NHL Playoffs: Kings vs. Sharks LIVE

Source: CSN Washington by chhughes@comcastsportsnet.com

Watch the Kings take on the Sharks LIVE right here courtesy of NBC Sports.

NHL Playoffs: Kings vs. Sharks LIVE (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Watch the Kings take on the Sharks LIVE right here courtesy of NBC Sports.

Royals Steal OT Win in Purple Caps-Inspired Jerseys

Source: Capitals Outsider by M. Richter

In hopes of replicating their first round success, the Royals again hit the ice in specialty jerseys. They won their first Kelly Cup Finals game 6-5 in OT.

Oleksy's best and worst of your 2013 Capitals (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Who's the best- and worst-dressed members of the Caps? The best and worst singers? Steve Oleksy weighs in.

Oleksy's best and worst of your 2013 Capitals

Source: CSN Washington by CGormley@comcastsportsnet.com

Who's the best- and worst-dressed members of the Caps? The best and worst singers? Steve Oleksy weighs in.

McPhee Part 2: 'I'd go to war with these guys' (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

In Part Two of his interview, Caps general manager George McPhee discusses whether his team lacks a killer instinct.

McPhee Part 2: 'I'd go to war with these guys'

Source: CSN Washington by CGormley@comcastsportsnet.com

In Part Two of his interview, Caps general manager George McPhee discusses whether his team lacks a killer instinct.

McPhee Part 1: 'I'm proud of the way they played' (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

In Part One of his interview, Capitals general manager George McPhee breaks down why the Caps lost to the Rangers in Round 1.

McPhee Part 1: 'I'm proud of the way they played'

Source: CSN Washington by CGormley@comcastsportsnet.com

In Part One of his interview, Capitals general manager George McPhee breaks down why the Caps lost to the Rangers in Round 1.

Saturday Caps Clips: French Toast

Source: Japers' Rink by Becca H

Your savory breakfast links:

The end of the all-too-brief playoff run for the Caps has many typing away about a few growing trends in Washington - losing too soon and making excuses for it. [WaPo, FanPost]
Nicklas Backstrom isn't making excuses for his early season doldrums, however, despite suffering an injury to end his KHL run in Moscow. [

Crosby's hat trick puts Pens up 2-0 (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Sidney Crosby had his second career playoff hat trick and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators 4-3 on Friday night to take a 2-0 lead.

Crosby's hat trick puts Pens up 2-0

Source: CSN Washington by chhughes@comcastsportsnet.com

Sidney Crosby had his second career playoff hat trick and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators 4-3 on Friday night to take a 2-0 lead.

Teammates say Hendricks irreplaceable (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Matt Hendricks is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 5. His teammates are lobbying hard for him to stay.

Teammates say Hendricks irreplaceable

Source: CSN Washington by CGormley@comcastsportsnet.com

Matt Hendricks is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 5. His teammates are lobbying hard for him to stay.

Watch NHL Playoffs LIVE right here (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Watch Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Ottawa Senators in Game 2 right here courtesy of NBC.

Watch NHL Playoffs LIVE right here

Source: CSN Washington by chhughes@comcastsportsnet.com

Watch Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Ottawa Senators in Game 2 right here courtesy of NBC.

Capitals Bobblehead Roulette

Source: Capitals Outsider by Andy Wallace

Since the Karl Alzner bobblehead was produced by Pro Sport Image in the spring of 2012, each Capitals bobblehead has been sculpted by a different company. Here we'll analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each as we anticipate the next bobblehead giveaway.

NHL roundup: Three finalists for coach of year announced (The SportsXchange)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Three finalists are vying for the Jack Adams Award, the NHL's version of the coach of the year award.

Teammates say Hendricks impossible to replace

Source: CSN Washington by CGormley@comcastsportsnet.com

Matt Hendricks is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 5. His teammates are lobbying hard for him to stay.

Does Mike Ribeiro fit into Capitals' plans?

Source: CSN Washington by CGormley@comcastsportsnet.com

If the Capitals want to re-sign Mike Ribeiro they'll need to clear cap space to do it. Can they make the move?

Laich to throw out first pitch for Orioles

Source: CSN Washington by CGormley@comcastsportsnet.com

Following a loss in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Brooks Laich will make his way to the mound at Camden Yards.

NHL Playoffs: Bruins, Kings prevail

Source: CSN Washington by jpfinlay

The Bruins opened their series with the Rangers with a victory, while the Kings ran their lead over San Jose to 2-0.

Oates: I could easily take Tortorella

Source: CSN Washington by jpfinlay

Could Adam Oates take John Tortorella? 'Easily.'

Teammates say Hendricks impossible to replace (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Matt Hendricks is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 5. His teammates are lobbying hard for him to stay.

Teammates say Hendricks impossible to replace

Source: CSN Washington by CGormley@comcastsportsnet.com

Matt Hendricks is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 5. His teammates are lobbying hard for him to stay.

Does Mike Ribeiro fit into Capitals' plans?

Source: CSN Washington by CGormley@comcastsportsnet.com

If the Capitals want to re-sign Mike Ribeiro they'll need to clear cap space to do it. Can they make the move?

Does Mike Ribeiro fit into Capitals' plans? (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

If the Capitals want to re-sign Mike Ribeiro they'll need to clear cap space to do it. Can they make the move?

Would Oates beat up Torts? 'Yes. Easily.' (Comcast SportsNet New England)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Washington Capitals head coach Adam Oates says he would "easily" beat up Rangers head coach John Tortorella. So take that, Torts.

Alex Ovechkin played with hairline fracture in foot

Source: Yardbarker

Washington Capitals star winger Alex Ovechkin is one tough son of a….well you get the idea. It was revealed today by the Capitals that Ovechkin had  played the final two games of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the New York Rangers with a hairline fracture in his left foot as per NHL.com. Ovechkin suffered the injury during Game 6 at Madison Square Garden after blocking a couple shots from Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh. The injury is not serious and will only require rest and not surgery. Ovechkin joined Team Russia in the 2013 IIHF World Championships in Helsinki only to be eliminated yet again as the United States scored eight goals to hand Russia it’s worst ever loss in their World Championship history (that includes when they were the Soviet Union).  Ovechkin himself scored a goal against US goaltender John Gibson.  

Should the Capitals re-sign Ribeiro? (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

If the Capitals want to re-sign Mike Ribeiro they'll need to clear cap space to do it.

Should the Capitals re-sign Ribeiro?

Source: CSN Washington by CGormley@comcastsportsnet.com

If the Capitals want to re-sign Mike Ribeiro they'll need to clear cap space to do it.

Happy Hour – Same Old Craps

Source: Yardbarker

The Washington Capitals have quite the tortured history when it comes to the playoffs. They are nationally known as choking dogs, a team that can never feel safe when having a 3-1 or 3-2 series lead. The one year they made a run to the Stanley Cup finals, they managed to never have to play a Game 7, which helped their cause. Despite this knowledge, Capitals fans remained way too overconfident going into and during this series. Not surprisingly, the Caps didn’t show up for Game 7 at home, and were destroyed 5-0. This core group of Mike Green, Alex Ovechkin, and Nickolas Backstrom that fans were told would bring multiple Stanley Cups, once again failed to get out of the first round. In fact, despite making the playoffs for six straight years and winning the crappy Southeast division in five of those years, the Caps haven’t made it past the Second Round. You would think at some point the players and management might take some responsibility, but instead they decided to blame the refs f...

Injury reports: The right to know vs. the right to privacy

Source: The Washington Post by Tracee Hamilton

Brooks Laich skated with the Capitals in New York last week, between Games 3 and 4 of his team’s first-round NHL playoff series. He wiped out once, which made his teammates — and him — laugh out loud. Afterward, he said he hoped to play in the second round of the playoffs, if the Caps made it. That didn’t happen.

Read full article >>

Tom Wilson eager to make an impact for Caps

Source: The Washington Post by Katie Carrera

Highly-touted prospect Tom Wilson made his NHL debut in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but it remains to be determined whether the young winger will be on the Capitals' opening-night roster next fall.

As encouraged as the Capitals were by Wilson's performance in three games against the New York Rangers, they don't want to rush the 19-year-old.

Read full article >>

The Noon Number: 6

Source: Japers' Rink by J.P.

The Noon Number: 6 - Number of playoff series the Capitals have won since George McPhee took over as General Manager in 1997 (which makes him the fourth-longest-tenured GM in the League), three of which came in McPhee's first season on the job.

Peerless breaks it down further, comparing McPhee's track record to that of his predecessor, David Poile:

The Age of Poile (1982-1983 through 1996-1997): 15 seasons
3 coaches
1,180 regular season games
Win-loss-T/OTL

Laich to throw out first pitch for Orioles (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Following a loss in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Brooks Laich will make his way to the mound at Camden Yards.

Laich to throw out first pitch for Orioles

Source: CSN Washington by CGormley@comcastsportsnet.com

Following a loss in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Brooks Laich will make his way to the mound at Camden Yards.

Oates: 'Tortorella out of line' (The SportsXchange)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Washington Capitals coach Adam Oates is willing to give New York Rangers coach John Tortorella something to whine about.

John Tortorella thinks the Washington Capitals are whining

Source: Yardbarker

We've already discussed Alex Ovechkin's comments after the Washington Capitals departed from the playoffs in the first round. In our article, we highlighted that Ovechkin and his teammates would be better off not making excuses and should instead take responsibility for their actions. As it turns out, New York Rangers coach John Tortorella wasn't a fan of Washington's comments either. In an article seen in the New York Daily News, Tortorella accused the Capitals of whining and he believes that's one of the reasons why they lost the series.  Blunt comments from Tortorella. Who would have thought? “I like where our team is as far as how they handle themselves. We’ve got everybody and their brother whining up there in Washington about what happened in that series, and I think that’s a big reason why they lose that series. So I just think our mind-set is very good, as far as not letting anything bother us. (We’re) just getting ready to play each day: Pl...

Caps fan travels from Kuwait for playoffs

Source: The Washington Post by Dan Steinberg

Can a Caps fan be frustrated by repeated postseason failures without giving up his fandom? Can an intelligent, rational, critically minded fan live and die and, let's be honest, mostly die -- with every spring playoff series, and then come back for more the next fall without being a rube?

Read full article >>

Washington Capitals’ main problem can be found in their excuses

Source: The Washington Post by Sally Jenkins

The great teams use a tough loss to get better. When you hear a lot of talk from guys who just lost big about how unfair it all was and how they couldn’t get a call from the refs, you can be certain they’ll lose the next one, too. You didn’t need to go to any videotape to analyze why the Washington Capitals can’t get it done in the playoffs year after year; all you had to do was listen to their captain and general manager.

Read full article

Tom Poti will not return to Capitals

Source: The Washington Post by Katie Carrera

Veteran defenseman Tom Poti hopes to continue his playing career but will not return to the Capitals next season.

After showing he could still hold his own in the NHL after missing more than two years with injury, Poti is confident in his ability to stay healthy and contribute to a team, but knows he didn't fit in Washington's future plans.

Read full article >>

Adam Oates says he could beat up John Tortorella

Source: The Washington Post by Sarah Kogod

After knocking the Caps out of the playoffs, Rangers Coach John Tortorella rubbed some salt in the wound.

"We've got everybody and their brother whining out there in Washington about what happened in that series," Tortorella said on Wednesday. "And I think that's a big reason they lose that series."

Read full article >>

Friday Caps Clips

Source: Japers' Rink by EmilyB

Your savory breakfast links:

Sayonara, season. With the gear stowed and the players headed for their cottages and dachas, there's not much left to do besides ponder lessons learned and read the tea-leaved future:
Stability behind the bench and a familiar playbook in place will allow the players to train with confidence and purpose this summer. It will also allow the front office to work on shaping the roster with confidence and purpose. [WaPo]

Marchand delivers to lift Bruins over Rangers 3-2 (The Associated Press)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

BOSTON (AP) -- Brad Marchand left the morning skate early. The Bruins were thrilled he was on the ice at the end of the game Thursday night.

NHL Playoffs: Bruins, Kings prevail (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

The Bruins opened their series with the Rangers with a victory, while the Kings ran their lead over San Jose to 2-0.

NHL Playoffs: Bruins, Kings prevail

Source: CSN Washington by jpfinlay

The Bruins opened their series with the Rangers with a victory, while the Kings ran their lead over San Jose to 2-0.

Predicting If Washington Capitals' Top Stars Will Improve or Decline in 2014

Source: Bleacher Report

Perhaps thinking about the 2014 NHL season will help Washington Capitals fans forget about the painful end to the 2013 season.

Well, I will force you to do the former, but I can't guarantee the latter will occur.

Here are predictions for the Washington Capitals' top stars, to determine if their statistics will improve or decline during the 2014 season. In essence, this list is the Capitals' best possible on-ice lineup and will include three forwards, two defenders and one goalie.

 

Note: All statistics courtesy of NHL.com

Ovechkin played two playoff games with broken foot (The SportsXchange)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Losing is painful enough, but Washington Capitals center Alex Ovechkin endured even more suffering while managing to play with a broken left foot in the final two games of an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series with the New York Rangers.

Bruins 3, Rangers 2 (OT) (The SportsXchange)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

BOSTON - Brad Marchand scored his first goal of the playoffs 15:40 into overtime to give the Boston Bruins a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers in the first playoff game between the two old rivals in 40 years Thursday night.