Habs 2, Caps 3 (SO): Enjoy

That's right, Caps. Enjoy. You won't be going to shootouts in the playoffs. (Assuming you make them). But if you play this way against the Rangers, I'm thinking the Rangers might actually win this time.

Erik Cole continues being awesome regardless of what's happening. And what a drive by Patches.

Tomas Jagr made a triumphant return. Even in a shitty year like this Pleky has another 50-point season.

Lars Eller is the new Plekanec. Someone has to give these guys finishers. Would it kill anyone to take a few shifts in DD's spot? Especially on the road?

Hendricks scores in shootouts, tries to get PK to fight him, and runs away from Brad Staubitz.

NHL should switch to the AHL shootout format. I wanted to see Palushaj have a go.

Help me I have an adorable puppy sleeping next to me and he's farting. Silent but deadly! I thought it was something rotten in my fridge...

Round 1 Game 2: Playoff wings taste great but would be better served victoriously

Caps fans before the League called O'Halloran to remind him it's "Caps in 5, do your 'job'."

Can you believe CBC picked the Sabres/Bruins over this series? Hell, can you believe the CBC showed CURLING over this?!

Also can you believe stupid Space decided to premier the awesome new Doctor Who series in Canada during the fucking playoffs?! (Of course us real fans already downloaded it from the UK to watch it without a zillion commercials and are on episode 3 now).

It was just like that game when the Habs broke the Caps 16-game winning streak in OT. That was a wild game. This one was no different. Well, the difference is the Habs won that one. (JARO FIX YOUR GLOVE! THOSE WERE WEAK!)

Goalie interference is only called in the West
- Usually when a player's ASS is in the goalie's CHEST you whistle the damn thing. I've see the Red Wing called for weaker moves. And usually when the goalie is forked then shoveled out of his crease then sat on, YOU CALL IT! Though the "book" on Jaro is he's 5'11" and 175lbs, and doesn't like big traffic. I think we'll see Price in this series soon if only because Jaro will be so fucking tired from all that (the wear is starting to show as evident on his glove).
- A hat trick in the playoffs for the Belarusian Bomber? His leg scored a great 3rd goal! (Pens fans will note that Mike Green was preoccupied or useless on every Habs goal that occurred during his shifts, and you wonder why he wasn't asked to be on the Olympic team?) Oh, 3 goals and an assist. He hasn't been that productive since Game 7 of the 2008 playoffs, and the first playoffs hat trick since 1993.
- The Habs had the lead first. The Habs had the lead second. The Habs had the lead with two minutes to play. THE HABS HAD THE LEAD! Of course the Habs are allergic to holding leads, but whatever. Boudreau should be way more concerned about that fact.
- Ovechkin came out with 3 reckless hits and forgot to play hockey because that's when Gomez burned by him to pass one to Gionta who scored on their first shot. Usually the Caps score on their first shot.
- Two goals on two shots. Bye Theo! Varlamov wasn't much better either.
- It got really quiet in Washington...
- How intense was Hal Gill? Other than directing very vocally, he was so livid with that interference penalty that he was STANDING in the penalty box. He also let the refs know there's a rulebook they're paid to follow.
- Told you Eric Fehr worries me more. And Backstrom (also had a hat trick).
- Hilarious moment: Gionta wanted to fight Ovechkin. He actually dropped his gloves but Gomez dropped his gloves first with someone else. Unfortunately that meant no Gomez for 5 minutes so the powerplay could barely get into the zone.
- You know who I love? Tommy Pyatt. That's right. BabyPyatt blocked an Ovie rocket in the final minutes and then chased down the rebound to send it deep.
- The 3rd/4th line will get a goal one day. Sergei made one of the guys look peewee as he toe dragged through him.
- Our top guys delivered the goals again. That Pleks-Cammy-Pleks thing? Love it.
- How's this stat: 30 shots blocked by the Habs (Caps blocked 10, and most of them probably inadvertently as Slippy would always dump a puck into the gut of Caps player).

If the Habs didn't blow a 4-1 lead (FOUR TO ONE LEAD!!!) this series would be 2-0. Suck on that PJ Stock. We'll just have to wallow in our free wings of sorrows. Delicious sorrows...

Apparently every series is tied at 1 now, save for the Hawks/Preds because they didn't do their 2nd yet. I dare say the most wide opened, best playoff series in a long time?

Game 2: Bulldogs make roadkill of the Manitoba Moose
Maybe I'll just let the game sheet do the talking, because this game was how a real number 1 seed dominates a playoff game.


And just before Wyman scored on his shorthanded penalty shot (wtf?) Koharski nearly ruined the game by missing a blatant call that prevented Desharnais to do his job only to call a total dive by Shirokov. BIG day for Trotter and Subban though. Even bigger one for Alex Henry who made a huge glove save and scored a goal. You'd have a higher chance of finding buried treasure in your backyard than Henry has scoring a goal. BabyHabs also chased Cory Schneider out of his net. Unfortunately Weber was destroyed on the glass and didn't return...no idea if it's a concussion or not.

Two words though: Guy Boucher. This man is amazing. I salivate at what he could do with the roster the Habs have.

Round 1 Game 1: Tomas Jagr burns Jose NotMillerBrodeurTheodore

Apparently TSN hires the Pensblog to do their headlines

TSN Panel, except for Craig McTavish, said Caps all the way. Of course they think McTavish is high or those years without a helmet are finally affecting him

PJ Stock said Caps in 3. I'm really sorry your name is on the roster stone in Centennial Plaza, PJ.

Tomas Jagr answers: "Bring it, bitches!"

All he needs now is a kickass mullet.

It started off like your average 7pm game: wobbly, touch-and-go, feeling around testing the waters to see what will work and how. Nothing like an early penalty kill to get the mind focused. Badly outshot in the first? It only helps settle Jaro down and cramps out the other guy at the other end of the rink. Caps have an unreal record when they launch over 40 shots, but our guys are pretty much used to that.

Outshot 19-7 in the first, yet tied at 1 ain't so bad. Keys to the season were the powerplay, and the Habs kept the #1 powerplay quiet while the #2 powerplay went to work. Welcome to the show, Michael Cammalleri.

The experts are shocked that Ovie was silenced. Boudreau claims Ovie didn't play well, which is kind of disrespectful to Spacek's work. Jaro Spacek might be over 10 years his senior but he's a tough old Czech who silenced the Russian Bear even while falling flat on his backside. He and Hamr were only doing it all year unless they were injured.

The experts looked at the micromachines we have on forward and compared them to the gigantors they have on defence and laughed. What a mismatch! It sure looks that way when the Capitals method of defence is glomping their opponent. Tim Peel wants paper not plastic, boys. But Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez know what they're doing in the extra season. And the smaller they are, the harder they appear to hit. Maybe it's because all that mass is compact.

Rookie watch: Tommy Pyatt looks like he's an old hand at this. He was out there early in the first, killing penalties right next to Pleky. Gotta give Gainey and his staff credit as the Gomez trade, rediculous salary notwithstanding, is working out just fine for us (Rags only have McD really left in that trade). Almost had his first playoff goal had the Wizards not fucked up the ice. And Benoit Pouliot can still be defined as a rookie. He who has been a little quiet near the end of the season, came out roaring like the Pouliot we happily coined on the line of Giant Mexican Chicken. Was that his first playoff point on the assist? I think so.

Bottom line is experts will be experts. But experts don't know how to rock it like it's 1993. My brother is a better expert. "I'm not worried about Ovechkin, not even worried about Semin...it's Backstrom or Fleischmann I'm worried about." Only time my brother worries about Ovie is when he's so frustrated he starts hurting players. Frankly we speculate he's hurt himself and can't do that without taking himself out. Whatever the experts say, Habs didn't steal this win. They played it smart, they shadowed well, they cleared Jaro's rebounds and blocked shots, they did all the little things when they needed to and all the big things when they had to. It's why they had success against the team, and why they match well.

Will the Habs win another game in the series? Who knows. It's open season now, and the Caps are way too good to sit on their asses about it. Either way, tossing an upset their way was great fun, and will probably shock the Caps back to reality. Deja vu to the last season where the Rags went up on them 3-1 before getting it together in 7.

Whatever happens, I hope it's a good, long series.

BabyHabs got playoffs too!
Game 1 and done! A 2-0 win over the Manitoba Moose with goals by Mike Glumac and Rrrrrrya Russell. Is that sweet justice? Didn't a Moosie give Russell a concussion? And before you think it was an epic goalie battle, both teams barely got 20 shots each. Ryan White picked up 2 assists and PK Subban got his first professional playoff point with an assist on Glu's goal.