Crunch Time for Caps

The Drama doesn't get much better than this. All they need is a point.

Carolina lost to Florida last night which means the Caps need a point to clinch the division title and secure their spot in the post season.

Leading the way for Washington will be Hart Trophy hopeful Alexander Ovechkin, who has tallied 17 goals and 30 points in his last 17 games. His 112 points lead the NHL - six ahead of Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin.

Ovechkin scored his league-leading 64th and 65th goals on Thursday in a 4-1 win over Tampa, breaking Luc Robitaille's single-season mark for left wingers.

Washington has won three of its last four matchups with the Panthers, including last Saturday's 3-0 victory in Florida.

Mcphee's deadline deals are looking pretty good right now, and if they win tonight expect Ovechkin to clinch the Hart trophy.

I bet you want to watch this game as badly as I do... except CBC is playing a boring meaningless Habs vs. Leafs game.

It'll take a few programs to load, and unfortunately is only a windows thing but you can check out www.hockeywebcasts.com

Hockey needs this badly. Hockey fans want to be entertained. Playoff poolies are drooling at the prospect of having an Alexander Ovechkin. They'd be a darkhorse team for the ages.

UPDATE:

CAPS win and move into 3rd clinching a playoff spot and the South East Division Title. They also knock off the Carolina Hurricanes out of the post season.

My condolences to JB, the biggest Carolina Hurricanes fan I know.

2 Minutes in the Box... for a short blog

Got a few minutes to spare before I head off to my hockey game. That's right, I don't just blog it, I pretend to play as well!

The standings are getting interesting both in the East and West. Nashville won in St. Louis in overtime which sends them into 8th place a point ahead of the Canucks.

Washington beat Carolina 4-1 as well which keeps them in the hunt, 1 point out of 8th behind both Boston and Philadelphia. Ovechkin also potted his 63rd goal this game. However, they're now tied with Carolina for the South East Division lead in points but lose the tie breaker in wins. Keep winning and they could end up in 3rd going into the playoffs.

The Senators are "Free Falling" out of the standings like Tom Petty, as they got shutout by a Koivu-less Canadiens. They're in danger of falling right out of the playoffs.

I'll PVR the rest of this Canucks game and hope for the best...

UPDATE:

A lot can change in a couple hours. I go off to my hockey game, we get blown out. I come home check the score of the Canucks game and... well you can guess the rest.

Canucks lose. Predators win. Go figure.

As we speak I'm fast forwarding through the game to see how it all broke down. Hejduk is still a freakin' Canuck killer.

It'll make the Thursday game against Edmonton I'm going to that much more interesting. Could be the closest thing we see to Canucks playoff hockey this year, and I don't really want to hear my roommate talk about his Calgary Flames.

Also Edmonton is officially out of the playoff race so they'll be extra pissed off on Thursday looking to play the spoiler.

I was trying to think of some witty comment to end this post but... I've got nothing.

Fill in your closing remark here ______________________________.

87 vs. 8 - Keep your Fingers Crossed

Sid the Kid lead his team to victory and 1st place in the Eastern Conference after a 3-1 win over the Rangers today. Lets face it, the NHL needs this badly. They need a team like Pittsburgh to go far in the playoffs to peak any interest in major US networks. They need a face like Sidney to represent the league. He's charismatic, well spoken, and a game breaker. What could be better than a lengthy Pittsburgh run in the playoffs?

How about a Pittsburgh vs. Washington showdown?

Ovechkin vs. Crosby. Imagine the former Hart trophy winner vs. this years potential Hart trophy winner. For a hockey journalist it would be like Christmas Day in the middle of April.

One can only hope.

If the league is to become successful in the USA they need to hype up the drama and stories behind each game. They need to intensify the rivalries with their epic NBC style pregame montages. This potentially could be that series to get it all started again.

Washington is still 2 points back of Boston and Boston has a game in hand. The Sabres need to do Washington a favour if they want to have any chance of making the playoffs. I've got my fingers crossed. Do you?