The Washington Capitals used to be one of the best at winning crucial regular season games. When they needed an urgent two points, they always found a way to pull off a victory. That was then, but this is now in 2012. Washington had another must win against the Buffalo Sabres for the final playoff spot. They failed miserably again, losing 5-1 on home ice.
It would not hurt so much if the Caps had done something worthwhile in the game. The problem is that there was nothing of any value that the team did right. The goaltending was ordinary at best, and the defense was not physical enough. The power play went zero for four on the night and gave up a shorthanded goal. The team did launch 44 shots on Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, but it was an easy night for the Buffalo net minder.
Braden Holtby got the start for the Capitals, with the hope that he could continue his hot streak. It did not work out quite that way. He was partly responsible for the first Buffalo goal, as he came out to play the puck and sent a pass that was offline for Jeff Schultz. I also felt like Schultz gave a cheap effort to reach it, but the CSN Washington announcers placed the blame on Braden. Cody McCormick got the puck and fired it home to give Buffalo the lead.
The Caps continued to press the play, but Ryan Miller was stellar. I thought if the Capitals could have scored in that first period, they would have been all right. Instead, Drew Stafford picked up a horrible fumble of the puck by Holtby to give Buffalo a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission. It was all-important that the Caps come out and get the first goal in the second period, or this was going to be a long night. They emerged with energy from the locker room, but the results were not there.
Instead, Buffalo got a Thomas Vanek marker to make the game 3-0. Alexander Semin gave the home fans hope when he snapped a seeing eye wrist shot that beat Ryan Miller to make it 3-1. I told my son that we needed to cut the lead to one by the end of the second and could use a power play. Sure enough, Buffalo obliged, and Washington was going to pull to within one. Well, it was a pleasant dream anyway.
Unfortunately, a shot went in, but it was Buffalo with a shorthanded marker to make it 4-1. Alex Ovechkin was at the point and had the puck bounce over his stick. The tough part to handle was that he was out muscled for the puck, which led to Jason Pominville going in and scoring unassisted. That deflated the crowd and ended the competitive part of this game.
Buffalo added another in the third for the 5-1 final. The game left me in a state of bewilderment. How can this once proud team continually tank in critical games this year? Each time we have had a chance to solidify playoff position, the Caps have come up with a lackluster effort. It leaves me to wonder if there is just a lack of heart in the locker room.
With the loss and a Florida Panthers win in Montreal, the deficit is now five points in the Southeast Division. That race is just about over, in my estimation. That leaves only the eighth seed in the playoffs, where the Caps are two points behind Buffalo. The Caps will need to gain at least two points on Buffalo, so that they end up in a tie at the end of the season. At this point, a tie would get them in the playoffs. The Caps have road games with Boston, Tampa Bay, and the N.Y. Rangers still left to play. There is no guarantee that Washington will win enough to keep the standings that close.
John Atchison is a fervent supporter of his hometown Washington Capitals. He has a passion for hockey and someday hopes to have a role in the Capitals organization so he can raise the Stanley Cup! Follow him on Twitter @John_Atchison.
Sources: CSN Washington
washingtoncapitals.com
Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.
No comments:
Post a Comment