Wiz Win In Chicago

If there were any Wizards fans that made the trip to Chicago last night, they might as well have chanted "This is our house!"  For the fifth straight time the Wiz have come to the United Center, they've won, including last year's playoffs.  Washington once again got a win over their rivals, defeating the Bulls 105-99.  This was their second straight big win after beating the defending champion Spurs the night before.  Paul Pierce led the Wizards with 22 points and the entire starting five finished in double figures.

After a sloppy first half in which the Wizards turned the ball over 12 times, they headed to the locker room trailing by six.  In the second half Washington only turned the ball over three times and crashed the boards, out-rebounding the Bulls 43-33.  The Wizards opened the second half with a 15-5 run that allowed them to take a seven point lead into the fourth quarter.  The Wizards shot 51.3% from the field.  The Bulls tried to come back and cut the deficit to seven but with four minutes to go Paul Pierce hit a dagger to put the Wiz up 10 and the game out of reach.  The three by Pierce was his 1,989th and moved him to fourth all time in three pointers made, passing Jason Kidd.  Final score 105-99.

"We're trying to win every game we play," Pierce said, "We know what we did wrong in the first half but when we don't turn the ball over and share the ball we're a tough team to beat.  In the second half we didn't turn it over as much."  The Wizards improve their record to 27-12 and move to second place, a game ahead of Toronto.  The Wizards return home to host the Brooklyn Nets Friday night.  Tip off is at 8 p.m.

Caps Get Payback From Flyers On Rivalry Night

The Caps looked to avenge last week's overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers and they did so.  In front of another sellout crowd at Verizon Center, the Capitals got a 1-0 win over their rivals.  Braden Holtby made 21 saves while Jason Chimera picked up the goal.

Chimera's goal came at 3:13 of the first period.  As Matt Niskanen put up a shot on goal, Chimera came out from behind the goal and deflected the puck in past Flyers goaltender Rob Zepp.  In seasons past the Capitals had a hard time winning games in which they scored two goals or fewer.  Now they have won two straight games in that fashion and for the fourth time in the past 42 days.

The Caps have always been known for high powered offense but the way Braden Holtby has been playing has been the difference for the Caps.  In the second period he got tested four times but he let nothing get past him.  "Holtby has been a rock for us back there; he is kind of the backbone of everything we're doing right now," said Brooks Orpik.

In the third frame the Caps weren't able to score and Nicklas Backstrom got called for a hooking penalty.  Once the Caps killed the minor, the Flyers were only able to muster three shots on goal in the final 13 minutes of the game.  When Philly had an extra attacker in the final minute, they couldn't get a shot off thanks to tremendous defense by the Caps. "I actually thought tonight was the best we've played holding onto a lead in the third period," Holtby said, "we kept pushing and it really frustrated them."

The Caps have now won seven in a row at home.  Washington hasn't lost a regulation game in 2015 with a 6-0-1 mark since the new year began.  They are now just three points behind the Islanders for first place in the Metropolitan Division.  Up next, the Caps travel to Nashville to take on the Predators in coach Barry Trotz's return to his former team.  Trotz was the Predators first coach and he coached them for 15 years.

Rivalry Night In DC: Caps-Flyers and Wizards-Bulls Preview

Tonight is gonna be an exciting sports night in our area as two local teams take on fierce rivals.  Rather than doing a separate article previewing each game, I decided to include both games right here

Capitals vs. Flyers:

The Capitals take on the Flyers for the second time this season.  The first time these teams met was six days ago, with the Flyers winning 3-2 in overtime in Philadelphia.  Tonight the Caps close out a three game home-stand looking to win their seventh straight game, something the team hasn't done in three years.

These teams have had a storied rivalry since they both came into the league with exciting playoff series in the 80's as well as back in 2008.  Last season, as part of conference realignment, they are now back in the same division.  With both teams in the Metropolitan Division and the Caps on home ice in front of a sellout crowd, expect to see some bad blood tonight.  The game tonight can be seen on NBCSN as part of NBC's Wednesday Night Rivalry.  Puck drop is at 8


Wizards vs. Bulls:

The Wizards head to Chicago to take on the Bulls.  This marks the third time these teams have played each other this season but the first time this series is played in Chicago.  These teams first played on December 23rd with the Bulls winning 99-91.  The Wizards bounced back last Friday at Verizon Center winning 102-86 which was John Wall's first win against Chicago's Derrick Rose.

The Wizards head into this game after beating the Spurs 101-93, their first win over San Antonio since November 2005.  The Wizards have won four straight games at United Center, including the playoffs last year, and the Bulls have revenge on their minds.  In the first round of the playoffs last season, the Wiz went a perfect 3-0 including the Game 5 series clincher.  Tonight's game can be seen on CSN locally and nationally on ESPN.  Tip-off is at 8.

Caps Win Sixth Straight Home Game

On Monday night the Washington Capitals were going for their sixth straight home win, which also includes their 3-2 win over the Blackhawks at Nationals Park in the Winter Classic. They hosted the Colorado Avalanche.  

Jay Beagle got the Caps on the board seven minutes into the game on a backhand rebound off Jason Chimera which he ripped right past Semyon Varlamov, former Caps goalie and current Avalanche net minder.

In the second frame, the Avs tied it up on a power play on a goal by Alex Tanguary.  After Tanguary fired a one-timer, Caps goaltender Braden Holtby made the save but Tanguary got the rebound to put the puck past Holtby.  The goal came at 10:58 in the second period.

Alex Ovechkin has been known to come up big and last night was no exception.  With 3:14 left in the second period and on the power play Alex Ovechkin fired a wrist shot past Varlamov in the five-hole giving the Capitals a 2-1 lead that would go on to be the final score.  It was Ovi's 22nd of the season and 10th power play goal.  The game winning goal was his 74th game winning goal of his career which passes Peter Bondra's mark of 73 in franchise history.

Holtby played phenomenal as he made 31 saves, including 18 stops in Colorado's third period comeback attempt.  It was his 19th consecutive start and 25th straight appearance.

"When we play the game, we play the system," said Ovechkin, "we feel good about our goalie and he feels good.  He's been playing unbelievably, and we feel like we can win hockey games.  When he makes a save or we make a big play in a big moment, the team feels like we can do it; we can win."

With the win Washington bypassed the New York Rangers into third place in the Metropolitan Division.  The Caps trail first place New York Islanders by three points and the Pittsburgh Penguins by two points.  Next up for the Caps is a big home game Wednesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers with puck drop at 8:00 p.m.  The game will be broadcast on NBCSN as part of NBC's Wednesday Night Rivalry.

My Experience At The Winter Classic

On Christmas Eve, my family decided to open one present for our "first gift of Christmas."  It was that moment where I got the biggest surprise of my life, Winter Classic tickets.  I was shocked and was freaking out big time.  I've seen State Championships and playoff games live, but never a game with as much magnitude as outdoor hockey.  A lot of fans were upset the Caps would be playing the Blackhawks considering they aren't really rivals but I wasn't one of them.  I liked the match-up the moment they announced it.  These are two of the most exciting teams in hockey and both have passionate fan bases and I've always had respect for the Blackhawks.  I hope the Caps can someday win a couple Stanley Cups like the Blackhawks did.

Fast forward to New Years Eve.  A lot of my friends were all over the place while I decided to stay in.  I wasn't too mad about it though because there's a ton of nights out but only one event like the Winter Classic in your lifetime.  I also wanted to get up early the next day and not be too hungover.  New Years Day rolled around and my dad and I woke up to head to the game around 10 a.m.  When we got to the metro station and walked over to the trains there were a ton of Caps fans around us.  We got on the silver line and took it all the way to Le'Fant Plaza to change trains to the green line.  As we waited for the second train people were already chanting "Lets Go Caps" while Blackhawks fans countered with "Lets Go Hawks."  There was already a war between the fans and it was still over two hours till the game started.  When we got to Navy Yard, where the ballpark is, we tried to hit up the Spectator Plaza, which is a fan fest held outside of the stadium.  We couldn't get in.  The streets were flooded with fans.  There was barley any room to walk.  If you're claustrophobic, this would have been your worst nightmare.  For me though, who fell in love with sports with a kind of atmosphere like this, I loved it.  Even though I couldn't get into the fan fest with the long line, I loved the pre game atmosphere.  We finally made it inside Nationals Park at 11:30 a.m. and got to our seats.  We were seated along the third base line in the lower level (I swear every Nats game I go to I always end up there) and our view wasn't bad.  It wasn't a great view and it was hard to see the puck but I didn't care and I don't think the fans around me did either.  Like me, I'm sure they were all glad just to be there too.  My section was basically divided, with a ton of Caps fans and a ton of Blackhawks fans all there.  Some Blackhawks fans were next to me and they were pretty nice for the most part, except for the trash talking of course.

Billy Idol first took the stage to rock the Winter Classic.  Then the players took the ice in a very unique way.  During player introductions they entered from centerfield from a replica building of the capitol and skated across the reflecting pool, a replica of the national mall.  Even the stage the musical acts performed on were made of the same marble you would find from the memorials in DC.  The crowd got super loud at introductions and when the puck dropped as fans on both sides were chanting for their respective teams.

The Caps got on the board thanks to a breakaway goal by Eric Fehr.  I swear, that man loves the Winter Classic.  The last time the Caps played in that game, in 2011 in Pittsburgh, Fehr scored twice in that game.  At the 10 minute mark the teams had to switch sides due to the "sun monster" in the outfield.  A few minutes later, Alex Ovechkin scored to give the Caps the 2-0 lead.  Ovi is having a big year and he loves the big stage.  The goal sent the crowd into a complete frenzy and I thought for sure the Caps were not only gonna win, but win big.  Then the Blackhawks got on the board with a goal by Patrick Sharp just before the first period ended.  The Caps headed back to the clubhouse with a 2-1 lead as Gavin DeGraw performed during the break.

In the second period the Blackhawks tied it up on a goal by Brandon Saad.  The score would remain tied as the second period came to an end.  In the second intermission, Lee Greenwood performed along with the Army Choir.  Overall the musical acts were surprisingly good.  Of course as a youngster, I wanted someone like Wale (a DC born rapper) performing but they were good.  As the third period went on, there were a ton of calls that went against the home team, much to the displeasure of fans.  As a total the Caps got 14 penalty minutes but the penalty kill was on point.  At one part, the Hawks had a 5 on 3 power play and the Caps killed it.  Even though the refs weren't kind to the Caps, they gave them a gift at the end of the game.  With the game deadlocked at 2 goals apiece, the Caps got a power play late in the third period and they capitalized big time.  WIth 12 seconds left, Troy Brower scored the game winning goal against his former team to give the Capitals the 3-2 win!

When that moment happened I was elated and so were the rest of the Caps fans.  Words can't describe how incredible that experience was.  The only thing better than the game as a whole was the way and the fashion it ended.  Every one was high fiving and hugging complete strangers next to them, in front of them, behind them.  The seat cushions all the fans got coming into the game were all of a sudden being thrown onto the field.  The raining seat cushions were similar to these old Redskins highlight reels I saw from RFK when fans threw their seat cushions onto the field too.  I didn't toss mine, I wanted to keep everything I got at this game to remind me of it forever. When the final horn sounded, the fireworks went off and the Nats HD video board showed Ovechkin with a smile on his face pointing to the crowd.

When people talk about their best New Years, it mostly involves some big party or Times Square or a kiss at midnight.  Not me though.  Even though all that stuff could happen to me, my best New Years will forever be that game.  The Winter Classic is a coveted sporting event that every NHL town wants. There's many great hockey cities that haven't hosted this game yet, but every team will get their turn.  With that being said, this game was a once in a generation experience for me.  The next time a Winter Classic comes to this city, I could be taking my kids.

I've been a Caps fan since the fifth grade.  They weren't good or popular at the time.  But seeing the team evolve and the city becoming a hockey town has truly been rewarding.  Seeing the atmosphere and all the Caps fans celebrating the New Year and life in general will be something I'll remember for the rest of my life.  The only moment that could top this one of course... is winning a Stanley Cup. As I was leaving the stadium I turned to the Blackhawks fans next to me and said "see you in June."