NHL playoffs start now. It's the most wonderful time of year

[MegoMark71]

Should be some great hockey tonight. Can the Capitals stun the Rangers again? Can the Rangers get home ice back? Can The Coyotes continue to dominate the Preds or does Rinne finally have a shut down game in goal. I will be pulling for the Capitals and Ovenchicken and I like the Coyotes to win again tonight.

[spacecaps]

The drama in Nashville is unprecedented. When have you heard of two stars forced to ride the pine in such a crucial game? And a home game at that. Radulov & Kos****yn haven't done much to begin with but the reports of them staying out to 4 am on game day is unreal. They're gonna play themselves right off the team. I'm thinking the Coyotes are gonna step on the throats of the Predators tonight. After all that drama, I can't see Nashville getting it together. The only way they can win is if Rinne allows no goals and the way that team has been playing behind him, I don't see that happening.

I like the way the Caps handled Ovy's time last game since he's clearly not the same payer he used to be but I'm wondering if he'll see more action tonight being their at home and his goal last game was huge. The way Washington has been handling his ice time may be a good strategy for Deboer tomorrow night in NJ if Kovalchuck is ready to go. I was thinking if his back is not 100% but he can still go, send him out on the Power Plays when he can concentrate on driving the puck in the net and get him off the ice for defense and let Harrold do the heavy lifting. I like the Capitals in this series but it depends on which team shows up. In game 1 they were a step behind the Rags start to finish but in game to, they were the better team. Also Gaborik's been a ghost this series so far and Boyle hasn't been the same since his bell was rung and he missed a few games in the Ottawa series. Tort's was a jerk again last night too. He's such a jerk when it comes to dealing with the media. The Rags seem to be tensing up as a group and I think that to more pressure the Caps put on them, the more uptight they'll be on the ice. Washington can really take control of this series with a win tonight and bring some real pressure on the Rangers. Game 3 in a 1-1 series is always huge.

[spacecaps]

Ha! Andrei Kos' name gets censored cause of the way he spells it!

[Duncan]

...Caps/Rangers heading into a 3rd overtime? I have to go to bed. C'mon!

[nazgul]

Tell me about it...this game is killing me.....

[MegoMark71]

Wow i hate the Rangers but what a play to end it. Caps D let them down. Not one guy stayed home, they all collapsed to the other side of the net leaving 3 Rangers on the other side. And the puck bounced perfectly. I bet that ice was in rough shape. Wow that was a great game.

[nazgul]

That was...ill tell you, I have some respect for this Holtby kid....not a flashy goalie, but he is in the right position all the time

[spacecaps]

The only thing that would have made that game better is if it would have been a game 7 (or you know, if the Caps won ) But really thats a series defining game. I thought Ovy played great and he did end up getting a lot more ice time but when it came down to it and the puck was on his stick, he missed some big opportunities. What'll be interesting to see now is how both teams bounce back from this game. For the Caps, this kind of loss could crush them or make them more resilient. For the Rags, they can take the momentum from the win in this game and put Washington to bed or be overconfident, come out like they did in Game 2, and play just good enough to lose. It's easy to get caught up in a thrilling win but this was a really long game and I thought in regulation the Rangers were outplayed by Washington but the Caps just couldn't get the puck in the net.

Holtby is a great story. He's easy to root for and NBC showing his Ma & Pa in the stands hanging on every shot just made him more likable. Hard to believe he's only 22. He's also only playing because of the injury sustained by Vokoun. Ironic too that the Rangers kind of created him because on the last day of the season, Neuvirth was pulled for Holtby and he hasn't stopped playing since. He's essentially the back-up to the back-up!

Also glad Doc was doing this game. He's the best of the NBC announcers and his dry humor really plays well in high pressure situations. He had a great line tonight..."All this effort for a ring thats too big to wear and a trophy with your name on it that you can't keep, but it's all worth it if you win."

The downside to this game was I completely missed the Nashville game but from the highlights, the only thing I missed was the Coyotes missing a golden opportunity to bury the Predators and Rinne returning to form. I said before the only way they were going to win tonight was if he puts up a zero for 3 Periods and he did exactly that. This afternoon it looked like Phoenix was going to win in 4 but the suspension to the two Nashville Night Owls seemed to fireup the team and now it's a series there.

One thing I forgot to mention the other night when the games were in the desert was the god-awful white shirts the fans must have gotten when they entered the arena to wear. First off, Nashville's road color is white but all the Phoenix fans were given white shirts instead of the maroon color that the Coyotes wear. Second, all the shirts must have been sized XXXL because they were huge on everybody wearing one so every time I saw the crowd, it felt like a white-robed cult was watching the game. I also noticed tonight all the Nashville fans had yellow t-shirts on tonight. I guess both teams are doing this because neither of those cities probably have much of a fan base so not every fan has a $150 Hockey Sweater to wear to the game and they want as much team color in the stands as possible but wow, what a weird choice by the Coyote front office to go with the baggy white shirts. Up here all the fans seem to have a jersey to wear to the game so Philly, NJ, and NY give out rally towels.

[MegoMark71]

Doc is awesome. So is john forsland, he also does the hurricanes. Best guys are the ones who you can't tell they have a home team. Worst ones in the first round were the clowns for the blackhawks. Those idiots drove me crazy with how one sided they were calling the games. I think my two all time favorite hockey announcers were back when espn carried the games. Bill clement and Gary thorne were awesome. I like Gary calling any sport though. I wish i was a Baltimore Oriole fan as he is there announcer. Dude make every game sound exciting.
By the way bro, your boys are going down tonight. I expect the Flyers to play a much better game. Can't wait for tonight. So how sick am i? I didn't get to watch as much of the preds game last night but it was on rebroadcast this morning. I think i have a sickeness.............

[nazgul]

I'm sorry, but the worst announcer in history Chico Resch...and thats not just because I hate the Devils...but I do
If the Rangers and Devils advance, my biggest fear is having to listen to him prove with every word how much he loves the Devils. Loved him as a goalie, hate him when he opens his mouth....

[nazgul]

The only thing that would have made that game better is if it would have been a game 7 (or you know, if the Caps won )

And don't think I didn't not see that Sean.....wiseguy....

[Duncan]

Flyers / Devils on OT: amazing hustle. Let's go, Flyers!

[MegoMark71]

Same damn story again for the Flyers. If they only had a goalie. Breezy plays like he is farking stoned. I really don't get the guy. One moment he makes an incredible save. Next time he gives up a goal 3/4 of the fans in the stands could stop. Makes me freakin sick. Nice win for your boys tonight Sean.

[MegoMark71]

Our rookies let us down on that goal. Why the 2 of them were leaving the ice when you had the puck in our zone. Bad bad mistake and it cost us. I really wish your guys would play more like the penguins though. Flyers play better when they play with emotion and your guys don't do much to tick the flyers off. So far it's a good recipe for winning. Excuse me while i go puke again reading what i just typed.

[spacecaps]

And don't think I didn't not see that Sean.....wiseguy....

Awww your just upset that my son got your daughter to root for the Devils the other night.

Good to see you joined in the conversation though.