I'm the opposite, but honestly, don't much really give a shit. Not like the Caps are the Patriots.

I want to see the Caps lose. Not because I have any tremendous hatred for them, except headhunter Tom Wilson. But I really don't want give up the White Russian without a cup joke. Hey bartender...get me an Ovechkin.

Me too. It's mostly the team/ coach attitude and I dislike ovechkin as a person. Appreciate his talent, but I think he's an asshole hit with an ugly stick.

How about that, Tampa scores first. That PK seemed to awaken them a bit.

I've always wondered, if they could have it back again, would they still have picked Captain Caveman first overall?

Man Kempney is such a cheap prick. Fucking bush league shithead hockey player right there. Dumbass Caps.

Roenick has been ripping us all night and it is totally deserved, though Vasilevsky has been way sturdier. Way to let a beaten foe right back into a series.

So much stick work in this game-- at least 80% of it was Caps. Not a good strategy when you're up 2 games to none. I know history says the Caps have about an 85% chance of winning the series, but impossible to rule it out after tonight. Game 4 is giant.

Replaying scoring plays from last night....is there any goalie that has an answer for high glove?

be great to see the caps choke this series away..their fans were really believing this their year..maybe tampa has their number now.. holtby returns to normal...
amazing the road records in this years eastern conference playoffs.. west too for that matter.
..home ice advantage is a disadvantage.

No goalie on earth is stopping that Stamkos goal. That shot was absolutely perfect.

Yup- impossible to stop. The best way to stop it is to not let it get to him...way easier said than done

Point is though, with all the criticism of Murray giving up High Glove....isn't just about every goalie vulnerable there.

Absolutely, which is something I tried to convey a few times, particularly in the latter games.

That said, Murray's glove hand is still pretty bad. He's just not quite as culpable for as many goals that have gone in that way as many think.

And honestly, what bothers me even more than the ones that do go in, is how many of hit his glove and bounce right back out. You'll certainly see other goalies letting in glove hand goals. But you won't see too many of them letting anywhere near as many pucks out of their gloves once it hits it. That's just as troubling as the ones he lets, in to me.

I follow a goalie instructor on FB and he says the puck bouncing in and out of the glove is a trend he is seeing and it drives him up the wall.

Says players will use the excuse: it's a new glove, it isn't broken in yet

His response: then break that vital piece of equipment in. Run it over with a goddam car!

I play on the same inline team as my cousin, who is our goalie. He couldn't make a game a little while ago, so I offered to pick up his pads and fill in. At that time, his glove was a craigslist purchase that, unknown to him at the time of the purchase, was a goalie's practice glove. Practice gloves have extra padding in the palm to help alleviate the pounding of taking constant shots throughout a practice, and also make it harder to close the glove to build some extra hand strength.

Let me tell you, I didn't catch a single goddam puck that game. It was awful. It might have been the most helpless feeling I've had in my athletic "career". Shot after shot would hit my glove and bounce right back out.

And I watch Murray, and it's like he's using his practice glove for games. He just never seems to get it closed in time. It's seriously a 50/50 proposition if he's going to hold onto a puck on a moderately hard shot. I've watched a good bit of other games this year, and I'd agree it is becoming a bit more common in the league (I'm guessing because guys are shooting harder these day? I dunno), but I haven't seen anyone struggle with it as much as Murray does.

It's crazy, to me.

Speaking of goalies, how good was MAF last night? My word. Dude is playing out of his mind right now. Good for him.

I just saw the 3rd period, and he was freakin' amazing!!

I'm ALMOST rooting for a Washington-Vegas final, just so Fleury can break those fuckers' hearts again!!

Okay, I'm ALMOST on board with that, too, Swiss; though getting past the Pens (finally) only to collapse in the very next round would be so epically and poetically Crapitals of them that it's hard not to root for.

I think it is a common trait in many goalies today. I believe there is less "tracking" because the fundamentals of the game are more about using your size to block the puck. Back in the day goalies used to be one of the smallest guys on the team. Now you probably won't be drafted if you aren't at least 6'2.

Think of it like hitting a baseball. MLB batters have tremendous hand-eye coordination. Now give that same hitter a bat that is double the surface area. He doesn't need to be as precise with his bat placement since he's got so much wiggle room if he doesn't hit it like he was before the new bat. So he probably doesn't focus on hitting it, moreso just getting that bat in the general area he used to and he'll make contact.

Now the generations growing up are the same way: they want to "block" the puck, the other parts of their game (namely catching) are declining.

I'm not throwing murray under the bus but I really feel if pens had maf in goal these playoffs pens are still playing.. now I know murrays been better last couple years and brilliant at times in playoffs.. but for what ever reason maf better this year then murray.. go knights..go ning!!

id love to see maf raise the cup this year..dude been a class act and fine teammate..

IDK,
I think Fleury would have wilted under all the odd man breaks the Pens gave up in the playoffs.
That said, I would have no problem watching Flower lift the cup again. Ditto for Kunitz.

The Lightning PP is sick.

Tampa is playing pretty badly but up 3-2 only because of Vasilevsky.

Ah yes...Caps snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. This is all too familiar....

Fuck the fucking caps.