Junior's Reading And Viewing List: April 19 - 21, 2010

Last Update - April 29, 2010 at 3:34 AM EDT

Some of the most interesting bits of what I was following in the first half of this past week can be found in this 'Reading And Viewing List' for April 19 through April 21, 2010.


April 21, 2010

Postgame Notebook: Capitals 6, Canadiens 3
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

Price Check – Montreal netminder Jaroslav Halak stopped 54 of the first 57 shots he faced in this series, but was dented for eight goals on the next 40 shots sent his way. Carey Price stopped 21 of 23 shots in a Game 3 relief effort, but he was racked for four goals on 36 shots in Wednesday’s Game 4, a 6-3 Washington win.

With the Caps now holding a commanding 3-1 lead in the series and Game 5 set for Friday night in Washington, Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin is now faced with the dilemma of which goalie to go with in a must-win game, Halak (4.07 GAA and .887 save pct. in the series) or Price (4.00 GAA and .898 save pct.)...

Caps Make Shorthanded Statement
By Joe Beninati - Washington Capitals Play-by-Play
at Comcast SportsNet - Washington, DC

It's hard to imagine a more critical shorthanded goal than the one Boyd Gordon and Mike Knuble collaborated on in tonight's game.

Bell Center in Montreal was its usual 22,000 person mad house. And with four minutes to go in the second period the fans were insane...

Washington Capitals at Montreal Canadiens
EC Quarterfinal Game 4 Highlights
Posted at Comcast SportsNet - Washington, DC

Right click on video to choose full screen option.

Jason Chimera And Mike Knuble After EC Quarterfinal
Game 4 Win At Montreal Canadiens
Posted on Caps365 at WashingtonCaps.com

Coach Bruce Boudreau After EC Quarterfinal Game 4 Win
At Montreal Canadiens
Posted on Caps365 at WashingtonCaps.com

Alex Ovechkin After EC Quarterfinal Game 4 Win
At Montreal Canadiens
Posted on Caps365 at WashingtonCaps.com

Washington Capitals at Montreal Canadiens
EC Quarterfinal Game 4 Game Analysis
By Joe Beninati And Craig Laughlin
at Comcast SportsNet - Washington, DC

Right click on video to choose full screen option.

Goalie coach on Varlamov: 'The sky is the limit'
By Tarik El-Bashir at Capitals Insider

Yesterday I caught up with goalie coach Arturs Irbe and talked to him for a few minutes about Semyon Varlamov, the Caps' Game 4 starter tonight. Irbe, who knows a thing or two about alternating with another goalie in a Stanley Cup run (with Kevin Weekes in 2002 with the 'Canes), had some illuminating comments about young Varlamov...

Habs Hope Price is Right
By Mike Vogel at Dump 'N Chase

It goes without saying that tonight’s Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Series between the Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens is an important one for both teams, but the importance is far greater for the Habs.

Montreal forward Michael Cammalleri told reporters before Game 3 that all the pressure was on the Capitals heading into that contest. The Caps responded with a convincing 5-1 win, and Cammalleri and his linemates finished the game at minus-4...

Jack Bruce Announces Intimate Q&A Session
By mdome at Classic Rock

Jack Bruce is holding a Q&A session in central London on April 28 – to raise funds for the release of a live album.

This is to be an exclusive affair, restricted to a maximum of just 40 people, each paying £100. For that you’ll also get an acoustic performance, an exclusive T-shirt and a signed copy of Bruce’s upcoming official biography, Jack Bruce: Composing Himself...

Caps Look For Third Straight vs. Habs
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

Match-Up
Just a few days ago, the Capitals were less than two minutes from falling into an 0-2 hole in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Series with the Montreal Canadiens. But after staging a thrilling comeback in Game 2 and hammering the Habs 5-1 in Monday’s Game 3, the Capitals have regained home ice advantage and now seek to put a chokehold on the set with a win in Game 4 on Wednesday.

Caps coach Bruce Boudreau made a pair of wise personnel moves that paid instant dividends in Monday’s Game 3 rout. Boudreau tabbed goaltender Semyon Varlamov for his first starting assignment of the series and he also re-inserted checking center Boyd Gordon into the lineup after scratching him in Game 2...


April 20, 2010

Caps Get Physical
By Mike Vogel at Dump 'N Chase

One of the underlying areas of this opening round series in which Washington has established a decided advantage over Montreal is the physical game. The Capitals are a bigger team than the Habs on paper, but that advantage only becomes an advantage if Washington takes the body on the ice. The Caps have been doing exactly that, outhitting the Habs 87-59 in the first three games...

Caps practice update: power play the focus
By Tarik El-Bashir at Capitals Insider

A quick update before I start writing my story for the paper:

*Coach Bruce Boudreau sounded hopeful that both Shaone Morrisonn and Joe Corvo will be able to suit up tomorrow after skipping practice today with undisclosed ailments.

*Boudreau also spent the majority of practice working on the power play, which is 0 for 14 in these playoffs and a season-worst 0 for 21 dating back to the regular season...

Limited running will still help, says Block
Posted at WRC.com

Monster World Rally Team driver Ken Block says the experience he gained on Rally of Turkey will go a long way to helping him up his pace behind the wheel of his Ford Focus WRC, despite being forced to retire on both Friday and Saturday.

The 42-year-old Gymkhana driving video star is tackling a select programme of WRC rallies this season in preparation for a full assault on the series in 2011...

A Change of Fortune and Fate in the Crease
By pucksandbooks at On Frozen Blog

Well, who has the goaltender controversy now?

And, how’s that Caps’ defense look right about now?

For a team that was rather thoroughly maligned for its defensive play upon arriving in Montreal on Sunday, the Capitals in game 3 gave a doozie of a debunking of that slur. Did you notice how seldom Habs’ forwards were able to get off shots off of the rush and instead often peeled back looking for trailer help? That’s prima facie evidence of exceptional defender positioning but also deft stick defending of additional attack space...

In the heat of battle... respect
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

Last night at Bell Centre, some boos were heard during the playing of the American national anthem. It isn't something you ever appreciate hearing, even in a playoff series.

There were probably a few Caps fans thinking that when the series returns to Verizon Center on Friday, they will return the favor.

Don't...


April 19, 2010

Postgame Notebook: Capitals 5, Canadiens 1
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

Net Gain – Leading up to tonight’s Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Series, most of the burgeoning throng of media focused on Caps coach Bruce Boudreau’s decision to start rookie goaltender Semyon Varlamov instead of veteran Jose Theodore, who had started the first two games of the series.

It’s a safe bet that the media masses will be directing their netminding queries at the other head coach in this series heading up to Wednesday’s Game 4...

Caps Weather Storm
By Joe Beninati - Washington Capitals Play-by-Play
at Comcast SportsNet - Washington, DC

When we first met up with the team today, at the rink for the morning skate, the refrain from all the guys was the same: “Let’s get through the first 10 minutes, and then the rest of the first period, and we’ll be fine.” Well, they were true to their words.

Washington withstood an early onslaught from Montreal and did so with Semyon Varlamov making three really big saves in the opening eight minutes. That netminding kept the 21,000-plus Canadiens fans in their seats, and settled down any road jitters the Caps may have had. The old adage is “they weathered the storm.”...

Washington Capitals at Montreal Canadiens
EC Quarterfinal Game 3 Highlights
Posted at Comcast SportsNet - Washington, DC

Right click on video to choose full screen option.

Eric Fehr And Eric Belanger After EC Quarterfinal
Game 3 Win At Montreal Canadiens
Posted on Caps365 at WashingtonCaps.com

Coach Bruce Boudreau After EC Quarterfinal Game 3 Win
At Montreal Canadiens
Posted on Caps365 at WashingtonCaps.com

Alex Ovechkin After EC Quarterfinal Game 3 Win
At Montreal Canadiens
Posted on Caps365 at WashingtonCaps.com

Washington Capitals at Montreal Canadiens
EC Quarterfinal Game 3 Game Analysis
By Joe Beninati And Craig Laughlin
at Comcast SportsNet - Washington, DC

Right click on video to choose full screen option.

Happy Birthday Tony Martin!
By Joe Siegler at Black Sabbath Online

A lot of Black Sabbath sites/pages talk about the time with Ozzy Osbourne. Most of them talk about the Ronnie James Dio era, too. It's very few that talk about the Tony Martin era, let alone celebrate it. Not this place. I'm a fan of the Tony Martin era of the band. Despite a lot of "stick their head in the sand and go Ozzy or nothing" Black Sabbath fans, there's more to the band's legacy than that.

There's some fantastic music in these albums (5 studio, 1 live). While most of the albums are currently out of print, I've been told that eventually they will all be remastered and re-released, so the music will get heavily pushed here, as most of them are forgotten gems...

Samuel L. Jackson Says Nick Fury Will 'Kill Somebody'
In Marvel Movies
By Rick Marshall at MTV's Splash Page

While Samuel L. Jackson previously told us Nick Fury is unlikely to see action in "Iron Man 2," that doesn't mean the S.H.I.E.L.D. head honcho won't get his hands down dirty down the road in future Marvel movies like "The Avengers."

In fact, the actor told MTV News that his character will indeed be seeing some serious action in future installments of Marvel movies...

Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash To Release Anniversary Compilations
By mdome at Classic Rock

Uriah Heep and Wishbone Ash both celebrate their 40th anniversaries with double CD compilations, released by Universal on May 31.

Heep’s is titled On The Rebound – A Very ‘Eavy 40th Anniversary Collection. And on the same day, the band have their classic Live 1973 album reissued in an expanded format. This has a bonus CD with 12 previously unreleased US radio show edits.

The Wishbone Ash one is titled Sometime World – An MCA Travelogue. This is a double CD with 26 tracks, spanning the years 1970 to 1981...

Hirvonen stays positive about his title chances
Posted at WRC.com

Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen says that he is not disheartened by his third successive defeat at the hands of Sebastien Loeb, despite the fact that the Frenchman is nearly two wins clear of him in the title race.

Hirvonen was deprived of the chance to win by a puncture after he slid wide on the final day of the Rally of Turkey, and his eventual third place on the event meant that he has now slid to third behind Petter Solberg in the drivers’ rankings...

Solberg needs more funds to win again
Posted at WRC.com

Petter Solberg says his team’s frugal budget is holding him back from challenging for outright wins in the World Rally Championship.

The Norwegian, who was taking part in his 150th WRC event alongside co-driver Phil Mills, moved into second place in the drivers’ standings with his third-straight podium finish of the season on Rally of Turkey.

However, he said he is continually driving with car preservation firmly in mind due to his limited funds...

Series Shifts to Montreal for Game 3
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

Match-Up
Down three goals late in the second period of Saturday’s Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Series, the Caps were teetering on the precipice of falling into an 0-2 hole against the Habs with the series headed back to Montreal for Monday’s Game 3.

That’s when Nicklas Backstrom intervened.

Backstrom recorded the first hat trick of his NHL career – regular season or playoffs – to help lead the Caps to a wild, 6-5 comeback triumph over the Canadiens. Backstrom’s three goals came in a span of 22:08 and his third one was the game-winner at the 31-second mark of the extra session...

2010 F1 Chinese Grand Prix Review

Jenson Button after winning 2010 Chinese Grand Prix.
Photo by Clive Mason / Getty Images.

This 2010 Chinese Grand Prix Review post contains a list of title linked Formula1.com entries for followers of Formula One racing. The race was run in off and on rainy conditions in Shanghai, China last Sunday (April 18, 2010), but that didn't hamper the high profile driving drama one bit. In fact, it only led to much more.

Since I never got around to compiling a preview list, anyone who needs to see who the experts were picking to win before the race started should read the articles posted at Formula1.com in the days leading up to the event. Spoilers alert! Spoilers alert! Yeah, they were looking for Germany's Sebastian Vettel to win the race in his Red Bull Renault ... Again! After getting it wrong for the first two, they finally got it right in Malaysia, the third event of the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship Season.

But how did race number four end up? Check out the qualifying analysis through post race review items below, and see how McLaren - Mercedes' British driver Jenson Button became the winner. Even if you watched the race, you might learn a few previously undisclosed details.


Qualifying analysis - can anyone stop Red Bull?
Posted at Formula1.com on April 17, 2010

Red Bull dominated qualifying in Shanghai on Saturday, with Sebastian Vettel taking pole position ahead of team mate Mark Webber. Behind the Red Bull duo, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, Mercedes GP’s Nico Rosberg and McLaren’s Jenson Button made up the top five. We take a team-by-team look at how all the runners performed...

Race - Button and McLaren spring Shanghai surprise
Posted at Formula1.com on April 18, 2010

Jenson Button won a nail-biting Chinese Grand Prix for McLaren on Sunday afternoon, with team mate Lewis Hamilton chasing him home second after a race of many parts.

It began with light rain, a jump start by Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari and an incident in the first corner when Vitantonio Liuzzi spun his Force India into Kamui Kobayashi’s BMW Sauber and Sebastien Buemi’s Toro Rosso, bringing out the safety car...

Chinese Grand Prix - selected team & driver quotes
Posted at Formula1.com on April 18, 2010

Force India’s Vitantonio Liuzzi on his first lap spin, collision, and retirement; McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel on their pit-lane tussle; and Jenson Button on his second victory from the first four races for new team McLaren. All 24 drivers, and senior team personnel, report back on Sunday’s race...

FIA post-race press conference - China
Posted at Formula1.com on April 18, 2010

1st Jenson Button (McLaren), 1h46m42.163s; 2nd Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), 1h46m43.693s; 3rd Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), 1h46m51.647s.

Q: Jenson, what a race. Another great call for tyres at the start, a safety car re-start for you to control and then some heart-stopping moments in the final laps.
Jenson Button: I mean the safety car for clearing debris off the circuit was just... I had my heart in my mouth when that happened as I just did not know what was going to happen. We had built up such a good gap and then, unfortunately, everyone else caught up, so it made it very tricky. At the end of the race when we put the inters on, the new set, I felt really good. The car felt great and I wasn’t pushing the tyres too much. I could see I was pulling a gap...

Jenson Button Q&A: China win ‘very special’
Posted at Formula1.com on April 18, 2010

Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix saw a one-two victory, but not from the team that most had expected. For McLaren’s Jenson Button it was the second triumph of the season, making him the only driver so far to score a double win in 2010. For a man who some suggested was ‘the wrong’ champion last year, the satisfaction of proving those doubters wrong must be huge...

China analysis - McLaren throw down the gauntlet
Posted at Formula1.com on April 19, 2010

The Chinese Grand Prix went against the expectations of most, as McLaren turned the tables on Red Bull just when they needed to. We’ll never know whether Button and Hamilton would have threatened the podium had the changeable weather not intervened, but the Woking team - who now lead both championships - made all the right calls and their dominant one-two left front-row starters Vettel and Webber scratching their heads and wondering what might have been. We take a team-by-team look at how the Shanghai race played out...

Shanghai debrief with Renault's Eric Boullier
Posted at Formula1.com on April 19, 2010

Renault enjoyed a strong showing during the Chinese Grand Prix, with both of the French team’s drivers finishing in the points. Following Sunday's race in Shanghai, team principal Eric Boullier discusses how the weekend unfolded for team mates Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov...

Ferrari play down Alonso-Massa China duel
Posted at Formula1.com on April 20, 2010

Ferrari have moved to quell media reports of friction between their two drivers after Fernando Alonso’s opportunistic pass on Felipe Massa as the pair entered the pit lane during Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.

The move cost Massa a place and forced him to wait while his team mate’s car was serviced, dropping the Brazilian further down the order. Massa ultimately finished ninth to Alonso’s fourth, losing his lead in the drivers’ championship in the process, but after the race both men played down the incident...

Free Molly Hatchet Concert Today

American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, and lesser known bands, are performing today at a sales event for Old Glory Harley-Davidson in Laurel, MD. This is your chance to see them for free!

2010 WRC Rally Turkey Review

Sébastien Loeb (on right) claims 57th career World Rally Championship victory (with co-driver Daniel Elena on left) at Rally Turkey. Photo from RallyOfTurkey.org (Ralph Hardwick / Andre Lavadinho).

Based in Istanbul, Turkey, the 2010 Rally of Turkey took place this past weekend. The pre-rally shakedown was on Thursday - April 15th, and the three day rally itself happened Friday through Sunday - April 16 though April 18, 2010. It was the fourth rally in the FIA 2010 World Rally Championship Season, and as expected, it was a great event.

If you missed the preview for Rally Turkey, you might want to visit that post first. You'll find snippets with title links to several articles, published during and after the rally, below (in chronological order).

Any WRC items not specifically dealing with this rally, or the main WRC class of competition, may be included in Junior's Eyes' regular 'Reading And Viewing List' blog entries.


Rally of Turkey stage guides - Friday
Posted at WRC.com on April 15, 2010

After Thursday afternoon’s ceremonial start in Istanbul, the proper competitive action of Rally of Turkey kicks off on Friday with one of the longest road trips of the season.

Driving non-competitive liaison sections between Special Stages is one of the features that sets rallying apart from other forms of motorsport, but Friday’s opening day in Turkey is one of the most extreme examples. With 98km of timed stages and a marathon 333km of road sections, Friday’s liaison to stage ratio is one of the lowest of the year at just 27 per cent...

SS1: Petter Solberg takes an early lead
Posted at WRC.com on April 16, 2010

Citroen privateer Petter Solberg moved into an early lead of the Rally of Turkey after setting the fastest time through the event's opening stage.

After the 15.66km Darlik section, Solberg heads Ford driver Jari-Matti Latvala by a slender margin of 0.1sec. Citroen C4 driver Sebastien Loeb is third, 0.5sec behind Solberg...

SS2: Hirvonen into the lead
Posted at WRC.com on April 16, 2010

A fastest time from Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen on Friday's second stage moved him into the lead of the Rally of Turkey...

SS3: Ogier edges ahead
Posted at WRC.com on April 16, 2010

Citroen Junior Team driver Sebastien Ogier became the third leader of the Rally of Turkey in as many stages after setting the fastest time through the 13km Bozgoca section...

SS4: Ogier stays out front at Friday's midpoint
Posted at WRC.com on April 16, 2010

Citroen Junior Team driver Sebastien Ogier holds the lead in the Rally of Turkey after the opening morning of the competition.

The Frenchman was second quickest to Petter Solberg through the rough and rocky Halli stage (SS4) to complete Friday morning's loop of stages with an overall lead of 2.1sec...

Teams welcome stewards' bulletin
Posted at WRC.com on April 16, 2010

World Rally Championship manufacturer teams Ford and Citroen have welcomed a reminder that the use of tactics on this week’s Rally of Turkey will be investigated by the event stewards.

Six-time world champion Sebastien Loeb had led calls for a change to the regulations in time for the fourth round of the series, following the use of tactics on the previous round, the Jordan Rally...

Rally of Turkey midday wrap: Friday
Posted at WRC.com on April 16, 2010

The Citroen Junior Team’s Sebastien Ogier leads after a dramatic opening four stages of the Rally of Turkey, held in hot and dry weather close to Istanbul.

The first stage claimed two high-profile victims: the Monster World Rally Team Ford Focus RS WRC of Ken Block, who hit a tree stump, and the Stobart Focus of Henning Solberg - who retired with a broken steering arm...

Sébastien Ogier pours it on during Day 1 of Rally Turkey.
Photo from RallyOfTurkey.org (Ralph Hardwick / Andre Lavadinho).

SS5: Ogier edges ahead
Posted at WRC.com on April 16, 2010

Citroen Junior Team driver Sebastien Ogier extended his lead in Rally of Turkey by going fastest on the first of Friday's repeated stages...

After SS7: Top three hold steady
Posted at WRC.com on April 16, 2010

The Rally of Turkey top three of Sebastien Ogier, Dani Sordo and Mikko Hirvonen remained intact through SS5 and SS6, while the group of three drivers chasing them continued to shuffle positions...

SS8: Ogier leads with just the Superspecial to go today
Posted at WRC.com on April 16, 2010

With just the Istanbul Superspecial to go tonight, Sebastien Ogier holds the lead of the Rally of Turkey by a margin of 2.8 seconds...

Rally of Turkey day one wrap
Posted at WRC.com on April 16, 2010

With only tonight's Superspecial to go, Sebastien Ogier leads after the opening day of the Rally of Turkey, having claimed the lead from the third stage of the day.

Ogier reported no problems with his Citroen Junior Team C4 WRC, helped by an advantageous road position of fifth. Tomorrow, however, he has the dubious honour of running first and sweeping the road clean for his rivals...

SS9: No Superspecial shocks
Posted at WRC.com on April 16, 2010

The all-asphalt Superspecial in Istanbul brought no nasty surprises on Friday night, with all the leading crews completing it without a hitch.

Fastest around the tight and twisty head-to-head stage was Sebastien Loeb, who was four-tenths quicker than his nearest rival, rally leader Sebastien Ogier. Petter Solberg was third quickest to seal a Citroen one, two, three on the night-time stage...

Rally of Turkey stage guides - Saturday
Posted at WRC.com on April 16, 2010

Day two in Turkey starts at 0857hrs, when the first car leaves the overnight parc ferme in Pendik. Ahead lie 145.82 competitive kilometres arranged over eight timed special stages.

In the morning, crews will tackle a loop of four consecutive stages in the countryside north of the Service Park before heading back for a 30-minute midday service. In the afternoon crews will repeat the same loop before a 45-minute end of day service...

SS10: Jari-Matti Latvala crashes
Posted at WRC.com on April 17, 2010

Finn Jari-Matti Latvala crashed his Ford Focus RS WRC on Saturday's opening stage, the 18km Gocbeyli.

The BP Ford Abu Dhabi team driver began the day in sixth place but rolled his car after nudging a bank 1km from the start line on the asphalt part of the mixed surface stage...

SS11: Hirvonen on the attack
Posted at WRC.com on April 17, 2010

Ford team-leader Mikko Hirvonen set the fastest time through Saturday's second stage and moved ahead of Dani Sordo into second place overall...

SS12: Ogier responds
Posted at WRC.com on April 17, 2010

Sebastien Ogier extended his lead of the Rally of Turkey to 12.4sec on SS12, while the surface of the stage drew criticism from several drivers...

Petter Solberg churns up some gravel on Day 2 of Rally Turkey.
Photo from RallyOfTurkey.org (Ralph Hardwick / Andre Lavadinho).

SS13: Petter up to second
Posted at WRC.com on April 17, 2010

Citroen privateer Petter Solberg moved up to second place in the Rally of Turkey after setting the fastest time through Riva - the last of Saturday morning's loop of speed tests...

Rally of Turkey midday wrap: Saturday
Posted at WRC.com on April 17, 2010

Ten stages after he took the lead of the Rally of Turkey, Frenchman Sebastien Ogier remains out front at the end of a tough second morning on the Istanbul-based event.

Citroen Junior Team driver Ogier was fastest on one of the loop’s four tests, but he still managed to double his advantage (to 10 seconds) at the top of the table. Behind him, Petter Solberg’s Citroen C4 leap-frogged his way up the leaderboard having started the day fourth...

After SS15: Wheel change costs Ogier the lead
Posted at WRC.com on April 17, 2010

Citroen Junior Team driver Sebastien Ogier lost the lead of the Rally of Turkey on SS15 when he stopped during the stage to change a puncture...

SS16: Loeb extends his lead
Posted at WRC.com on April 17, 2010

The new leader of the Rally of Turkey, Sebastien Loeb, set the fastest time through the repeated Bozhane stage and almost doubled his advantage at the top of the leaderboard...

SS17: Loeb leads after day two in Turkey
Posted at WRC.com on April 17, 2010

Defending World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb was quickest through Saturday's last stage in Turkey and will carry an overnight rally lead of 16.2sec into Sunday's final day of the competition...

Rally of Turkey day two wrap
Posted at WRC.com on April 17, 2010

Citroen star Sebastien Loeb will take a 16.2 second lead into the final day of the Rally of Turkey, after Sebastien Ogier was deprived of the advantage that he had held since the third stage by a puncture.

Ogier ran first on the road today but still managed to maintain his position at the head of the field, despite sweeping the stages clean for his rivals. The 2008 Junior World Rally Champion’s impressive run suffered a major setback on SS15, when his tyre instantly deflated at 170kph, pitching the Frenchman off the road and damaging the front-left corner of his car...

Wilson: Latvala’s roll a “temporary blip”
Posted at WRC.com on April 17, 2010

Ford team boss Malcolm Wilson has backed Jari-Matti Latvala to recover from the roll that cost him a certain points’ finish on Rally of Turkey earlier today.

Latvala was sixth overall on Saturday’s opening stage when his works Ford Focus got out of shape on a fast, tightening, right-hander, struck a bank and flipped onto its roof...

Rally of Turkey stage guides - Sunday
Posted at WRC.com on April 17, 2010

Day three in Turkey starts at 0757hrs, when the first car leaves the overnight parc ferme in Pendik. Ahead lie 114.60 competitive kilometres arranged over six special stages.

In the morning, crews will tackle a loop of three consecutive stages in the countryside east of the Service Park before heading back for a 30-minute midday service. In the afternoon crews will repeat the same loop before a 10-minute end of rally service and the finish podium in Pendik at 1611hrs...

SS18 and SS19 cancelled
Posted at WRC.com on April 18, 2010

Sunday's opening two stage of Rally Turkey have been cancelled by organisers on safety grounds.

Sections of the 16.79km Deniz (SS18) and the 21.32km Mudarli (SS19) stages have a clay, rather than gravel, base and after rain overnight organisers felt the conditions were unsuitable for rallying...

Sébastien Loeb leaves trail behind on Day 3 of Rally Turkey.
Photo from RallyOfTurkey.org (Ralph Hardwick / Andre Lavadinho).

SS20: Top two hold steady
Posted at WRC.com on April 18, 2010

Rally of Turkey leader Sebastien Loeb was the fastest driver through SS20 - the only stage of Sunday morning's schedule to run as planned after stages 18 and 19 were cancelled...

Rally of Turkey midday wrap: Sunday
Posted at WRC.com on April 18, 2010

The final morning’s action on the Rally of Turkey was cut short considerably by the cancellation of two special stages in the morning, as the event organisers considered them to be too rough to use.

The decision was on the whole welcomed by drivers and team bosses, who had already complained that some of yesterday’s stages were too hard on the cars...

SS21: Dani Sordo out
Posted at WRC.com on April 18, 2010

Citroen C4 WRC driver Dani Sordo lost third place in the Rally of Turkey after stopping on the 16.76km Deniz stage.

The Spaniard stopped three kilometres before the finish control. Following him though the stage, Citroen Junior Team driver Sebastien Ogier reported that Sordo's car was parked by the side of the road in a muddy and slippery section...

SS22: Leaders clear the penultimate hurdle
Posted at WRC.com on April 18, 2010

Rally leader Sebastien Loeb romped though the penultimate stage of the Rally of Turkey to extend his advantage to 51.6sec ahead of the final, decisive stage...

BREAKING NEWS: Sebastien Loeb wins Rally of Turkey!
Posted at WRC.com on April 18, 2010

Citroen C4 WRC driver Sebastien Loeb sealed victory on the Rally of Turkey today, round four of the 2010 World Rally Championship, to extend his lead in the FIA Drivers' standings.

Loeb, the defending and six-time World Champion stretched his 16sec overnight lead throughout Sunday's four stages to finish 54.5sec ahead of Petter Solberg who was second in another C4 WRC. BP Ford Abu Dhabi Team driver Mikko Hirvonen was third, 48.9sec behind Solberg in a Ford Focus RS WRC...

Rally of Turkey final result wrap
Posted at WRC.com on April 18, 2010

Sebastien Loeb won Rally of Turkey by nearly a minute to extend his lead of the World Rally Championship to 40 points over privateer Citroen driver Petter Solberg, who finished second.

Citroen now has a 15-point lead over Ford in the manufacturers’ rankings. “It was good to be able to fight from the front and not have to think about the tactics,” said Loeb. “It was not easy because I really had to push from the start.”...

Q&A with Sebastien Loeb
Posted at WRC.com on April 18, 2010

Congratulations on winning one of the most closely contested rallies this year; it was a great fight!
"It was a big battle, but not between two drivers - it was five and that’s really exciting. The first day I lost a little time cleaning the road, but the second day was also difficult. I couldn’t make up the time. Finally, in the afternoon, I found a good rhythm. On the second day we were leading and we decided to keep this lead, I didn’t know what the weather would be like. I thought it might rain; I had some memories of rain in Turkey before and I knew it was better to be first on the road. So I decided to keep my 17 second lead. We tried that and it was really a good choice."...

Sebastien Loeb Reached his 57th Victory in Turkey
Posted at RallyOfTurkey.org on April 18, 2010

Citroen´s Sebastien Loeb reached his 57th rally win by claiming the victory in Rally of Turkey. Third day´s first and second stages were canceled but the day offered great enthusiasm.

It was rain causing Deniz and Mudarli´s clayey sections to form unsuitable conditions for rallying and resulting organisers to cancel both stages. Due to cancelled stages drivers followed the route through Ballica´s start prior to midday service...

The wrc.com rally review: Turkey
Posted at WRC.com on April 22, 2010

Now that the dust has settled - but not in the skies over Europe - the Rally of Turkey comes into focus. On paper, it was another Loeb victory, another 10 points, another step in the inexorable march towards the Frenchman?s seventh title (Michael Schumacher, beware).

Looking at it more closely, it was the most tightly fought event of the year, as Mikko Hirvonen pointed out...

Junior's Reading And Viewing List: April 17 - 18, 2010

Last Update - April 22, 2010 at 10:34 PM EDT

Here is Junior's 'Reading And Viewing List' for this past weekend, April 17 through 18, 2010.

Within this list (in reverse chronological order), you'll find article snippets with title links and videos with description links about the National Hockey League's 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Those items concentrate on the first round matchup that I'm following the most, the 2010 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series between my Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens.

Also included in this time are the usual articles on what's going on in the world of music, racing and comic book super hero movies. A 2010 Rally Turkey Review list (WRC) and a 2010 Chinese Grand Prix Review (Formula One) list are coming up within the next few separate blog entries.


April 18, 2010

Caps Seek to Shutdown Habs’ Top Six
By Mike Vogel at Dump 'N Chase

After a tough night in Thursday’s Game 1, Washington’s top offensive trio of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble rebounded to put up four goals and nine points in the Capitals’ thrilling 6-5 overtime win over the Canadiens in Saturday’s Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Series between the two teams.

While Washington’s big guns got going, the Canadiens’ top six forwards kept going. Montreal’s top six has scored all eight of the Habs’ goals in this series, combining for eight goals and nine assists in the first two games...

General Playoff Hockey Musings on Day 5 of the 2010 Playoffs
By Usually Frustrated Caps Fan at Mark's Musings

Wow, as we start day 5 of the 2010 NHL Playoffs, ALL seven series that have completed two games are tied 1 - 1 AND in the eighth match up the #7 seeded Nashville Predators lead the #2 seed Chicago Blackhawks. If that doesn't tell you just how different playoff hockey games are from regular season games then the only thing that will probably do it will be going to one yourself and seeing it live. I had the pleasure of attending the Caps vs. Canadiens games on Thursday and last night...

Notes from Caps practice
By Tarik El-Bashir at Capitals Insider

Goaltending isn't Coach Bruce Boudreau's only worry as the series heads to Montreal for Game 3 knotted at one game apiece. He's also got to figure out how to spark the dormant second line and a struggling power play.

In Games 1 and 2, Boudreau has tried Tomas Fleischmann and Brendan Morrison at second-line center (he actually alternated the two last night) with little success. Wingers Brooks Laich and Alexander Semin are still searching for their first point...

About Last Night: A Superstar Steps Up
and Captain America Strikes Again
By Andrew Tomlinson at On Frozen Blog

▪ What if the hockey world got it wrong? What if Alex Ovechkin isn’t the greatest player on the Caps? What if he isn’t the greatest player in the world? What if that player is in fact Nicklas Backstrom?

▪ The 22-year-old certainly looked like the best player in the world last night. He netted his first career hat trick. Not only was it his first, but it was during a come from behind miracle victory against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He not only did he dominate, but he took control of the game. Backstrom had a hand in four of the Caps’ five goals, including scoring the game winner...

Glory follows John Carlson, Caps
Posted by tj at Alex Ovetjkin

In the first game, starting in the second period, Habs were totally outplaying Caps. This time, even trailing 1:4, there was no such thing, Caps played well for the whole game and Habs couldn't do anything about it. Now I believe it's gonna be a long run. Caps in 6.
:-)

And Caps have a guy who brings glory and luck, our American hero, John Carlson! Go, Caps!...
*Dan, Jr. / Junior's Eyes Note: Plenty of video etc. in this post.

'Doctor Who' Review: Episode 5.01, 'The Eleventh Hour'
By Rick Marshall at MTV's Splash Page


Episode Title: "The Eleventh Hour"

Written By: Steven Moffat

Story: Recently regenerated, the 11th Doctor finds himself with little time to acclimate to his new body as the Earth is threatened by an alien menace. The TARDIS is wrecked, his sonic screwdriver is busted, and he only has 20 minutes to save the world. It's a race against time with new companion Amy Pond!

The Who, What and How: Matt Smith hits the ground running as the new face of "Doctor Who," and manages to offer both an individually impressive performance and a unique spin on The Doctor that goes far in making the role his own. He has big shoes to fill in the wake of former star David Tennant's departure...


Round 1 – Game 2 – Slideshow
By Gary Κriebel at On Frozen Blog

*Dan, Jr. / Junior's Eyes Note: Several great pictures from Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals ECQ Game 2.


April 17, 2010

Backstrom Saves Caps
By Joe Beninati - Washington Capitals Play-by-Play
at Comcast SportsNet - Washington, DC

I'll say this for the Capitals: they sure do make things interesting. In a game that had more twists and turns than a great mystery novel, Washington rallied from 2-0, 4-1 and 5-4 deficits to upend Montreal in overtime 6-5. Bruce Boudreau explained afterwards that his team might not have deserved to win this one, but their explosive offensive machine has the ability to bail them out of the most difficult situations.

Brian Gionta and Andrei Kostitsyn staked the visitors to a 2-goal lead, and Coach Boudreau elected to life Jose Theodore from the net. After the game, Bruce absolved Theodore from some of the blame, commenting that he pulled the veteran net-minder in part to snap his team to life. Semyon Varlomov took over after 8 minutes, and helped backstop the comeback. Who will start game number 3 is sure to be an interesting subplot...

Postgame Notebook: Capitals 6, Canadiens 5, OT
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

One For The Ages – The announced attendance for tonight’s Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Series between the Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens was 18,377.

Years from now, twice as many will say they were here for this one.

On the verge of digging an 0-2 hole in the series with the scene shifting to Montreal for Game 3 on Monday, the Capitals staged a wild and furious comeback that culminated with a Nicklas Backstrom game-winner and a 6-5 Washington triumph at the 31-second mark of overtime...

Coach Bruce Boudreau After EC Quarterfinal Game 2 Win
Over Montreal Canadiens
Posted on Caps365 at WashingtonCaps.com

Alex Ovechkin And Nicklas Backstrom After EC Quarterfinal
Game 2 Win Over Montreal Canadiens
Posted on Caps365 at WashingtonCaps.com

Washington Capitals Players After EC Quarterfinal Game 2 Win
Over Montreal Canadiens
Posted on Caps365 at WashingtonCaps.com

Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals
EC Quarterfinal Game 2 Highlights
Posted at Comcast SportsNet - Washington, DC

Right click on video to choose full screen option.

Visiting Team Philadelphia
By Monica Lo at Lobese

Last weekend, Caitlin-Marie and I decided to hop in our hot little Fiesta to visit our friends from Team Philadelphia. Tim and Mikey were awesome enough to show us their kick-ass city and stuff us full of great food like braised lamb sandwiches, bacon pancakes, Rita's water ice, and real Philly Cheesesteaks from Jim's Steaks. We even group-showered our cars and went on a beautiful stroll downtown where we visited their Fiesta Movement mural and stopped in at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens. I wasn't expecting to be so charmed by this city...

Capstronaut Revealed
By Eric McErlain at Off Wing Opinion

For a while now, folks have been wondering about the indentity of the Capstronaut, a fan who has been showing up at games this season dressed in a space suit. Over at The Daily Caller, Jonathan Strong has a short feature on Mark Handwerger, who is apparently the man behind the mask:...

WIN a trip for two to Rally New Zealand!
Posted at WRC.com

Rally New Zealand celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, and to help mark the big 4-0 rally organisers have invited two lucky wrc.com users to the party.

The fifth round of the 2010 World Rally Championship, Rally New Zealand is renowned for its fast flowing gravel roads and the beautiful landscape of the country's North Island...

Number Nine, Number Nine ...
By Mike Vogel at Dump 'N Chase

Best-of-seven playoff series lend themselves to tweaks and adjustments, both in terms of personnel and in terms of the way teams approach and play the games. When your most recent effort resulted in a win, you’re far less likely to make changes. When you’re coming off a loss, some adjustments are almost certain.

It’s no surprise that Montreal will roll out the same four line combinations and three defense pairs that helped it to a 3-2 overtime win in Thursday’s Game 1. And it is also not surprising that the Caps will make use of their depth tonight, moving veteran center Brendan Morrison into the lineup and taking out Boyd Gordon, the team’s lone right-handed face-off man...

'Doctor Who' Premiere Preview: Matt Smith And Karen Gillan
Tell You What To Expect This Season!
By Rick Marshall at MTV's Splash Page

"Doctor Who" kicks off a new season tonight with a new set of stars, so when actors Matt Smith and Karen Gillan dropped by Splash Page HQ, I made sure to get some thoughts from them on where their adventures will lead (and who they'll run into) in the coming episodes.

From weeping angels and vampires to an encounter with the reptilian Silurians, the new season promises to offer quite a bit for new and longtime "Who" fans to get excited about. Of course, you don't need to hear this from me — you can see for yourself what the duo had to say in this video:...

Reducing Carbon Footprint in Hockey
By Chasta Piatakovas at Love the Game, Don't Like Puck Bunnies

One of the biggest contributors to global warming is air travel, and a NHL team logged an average of 40,782 miles between games during the regular season in 2009-10. According to Carbonfund.org, that is about 300 metric tons of carbon emissions produced by the league from travel alone. Air travel emits more carbon emissions than powering the arena and cooling the ice, said Paul Burman, special projects manager for Carbonfund.org.

The NHL has taken proactive approaches to green awareness in the league with the NHL Green and the NHLPA Carbon Neutral Challenge. Teams such as the Washington Capitals travel by train and bus whenever possible, which generates less carbon emissions than air travel...

NBA and NHL Salary Caps
By Ted Leonsis at Ted's Take

I find it a twist of irony that the NBA and NHL salary caps are both rising in this economy and are both set at about $57 million for next season.

The NBA generates more television revenue than the NHL. The NHL generates more gate related revenue than the NBA. Both businesses grew year over year. The NBA has more total revenue than the NHL.

The NHL has a hard cap. The NBA doesn’t. You don’t have to spend to the cap max. You can spend less in either instance...

Caps Look to Even Series
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

Match-Up
After dropping Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Series to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday at Verizon Center, the Caps look to even the series when the two teams collide again in Game 2 on Saturday night at the same venue...

Junior's Reading And Viewing List: April 15 - 16, 2010

Last Update - April 20, 2010 at 9:50 PM EDT

Here is Junior's 'Reading And Viewing List' for April 15 through 16, 2010. It's a taste of the places I visited on those couple of days.

Within this list (in reverse chronological order), you'll find title links to articles and videos about the National Hockey League's 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Those items concentrate on the first round matchup that I'm following the most, the 2010 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series between my Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens.

Also included in this installment are the usual articles on what's going on in the world of music, racing and comic book super hero movies. I still currently intend to do separate blog entries for both a 2010 Rally Turkey Review list (WRC) and a 2010 Chinese Grand Prix Review (Formula One) list.


April 16, 2010

Want A Piece Of 'Iron Man' History? Check Out What's On Sale
At The C2E2 Auction!
By Rick Marshall at MTV's Splash Page

We're only weeks away from "Iron Man 2" hitting theaters, but fans can get up close and personal with some of the armor, outfits and weapons that made the first film such a hit during this weekend's C2E2 convention in Chicago.

Hollywood auction site Propworx is kicking off a massive auction of props from Jon Favreau's 2008 blockbuster as the grand finale of the weekend's show, but CEO Alec Peters gave Splash Page a guided tour of some of the highlights...

Boudreau on power play: 'We're just off'
By Tarik El-Bashir at Capitals Insider

Alex Ovechkin's struggles weren't all Coach Bruce Boudreau sounded a tad bit concerned about this morning. He was also expressed some worry about his team's power play, which took 10 shots but finished 0-for-4 on Thursday, extending its stretch of futility.

Including the final two games of the regular season, the NHL's top-ranked power play is in a 0-for-11 funk, and is 4-for-26 (15.3-percent) in the Caps' past eight games...

Ovechkin on loss: 'It's all about me'
By Tarik El-Bashir at Capitals Insider

As expected, Alex Ovechkin and his shot-less, point-less effort Thursday night was the center of attention this morning at KCI.

Ovechkin, like many of his top-minute teammates, did not go on the ice at all today. But he was available to reporters and predictably shouldered the blame for his performance in the Caps' playoff-opening, 3-2 loss in OT to the Canadiens...

Record Store Day: Support Your Local Music Outlet
By gbarton at Classic Rock

Tomorrow (April 17) is Record Store Day, which celebrates the continued existence of independent record stores. Come inside to find out how you can support your local music outlet – and hopefully prevent it going the way of Woolworths!

Over 100 UK stores – and many more around the world – are participating in the biggest party ever for independent record shops...


April 15, 2010

Habs Get What They Came For
By Mike Vogel at Dump 'N Chase

Montreal came into Washington wanting to get at least one win in the two games in the District, so as to wrest the home ice advantage away from the league’s top regular season team.

Mission accomplished. And by doing so, the Habs have now put themselves in position to go home with a 2-0 lead if they are able to muster a repeat performance here at Verizon Center on Saturday...

Postgame Notebook: Canadiens 3, Capitals 2, OT
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

Stifled – Montreal’s Tomas Plekanec fired a laser from the high slot that whizzed past Washington netminder Jose Theodore at 13:19 of overtime to give the Canadiens a 3-2 win and a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Series between the Caps and Habs on Thursday night at Verizon Center.

It was the second time in just over two months that Plekanec victimized Theodore in overtime; the Canadiens center scored with eight seconds left in the extra session on Feb. 10 in Montreal to give the Habs a 6-5 win. That game put a halt to Washington’s franchise-record 14-game winning streak...

Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals
EC Quarterfinal Game 1 Game Analysis
By Joe Beninati And Craig Laughlin
at Comcast SportsNet - Washington, DC

Right click on video to choose full screen option.

Habs Sharper In Game 1
By Joe Beninati - Washington Capitals Play-by-Play
at Comcast SportsNet - Washington, DC

The opening game of the Capitals playoff run fell flat inside of Verizon Center Thursday. The primary reasons were that Montreal executed its game-plan better than the home team and outworked them at times, especially in the overtime.

If you saw the first 10 minutes of the contest you would have noticed that the Caps had a bunch of scoring chances, but Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak responded very well. The first seven shots of the game belonged to Washington and Halak managed to get himself into a good groove which he continued to live in throughout the night. If he wasn’t that sharp, the Capitals could have had a three-goal advantage, but that was not to be...

Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals
EC Quarterfinal Game 1 Highlights
Posted at Comcast SportsNet - Washington, DC

Right click on video to choose full screen option.

Coach Bruce Boudreau After EC Quarterfinal Game 1 Loss
To Montreal Canadiens
Posted on Caps365 at WashingtonCaps.com

Jose Theodore After EC Quarterfinal Game 1 Loss
To Montreal Canadiens
Posted on Caps365 at WashingtonCaps.com

Alex Ovechkin After EC Quarterfinal Game 1 Loss
To Montreal Canadiens
Posted on Caps365 at WashingtonCaps.com

And We’re Off
By Mike Vogel at Dump 'N Chase

Caps coach Bruce Boudreau opened up his 10 a.m. presser by going off on the assemblage of reporters, imploring the media not to “make [stuff] up.” Game 1 is still hours away, and in the last few days we’ve already been told (inaccurately) that Nicklas Backstrom was injured (he was sick) and that Jose Theodore left practice after being hit by an Alex Ovechkin shot (it was actually a David Steckel missive).

Boudreau says he doesn’t mind answering questions, just wants people to get it right. And naturally, some of those who may have felt they were being chastised responded by writing things to the effect that Boudreau must be feeling the pressure.

So there’s that...

New Ozzy Single - "Let Me Hear You Scream"
By Joe Siegler at Black Sabbath Online

Noticed this morning that the new Ozzy Osbourne single is floating around out there. The track name is "Let Me Hear You Scream". The album is entitled "Scream" (which was way better than the unfortunate first choice of "Soul Sucka").

The album is due out June 15th, and while it's not available for pre-order yet, the official Ozzy site is taking names for a list you can get on an "exclusive pre-order"...

Hey DC Are You READY? Ready to ROCK THE RED?
By Usually Frustrated Caps Fan at Mark's Musings

...So bottom line - there is a very fine line between confidence and stupidity this time of year. Those 121 points the Caps amassed over the prior 82 games - forget about them. Talk about life after the Caps - Canadiens series - forget about it, its basically irrelevant right now. Right now, it's all about FOCUS and focus means for the Capitals tonight is all about tonight, not Saturday night and certainly not anything beyond this series...

Glenn Hughes To Undertake UK Tour In September
Posted by Nightwatcher at Nightwatcher's House Of Rock

Former Deep Purple Frontman Glenn Hughes has announced a full UK Tour this September.

The former Deep Purple bassist has revealed that he is to play eight dates across the UK...

Lost Jack Kirby Creations To Be Developed As Film And TV Projects
By Blair Marnell at MTV's Splash Page

Jack Kirby earned his reputation as the "King of Comics" by his prolific body of work and for co-creating the early Marvel Universe characters like Captain America, the X-Men, the Hulk and The Fantastic Four. And while Kirby passed away in 1994, a number of his previously unseen concepts may introduce a new generation to Kirby's creations.

According to the New York Times, Joe Ruby and Ken Spears — the founders of Ruby-Spears Productions — have teamed up with Sid and Marty Krofft (“Land of the Lost”) to develop a treasure trove of Kirby's creations into films, TV series, comics and video games...

Queen To Release Third Singles Box Set
Posted by mdome at Classic Rock

Queen are to have The Singles Collection 3 released by EMI on May 31.

It’s the third of four box sets collecting together all of the band’s singles. This one covers the years 1984-1989. The full track listing is:...

Ronnie James Dio Talks About Cancer Battle
Posted by mdome at Classic Rock

Ronnie James Dio has spoken publicly for the first time about his battle against stomach cancer.

Blabbermouth reports that the iconic Rainbow/Dio/Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell frontman had this to say:...

Hockey’s Greatest Heritage Arrives, at Last, in Washington,
in Spring
By pucksandbooks at On Frozen Blog

All week long I’ve listened to inventive and fanciful forecasts of the Caps struggling with, and perhaps even bowing out to, the Habs in round one. Color me unpersuaded.

The Habs last offseason were assembled by Bob Gainey much as a stew is — without regard for presentation and with the hope that all tastes well once the burner is turned off. Almost all season long, they’ve looked like a product befitting the manner in which they were assembled: rag-tag, tossed together with haste and whim, ultimately unsatisfying. They very much backed into the postseason, winners of just four of their final 12 games...

Caps Start Pursuit of Cup vs. Habs
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

Four days after concluding the most successful season in franchise history and one of the most successful seasons in recent NHL history, the Washington Capitals now embark upon the next step, the second season.

The Stanley Cup playoffs.

After laying waste to the Southeast Division race, taking the top spot in the Eastern Conference by a comfortable margin, and earning the first President’s Trophy in franchise history, the pressure is now on the Caps to perform in the postseason...