If there’s one thing that’s frustrating about hockey, it’s that no matter how well you play, how many shots you put on net, how badly you outplay the opposition, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get the victory. That’s because a hot goaltender can carry a team throughout a game, throughout a series, throughout the playoffs to a Stanley Cup.
The Capitals outshot the Canadiens 54-21 on Monday, but it didn’t matter because the play of Jaroslav Halak was truly epic, and he virtually single-handedly carried the Habs past the Presidents’ Trophy winners to a seventh game in the series.
The best record in the league, the most prolific offense, the top seed, and even the most shots all matters for naught when the other team has a hot goaltender, something everyone already knew but the Capitals had to experience firsthand in Game 5 and 6. Forget Alex Semin, forget Alex Ovechkin, forget the power play. We’ll see if Semyon Varlamov or Jose Theodore can answer the call in Game 7, as it’s clear that goaltending outweighs everything else.
