Around these parts, we’ll do our best to give you everything you need to know about the Columbus Blue Jackets. We’ll also fill you in on the stories you may not have heard about (or those you didn’t think you need to know about), the social media buzz around the league, along with a few random nuggets for good measure.
Think of it as your morning coffee with a shot of Blue Jackets talk.
RUH ROH: Hot take here, but I think the Washington Capitals are in a bad spot. A ridiculously deep and talented team that has struggled to get over the hump, it seems as though the ghosts of playoffs past are visiting the Capitals again this spring. You thought, too, that this was their best chance to finally win a Stanley Cup and get Alex Ovechkin the ring he deserves, but so far it hasn't materialized with Washington in a 2-0 hole. This isn't an ordinary 2-0 deficit, either; the Capitals have lost both games at home, the first time all season they've lost back-to-back home games and they were throttled pretty good in a 6-2 Game 2 loss on Saturday night.
Where do the Capitals go from here? It's tricky.
First, they have to put a dent in the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. Gulp. The Penguins were 31-6-4 at home in the regular season and were a perfect 3-0 in the first round against the Blue Jackets. If we apply the saying "you're not in trouble until you lose at home," well, the Capitals are in a world of trouble and desperately need a Game 3 win tonight.
MCJESUS: We're running out of adjectives and/or superlatives to describe Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who isn't too far from becoming the face of the National Hockey League. He was the league's leading scorer this year in his sophomore campaign and has the ability to put his team on his back on any given night. Outside of his Mach II speed and unmatched explosiveness, the real draw to watching McDavid might be little moments of brilliance like this:
Someone tell @cmcdavid97 that that's not fair. #StanleyCup #ANAvsEDM pic.twitter.com/WVF4dhYev4
— NHL (@NHL) May 1, 2017
THEY'RE POLITE *AND* GOOD SINGERS: Edmontonians are some of the nicest folks you'll meet, so it's no surprise they were ready and willing to pick up Canadian country music star Brett Kissel, who had some microphone issues while kicking off The Star Spangled Banner.
Call it a well-timed technical malfunction, call it opportunistic or call it both...but what happened next is straight-up awesome and a reminder of why hockey is great. Here's the Rogers Place crowd of 19,000-plus belting out the American national anthem and completely rocking it:
An incredible moment
— NHL (@NHL) April 30, 2017
When the mic doesnt work, the crowd takes over & belts out The Star-Spangled Banner...
...In Edmonton
#StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/pWvrlknbV6
ICYMI: The Blue Jackets will be one of the league's better-represented teams at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas, scheduled for June 21. They have four nominees for major awards: Zach Werenski (Calder), John Tortorella (Jack Adams), Sergei Bobrovsky (Vezina) and Nick Foligno (Messier Leadership Award). Bobrovsky and Tortorella each have Vezina and Jack Adams wins previously in their careers ... How about the Draft Lottery? The Devils jump to No. 1 and the Flyers, from outside the top 10, skyrocketed up the order and into the No. 2 spot. Poor Colorado ... Also, you should buy the brand new 1st Ohio Battery track tee because it's comfortable and good-looking.
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