The Fifth Liners

The Washington Capitals should no signs of fading in the absence of star player Alexander Ovechkin last night as they hammered the Philadelphia Flyers 7-0 at the Wells Fargo Center! Things almost got off the wrong start for the visiting capitals when Steve Downie, who was making his debut after arriving from the Colorado Avalanche in mid week, almost beat Capitals goalie Braden Holtby in the opening seconds! But Niklas Backstrom got the party started when after he rifled a shot past Steve Mason after 17.28 to put the away side in front! But it was in the second period that the Capitals should their offensive capabilities and a five goal flurry would soon follow- Joel Ward pushed the advantage to 2-0 after less than 1.24 of the second before Jim Chimera made it three on a breakaway! After Steve Mason's poor display, he was pulled from net shortly after the third goal and replaced by back up Ray Emery. Sadly Emery would fare just as worse when Backstrom grabbed his second off...

New York Rangers have levelled their series against Washington Capitals after a 4- 3 win at Madison Square Garden last night! This series is one that is growning increasingly interesting and is set for a grand finale! Brad Richards scored his first of the series late in the first period and Carl Hagelin increased the Rangers advantage to 2-0 midway through the second. But then the Capitals rallied through Mathieu Perrault who cut the lead to one- then 17 seconds before the buzzer, Troy Brouwer scored to bring us a tie game! Any nerves the Rangers fans may have had of their team folding under pressure were put to bed 59 seconds into the third period as Dan Girardi scored on a powerplay to put New York in front and seven minutes later Derek Stepan restored their original two goal advantage! But soon after a long range effort from Karl Alzner beat Lundqvist to ensure a tight finish was in store. But the Rangers held on to tie the series at 2-2! Which way will this series go? The an...

Washington Capitals are currently top of the Southwest Division, from Mike's previous post about this seemingly mundane division, we have learned it is one that is far from excitement. But this team does boast an impressive roster and based on their 6-5 win over Tampa Bay Lightning- we have learned that this team has plenty of fight in them and this is what counts come playoff time! Led by notorious Captain Alexander Ovechkin- the Caps have been a regular feature in the Eastern Conference playoffs over the last four years and this year their forward line has clocked up some impressive stats- Centre Nicklas Backstrom currently sits on 44 points while Mike Ribeiro has contributed 41 points and along with wingers Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer- we have some offensive lines crying out for progress! Former NHL player Adam Oates was installed as Head Coach earlier this season and so far the results seems to be paying off and with a true star in Ovechkin leading the way, we could well see...