PITTSBURGH VS WASHINGTON
VERIZON CENTER – WASHINGTON, DC
7:30 PM EST. NBCSN
SERIES TIED 0-0
Hello darkness my old friend.
We all saw this coming right? From October on, as the Pens and Capitals made it clear they were the two best teams in the East (if not the NHL) the world’s dumbest playoff format made it all but certain they would meet again in round 2. This will be the 10th time these two franchises have met in the playoffs. You know the rest.
The Washington Capitals once again secured the best record in the NHL regular season. The hockey-math-guys are leading the annual this is their year charge. Murray is dead I think. Kris Letang is in Mario’s box looking like he’s trying to commit insurance fraud with that neck brace. There will be no structural or schematic surprises. TJ Oshie is playing like all those pills he buys from Alex Jones are actually working.
There’s levels to it though. History. If the Caps are to finally climb the mountain top, they have to erase 10+ years of disappointment. Disappointment from last year and all the wasted chances from years before. People say the past doesn’t matter, that the teams are different, and they are. But this isn’t a Pens team that doesn’t know what’s been set in front of them. There’s legacies to be cemented, many more overtimes to ride through, and moments we won’t forget that just haven’t happened yet.
Pens-Caps is why we watch hockey.
LINES: Shakeup coming with Sheary and Hornqvist trading places on the 1st and 3rd lines. Kunitz and Rooweedle (who probably wouldn’t slot in anyways) are both game time decisions with 14 seeming more and more likely to play. Hagelin is back skating, but in a non-contact jersey. Karl Alzner is close to being ready to come back for the Caps so let’s hope twinkle toes Barry is dumb enough to play him.
(UPDATE: Alzner is out. Hagelin is on the ice in a normal practice jersey so who tf knows)
Pittsburgh:
Guentzel-Crosby-Hornqvist
Rust-Malkin-Kessel
Wilson-Bonino-Sheary
Kunitz/Rowney-Cullen-Kuhnhackl
Dumoulin-Hainsey
Cole-Schultz
Maatta-Daley
Fleury-Jarry
Washington:
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Oshie
Johansson-Kuznetsov-Williams
Burakovsky-Eller-Wilson
Winnik-Beagle-Connolly
Schmidt-Carlson
Orlov-Niskanen
Orpik-Shattenkirk
Holtby-Grubauer
I was sitting on my couch Sunday night watching Silicon Valley and it kind of dawned on me. The Caps are Richard Hendricks.
Now here me out on this…
Hendricks is an undeniably talented, genius even, within his field. He’s always the best at what he does in any given room – no one can match him. He’s so immensely gifted that he should very easily make millions, navigate and crush his competitors, and live happily ever after.
Problem is he always find a way to fuck it up. Like, spectacularly fuck it up. The only difference between Hendricks and the Caps is that I’m sure at some point the writers of the show will have to let him win something so as not to alienate its viewership.
You should watch this show it’s good.
Alright, no more stalling. This is actually going to happen – again. There’s only one way to say it.
GO PENS
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