Caps @ Buffaslugs 3-21-2007 Wrap Up/ Caps @ Canes 3-22-2007 Preview

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post. Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com AP Wire.

The Other Side:

Buffalo News: Streak over, Power restored. Buffaslugs.com.

Final Thoughts:

I'm beginning to wonder if a self-fulling prophecy is forming. The Caps have beaten these guys and have been able to stay with them. I'm not saying that the Caps are as good as the Buffaslugs, not by a long shot, but this tome of "they had no chance" is getting a little old. The Caps weren't totally outclassed or run out of the building. 74 down, 8 to go.


Washington Capitals (26-48; 65 points; 5th Southeast Division, 14th Eastern Conference, 26th Overall) @ Carolina Hurricanes (36-37; 80 points; 3rd Southeast Division, 8th Eastern Conference, 17th Overall):
Caps Game #75, Road Game #37, NHL Game #1,103

RBC Center, Raleigh, NC. 7:05 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WTNT 570-AM. Carolina TV: Fox Sportsnet South. Radio: WWMY 102.9-FM. NHL Center Ice: Fox Sporstnet South feed.

Tonight the Caps sit on the brink of official playoff elimination as any kind of loss tonight will formally eliminate the Caps from making the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The opponent tonight is the Carolina Hurricanes. The last time the Caps faced the Canes, the Canes pitched a 3-0 shutout at the Caps. The Canes have split the four games since then with their most recent outing being a 7-2 beatdown of the Devils in the New Jersey swamps.

What The Natives Are Saying:

Caps.com. Caps.com .pdf game notes.

The Other Side:

Raleigh News & Observer: Final countdown, Eye on the Canes. Durham Herald-Sun. Canes.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

The last time these two teams met, the Canes were holding onto the playoffs by a thread. While the Canes are in a better position now than they were 12 days ago, they are by no means out of the woods yet. If the Canes play like they are capable of, the Caps are in trouble, no matter what lineup the Caps put out there. A Caps win in regulation would help a host of teams at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Toronto and Montreal are tied with Carolina. The Canes have the tiebreaker on both teams and a game in hand on Montreal. The Islanders trail the Canes by one point but have a game in hand on the Canes. The Rangers are three points up on Carolina but the Canes have a game in hand on them. I hope you memorized all of that because there will be a quiz later.

Caps Nut Official Washington Hockey.com Predict The Score Contest Entry:

Caps 3
Canes 2
Winner by Semin

Editorial Note For The Loyal Readers Of This Blog:

Once again a meeting a church has been scheduled in conflict with the game tonight. Therefore because I will miss a large portion of the game, there will be no post-mortem later tonight.