We only have one more game against a mediocre Western Conference team this season – and it’s not at home.

Woo.

Whew. And we’re back. I’ll tell you, there’s nothing like a heartbreaking first round loss to the Flyers followed by a soon-to-be heartbreaking second round loss to the same damn team to almost make a girl lose her mojo, scrap it all and take up the NBA.

So…how ’bout those Wizards, huh? Huh?

Okay, no. I have no idea what’s going on with the Wiz these days and honestly I couldn’t care less, despite my desire to just turn the lights off on this hockey season and hide away until September. It hasn’t gotten bad enough for me to turn to basketball, not yet at least; and I’m guessing since Dan Steinberg is still blogging furiously, the Wizards are still alive.

Bully for them.

Don’t get me wrong – there is a lot to celebrate right now. Take the fact that the Caps weren’t even supposed to make the postseason in the first place and yet ended up winning their division. Take the fact that they clawed their way back from a 3-1 series deficit and made it all the way to overtime in game 7 before succumbing to the Flyers. Take the fact that Ovechkin, Backstrom and Boudreau all find themselves up for major NHL awards – all of which are deserved.

Take the fact that waiting in the wings of an already young, talented club are young, talented prospects with names like Karl Alzner, Sami Lepisto, Andrew Gordon, Mathieu Perreault, and Semen Varlamov.

Yes, there is a lot of good in the world for Caps fans, and I, like all of you, would do well to remember that. Because as we sit on the verge of a potential Flyers-Penguins Conference Final…it’s sometimes hard to believe there is any good in the world at all.

Despite the pain, there is still hockey going on – and some pretty exciting hockey for that matter. Sure, all four series are flying by and we could be seeing one of the shortest second rounds in recent memory. But don’t let that fool you, none of these series (save for the Wings-Avs series, which admittedly I haven’t watched much of) have been easy. There have been a lot of one-goal games, a lot of overtimes, a lot of clanking posts and reviewed goals and nail-biting final seconds. It’s been a hard fought second round, as it should be.

Hey, if the Avs and Rangers remember how to play hockey for one night we’ve got ourselves a foursome of 3-1 series heading down the stretch. And doesn’t the time seem ripe for a team to pull off the oh so rare feat of being down by that margin…and coming back to win it all? The way this postseason is going, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

Some thoughts so far:
- Montreal’s problem isn’t their goaltending or their lack of discipline at inopportune times or their inability to create traffic in front of Biron…it’s all three. If that sounds eerily familiar to you, you’re not alone.

- Every time Daniel Briere sneaks in from behind the net to score a goal a baby cries. Would someone just put a big bell around his neck already?

- The Rangers with Sean Avery have proved to be a tough if not quite tough enough foe for the Penguins. Without him? Tee time’s at 8:30 tomorrow morning, boys.

- Marty Turco has worn the “choker” moniker, rather unfairly, for years now. Guess what – he’s mad as hell and he’s not going to take it anymore. He’s the Cheap Seats favorite among all goalies named Marty, that’s for sure.

- Is Colorado still playing?

- Steve Begin blocked a shot with his midsection last night and when he got to his feet and hobbled to the dressing room., he was booed. You stay classy, Philadelphia.

- Two games in a row now Patrick Marleau has picked off a cross-ice pass from Sergei Zubov, taken it down ice and scored a shorthanded goal. The Stars may be an infinitely better team with Zubov in the lineup, but I think everyone would agree he needs to stop trying that pass.

- Say what you want, but no coach does the wry “are you kidding me??” smile better than Guy Carbonneau.

- Where have you gone, Joe…Thornton?

- The Pens have the potential to do something no team has done in almost twenty years, and that is sweep the first two rounds. My question for you is this – since they came against a weak Senators team and an elderly Rangers team, does that make them more or less ready to face whoever survives the Habs-Flyers series?

- Speaking of which – irony comes in many shapes and colors, but right now it’s wearing a hideous black and orange jersey. You have to think that after essentially throwing the last game of the year to draw the Sens in the first round over Philly, the last thing the Pens want to do is face the juggernaut Flyers in the Conference Finals. Should that happen…I will laugh.

Through my tears, of course.

One would expect that a game against a team like the Avs, with whom the Caps have little history, would be boring and lifeless.

Well…yeah, okay, it kind of was.

But aside from that, tonight’s game was all about goaltending. Theodore vs. Kolzig, two former Vezina trophy winners going head to head – and as much as we’ve picked on Olie in the past few weeks, he’s really been playing well these last few games and matched Jose save for save tonight. He made some fantastic saves despite the low shot count and was a big reason the Caps held on to win, particularly when the Avs were buzzing late in the game.

Not much to talk about in this one. The Caps were unable to connect with the extra man but killed off the Colorado power plays. They got 23 shots on goal and allowed 19. Laich’s goal was nice and Steckel’s was…odd. It was a lesson in good goaltending and a demonstration of perfect trapping mentality on both sides, which in combination can be like the hockey equivalent of Nyquil.

On to…nothing. The Caps are off until Sunday, when the lovely Flyers make their final visit of the year to Verizon Center. When your team is all banged up, usually you pray to the scheduling gods for mercy like the sort we’re seeing right now. One game in seven days is a perfect way to rest your walking wounded – but when the team is winning in spite of it, you have to think a long break isn’t so great. Hopefully we’ll get some of the injured boys back and we can start making a real push.

And if anyone is keeping an eye on the standings, should the Leafs fall to Anaheim tonight (as they’re well on their way to doing) the Caps leap over them and into 13th place. Little baby steps…

Photo courtesy of AP