Game four in Washington was one of those man if we win this one we have a nice stranglehold on the series with some wiggle room heading back to Florida, but that wasn’t the cause with our Caps losing in 2-3 in OT. It wouldn’t be the Stanley Cup Playoffs without some drama and that’s why we love to hate it! The series is now knotted back up at 2-2.
TJ Oshie got the boys on the board first with a beautiful deflection in front of the net from the feed of John Carlson. Then Carter Verhaeghe who I’ve become to hate tied the game up on a defensive lapse by the Caps.
Evgeny Kuznetsov continues to shine offensively this playoffs and gave the Caps the lead in the third period and completely undressed the Cats goalie off a nice tap pass from Ovechkin. Which this rush was caused by a explosive hit from Oshie which you could hear the crowd yell after the hit then into the goal it had to be deafening in the arena because it was loud on the broadcast.
Also people think TJ will be getting suspended for this hit and to that I say are you high its playoff hockey, he clearly hits him in the chest first and his head goes back due to the momentum of the hit. If you can’t handle the heat get out of the kitchen Bennett!
The first period had its ups and downs with the flow of the game but the Caps were able to hold that Florida offense at bay which is all that I ask just give us a chance and that exactly what Sammy did.
Another takeaway I had was the boys need to be a little more selfish on rushes or when they are wide open and instead of trying to make that highlight pass put the puck on net because anything can happen whether its a juicy rebound or even if the goalie saves it we get an offensive zone faceoff.
Also shoutout to Dowd and Carlson who both took pucks to the mush and didn’t miss a shift unlike those soft NBA players (sick league). They even showed Carly on the broadcast getting super glue put into his cut to stop the bleeding. (I’ve been there that shit does not feel good)
After the first Caps powerplay it was non-existent the rest of the game and just can’t happen if you are known for your powerplay skill and want to win a playoff series.
Also it is very clear how much this team needs Tom Wilson and I have yet to see and positive movement or rumblings on if he plans to come back this series or this playoffs and if he doesn’t someone needs to step up plain and simple.
Game 5 is back in the cesspool that is Florida on Wednesday night!
The Morning Skate 