UCMnumber8

Pastrňák with Fenway Park-themed sticks and skates for the Winter Classic today. Scoreboard on the stick was a nice touch.

http://www.hockeyworldblog.com/2020/03/31/tour-volt-kv2-roller-hockey-skates/ Curious to see them launch a new skate line with a hi-lo setup vs the straight chassis they've had on most skates recently. Anybody know if there are more skates coming in this line or not? So far the models out are the KV2 and KV4. I'd like to see them come out with a model in a white colorway, like they did with the Code 3.one during the last launch.

Last night's game was uh... Not good. Kind of worries me that all the extra hockey and drunken debauchery with the Cup over the summer left the Caps worn out going into it this year. But, just because they laid a turd in game 3 doesn't mean they're out yet. Also, hello, 911? Yes, I'd like to report a murder. I don't like that last punch landed as Svechnikov was going down to the ice at all; it was clearly over, and that's how you earn yourself yet another suspension, Ovi. Yet, there's an old adage for Svechnikov about poking the bear in the butt to begin with: you play stupid games, you'll win stupid prizes. Hope the kid's alright, though. Surely the Caps can rebound from this, but it's not last year's team by any stretch.

Pastrnak's custom designed stick for the Winter Classic. A lot of interesting details and touches put into this.

https://www.nhl.com/news/erik-karlsson-suspended-two-games-for-illegal-check/c-303226462 Erik Karlsson gets two games for an illegal head check against the Kings.

Bruins and Blackhawks Winter Classic jerseys. Interesting that the crests on both jerseys are a felt-like material

If enough orders could be amassed to get BASE to copy this, I'd be interested in getting an SS10 with the Crazy Ovi pattern. Speaking of the SS10, are there any plans to release this in other sizes (intermediate, junior pro, etc.,) or is it just going to be senior only?

He's not even a hockey player at this point, he's a goon. NHL Rule 48, §6, ¶2: Tom Wilson is to do any and all deliberate idiotic actions to harm others and his own career. He'll be lucky if he walks with around 5 games, probably close to 10 given how many times he's pulled this stunt before.

I have no idea what to expect. I've never seen the Capitals get this far in my life, so I guess I'll just sit back, not give unwarranted opinions and/or hot takes about either team, and enjoy the Finals.

Any bets as to a player on either side getting their head snapped up and back like a Pez dispenser? This has been one very chippy series, and last night proved that going forward it'll be just as bad, if not worse than the first two games going forward. One has to wonder, are the refs going to keep letting them go within reason, or will this turn into a case of "you so much as look at the other guy wrong and you're going?"

Gotta agree with you there, but I'll even spot Tampa a game and have them taking it in 5. They're bigger, faster, and have better depth across the board; I think Washington can't hang with their stuff, not even if you squint hard at what's on paper and make some alternative numbers. Not to mention Tampa has a nice chunk of ex-NYR players, and most Caps fans remember how much the Rangers gave the business to Ovechkin and Co. in the playoffs in years past.

Holy non-second round exit, Batman! The Capitals actually did it!

I would anticipate at least a game, given his history of borderline/dirty hits, not to mention the public outcry of Pittsburgh and everyone else calling for the DoPS and his head on a pike. He has a hearing today regarding the hit, so we'll see what they level against him. He's gonna cost the Capitals a shot at this series making bonehead moves like that. Sure, you can say he has put up relatively decent numbers, and his physicality has been felt through both rounds so far. I understand making a legal, hard hit, since the playoffs are harder, and every game needs to be played like it's elimination time. You go balls to the wall, but still retain some discipline and be level-headed. Going out and being Matt Cooke 2.0, gooning it up and laughing after you destroy an opposing player while he lies on the ice with a concussion and broken jaw isn't going to win games nor any love from the other side, re: first round against the Islanders in 2015. I want to like Tom Wilson, I really do. I want to believe and hope he could be an asset to this team, but he's been a liability more than anything. From an accounting standpoint, while assets plus liabilities will always equal owner's equity, liabilities still detract from and hurt the bottom line.

I see this going to six games, maybe fewer if the Pens get Malkin and Hagelin back. Sure, Washington looked promising by jumping out to a 2-goal lead last night, but then let 3 unanswered in a 5 minute span. It's classic Caps hockey: get momentum going by good offensive play and early leads, let off the gas once they feel comfortable, and then turtle like they have in years past. It also goes without question that Trotz needs to adapt or fail, as the conservative style of coaching isn't going to cut it as it would have before. This isn't the Western Conference circa late 90s/early 2000s; the game has come a long way in almost 20 years. While I expect the veterans to step up and set a tone based on the fact they've been here before, you can't rely on a small core to carry everyone else as dead weight. Sitting the younger guys and rookies due to gut feeling and lack of experience won't help them. How will they know what to do down the road when they can't even get a crack at a chance to prove themselves right now, when it matters most? Put trust into your younger guys, because Ovechkin, Backstrom et al. aren't getting any younger, and like I said, sitting younger players will only hurt them later on. Do I have hope that the Capitals could make this a good series, and maybe even pull off an upset? Yes. As a fan, that's what you do: be optimistic. But, there's also the old saying about hope in one hand, something involving a bodily function in the other, and seeing which one fills up faster. Hope doesn't win games, series, or even the Cup. We'll just have to see how the next games play out, and while I do have a glimmer of faith that this could maybe be it, I just don't see this going the way of the Capitals.

I've braced myself for the inevitable but not surprising at all loss in Game 6, or sooner the way the Pens are playing right now..