Caps bench Tom Turk/THW

The Washington Capitals had the opportunity to advance to round two of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs, by putting the New York Rangers on the brink of elimination heading into Sunday afternoon. A win at Madison Square Garden, would have secured that second round spot and sent the Blue Shirts to the golf course.

The Rangers defeated the Capitals however, by a final score of 1-0, sending both clubs back to the District of Columbia for yet, another game seven between these two clubs.

18,506 fans arrived at the Verizon Center in Downtown, DC last evening, with high hopes that the Washington Capitals would put the game six loss behind them and play the style of hockey that was successful throughout the course of the shortened 2012-13 season and much of this best of seven series.

Capitals Nation, which formed it’s 181st consecutive sellout, was not that fortunate. The Capitals may have showed up for the first period of action, but allowed five unanswered goals throughout the course of the game, handing the New York Rangers the key to round two, after a 5-0 blowout was in the books.

“Quite honestly, it’s tough to explain,” Head Coach Adam Oates said to reporters after the loss. “It’s funny how over the years the seventh game turns into some form of blowout. I wish I had an answer for that. Obviously, we pushed very hard in the first period, even made a lot of great saves. They got a lucky one and every bounce seemed to go their way after that.”

The Capitals pushed hard indeed, playing a hard fought 10-12 minutes before the Rangers 4th line cashed in off the blade of tough guy Arron Asham.

From that point on, momentum shifted, sticks were gripped tightly and the red wagon started falling a part quickly, piece by piece.

“Momentum of the game shifted the other way, they went down and got a lucky shot,” said veteran defenseman Mike Green. “Kind of took the wind out of our sails but we had lot’s of time to come back.”

During the first period, Captain Alex Ovechkin laid everything on the line for the Red Shirts, dishing out six hits, three in which seemed questionable and were a result of non calls.

Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh was on the receiving end of one of Ovechkin’s hits, and would need to be treated for gashes on several areas on his face after it met the boards head on.

It was the Capitals captain being himself though and trying to do everything in his power to help advance his hockey club to the next round.

“It’s very frustrating,” Ovechkin said following the disturbing loss. “That’s the whole point. You’re here to win the games and try to win the Cup.”

Frustrating is a good word right about now. Especially when the Capitals will be conducting season ending physicals over the next few days and cleaning out their stalls at Verizon Center and Kettler Iceoplex, instead of competing in round two.

“Everyone was up for the game,” Goaltender Braden Holtby said. “We just needed to play better, myself especially. We had a chance to win, but it’s in the past now.”

In the past it is and so begins another long off-season for the Washington Capitals.

The good news is, Head Coach Adam Oates will be able to fully communicate with his players in the off-season, and have an entire agenda full-filled prior to the start of the 2013 pre-season.

Follow me on Twitter @ DarrenCoslov

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Darren Coslov

Darren is the Washington Capitals correspondent. He spent the 2010-11 season covering the Atlanta Thrashers and the 2011-12 season covering the Columbus Blue Jackets. Feel free to contact him @ DKoz256@yahoo.com. You can also follow him on Twitter. DarrenCoslov

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

#Caps officially recall Tom Wilson and Joey Crabb.

— Katie Carrera (@kcarrera) May 9, 2013

After taking a commanding 2-0 lead against the New York Rangers, the Capitals now find themselves in a best of three series to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals after surrendering a pair of 4-3 losses at Madison Square Garden. The Capitals were outplayed in the physical department and certainly could use a fresh body to contribute with physical play.

Tom Wilson (CHL Images)

That’s where Wilson comes into the picture. He is a 6’4″, near 200 pound power forward with fabulous speed for his size. While he has only participated in three AHL games with the Hershey Bears and zero NHL games in his career, his presence has been recognized by the Capitals coaching staff.

Wilson took part in the Capitals abbreviated training camp before the season, and impressed head coach Adam Oates with his style of play.

“He looked great out there,” Oates told the Washington Times in January. “He skated great, he looked like one of the guys and sometimes I didn’t realize it was him.”

In 48 games with OHL Plymouth this year, Wilson tallied 58 points. In 12 playoff games, he recorded nine goals and eight assists. He tallied a late power play goal in his first game with Hershey, which would be his only point with the Capitals AHL affiliate.

Except he wouldn’t be relied upon to score. He would likely be placed on the fourth line with Matt Hendricks and Jay Beagle, which already possesses top-end speed and physical presence. According to Katie Carrera of the Washington Post, that’s exactly where Wilson was practicing when he participated in the Caps morning skate on Thursday. Joel Ward, who has been playing on that line, was placed on the third line, while Eric Fehr took Erat’s spot on the second line.

If the Capitals want to take back the momentum they are going to need to be physical. Lack of a big physical presence has prevented them from having success in the last two games. While Wilson hasn’t played a game in the NHL, the gamble is certainly worth it. The only other options are Joey Crabb, Aaron Volpatti, and Wojtek Wolski, whom don’t seem attractive at all.

Give Wilson a chance and see what he can do. The playoffs are where heroes are made. Put him in the lineup.

If the Capitals do advance, they would play either Boston, Toronto, or the New York Islanders.

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Matt Schreiber

Matty Schreiber covers the Washington Capitals for The Hockey Writers. He grew up just outside of Washington, DC before moving to Boca Raton, FL, where he currently resides. He also covers the NHL for Bleacher Report.

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This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Alex Ovechkin at the Verizon Center during Game 2 against the New York Rangers. Tom Turk/THW

The final horn sounded at Madison Square Garden last night, New York Rangers fans were on their feet and were acknowledged by the Blue Shirts at center ice with the traditional stick raise after a Rangers victory.

Game Four was officially in the books as the New York Rangers defeated the Washington Capitals by a final score of 4-3.

During the brief celebration, Capitals players were exiting the ice with their heads held high, knowing quite well that this series was not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination. It’s the playoffs, it’s a grind, players and coaches know it, and you better believe, the Washington Capitals know it.

“Everybody knows it’s playoffs. Nobody’s gonna give up right away,” Alex Ovechkin told reporters following the game four loss. “Doesn’t matter if gonna be score, but right now we go home and go and play against them with our fans and in our building. It’s gonna I hope be much better for us.”

As for the 60 minute performance by the Red Shirts, it’s something the players and coaches discussed shortly following the game, but will need to quickly put behind them judging by the sloppy play, out of character decisions with the puck and failure to gain any type of positive momentum throughout the course of the contest.

“We didn’t play good. We played bad for 45 minutes, and that’s not fun either,” Defenseman Karl Alzner said shortly after the game. “We just need to get back to the basics. We got away from it. It wasn’t easy to handle the puck out there today, and we needed to play much simpler hockey than we did.”

Coach Adam Oates didn’t particularly care for the way the the night started off for the Capitals, who were subject to the Rangers physical play early on.

“They came out, tried to be a little physical,” Oates said. “You expect that. It’s their building, you’ve got to handle the initial wave and then power plays didn’t do anything. We got a little frustrated with that, and then we gave them a goal. So it was a lousy start.”

The Capitals took a major hit up front with 1:34 remaining in the first period, as forward Martin Erat (Acquired from the Nashville Predators on trade deadline day), suffered an upper body injury after a collision involving several players in front of the Rangers net. No word on the extent of the injury.

The Capitals returned home to DC following last nights game and will prepare for game five which is scheduled for this coming Friday night at 7:30pm. The matchup will be aired on NBCS and TSN.

Follow me on twitter @Darren Coslov

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Darren Coslov

Darren is the Washington Capitals correspondent. He spent the 2010-11 season covering the Atlanta Thrashers and the 2011-12 season covering the Columbus Blue Jackets. Feel free to contact him @ DKoz256@yahoo.com. You can also follow him on Twitter. DarrenCoslov

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Tom Turk (THW)

After a total of five goals were scored in the first two games of the series between the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers, each team came out with a vengeance in Game 3. A total of seven goals were scored, as the Rangers notched their first victory of the series by a final of 4-3.

Each goalie didn’t look as sharp as they had looked in previous games, but each made key saves at important times throughout the contest.

After Alexander Ovechkin drew a high-sticking penalty with 1:55 left in the third period, the Capitals were unable to capitalize on their advantage. Henrik Lundqvist made some quality saves, but Washington didn’t take full advantage of their opportunity.

In order for the Capitals to win Game 4 at the Garden, they will need to do the following:

Shoot the Puck

It sounds simple and obvious to the game of hockey, considering about 100 percent of the pucks you don’t shoot on net don’t find the twine. The Capitals have had the upper hand in total shots in the series thus far, but have made an extra pass when the opportunity was there to potentially score.

If there is an opportunity, the Capitals cannot try and get too fancy. They need to put as many pucks on net as possible in order to take a 3-1 lead back to the Verizon Center.

Crash the Net

Taking a lot of shots may not always result in a lot of goals, but the chance of a puck finding the back of the net will certainly rise if you bring big bodies in front of the net to screen the goaltender or lay in juicy rebounds.

Washington has plenty of big bodies that can easily disrupt goaltenders. They have at least one on each of their four lines. Although Ovechkin usually shoots the puck from the wing, the Rangers have been doing a good job limiting his opportunities thus far in the series. Creating havoc in front of Lundqvist could add another dimension to his game that we haven’t seen in the series yet.

Troy Brouwer, Joel Ward, Eric Fehr, Jason Chimera, Matt Hendricks, and Jay Beagle are also big guys that can do a good job of making Lundqvist’s job a lot tougher.

Win the Boards Battles

Through the first three games, the board battles down low and in the neutral zone have led to plenty of opportunities for both teams. The Capitals are stronger than the Rangers and need to take advantage of it. Doing so will create even more opportunities to solve Lundqvist.

Braden Holtby Can’t Cheat

I don’t mean cheat as in doing something unethical or illegal, I mean he can’t cheat on a two-on-one rush from the Rangers coming up the ice. The blue shirts are starting to figure this out and it has led to some great opportunities. In Game 3, we saw Brian Boyle take the puck up the ice during the closing seconds of a Rangers power play, and because Holtby went to cheat to the other side of the post as opposed to hugging the side closest to him, Boyle was able to shoot one short side and give the Rangers the momentum they needed to get back in the game.

While Holtby has been stellar for the most part of the series, he can’t allow teams to think he’s becoming predictable.

Clear the Puck Out of the Zone

The deciding goal in Game 3 came as the Capitals failed to clear the puck out of the zone. Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonough kept the puck in, which soon led to a nifty feed from Rick Nash to Derek Stepan for the game winner.

It’s never fun for a team to look back on a game and say, “Well, if we got the puck out, that chance would’ve never happened.” Clear the puck out of their zone, and the chances the Capitals let in less goals will rise.

Power Play Efficiency

For a team that was first in the NHL on the power play throughout the regular season, it’s safe to say the Capitals performance on the man advantage in this series has been disappointing. Again, this all goes back to shooting the puck. They need to put pucks on net and not pass off quality chances. Making that extra pass isn’t always the best move. I cannot express that enough.

#Caps‘ Ovechkin on PP: “We try to find the shooting lane and we didn’t find it. It’s blame on us.”

— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) May 7, 2013

Don’t Take Unnecessary Penalties

In Game 3, the Capitals were a man down on six different occasions before the halfway mark of the second period. Luckily enough, they only surrendered one goal on those chances. This cannot become a regular habit.

The more time the Capitals are a man down, the more time that is deducted from their stars being on the ice. They need to stay out of the sin-bin.

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Matt Schreiber

Matty Schreiber covers the Washington Capitals for The Hockey Writers. He grew up just outside of Washington, DC before moving to Boca Raton, FL, where he currently resides. He also covers the NHL for Bleacher Report.

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This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Forwards:

Alex Ovechkin: The “Great Eight” was perhaps the most dominant forward in the NHL over the month of April, totaling 22 points in only 13 games. Almost half of his April production came on the power play (ten points) as he shot at a ridiculous 2.19% clip.

Grade: A

(Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

Nicklas Backstrom: Washington’s first line center helped Ovechkin and forward Marcus Johansson improve their offense, totaling 15 assists in April along with two goals. He registered five points on the power play and continued his strong defensive play, recording a plus seven in the final month of the regular season.

Grade: A-

Mike Ribeiro: The former Dallas Star is unlikely to return to D.C. next season due to the addition of top six winger Martin Erat, but Riberio continues to produce as the playoffs heat up. He recorded ten of his 14 April points on the power play and centered the second forward line of Riberio, Troy Brouwer and Erat.

Grade: B+

Marcus Johansson: Washington’s first line winger finally hit his stride in the final month of the regular season, recording ten points in April. He led Washington with a plus eight and totaled eight points during even strength play. He’s set to become a restricted free agent this summer and could earn a raise if his production holds during the playoffs.

Grade: A-

Troy Brouwer: The former Chicago Blackhawks forward has brought solid leadership and playoff experience to Washington over the past few years, as his offensive contributions continue to rise with his new team. Brouwer recorded seven points in April, including two power play goals during 18:04 of ice time per contest.

Grade: B

Jason Chimera: After a tough start to begin the shortened season, Chimera has played a role as a bottom six forward for Washington, and posted five points in April.

Grade: B-

Eric Fehr: Washington’s grinding third line winger made some big plays for Washington down the stretch, and posted five points in April.

Grade: B-

Mathieu Perreault: He took the spot as third line center for Washington throughout April, but managed only five points in 13 games.

Grade: C+

Martin Erat: The former Nashville Predators forward has struggled since he joined the Capitals, only managing three points in nine games thus far.

Grade: C

Jay Beagle: Washington’s fourth line center has been a strong influence on the penalty kill and has contributed a little bit of offense. He posted three points in April in 10:37 of ice time per game.

Grade: B

Matt Hendricks: He has struggled throughout the regular season and has been relegated to an average of 10:17 per game. Hendricks posted one goal in April.

Grade: C+

Defensemen:

Mike Green: With injuries aside, Washington’s best offensively skilled defenseman showed glimpses of his former self. Green registered 15 points in 13 April contests, averaging 23:53 of ice time per contest, tops on the team.

Grade: A

Jack Hillen: After a long time out of the lineup due to injuries, Hillen provided substantial offense in the month of April. He finished second for Capitals defensemen in points with eleven, while being paired with Steve Oleksy for the beginning of the playoffs.

Grade: A

John Carlson: He touted a phenomenal plus ten in April, registering five points in the final regular season month. He was removed from his long time defensive partner Karl Alzner, and failed to register any power plays in the month.

Grade: B

Steve Oleksy: In his first year in the NHL, this steady blue liner has contributed in numerous ways, mostly by his defense and physical play. He added some offense in April as well, recording three points.

Grade: B+

Karl Alzner: A steady stay at home defenseman and penalty killer, Alzner contributed one point in 21:04 of ice time per game, but was a minus five.

Grade: B-

Karl Alzner (Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE)

John Erskine: Paired with Oleksy on the third defensive pairing, Erskine has been a solid blue liner for the Capitals since he signed an extension with the club. He posted one point and was a plus four in April.

Grade: B

Goalies:

Braden Holtby: Washington’s first option in net played his best hockey of the season in the final month of the regular season, posting nine wins in ten games along with a stellar 2.16 goals against average and .937 save percentage.

Grade: A

You can follow Matthew on twitter @m_speck and email him at mspeck21@yahoo.com with any questions or comments.

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Matthew Speck

Matthew Speck is the Washington Capitals writer for The Hockey Writers. He currently resides near Hershey, Pennsylvania. Matthew is also a credentialed AHL writer, covering the Hershey Bears for Inside Hockey.

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This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

After Washington took Game 1 on Thursday at the Verizon Center, the Rangers came back determined to take Game 2 on Saturday. Or at least Henrik Lundqvist did.

It was a complete goaltender’s duel. Braden Holtby turned aside all 24 shots faced. Lundqvist turned aside 37, but was unable to stop Mike Green’s blistering slap shot on a power play in overtime, as the Capitals topped the Rangers 1-0 and took a 2-0 series lead on the Rangers.

(Tom Turk/THW)

It isn’t as if the chances weren’t there for the Rangers to close out the game. They received a power play opportunity late in the third period but were unable to manage a shot on goal on the chance.

After a controversial no-call on a potential delay of game on Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner with less than a minute left in the third period, the “Hockey Gods” struck back. Another Capitals defenseman, Steve Oleksy, clearly flipped the puck over the glass early into the overtime frame, giving the Rangers another chance to close out the Capitals and take an even series back to the Garden.

Instead, they failed to capitalize yet again. Minutes later, Rangers defensemen Ryan McDonough was penalized for the exact same call, as he illegally flipped a puck off the ice in his own defensive zone.

Seconds after Lundqvist denied Troy Brouwer on a breakaway, Mike Ribeiro fed Green for the game-winning strike.

Both goalies looked nearly impeccable. It was the type of game that you knew was going to be a low scoring affair from the get-go.

Holtby joined Jonas Hiller and Marc-Andre Fleury as the only goalies to notch shutouts thus far in the 2013 postseason. Holtby’s 0.983 save percentage and 0.47 goals against average are both good for tops amongst playoff goaltenders to this point in the playoffs.

With the way it has been going through the first two games, it seems like there is plenty of more hockey to be played until you can give any team a big edge to advance.

As for now, the Capitals have put themselves in a prime position to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the third consecutive year. If they beat the Rangers two more times in the series, they will find themselves one step closer to Lord Stanley.

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Matt Schreiber

Matty Schreiber covers the Washington Capitals for The Hockey Writers. He grew up just outside of Washington, DC before moving to Boca Raton, FL, where he currently resides. He also covers the NHL for Bleacher Report.

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This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.