It is funny what a franchises playoff history forces you to say and write. In this case, tonight’s game 4 against the New York Rangers, is a “must win” for the Washington Capitals.

After the last three years, I believed that games 1 and 2 were “must wins” for the Capitals and their psyche. Having done just that, they have now earned the right to be in the same exact position for game 4.

Welcome to the Stanley Cup playoffs, especially in the curious case of the Washington Capitals.

Five times in a best of seven playoff series, the Washington Capitals have led a playoff series 2-0. Four times, they blew it. Not just this version of the Capitals but this is a franchise hex, curse or whatever you want to call this organizations playoff futility.

Alex Ovechkin

What do Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, Mike Green, Peter Bondra, Dale Hunter, Sylvain Cote, Joe Juneau, and Olaf Klozig all have in common?

They were all significant parts of Capital playoff teams that blew 2-0 and 3-1 series leads in back to back seasons. Not this year you say, things are different. This team was tore down and rebuilt for just this very instance.

Let us hope not and that is exactly why tonight is a must win. It would be good for this revamped playoff specific version of the Washington Capitals to have a little margin for error.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the team that wins Game 4 in a best of seven series, goes on to win their series 78 percent of the time. The Capitals have, as they always seem to do when playoffs statistics are involved, bucked that trend over their history.

Washington is 15-11 in game No.4 of a best of seven series. They have won just nine (60 percent) of those series’. Therefore, you see, this franchise is not the norm when it comes to the playoffs. Hence my worries.

Winning tonight may have gotten a little tougher as it has been reported by several hockey outlets including NHL.com and the Washington Post that Caps forward Mike Knuble is likely to miss game 4 with an injured hand.

Knuble was struck on the hand by the puck in game 3. Replay footage from Game 3 shows Knuble take off his glove to examine his right hand after scoring a goal, the same shift where he appeared to have been struck in the hand by a shot from Mike Green.

Joe Juneau

No need to panic, Right! The Capitals know what is at stake for them tonight, don’t they?

Of course they do, these quotes were taken from a recent NHL.com story, and just so you know, you could pretty much put any Caps players’ name from any era in which a Caps team lost a playoff game after being ahead in the series.

“We’re fine. We have a lot of confidence in here,” Jason Chimera said after an optional practice at Kettler Capitals Iceplex. “It was a bad loss, but you have to move on. You have to forget about it quickly in the playoffs — more so than in the regular season. We’re still in good shape so guys just have to keep it going.”

Yes Jason Chimera, you and your teammates must quickly forget about losing but please do not forget how you lost. The loss on Sunday conjured up thoughts of the way we lost in seven games last season to the Canadiens and the year before to the Penguins.

The Caps committed more penalties on Sunday than they had in 21 previous post-season games. They failed to keep the area in front of their rookie goalie clear as Brandon Dubinsky walked right in front to score to game winner.

Aside from all of us watching at home on NBC, Alex Ovechkin, Scott Hannan, Nicklas Backstrom and Karl Alzner watched from right in front of Neuvirth as Dubinsky scored. That is the kind of play, or lack of play that makes me and wound tight Caps fans say, here we go again.

Anyone seen Alexander Semin since his awesome game 1 performance? Yes, he led the Caps with six shots in game three but according to the shot chart, just two were from 15 feet or less. The rest were from 25, 39, 46, and 74 feet. His corner and board play was not as prevalent as it was in the previous two games.

No reasonable thinking Caps fan thought we were going to sweep the Rangers anyway. We knew this was going to be a tough series.

However, it does not make me feel better to hear a Caps player echo those sentiments. Here is Matt Bradley from the same NHL.com story.

“I don’t think anyone thought we were going to sweep every series. We’re going to lose games in the playoffs, and I think for us it is just a matter of getting back to that work ethic and good defensive play we had the first two games and we’ll be fine’. Bradley continued to say, “We’re not going to dwell on the last game. They played really well and they deserved to win. It is up to us now to turn the tide.”

I hope the Caps have thought (not dwell) a lot about their game 3 loss. I even hope they went back and watched film of it, two or three times.

The team that won on Sunday looked like the Washington Capitals we have grown to know and love over the last two months. The Rangers beat the Capitals at their own game and that is cause for concern for me.

For the first time in the series, the Rangers did the little things a lot better than did Washington. The Blueshirts soundly out-hit the Capitals 41-29 and won 10 more faceoffs. The Capitals must get back to basics.

Even Michael Neuvirth, who with a lot of help from his defense has been stellar in the series, finally gave up the “soft goal” we all feared he would allow at some point.

Michael Neuvirth

The feared result of allowing such a goal was realized in the outcome of the game. Maybe the Caps would have lost on a goal that Neuvirth had no chance at stopping but we will never know because he still has problems covering up the posts from time-to-time.

I do feel the Caps have a better chance of winning game 4 than they do of losing. Washington is still the better team with the better players.

The Rangers finally caught some breaks on Sunday. The Capitals were called for eight penalties, the most in their past 21 post season games and looked tired as a result late in the game.

They were chasing the Rangers around after Mike Knuble scored the game-tying goal for the Caps late in the third period. The proof is no clearer than when you watch the above-mentioned players standing around for Dubinsky’s game winning goal.

Please do not misunderstand this piece. This is not a negative article about how the Capitals are going to blow this, in fact, I would point out that the Capitals have done everything in the series to almost perfection.

They have won the right games and lost the right game. They are playing sound defensive playoff type hockey with great goaltending and timely goal scoring.

Even their struggling power play has produced more goals in three games (2) than it did in seven games (1) during last year’s first round. Even with the game 3 setback, the Caps seem to be in control.

Caps defenseman Karl Alzner thinks things are just fine and told NHL.com,”We’re not panicking at all. Game 4 is huge. If you have home ice advantage, you don’t need to steal a game on the road but you always want to, so we want to take the game to them in their rink and if we do that, it’s going to be good for us in the end. The game where you can get a little bit of a stranglehold is the one you want to get.”

Tonight is that game.

Jason Arnott, the most crucial of the trade deadline acquisitions, is doing exactly what he was brought to Washington to do. Arnott has provided veteran leadership on the ice, on the bench and in the locker room during the playoffs.

The Rangers needed to play their best game to beat Washington on Sunday and that is exactly what they did. The Capitals even get two whole days off between game No. 3 and game No. 4 and will again between games 4 and 5.

With the physicality of the series, I think this benefits the hockey team with the better skilled players and that team, in this series, is the Washington Capitals.

Washington seemed to figure out that crashing the net will allow them better scoring chances as both goals came from just outside Henrik Lundqvist’ crease on Sunday. The Caps will not consistently beat Henrik Lundqvist from 15 feet or beyond, they can consistently beat him from six to 10 feet.

Many will say true the Capitals may be the better team but how many times have the Caps been the higher seed and lost a playoff series?  This is the Stanley Cup Playoffs and if the Capitals playoff past has taught us anything, it is that anything can happen.

This series will not be a case where the home team wins every game. I will go as far to say that the first team to win a game on enemy ice will probably win this series.

Let me say this one more time, that game for the Washington Capitals is tonight.

Even though winning in five games and at the Verizon would be the ideal situation, it is a good bet that the Capitals will have to come back to New York and win this series.

I say that because when has this franchise ever done been or done the ideal thing in the playoffs. It has never been easy and that is why tonight is a must win.

There must be room for error and a 3-1 series lead provides that room. Let us hope that’s all it is and not another setup for heartbreak. Let’s Go Caps!

ELSEWHERE IN THE NHL:

The defending Stanley Cup champions managed to stay alive lats evening as they defeated the Vancouver Canucks 7-2 in Chicago. The Blackhawks Dave Bolland returned to Chicago’s lineup for the first time since suffering a concussion six weeks ago and contributed a career playoff-high 4 points to extend the Blackhawks’ season at least two more days. Bolland had a goal and 3 assists to lead the Hawks.

Expect the Balckhawks season to end on Thursday as the Canucks still lead the series 3-1.

My Washington Capitals may have a sketchy playoff past but they have never squandered a four goal lead and lost a playoff game. The LA Kings led 3-0 at the end of the first period and scored the first of seven second period goals. The problem is, the San Jos Sharks scored five of those seven goals to tie the game.

The Sharks became just the fourth team in playoff history to overcome a deficit of four or more goals –the first since Minnesota rallied to beat Chicago 5-4 on April 28, 1985.

“History Will Be Made” is how the commercial goes and the NHL  has held true on their promise as Devin
Setoguchi helped the Sharks make some history when he scored at 3:09 of overtime to finish the comeback give the Sharks a  2-1 lead in the Western Conference quarterfinal series with Game 4 for Thursday night back in LA.

MINI PREVIEW OF TONIGHT’S GAMES:

Philadelphia leads best-of-seven series, 2-1

The goaltending change in Phialdelphia has paid huge divendends. Brian Boucher followed his strong relief effort in Game 2 by stopping 35 shots to propel the Flyers to a 4-2 win in Game 3. Nikolay Zherdev, a healthy scratch for the first two games of the series, scored the game-winning goal late in the second period as both Boucher and the Sabres all world net minder Ryan Miller stole  the show. Each made incredible saves keeping their teams in the contest.

Still missing form the Flyers line-up is defenseman ChrisPronger. Pronger has been out with a broken hand and many had his returned pegged for this game.  ”I think our defense has been good,” said Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette. “Even (Wednesday), there was a lot of shots and there was a lot of opportunities, but an awful lot on the power play, and they had enough opportunities on it. … It’s been a good team concept on defense that has kept the even-strength chances low for us at this point.”

Pittsburgh leads best-of-seven series, 2-1

The Penguins continue to defy the odds without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. They have yet to score a power play goal (0-15) and their No.1 ranked regular season penalty kill has surrendered four power-play goals on 11 chances given to Tampa Bay.

The Pens 3-2 win on Monday night allowed them steal home ice advantage back from Tampa Bay and take control of the series. The Lightning need to start getting production from the NHL”s second leading goal scorer, Steven Stamkos.

Stamkos has just one assist in the series and one goal in his last 26 games. The Penguins’ have scored seven 5-on-5 goals from six different players. Each team will have some roster decisions to make prior to puck drop after the NHL levied one-game suspensions to Tampa Bay forward Steve Downie and Pittsburgh forward Chris Kunitz for separate incidents in Game 3.

Nashville leads best-of-seven series, 2-1

One of the top defensive teams in the NHL this season is showing a little offense in the playoffs. Led by Carrie Underwoods husband, Mike Fisher ,Nashville has scored 11 goals in the first three games of the series.

Fisher, who is tied with Daniel Sedin, Pavel Datsyuk and Corey Perry for the League scoring lead this postseason, was brought in midseason from Ottawa not just for his scoring, but his postseason experience. He was a member of the 2007 Eastern Conference champs that lost to the Ducks in the Stanley Cup Final..

The age-less wonder, 40-year-old Teemu Selane has led the Ducks in goal scoring with four this post season. Even with Selane’s productin the Ducks are the lower seed and a loss in the Music City tonight would put the their season on the brink.

The Ducks have scored often on one of the best goalies in the NHL this season. The Preds Pekka Rinne was one of the toughest goalies to score on this season, compiling a 2.12 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage, good for third and second best in the League, respectively. In the first three games of the playoffs he has not posted those types of number. Rinne has a 2.70 GAA and .887 save percentage through three games.

Rinne may be due to shut down the high flying attack of Anaheim and now would not be good timing for the Ducks. A 3-1 series deficit with Nashville’s defense could spell doom for the Ducks.

A Guest Blog By Fanspeak Contributing Writer Alan Zlot:

Welcome to the second week my NHL Power Rankings. I do this a little differently than most. I use a point system similar to that of the Bowl Championship Series. I have selected six categories in which I feel give the overall feel of just how good or bad a team is during a current week.

I only rank the top 16 teams in the NHL. I also add any team not ranked in the top 16 but is currently playoff eligible in their conference. This week the Rangers and Hurricanes fall into that spectrum.

The categories are winning percentage, goals for, goals against, division winning percentage, road record winning percentage, and goal differential.

I never begin until after the All-Star break, what does it matter before then and I do not rank the bottom half of the NHL, because, well, you already know how bad your team is.

Please enjoy and if there are any hateful, comments please them below.

• 18- Carolina Hurricanes- (115 pts), The Canes are holding on to the last playoff spot in the east. Right now, they are there by default. With a record of 3-5-2 in their last 10 games, nobody behind them wants to win either.
• 17- Dallas Stars- (140 points), The Stars at night are no longer big and bright deep in the heart of Texas. The Stars have slid from third in the Western Conference all the way to eighth during a current 2-7-1 slide, and they have not won in regulation since Jan. 26. Losers of four straight, Dallas is in danger of missing the playoffs.
• 16- Anaheim Ducks-(195 points), Jonas Hiller is out with symptoms of fatigue and dizziness, and that is how the Ducks are playing without him on defense. The Ducks need backup goalie Curtis McElhinney to step up, and it has not happened. Two nights after surrendering four leads and seven goals to Washington, McElhinney was beaten five times by the offensively challenged Wild in a 5-1 loss at Minnesota, and on Saturday night, were hammered by the Blues 9-3. .The Ducks have dropped to 10th in the west and are 6-4 in their last 10 games.
• 15- Calgary Flames-(195 points), The Flames are winners of three in a row and are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games. The Flames have collected 27 of a possible 34 points in their last 17 games. Over that span, Calgary is averaging 3.76 goals per game.
• 14- Montreal Canadians- (210 points), Montreal is 4-4-2 in their last 10, and without Carey Price, could easily be 2-8 over that stretch. The Canadians need help on offense, and with the Boston Bruins very active this week on the trade market, the Habs are now backed into a corner. The Bruins made big trades last week, what will the HABS do to respond.
• 13- Washington Capitals- (225 points), Everybody in Washington was proclaiming the return of the Caps offense and Alexander Semin this week when they put seven goals on the board against the Ducks. Problem is not only did Anaheim make the Caps feel good about their offense this week; they obliged the Minnesota Wild and St. Blues as well. In fact, seven goals were not even the most the Ducks surrendered this week. The Blues scored nine times Saturday night. Washington’s power play and offense are in bad shape, and now, their defense showed some signs of weakness this week. Lately, the Capitals have been vulnerable, allowing at least one third-period goal in five of their last six games, the first time this season that has occurred. Washington has allowed two or more goals in the last period in three of its last six games and has surrendered nine third-period tallies in its last six games.

• 12- Minnesota Wild-(242.5 points), Minnesota is 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and has cooled slightly over last week, what drops the Wild down three spots are their drop in offensive production. Now a minus-one in goal differential, the Wild must start to find some kind of offensive rhythm, or this will be a season of would have, could have, and most definitely should have made the playoffs.

• 11-New York Rangers- (245 points), The Rangers, like the Hurricanes, are holding on, just barely. The Blue Shirts take a trip to Carolina on Tuesday to play in a game with a lot of meaning. The Rangers are just 2-7-1 in their last 10, and since the clock struck 2011, the Rangers have won just seven of 20 games. So why in the hell are they ranked so high you ask? Compared to the rest of the poll, the Rangers score 40 or more pints in four of the six categories and are a plus-16 in goal differential compared to teams like Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Anaheim and Dallas who are all a minus on the year.
• 10- LA Kings- (257.5 points), the Kings are sitting pretty right now. L.A.is pretty much finished with their franchise record 10-game road trip, with the last stop coming just 50 miles from home, in Anaheim on Wednesday night.6-1-3 over their last 10 games, the Kings play 11 of their next 15 games at home where they are 17-9-1 this season. I have a feeling that this team could separate from the pack over that span, but it still must be frustrating to be playing so well, and after Sunday, not be in a playoff spot.
• 9- TB Lightning- (270 points), The Lightning, who were on fire, have dipped lately, especially late in games. After winning six in a row, the Bolts have now lost five of their last seven. They have managed to earn a point in two of those losses, but it is very different from the streak they were enjoying. Tampa Bay acquired defenseman Eric Brewer from the St. Louis Blues for prospect Brock Beukeboom and a third round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft.
• 8- Phoenix Coyotes-(275 points), Another game, another win for the streaking Coyotes, who have not lost since Vancouver, blew them out, 6-0 on Feb. 2. The Coyotes have won seven in a row and began a five-game road trip with a big win over a team ranked ahead of them in this poll—the Nashville Predators Saturday night. Only New Jersey is hotter over their last 10 games. The Coyotes are 8-2 over that span and are playing tight defensive-trapping hockey.
• 7- San Jose Sharks- (312.5 points), The Sharks and Coyotes are both 8-2 over their last 10 games and battling it out for the lead in the Pacific. They are ranked ahead of Phoenix because they have a better winning percentage (only slightly), have given up fewer goals, and have a better record within the Pacific. They also have a better goal differential than the Coyotes. San Jose is 3-0 against Phoenix this year with three left to play, including a home-and-home to close out the regular season. This is a long way from being decided.
• 6- Nashville Predators (315 points), Before losing to Phoenix, the Predators were coming off one of their best performances of the season in a 3-1 win over Vancouver but are just 4-4-1 over their last 10, dropping to fifth in the west. Suffering offensively, GM David Poile went out and acquired Mike Fisher. The veteran center was acquired from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a 2011 first-round pick. Fisher has 14 goals and 24 points this season. Nashville is 23-4-1 when they score three or more goals this season.
• 5- Pittsburgh Penguins (355 points), despite the absence of Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Pens have managed to accumulate points. Pittsburgh managed to earn a point Sunday in a 3-2 shootout loss at Chicago. Brett Sterling erased a 2-1 deficit for the Pens when he scored with 3:18 left in regulation. With all of the injuries, the Pens are still over .500 in their last 10 games with a record of 5-4-1.
• 4- Detroit Red Wings (387.5 points), Detroit won its fifth straight game in a shootout on Sunday against the Minnesota Wild. Getting healthier by the day, the Wings seem to be surging at the right time. The Red Wings had at least one goal in 12 straight periods, scoring 20 times over the previous four games, but Wild goalie Nick Backstrom and the Minnesota defense stopped every opportunity by the league’s second-highest scoring team over the first two periods on Sunday. Detroit’s offense was ”red wing” hot prior to today’s game as it had combined for 20 goals in its last four games after netting only four goals in its previous four games. Over their last 10, they are 7-3 and have managed to close to within five of the Vancouver Canucks.
• 3- Boston Bruins- (392.5), On Friday afternoon, Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced that the club had acquired defenseman Tomas Kaberle in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Wait, there’s more,  Just hours before the Boston Bruins were set to take on the Ottawa Senators, General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced that the club had acquired forward Rich Peverley and defenseman Boris Valabik in a trade with the Atlanta Thrashers. I would say these moves send a very clear message about Boston’s intentions this postseason—Stanley Cup.The Bruins are 6-4 in their last 10 and seemed to be back on track after losing three straight games for just the second time this year.
• 2- Philadelphia Flyers- (510 points), The Philadelphia Flyers made a great move Monday night in an attempt to end their 36-year-old Stanley Cup draught, as they acquired right wing Kris Versteeg from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Versteeg, who has 14 goals and 21 assists this season in Toronto, should bolster an already potent offense. The Flyers are third in the League in goals per game and are 7-3 in their last 10 games. They finally beat the Lightning this year. Philly beat Tampa last Tuesday in a shootout to avoid the season series sweep.
• 1- Vancouver Canucks- (515 points), after winning six straight games, the Canucks have alternated wins and losses over their past four. Things are getting a bit out of hand for Vancouver on the injury front. Defenseman Kevin Bieksa will miss the next 2-3 weeks of action with a broken foot. You can add Bieksa to the Canucks defensive injured list that includes Dan Hamhuis, Keith Ballard, Alex Edler, Lee Sweatt and Andrew Alberts. Getting to join the party from the AHL to take Bieksa’s place is Evan Oberg.Vancouver led the poll in goals scored and goal differential with a plus-60. Vancouver will play five in a row at home before traveling to play five in a row on the road.

A Guest Blog by Fanspeak Contributing Writer Jason Mullen:

To me, a lifelong Pittsburgh sports fan, October just can’t arrive fast enough. This is, perhaps, the pinnacle of the sports year. Especially after disappointing seasons or early playoff exits, the summer months are agonizing. But even when the Steelers win the Super Bowl or the Penguins claim Lord Stanley’s Cup, the summer feels a little empty. Until the Pirates can step up and make the summer somewhat interesting, the earliest relief arrives when the Steelers are back on the field. Once the Penguins hit the ice, everything is right again in the sports world. Expectations are high. Optimism abounds. This is “our” year. Pontification and predictions, playing the game on paper, creating mental depth charts, being the GM on the couch – these are the makings of a true sports fanatic. But, in the end, the games have to be played, players will get hurt, mistakes will be made, and sometimes the difference between winning and losing is a half inch or so.

Coming off a forgettable season, the Steelers were going to be challenged early this year. Could they survive the early part of the season without Big Ben for up to six games? Of course, Ben’s replacements, Leftwich and Dixon fell to injury, leaving the consummate professional, Charlie Batch, at the helm. You couldn’t ask much more from your longtime backup quarterback. If not for a few untimely penalties and breakdowns at the end of the Raven’s game, the Steelers were one first down away from a perfect 4 – 0 start. The defense is looking very strong, with Polamalu, Harrison, and Farrior, wreaking havoc as usual. If Ben can focus on football and play like he is capable, the Steelers should be among the strongest contenders this year.

As great as football is, my favorite sport has always been hockey. I suspect this is mostly due to watching Mario Lemieux in the prime of his career, leading the Penguins to back to back Stanley Cups. The Penguins were a dominant team for much of the 90’s, with names like Francis, Stevens, Jagr, Barrasso, Samuelsson, Murphy, Straka, Kovalev, Nedved, and more. In the early 2000’s, the Penguins fell into a funk, on and off the ice. The team was bankrupt and the lack of a salary cap meant the Penguins could not compete with big market teams. They had some dismal years, with relocation becoming a serious consideration. However, through the draft and with a salary cap in place, they were able to rebuild around players like Crosby, Malkin, Fleury, and Staal and for the first time in 17 years, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup for the third time in their history. Now, after closing out the oldest NHL arena with a disappointing loss to Montreal in the second round, the Penguins have their long awaited new home, Consol Energy Center.

Before getting in to my take on their chances for this season, it’s important to look at what went wrong last season. They, like any team, had to battle injuries. At one point early in the season, they had 5 of their 6 regular defensemen out of the lineup. In addition, injuries to some key forwards like Malkin, Talbot, and Kunitz took away from their scoring punch. The powerplay struggled without Sergei Gonchar, who missed considerable time with a shoulder injury. But, once the playoffs arrive, the regular season standings and point totals simply don’t matter. You just have to get in, and then, anything can happen. In the East, this notion proved true as three of the top seeded teams fell in the first round. In the end, the Penguins seemed to be doomed by their lack of shutdown defensemen (the loss of Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi hurt), some inconsistent play from Fleury, and the lack of secondary scoring. The Canadiens keyed on Crosby and Malkin effectively, and none of the other forwards were able to produce much in the way of offense.

This offseason, the Penguins lost a few players to free agency, most notably Gonchar. Gonchar, an excellent powerplay quarterback, was a confident leader and well respected by the team. His absence will be felt, especially on the powerplay. However, Gonchar was also slowing down and given his age, the Penguins decided not to commit to the three year deal that he was after. General manager Ray Shero wasted no time in acquiring some defensemen to fill the gap. Zbynek Michalek and Paul Martin were signed to 5 year deals and will help shore up the Penguins defense. Their top four of Orpik, Michalek, Letang, and Martin is solid. If Alex Goligoski can stabilize his game, along with the development of Ben Lovejoy or Deryk Engelland as the number 6, the Penguins defense is much improved over last year’s squad.

With most of their available cap space used on Martin and Michalek, the Penguins didn’t have a lot to work with to land a scoring winger. Ponikarovsky and Fedetenko were ineffective here and have signed elsewhere. Veteran winger Bill Guerin was not resigned. With only a small amount of money at his disposal, Shero was still able to sign some quality players at bargain prices in Mike Comrie and Arron Asham. These signings, along with some of the AHL players getting a shot to crack the NHL roster, provide some much needed depth, especially with Jordan Staal out indefinitely. Eric Tangradi is a good prospect who is poised to become the power forward the Pens haven’t had since Ryan Malone. When Staal returns, they will have the option of making him the number two center, moving Malkin to wing. The Pens have plenty of quality third and fourth line players in Talbot, Adams, Rupp, Asham, Cooke, and Kennedy. If Kunitz and Dupuis can keep up with Crosby, the Pens shouldn’t have any trouble finding the back of the net.

Ultimately, for the Penguins to succeed, they need Fleury to be at the top of his game, like he was during their run to the Cup in 2009. Last season, he seemed to lack the confidence he had during those playoffs. If he can regain his focus and mental toughness, he can be one of the best in the game.

On paper, it all looks good. The Penguins should once again, be considered among the strongest contenders for the Cup. But, now it’s time to drop the puck and play for real and to that, I can only say… FINALLY!!!

LET’S GO PENS!!!

It has taken a couple of years but the San Jose Sharks finally have advanced to the conference finals, and did so by going through their biggest rival. Since hockey returned from the lockout the Sharks have been one of the best young teams in the NHL during the regular season, but have yet to live up to the hype in the postseason. San Jose’s ineptness in the postseason reached new heights last year, when as the President’s Cup winner they couldn’t advance past the first round. While the top seeded Sharks had already made it past round one they faced a long time foe in the Detroit Red Wings.

Detroit had been the Western Conference representative in the Stanley Cup Finals the past two seasons, and posed a dangerous threat to the Sharks this year. Despite being just a 5th seed the Red Wings had the talent and experience to beat the Sharks and even return to the Stanley Cup Finals. Given the Sharks recent history of disappointment in the playoffs, it seemed as though the Red Wings could have had a chance if they could win early in the series.

The Sharks ensured their victory over the Red Wings by taking a 3-0 lead in the series. But it wasn’t as easy as it looks on paper. San Jose won each game by the score of 4-3, including being taken into overtime in the third game. It is a good thing San Jose won that third game, because they got embarrassed in Game Four. As they were outscored 7-1, and allowed 4 first period goals to Johan Franzen. Had the Sharks not won the 3rd game in overtime, this would have been a completely different series. Luckily for them the 3-1 series lead was pretty insurmountable, and they were able to close it out last night at home with a 2-1 win.

Now the Sharks are heading to the Conference Finals with a likely match-up against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks won’t be an easy match-up, but the Sharks have the talent and experience to beat them, and finally make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. This could be the year where their luck changes.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been in a brutal struggle with the 8th seeded Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens knocked off the Presidents Cup winning Washington Capitals in the first round, and have given the defending Stanley Cup Champions all they can handle in this series. The Pens have yet to be down in this series, and stayed ahead of the curve last night at home with a 2-1 victory. But after Thursday’s tough 3rd period loss to the Canadiens, the Penguins know they can’t take the Habs for granted, and will look to close out the series in Montreal on Monday.

The Canadiens have relied on their goalie Jaroslav Halak to carry them this postseason against two of the best scoring teams in the NHL. Pittsburgh has had a little bit more success than the Capitals so far, but not by much. Halak has been out of this world in these playoffs, and has put together a performance that rivals Ryan Miller’s during the Olympics. For the Habs to win the Halak wall will need to stay intact for two more games, otherwise the Penguins will advance to the next round.

With the way the Pens and Habs are playing, I believe the winner of this series ends up representing the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Pens are the defending champs, but went into this postseason as underdogs (quite similar to last year). So far they have shown the playoff drive, and against any other team would have already had this series wrapped up. But as the Capitals learned first had, beware of the Canadiens, and especially Halak. Pittsburgh needs just one more win to return to the Conference Finals, but against this team they will need to play their best hockey to advance.

The Washington Capitals showed last night why they are the top team in the Eastern Conference, and the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. They did so in a 4-3 shootout win over the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Capitals improved their record to 49-14-10 and have an amazing 17 point lead in the Eastern Conference. Despite their advantage in the East, Washington is still playing their best hockey and last night showed why this could be their year in a big way.

The Capitals tallied first last night, just a minute into the 2nd period. Their lead was short lived though, as the Penguins tied the score just over a minute later. Pittsburgh then took the lead late in the 2nd period with a power play goal by winger Bill Guerin, and it looked as though Pittsburgh might get their first win against the Capitals this season. But Washington wasn’t about to disappoint their fans, by laying down against their biggest rivals at home.

As the third period began, Pittsburgh was still in control with a 2-1 lead. With about 5 minutes gone by the Pens were on a power play and threatening to score again, when Alexander Semin literally took the game over single-handedly. Semin stole the puck deep in the defensive zone, and staked the length of the ice before putting his wrister in the back on the net, past Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fluery. With the exception of the fact that there were about 14 minutes left in the game, Semin’s play could have been something out of a movie. He went through the Pens power play unit, like a hot knife through butter, and you just knew when he took that shot that it would find net. Semin’s Hollywood goal would get upstaged later, but it brought the Caps back to life.

The momentum factor began to swing the Caps way. And Washington took full advantage two minutes later when Eric Fehr knocked in a Mike Green shot to put the Capitals up. Pittsburgh came back to tie it in the final minutes of regulation, sending the game into overtime. Neither team was able to score in the overtime period, leaving the game decided the High Noon, old fashion way, a shootout. What could be more appropriate to decide the winner, then a shootout between the teams with the best offensive stars in the game? Luckily for the Caps they still had some ‘Hollywood’ magic left in the tank.

The Penguins first two shooters both scored, and the Caps first shooter (Backstrom) was stopped cold. Any goal or save by Pittsburgh, and the Penguins would win, but it was Alex Ovechkin’s turn and he made up for his quite night in a big way. Fluery didn’t have a chance on Ovechkin’s goal, and still was probably looking for his puck when he had to face Semin a few minutes later. With the shootout score favoring Pittsburgh 2-1, Semin had to find the net if the Caps were to win. Again it seemed like destiny (and great for television ratings) for Semin to be the hero and keep the game alive. After Jose Theodore stopped Chris Kunitz, the Capitals turned to the veteran Mike Knuble to bring them home the win. The only problem with that is that Mike Knuble had never scored a shootout goal, much less a game winner. There is apparently a first time for everything, as his shot sailed past Fluery to give the Caps perhaps their biggest win all season.

Washington has now answered all questions about their team, and whether or not they can beat the other top teams in the league. While this series usually gets broken down into a match-up between the stars, Washington showed they have too many weapons for another team to focus solely on Ovechkin.

As for Pittsburgh, this loss raises serious questions about their ability to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. They are now 0 for the season against both the Devils and Capitals. The two other teams with Stanley Cup caliber teams in the East. Although last night’s game can be somewhat forgiven since they were without two of their top players, Malkin and Gonchar, they still haven’t won when those two were in the lineup. Yes they were able to take Washington to overtime in their two losses in DC, but they still didn’t come away with a W. There are no bonus points for losing in overtime when the playoffs start. Once again the Capitals proved that the road to the Stanley Cup goes through our nation’s capital, and they will defend their home ice from anyone. I think we will likely see a playoff match-up between these two teams again, but this year looks to be Washington’s year.

Oregon Outlasts Oregon State: The Ducks won the Civil War game and the Pac-10 championship with last night’s win over Oregon State. The game was a bit more of a shootout than the Ducks wanted, but they still made it to the promise land with their relentless ground game. A ground game that got a boost from a surprising face, RB LeGarrette Blount. Blount was suspended for most of the season after his infamous punch after Oregon’s loss to Boise State in week 1, and last night was his first action since that game. Oregon capped off a great regular season that now leads them to a tough Rose Bowl matchup with Ohio State.

Pens Cruise Again: The Pittsburgh Penguins won their third straight game, and six of their last seven to remain atop the Eastern Conference tied with the Washington Capitals with 40 points. The Penguins have outscored their opponents 17-6 during their three game stretch, and now have the league’s best record with 20 wins. Star Center Sidney Crosby has paced the Pens with 7 goals during the three games. Which now places him second in the league in goals scored and third in Points.

Celtics Win 6th Straight: The Boston Celtics took down the Spurs last night in a 90-83 battle for their sixth straight win. Boston is now tied for the best record in the Eastern Conference with the Orlando Magic. The Celtics are winning with one of the most balanced attacks in all of basketball with five players averaging double figures, and Rasheed Wallace chipping in 9+ off the bench. Boston is on a hot streak right now and they will look to keep it up tonight against the Thunder in Oklahoma City.

Jets Win, Sanchez Hurts Another Knee: The Jets outlasted the Buffalo Bills last night to improve to 6-6, keeping them somewhat in the playoff picture. Their defense was dominate, especially Darrelle Revi, who shutdown Terrell Owens all night. The Jets offense had no trouble running the football, and Mark Sanchez managed the game extremely well. While he was only 7-15 and threw for just over 100 yards, he didn’t throw an interception, which has been his biggest problem so far. Sanchez did make one mistake in the third quarter when, fighting for extra yards he dove head first instead of sliding. Sanchez came up hurt on the play and left the game. While he get the first down, Sanchez made a risky mistake, one week after hurting his other knee by not sliding. If it was a different situation I might have given Sanchez a break, but the coaching staff obviously wants you to slide (I mean they didn’t bring in Joe Girardi for a photo op) so you got to do it. The Jets were up by 6 at the time and the defense had been pretty stingy. Punt the ball away and live to play another series. The Jets and Sanchez need to hope this injury doesn’t linger. Sanchez is still a raw product, he needs as much work in practice and games (though part of me thinks he’s too raw to be starting on a team with playoff aspirations) as possible. He can’t develop if he’s injured and on the sidelines. Maybe this week the Jets will bring in a Slip ‘n Slide for Sanchez to practice on, because they need to teach him how to protect himself.

Just two weeks in to the hockey season and we have seen some teams play as expected, surprise us, and come out of the gate as major disappointments. Hockey is a long season so not much can be taken out of 5 or 6 games played, but there are some trends to keep an eye on.

Play as Expected: Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, and the Chicago Blackhawks

All three of these teams were playoff teams last season, and were Stanley Cup contenders entering the year. A Penguins-Blackhawks matchup was predicted by a number of sources given the all around talent they possess. While the World Champion Pens sit atop the Atlantic division the New York Rangers are right behind them. The Rangers have the best goal differential in the NHL right now, scoring 10 more goals than they have given up.

Surprises: Los Angeles Kings and the Colorado Avalanche

Now the Kings were going to finish better than what they did last season, last in the Pacific division and second to last in the Western Conference, but no one thought they would be turning it around so fast. Given the strong offseason and the young core they had, the playoffs were a possibility, but leading the Pacific seemed like a pipe dream. One reason to think they may begin to fall in the standings is their penalty killing units have been awful so far this season. If their defense overall doesn’t improve they have no shot at winning the division. The Avalanche were the only team worse in the Western Conference last season than the Kings, but so far this season they are off to a 4-1-1 start and leading the Northwest Division. The big difference between them and the Kings is, while the Kings were expected to get better and maybe challenge for the 7th or 8th playoff spot, the Avalanche were once again expected to be cellar dwellers. It will be interesting to watch to see if their resurgence is real or just a hot streak.

Major Disappointments: Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, Carolina Panthers, and the Anaheim Ducks

All five of these teams were top contenders last season, entered the year with Stanley Cup hopes, and have some of the top players in the league filling out their rosters. So far this year they have all been major busts. None of them have a winning record, and all have shown major defensive issues so far this season. Of these five powerhouses, only the Capitals have a positive goal differential, (but that is only by one goal). If you don’t play defense you can only get so far in the postseason, no matter how good your forwards are. If the season ended today, only the Caps would squeak into the playoffs with the 8th and final spot in the East. These five teams will be ones to watch over the next few months, and they can’t get too far behind in the playoff hunt now. Whether its making a trade, benching a player, or calling up a top prospect something needs to change on these teams to right the ship. In the end, I think at least three of these teams will figure it out and make the postseason. But just making the playoffs for teams that had Stanley Cup expectations isn’t good enough for these teams. And none of these teams are playing at the level needed to get the Cup.