Sports in Perspective
Exactly one week ago, Washington fans were preparing themselves for another Game 7 in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs. They knew it would be another close game — 12 of the previous 13 had been one-goal games, and that they would be holding their breath until it was over. And, that’s how it turned out. [...]
As one of the most famous New Yorkers (Yogi Berra) was once heard to say: “It’s déjà vu all over again”. Another Game 7 for the Washington Capitals, but this time it’s against the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden. As Rangers Coach John Tortorella points out (one of the few times this correspondent agrees [...]
The Capitals defeated the Boston Bruins in seven games in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals with every one of the seven games being won by a single goal and four of them requiring overtime. Why would you expect the conference semifinals to be any different? The answer is that you wouldn’t, and — so far — [...]
How do you spell relief? D-E-F-E–N-S-E. The Washington Capitals showed their non-believers that tough-minded defensive hockey, coupled with taking the punishment associated with hanging out in front of the net can and will win hockey games. And, perhaps they showed that Coach Dale Hunter’s ‘system’ can work not only at the NHL level, but in [...]
This afternoon’s game 6 loss to the Boston Bruins was to a large degree a carbon copy of the Washington’s previous five: It was a one-goal game. This will be the first time in playoff history that a game 7 will be played where the previous six games were all won by a single goal. [...]
For Red Wings fans, watching the final minutes of game five was painful. While Detroit fought tooth and nail to tie the game, the clock eventually expired with the score 2-1 in favor of the Nashville Predators. The loss was made even more agonizing when the game concluded and the camera zoomed in on captain [...]
Pekka Rinne is really that good. The Nashville goaltender who established himself as one of the elite NHL goaltenders by stopping 41 of 43 Red Wing shots last game followed that performance with an even better one. Rinne was nothing short of mind-boggling on Tuesday night, making 40 saves on 41 shots, eventually lifting his [...]
After three games of controversy, hard hits, and fighting, the Detroit Red Wings find themselves trailing the Nashville Predators two games to one. Although Detroit seems to be the better team, Nashville has shown amazing resilience, great goaltending, and physical play en route to the series lead through three. The story of the series for [...]
Capitals fans watched the puck drop at TD Garden yesterday afternoon with more than a little trepidation. Their inexperienced goalie had played the game of his career two nights before, and many thought it unlikely he’d be able to repeat. They — and this correspondent, as well — were wrong. Holtby played a ‘lights out’ [...]
Thursday’s opening of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals had all the drama that one expects from a Stanley Cup playoff game. The regular season records went out the window, there was a new intensity that the players call “playoff hockey”, and the hometown crowds seem even louder than usual. The Capitals got off to a sluggish [...]