Breaking it all Down

by Ryan



Let's look at the opposition left to tackle:

Washington
Carolina (x2)
New York Rangers
Pittsburgh
Toronto (x3)
Tampa Bay
Ottawa (x2)
Montreal (x2)
Boston (x2)

Out of those nine teams, only two of them (Tampa and Toronto) are no longer in the playoff race. That sounds like quite a stretch to me. Considering that they must obtain another 19 points to "make" Mirtle's 92 points playoff benchmark, the final games will certianly be a struggle.

The Sabres next major struggle happens tonight against Washington. Hrm... what's there to mention about the Caps? Well, mostly this guy:



What more can you say about Alex Ovechkin at this point? 52 goals, a hat trick Monday against Boston, and an absolute joy to watch play the game. I know I'm supposed to hate him for that whole Briere hit thing last year but Danny got his spear(s) in and I just can't make myself boo Ovie for that anymore. You guys can do what you want, but at least take the time to enjoy just how good he really is.

His goal celebrations, his enthusiasm, toughness, it's something you'd love to have in a guy on your team. Because he is not, I'll be absolutely terrified every time he is on the ice. The best game I've seen all year was when he squared off against Malkin on Versus a few months back. The NHL would collectively give it's left testicle to somehow get the Caps into the playoffs to show that talent off. Could you imagine the intensity of a (1)Pens/(8)Caps series?

Taking a look up at the standings above they are certianly in a position to make that happen, just four points back of Philly. They took a hit on Saturday night by losing to Toronto but came out flying and destroyed Boston 10-2 on Monday. That win helped us but could make for a rough start to tonight if the Caps come out flying and the Sabres start flat after last night.

Tallinder will not play, meaning Kalinin and MacArthur are back in tonight. Let's hope Clarke thought he was recalled and plays like a fresh spring chicken. Also, could someone please show Dimitri his contract and mention that it expires in June? As a general rule players perform better when they know their paycheck is on the line, but Kalinin is playing like he wants league minimum next fall.

One final note, a big screw you to Nicklas Backstrom. After a slow start he has picked it up down the stretch and just recently took the rookie points lead with 56. Of course, all this is after I dropped him from my fantasy team and soemone else picked him up as an IR replacement. Thanks for being there for me, Nick. The good news is that I did pick him as my ROY, so I'm at least half right.

Slugs vs. Evil "W" Birds
7:30 from HSBC Arena

Last home game of the year for me. Let's hope I won't be quoting sad songs tonight...