With the Vancouver Canucks struggling to solve Pekka Rinne and the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference semifinals, the spotlight of shame has fallen on Daniel and Henrik Sedin for their pointless (literally) performance through two games.

From The Tennessean:

When the Predators and Canucks series started Thursday, Vancouver's Sedin twins were thought to be a looming presence because of their skill, smarts and mostly unrivaled scoring ability.

Two games in, the Predators have made them look like mere mortals.  Daniel Sedin had 104 points (41 goals, 63 assists) in the regular season to lead Vancouver. Henrik was second with 94 points (19 goals, 75 assists). But things have changed. The twins have combined for zero points so far in the series.

Despite a hot start for Daniel in the quarterfinals against the Chicago Blackhawks, the twins still have "a reputation as playoff underachievers," according to the Globe & Mail.

Is that a fair assessment of the Sedins? Are they too often invisible in the playoffs?

And when they do score, are they important goals or offensive padding?

It can be argued that every goal in the postseason is an important one, but let's face facts: a goal that ties a game or gives a team the lead is slightly more significant than the goal that makes it a 5-1 game in the third period.

So we went back to the 2002-2003 postseason, the Sedins' third trip to the playoffs, and broke down their offensive output into four categories since then:

• Points (Goals and Assists)

• Points on Goals That Tied Games

• Points on Goals That Gave Vancouver a Lead

• Points on Goals That Gave Vancouver a Lead, Minus First Goals of the Game

How does it break down for Daniel and Henrik Sedin?

The only real deviation is on goals that tied the game, as Daniel has a slight advantage there.

Admittedly, these numbers lack the context of their regular season output in the categories, and the comparison to other elite players' performances in the playoffs. But at first glance, over half of their playoff points since 2003 have tied the game or given the Canucks the lead.

Is that enough for two Art Ross winners in the playoffs? Perhaps not.

One criticism of the Sedins is that they don't have the postseason offensive output that matches their regular season totals — Henrik has 49 points in 74 games and Daniel has 49 in 74 — but another is that the don't score enough big points in big spots. Daniel going scoreless in four of five games and Henrik in five of six this postseason hasn't helped.

So they try to get on track in Game 3 on Tuesday night with Alex Burrows on their wing. From the Globe & Mail:

Burrows, meanwhile, has been scorching since Game 6 of the Blackhawks series, when he was reunited with centre Ryan Kesler and winger Mason Raymond. He has been contagious for his new linemates, who have been more threatening offensively than before, yet head coach Alain Vigneault appears poised to risk that momentum in order to get his first line on track.

"A lot of it is on me and Hank," said winger Daniel Sedin, the NHL's leading scorer in 2010-11. "We're two-thirds of the line. We should be able to get guys going. So it's mostly on us. Now, getting a chance to play with Burr again, it should get us going."

If the Canucks are going to solve Rinne, they better.

In 24 hours, the Washington Capitals' season could be over because of 24 seconds of Game 3.

That's how long it took for the Tampa Bay Lightning to erase a 3-2 lead the Capitals built through two periods on Tuesday night, scoring two goals and hanging on for a 4-3 win at home.

Early in the third period, Steven Stamkos lost the puck on the entry, and teammate Victor Hedman shot it around the boards. Caps defenseman John Erskine moved it along to the Caps' Scott Hannan, who moved it to forward Eric Fehr, who couldn't clear it past the pinching Hedman. Fehr fell to the ice, Stamkos stole the loose puck and unleashed the kind of top left corner rocket that you'd expect from a former 50-goal scorer.

The game was tied, 3-3, at 5:23.

After the goal, Alex Ovechkin's line was out against Nate Thompson's checking unit. Adam Hall deflected a pass into the Washington zone, as Karl Alzner got caught at the blue line. Thompson won the race for the puck, sent it to the paint and it deflected off of Bolts forward Ryan Malone's back skate as he fought through a John Carlson check.

Video review confirmed it was a stop, not a kick, but Capitals Coach Bruce Boudreau felt it should have been goaltender interference. "If you look at it, Malone's driving the net, and he pushes our player into our goaltender, and he can't kick out his right leg to make the save. It's a no goal/no penalty call," he said. "It shouldn't have counted."

Tampa Bay had the lead, 4-3, at 5:47.

For the rest of the period, the Lightning did what they've done through three victories against Washington: Control the final 20 minutes, looking every bit as confident as the Capitals looked rattled.

"We panicked a little bit from behind," said Boudreau. "But that comes when you're down 2-0 in a series."

They're a team that knows how to close, and the Capitals are a team prone to panic and press. This is not a healthy combination for Washington.

In the first two periods of Games 1-3, the Capitals averaged 12.8 shots. In the third, the Lightning have limited them to five shots in each of those games and one goal — Ovechkin's tying tally to force overtime in Game 2.

No such heroics tonight for Ovechkin — who had a goal, an assist and an inspired performance from a guy wearing the 'C' — or any of his teammates. Tampa and Dwayne Roloson shut the door, and moved one win away from their first conference finals appearance since 2004.

The Capitals showed moments of resiliency, overcoming a 1-0 deficit with a dominant second period that included their first power-play goal of the series by Ovechkin on a 5-on-3. Goalie Michal Neuvirth kept them in the game with some acrobatic saves.

But it all goes back to something Vinny Lecavalier, who scored his fifth of the playoffs in Game 3, told us after Game 2: "They seem very determined. They just weren't opportunists."

For all the hype, all the expectations, all the long-term contracts, all the face-time on HBO, all the Winter Classic swag, all the popularity, all the proclamations that this time it'll be different, the Washington Capitals couldn't seize on their opportunities to avoid a 3-0 hole.

Instead, they're one loss away from another semifinal ouster. From a real conversation about their beloved coach's fate. From questions about their heart. From another summer wondering how it all went to hell in the span of 24 seconds.

"It's not over," said Ovechkin after Game 3. "We're not going to give up and we're going to win."

No. 1 Star: Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks

An eventful night for the Canucks forward in their 3-2 overtime win in Game 3 against the Nashville Predators. He scored his first goal of the playoffs in the second period, on the power play, to tie the game at 1-1. In the third, his drive to the net helped draw Preds goalie Pekka Rinne out of position, allowing Chris Higgins to blast home a shot for a 2-1 lead, with Kesler picking up an assist. In overtime, he drew a hooking penalty on Shea Weber and then tipped home Mikael Samuelsson's point shot for his second goal of the night and a 2-1 series lead for Vancouver.

No. 2 Star: Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning

The game-winning goal would go in off of Ryan Malone's skate 24 seconds later, but the third-period game-tying snipe by Stamkos off a Washington Capitals turnover was arguably the key goal of the game, as the Bolts won 4-3 and took a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.

No. 3 Star: Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators

The Predators keeper was drawn out of position on two of the Canucks' goals, but continued his stellar play otherwise with 44 saves against Vancouver — including 15 in the first and 15 in the third.

Honorable mention: Joel Ward tied Game 3 with a power move around the net and a puck off a skate in front, giving him four goals in the playoffs for Nashville. David Legwand had a shorthanded tally in the first. … Sean Bergenheim scored his fifth for the Lightning, opening the scoring in the first period. Vinny Lecavalier also notched his fifth in the second period on a feed from Marty St. Louis. … Alex Ovechkin had a strong night with his fifth goal (and the Caps' first power-play goal of the series) and an assist on Mike Knuble's second-period tally.  … John Carlson scored his first of the playoffs. … Dwayne Rolson made 29 saves, while Michal Neuvirth made some four-star stops in the third for the Caps.

Did you know? During the singing of the national anthem, blocks of fans passed a large American flag around a portion of the lower bowl of the arena in Tampa. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: Daniel and Henrik Sedin combined for 1 assist and were a minus-4. … Nicklas Backstrom was scoreless, and now has 2 assists in eight playoff games. … The Capitals had an apparent goal taken away on a too many men on the ice penalty — on a power play. … Finally, frustrating sequence all around in overtime, as Kevin Bieksa was hit from behind (no call) and Shea Weber was flagged for a questionable hooking penalty that led to the Canucks' game winner:

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Danny Briere, Philadelphia Flyers; 3. Ryane Clowe, San Jose Sharks; 4. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators; 5. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; 6. Nathan Horton, Boston Bruins; 7. Dwayne Roloson, Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks; 9. Vinny Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers.

"American Idol" country vixen Carrie Underwood — the real one, not just the hilarious cardboard cutout behind the bench — made her Stanley Cup Playoff semifinals debut last night during Game 3 of the Nashville Predators' series against the Vancouver Canucks. You probably already knew that if you watched the game, given that CBC Sports gave Mrs. Mike Fisher more face time than Barry Trotz (and that's a lot of face right there).

Well, at least one member of her family was actual visible for the Predators during Tuesday night's OT loss to Vancouver …

Yes, it appears Carrie will be an indelible part of this series, having already been a target of the Green Men in Vancouver. But Canucks fans' comedic interest in her doesn't stop there; witness this playoff anthem parody of Underwood's "Before He Cheats" by RKB Productions called "Blue and Green":

"Right now, Barry Trotz is upset because he looks like a garden gnome."

"Pekka Rinne sounds like Italian food."

Very close race for best line of the song right there.

Some sight gags, some one-liners, and a catchy tune to build a spoof on. What say you dear readers?

Pass or Fail: The Canucks fan Carrie Underwood parody "Blue and Green."

Earlier this week, we told you about the Hat Trick Swayzes, a Beer League team from Maryland with a simply tremendous moniker and logo. We also asked for some of your favorite rec hockey team names and sweaters; we didn't anticipate the crush of hilarious emails that followed, such as …

From reader Steve "Kingchev" Kaltchev:

One of the main reasons I love Puck Daddy is the constant mix of the two greatest pleasures known to man, Puck & Rasslin.

Being quite the enthusiast of both, three years ago when I was putting together a team and had to come up with a name. This was my creation:  The Nature Boys. Late 60's St. Louis Blues kit (matching pant covers should be a go for next season), a unique photo of Slick Ric on the front, with two-color stitched numbers and "Whooo" on the back.

(We threw the "H" in there nice and early to distinguish our "Whoooooo" from the other girlier "wooooos.")

Clearly the Boys throw numerous "Whooooos" both in the room and on the ice, and so the refs also constantly "whooooo" as well as spectators and even the oppositions at times.  Also we have this old sweater that our league manager gave us that we cut the sleeves off and made into a vest and had "Naitch" heat pressed on the back; it is givin to the player that styled and profiled during the game, and they must wear this beauty for the postgame bevies.

Well, in order to be the best, you gotta beat the best. So now that this Ric Flair tribute has set the bar, here are a slew of other inventive, humorous and boundary-pushing jerseys from Beer Leagues around North America in Puck Daddy's Salute To Awesome Beer League Teams (Vol. 1) …

And here … we … go.

From reader Justin Ross:

I'm part of a deck hockey team dedicated to the first Korean born NHLer who pretty much single-handedly brought Pittsburgh their first two Cups.

We are known as the Jim Wolf Paek, attached are the three logos we've used so far.  Lest there be any confusion, we are all Pens fans, and this is absolutely a tribute to one of their unsung heroes.

Oh, there is no confusion, sir. Mario? Hack. Jagr? Overrated. Francis? Girl's name. Jim Paek? The straw that stirred the drink my friends.

From Matt F:

Glad you asked for the best rec league team name and sweaters because we've got both.

We were due for new jerseys a few years ago and were sitting around the locker room after the game having some cold ones trying to think of a name.  It's pretty tough to agree on one when there's 15 guys.  Finally, someone was getting up to leave and another guy said "C'mon, just one more!"  And there it was!  Our new team name had been said hundreds of times in our locker room and we never even knew it.

Thus, "Just One More" was born.

We were contemplating old school Canucks or Whalers jerseys, but a few modifications to the old Canucks logo promptly ended that debate.  The pic of the player is my buddy Francis, who came up with the logo along with the computer guy that actually drew it for us. Gotta give them credit.

If you can't make it out, that would be one last can of suds on a plastic ring, dangling from a hockey stick. Hopefully they cut those rings before disposing of them, for the seagulls' sake.

From reader Miles Lavin:

So we recently went through a similar team renaming.  After much debate over names like "Top Shelf" and "Upper Deckers" we finally settled on "Dump 'N Chase".  Certainly not the most professional of logos, but for a beer league it does just fine.

Our only concern: Those skates are going to be murder on that seat. They're totally going to need one of those covers that looks like a carpet.

From reader Scott Morley:

Here is the logo of the Albany Hooligans. Kicking ass like Nelson Muntz does … HAHA!

We heartily endorse any and all Simpsons references on rec league jerseys. Somewhere out there has to be The Super Nintendo Chalmers.

From reader Tehchico:

Hebrew Nationals: Pretty much owned Central Jersey Roller Hockey for a good five years.

I mean, it's a hotdog holding a hockey stick! It's on an American flag jersey as well, hopefully I can find some game photos too.

Do we detect a devious re-appropriation of the Cleveland Indians' mascot here? Is this, in fact, Beef Wahoo?

By the way, the Nationals may actually be the second greatest idea these guys have ever had:

Our next team name was going to be The Buk Hockey team.

Submitted without comment.

Sticking with food for a bit, here's reader Simon Q.:

Real Bacon is a beer league team in the Greater Seattle Hockey League.  We wear the '80's Oilers sweaters.

Wait ...  Seattle? Are you telling us that at some point in the last two years Kyle Wellwood was within a reasonable driving distance to a team named Real Bacon and didn't offer to be their ringer?

From reader Heather Robinson:

My little brother plays in a co-rec league in MN.  The team:  The Ham Lake Fighting Hams. Check out their fight song at www.myspace.com/fightinghams.

Seriously, check out the fight song. It's epic, if a little ham-fisted.

From reader Paul Smachetti:

We have a beer league team based out of a Pittsfield, Mass. bar called The Home Plate.

We call ourselves The Beer Kings. A few yrs ago we were looking for a bar theme  for our new jerseys and stumbled on a Russian jersey website and found an amateur team jersey The Moscow Beer Kings. I believe it's a brewery . We have home and away as you can see by the images. We thought it would be cool to have our names on the back in Russian. Our age range is  approx 22-56.

Our team motto is "Win or lose we drink the booze."

So say we all.

From reader Casey Barrett, an in-depth history of the Roll Models:

Our proud heritage of beer drinking and playing hockey (not necessarily in that order) with this group of guys has been going on for about three years now. We stared out as the 'River Pigs' wearing  Now, like your story about the Swayzes, we started bringing in new players when others left or went on to other beer league sports (softball is very popular for some) and at some point we had to do a whole new uniform thing.  Our story for the creation is what's more intriguing.

We play in a 'D' (rec) inline league, our players range from age 28 to 58 (with the occasional sub in from our backup goalies kid who is 17).  A few seasons ago, we had a team called the Drunken Monkeys, which was humorous to us because I don't think one of them was over the age of 18.  They were much better than all of the teams in our division, which led to many scraps near the end of many games with many different teams.

One night when we were playing them it was getting especially chippy, one of their guys actually dropped his gloves, but no fight came out of it.  While in line shaking hands at the end of the game, (this is "unknown" who started what … I think it was us), but someone said something people were in each others faces, and when probably the most spoiled kid on the team (he's the one with the Chevy Blazer SS that Mommy and Daddy got for him), says and I quote "You guys are supposed to be the role models out here for us to look up to."

That earned quite the laugh, even to this day, there's a bar that overlooks the rink that we take part in every week.  So for kids that destroy us week in and week out on the scoreboard, and tell us, old guys in the rec 'D' league of the rink that we were the role models, our new team name was born.

Enjoy the day!

Thanks old-timer …

From reader Andre:

Here's pics of my beer league team in Queens, NY: we're the Little Lebowski Urban Achievers. (One of the pictures, as you can tell by the fake facial hair, was taken during the playoffs. Playing with that thing was IMPOSSIBLE).

Sometimes there's a team … and we're talking about the Little Lebowski Urban Achievers here … sometimes there's a team that …

From our buddy Jeff Marek of CBC Sports:

One of the men's leagues teams I played on last year here in Toronto was the Inglewood Jacks. Best jersey I ever wore.

"and you will know my name as the Lord..."

WANT. NOW. MUST. FIND. GOING. TO. EBAY.

Finally, here's an instant classic from reader Geoff D.:

I've been playing inline hockey with a team called "The Flyin' Seamen" for 10 years now. We also have an ice hockey team of the same name.

Awesome jersey … just keep it away from this one until you feel you're responsible enough adults.

San Jose Sharks captain Joe Thornton's name doesn't exactly spring to mind when discussing the NHL's best defensive forwards; which is understandable, because all the admirable qualities of Thornton's game are usually overshadowed by accusations that he's too passive or an underachiever. There probably isn't a star in this league that's had to work harder to offer a counterargument against deeply held critiques of his game, and the battle continues.

In reality, Thornton has led the Sharks in takeaways for the last five regular seasons, and the trend continues with nine in eight games in the 2011 playoffs. That's the gold-standard measure for defensive success when it comes to the Detroit Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk, who managed to get a Selke nod this season despite playing fewer games than Tim Thomas.

On the draws, Thornton had a 54.4 winning percentage in the regular season on 1,240 faceoffs, and has upped that to 61.6 percent on 146 attempts in the postseason.

Game 3 between the Sharks and the Red Wings is Wednesday night, and San Jose leads the series 2-0 despite just one assist from Thornton thus far. Which is fine, because Jumbo's busy doing other things … like breaking up Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg with sterling defensive play as Game 3 looms.

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock confirmed on Wednesday that Detroit will divvy up its stars on two lines: Datsyuk with Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom, and Zetterberg with Todd Bertuzzi and Dan Cleary.

He also issued a challenge to his forwards after San Jose got the better of them in the opening games, via MLive:

"I want more out of our forwards," Babcock said. "I want us to spend more time in the offensive zone and sustain pressure. I think we can back-check harder and I think we can be harder on 50-50 pucks just all over.

"That's a challenge to all our forwards, and it doesn't matter who's playing with who."

Or whom they're playing against, one imagines, which is the issue: The line of Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Devin Setoguchi was a factor in necessitating this lineup change, and will be a factor again against whatever line it primarily faces.

From the San Francisco Chronicle on the Jumbo Factor:

Many of the Wings cited Thornton's evolution as a prime source of concern coming into the series, something that would adjust the way they played the Sharks. Defenseman Niklas Kronwall said Thornton has "become a different player," comparing him to Datsyuk.

The initial adjustments didn't work, so more are coming. According to the Detroit Free Press, Datsyuk and Zetterberg weren't playing on the same line at practice Tuesday.

The Wings' thought process in putting their two offensive superstars together went something like this: The Sharks have the better secondary scoring, but if their depth gets them two goals per game, our super line can get us three.  Clearly Detroit wasn't counting on Thornton's line being quite as good at countering its top line as it has been.

Strange things are afoot with Joe Thornton in these playoffs. An overtime, series-clinching goal in Game 6 against the Los Angeles Kings. The recognition of his defensive prowess one year after finishing behind Alex Ovechkin (!) in the Selke voting.

If this run ends with his mitts on the Chalice … well, society might not be ready to consider that image yet. We're still getting over Hossa.

It's a Wednesday edition of Puck Daddy Radio, and we're chatting about the following and much more:

• Special Guest Star: Detroit Red Wings announcer Ken Daniels joins us to talk about Game 3 between the Detroit Red Wings and the San Jose Sharks.

• The controversial OT loss for the Nashville Predators in Game 3.

• The Washington Capitals face elimination.

• Some thoughts on penalty shots.

• Question of the day: If the Capitals are swept out of the semifinals, what's the next steps for the franchise?

• Puck Previews.

Email your thoughts to puckdaddyradio@thescore.com.

Puck Daddy Radio is on Monday through Friday, from 1-2 p.m. ET/10-11 a.m. PT on The Score Radio Sirius Channel 98. Featuring Wyshynski and Rob Pizzo, it's your show: Calls, tweets, special guests and a ton of hockey goodness every day.

The call in number is 1-888-942-7326 (1-888-9-HARDCORE). We'll also be reading emails to puckdaddyradio@thescore.com and tweets that you send to @wyshynski and @robpizzo.

We're all about interaction here; call in, email, tweet ... we'll discuss whatever you'd like. Listen here:

To the victor goes the opportunity to rub success in the loser's face, and it was an opportunity Kelly Park wasn't going to pass up.

Park, a web developer at outdoor clothing company Ibex and a Boston Bruins fan, vowed to his boss Bill, a Montreal Canadiens fan, that if the B's beat the Habs in Round 1 there would be a prank pulled on him.

Boston won the series in seven games. The prank Park chose? Repainting and redecorating his boss' office in black and gold.

This. Is. Epic. Prank reveal about 3 minutes in.

Greatest Office Prank: "Welcome to Bruins Country" from climbhighproductions on Vimeo.

Kelly Park, huh? Wonder if his dad had anything to do with the Bruins?

Pretty much the only way this could have been better is if the Bruins Bear was going through the company files when Bill walked into his office ...

Say this for the Boston faithful: Few franchises inspire such passionate, snarky gamesmanship. For example, the Bruins are back at it with the ad campaign that targets the good people of Philadelphia, ahead of Wednesday night's Game 3 against the Philadelphia Flyers (via reader Nick Sideris and the HF Boards):

Well done. But we miss last season's misogyny.

Can the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings rally from their deficits? Can the Washington Capitals survive to play another day?

Please join us beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT today for our weekly chat that includes a revolving door of panelists like Lyle "Spector" Richardson of Fox Sports; David "Dave" Pagnotta of The Fourth Period Magazine; as well as your friendly neighborhood knuckleheads from Yahoo! Sports, Puck Daddy and Buzzing The Net.

You bring the funny; we bring the abrupt changes in tone and Hamburger Women. That's how it works.

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• It's easy to be overwhelmed by a beautiful 2-on-1 in the playoffs.

• Bruce Boudreau has asked about his Washington Capitals coaching job being on the line Wednesday night in Game 4, and he ducked it. "Before another question was asked, Boudreau muttered under his breath 'Stupid question, stupid.'" [Capitals Insider]

• Eric Duhatschek believes the Capitals should keep Bruce, even after a sweep: "So what we have is a coach who develops kids, game plans well, and has his team alive in the second round of the playoffs when 22 other clubs have already gone home." [Globe & Mail]

• Russian Machine Never Breaks on the good and the bad of Boudreau. [RMNB]

• Game 3 for the Philadelphia Flyers: Jeff Carter maybe, Chris Pronger out and Brian Boucher expected in against the Boston Bruins. [Broad Street Hockey]

• Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock on his line changes and what they mean for matchups with the San Jose Sharks: "To me, it's not about the matchup at all. I liked the matchups (for us) in San Jose. I didn't think that had a bearing on the games. I thought they won more 50-50 pucks and both second periods they've been better than us." [NHL.com]

• "Winnipeg and Quebec City might be able to support an NHL team if they get a second chance but a report by The Conference Board of Canada stopped short of saying it is a sure thing." [Globe & Mail]

• From Darren Dreger: "True North has been incredibly patient, but doesn't want the waiting game they're involved in to drag on much longer. Sources say the league is well aware of Winnipeg's timing concerns, but the NHL remains committed to exhausting every conceivable option to keep the Coyotes in Glendale." [TSN]

• A sad review of the last two years of the Phoenix Coyotes saga. [Arizona Republic]

• Why Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Suter is the most unsung playoff hero. [THN]

• Can the San Jose Sharks' playoff beards match the awesome power of Brian Wilson's? [Sharkspage]

• Rob Ramage could have a second chance at parole after serving 10 months of a four-year sentence for "impaired driving causing death in a crash that killed his friend and former NHLer Keith Magnuson." [CP]

• Dater on the playoffs redeeming the NHL's image: "Some games, indeed, have been low-scoring, but not because of the hook-hold-trap ways of the Dead Puck Era. The vast majority of the time, they have been played at breathtaking, back-and-forth speed with an abundance of good scoring chances." [SI]

• Breaking down the scoring chances in Game 3 between the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators: "The Canucks may have had their best game of the series, but, holy moly, did the Sedins ever look terrible. This was their worst game of the playoffs." [Nucks Misconduct]

• The guy behind the guy for the Canucks. [Pass It To Bulis]

• "Graduating Windsor Spitfires captain Ryan Ellis has so many accolades that a new one might have to be invented." [Buzzing The Net]

• Should the Pittsburgh Penguins turn to Paul Coffey to fix their terrible power play? [Pensburgh]

• Without looking, what do you think the letter grade for Chris Drury of the New York Rangers is? [Blueshirt Banter]

• You know, you can get Cup crazy …. you just can't go robbing banks, though. Via Emily Hall comes this news bit on a man in San Jose Sharks gear who robbed a bank: "The only thing that would make this story more awesome is if the bank teller was wearing a Red Wings jersey."

• Brad Richards on NHL Live: "It's been too long since I had that chance to win the Stanley Cup. … I kind of thought we'd have a couple more cracks at it by now. That will be the main focus. If Dallas is the place where I think [they] can win then that's the place and hopefully it can work out." [Defending Big D]

• The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) will announce the three finalists for the 2010-11 Ted Lindsay Award on Thursday, May 5, 2011.  The Ted Lindsay Award is presented annually to the "Most Outstanding Player" in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the NHLPA.

• James Neal vs. James van Riemsdyk — who ya got? [Dobber]

• Your busboy this evening will be Sean Avery. [Houses of the Hockey]

• Finally, via Paul Kukla, I don't want to hear anything about my having confused the Sedins passer/scorer on the Bill Simmons podcast … because at least I pronounced their names correctly, right NBC?

We're big fans of wacky minor league promotions, so that's why we were happy to hear that New England-area baseball fans can take advantage of the current woes of the Boston Bruins' power play.

The Nashua Silver Knights are a summer league team in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League and announced that as long as the Bruins continue to fail to score with the extra man (currently 0 for 28), fans will receive free Powerade with each ticket purchased.

From the Knights:

"This is one promotion we want to end as quickly as possible and think the fans will agree with us on that," said Silver Knights President Tim Bawmann. "We believe in the Bruins, so to us this is not that big of a risk. We believe we will not be giving away Powerade through mid-June."

No matter how long the Bruins continue to go goalless on the power play, the promotion will end as soon as Boston's season does.

Of course, seeing as how Powerade is a Coca-Cola product, don't expect the NHL to support this promotion. Just ask Zdeno Chara.

Back to on-ice matters, Adam McQuaid will be replaced in the Bruins lineup Wednesday night by Shane Hnidy after his spill into the end boards on Monday night. For the Flyers, Chris Pronger's availability is a mystery as is any injury information coming out of the Flyers, but Jeff Carter did skate Wednesday morning, leading some to believe he could return at some point during the series, possibly even Wednesday night. Carter hasn't played since Game 4 against the Buffalo Sabres.

Stick-tap to Jimmy Murphy of ESPN Boston

There are three huge Stanley Cup Playoff games on Wednesday night, which you should definitely check out during commercials of "Die Hard" on AMC. Here are six players on whom to focus your attention:

Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings

Keep an eye on Howard for two reasons. First, because he's been the Wings' best player this series, stopping 79 of 83 shots. Second, because "Snowgate" is both the most compelling yet inane controversy of the second round, as the Sharks are accused of intentionally spraying snow in Howard's face during Games 1 and 2 in a move the National Post had the audacity to call "cheeky." Will the Wings counter with a snowblower inside the crease; and if so, will Joe Sakic even think about watching this game?

Douglas Murray, San Jose Sharks

One thing's for certain on Wednesday night: The Red Wings are going to try and crash Antti Niemi's crease and create some traffic. Which means Tomas Holmstrom's rump roast in Niemi's oven in Game 3. Which means it's on Murray to help keep Niemi from being eclipsed, as he told Working the Corners: "When you get guys that are willing to go there and know how to get there and know how to plant themselves, you can't really get into wrestling matches because then you start bothering the goalie. … You've just got to let Nemo handle the first shot and make sure he doesn't get any second whacks at it."

Danny Briere, Philadelphia Flyers

Briere had the game on his stick near the end of Game 2, unable to line up a shot into a gaping net. He has 12 points in his last nine playoff games against the Bruins, and had seven points in four games in Boston during the Flyers' rally in 2010. He's been the catalyst for Philly during much of this postseason, and with Chris Pronger out and Jeff Carter still ailing, they need him in Game 3.

David Krejci, Boston Bruins

Game 2's overtime hero now has five points (three goals, two assists) in two games against the Flyers. Please recall last year's Game 3 against Philly, when Krejci was felled by a Mike Richards hit, dislocating his wrist and costing him his postseason. He's been an offensive engine this round, but the Flyers are going to continue to rough him up.

Alex Semin, Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin did some heavy lifting for the Capitals in Game 3 (save for his skating into five Lightning defenders instead of dumping the puck with Michal Neuvirth pulled in the third). His running mate had a helper on Ovi's 5-on-3 power-play goal, but registered just one shot on goal himself in the game. Semin hasn't found the back of the net in his last two games after scoring eight goals total against the Bolts this season. His line, which showed promise, was a non-factor in Game 3. If the Caps are to rally, a strong offensive night from Semin is a good start. If he's invisible, then the Caps go 'poof' too.

Sean Bergenheim, Tampa Bay Lightning

They call him "The Hustler." Five goals in the playoffs and points in six of his last seven playoff games … not bad for a Tampa Bay player that doesn't line up with Marty, Vinny or Stamkos. He's been noticeable in every game, has been helpful on a PK that hasn't yielded a 5-on-4 goal all series and, frankly, has shown more killer instinct than about 90 percent of his opponents.

In sweeping the Washington Capitals out of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 5-3 victory on Wednesday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning were everything the Capitals are not.

They had stars that played to their elite status, as Marty St. Louis (five points), Vinny Lecavalier (six points) and Steven Stamkos (two goals) outplayed their counterparts. Their grunts worked harder, as Sean Bergenheim had four goals in the series, including two tallies in the Game 4 win. Their goalie provided more backbone, as 41-year-old Dwayne Roloson made 123 saves on 133 shots and baffled the Caps' power play for most of the series.

They were committed to their coach's system, without reservations. They played to win rather than not to lose. They entered the series under the radar and given little chance by the majority of pundits; which is to say that they entered without the crushing expectations that the Capitals did.

Who were the 2010-11 Washington Capitals? A team predestined for greatness that did everything it could to prove the prophecy wrong.

For the first time since its inception, the Winter Classic will not produce a Stanley Cup finalist. For the third straight year, a Capitals team pegged for greatness instead leaves the postseason having failed to match the hype.

And what hype; after all, they were reality television stars this season. It was on HBO "24/7" where coach Bruce Boudreau, his future now seriously in question, unknowingly penned the epitaph for this year's Capitals after a December defeat to the Panthers:

"I have never seen a bunch of guys look so [expletive] down when something bad happens. What are you guys, so prima donna perfect that you can't [expletive] handle adversity? So [expletive's] not goin' right … [Expletive] get your [expletive] heads out of your ass and [expletive] make it work by outworkin' the opposition.

"OUTWORK THE [EXPLETIVE] GUYS. IF YOU WANT IT, DON'T JUST THINK YOU WANT IT. GO OUT AND [EXPLETIVE] WANT IT. But you're not lookin' like you want it. You look like you're feeling sorry for yourselves. And nobody [expletive] wants someone that's feeling sorry for themselves."

The Lightning confidently dispatched the Capitals with the stoic professionalism of an assassin. The Capitals' mistakes increased as the pressure did. They were outworked. They thought they wanted it, but they didn't take it.

After the rant, the camera cut to forward Brooks Laich — a de facto captain, fan favorite and Capital since 2004 — bitterly admitting:

So are the fans, from the recently converted crying in their red T-shirts to the crusty Cap Centre veterans for whom playoff heartbreak has been an annual rite.

So is management, providing the pieces and the patience yet never seeing the team advance past the conference semifinals.

So is the owner, who writes proclamations like "we have arrived" only to see his team fail to meet expectations in the postseason.

Thus begins the same, sad postmortem that's functionally played out for the last three seasons. Praise for the skill of the opponents. Finding out who was hurt, and how badly. Players without answers. Who'll be back. Who won't be.

After offering his regrets, Ovechkin will return to Russia, rest his ailments, hang at some clubs, give a few interviews about how frustrating his team's lack of success has been. Meanwhile, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane and now Steven Stamkos have all advanced further in the Stanley Cup Playoffs than he has.

This isn't to blame Ovechkin for his team's postseason struggles. He showed up in ways his teammates didn't in this series. But those are the facts: In a generation of young stars in the NHL, Alex Ovechkin doesn't have the same level of accomplishment when it matters.

The players will soul-search; management will have to answer some difficult questions about its own decisions.

Normally, after the season, Boudreau would offer his assessment of the playoff malfunction, explain away the struggles of his players and vow attitudinal changes for the next season.

But after 189 wins in 307 regular-season games haven't led to anything but a semifinal exit, Boudreau's return for 2011-12 is rightfully in question.

In eliminations against the Pittsburgh Penguins (2009), the Montreal Canadiens (2010) and the Tampa Bay Lightning (2011), Boudreau was outcoached. Bad line changes and too many men on the ice penalties -- on a power play, no less -- undermined the team against Tampa. He's been unable to extract the same level of intensity from his players in the postseason as he has the regular season.

He went all-in with a change in style this season, turning the free-wheeling firewagon team that helped pack the stands at Verizon Center into a more defensively responsible group. It was seen as a necessary evolution for the team to find success in the playoffs. But the players' commitment to that system wavered in the semifinals; and all it led to was a four-game flop.

Boudreau is well-liked by players, fans and the media in and out of D.C. There's no obvious alternative as a head coach. But fear of the unknown is never a suitable excuse for the inadequacies of the status quo.

Call it scape-goating, call is a sacrifice, call it what you will: This should be Boudreau's final game as head coach, because standards need to be higher than this.

GM George McPhee seemed to make the necessary personnel changes this year. He added the veteran second line center they desperately needed in Jason Arnott … who had three assists in the Tampa series. He added the veteran defensive defenseman they needed in Scott Hannan … who underwhelmed against the Lightning and cost the Capitals Game 2 with a terrible change in overtime.

Does McPhee keep his coach? What does he do to a roster that's still young and has even more talented youth in the pipeline?

There were times when it all came together this season for the Capitals, but it never stayed together. Go back to the Boudreau quote on "24/7":

"I have never seen a bunch of guys look so [expletive] down when something bad happens."

That's the Capitals now in the playoffs. Easily rattled. Unable to overcome adversity. Meekly going out in a Game 4 against Tampa.

Maybe the mindset changes with a change behind the bench, or with a change to the team's core. Maybe things will be different next season.

But a sweep. A humbling, embarrassing sweep to end their season; a season that saw the Penguins eliminated, the Canadiens eliminated, the path to the Stanley Cup never clearer.

And yet, the Capitals are done.

Things were going pretty well for San Jose Sharks winger Devin Setoguchi in Game 3 at the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night. After failing to score a goal in seven of eight playoff games, he tallied twice on the power play in regulation.

Then, in overtime of a 3-3 game, his luck changed for a moment. Setoguchi got tangled up with Todd Bertuzzi. The whistle sounded, a penalty was called and Setoguchi was enraged.

His anger was justified: Much like Ryan Kesler against Shea Weber in the Game 3 OT between Nashville and Vancouver 24 hours earlier, Bertuzzi drew the penalty by holding Setoguchi, the official making a marginal call in a critical spot.

The Sharks killed off the power play; 2 minutes and 10 seconds later, Setoguchi's mojo returned. Joe Thornton found Setoguchi for the hat trick and the 4-3 game-winner:

The Sharks took a commanding 3-0 lead in the series, having now won seven of their last eight playoff games against the Red Wings. Jimmy Howard (34 saves) continued his strong play for Detroit, but Dan Boyle's game-tying goal at 15:52 of the third period is one he'd want back, having gotten his glove on it.

Both the Sharks and the Boston Bruins can close out their respective series on Friday night.

No. 1 Star: Devin Setoguchi, San Jose Sharks

Maybe it's a Game 3 thing. The last goal Setoguchi scored before his hat trick against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night was in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Kings. In Game 3 vs. the Wings, he had a power-play goal in the first, another in the second and then the game-winner in OT to complete a frustrating sequence. Sharks won, 4-3, taking a 3-0 lead in the series. 

No. 2 Star: Sean Bergenheim, Tampa Bay Lightning

The unsung hero of the Lightning struck again in Game 4, as Tampa Bay completed its sweep of the Washington Capitals. Bergenheim scored twice in the second period, both on feeds from Dominic Moore, giving the Bolts a two-goal lead at the time. Tampa won, 5-3, and Bergenheim now has seven goals in the postseason.

No. 3 Star: Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins

The hulking defenseman had a monster night in the Bruins' 5-1 laugher against the Philadelphia Flyers. Chara blasted a shot past Brian Boucher just 30 seconds into Game 3, giving Boston all the momentum leading to its second goal just 33 seconds later by David Krejci. Chara would add an assist and score his second of the night in the third period for the 5-1 win. Chara was also a plus-4. Boston leads the series, 3-0.

Honorable mention: Dan Boyle tied the Sharks' game at 15:52 of the third period, sending it into OT with a goal off of Jimmy Howard's glove. ... Nicklas Lidstrom, Patrick Eaves and Pavel Datsyuk scored goals for the Wings. … Jimmy Howard made 34 saves for the Wings. … Tim Thomas made 37 saves for the Bruins. … Daniel Paille scored his first for the Bruins, who also got a Gordie Howe Hat Trick from Nathan Horton (1 goal, 1 assist and a fight with Sean O'Donnell). … Andrej Meszaros had the lone Philly goal. … Dwayne Roloson made 33 saves in the win over the Caps. Ryan Malone, Marty St. Louis and a clutch tally from Marc-Andre Bergeron helped clinch it. … Henrik Zetterberg had two power-play assists. ... Joe Thornton had three assists. ... Dany Heatley was Kronwall'd in Game 3, but returned to the game:

Did you know? Boston's two goals were "the fastest a team had scored two goals to start a playoff game since the Red Wings tallied twice in 61 seconds against Phoenix in 1998, according to STATS LLC." (AP)

Dishonorable mention: The Boston goals were the fastest allowed by the Flyers at the start of a playoff game in franchise history. … Both Alex Semin and Nicklas Backstrom didn't have a point in the Capitals' elimination loss. … Boucher was pulled by the Flyers after giving up 4 goals in 35:14. Sergei Bobrovsky gave up one on eight shots. … Did we mention the Capitals were swept?

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; 3. Ryane Clowe, San Jose Sharks; 4. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators; 5. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; 6. Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins; 7. Nathan Horton, Boston Bruins; 8. Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks; 9. Vinny Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Danny Briere, Philadelphia Flyers;

Hazard pay. That's what this cameraman filming the Nashville Predators' entrance for Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals should request if his taskmasters want him to stand in front of a smoke machine and be a tackling dummy for Matt Halischuk.

The first-person segment of the clip is really awesome; like watching the puck hit the goal cam. And how about Patric Hornqvist coming over to help out the fallen videographer? Save that for the Lady Byng clip reel.

No word if after the hit, Barry Trotz sneered and claimed the cameraman was embellishing.

Game 4 between the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators is Thursday night, with Vancouver holding a 2-1 lead. That there will be a Game 5 means this series is already more competitive than the other semifinals, and could be our lone chance for a prolonged playoff battle in the Worst. Second. Round. Ever.

Help us Pekka Rinne … you're our only hope …

Blaming goaltending for undermining the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is as much as Philly sports cliché as throwing snowballs at Santa. It's going to happen every postseason that falls short of a championship, and has happened for at least the last 15 years. Hell, fans even turned Michael Leighton into a pumpkin for giving up that softy to Patrick Kane in Game 6 last year, after salvaging their postseason.

As they fall behind 3-0 for the second consecutive year to the Boston Bruins — the Flyers faithful defiantly wishing for history to repeat — it's again rather easy to blame the netminders when the Flyers have pulled their goalie six times in their last 10 playoff games.

It happened again last night, as veteran Brian Boucher set an ignominious team record for the fastest two goals given up in a playoff game. Coach Peter Laviolette called him to the bench and gave him the "it's not your fault" speech Robin Williams gave Matt Damon in "Good Will Hunting," but it didn't matter: The Boston Bruins cruised to a 5-1 victory, and the Flyers struggles between the pipes were exacerbated by the continued stellar play of Tim Thomas on the other side of the rink.

So sure, blame the goaltending. But don't dare lay all the blame there, because it's not Brian Boucher's fault this team has stopped skating and is getting physically dominated by the likes of Brad Marchand.

It's not Brian Boucher's fault the Flyers are about to be eliminated.

From the Boston Herald, a spotlight on how the team in front of Boucher didn't answer the bell:

After their wretched effort Wednesday night, there wasn't much defiance. The Flyers were beaten soundly, beaten up physically, and they looked and sounded like a beaten team. After three games, they know this Boston team is better, tougher, and more committed - than last year's Bruins, certainly, but also better, tougher, and more committed than the Flyers.

It is an ugly truth about this team that it failed to show up for Games 1 and 3 of this series. That wasn't the case before last year's ultimate comeback.

"It's an awful lot to expect (another comeback)," Flyers chairman Ed Snider said after watching the 5-1 blowout. "Boston's playing very well. We're going to have to step up our game in order to compete with them. I don't think there was a lack of urgency. I just think that Boston's playing really well, and we weren't quite as prepared as we should have been for what they did in the beginning of the game."

Rich Hofmann of the Daily News calls it what it is: Exhaustion from constantly digging out of their own holes while playing shorthanded. From the News:

Maybe they do miss defenseman Chris Pronger that much; another topic worthy of discussion. Pronger, with his mysterious series of undisclosed ailments, has played in only three games in the playoffs. They are 2-1 with him and 2-5 without him. Again, this is something that will be picked over at length, one would assume, after the season is over.

But it seems like more than that. It isn't just the goalie. It isn't just Pronger. It is the exhaustion, physical and mental, from all of the digging out of holes that they do.

From Travis Hughes on the rough start:

They got off to a poor start and looked like they just weren't ready to play at 7:07 p.m. at TD Garden tonight. But that's really so atypical of this Flyers team, isn't it? It's frustrating when we're so pumped up for the game, it starts, and it seems like the players themselves just don't care at all.

I don't see a team that doesn't care. I see a team that's just worn out. Physically, mentally, whatever. They've thrown so much at the wall in the last year or so -- the second half of the 2009-10 season, the comeback in last year's Eastern Conference Semifinals against Boston, the run to the Cup, the entire 2010-11 season, two in-game comebacks against Buffalo in the first round, 54 shots on Tim Thomas in Game 2.

They just have nothing left in the tank.

Finally, Marcello D. of Flyers Faithful had a fantastic take on why the team's issues aren't contained between the pipes of the goal cage:

A recurring theme throughout these season has been that it does not matter who is in net, as long as the skaters do what they are supposed to do. Whether it is because of injury — I, for one, this Mike Richards is hiding an injury — or fatigue, or mismatched lines/being out-coached (this has been covered enough by other writers so I won't focus on it) or the ever popular reason of lacking heart or guts, the forwards and defenders are not getting the job done. As a result, the goalies are being exposed for what we already knew them to be: players who can keep you in a game but can't steal a game for you.

Maybe Brian Boucher isn't Roberto Luongo but he doesn't need to be, or shouldn't need to be, anyway. He's taking a lot of grief for playing as well as we know he can play when it's the team in front of him that deserves more blame.

Thoughts occasionally drift to the "what if?" for Flyers goaltending. What if Ilya Bryzgalov or Evgeni Nabokov or Tomas Vokoun was between the pipes next season? What if instead of a tandem — or a triumvirate — there was one veteran keeper with whom the team lives or dies?

But you could have Ronnie Hextall circa 1987 between those pipes and it wouldn't matter if Kris Versteeg is blowing defensive assignments against Zdeno Chara, the Flyers can't answer the bell in a Game 3 on the road and Boston looks like the Big Bad Bruins while the Flyers can't rise to the reputation of the Broad Street Bullies.

(Ed. Note: As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, we're bound to lose some friends along the journey. We've asked for these losers, gone but not forgotten, to be eulogized by the people who knew the teams best: The fans who hated them the most. Here are Pittsburgh Penguins bloggers The Pensblog, fondly recalling the 2010-11 Washington Capitals. Again, this was not written by us. Also: This is a roast and you will be offended by it, so don't take it so seriously.)

By The Pensblog

Read it. Greg Wysh did not write this eulogy. No, he commissioned us, The Pensblog, to do so. We do not represent all Penguin fans. We simply represent ourselves and the degenerates in our community.

Before we start. Let's begin with an excerpt from the book of Bowser, a homeless Capitals rapper:
 

Welcome to DC
The hockey district
You only come to play us if you want your butt kicked
You got your home team?
I got my Caps Tix
If you don't like it, then you can go to H-E Double hockey sticks!

HAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHA

OK, sorry.

A lot of people are questioning why we are here today. Why should we be the ones to eulogize the Washington Capitals?

In "The Dark Knight," The Joker says to Batman, "Maybe we're destined to do this forever." That is how we feel with the Capitals. Maybe both fan bases are destined to go at each other forever.

So it goes without saying that we can't stand 99.8 percent of Capital fans. But the Penguins fan base has a lot of the same type of idiots, including us. The only difference is that the Pens fan base has a lower rate of bizarre rap videos per capita.

We consider Capitals bloggers -- Japers' Rink, E-Mac, Russian Machine Works When It Feels Like It, among others -- to be the best bloggers in the NHL.  Basically because they know what they're getting themselves into every season, and yet they keep coming back for more.  You have to admire that kind of insanity.

Using this eulogy to throw barbs directly at the Caps fan base would not be a good use of everyone's time.  The Caps and Pens have been eliminated from the playoffs by the same team for the past two years.  It would be like two guys fighting over a hot girl while that hot girl is getting plowed by some other guy.

But we do feel obliged to acknowledge the Capitals' season that never was.

If fans in other cities didn't hate Pittsburgh and Washington enough, the two teams were then the subject of the HBO miniseries "24/7" this season. And that series had a script that Hollywood would've given the green light for a blockbuster movie. The Pens were firing on all cylinders, while the Caps were down and out. All of a sudden, the Caps start putting together some wins, while the Pens' winning streak ended, shortly followed by the end of Crosby's point streak. In the end, the Capitals knocked out the Prince, won the Winter Classic, and had their eyes set on their stretch run to the playoffs.

It was the perfect movie plot.  In keeping with that, we're gonna take a quick look at some other movie plots that bear striking similarities to the Washington Capitals.

Maybe it is best said in "The Perfect Storm" when that one skank gives the eulogy at end of the film:

"For those of us left behind, the vast unmarked grave which is home for those lost at sea is no consolation. It can't be visited, there is no headstone on which to rest a bunch of flowers... The only place we can revisit them, is in our hearts, or in our dreams. They say swordboatmen suffer from a lack of dreams, that's what begets their courage... Well we'll dream for you."

Is there a comparison there behind the Washington Capitals and swordboatmen? Of course. Does it fit? Yes.

Because in the end the Capitals were a bunch of men in a boat that never should've went down. The only difference is that over the course of the boat ride, the fishermen didn't jump into the windows of the wheelhouse and on top of one another every time they caught a fish.  They acted like they had been there before.

But that comparison isn't exactly right.

Maybe the Capitals are like Pickett's Charge in "Gettysburg."

Virginians! Virginians! For your land - for your homes - for your sweethearts - for your wives - for Virginia! Forward... march!

If you've studied the Civil War, or just base all facts off the movie "Gettysburg" like we do, you would know that despite being named Pickett's Charge, the burden of the South's failures was squarely on the shoulders of Lt. Gen. James Longstreet.

The comparison works here. Bruce Boudreau will be history's fall guy, but general manager George McPhee should shoulder the blame. His refusal to put together a big-time defense betrayed him yet again. If there was a place called Joke City, Karl Alzner and John Carlson would be co-mayors on Foursquare. John Erksine isn't even real. He sucks so bad. Scott Hannan, Washington's big addition on defense, embarrassed himself in the Tampa series on numerous occasions. Some guy named Sean Collins played in Game 4 because Mike Green listened to the new Adele CD too many times and cut himself.

But it is Boudreau who will probably get the ax for this while McPhee will continue to reflect upon his bad decisions while riding elevators.

The similarities between the 2011 Washington Capitals and the Civil War fall a bit short, though.  Mainly because Pickett wasn't 100 pounds overweight and addicted to ice cream.

It almost works with the overall leadership comparison, but comparing the Southern troops to the Washington Capitals players would be saying that the Capitals players actually had any courage.

Except for their captain. He bleeds courage.

Maybe the real Ovechtrick is nine straight playoff failures.

Perhaps it's nine playoff games.

Perhaps it's the nickname for his 9-iron.

Perhaps it's the amount of goals he scored all season.

We'd check his actual goal total, but we don't feel like scrolling all the way down to his name in the goal column.

(Original Art by Nate Beeler of the Washington Examiner.)

Every time the camera would pan to AO's face during this recent Lightning series, you almost felt that he was going to utter the same lines as Biff Tannen did in a "Back To The Future" movie:

"There's something very familiar about all this."

Biff Tannen and Alex Ovechkin. Two all-world talents that never got any help. Think about this. If Biff Tannen has some big-time help in any of the "Back To The Future" movies, it is lights-out for Marty McFly. Instead, Biff had to do everything himself. He was spent.

Biff had it all. He had the skill and the desire. Biff pushed everyone around, banged unlimited chicks, had unlimited success. But somehow Marty McFly always beats him. This happens because Biff has no support.

Same thing as Alex Ovechkin. What else can he do? He has scored big-time goals, plays like he is on PCP. What else does the guy have to do? His entire team betrayed him.

• Nicklas Backstrom started training for Swedish Meatball Eating Competitions and stopped doing anything related to hockey. Maybe his drop to 65 points this year was a preview of things to come. We're not even sure enlisting the help of Navy SEALS Team Six would've helped located Backstrom in the playoffs this year, or any year.

• Alex Semin. Maybe it's best to start checking the decks of all the yachts in the Black Sea. Like clockwork, Semin's got a two-week head start on summer. On the bright side, another "Summer with Ovi and Sasha" is right around the corner. That means four months of photos that will be about as comfortable as one of Quentin Tarantino's nightmares. Or a Prodigy video.

• Jason Arnott. Yeah, that almost worked.

• Mike Knuble. What a warrior. Decent effort from him. But in the end, he is still Mike Knuble.

• Brooks Laich. Hopefully he can stop and fix the tires on the Caps bandwagon after this mess.

• Can't even name any more Caps.  Johansson?  Mike Ridley?  Who knows.

It is sad really.  Alex Ovechkin and Biff Tannen.

Two extreme talents that always end up with poop in their mouths.

The Capitals are no longer with us for a number of reasons. They couldn't get goals when they needed them. They never quite solved Dwayne Roloson. They allowed Tampa's unsung heroes to score timely goals. They were stifled by the 1-3-1. They didn't make adjustments when they needed to. They couldn't score a big power-play goal to save their lives. The injuries to Crosby and Malkin were just too much to overcome for any longer.

Wait.  Those are the reasons the Penguins lost.

But as you can see, a lot of the reasons are the same.

Some may say that there are many similarities between the Penguins and the Capitals, and that's true in some cases.

However, there are two major differences: Ted Leonsis and Bruce Boudreau.

We love those two guys and can't help but mock them.

We'll be very sad if Bruce Boudreau is fired, and not only because he honestly seems like a good guy who loves the sport of hockey. First of all, firing Boudreau may actually make the Caps better, which is the last thing we want. However, that's not our main reason for hoping he sticks around. We'd lose many, many jokes if he was no longer with the team.

Everyone remembers the sauce, or "dead skin," on his face during "24/7." Everyone remembers the hunt for Häagen-Dazs. Everyone remembers his angry tirades from the bench, where his face turns red and he looks like he's going to explode.

Don't make us come up with new jokes. Please keep Boudreau. We'll miss him if he goes.

But at least we'll still have Ted Leonsis, no matter what.

It seems like it's actually impossible for him to go more than a short period of time without saying something ridiculous. The now famous "we have arrived" is the most memorable of his quotes, but he's also had so many more.

"I believe that if the Caps can qualify for the playoffs, 10 or 15 years in a row, and we have a really good team that's young and has upside, that with that continuity and that knocking on the door enough, that we'll get our fair share of Stanley Cups. That's what I believe and I have to believe." (Bog)

"Two more games to go. Last home game of the regular season is tonight. Saturday in Florida and then let the chips fall where they may. This season has been a grind. You decide if we are an elite NHL team or not. It doesn't matter to us. We are what we are. We are what our record says we are." (Take)

"We have to win the Stanley Cup. Pittsburgh has already won theirs." (24/7)

Well, Ted, we guess you had to be eliminated by the Lightning, as well, since Pittsburgh already did that.

What Ted Leonsis doesn't understand is that no team in the NHL receives their "fair share of Stanley Cups." You don't win the Cup because "Pittsburgh has already won theirs." You don't win it because of your regular-season record. You don't win it because your fans are loud or your arena is all red.

Maybe if Ted spent some time watching his own team and analyzing its weaknesses instead of arguing with bloggers (Capitals bloggers at that) and comparing the Capitals to the Penguins, he might actually have a shot at the Cup.

Maybe the Capitals will make big changes over the offseason. Maybe Boudreau, or whoever replaces him, will learn and will turn things around. Maybe Alex Semin will put in some effort. Maybe that Jersey Shore "Beat That Beat Up" song will be played in May and June while the Capitals fist-pump their way to success.

Maybe the Capitals will sign Max Talbot, Mike Rupp, and Craig Adams and win the Cup with those players, driving a stake into the heart of every Penguins fan in the process.

Or maybe they'll be happy with their sirens, their horns, their red-clad crowd, their rockstar atmosphere, and their playoff failures. Maybe Ted Leonsis constantly talks about how the team is going to win the Cup so that he'll sell tickets without actually having to win the Cup.

We have no idea.

"We're looking [expletive] defeated right now! Show some [expletive] courage and play the game properly! You'll score three [expletive] goals if you do! I'm [expletive] sick and tired of losing. Let's [expletive] get our asses outta our heads!" - Bruce Boudreau

Now, Caps, for the sake of actually making this a rivalry instead of just an insult-trading contest, get your "asses outtta your heads" and go out there and [expletive] want it.

Otherwise, we'll be back here next year, writing yet another Caps eulogy. And no one wants that.

The Penguins eulogy was ended like this: "Rot in hell, Pittsburgh Penguins."

Well, Washington, as a wise man once said: Welcome To The Circus.

Wooooooo.

Written by The Pensblog. We can't stress this enough.

It's a Thursday edition of Puck Daddy Radio, and we're chatting about the following and much more:

• Special Guest Star: Bret Hedican hops on to tell us why the San Jose Sharks have dominated the Detroit Red Wings in the last two postseason.

• The Washington Capitals are eliminated; what went wrong and what happens next?

• The Boston Bruins go up 3-0 on the Flyers.

• Previewing Canucks/Predators Game 4.

• Question of the day: In your playoff watching history, what was your favorite goaltending battle in a series?

• Puck Previews.

Email your thoughts to puckdaddyradio@thescore.com.

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Our thoughts on coach Bruce Boudreau's future were expressed after the Washington Capitals were swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night — it's time for a change.

There are two guys that have that decision in their hands. One of them is GM George McPhee, who told the press Thursday at Kettler Iceplex as the Capitals packed for the summer that he anticipates Boudreau will return for the 2011-12 season.

From Ryan O'Halloran of CSN Washington:

"I expect him to be back, yeah," McPhee said at Kettler Capitals IcePlex, hours after his team was bounced by Tampa Bay. "He's a good coach. Somebody said he's not a playoff coach. There's no difference between a playoff coach and a regular season coach. You're either a good coach or you're not and he's a good coach."

"There's no difference between a playoff coach and regular season coach" … has anyone yet heard from the Capitals why, then, there's such a difference between their regular-season and postseason success?

The other guy making the call on Boudreau, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, congratulated the Lightning on his blog and offered apologies to Capitals fans for how it all went down:

Clearly we know we have to improve to build a franchise that is as good as our fan base. I appreciate your emails. I appreciate all of the advice we are being given by media and bloggers. I understand that we are what our record says we are.

Thank you for your support during this grind of a season. Thank you for caring so much. I am so very sorry we let you all down.

The question all of D.C. is asking today: What will he and the Capitals do about it?