One team is a league super power: steeled by adversity, the Washington Capitals are now riding the NHL's best talent to within 2 points of the top of the Eastern conference. They have the best player who appears to be on a mission, they just fell of an 8 game win streak, narrowly losing to Detroit on the second of back-to-back games. They arrived in the New York area yesterday and are rested and ready to embark on their mission to the capture the top seed in the east. Wise money says they will accomplish that with ease.
Their opponent tonight? The New Jersey Devils, a team that just cam off a disheartening loss to last place Ottawa last night, and traveled home in the dead hours, clearing customs after midnight. A look at the standings reveals a team that has fallen to 12th place with a dozen to play. Losing saps more energy than the back-to-back games. Logic says this should be a cakewalk for the Ovechkin and the Capitals. Logic be damned.
Even though the calendar says March 18, the Devils and their "Army" will be in full celebration of St. Patrick's Day. The skaters, and many of their fans, will be clad in their throwback uniforms prior to 1982, which possess plenty of green. The last two years the Devils have won emotional victories at home on St. Patrick's Day, brimming with energy they blew out a great Penguins team last year, first star PAtrik Elias ignited the crowd sporting a kelly green bowler when he acknowledged first star honors. The Prudential will be a howling mad house tonight.
The Devils embark on a brutal 4 game road trip, and who knows what kind of shape they will be in when they return. But tonight, on surrogate St. Patrick's Friday, the joint will be jumpin at the sold out Rock. This will be the Devils Stanley Cup final. Look for the Devils to keep the dream alive with a dramatic energetic win.
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