"Never Surrender"...I Said..."Never Surrender"

In these trying times for the Washington Capitals, some fans and maybe some players are losing faith way to fast. It's not time to panic, and it's not time to give up. If the Cap's were the type of team to give in so easily after getting on a down slide, they would not have come so far. They would not have made it into the playoffs this season. But, they have made it, haven't they? Now it's time once again to get the job done. Get on with it, and ..... Never Surrender!

Triumph performing "Never Surrender" at US Festival 1983

Out in the streets inspiration comes hard
The joker in the deck keeps handin' me his card
Smilin' friendly he takes me in
Then breaks my back in a game I can't win
Jivin', hustiln', what's it all about?
Everybody always wants the east way out
Thirty golden pieces for the judas kiss
What's a nice boy doin' in a place like this?

Chorus:
Never surrender - keep your dreams alive
Never surrender - hold your head up high

Modern apathetics; you got plenty of nothing to say
Some are born to follow: some will make their own way
Today you found a hero tomorrow you'll forget
You're lookin' for convenient truth you haven't found it yet
You don't make commitments no time for regrets
Easy come and easy go and easy to forget
You don't ever take responsibility
Don't you know that part of you is part of me?

Repeat Chorus

Never surrender, it's easier said than done
But you go to finish what's already begun
Never, that's forever, seems like such a long time
But I only got one life to live - it's gonna be mine

Never surrender - keep your dreams alive
Never surrender - hold your head up high
Never surrender - we cannot be denied
Never surrender - spread your wings and fly

...I Said...

Saxon performing "Never Surrender" in 2005

I was born on the back streets
On the rotten side of town
I never had me nothin'
Just people puttin' me down
Coming from the dark side
Across the railroad track
Leaving wasn't easy
But I'm never going back

Never surrender
When you're up against the wall
Never surrender
Stand up fight them all

I'm sticking in the fast lane
I never gonna quit
I'm taking all my chances
I'm gonna take 'em quick
I started from the bottom
But I'm headin' to the top
There ain't nobody gonna help me boy
I'm never gonna stop

Never surrender
When you're up against the wall
Never surrender
Stand up fight them all

Never surrender
When you're up against the wall
Stand up fight them all

I was born on the back streets
On the rotten side of town
I never had me nothin'
Just people puttin' me down
Coming from the dark side
Across the railroad track
Leaving wasn't easy
But I'm never going back

Never surrender
When you're up against the wall
Never surrender
Stand up fight them all
Never surrender
When you're up against the wall
Never surrender
Stand up fight them all

Never Surrender
Stand up fight them all

Capitals Vs Flyers 04/15/2008 EC Quarterfinal Game 3 Review

Capitals 3 - Flyers 6

The Washington Capitals didn't play much better in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Playoffs than in Game 2. They continued to be overpowered by the Philadelphia Flyers. Turnovers, bad penalties and a lack of leadership were to blame once again.

It only took 20 seconds for the Flyers to get a scoring chance, but it wasn't until late in the first period before they were able to get the first goal. The Capitals were intermittently more aggressive than in the last game, defensively and offensively. Around the middle of the first, Alexander Semin sent a snapshot in from the left faceoff circle that hit Flyers' goalie Martin Biron in the face mask so hard it took him down. After a couple minutes, he was alright and play resumed. With a 3 on 2 drive, it was Danny Briere that got Philadelphia on the scoreboard at 16:10. The Capitals answered back just over a minute later. Donald Brashear sent a perfect pass from behind the Flyers' net to Eric Fehr. Fehr made a beautiful shot that gave him his first NHL career playoff goal. It didn't take long to wipe the smiles from Caps' fans faces. Briere pushed Washington defenseman Tom Poti away from the front of the Capitals' net, while Scott Hartnell sent a long range slapper into the goal. Washington never suspected the role reversal played out by Hartnell and Briere. Just 17 seconds later, Sami Kapanen took advantage of a bad pass by Milan Jurcina and put the Flyers up by two.

In the penalty laden second period, Washington temporarily got back within one. Mike Green got his third goal of the playoffs on a well screened shot at 7:28, while on the power play. But, the Flyers weren't through roughing feathers. At 14:27, Briere went to the penalty box for roughing, after he tackled Caps' netminder Cristobal Huet. A man advantage at this point would've given Washington a scoring opportunity. But, Huet very stupidly pushed down Briere in retaliation while the referee with his arm up for Briere's infraction was standing right there watching. To me, that's your idiotic pivotal play of the game. If you're going to get revenge, your timing has to be a lot better than that. Of course, no call on Briere for giving Huet a whack on the back of the head as he skated to the box. With Poti in the box for hooking late in the period, Briere scored again with 9.8 seconds left on the clock. Danny now has four points in the playoffs.

The third period went much like the second. Plenty of penalties for both sides. Green got into a little altercation with Philadelphia's Scottie Upshaw 17 seconds in. I guess that was supposed to fire up the troops. It failed to deliver much motivation for the Cap's. However, when Brooks Laich was credited with tipping in a shot from Shaone Morrisonn at 15:26, the guys seemed to get a little more lively. Well, just in time huh? Not really. Just over three minutes left in the game, Morrisonn sends an outlet pass to Green. Mike Richards picked off the puck and drove to the Cap's net. Green tripped him before he got a shot off to prevent a goal being scored. The ref decided that this warranted a penalty shot, which richards promptly sent in via the five hole. With 1:45 left in the game, coach Bruce Boudreau called for a time out. Why? It was far too late to decide that he could inspire them into turning this game around. Afterwards, Washington did cycle the puck in the offensive zone for a bit before the puck bounced over Sergei Fedorov's stick and of the zone. Mike Knuble sent the puck into the empty net, and all that was left to do was wait for the final horn.

It was another embarrassing game in which the Capitals did few things right. They had not learned any lessons yet. They have to play their game. They can't let the Flyers intimidate them. If they focus on what they should be doing and close some of those passing and shooting lanes once and a while, they might accomplish something before it's too late.

All Photos - Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

Flyers Vs Capitals 04/13/2008 EC Quarterfinal Game 2 Review

Flyers 2 - Capitals 0

A very sloppy Washington Capitals team lost to a well playing Philadelphia Flyers team in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game 2 yesterday. After winning eight straight games, including their last seven regular season games and Game 1 of the playoffs, Washington seemed to have run out of gas.

Unlike the high scoring Game 1, Game 2 was decided on a mere two goals. Both were even strength Flyers' goals scored in the first period. R.J. Umberger got his at 5:53 , and Jeff Carter hit the net at 15:17. The shots were almost even in the first, with the Washington getting 10 and Philadelphia managing 9. Obviously, the Flyers made better use of theirs.

The Capitals' defense improved in the second period. However, Flyers' goalie Martin Biron still only faced half as many shots as Washington's Cristobal Huet. The Cap's forwards spent most of the middle period much like the first. They didn't seem to be able to concentrate on what they were doing, leading to several panicky turnovers.

Washington seemed to have more energy and determination in the third period. They were actually able to cause some Flyers' turnovers. But again, they couldn't capitalize on their chances. Thankfully, Philadelphia couldn't put the puck in the net either, though they had plenty of chances.

Ultimately, Washington was just plain outplayed from beginning to end. Philadelphia successfully clogged up the middle. If they couldn't get up the middle, the Cap's should've chipped the puck up the walls. They only got scoring chances when they played dump and chase. Yet they didn't seem especially interested in going that route. The Cap's had too many bad passes, which led to an awful lot of turnovers. Philadelphia was focused on playing as a team and using their systems. Washington did not play as a team. Each of the Capitals seemed to think they had to do it all by themselves. It just doesn't work like that. Being outshot 41-24, they're lucky Huet was playing as well as he was.

All Photos - Getty Images

Flyers Vs Capitals 04/11/2008 EC Quarterfinal Game 1 Review

Flyers 4 - Capitals 5

While the Philadelphia Flyers' top two forwards scored all their goals, the Washington Capitals' got some help from the fourth line in another typically dramatic come from behind Capitals win. Three of the Capitals ended up with a multi point effort in Washington's first playoff game since 2003.

The Capitals started off pretty well in the first period, with fourth line forward Donald Brashear putting the Cap's on the scoreboard at 3:16. Defenseman Tom Poti took a long range shot that was deflected toward Brashear by linemate Matt Bradley. Donald took the loose puck and made a fine move to the right side of the net before putting it past Philadelphia's netminder Martin Biron. I bet it felt good getting a playoff goal against his former team. Unfortunately, Flyers' RW forward Vinny Prospal evened the score about five minutes later, right off a draw. Washington's goalie Cristobal Huet never saw it coming. He had three guys screening the shot, including Caps' defensemen Milan Jurcina and Mike Green. Philadelphia's Scott Hartnell was the Flyer camping out at the crease, as usual.

The second period started off much like the first, with fourth line center scoring a goal at 4:08. Matt Bradley was in on this one too. He dumped the puck deep into the Flyers end, drawing two defenders along with him as he retrieved the puck. Then, while facing the end wall, Brads sent the puck between his legs and back toward Dave Steckel. Steckel roofed his first NHL level playoff goal, glove side. After that, the Flyers started to get a little nasty. Like when Scottie Upshall took a shot around the middle of the period. While Huet was trying to make the save, Jeff Carter followed up the shot by jamming his stick into Huet's crotch. That went unnoticed by the referees. The slash by Danny Briere behind the net was called at 9:38. But, Washington failed to score with the man advantage. Worse yet, Mike Knuble fed an outlet pass to Briere, as he was released from the penalty box two minutes later. Briere snapped it past Huet to tie the score 2-2. Cristobal seemed a little shaky for the most of the second period. With the Capitals' defense not being quite as aggressive as they should've been at the same time, Washington wasn't looking very good. When Prospal made it 3-2 after a turnover at the end of a Cap's line change, the stunned fans were quiet for the first time in weeks. A flicker of doubt went through my mind, when Briere got his second on a lucky back door chance about three minutes later.

As soon as the third period started, you could tell that the Capitals were back on line. The coaches and the veteren players with Stanley Cup Playoff experience must have straightened out the younger guys during the second intermission. In his first playoff game at the NHL level, Mike Green scored at 1:50 into the third. LW forward Alexander Semin passed the puck from the left sidewall to Sergei Fedorov at the far edge of the faceoff circle. Fedorov dished the puck to Green as he drove in on the other side. Green put it in past Biron, who tripped Mike as he crossed the top of the crease. With the Cap's resurging, Philadelphia took a few more cheap shots. Semin was hooked and Huet was downed in his crease. The ref's finally called a penalty, when Briere high sticked Matt Bradley. It sure looked intentional to me, as there was no reason for him to lift his stick up so high and horizontally. The Capitals made good use of this power play. Nicklas Backstrom passed the puck to Mike Green, who fired a hard slapshot that hit Flyer Patrick Thoresen. Alex Ovechkin grabbed the puck and sent it back to Green. Green's second slapper went in at 6:26 to tie the game at 4-4. The boys did another one of those pile up celebrations, and the crowd's volume went up another notch or two.

During the third period, Washington's defense was doing a much better job of keeping Philadelphia away from the front of the net. The whole team was energized and made more good clean hits. With about 4 1/2 minutes left, Alex Ovechkin got his first playoff goal. Alex poke checked a lazy pass by Lasse Kukkonen. He beat Kukkonen to the puck and snapped it past Biron for the game winner. The crowd leapt to their feet and screamed M-V-P!...M-V-P!...M-V-P!

The middle period was a little rough, but the Capitals got their first playoff win since April 12, 2003. In typical Capitals' fashion, they came from behind scoring three of their five goals in the third period alone. Also typical, it was Alex Ovechkin with the goal that put it away for good. Like you, I can't wait for game two.

All Photos - Getty Images

Bring It On (Flyers)

Graphic - NHL.com

That's right. You heard me. Bring it on, right now. Because, like all Cap's fans, I just can't wait. Let the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff games begin!

The Washington Capitals may have been waiting a few more years than the Philadelphia Flyers, but they're ready. After missing the playoffs for the first time in twelve seasons for 2006-2007, the Flyers are back in it. After missing the playoffs since the 2002-2003 season, the Capitals are too.

Photo - Getty Images

Both teams ended the 2007-2008 regular season with similar records. Washington was 43-31-8 with a total of 94 points, while Philadelphia managed to go 42-29-11 with 95 points. Both teams also needed an impressive record at the end in order to make it into the playoffs. The Flyers went 7-1-1, while our Capitals took 11 of their last 12. Both won their last regular season game. The Cap's hit their longest winning streak in several years, winning the last seven in a row. These two teams split the regular season against each other 2-2.

The only way to stop Alex Ovechkin.

Like Washington, Philadelphia will be packing some fire power for the post season. Their main offense is spread out over seven players, who scored at least 20 goals this season. Meanwhile, the Capitals have their scoring spread over about four or five. Of course, 65 of Washington's 249 goals were fired off by Hockey God, Alex Ovechkin. The goalie tandem of number one Cristobal Huet and now number two Olie Kolzig will be superior in net. The Cap's defense, which has been much better than in recent years, are also ready for the job at hand. Another weapon the Capitals have is their confidence inspiring head coach, Bruce Boudreau.

No matter what the goonie bird Flyers have in mind, the magnificent Capitals will be ready. So like I said before, bring it on!

"Bring It On" by Lenny Kravitz

I'm gonna walk my faith
Gonna raise my song
I'm gonna fight my battle
Gonna praise my Lord

It's getting heavy
But I'm ready
To take on this world and rock steady
So come on, bring it on

I'm gonna face my demons
Gonna turn them down
I'm gonna keep on moving
Gonna make my sound

It's getting heavy
But I'm ready
To take on this world and rock steady
So come on, bring it on

Bring it on [11x]

2007-2008 Art Ross And "Rocket" Richard

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Per the Washington Capitals web site:

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ARLINGTON, Va. – Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin led the NHL in points and goals in the 2007-08 regular season, which completed tonight, earning him the Art Ross Trophy and the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy.

Ovechkin is the first Capitals player to win the Art Ross Trophy, presented annually to the league’s leading scorer. The 22-year-old native of Moscow is also the first Russian-born player to win the Art Ross. Ovechkin finished the season with 112 points (65 goals, 47 assists) while playing all 82 games, leading the Capitals to their first playoff appearance since 2003.

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See the full news article for more details.

Happy Birthday Olie Kolzig!

Would have gotten you a gift, but I think whatever I could afford would seem pretty lame right now. Although, I've given at least one good suggestion to some people who can afford it. Hope you had another wonderful day.

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Photo - Washingtoncaps.com

Not Just A Dream

It's true! I didn't just dream the whole thing. When I woke up this morning afternoon (Thanks for the wake up call, Chelsea), it was still true. I was sure that they'd do it. But, I've been wrong before. The Washington Capitals are the real thing. You gotta believe, and the best is yet to come. Thanks guys, and good luck in the playoffs!

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Photo - Mitchell Layton / NHL via Getty Images

Panthers Vs Capitals 04/05/2008 Review

Panthers 1 - Capitals 3

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The Washington Capitals beat the Florida Panthers, gaining themselves their first NHL Stanley Cup playoff berth since the 2002-2003 season. Along with getting in at the third seed in the Eastern Conference, they are now this season's Southeast Division Champs. The last time they owned the division crown was at the end of the 2000-2001 season. Officially, it was Fan Appreciation Night, which included the "Shirts Off Our Backs" on ice ceremony after the game. Unofficially, it was also Capitals Appreciation Night. The overjoyed sellout crowd was so loud, they might want to check Verizon Center for structural damage.

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The Capitals started out a little tight in the first period. The Panthers were going all out, hoping to spoil Washington's post season plans. One of the Panthers probably couldn't remember which end of the ice he was heading for, when Donald Brashear knocked him out of the Capitals zone and into the neutral zone. At about six minutes into the game, netminder Cristobal Huet almost helped them out. He seemed to space out for a second. After settling the puck behind the net, he appeared to hand it off to one of the Panthers. Nothing came of it, as he quickly got back in front of the goal. Other than that unfortunate incident, he was very solid. Florida's Craig Anderson was also excellent guarding the net. But, it was the Cap's who got on the scoreboard first. Brooks Laich put some pressure on Brett McLean at the sidewall to the right of the Panthers' net, causing a turnover. Tomas Fleischmann grabbed the puck and headed straight for the net. When he got close, he fanned on his shot while going around a defender. But, he got his own rebound as he skated around the top of the crease. While being intentionally tripped by Anderson, he made his second try count. You better believe that got one hell of a reaction from his team and the rabid fans. The Capitals seemed much looser after that. However, even with two 5 on 3 power play situations, they couldn't get another one past Anderson, in the first.

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The Panthers got their only goal of the game in the second period. It was a power play goal by Kamil Kreps that went unnoticed at first. Kreps' shot sent the puck behind Huet rolling on edge along the goal line, and then the puck banked in off the far right post. The referee had his hand up, waiting to call the delayed penalty on Washington. Along with a little confusion about Sergei Fedorov's slashing penalty, video review showed the puck crossing the goal line. After that, the Capitals started playing a little more aggressively. At 15:03, Fedorov put them back ahead by one. Mike Green sent an outlet pass to Alexander Semin, who was by the sidewall right on the center stripe. He immediately sent a perfect backhand pass to Fedorov, who he saw waiting at the blue line. Sergei entered the zone and sent a seriously hard slapshot past a completely helpless Anderson.

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Early in the third period, the Cap's were cycling the puck in the Panthers' end. Steve Montador blocked a Sergei Fedorov shot, but the puck went right back to Fedorov. He sent the puck to Nicklas Backstrom near the end wall. Backstrom passed it to Semin in the high slot. Semin banged the cross bar with a top shelf PP goal, putting Washington ahead by two. While Mike Green was congratulating Alexander Semin, Alex Ovechkin skated over and leaped into the air, bowling over Green and Semin. Then Backstrom piled on, followed by Fedorov. What a fantastically entertaining and joyful sight. I could watch the replay over and over again. As a Cap's fan, you couldn't help but be filled with pride and confidence at that point. But, the silly officials insisted the other 17:39 left in regulation be played out. The Panthers weren't exactly ready to give in yet, either.

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The rest of the game was also exciting. There were more big hits, including Branislav Mezei sending Tom Poti corkscrewing through the air and Ovie plastering Jay Bouwmeester. John Erskine got decked behind Washington's net, without a penalty being called. Then Erskine made the mistake of getting caught giving Nathan Horton a little shove. This time, the mood for actually calling the penalty struck the ref. Then, the ref's swallowed their whistles for the second half of the period. Just before the thirteen minute mark, Brooks Laich took a shot to the inside of his left leg. He had to hobble through traffic and all the way across the ice before reaching the Cap's bench. Yeah, that's going to leave a mark. The final minutes were full of cheers from the fans. The M-V-P chants for Ovechkin which had also been heard earlier, increased again. Another standing ovation, as Ovie headed to the bench at the end of a shift. About two minutes before the final horn, everyone was on their feet for good. The final seconds ticked off and the biggest celebration you've ever seen erupted, on and off the ice.

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Eventually, head coach Bruce Boudreau met up with Comcast SportsNet's Lisa Hillary on the ice for a short interview, heard over the PA system. About his players, he said "These guys are the coolest guys in the world, man". The fans think you're pretty cool too, Bruce. Remember, this team was at the bottom of the league when he took over on Thanksgiving Day in November, 2007. They were 14th in the East at the midpoint of the season. To finish on top of the division with 94 points and be headed for the playoffs, is amazing. That is a feat that has never been done before. There are so many great things about this game and the second half of the season, that will leave smiles on Cap's fans for a long time. .

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All Photos - Nick Wass / AP

Here Kitty...Kitty

One way or another, the Washington Capitals will know if they will be in the playoffs somewhere around 9:30 PM tonight. As long as they don't lose before the end of the third period, they're in. That's what it's come down to. The last second of the last game of the regular season.

Personally, I'm feeling pretty confident. I think our boys are too. They definitely have the determination to beat the Florida Panthers. Now they have to act on that.

See the following blogs for more:

For the basic requirements see Shmee's "A perfect opportunity" at Capital Addiction .

For the detailed breakdown see DMG's "Panthers/Capitals Preview" at Caps Blue Line .

For the short and sweet version CapsChick's "Destiny In Our Hand's" at A View From The Cheap Seats .

For the fans losing sleep see Aneesa's "It's 3:00 am" at Love The Game, Don't Like Puck Bunnies .

By the way, I don't wish actual harm to any cats. I actually like cats.......You know.....With the right sauce!

Thanks to Cherie for passing along another photo.

Lightning Hit Rock Bottom 2007-2008

This Poster shows how the Tampa Bay Lightning's 2007-2008 season is ending. How's the view from there Torts?

Thanks to Cherie for forwarding this poster from Linda.

Keep Yourself Alive!

I just had to post this Queen video in retaliation to Capital Addiction using the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" . Queen Rocks! So do the Washington Capitals. "Keep Yourself Alive" guys!

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Lightning Vs Capitals 04/03/2008 Review

Lightning 1 - Capitals 4

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The Washington Capitals earned their sixth consecutive win and moved into eighth place in the NHL's Eastern Conference, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning at home in front of yet another sellout crowd. It's the first time the Capitals have managed six straight since January 8-19, 2000. Goalie Cristobal Huet has now won eight straight starts. Alex Ovechkin had another multi goal game. The first one was the game winner, which is something Alex has done 11 times this season.

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The Lightning got their only goal just 39 seconds into the first period. Huet was having trouble controlling a rebound within traffic, when Filip Kuba popped the puck into the net. About 90 seconds later, Washington thought they had tied the score. No penalty was called, but Brooks Laich's goal was denied because of "incidental contact". Apparently, when heavyweight (yeah, right!) forward Tomas Fleischmann pushed Lightning defender Matt Smaby (went down real easy) in front of the net, he hit goalie Karri Ramo as a result. Ramo certainly didn't suffer any injury, as he made several incredibly quick saves throughout the night. Our guy, Huet was very sharp as well. Ramo was far busier in the first though, as Washington outshot Tampa Bay 20-5. At 12:01, Alex Ovechkin scored his 64th goal of the season. He took a Viktor Kozlov rebound and banked it off a defender into the net. With that, he surpassed "Lucky" Luc Robitaille for the NHL record on goals scored in a season by a left wing.

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About five minutes into the second period, it looked like Tampa Bay might even up the score. Huet left a juicy rebound in front of Martin StLouis, but Mike Green quickly cleared the puck before Marty could do any harm. Both goalies guarded their goals very well in the second. They didn't see a huge number of shots, but they had to make a couple difficult saves. About a minute before the end of the period, Ovechkin blocked a hard shot with his right knee. He went to the dressing room before the horn, but returned at the start of the third period.

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Washington outshot Tampa Bay again in the third. But, Huet still had to come up with some good saves, including a big one on Vinny Lecavalier 50 seconds into the period that left Vinny shaking his head. Lecavalier was injured later on, after a collision with Caps' Matt Cooke that sent him into Michel Ouellet before he went down, landing on his left wrist. I was glad to hear the applause from the crowd for Vinny as he went off the ice, holding his wrist. He did not return, and it looked like his injury might be fairly serious. Retaliation was swift, coming in the form of a crosscheck from Jussi Jokinen at 7:26. This stupid move would not be the last in the game from the Lightning. Alex Ovechkin fought back in a much better manner 24 seconds later. Taking a cross ice pass from Green just inside the blue line, Ovie sent a long range shot past Ramo's blocker side for number 65 and the game winning power play goal. It was his 22nd power play goal of the season, tying the team record held by former Capital Peter Bondra. The familiar M-V-P chant once again came from the crowd.

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About a minute later, celebrations were temporarily put on hold. The Cap's ended up having to kill off a four minute double minor, thanks to a high stick by John Erskine that left blood streaming from Kuba's nose. Washington had very little trouble burning up the Lightning PP, sending several clearings almost the full length of the ice. Sure, the referees didn't exactly call the game perfectly. But, at 14:00 Smaby was sent to the box for holding. He was upset about the crappy way the season was coming to an end for his lousy team. If he needed to be comforted so badly, he could've at least picked one of his own teammates for the hug. For his unfortunate choice, the result was Boyd Gordon sending a Matt Bradley rebound into the back of the net. With Ramo pulled for the extra Lightning skater a couple minutes later, it was time for Tom Poti to send in an empty netter from deep in the Washington end of the ice. With 22.9 seconds left in the game, Tampa Bay went a little crazy. They had too many "men" on the ice completely intentionally. They tried to pick fights all over the ice. It's been suggested that they might be rewarded for their efforts with fines tomorrow, but I doubt it. Junior Lessard did get the fight he thought he wanted from Bradley. Of course, that turned out to be a big mistake. Brads made a complete fool of the witless wonder, with about 16 seconds left on the clock. Brilliant!

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Right after the game, Comcast SportsNet's Lisa Hillary did a short interview with Alex Ovechkin rinkside. He thanked the fans for all their support. The fans thanked Alex and the Cap's right back with some more loud cheers. Having the NHL's fifth best powerplay didn't help the Lightning in this game. Unfortunately, the Ottawa Senators didn't help Washington tonight either, as they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 8-2. Don't give up hope Cap's fans. The season's not over yet. Washington's last game is Saturday, against the Florida Panthers. If they win, they still have a couple chances to make the playoffs. What are the chances that both the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers will win both of their last two games? Have a little faith!

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All Photos - Haraz N. Ghanbari / AP

Celine Dion - She Will, She Will Rock You!

OK, so she's a Queen fan. Who with good musical taste isn't (ha, ha)? But, really. Get a load of this Cape Town, South Africa Queen medley performance. I'm not a big fan of Celine Dion. However, pretty decent job. According to some reports, she had said she was thinking about doing some of their songs on her new "Taking Chances" world tour, and she did!

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Hurricanes Vs Capitals 04/01/2008 Review

Hurricanes 1 - Capitals 4

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The Washington Capitals are serious contenders for the playoffs. They hit five straight wins last night, beating the Southeast Division's first place Carolina Hurricanes. It's the first time Washington has managed five straight since March 3 - March 11, 2001. Goalie Cristobal Huet netted his seventh straight win, reaching 30 wins in a season for the first time in his career. The Capitals seem ready to take on anybody, right now.

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The hitting started early in the game. Showing Carolina that the Capitals were ready to do whatever it was going to take to win this game, Washington delivered six hits in the first 5:47. They seemed to all come in pairs. Chad LaRose probably thought the Cap's were picking on him, with Matt Cooke getting him at 0:43 followed by Viktor Kozlov at 1:14. It was Cooke that got the scoring started fifteen minutes into the first period. Sergei Fedorov fed the puck to Mike Green, who sent a long range shot toward the goal. Cooke was there to put the rebound past Cam Ward. About a minute and a half later, Shaone Morrisonn took a hard shoulder check by Jeff Hamilton. Morrisonn did not return to the game. The Capitals are calling it an upper body injury. I'm guessing it could be a separated shoulder. I hope it's not that serious, because Mo is a major part of the Washington defense. Just before the end of the first period, the Capitals went on the power play. Kozlov passed the puck to Tomas Fleischmann as Washington entered the offensive zone. From the side wall, Flash sent the puck to Brooks Laich in the slot. Laich effortlessly backhanded in his 21st goal of the season, putting the Cap's ahead 2-0.

. Just 2:38 into the second period, Scott Walker got the 'canes only goal of the game. With Laich's stick slashed from his hands and Walker running over top of Huet, defenseman Milan Jurcina actually pushed Walker and the puck into the net while trying to clear the crease. In the end it wouldn't matter. About three minutes later, Huet skated about thirty feet out from the net to put a big hit on Eric Staal, who was on a breakaway. Awesome! It really got rough in the second. Both teams got their power play chances. But, the Capitals were the only ones making those chances count. Around the 13:00 mark, Staal gave Huet a little whack with his stick as he skated by. Alex Ovechkin went after him at the end wall. Staal went down unbelievably easily. Carolina's Niclas Wallin got into the mix. With Ovechkin and Wallin in the penalty boxes, Washington got their second PP goal. Fedorov's shot was blocked, and the puck went over to Green, who's shot was also blocked. Alexander Semin was parked right at the left post. He collected the puck between his skates and somehow roofed the sharp angle shot. Carolina head coach Peter Laviolette erupted in anger over the coincidental minor that put Wallin in the box right before the goal. Wouldn't have made a difference Petie. For his part, Ovechkin got roughed up at the end of the period by Bret Hedican. Real smart 'canes.

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The Hurricanes were finally able to keep Washington's shots down to match their own eight in the third period. But, it was too little, too late. Carolina kept trying to draw penalties. But, they kept matching their successes with penalties of their own, in the third. With just under four minutes left, Jeff Schultz fed an outlet pass to Nicklas Backstrom. Backstrom skated deep into the Hurricanes' end before dropping it off to Ovechkin. Ovie grabbed the rolling puck, spun around and banked it off the far post for goal number 63 of the season.

. The Capitals spent 50 days in the Southeast's last place earlier this season. They are now tied for first place, as far as points. They are just one point away from being the sole owner of that spot. They are also just one point out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference. They still have a shot at getting into the playoffs via one of those routes.

All Photos - Nick Wass / AP

Don't Blink Eighth Spot Hopefuls!

This is just a "friendly" warning to the teams trying to fight off the Washington Capitals for the final playoff spot in the NHL's Eastern Conference.

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