It’s Game 7 time. Heart in mouth, prayer in mind, lucky clothes on body time. Every superstition, every trick, every measure of defiance will be in use tonight like it’s the Battle for Hogwarts all over again.
Whether you’re watching Rangers/Caps or Leafs/Bruins, I defy you to make it through the post with your blood pressure intact.
Play this song:
Then play this song:
Then play them again. I can hardly sit still.
Mr. Pants is gonna have to hold me down.
Before the Caps Game 5 win, Mike posted this photo. Are you still standing? LIAR. Here’s hoping it works again.
Pets and cuddling and selfies? Lookout, Landeskog.
Don’t tell me the season is almost over. Don’t tell me there are 3 games left, you have a 3 point lead and I have to spend the next week trying not to throw up over whether or not you can hold onto a playoff spot.
And don’t tell me this just happens when you take off your helmet….
I have 108% faith in the Capitals right now. This hot streak, this hair and even that captain are going to make it happen. Now, how to get out of visiting family dinner tomorrow night to go to the game vs. Winnipeg?
We’ve been razzing a lot of “part-time models” around here lately. Maybe I could be a Part Time Reporter?
For my real job, I do entertainment PR and was lucky enough to work with Joel Ward and the Caps on a special screening of the new movie 42. Joel wears number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson, and hosted our event on Wednesday.
A handful of other Caps also attended: Erskine, Fehr, Laich, Wolski and my new favorite, Steve Olesky. All the players and staff were great! The event was a huge success that generated tons of publicity and made me look really, really good on paper.
Turns out it’s much more weird to hear myself than see myself. We’d rather see Guerin, she is stunnnnnnning.
This feature played on the Jumbotron during the game vs. Tampa Bay on Saturday. Thank goodness I wasn’t there – that’s too much! Also the Caps blew a 5-1 lead and I having a meltdown. But Mike saved the day – he scored the OT game winner because he wasn’t about to let my game go out like that.
This weekend, the artist formerly known as GAME OVER changed his name to GAME TIED. And that’s okay with us.
How I looked Saturday night, only with a scream of joy.
On Saturday, after hitting the post earlier in the game, Mike banked one in behind Jhonas Enroth to tie the game with 42 seconds left in the third period.
The Caps later won the game on a shootout goal from Ovi that caused Matty Perreault to have the greatest celebration in history:
I could/will/have watch(ed) that a thousand times.
Here’s Mike on the post-game… if he were blond, I would be shipping a Dread Pirate Roberts Halloween costume so hard right now.
Mike even got a little sassy on Twitter post-game, calling out someone who called out his early-game play. While I’m not generally a fan of revenge chirping, it had to feel SO good. And it earned the rest of us this:
Love you too, Mikey. But don’t scroll back through my Twitter feed, ‘kay?
Sunday the Caps played again, this time vs. the Flyers. I might have driven up for the game, but I couldn’t behind my steering wheel after Easter lunch. Just as well, I would’ve fainted when this happened:
As it was, I launched off the couch for the kicking equivalent of a Matty P Party. Mr. Pants was both alarmed and impressed by my sudden outburst of energy. Alas, the Caps got back into the game just to let it get away. They scored 2 more (In 26 seconds! Both on the PP!) early in the 3rd, then gave up 2 and went to OT.
Damn Flyers won it in extra innings.
Someone on Twitter called it an “unacceptable loss” and I have to agree. With this state of the union, they can’t be letting leads get away and momentum die a terrible death.
The promising news is, the Caps are tied with Carolina. The two teams play tomorrow in Raleigh. Please, please, please let the Caps bring their A game. They need to hopscotch over the Canes then worry about NYI and NYR for that 8th spot, all while setting their sights on the Jets for 1st in the Southeast. The only way in is to win, a lot, from here on out.
What do you think? Here’s the Caps’ schedule for the rest of the season. Can they pull it off?
Last night, Mike and the Caps really wanted you to tag your Tweets.
I don’t think “I miss hedgehog, fidgety, Jersey Shore-style Mike Green but at least this guy has a manicure. *P #CapsNYR” is what they were after.
They could have gone with #CutYourHair or #DontYouMissWhenIWasHot or… I’ll stop. Mike did have a goal in Friday’s rout of Winnipeg – an old fashioned slapshot from the point reminiscent of his “Game Over” days (at the 2:57 mark). Remember those? Aren’t they gorgeous enough?
More please and you can keep the hair! Too late for this, though:
Good news - Mike is traveling with the Caps! He went to Carolina & Boston, and will make the four game trip that starts today. No word on when Bubble Boy might play, but at least he’s around for photos.
From Ovi’s Twitter:
I love these dorks, though I don’t understand what they’re so happy about (this was before Boston/Carolina, so forgiveness may be granted.).
Other news – these pictures. Decide for yourself if it’s good or bad because I am in hysterics. Can I have NO opinion and EVERY opinion all that the same time?
Is this real life?
I presume these are from Mike’s recently-made-public Instagram. I’d look for more but I’m so afraid of what I’ll find. It makes me question everything, like what is life? What is conditioner? Do you think he uses that WEN dry shampoo from the infomercials?
I flat-out screamed. Explaining why to my coworkers was on the awkward side of impossible.
I need to coin a phrase for how all this make me feel. Flail-safe? It’s somewhere between “fail-safe” (as in impossible to mess up) and “I spazzed out and tossed my laptop in the sink?”
I need a moment. It’s so good to see them together though! Ovi’s really helping out Mikey Monday with his Tweets about Carolina man-dates.
Cardigan. I have to stop.
Soundtrack to this post: Flight of the Conchords, “Most Beautiful Girl in the Room.” Depending on the street, would he definitely be in the top three?
I have used every Mike Green photo on Google/Tumblr and I’m feeling really pouty. So I went to Bing to hunt for a new photo so I could post something – anything! – here for Mikey Monday, like a candle kept burning in the window of a house waiting for someone to come home.
See? Pouty.
The Bing homepage knew, and reached out to me.
Are you kidding me? Pouty no more.
Mike skated the other day. That’s hopeful, if you’re the kind of person who thinks that twice a year is often enough to buy Girl Scout Cookies.
Somewhere these two are just trying to get back to us, but their human forms just won’t cooperate. It’s like The Little Mermaid. They just want to be part of our world.
He missed three games in late February after aggravating last season’s groin injury, then came back for two matches. All was not well – he did not practice Friday or make the weekend trip to Winnipeg for the Caps’ 3-0 win on Saturday.
Perhaps afraid this look would not pass airport security.
What else is there to say?
There is currently no timetable for Mike’s return. My depression is multiplied by the fact that everyone knew this would happen – and only 30 minutes into the movie season.
What? Too dramatic? (Insert haircut joke here.)
After losing 6 of their first 7 games, the Caps are mounting a little comeback. They’ve won 6 of 10 – 5 of those against Southeast Division opponents. It doesn’t hurt that the Southeast is still the worst division in the NHL. The Caps play Boston and Florida at home this week, then spend the weekend against the Islanders and Rangers.
At this point, it’s not a question of “Can the Caps win without Mike?” It’s a matter of figuring out a reliable, practiced backup plan for replacing him whenever he’s out. One that (please) is not Jeff Schultz. Increasing the role of rookie D Thomas Kundratek [link] and workload of Tom Poti are fine stopgaps, but not solutions. Just as Ovi seems to find his mojo and teams above them get hot (Winnipeg won 5 of 7, Carolina won 4 of 5), the Caps can’t afford to lose a big on offense or defense.
But hey, we’re winning some games, right? On the subject of Caps D, let’s love on iCarly for a minute. After an abysmal start to the season, John’s got 8 points including 1 G/1A last week vs. Carolina – a game in which he had 6 shots. See what happens when you cut your hair?! And help a kid?
Mike Green is hurt. A “lower body injury” kept him out of last night’s 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers. It likely happened late in the Valentine’s Day victory over the Tampa Bay.
By then I’d already eaten all the chocolate and drank all the wine I would’ve used to drown my feelings.
Be honest, 14 games was a long time for Mike to play without getting hurt.
The Caps next game isn’t until Thursday, at home vs. NJ, and Coach Oates has said he hopes Mike will be back in that lineup. They won’t comment on the nature of the injury. It’s extra-scary because of the groin problem that plagued Mike last year and resulted in sports hernia surgery.
Mike’s having a solid season – 2G/5A and 7th overall in the NHL for ice time, averaging 26:33/game. He’s been one of the Caps best players… which isn’t saying much, mind. The least brown banana. But desperate times call for desperately clinging to shreds of formerly glorious hopes.
The Caps had won 3 straight prior to last night – scoring 15 goals in the process and leaving us all shouting, “Wings! Pizza! Don’t use them all up now!”
They managed to climb out of last in the NHL rankings. A little hot streak now could distance them from some of these teams and really get them moving up the standings.
It’s worth nothing the Southeast Division has the League’s lowest win totals. Carolina leads with 17 points. That can/will help the Caps as their play hopefully continues to improve. NJ is the most frustrating team in hockey to play (or watch someone play) against, so Thursday will be a real test.
You don’t want to see this. David Clarkson has 10 G in 15 games.
Mr. Pants is gonna have to hold me down.
Pets and cuddling and selfies? Lookout, Landeskog.
from 
I love these dorks, though I don’t understand what they’re so happy about (this was before Boston/Carolina, so forgiveness may be granted.).
I flat-out screamed. Explaining why to my coworkers was on the awkward side of impossible.
Pants
Chuck
dawncherrie
scott38
vincedepalma
