As a trained hockey referee and an official and coach in other sports, I can say from experience being a referee is a very difficult job.  The National Hockey League does an excellent job selecting and training their officials and icing the best officiating crews in the world.  Almost without exception, the four officials on the ice do the best job they possibly can to ensure a safe, fair, and entertaining game.  That said, they are human beings, the speed of the game means they will occasionally miss calls, and they have feelings just like everyone else.  That said, the last two games in Madison Square Garden were poorly officiated and biased, but Game 6 was an absolute travesty. 

In summary, the New York Rangers received 5 powerplays to the Capitals 0.  The Capitals clearly deserved two penalties in the game (Alzner's delay of game and Fehr's elbow), but the referees' inability or unwillingness to rein in the Rangers led to several retaliation penalties tby the Capitals that should have been both players going at the very least.  In the first period, Rangers' captain Ryan Callahan got away with a blatant elbow on Jack Hillen, leading to a retaliation penalty for Hillen.  Hillen was called for a roughing penalty even though replays showed Callahan clearly embellishing by jerking his head back after Hillen's glove hit his chest, which is not roughing.  The referees also did not call a very late hit from behind on Mathieu Perreault by Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto.  The hit was delivered when the puck was 40 feet away from Perreault and it sent him crashing into the boards.  To be clear, Dorsett had already been penalized for diving after intentionally running into Joel Ward earlier in the series.  Later in the game, the referees called a cross-checking penalty on Joel Ward after Derek Dorsett flew into his of his own free will, very reminiscent of the ridiculous penalty Jason Chimera was called for at the end of the second period of Game 4.  The biggest disgrace of them all was Dorsett's attempt to slew foot Mike Green in the third period.  Even though Green didn't fall over after Dorsett kicked his skate out from under him, Green slammed into the boards and Dorsett proceeded to hold onto Green's leg, keeping him from moving.  Green thoroughly deserved the 2-minute penalty he got for cross-checking Dorsett in the mouth for his reckless play, and he probably deserved 4 (and Ribeiro probably could have gotten a penalty for tripping Dorsett on his way back to the bench), but it is inconceivable that Dorsett was not assessed a penalty for his role in the play.  Predictably, when a game gets out of hand because of poor officiating, an end-of-game brawl broke out, earning the Rangers their only two penalties on the scoresheet, but they were assessed after the final horn had sounded and did not affect the outcome of the game. 

Read on.

It's almost too predictable at this point.
(Photo by Scott Levy/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Washington Capitals lost game six of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series against the New York Rangers on Sunday at Madison Square Garden, falling 1-0 in a had-fought, defensive affair.  Derick Brassard scored the lone goal of the game for New York midway through the second period while Henrik Lundqvist made 27 saves in net for the Rangers, stellar once again.  The Capitals took five penalties in the game while the Rangers did not take one until the 20:00 mark of the final period, after it could have any impact on the game.  With the loss, Washington is set up for yet another game seven, their third consecutive and sixth in their last eight playoff series.

The penalties were the story in this game.  Though the Capitals were able to kill off all five power plays that the Rangers were awarded, they set the tone for the whole game, as I have said that they would over and over again in this series.  You can complain about the officials all you want, and you may have a point.  But the bottom line when it comes to stuff like this is that the Capitals have to keep their heads.  They cannot lose their cool.  The Rangers, like the Bruins, are a big physical team who will goad you in to crap like this and then take advantage of it.  Mike Green, justified or not, lashed out late in the game after what he perceived to be a slew foot and it cost Washington any momentum they had as the game wound down, hurting their chances to tie.  It’s not an excuse, and it’s over.  Move on.

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The Washington Capitals announced they have recalled 5 players from the AHL Hershey Bears to serve as extra practice players for the remainder of the playoffs.  The 5 players were goaltender Philipp Grubauer and defensemen Tomas Kundratek, Dmitry Orlov, Cameron Schilling and Nate Schmidt.  All but Schmidt played at least one game for the Capitals this season.  Check out the Roster page for more information on these players. 

#3 Washington Capitals at #6 New York Rangers
Capitals Lead Series 3-2
Location: Madison Square Garden
Time: 4:30 PM
TV:  Local: CSN, National: CNBC, Canada: TSN
Radio: 1500AM & 820AM
Previous Games:
Game 1, May 2 in Washington: 3-1 W
Game 2, May 4 in Washington, 1-0 W (OT)
Game 3, May 6 in New York, 3-4 L
Game 4, May 8 in New York, 3-4 L
Game 5, May 10 in Washington, 2-1 W (OT)
Remaining Game:
Game 7*, May 13 in Washington, TBD
*If necessary
Familiar Faces of Former Capitals:  D Steve Eminger (212 GP, 2002-08)

We're as excited as this guy! Read on!

Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images

Dogpile! (AP)

The Washington Capitals took a 3-2 series lead in the 2013 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series against the New York Rangers on Friday night inside Verizon Center, winning 2-1 in overtime on a goal from Mike Ribeiro.  Down early following a goal from Brian Boyle after less than a minute, the Capitals killed off four penalties in the first and second periods, dug in their heels, and slowly began to battle their way back.  The tying goal came off the stick of Joel Ward on a power play in the second period before the two teams ground out the rest of regulation.  Ribeiro cashed in down front in to an empty net after a Karl Alzner shot, pounding the loose puck past Henrik Lundqvist on Washington’s 35^th shot of the night.  Braden Holtby rebounded nicely, making 24 saves in the win.

The Capitals got off to a very poor start in this one, evidenced by Boyle’s goal after less than a minute, but settled down to absolutely dominate the Rangers in terms of even strength shots.  The third period was particularly tilted in the Capitals’ favor, as they outshot the Blueshirts 13-4 in that frame and got chance after chance, only to be thwarted by Henrik Lundqvist.  Regardless of the result, seeing such an encouraging even strength performance in terms of puck possession was encouraging to say the least, especially after the complete eggs Washington laid in New York in this regard.  Now going back to Madison Square Garden for game six, they must maintain that pressure on the road in order to have a decent chance.

Read on for more analysis of the OT win.

The NHL announced today that Alexander Ovechkin was named a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player, as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Ovechkin won the award twice in a row in 2007-08 and 2008-09.  He was also a finalist for the award in 2009-10. 

Photo: Washington Post

Already a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award as the league's most outstanding player as voted on by his peers, Alex Ovechkin makes an easy case for most valuable player, as well.   The first overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft captained the Capitals to the Southeast Division championship, leading them out of a season-opening slump.  The team started the season 2-8-1, but Ovechkin scored 23 goals and 36 points over the final 23 games as the team went 17-4-2 to secure a playoff spot.  The right-winger led the league in goals with 32 and finished third in points with 56.  He led the league in powerplay scoring with 16 goals and 27 points on the league's top powerplay unit.  The puck was always on his stick: he led the league with 220 shots on goal and 98 shots that missed the target.  He played all 48 games and finished 7th in total ice time among forwards (1,002:27, or 20:53 per game), but first in powerplay ice time (220:30, 4:35 per game).  He also finished 21st among forwards in hits with 120 and snagged 30 takeaways to only 25 giveaways.  Ovechkin also went 3-for-3 in shootouts, all wins, and scored 4 game-winning goals. 

The second finalist for the award was center John Tavares of the New York Islanders.  The first overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Tavares led the Islanders with 28 goals and 47 points, helping them to a playoff berth for the first time since 2007.  He also led the team with 5 game-winning goals and scored on 3 of his 6 shootout attempts.  He placed 3rd in the NH with 28 goals and 9 powerplay goals  The Islanders' alternate captain played all 48 games and finished 8th among forwards in total ice time, with 997:11, or 20:46 per game.  This is his first nomination for a major NHL award. 

The other finalist was the first overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, center Sidney Crosby. 

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#6 New York Rangers at #3 Washington Capitals
Series Tied 2-2
Location:  Verizon Center
Time: 7:30 PM
TV:  Local: CSN, National: NBCSN, Canada: TSN
Radio: 1500AM & 820AM
Previous Games:
Game 1, May 2 in Washington: 3-1 W
Game 2, May 4 in Washington, 1-0 W (OT)
Game 3, May 6 in New York, 3-4 L
Game 4, May 8 in New York, 3-4 L
Remaining Games:
Game 6, May 12 in New York, TBD
Game 7*, May 13 in Washington, TBD
*If necessary
Familiar Faces of Former Capitals:  D Steve Eminger (212 GP, 2002-08)

Blocked at work? Read on!

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The NHL announced today that Alexander Ovechkin was named a finalist for the Ted Lindsay award as the league's most outstanding player, as voted on by his peers.  The award, previously named the Lester B. Pearson Award, is voted on by the members of NHL Players Association.  Ovechkin won the award three seasons in a row from 2007-08 through 2009-10.  He was also a finalist for the award in his rookie season of 2005-06. 

By many standards, Alex Ovechkin was the most outstanding player in the league.  He was certainly the flashiest and helped his team capture the Southeast Division title. He led the league in goals with 32, no one else had more than 29.  He led the league with 16 powerplay goals on the league's top powerplay unit, no one else had more than 10.  Ovechkin finished third in league scoring with 56 points and led the league with 27 powerplay points.  He led the league with 220 shots on goal, 30 more than second place, and fired another 98 shots that missed the target.  He played all 48 games and finished 7th in total ice time among forwards (1,002:27), but first in powerplay ice time (220:30), more than 18 minutes ahead of second place.  He also finished 21st among forwards in hits with 120, snagged 30 takeaways to only 25 giveaways, and went 3-for-3 in shootouts, all wins.  Of course, he did this while switching from left wing to right wing. 

The league's leading scorer, Martin St. Louis, was also named a finalist for the award.  St. Louis paced the league with 43 assists and 60 points, all at the tender age of 37, making him the oldest player ever to win the Art Ross Trophy,.  St. Louis also finished second in total ice time among forwards (1,055:12), less than two minutes behind league leader Steven Stamkos. Like Ovechkin, St. Louis also has a full trophy case, having won this award in 2003-04, the first time he won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer and the Hart Trophy as league MVP, all in the same season he won the Stanley Cup.  He also won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the league's most gentlemanly player twice in a row starting in 2009-10.  St. Louis will have a harder time winning the award because his team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, missed the playoffs. 

The other finalist was Sidney Crosby. 

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The Washington Capitals announced today they have recalled RW Tom Wilson and RW Joey Crabb from the AHL Hershey Bears.  The Bears were eliminated last night after taking the #1 seed Providence Bruins to the brink in their best-of-5 first round series. 

The big story revolves around 19-year old prospect Tom Wilson, a right-shooting 6'4, 210-lb winger.  Wilson was the 16th overall pick in last June's draft and participated in Capitals training camp in January.  He was ultimately returned to his junior team, where he was the 5th-leading scorer for the Ontario Hockey League Plymouth Whalers.  He scored 23 goals and 58 points in just 48 games, more than doubling his totals in those categories from last year.  He was his team's 4th leading scorer in the playoffs, posting 9 goals and 17 points in 12 games before the Whalers were eliminated by Dale Hunter's London Knights in the second round.  After his junior season ended, Wilson made his professional debut by suiting up in 3 AHL playoff games with the Hershey Bears, scoring a third period go-ahead goal in a Game 4 loss.  Wilson is a big, rangy scoring winger in the mold of Eric Fehr but with more of a power-forward mindset.  He posted 245 penalty minutes over his last two seasons in junior and likes to dish out big hits and yap at opposing players.  It is possible he could see his first NHL action as soon as Game 5, as there is now a lineup opening with the injury to winger Martin Erat.  Wilson's OHL stats can be found here.

Also recalled was 6'1, 190-lb Joey Crabb, who continues his multi-league odyssey this season.  After signing a 1-year deal with the Capitals in the off-season, the Anchorage native was forced to start the season with the Alaska Aces of the ECHL because of the lockout.  The 30-year old posted 17 goals and 38 points in 35 ECHL games before  joining the Capitals in January.  After posting 11 goals and 26 points last season with Toronto, the offense did not materialize for Crabb at the NHL level this season.  He managed just two goals in 26 games with the big club before he was waived on March 23.  After Crabb cleared waivers, he was assigned to the AHL Hershey Bears, where he skated on the first line and posted 6 goals and 12 points in 12 games.  He was a constant presence in the playoffs, too, scoring 5 goals in the 5-game series for the Bears.  At the NHL level, Crabb does have some offensive upside, but on this team he would likely be used in a 4th-line role.  He is a quality NHL player but was ultimately squeezed out of the lineup by the return of injured players and the waiver acquisition of Aaron Volpatti, not because he wasn't playing well, and his presence in the lineup could be a boost for the Caps.  Crabb's stats can be found here.

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The Washington Capitals put forth another undisciplined, unfocused effort tonight, giving pucks away and taking bad penalties.  The Rangers are now back in this series, tied 2-2, as the series shifts back to Washington for Game 5.  Rangers Coach John Tortorella used his line changes to his advantage and had the benefit of very uneven officiating to get the win. 

The Captials were able to get some sustained pressure in the Rangers end early in the game, forcing the Rangers to take a penalty, but a gaffe by Braden Holtby put an end to any momentum the Caps had. 

With 3 and a half minutes remaining in the first period, the Rangers dumped the puck down the ice and the linesmen washed out icing, prompting Holtby to play the puck near the left corner.  As the Rangers circled out of the zone, Holtby tried sending an aerial pass up the middle of the ice that was promptly knocked down by Ranger forward Taylor Pyatt.  As Holtby panicked and scrambled to get back into his crease, Pyatt moved the puck to Carl Hagelin who banked a shot off John Carlson's shinpads.  By this time, Holtby had overreacted and flung himself through the crease and had taken himself out of position a second time, leaving the net wide open for a Brad Richards put-away to give the home team a lead going into the first intermission and the home crowd something to cheer about. 

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images