind of the sameâ€¦still winning almost all the battles, but it took eight minutes or so for the Capitals to register their first shot of the period. Um. In the third period, it felt a little bit like the game in Carolina last week.

Then the Islanders went up by another goal. A few more minutes passed and some fans started heading for the exits when Matt Hendricks took a penalty with about 7 minutes left. After that, though, the earth spun backwards and everything was right again. Troy Brouwer scored twice in the final few minutes to tie the game at two and I saw something I hadn’t seen at Verizon Center in quite a whileâ€¦The fans didn’t sit back down after Brouwer’s first goal. The ones that were left. Or, at least, a bunch of them.

Overtime. Does anyone remember a game a year ago almost to the day? When Alex Ovechkin just couldn’t pretend he’s not a total, bitchin’ rock star from Mars and rolled out the magic in overtime against the Islanders? Well, it was kinda like that, but different. The result was right.

To read more better stuff, check out On Frozen Blog, Ed Frankovic, Japer’s Rink, Russian Machine, Capitals Outsider and District Sports Page.

You can see my photos below and on flickr, but I highly recommend Tom Turk’s photos, too. Really great stuff! Russian Machine has a nice little collection worth looking at as well.

$There\'s the Puck Neuvirth$

$Ovechkin With Puck Behind Nabokov\'s Net$

$Islanders Fan Doesn\'t Like Dale Hunter$

$Hey Guys! It\'s Me you Wanna Be Hockey Hugging!$

Cooling Off the Jets

1 Comment November 24, 2011|clyde|Puck

Former Washington Capital Eric Fehr returned to Verizon Center last night as a visitor for the first time with the Winnipeg Jets as they made their first visit to Washington since moving out of Atlanta last summer. The game had just about everything you could ask for except an Ovechtrick…or even a single goal by Alex Ovechkin. At least we got a goal from Alexander Semin after being a healthy scratch on Monday against the Phoenix Coyotes. There was plenty of hitting, a fair amount of scoring, some amazing penalty killing by two and half penalty killers. Oh, and a return of Rally Balloon.

The coolest thing was hearing what I think was the 7 Seconds cover of Nena’s 99 Red Balloons after the Caps won. Pop punk, Captain Kirk and a Caps win…what a combo!

The most interesting thing I left Verizon with was the thought that Ovechkin has met his physical match in Dustin Byfuglien. Byfuglien knocked Ovechkin down two or three times and Ovechkin bounced off Byfuglien a few more times. Ovechkin falls down a lot, but the other guy does, too, nearly every time. Byfuglien barely budged. Another step in the wrong direction in the evolution of Alex Ovechkin? Let’s hope not. Let’s hope there is more of the kind of play he was demonstrating all night…the kind that led to the first “OH-vie! OH-vie!” chants of the year and that it comes with more goals.

Anyway, you know where to go to read thoughtful thoughts on the game like Japer’s Rink, Russian Machine Never Breaks, District Sports Page, Capitals Outsider, and Ed Frankovic’s blog. Check out my photos below or on flickr.

$Fehr\'s New Look$

$Orlov\'s First Point Celebration$

$Red Rally Balloon Says \"Go Caps!\"$

Caps Fall Flat in Shootout

0 Comments November 13, 2011|clyde|Puck

The Washington Capitals lost another one at Verizon Center last night, this time in the gimmick. Both the Capitals and their opponents for the second consecutive day, the New Jersey Devils looked like they wanted to play the entire game as both teams looked like they were running on fumes by the middle of the second period. At least the Capitals got to start the game with six natural defensemen playing D and all six of them were still taking regular shifts at the end of the game. Oh wait. That didn’t happen. If there was a bright spot, it looks like Brooks Laich could actually play defense if the Capitals really need it. But, if they need it, that’s not good.

If you really want to read about this game, try the usual places like Japer’s Rink, Russian Machine, District Sports Page, and On Frozen Blog.

Also, read Stephen Whyno’s blog entry at the The Washington Times about Roman Hamrlik’s injury. He was checked into the boards in front of the Devils bench by Vladimir Zharkov and was doubled over in pain on the Capitals bench less than 30 seconds later. Photos of the check and Hamrlik on the bench shortly after are included in the photos below and on flickr.

Even if you couldn’t enjoy the game, I hope you enjoy the photos.

$Celebrating Chimera\'s Goal$

Second Monday In October Drama

0 Comments October 11, 2011|clyde|Puck

It was the second Monday in October in Washington, DC and there was drama aplenty in a close decision. The Washington Capitals beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in a shootout to cap a game that ended overtime 5-5. Those five Capitals goals would have been helpful being spread out over their most recent 4 games against the Lightning, but oh well. You can read more about the game in the regular place like Russian Machine Never Breaks, Japer’s Rink, Ed Frankovic’s blog, and District Sport Page. Capitals Outsider has something up, too, but I didn’t see a box score. 🙁

It was kind of like a return to Capitals Hockey circa 2009, which felt right because my photos are kind of like a blast back to 2009, too. Before I explain why, does anyone remember Mr. Owl asking how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? I still don’t know the answer to that question, but I now know how many shutter clicks it takes to get to the end of the useful life of a Nikon D300’s shutter mechanism. That would be about 2 years and 124, 951 shutter actuations. So, as I wait patiently for Nikon to release some new bodies (hopefully by Thanksgiving) to replace the old one, I had to go back to the camera I first used to shoot Capitals games, a D200. Wow, it sucks in comparison. I guess I had forgotten just how much.Â I think I’ll be sending the D300 up to Nikon in Melville to get fixed, but in the meantime, I’ll be turning up Frank Turner on my headphones to drown out the D200’s noise. Hope you enjoy the photos anyway either here or on flickr.

$Semin and Johansson Celebrate Johansson\'s Goal$

$Capitals Celeberate Brouwer\'s Goal$

$Vokoun Uses Wideman\'s Help$

$Carlson Knocks Kubina\'s Stick$

$Knuble Celebrates Chimera\'s Goal$

One Down, Fifteen To Go

0 Comments April 14, 2011|clyde|Puck

It’s games like last night’s that almost make you wish the Stanley Cup Playoffs were a single game elimination format. Almost. And perhaps only if you’re a Washington Capitals fan. Lots went on in the game. The fans were loud engaged and showing their spirit in ponchos, red body suits and more.Â The Capitals and New York Rangers players were fully engaged all game. It didn’t look like any players for either team took off a single shift throughout the game…although some looked tentative in the first period. It was amazing watching the Capitals fail to take advantage of opportunity after opportunity, but not have it come back to bite them. The goals they finally scored were good ones. Alex Ovechkin went ugly in the third to tie the game at one and Alexander Semin scored a beauty from the top of the slot on a pass from Jason Arnott.

Read more better stuff from the regulars like Japer’s Rink, Russian Machine, and On Frozen Blog and be sure to check out the Capitals Outsider box score. Good, good stuff, indeed.Â Look at my photos here or on flickr.

$Neuvirth\'s Mask Knocked Off$

$Capitals Celebrate Semin\'s Overtime Game Winner$

$Let\'s Go Caps Sign In Windows$

$Let\'s Go Caps Says The Sign$

Milestone Night at Verizon Center

0 Comments April 3, 2011|clyde|Puck

The Washington Capitals game against the Buffalo Sabres was another thriller that ended with an overtime victory, this time off the stick of Alex Ovechkin. It was a milestone night in several ways. Jason Arnott scored his 400th goal in the NHL, it was the 100th consecutive sellout at Verizon Center for the Capitals, and it was the 1,757th and final game in referee Bill McCreary’s NHL career.Â It also saw a Capitals defensive pairing of Sean Collins and Tyler Sloan…who managed to be nowhere near the ice for the combined nine goals.

It was also fan appreciation night and the Capitals gave their jerseys to fans. I’ll have some photos from that up later today [update: a bunch of them turned into video].

Read about it at the places that know how to write about games like Japer’s Rink, Russian Machine, and Ed Frankovic. Look at my photos here or on flickr (and check out @ikeastan‘s pics, too!)