Caps force Rangers to Game 7 in Washington; Brashear railroaded, won't play

The New York Rangers turned in an absolutely stellar effort on Sunday in Game 6 at home. With a chance to topple the Southeast Division winners, the Blueshirts instead got down 3-1 after one and 5-1 late before falling 5-3.

So, a quarterfinal Game 7 returns to Verizon Center for the second consecutive season.

I wonder if the Caps have learned anything from last year's 3-2 overtime loss to the Flyers in that deciding game, after rallying from a 1-3 series deficit. They basically failed to close things out after tying the score late in the third, then wasting a power-play chance in OT before Joffrey Lupul ended things.

The pain from that defeat plus the determination they showed in winning the last two games, should be the two biggest motivating factors in what I expect should be a Washington victory.

That, and the fact that the Rangers looked visibly tired and defeated through most of the final 20 minutes yesterday. John Tortorella seems more bent on evaluating his team and suggesting how it should be ripped apart rather than coaching them and trying to squeeze out a playoff series victory.

One player who will not be joining the Caps for their potential advancement is Donald Brashear, who got slammed with a six-game suspension for two incidents from yesterday's game: one during the pre-game when he "made contact" with New York's Colton Orr, then five games for levelling Blair Betts with a shoulder hit when Betts had his head down and turned in the opposite direction.

Give us all a break, please, Commish.

NO ONE should be penalized for gamesmanship before the drop of the puck unless it incites both sides to convene.

Also, NO ONE should be hit with a ban as high as five games for that. True, Brash led with the elbow/shoulder, but Herr Betts was dumb enough not to be looking in that direction and was looking at the ice when the hit occurred. It's a shame he basically suffered a concussion, but, as we all saw with Eric Lindros, let the head-hanger beware in open ice.

I clearly dispute Colin Campbell's version of events as portrayed in his quote with the NHL's story on the suspension. Betts' head was not "targeted" any more than Lindros' head was when Scott Stevens' elbow met it in Game 7 of the 2000 East finals.

On that basis alone, maybe a one-gamer would be sufficient in this era of ever-PC sportsmanship foisted on the players by this cadre of lawyers and sycophants. The fact that Brashear was not initially penalized, AND that this no longer precludes a suspension upon a review after the fact, is totally ridiculous.

Whatever. Brash won't join his teammates until a potential Game 6 of the Eastern semis, should the Red reach that far. The Caps have plenty of guys who can stick up for Ovie and Semin et al. so it won't be a man-power or protection problem for them.