R1G4   Rangers lead 3-0
April 28 vs Rangers at Capital One Arena
Time: 8:00
TV: Monumental Sports, TBS
Radio: 106.7 FM, Capitals Radio 24/7

Washington Capitals(WC2) 40-31-11
New York Rangers(M1) 55-23-4

Caps anticipated lines:
Ovechkin(C) 8 - Lapierre 29 - Milano 15
Protas 21 - Strome 17 - Wilson 43
Pacioretty 67 - McMichael 24 - Oshie(A) 77
Malenstyn 47 - Dowd 26 - Aubé-Kubel 96

Fehervary 42 - Carlson(A) 74
Sandin 38 - Jensen 3
Alexeyev 27 - McIlrath 52

Lindgren 79

PP1: Ovechkin, Oshie, Strome, Lapierre, Carlson
PP2: Ovechkin, Wilson, Pacioretty, McMichael, Sandin

scratched:
Kuemper 35 - backup
Sgarbossa 23
Miroshnichenko 63
Häman Aktell 4
Johansen 46
Iorio 2 - upper body

LTIR:
Backstrom 19 - hip - season
Bear 25 - player assistance - indefinite

Rangers anticipated lines:
Kreider 20 - Zibanejad 93 - Roslovic 96
Panarin 10 - Trochek 16 - Lafrenière 13
Cuylle 50 - Wennberg 91 - Kakko 24
Vesey 26 - Goodrow 21 - Rempe 73

Lindgren 55 - Fox 23
Miller 79 - Schneider 4
Gustafsson 56 - Trouba 8

Shesterkin 31
Quick 32 - backup

tonight’s zebras:
Kyle Rehman 10, Steve Kozari 40
Scott Cherrey 50, Libor Suchanek 60

https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/caps-seek-to-extend-season-in-game-4

scoring summary
1st period:
Kakko unassisted at :57
Fehervary from Protas and Strome at 14:54
Trochek PPG from Zibanejad and Panarin at 19:44
2nd period:
Lapierre from Alexeyev at 7:48
3rd period:
Panarin PPG from Zibanejad and Fox at 3:21
Roslovic PPG ENG from Lafrenière and Trouba at 19:09

Caps lose 4-2

It's like the old saying: "You want it done fast, cheap or right. Pick 2." That applies to most everything, including rebuilding a team.

So Ovi's season has been interesting and somewhat misleading. I would say the first half showed a substantial decline in his physical condition and his goal output was lousy - but not undeserved. He then got hot, but it wasn't the old Ovi with a lot of energy and decent skating. He got some bounces and empty net goals  - enough so, that it reignited the talk/hope of him passing Gretzky.   Then we have the end of the year and the playoffs and Ovi has looked like an old man with zero energy.


I don't think he passes Gretzky unless he plays 3 more years and they keep trotting him out there just for the record and hope he gets enough empty netters to get it done. It could be a sad/embarrassing scenario.


He should quit before that happens and if so, he should still be viewed as the greatest goal scorer ever - when you factor in the differences between when he played vs when Gretzky played.

Yep.  Fans just need to face the fact that the team is dreadful and is likely to remain so for a long time.  You watch the other playoff games and see the speed and skill and immediately realize how bad they really are.

Yes - take a look at the Winnipeg-Colorado games for instance.  The pace of those games have been amazing. Pretty much every other series has been played at a much fast pace with much more skill.  The Rags look good compared to the Caps, but they are no where close to 5 or 6 other teams.  I will enjoy watching them lose the next series.

Oof.  Not that we expected differently, but this hasn't been fun to watch.  As soon as Rags tied it within a minute of JC's goal, I knew it was over, and that SHG just took any hope anyone had left.

Caps just don't have it.  They spent everything they had in the tank just to get here, and it wasn't like they were "peaking" at the right time...it was just everything they had. 
You have a mediocre team, playing above its talent level to get here, all its stars are aged, AND has 2 starting D out of the lineup (that was barely average to begin with), AND you're facing the best team in the league this year which just happens to be firing on all cylinders, AND you throw in terrible officiating, AND the bounces all go against you, and it adds up to lopsided hockey.  Sucks to be on this side of it, but that's where this team is.
I'm not knocking our team or their effort...they just don't have enough to compete.   

It's over.  The Caps won't win game 4.  Get the brooms out.

Yep.  Fans just need to face the fact that the team is dreadful and is likely to remain so for a long time.  You watch the other playoff games and see the speed and skill and immediately realize how bad they really are.