Eastern Conference Quarter Finals Game 5: Capitals 4, Rangers 0; Rangers Lead Series 3-2

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals hit the rewind button and played Friday night's game at the Verizon Center like it was the regular season.

Chalk up another win for the Southeast Division champs -- enough to give them at least two more days of life in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Facing elimination, the Capitals played their best game of the series against the New York Rangers for a 4-0 victory. They chased a player they've been calling "The Difference," goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, after just 40 minutes and 14 shots on goal -- and also got a second shutout from their 20-year-old rookie goalie, Simeon Varlamov.

Game 6, another elimination game for the Capitals, is Sunday afternoon back at Madison Square Garden. If the Caps win, Game 7 will be back at the Verizon Center on Tuesday night.

"That's our goal," Alex Ovechkin said of coming back home for an all-or-nothing Game 7. "We never give up. We fight and we love this situation. It's hard, but we love it."

For the first time all series, the Capitals actually managed to get to Lundqvist -- despite taking a series-low 21 shots. Matt Bradley, the third-line right wing who scored the game's first two goals, beat Lundqvist on a shorthanded breakaway 4:58 into the first period.

However, it was his second goal that showed the Caps that, yes, Lundqvist is human, too.
Bradley shot the puck from about a foot above the goal line and roughly 25 feet off the left post. Lundqvist tried to stand up and make the save by covering his five-hole, but he couldn't do it and the puck somehow popped through his pads at 12:07.

Lundqvist, who looked back into his net in disbelief as the sirens went off and the lights flashed, called it a "brutal goal" and said it was "just a bad decision" to stand up instead of going down on one knee.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030125

Eastern Conference Quarter Finals Game 4: Rangers 2, Capitals 1; Rangers Lead Series 3-1

NEW YORK -- The two things that never wavered for the New York Rangers during their topsy-turvy regular season were their League-best penalty kill and the stellar play of goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

In their most important game of 2009, both came though in a big way for the home team.

Lundqvist was spectacular in stopping 38 shots and the Rangers killed all six Washington power plays to win Game 4 Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, 2-1 -- despite more undisciplined play from agitating left wing Sean Avery.

The Rangers staked themselves to a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series and gave themselves a chance to close it out in Game 5 at the Verizon Center on Friday night. If they do, they'll meet the Boston Bruins in the next round.

"I've said it before, that's why they pay me the big bucks, being there to stop the puck," Lundqvist said. "It's fun.

"The Rangers jumped out to a 2-0 lead 2:23 into the second period when Chris Drury scored on a rebound after his first attempt was flubbed by Capitals rookie goalie Simeon Varlamov. Paul Mara also scored on a slap shot from the point that deflected into the net off Washington defenseman John Erskine 13:55 into the game.

However, it was everything that happened after Drury's goal that showed why the Rangers are even participating in this year's playoffs.

The Capitals had 30 shots on goal, including eight on the power play, in the final 40 minutes. All but one -- an absolute rocket by Alex Ovechkin 2:13 into the third period, following a brilliant individual effort -- were turned aside by Lundqvist, who has been the difference in all three Rangers' wins in this series.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030124

Chinese GP: Vettel Leads Home Red Bull 1-2 at Wet Shanghai!!!!

The predicted rain arrived ahead of the start of the Chinese Grand Prix resulting in the race starting behind the safety car, very reminiscent to the Japanese Grand Prix of 2007. After claiming pole position yesterday in style, Sebastian Vettel took advantage of his position at the head of the field and went on to dominate the 56-lap race.

It was however a far from easy victory for Vettel, who led home team-mate Mark Webber to record Red Bull Renault’s first win, as the persistent rain ensured that the result was far from certain until the very second he took the chequered flag almost two hours after the race first began.

After eight laps behind the safety car the race got underway properly on lap nine with Fernando Alonso having already relinquished his second position with a very early pit stop. The Red Bull duo of Vettel and Webber were quickly able to establish a gap over Jenson Button who passed his Brawn Mercedes team-mate Rubens Barrichello early in the race.

With an 11 second advantage at the head of the field Vettel pitted on lap 15 and Webber shortly repeated the procedure leaving Button at the head of the field. Further back down the order Jarno Trulli was really struggling in the conditions and heading to the final turn on lap 18 was hit hard from behind by Robert Kubica’s BMW Sauber. Trulli’s Toyota was extensively damaged and he was out of the race and the safety car was deployed.

Jenson Button’s 14 second lead at the head of the pack was immediately negated to nothing as he headed to the pits for this first stop. From that point onwards, Vettel and Webber dominated at the front as they traded fastest laps and eased away to a comfortable victory from Button. Webber finished 11 seconds behind Vettel and kept the pressure on his young team-mate and while he will be happy with the result for the team, having your team-mate record the team’s first victory will be tough to take.

Jenson Button took the chequered flag in third position, 34 seconds behind Vettel, while Rubens Barrichello had a low-key race in the second Brawn Mercedes and was never really on the pace of the front runners. The decision not to change his wet tyres in the second and final pit stop put him under pressure from those close behind, but the Brazilian veteran held on to retain the position.

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/090419110607.shtml

FINAL RESULTS:

1) Sebastien Vettel - Red Bull - Renault

2) Mark Webber - Red Bull - Renault

3) Jenson Button - Brawn GP - Mercedes

4) Rubens Barichello - Brawn GP - Mercedes

5) Heikki Kovalainen - McLaren - Mercedes

6) Lewis Hamilton - McLaren - Mercedes

7) Timo Glock - Toyota

8) Sebastien Buemi - Scuderia Toro Rosso - Ferrari

Eastern Conference Quarter Finals Game 3: Capitals 4, Rangers 0; Rangers Lead Series 2-1

NEW YORK -- The New York Rangers still have an All-Star in goal, but after the last 120 minutes of hockey played in this best-of-7 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal round series, it's safe to say they no longer have the edge over the Washington Capitals.

Simeon Varlamov is his name and at least in the last two games this 20-year-old Russian rookie goalie has done everything possible to even up the goaltending, an area in which the Rangers certainly thought they had an advantage heading into the series and definitely did after Game 1.

Varlamov stopped all 33 shots he faced Monday night in a pivotal Game 3 at a deafening Madison Square Garden, and the Capitals beat Lundqvist four times for a 4-0 victory to slice their deficit in this series to 2-1.

Game 4 is Wednesday night back at the Garden and Varlamov will bring a shutout streak of 112:16 into the game. The lone goal he has allowed was to Ryan Callahan just 7:44 into the first period of Game 2.

"It's very important that when you play in the playoffs that the goalie plays the best," Varlamov said through an interpreter. "If the goalie plays the best then the team feels more confident. I understand the value for my team in being a great goalie."

Varlamov was the surprise starter in Game 2 on Saturday for Jose Theodore, who allowed four goals on 21 shots in a 4-3 loss in Game 1. The Russian was good in stopping 23 of 24 shots, but the Caps couldn't beat Lundqvist and lost, 1-0.

Washington coach Bruce Boudreau, secretive about who he would start in goal all the way up to when the lineups were finally announced, sent Alex Ovechkin to tell Varlamov on Monday morning that he was going to start.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030123

Eastern Conference Quarter Finals Game 2: Rangers 1, Capitals 0; Rangers Lead Series 2-0

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals may be getting the better of the territorial play, but the New York Rangers have shown through the first two games of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series that they are the more committed team.

After blocking 21 shots in Game 1, the Rangers blocked 29 more in Game 2 in front of another roaring red crowd at Verizon Center Saturday afternoon. An early goal from Ryan Callahan was all they needed for a 1-0 victory and a 2-0 lead in the series back to Madison Square Garden.

"It's huge to have a lot of guys to block shots and sacrifice their bodies in a series like this, especially when you face so many good players that can shoot the puck," said Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who made 35 saves for his fourth career postseason shutout. "We had a lot of blocks in the first game, especially after faceoffs, and (Saturday) again they came up big on a couple that they had a pretty good shot opportunity. We did a lot of good things.

"The Rangers scored the only goal they needed 7:44 into the game when Brandon Dubinsky's patience along the boards in the neutral zone resulted in a 2-on-1 for Markus Naslund and Callahan.

Capitals defenseman Mike Green pinched and forward Viktor Kozlov came too hard, allowing Dubinsky to send a pass to Naslund for a 2-on-1 against defenseman Tom Poti. Naslund cut through the left circle before slotting a pass to Callahan, who redirected it over rookie goalie Simeon Varlamov's glove.

Varlamov was the surprise starter in favor of veteran Jose Theodore, who allowed four goals on 21 shots in Game 1. The 20-year-old Russian played well, stopping 23 of 24 shots.

"We just have to score goals," said Capitals sniper Alex Ovechkin, who had six shots on goal but took another seven that were blocked. "We made one mistake in the first period, they used it and we didn't score goals."

http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030122

Eastern Conference Quarter Finals Game 1: Rangers 4, Capitals 3; Rangers Lead Series 1-0

WASHINGTON -- Nobody in the New York Rangers dressing room ever said they were going to completely stymie the Washington Capitals' powerful offense. It would have been ludicrous even to think that.

The Rangers knew heading into Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series on Wednesday night that Alex Ovechkin and Co. were going to get chances and score some goals. However, they felt that if they were able to weather the storm, all could be well in the end.

That's exactly what happened in Game 1 as the Rangers stole home-ice advantage in the series by escaping a dreadful first period still locked in a scoreless tie and beating Washington 4-3 on Brandon Dubinsky's game-winner with 8:17 left in regulation.

Game 2 isn't until Saturday (NBC, 1 p.m. ET).

"That team is going to surge," Rangers coach John Tortorella said. "It's a matter of reclaiming your momentum with some simple plays, maybe your forecheck, holding on to the puck. It's not about scoring a goal right away. It's about getting your game back.

"Washington totally dominated the first period. The Caps held a 14-4 advantage in shots, a 16-11 advantage in hits and an 11-4 advantage in faceoffs. Ovechkin had 11 shot attempts, including six that went on net, and was credited with six hits. There were times when it seemed he was everywhere.

All that dominance didn't matter. Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist kept the game scoreless.

"We knew as the game went on we would improve our game," said Lundqvist, who came up with 32 saves.

The Capitals were fearful of just that after coming away empty after the first period.

What's worse is Washington goalie Jose Theodore didn't get much action in the first period -- and he looked shaky in the second.

Caps' coach Bruce Boudreau said he didn't think about pulling Theodore during the second intermission even though he allowed three goals on 11 shots in the middle period -- not one of which was scored through a screen or off a deflection or a rebound -- because he didn't want to show any signs of panic.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030121

Malaysian GP: Button Makes It Two In a Row for Brawn GP at Rain Drenched Sepang!!!

From F1-Live.com:

Jenson Button won a shortened 31 lap Malaysian Grand Prix from Nick Heidfeld and Timo Glock on a day when heavy rain forced the race to be halted well ahead of the scheduled 56 laps.

Monsoon rains are common-place late in the afternoon and it was therefore of little surprise that the weather created problems and much confusion for the Formula One circus.

Until the very heavy rain began to fall, the second round of the championship proved to be a thriller with Nico Rosberg storming into the lead from fourth position on the grid at the start and controlling the race in his Williams Toyota from Jarno Trulli’s Toyota until the first round of pitstops.

Button meanwhile bided his time during the first stint well aware he had more fuel on board than his rivals and as the others pitted, picked up the pace to ensure he exited the puts following his first stop in the lead.

Light rain began to fall on lap 22 with Kimi Raikkonen already having gambled and switched to full wet tyres some three laps earlier. The gamble did not pay off for Raikkonen as he burned through the tyres on the dry circuit, but all of the front runners soon began to pit as light rain started to fall.

Timo Glock had not made the best start to the race and had dropped towards the bottom of the top ten but he and the Toyota team opted to switch to intermediate tyres and not the full wets. This decision paid off as he carved his way through the field to run third when the really heavy rain fell.

While Glock made progress through the field the other drivers opted to change from full wet tyres to intermediate tyres but the switch was only suitable for a few laps as by lap 28 the heavy rain forced them all back onto the full wet tyres, shuffling the race order behind Button yet again.

Conditions then deteriorated significantly forcing first the safety car out and then the red flags bringing a halt to proceedings for over 50 minutes before the result was declared.

As the FIA fumbled around before making a decision to declare the race, it became clear that Nick Heidfeld had worked his way up to second position in his BMW Sauber having made just the one pitstop compared to the three or four made by the rest of the field. A gamble from the team certainly paid dividends after a difficult weekend to date.

Jarno Trulli finished fourth in the second Toyota losing time in the wet conditions, while Rubens Barrichello was fifth when the race came to its premature conclusion.

Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton had a fantastic battle ahead of the red flag with Webber much faster in the twisty mid-field and Hamilton leaning on KERS heavily to retake the position on the long Sepang straights on at least three occasions. Webber finished in sixth position ahead of the defending champion.

After his fast start Nico Rosberg lost ground in the pit stop shuffle and finished eighth for Williams while Ferrari leave the second round of the championship still without any points with Massa ninth and Raikkonen parking his F60 when the red flags came out with an unidentified KERS issue.

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/090405131608.shtml

FINAL RESULTS: Note, 1/2 points awarded for rain shortened race

1) Jenson Button - Brawn GP - Mercedes

2) Nick Heidfeld - BMW

3) Timo Glock - Toyota

4) Jarno Trulli - Toyota

5) Rubens Barichello - Brawn GP - Mercedes

6) Mark Webber- Red Bull - Renault

7) Lewis Hamilton - McLaren - Mercedes

8) Nico Rosberg - Williams - Toyota