“Tonight you’re going to see everything thrown at them,” Brooks Laich said. “Anything we can do. Pucks are going to be coming from everywhere. Bodies are going to be flying. There’s going to be scrums in front of the net. We just have to make sure we are more determined than they are.”

~ via Capitals Insider

My thoughts on the series so far, and a bunch of numbers:

When you get 39 shots and only one goes in, it’s pretty tough to win games. The Caps are averaging 37 shots per game to the Rangers’ 25. That’s an incredible differential.

I thought the Caps returned to a bit of the perimeter shooting and trying to out-fancy the Rangers that got them into trouble in Games 1 and 2 during Wednesday’s game. If they can play the sort of game they figured out for Game 3, and play that tonight and the next two, the Caps can win the series…

On the other hand, Lundqvist is just too effing good. You have to get him moving side-to-side with passes. If you give him time to square to the shot he’ll get you every time.

Both teams have played well I think. With the exception of Game 3 (3-0 Capitals), all games have been 1-goal decisions.

Varlamov leads the playoff goalies in goals against average and is second only to Luongo in save percentage.

Total goals are actually 8-7 in favor of the Caps.

They’ve won more faceoffs than the Rangers (128 to 116)

They’ve had far fewer PIMs than the Rangers (38 to 62)

The Rangers have a slight lead in takeaways (33 to the Capitals’ 27) but a commanding lead in giveaways (23 to the Capitals’ 41)

Even after the lead the Rangers have in takeaways and giveaways, The Capitals have taken 49 more shots at 148 than the Rangers at 99.

When you put that many shots on a goaltender and don’t score more than 8 goals, he’s doing something right. Or you’re doing something wrong.

The Rangers looked a little tired on Wednesday but I imagine they’ll be energized tonight at Verizon Center with the chance to advance. I’ll be there hoping the Caps can still pull out the 3 wins needed in a row, but against Lundy I just don’t know.

All that said, winning out is 100% in the realm of possibility with this team. We have a young netminder 100% capable of being lights out. Our D has been pretty darn solid. We have several forwards capable of lighting the lamp. One is the reigning MVP. Who scores in bunches. And scored on Wednesday.

One game at a time, just like last year’s push to the playoffs. One win. That’s all you have to worry about tonight.

I’ll be there, screaming my head off like it is the last game until October. It very well may be. I will leave everything at VC tonight, and I can only hope our boys do the same. Play like we know you can. Play like we’ve seen this year. Play like we JUST saw on Monday. This is our town. This is our house.

Get. It. Done.

The NHL Playoffs. The wheat has been separated from the chaff. Now we separate the men from the boys.

Everyone is back to a 0-0 record. The regular season no longer matters. Anything can happen in the playoffs, and it normally does. The next several weeks will be all joy and despair and triumph and and heartbreak as games are won and lost on grit and skill and a little bit of luck. Sixteen teams now battle for what is arguably the hardest earned privilege in team sports. It takes sixteen wins in four seven-game series to hoist the most coveted trophy in professional sports; The Stanley Cup.

Here’s my bracket. I’ve got some upsets, some things I see as sure things, and yes some wishful thinking. To be honest, all of it can go any number of ways. So it goes with the NHL Playoffs. The fun begins in a little under seven hours.

(Bracket created at Rinkotology)

I’ll be using @thisismash‘s Twitter LiveBlog plugin to liveblog from some of the games, if I think about it. Chances are I’ll start a liveblog post and then completely forget about it, being completely enthralled with the game. :)