There are certain rites of spring we all experience, and they are usually like clockwork.
? That first warm afternoon after months of chilly weather, the sun shining on our faces, the sidewalks finally clear of mountains of dirty snow.
? Your eyes, throat and nose experience a week or two of painful itching as you are bathed in a thin layer of pollen and ragweed, your allergies making you long for mountains of dirty snow.
? The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals squaring off in a Game 7 during the playoffs.
For the third time in four years (OK, so it doesn't happen every spring), the Capitals and Rangers are playing in Game 7 on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. The Capitals had two chances to close out this series after taking a 3-1 lead but lost Game 5 in overtime and Game 6 after nearly rallying from down three goals in the third period.
The Rangers won Game 7 at home during the second round in 2012 and won Game 7 in Washington during the first round in 2013. Will 2015 be any different? Will the Caps send the Rangers home in an elimination game?
Who knows? But here are some plot lines worth watching if you're into that sort of thing.
Washington Capitals Storylines
Will Alex Ovechkin back up his words after Game 6?
Yeah, yeah. We have to talk about this. Whether you're in the "What else would he say?" camp or the "He should keep his mouth shut" camp, it's a thing he said, and it wasn't about sticking with the process or getting pucks deep, so let's pay it the attention it deserves.
The Capitals have never been to the conference finals with Ovechkin on the roster. They've lost in Game 7 to the Rangers in 2012 and 2013 and have failed to close out a series against the Rangers in their past five chances. So it would be understandable for the Capitals, who have 12 players on the roster from the 2012 loss, to lack confidence.
So whether it's calculated or not, it's a sign the Capitals aren't going into this game the way they have in the past. They've been run over at the start of all six games in the series, so we should know rather quickly how the Capitals will respond to the situation and their captain's words.
Will Braden Holtby bounce back?
Holtby had been the best goaltender in the playoffs before allowing four goals on 28 shots in Game 6. He had allowed more than two goals in a game just twice, but those two games were precursors to tremendous responses from Holtby.
After allowing three goals in Game 1 against the Islanders (and missing Game 2 with illness), he turned aside 40 of 42 shots in a Game 3 overtime loss; after giving up three goals against the Rangers in Game 2, he stopped 30 shots in a 1-0 victory in Game 3.
Holtby allowed five goals to the Rangers in a Game 7 loss in 2013 and was outdueled by Lundqvist in a 2-1 loss in Game 7 in 2012. How he plays Wednesday can either announce his emergence as one of the game's best goaltenders, or he will become a footnote in another Rangers series victory.
New York Rangers Storylines
Can the Rangers win another Game 7?
The Rangers have won five straight Game 7s; the NHL record is six, a mark held by the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins. There's one difference between these three teams in this regard.
The Red Wings won their six straight between 1949 and 1964; the Bruins won their six in a row between 1983 and 1994.
The Rangers are 5-0 since 2012. All this team does is play Game 7s.
Two of those Game 7 wins have come against the Capitals, and seven current Rangers were part of the 2012 team that began this streak.
Will the penalty kill remain flawless (since Game 1)?
Ovechkin scored one of the best goals of the playoffs in Game 1, cutting it front of Rangers defenseman Dan Boyle before snapping a shot from the top of the faceoff circle that beat Henrik Lundqvist to the stick side.
It was a power-play goal, the only one the Capitals have scored in this series.
The Rangers have killed 11 straight power plays.
Sure, there's probably something incredibly wrong with officiating if a team has only received 12 power plays in seven games, but the Caps have looked awful on the man advantage in this series. If they have possession in the attacking zone, the Rangers aren't letting them tee up Ovechkin for a one-timer, and it's as though the Capitals don't have a plan B.
If the Capitals need to gain the zone, it's become a nearly impossible feat, as the Rangers are either forcing turnovers or dump-ins that they are retrieving before the Capitals.
This series has been low-scoring and nearly dead even on the scoreboard. If the Rangers can keep the Capitals' dangerous power play off the board, they should find themselves in the conference finals.
? That first warm afternoon after months of chilly weather, the sun shining on our faces, the sidewalks finally clear of mountains of dirty snow.
? Your eyes, throat and nose experience a week or two of painful itching as you are bathed in a thin layer of pollen and ragweed, your allergies making you long for mountains of dirty snow.
? The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals squaring off in a Game 7 during the playoffs.
For the third time in four years (OK, so it doesn't happen every spring), the Capitals and Rangers are playing in Game 7 on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. The Capitals had two chances to close out this series after taking a 3-1 lead but lost Game 5 in overtime and Game 6 after nearly rallying from down three goals in the third period.
The Rangers won Game 7 at home during the second round in 2012 and won Game 7 in Washington during the first round in 2013. Will 2015 be any different? Will the Caps send the Rangers home in an elimination game?
Who knows? But here are some plot lines worth watching if you're into that sort of thing.
Washington Capitals Storylines
Will Alex Ovechkin back up his words after Game 6?
Yeah, yeah. We have to talk about this. Whether you're in the "What else would he say?" camp or the "He should keep his mouth shut" camp, it's a thing he said, and it wasn't about sticking with the process or getting pucks deep, so let's pay it the attention it deserves.
The Capitals have never been to the conference finals with Ovechkin on the roster. They've lost in Game 7 to the Rangers in 2012 and 2013 and have failed to close out a series against the Rangers in their past five chances. So it would be understandable for the Capitals, who have 12 players on the roster from the 2012 loss, to lack confidence.
So whether it's calculated or not, it's a sign the Capitals aren't going into this game the way they have in the past. They've been run over at the start of all six games in the series, so we should know rather quickly how the Capitals will respond to the situation and their captain's words.
Will Braden Holtby bounce back?
Holtby had been the best goaltender in the playoffs before allowing four goals on 28 shots in Game 6. He had allowed more than two goals in a game just twice, but those two games were precursors to tremendous responses from Holtby.
After allowing three goals in Game 1 against the Islanders (and missing Game 2 with illness), he turned aside 40 of 42 shots in a Game 3 overtime loss; after giving up three goals against the Rangers in Game 2, he stopped 30 shots in a 1-0 victory in Game 3.
Holtby allowed five goals to the Rangers in a Game 7 loss in 2013 and was outdueled by Lundqvist in a 2-1 loss in Game 7 in 2012. How he plays Wednesday can either announce his emergence as one of the game's best goaltenders, or he will become a footnote in another Rangers series victory.
New York Rangers Storylines
Can the Rangers win another Game 7?
The Rangers have won five straight Game 7s; the NHL record is six, a mark held by the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins. There's one difference between these three teams in this regard.
The Red Wings won their six straight between 1949 and 1964; the Bruins won their six in a row between 1983 and 1994.
The Rangers are 5-0 since 2012. All this team does is play Game 7s.
Two of those Game 7 wins have come against the Capitals, and seven current Rangers were part of the 2012 team that began this streak.
Will the penalty kill remain flawless (since Game 1)?
Ovechkin scored one of the best goals of the playoffs in Game 1, cutting it front of Rangers defenseman Dan Boyle before snapping a shot from the top of the faceoff circle that beat Henrik Lundqvist to the stick side.
It was a power-play goal, the only one the Capitals have scored in this series.
The Rangers have killed 11 straight power plays.
Sure, there's probably something incredibly wrong with officiating if a team has only received 12 power plays in seven games, but the Caps have looked awful on the man advantage in this series. If they have possession in the attacking zone, the Rangers aren't letting them tee up Ovechkin for a one-timer, and it's as though the Capitals don't have a plan B.
If the Capitals need to gain the zone, it's become a nearly impossible feat, as the Rangers are either forcing turnovers or dump-ins that they are retrieving before the Capitals.
This series has been low-scoring and nearly dead even on the scoreboard. If the Rangers can keep the Capitals' dangerous power play off the board, they should find themselves in the conference finals.
