As for the Capitals? Well, their recent history with game 7′s hasn’t been nearly as successful since their resurgence to the playoffs in 2008. The most memorable moment is probably from two years ago when the President Trophy winning Capitals were bumped by the eighth seeded Montreal Canadiens in the first round in Game 7 at the Verizon Center after the Capitals had a 3-to-1 series lead.

The other results from previous game 7′s? A home overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of 2008. A home win over the New York Rangers in the first round in 2009. A home loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round of 2009 (Penguins went on to win the Cup). And finally, the home loss to Montreal in 2010.

So which team has the advantage going into Wednesday’s Game 7? Well, it depends who you ask. The Capitals are staying positive about the situation in they’re in, pointing out that they have won three games in this series being smart and sound in all zones.

As for the Bruins, who have been down the road more recently, they believe that last year’s success shows how prepared they are. After blowing a 3-0 series lead against the Flyers in 2010, the Bruins have won three-straight game 7′s.

As for the coaches, well they’re promising that their teams will come out and play the best game of the series yet. If that’s the case, Wednesday night should be a great game to watch for both team’s fans.

Capitals coach Dale Hunter pointed out that his team has been playing in game 7 like conditions since mid-march when his team needed every point they could get to just get into the postseason.

With that being said, Game 7 is Wednesday night in Boston at the TC Garden on NBC Sports Network. The time is yet to be decided but I believe it will be a 7:00 or 7:30 start time. Here’s hoping the Capitals can refocus and move on to the second round of the playoffs. Rock the Red! Let’s go Caps!

Follow Matthew on twitter @Geiser19.

Backstrom received a match penalty after the final whistle in Monday night’s Game 3 after he cross-checked Rich Peverley in the face. Backstrom was retaliating for a hit that Peverley made on Alex Ovechkin in the game’s final seconds.

NHL senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan released a video Tuesday highlighting and explaining the suspension. Shanahan explains that while Peverley’s stick was in Backstrom’s face, Peverley was in a defensive position when Backstrom cross-checked him. He also pointed out that Backstrom’s reaction was, “excessive and reckless.”

Shanahan acknowledged that Peverley was not injured on the play and that Backstrom has no prior history of this kind of behavior. Backstrom has never been suspended or fined in his five seasons in the NHL. Shanahan said that as a group the Department of Player Safety considered his clean record and still decided to suspend him.

Backstrom will now miss Game 4 after registering two points so far in the series. He had the game-winning goal in Game 2 and an assist on one of the Capitals’ goals in their Game 3 loss.

The Capitals released a statement today about the suspension of Backstrom.

“We disagree with the NHL’s decision to suspend Nicklas Backstrom.  This has been a competitive and physical series, and we do not understand why a suspension was imposed in this case while other incidents in this series have not been reviewed. Our singular focus now is on Game 4, and we look forward to the energy that our great fans provide.” – Washington Capitals

Backstrom missed 40 games this season after suffering a concussion on January 3 against the Calgary Flames. The Capitals have been complaining all series about the Bruins’ players targeting the head of Backstrom after the whistle has already blown.

The focus is now on the ever important Game 4 that gives the Capitals the ability to tie the series back up at two games apiece. The game is tomorrow night at the Verizon Center at 7:30 on NBC Sports Network. Let’s go Caps! Rock the Red!

Follow Matthew on twitter @Geiser19.

A lot has changed for the Capitals and Green since that goal. Green missed 50 of the next 53 games with foot and groin injuries, and was rehabbing when Dale Hunter took over for Bruce Boudreau.

When Green returned from abdominal surgery in mid-February, he had to adjust to a new way of skating and style of play. Long gone were the coast-to-coast rushes that had become his trademark in the NHL. In their place were sound, smart decisions with the puck.

“There’s not that pressure that you have to score and that’s the bottom line. Playing in position and playing solid, Dale reinforces that.” – Mike Green

In some form of a miracle, the Capitals made the playoffs with Green recording just one assist in the final 22 games of the season. Somehow, the Capitals have kept their current playoff series with the Boston Bruins even without a single point from Green as well.

After playing 21:01 minutes and blocking two shots in the Capitals’ 1-0 overtime loss in Game 1, Green logged a team-high 33:28 minutes, was plus-2, had four shots and blocked an additional three shots in Saturday’s 2-1 double overtime win in Game 2.

Despite his lack of offensive production, Green says this is the best he has felt, both mentally and physically, in the past two years. Green said he no longer judges himself on how many points he scores, but more on the way he plays against some of the NHL’s top forwards.

The Capitals have blocked 49 shots in just the first two games of the playoffs against the Bruins, including a huge block by Alexander Semin on a Zdeno Chara slapshot. Green went on to say that Semin got a lot of pats on the back in the locker room after that and that it definitely shows everyone is buying in to the defense first mindset.

Although the Capitals are only two games into the playoffs, Green says he sees a commitment level that is much higher in this year’s team than what has been seen in the previous teams that failed to make a long playoff run.

The Capitals next game is tonight at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Network. It is Game 3 and both teams will be looking to take a 2-1 advantage in this best-of-7 series.

Follow Matthew on twitter @Geiser19.

Whatever the reason is, the Capitals have become a shot-blocking, hard-hitting, space-taking team that is built to win in the playoffs.

“This is how it’s going to be. For you, maybe it’s boring. But for us, it’s fun.” – Nicklas Backstrom

Backstrom scored the double overtime winner in Game 2 of the Capitals series against the Boston Bruins on Saturday to tie the series at one apiece as it heads to the nation’s capital.

Through the first two games, the Capitals and Bruins have combined for 146 hits – 70 for the Capitals and 76 for the Bruins – and just four goals. Part of that though has come from the outstanding goaltending from Braden Holtby and Tim Thomas.

Although Holtby has allowed two goals on 74 shots, and leads all playoff goalies with a .973 save percentage and a .83 GAA, he also had 49 shots blocked by his teammates in Games 1 and 2. Holtby says that the commitment to team defense might be the biggest difference between this year’s team and the ones that have burned out early in the playoffs in years past.

Since Dale Hunter arrived on November 28 to replace Bruce Boudreau, he has tried to convince his players that a sound, risk-free defensive system would work in the playoffs. And for long stretches after his arrival there were doubts that the Capitals would even make the playoffs. But now that theyr’re there, the Capitals have gone toe-to-toe with the defending Stanley Cup champions, matching their physical intensity along the boars, in front of the net, and in battles for loose pucks.

“You know, they just sit back. They play a patient game. They sit back and get into their 1-4 and if you want to get cute in the neutral zone, you’re not getting pucks in.” – Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien

What’s that? An opposing coach is praising the Capitals for their patience? This must be 2012.

For the past four years, playoff hockey has never extended past early May in Washington D.C. If the Capitals continue to pay the same price they have in the first two games of this series, that could change soon.

For all of your Washington Capitals playoff needs, continue to check in.

Follow Matthew on tiwtter @Geiser19.

Who is this Braden Holtby character? He has been phenomenal in his first two playoff games of his career. In two games, he has given up two goals, and leads the league in GAA (.83) and save percentage (.973) in the playoffs. Not too shabby for a third string goalie that everybody wrote off before the series started. He has better stats than the man he’s facing in Tim Thomas. That’s right, last year’s Conn Smythe, Vezina, and Stanley Cup Champion Tim Thomas.

That’s not to say Thomas hasn’t been stellar in the first two games as well. He too has only allowed two goals in the first two games, and he kept the Bruins in the game today.

The offense finally showed up tonight for the Capitals. Troy Brouwer banged home a goal for the Capitals first goal of the series after Alex Ovechkin threw a puck at the net. Backstrom then stepped up in the second overtime and fired a rocket past Thomas’ shoulder to end the game. The Capitals had 39 shots on net, which was 22 more than they had in just over 60 minutes in game 1. If the Capitals want to battle through and beat the Bruins, they will have to keep throwing pucks on net.

The defense has shown up in both games of this series and has looked much better than they have all season. John Carlson and Roman Hamrlik played exceptionally well in front of the young netminder again. Dennis Wideman, who you could argue for being responsible for both Bruins goals of the series, saved the would be winning goal in the first overtime, so hes good in our book again. Mike Green and Karl Alzner stepped their game up again today and will be a force to be reckoned with. Jeff Schultz looked like his normal self, as usual, so I’m looking for Dmitri Orlov to make an appearance in this series soon.

This game kept the Capitals alive in this series, and they’re very capable of winning both games at home coming up. If they do, they may be the one team everybody wrote off to advance to the second round. Be sure to check in for all of your Capitals stories throughout the playoffs here.

The series shifts to Washington on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. The Verizon center will be rocking and so will I. Rock the Red! Let’s Go Caps!

Follow Matthew on twitter @Geiser19.

The Capitals looked like a new team in the extra time, coming out hard and fast early. Less than two minutes into overtime Marcus Johansson came in on Tim Thomas and rifled a shot through a screen that Thomas kicked out. In transition the Bruins fed the puck to Chris Kelly, who ripped his first shot of the game past Braden Holtby. Game over. In total, the shots came less than six seconds apart.

That’s not to say Holtby didn’t play his heart out in his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut. The 22-year-old stopped all 29 shots he faced in regulation, as well as shutting down the Bruins power play for almost eight straight minutes. Holtby will need to play like that all series in order for the Capitals to even have a shot at making it past the Bruins.

The Capitals offense was not nearly as potent as it should have been in a playoff game. They had a total of 17 shots in regulation, and didn’t test Thomas as much as they should have. Alex Ovechkin was stifled from the get go and only recorded two shots on net, both came in the third period.

The Capitals defense looked solid, for what appeared to be the first time all season. John Carlson hands down played the best defensive game of his career, while Karl Alzner, Dennis Wideman, and Mike Green all looked excellent protecting their young goaltender.

The team actually looked like a team, too. If someone crashed the net late, a defenseman was there to get in his face. When Alexander Semin got double teamed late in the third, there were four Capitals that swarmed to step up for him. That kind of play is what the Capitals have been lacking all season. They will need that to make it far in this year’s playoffs.

Overall it was a heart pounding game that either team could have won, but in the end the Bruins took this one from the grasp of the Capitals. The Capitals can’t let games like this slip away from them, especially now.

Game 2 is Saturday at 3 p.m. at TD Garden in Boston on NBC. Boston has been notoriously bad during matinee games this season so maybe, just maybe the Capitals can bring the series back home tied up at 1-1.

When Vokoun returned to the lineup, questions were asked about who the Capitals would go with once the playoffs rolled around. Well no more than a week later and Vokoun went down again after re-aggravating his groin. It then seemed Michal Neuvirth would be the go to goalie in the playoffs. But in the Capitals’ 81st game of the season, the playoff clinching game a week before the Capitals first round series, Neuvirth went down himself with a lower-body injury.

That injury has led Braden Holtby to be the front runner for who Dale Hunter will go with to start the series. With Washington calling up Holtby’s backup from the AHL Dany Sabourin, it appears that two fresh, rookie goalies will be the tandem in net for the Washington Capitals as the playoffs start.

The ailing Neuvirth did not participate at the KCI this morning in the team’s skate, nor did he show up to stretch on his own prior to practice. However, in lieu of his absence this morning he is still scheduled to make the trip to Boston for the first two games of the series. Neuvirth skated with the team yesterday, the first time since injuring his leg last on April 5.

Vokoun on the other hand did some light stretching and worked on his lateral movement in net prior to the team skate. This was Vokoun’s second straight day of on-ice workouts, but he will not make the trip to Boston with the team.

That leaves Holtby to step up and be the big man in net for the Capitals. When asked about starting in the playoffs, Holtby responded with he is excited, but he still has to prepare like it is any other game.

What do you think? Do you believe that a young, 22-year-old can show up the defending Stanley Cup Champions?

A side note from the Bruins side of things: General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced that forward Nathan Horton will be out for the duration of the playoffs with a concussion. The injury occured on January 22, and he has missed the past 36 games.

Follow Matthew on twitter @Geiser19.

As a matter of fact, when General Manager George McPhee signed Ward on July 1, he mentioned his stellar postseason play.

“I’d rather have someone that gets 10-15 goals in the regular season but delivers in the playoffs than someone who gets 25 and doesn’t.” – General Manager George McPhee

Now it is Ward’s time to shine in Washington. In last year’s playoffs with the Nashville Predators, Ward recorded 13 points (7 G, 6 A) in 12 games. He became the type of player they tell stories about; the grinder who stepped up to do more than was asked of him.

Ward believes that the Boston Bruins offer a matchup that will allow him to contribute and find a regular spot in the lineup. The Bruins will definitely be bringing their checking game to the series in an attempt to wear down the Capitals and their ‘not-so-tough’ lineup. It is a perfect opportunity for a grinder like Ward to step up and make a difference in the series.

Since entering the lineup again in the final game after missing seven straight games, four as a healthy scratch, Ward has seen himself skating on the fourth line. In two practices this week he’s been working with Keith Aucoin and Mathieu Perrault. Regardless of his linemates though, Ward knows the importance of having a strong third and fourth line in addition to the top six forwards in the postseason.

So what will it take for Ward to get on a roll like he did at this time last season? For him, it’s all about finding the rhythm on the forecheck. Ward knows his what his position require of him and if he pushes hard on the forecheck, he will get his chances.

Follow Matthew on twitter @Geiser19.

These four haven’t led the Capitals to the Stanley Cup Finals, let alone the Eastern Conference Finals in there five years together. In their four postseasons together, they have only won two first-round series. And when their fifth postseason together starts Thursday, they will be quite the underdogs when they take on the defending Stanley Cup Champions Boston Bruins.

Veteran winger Mike Knuble had a message for the young foursome prior to the beginning of the playoffs this year. Get it done now.

“It’s very easy as a young player to say, ‘We’ll get ‘em next year. We’ll all be together next year.’ But that’s not the reality. Salary caps and salary issues all pop up and guys move on. Later on, you’re like, ‘Aw, we had a real good team and we didn’t do anything and it never came around again.’” – Mike Knuble

With Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, and Green, the Capitals became one of the most feared offensive team in the NHL from 2007 to 2011, racking up an average of 108 points per season. However, this year the foursome played together for only 12 games with everyone’s statistics suffering. Ovechkin finished with 38 goals, and a career-low 65 points. Semin scored a career-low 21 goals, Backstrom had a career low of 44 points, and Green had a career low of seven points.

And the foursome might not be together all that much longer. While Ovechkin and Backstrom are inked to long-term deals, Ovechkin until 2020-2021 and Backstrom until 2019-2020, Semin becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and Green will be an unrestricted free agent.

The decision to keep all four together will be hanging on how they perform in the playoffs. If Semin is his usual enigmatic self he won’t be resigned. If Green doesn’t perform like he has in the past, the Capitals make make him a short term offer or let him go to free agency. It all depends if this group can make a deep playoff run, and they have yet to do that.

Injuries definitely took a toll on the team this season, but that can’t be an excuse now. The Capitals are in the playoffs, seeded in seventh and can be overlooked by many teams and upset them. Sure, they aren’t the favorites like they have been in the past but that might take the pressure off and let the guys just go out and play hockey.

Being with the Capitals for three years now, Knuble knows what talent he has around him with these four stars. But he believes the league doesn’t see them as a threat day-in and day-out until they make deep playoff runs consistently. He knows the kind of toll that hockey puts on the body, and knows that these four won’t always be together and if they want to be a threat and stick together, they have to ‘Do it now.”

The Capitals went 3-1-0 against the Bruins this season, including a wild 3-2 shootout victory over the Bruins in their final visit on March 29. Shootouts won’t be needed in this series though, seeing as overtime is continuous until one team scores a goal.

While the Capitals saw victory in three of their four games against the Bruins this season, the players are not thinking of this as a cake walk at all. Dennis Wideman, who is a former Bruins defenseman knows that the Bruins are completely different team in the postseason. Troy Brouwer believes the success that the Capitals had against the team will help, however he believes the way the Capitals have been playing of late will help more. The Capitals have won four of their last five, giving them a strong surge into the playoffs.

The strongest of the Capitals has been Alex Ovechkin of late, with a strong resurgence to see himself as a top 3 player in the NHL. Ovechkin finished the season in fifth for goals with 38. As the captain he will have to step up yet again in the postseason. Jason Chimera has also had a great season, reaching the 20 goal plateau for the first time in his career. Alexander Semin, while highly criticized all season, was by far the most consistent forward on the team, putting up 54 points (21 G, 33 A). Finally, with the return of Nicklas Backstrom to the lineup, the highly potent offense is back on track.

It appears Braden Holtby will manning the net due to injuries suffered by Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth in the past three weeks of the season. This will be Holtby’s first playoff experience and he will have his work cut out for him.

If the Capitals will make it out of the first round they will need Holtby to play lights out, game-in and game-out, as well as the noted superstar trio of Ovechkin, Semin, and Backstrom to step up and play to their fullest potential. If one player were to have a breakout series, I believe it would have to be Marcus Johansson.

On the Bruins side of things, they have eight players with 15 or more goals, being led by Tyler Seguin with 29. However, they have no players that reached 70 points on the season. They also have favorites for the Norris Trophy in Zdeno Chara and Selke Trophy in Patrice Bergeron. Not to mention last year’s Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas in net.

The Capitals definitely has their work cut out for them in this series, and while they have had quite an up-down season, it all starts over again. That’s the best thing about the Stanley Cup Playoffs, no matter how rough a season was, once they begin it’s anyone’s Cup.

Stay tuned for all of your Capitals Playoff needs right here.

Follow Matthew on twitter @geiser19.