Gameday Preview: Playoff Edition, Round 1 GAME 7

Who: Caps-Flyers...the final showdown
Where: DC, home of the free and the brave, the nation's capital, and birthplace of the best fans in the NHL
When: Tonight, 7:00 pm; Rock the Red!

And so the long and winding road leads us here, to Game 7 - what seemed like the unlikeliest of places just three games ago. Where there was once a two-game deficit and an almost impossible uphill climb, there is now only one.

One game. One night. One chance to watch history repeat itself.

Lose and it's all over, as it would have been last night. And Saturday night before that. Lose and we'll celebrate a valiant effort and a hopeful outlook for next year. Lose and we regret nothing - because a team that scrapped it's way out of the league cellar, that clawed it's way into the playoffs, that fought it's way out of a 3-1 series to force Game 7, has certainly earned the right to have no regrets.

Win and we earn our first trip to the second round since 1998, come back from a 3-1 deficit against the Flyers for the second time in franchise history...and get the Penguins for the 48587th time. Woo.

But that's a concern for another day, if there is another day. For now we only focus on the game in front of us.

Because in any sport, in any round, the greatest moments are always made in Game 7. It's Dale Hunter streaking up ice and burying the puck behind Ron Hextall to win the series in dramatic overtime fashion. It's the Red Sox coming back from 3-0 against the Yankees to win it en route to their first World Series title in 86 years. It's young Carey Price earning a shutout to salvage the hope of la Belle Province and send the Bruins packing.

It's where legends are made and new heroes are created.

There's nothing to analyze here, nothing to predict. The advantage has fallen to the Caps - and with it the pressure to and expectations for a win. They're younger, playing on home ice and holding all the momentum; everything they need to win is there. They just have to execute like they did yesterday, like they did on Saturday, even the way they did in Thursday's double OT loss, minus the whole...losing thing. When they're executing the Flyers have looked lost, outclassed, dizzy. Exactly how we want them.

So here are some things to note:
- Alexander Semin is playing some of the best hockey of his career in this series; putting him with Nicklas Backstrom and Brooks Laich has only improved his play and as a result the play of his two linemates, who both are making an impact in their own right.
- Cristobal Huet continues to hold down the fort when the little mistakes are made and has been a source of confidence for the whole team. And never underestimate his ability to make those "oh my god, did you see that???" type of saves, either.
- The defense as a group has played some great hockey in the last three games, and beyond that the entire team is getting back to their system of solid defensive play. The fact that this has extended even to John Erskine and mysterious enigma Steve Eminger is only good news for the team.
- Alex Ovechkin is alive and well.

And most importantly? There will be a very potent 7th man out there in the form of what should be the most raucous Verizon Center to date, Rockin' the Red and screaming their lungs out.

Last inspirational speech for Round 1, folks, and it comes to us courtesy of the boys themselves - because in the end, they're the ones who will have to do the work:

"My goals are coming. I don't care if I don't score and we win. If I play one minute in a game and we win the game it will be a good result."
- Alex Ovechkin

“Right now we don’t want to stop."
- Cristobal Huet

"If you play a game like that and you can’t come out with energy, you’re not going to win anything in your life.”
- Donald Brashear

"I think a lot of people have written us off, but I think we can surprise people with how far we can go. We didn't look forward to Game 7; we just focused on today. Now we can enjoy it for five minutes and then get on the plane and go home."
- Brooks Laich

"The first three games were not too good from our side but we keep going. [...] It’s hardworking every time, it’s perfect.”
- Nicklas Backstrom

"We're going to keep coming at teams. Some teams might have crumbled under that kind of pressure..."
- Tom Poti

“It’s not over yet. (Tuesday is) the biggest game in our career, I think, and we don’t want to stop. We just want to continue what we’re doing."
- Alex Ovechkin

"As long as we still have a pulse, you just can't count us out. There's too many guys that play so hard and are so resilient. It comes from our coach. He is the Number 1 believer, and he instills that in his players. As long as we have a pulse, we live to fight another day."
- Brooks Laich

“We’ve won nothing."
- Bruce Boudreau

Not yet, at least.

Game 7 awaits, Caps fans - here we go.

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Gameday Preview: Playoff Edition, Round 1 Game 6

Who: Caps-Flyers, you know the drill...
Where: Wachovia Center, home of the worst orange shirts in the world
When: Today, 7:00 pm. Bring your protective cups.

We all know that there's no time to pat ourselves on the backs and celebrate that one win because it's just that - one win. Two more are needed to move on, or so it says in the NHL rulebook. So two more it is.

And to get those two more they need to take what they did in the first two periods of Game 5 and replicate it for 60 minutes this time. Then do it again on Tuesday. What the Caps did in Game 5 was come out guns blazing, throwing their bodies and the puck around until the Flyers were dizzy.

22-9: the hit ratio in the first. 12-4: the shot ratio in the first. 1-0: the score in the first.

All good things, and yet all good things that can be improved upon, or at the very least repeated. This team has the skill, the drive, the youth, the experience, to do all those things and do it in front of a hostile crowd. They know how to get it done; whether they do it or not remains to be seen.

It's not hard to see what works for this team. They have size. They have speed. They have the ability to shoot the puck. So it's no surprise that when they dump the puck in, when they make the simple plays to gain the zone...9 times out of 10 they keep the zone. Keep it and put pressure on and generate a scoring chance, if not a goal. It's the reason why when they do just that they look like a team that could make some noise - and not just a whimper.

And it's what we should expect to see tomorrow night, or else start thinking about next year.

The inspirational thing seemed to work last time out so we'll do this again, this time with help from our pal Kurt (channeling Herb Brooks):

Great moments are born from great opportunity.

And that's what you have here tonight, boys. That's what you've earned here, tonight. One game.

If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine. But not this game. Not tonight.

Tonight, we skate with 'em.
Tonight, we stay with 'em, and we shut them down because we can!
Tonight, we are the greatest hockey team in the world.

You were born to be hockey players -- every one of ya. And you were meant to be here tonight. This is your time. Their time -- is done. It's over.

I'm sick and tired of hearin' about what a great hockey team the [Flyers] have. Screw 'em!

This is your time!! Now go out there and take it!

And finally, if that doesn't get the blood boiling how about a little inspirational help from yours truly...with assistance from (and apologies to) the legendary Van Halen:

Right Now
There may not be a tomorrow
So put it all out there today
One more walk into Philly
With only "vengeance" in our way

From two games down we're clawing back
But we've gotta push to get even
Just let them whine, we know the truth, we're moving on
Hey - come on turn, turn this thing around

Right now
Hey, let's take it to 'em
Right now
Think 1988!
Right now
Catch that magic midget, do it
Right here and now
It takes everything

They can shut down Ovechkin
Others come to take his place
With our own Russian army
Standing right in Biron's face

The more checks you throw, the more you crave
And even Semin's getting in it
With black and orange flying through the air
Come on bring game 7 to DC

Right now, hey
We want tomorrow
Right now
We want a miracle
Right now
Put the fight to Philly do it
Right here and now
It means everything

It's gutcheck time...right now
What are you waitin' for?
Oh, yeah, right now!

Right now
Nothing's over
Right now
Think 1988!
Right now
Catch that magic midget, dropkick him right
Right now
Right now, oh, right now

We're coming for you...right here and now
Right now...it's right now

Let's Go Caps!!

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Gameday Preview: Playoff Edition, Round 1 Game 5

Who: If you don't know this by now...get out.
Where: Verizon Center - ROCK THE RED!
When: Today. 1:00. Be there or be square.

So it all comes down to...
So this is for the whole ball of...
So we're hanging on by a...

So here we are. Backs against the wall, down for the count, TKO, washed up, done for, kaput - any other metaphor you can think of for being just about finished.

But if there's one thing we've seen from this team, it's that they play their best when they're cornered. They play their best when no one thinks it can be done. They play their best when it counts the most, when everyone has counted them out, when all their fans are counting on them.

They know what they need to do. We know what they need to do. The Flyers have been the better team in this series but the Caps are the better team period. And it's not because I say it's true or the dozens of NHL analysts said it was true prior to the playoffs - but because we've seen it.

Minimize the mental lapses. Minimize the turnovers. Maximize the talent this team has, not just in #8 but all through the lineup, up and down the bench...every single person in a Caps sweater.

As for the fans? The Phone Booth needs to rock from start to finish, not just to boost the team's energy but to give them the ovation and celebration they deserve. If this afternoon's game is the end of the line so be it. But let's give our heroes an atmosphere they'll never forget. Let's make them feel the support of 18,277 in the stands and many, many more in living rooms everywhere.

It's been a hell of a ride, but if this is the end...let's go out singing.

Because there is the chance that it's not the end after all.

Bring it home, Al:

It all comes down to today. Either we heal, as a team, or we're gonna crumble. Inch by inch, play by play, till we're finished.

We're in hell right now, gentlemen, believe me. And we can stay here, get the sh*t kicked out of us or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb outta hell...one inch at a time.

The inches we need are everywhere around us. They're in every break of the game, every minute, every second.

On this team, we fight for that inch.

On this team, we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch. Because we know when we add up all those inches, that's gonna make the f**king difference between winning and losing! Between living and dying!

I'll tell you this: in any fight, its the guy who's willing to die who's gonna win that inch.

Now I can't make you do it. You gotta look at the guy next to you, look into his eyes. Now, I think you're gonna see a guy who will go that inch with you. You're gonna see a guy, who will sacrifice himself, for this team. Because he knows, when it comes down to it, you're gonna do the same for him.

That's a team, gentlemen. And, either we heal now, as a team, or we will die as individuals.

Now, what are ya gonna do?

Say it with me, kids: UNLEASH THE FURY!

Nickname time - see if you can spot the theme...

Philadelphia Flyers
Forwards
19-Scott "Demon Spawn" Hartnell 48-Daniel "Magical Spearing Troll" Briere 40-Vinny "666" Prospal
9-Scottie "The Horror...THE HORROR" Upshall 17-Jeff "Fiend" Carter 22-Mike "Gollum" Knuble
20-RJ "Hades" Umberger 18-Mike "Satan's Handmaiden" Richards 15-Joffrey "The Possessed" Lupul
25-Patrick "River Styx" Thoresen 34-Jim "Nosferatu" Dowd 24-Sami "Bane" Kapanen

Defensemen
5-Braydon "Poltergeist" Coburn 44-Kimmo "Wicked Witch of the West" Timonen
2-Derian "Orc" Hatcher 6-Randy "Misery" Jones
21-Jason "The Blob" Smith 26-Jaroslav "Darth" Modry

Goaltenders
30-Antero "Dr. No" Niittymaki 43-Martin "Rosemary's Baby" Biron


Washington Capitals
Forwards
8-Alex "Superman" Ovechkin 91-Sergei "The Legend" Fedorov 25-Viktor "Batman" Kozlov
21-Brooks "Han Solo" Laich 19-Nicklas "Underdog" Backstrom 28-Alexander "The Flash" Semin
24-Matt "Daredevil" Cooke 39-Dave "Greatest American Hero" Steckel 10-Matt "Captain Planet" Bradley
87-Donald "The Incredible Hulk" Brashear 15-Boyd "Flash" Gordon 14-Eric "Captain Canuck" Fehr

Defensemen
26-Shaone "Spider-Man" Morrisonn 52-Mike Green "Lantern"
3-Tom "Iron Man" Poti 23-Milan "He-Man" Jurcina
4-John "Captain Klutz" Erskine 44-Steve "Invisible Kid" Eminger

Goaltenders
37-Olie "Our Hero" Kolzig 38-Cristobal "Faster than a Speeding Bullet" Huet

LET'S GO CAPS!

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Gameday Preview: Playoff Edition, Round 1 Game 4

Who: Caps-Flyers, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game 4
Where: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA
When: Thursday, April 17, 7:00 pm

Broadcast Info: CSN, Versus

Remember all those games at the end of the regular season? Remember saying that each game was "the biggest game of the year"?

Scratch that. Tonight's game has officially taken over that title.

In any series game 4 is a pivotal one, and this one is no exception. You're either trying to avoid the sweep or earn it, push the other team to the brink of elimination or hope that you won't be brought there. It is the point in the series where morale and momentum are drawn, the midway point of the series.

It's what separates the boys from the men; the playoff contenders from the playoff pretenders.

If the Caps want to emerge from the City of Brotherly Love with any sort of dignity and hope intact they need to put together a performance that we have yet to see from them for any extended period of time. And they need to do it now, in Game 4, before they fall into a hole that even this scrappy team can't emerge from. No more cutesy plays. No more long stretch passes ripe for pickoffs. No more letting the Flyers have their way, along the boards, in the neutral zone or in the crease.

They need to, in essence, play the exact type of road game that earned them a 5-1 record in their final six away from DC. They need to play desperate hockey - and maybe that's what it will take for them to wake up, a return to that back-against-the-wall type of play where every night was a must-win. Heading down the stretch the Caps didn't know they would need to basically win every game to get into the playoffs; but they knew they couldn't afford to lose more than one and they played like it. If no one else stepped in, the first line became the hero. If Ovechkin was shut down, others picked up the slack. They need to get back to that.

Because there's an urgency missing so far - and that's not the way to win a series.

Boudreau has done some tinkering with the lines and the special teams. Whether it's enough to push this team back to where they were just a few weeks ago, time will tell. Fedorov moves up to the top line to replace Backstrom (who has become virtually invisible); Semin is off the top power play unit, Eminger is in for an injured Schultz, and Laich moves up to the third line. All potentially good changes for sure, although I know I wasn't alone in hoping, to no avail apparently, that Olie might get the call to provide a little spark.

They all know what they have to do now. In post-practice interviews today every player to a man outlined exactly what problems we all saw and seemed adamant that they would fix them. Brooks Laich seemed downright angry, which is good. We want them angry. We want them hungry. We...want them singing Backstreet Boys songs in the locker room.

(Okay, maybe not. But check out the Sergei Fedorov interview for a good laugh, around the 2:25 mark.)

The Flyers' motto is 'Vengeance Now'...and that's great. Let them have their vengeance. We want 'Victory Now'. Go get 'em, Caps.

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Crushed By the Orange

I'm risking ruining my reputation as a (somewhat) level-headed, (kinda) even-keeled, unbiased (...ish) fan to make the following statement - but it needs to be said.

I hate the Flyers.

It's official. My unmitigated hatred for the orange and black is quickly returning to the level of contempt which at one time was only reserved for their Pennsylvania neighbors. I hate everything about them. I hate their retina-burning uniforms and their goonish history and their need to see blood spilled, from either team, every minute of every day.

Briere, Richards, Hartnell? No one here thinks you're cute, talented or tough. Biron? No one here thinks you're quirky. 'Vengeance Now'? More like 'Goons Forever'.

Yes, I'm mad. All Caps fans should be mad. This is not the series we were promised, not after the run this Caps team put together to get into the playoffs in the first place. You can make the claim that the Flyers got into the playoffs the same way, scrapping for points...but it wasn't the same way. The Flyers did not claw their way up from the league basement. In fact, at one point Philly was on top of the Atlantic Division and only fell after prolonged stretches of ineptitude throughout the season.

After the season we've had, after all the ups and downs, the coaching changes and goaltender changes and new faces and trades and signings and adjustments and standings climbing...we deserve something amazing, whether it's as a parting gift to cap off the season or just the beginning of a long postseason run.

If the Caps lose, they lose - this series was never supposed to be a home run. Give Philly credit, they've played a heck of a series so far, and no one expected a sweep by the Caps, an easy four games and a long rest. We're not playing Ottawa, after all (and a big ol' thanks to Pittsburgh again for that one). This series should be epic and tough.

If the Caps lose, though, they'd better go down swinging.

Tonight was better than Sunday. Of course it was better. But saying that tonight's performance was better than Sunday's is like saying Briere is taller on skates. True, but relative. Tonight the Caps should have come out flying; everything they've said in the last two days made us think they would. They were angry, they said. They were frustrated, they told us. They made mistakes and paid for it and that had to change, they swore. No one worked hard enough; everyone would have to work harder. That's what they said, and what we believed.

But it was the Flyers who took control early and even as the Caps mustered little flurries of energy and closed the gap the Flyers pulled further ahead. The Flyers ran over Huet time and time again without retribution, and then were pushed into him time and time again by hapless defenders who didn't know what else to do. The Caps continued to make ill-advised long passes resulting in turnovers, continued to sputter on the power play (despite finally getting one with the extra man), continued to look star-struck and stunned - as if they'd completely forgotten how to play hockey just because they were doing it after April 5.

It wasn't pretty. In fact, backdropped by the sea of happy orange it was downright ugly. And because of that they have to go back to the drawing board.

You want an easy scapegoat, take Erskine (please). Take Jurcina with his boneheaded turnover. Take Ovechkin, who has yet to show up with the presence we've become used to. But barring any of those, chalk this up to a good old-fashioned, all hands on deck team loss from start to finish.

If I'm the coach it may be time to think about putting in Olie for at least a game - not because Huet was bad, because once again he was one of the better performers out there (although I haven't seen a goal by goal breakdown so I could be wrong). It should be done because the guys need a wakeup call and Huet needs a rest. Poor Cristobal has had to take care of himself for three games now and has played 11 straight and the frustration is showing; rest him and put Zilla in to throw some punches, whack some ankles and yell at the boys. They need it. It's time.

And if I'm the coach it's DEFINITELY time to sit Erskine and put Eminger back in. Of course if Schultz reinjured himself that may be tricky but hell, no one said the playoffs were easy. Call up Lepisto or Boumedienne if that's what it takes. It's just mind-boggling that big #4 is still in there after taking dumb penalties and continuing to be on the ice staring blankly at Huet as the puck goes into the net. If he's in there to add toughness, great, but I haven't seen him do all that much to prove that he deserves a spot in the lineup just for that. Yank him. Free Steve Eminger. It's time.

And if I'm the coach...it's time to find a way to ignite this team, light a spark under their collective rear ends. This isn't playtime anymore and the team that once believed they couldn't lose has not only lost twice in a row but been outplayed for 8 of their first 9 playoff periods.

Being down 2-1 is doable; the series is far from over and the Caps can still salvage home ice advantage. Being down 3-1? You might as well call it a night, even with memories of 1988 fresh in our minds.

It's time for the average joes to become heroes...and the superstars to become superheroes. It's time for this team to show up.

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Gameday Preview: Playoff Edition, Round 1 Game 3

Who: Caps-Flyers; Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Game 3
Where: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia
When: Tuesday, April 15

Okay; so Sunday didn't go exactly as planned. Time to take a deep breath, regroup, and prepare ourselves for Game 3: Revenge.

You know, the City of Brotherly Love is never quite so lovely as when the Caps are making Flyers fans cry...and that's already happened twice this season. Combine that with the fact that the Caps know they can win in Philly and know they can bounce back from bad losses, and there's plenty of reason to feel optimistic. They just need to take what they did last game and reverse it. Simple, right?

There's not much to analyze about game 2 - the Caps simply looked outworked on every inch of the ice, generating minimal pressure and finding themselves pushed off the puck far too easily. The battles along the boards, the rushes up ice, the power play, none of it looked sharp. That's not the Caps team that scrapped their way into the postseason, and it probably won't be the one that shows up today.

We hope.

The fact that the Flyers managed to shut down both Ovechkin and Green is troubling. However, there are 29 teams in this league who have been unsuccessful in shutting down that duo. It certainly will not be the Flyers of all teams who figure out the magical secret to keep each of them off the board forever. Expect both big guns to adjust and come out flying...and a little secondary support wouldn't hurt, either.

As for goaltending, Huet was one of the best players on the ice after the Caps fell behind 2-0 in the last game and kept it from becoming really embarrassing, which it definitely had the potential to be. He needs to be able to see the puck, though, and get rebounds cleared away quickly. Cutting down on the odd-man rushes in the first place will probably also help, something the Caps had a lot of trouble with last time out. This is not the slow, pylon-esque Flyers team of the past (at least not up front) and their speed will get you every time.

And of course, congrats to new papa Martin Biron - he and his wife welcomed a little bundle of joy yesterday, a day after posting what will probably be the easiest shutout he ever scores. Even so, is it wrong to hope Biron's new baby kept him up nice and late these last two nights? I think not.

Time to bring it, Caps. Bring the pain, bring the energy, bring the passion...just bring it.

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Gameday Preview: Playoff Edition, Round 1 Game 1

It still feels like some sort of surreal dream that we're even here right now...but here we are. Almost a week to the day the Caps clinched the Southeast Division, the curtain rises on a new postseason and we sit on the cusp of the first playoff game in DC in many years - and the first playoff game period for many of our players (and our coach).

If you're like me, this past week has been a true exercise in patience, meditation and many, many types of sedatives. So let's get this puppy going, shall we?

Who: Southeast Division Champion Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Where: Verizon Center
When: Friday, April 11, 7:00 pm

Broadcast Info: CSN, Versus

Media Notes:
Washington Capitals Website
Philadelphia Flyers Website
NHL.com
Washington Times - Hershey boys all grown up
Washington Times - Veteran Experience
Washington Post - The Bullies are back
Washington Post - The world's team
Culpeper Star-Exponent (...swear to god)
Philadelphia Inquirer - Marty Biron likes to talk
Philadelphia Inquirer - Last 9 games key for Flyers
Philadelphia Daily News - Briere needed rest
Courier-Post - Briere has unfinished business
Courier-Post - Goalies inexperienced
The Bulletin - How to stop the Caps
National Post - Ovechkin ready

...and those are just the ones that popped up first.

The first game of any playoff series is always a little strange. Both teams are tentative, nervous, unwilling to make a mistake - it's rare that the first game becomes a thrilling moment in sports history.

However.

You have to think the way both of these teams finished out their seasons combined with the long break since they last played will create a bit more energy than usual. The Caps have one more day of rest - technically (although the way the Pens played Sunday it's not like the Flyers are worn out) - but each team has had about a week off after ending the season on a high note.

For this first game, then, expect the unexpected. The hometown crowd is going to be pumped and you can bet the Caps will feed off of that, but no one more than the great #8 himself. It's moments like this that the Russian Machine was made for; local spotlight, national spotlight, international spotlight...all eyes trained on the little Phone Booth in the middle of Chinatown.

We've been hearing all week how this will be a physical series, a bloodbath, a body-thumping, bruising war to end all wars. Whether that's true remains to be seen, and it's very possible that all the hype will in the end lead to nothing particularly special. But it should be a good hard-fought series regardless and the Caps will need to set the physical tone early - not because they can't keep up with the Flyers otherwise but because they should remind people that this is also a physical team.

Just look at how the hits break down after the regular season for proof of that.

One storyline to keep an eye on in this series will be the potential return of the walking wounded for both teams. In the final few games for the Caps they lost Morrisonn and Schultz to injury; both are expected back soon and hope to be in for game 1. On the final night of the season we also heard a rumor straight from the horse's mouth that captain Chris Clark will hopefully return soon (although we've heard that before and will believe it when we see it).

For the Flyers, they'll probably have Daniel Briere back after sitting out the last game of the year with a knee injury. They'll also possibly see the return of their captain, Jason Smith, who missed the last few games with an upper body injury, and in the first couple of games they'll likely get human pylon Derian Hatcher back as well.

We've talked about how these two teams match up in the past few days - offense, defense, and special teams - and we'll talk about intangibles later today. All that's left is to play the game. Remember to wear red, cheer loud and help our boys on to victory!

And finally, in honor of the playoffs, the Cheap Seats is proud to present...the return of the nicknames.

Philadelphia Flyers
Forwards
19-Scott "Rodgers and" Hartnell, 48-Daniel "the Magical Spearing Midget" Briere, 40-Vinny "Live Long and" Prospal
20-RJ "Heads Up" Umberger, 18-Mike "Ovechkin Lite" Richards, 15-Joffrey "Hatcher? RUUUN!" Lupul
9-Scottie "Doesn't Know" Upshall, 17-Jeff "Jimmy" Carter, 22-Mike "Kiss and" Knuble
32-Riley "*expletive deleted*" Cote, 34-Jim "Graybeard" Dowd, 25-Patrick "God of Thunder" Thoresen

Defensemen
5-Braydon "James" Coburn, 44-Kimmo "Pumbaa and" Timonen
6-Randy "YMCA" Jones, 21-Jason "Gator" Smith
26-Jaroslav "à la" Modry, 28-Lasse "Short Order" Kukkonen

Goaltenders
30-Antero Niittymaki, 43-Martin "I don't lie and I don't whine" Biron

Washington Capitals
Forwards
8-Alex "M-V-P" Ovechkin, 19-Nicklas "Peach Fuzz" Backstrom, 25-Viktor "the Professor" Kozlov
28-Alexander "No-Look" Semin, 91-Sergei "Clutch" Fedorov, 24-Matt "C is for" Cooke
43-Tomas "Flash" Fleischmann, 21-Brooks "Unsung Hero" Laich, 15-Boyd "the Big Goalscorer" Gordon
87-Donald "Puttin' on the Foil" Brashear, 39-Dave Steckel, 10-Matt "Captain Planet" Bradley

Defensemen
26-Shaone "Safety Net" Morrisonn, 52-Mike "Rockin' the 'Hawk" Green
3-Tom "The Man" Poti, 55-Jeff "Body Injury" Schultz
4-John "Damn It" Erskine, 23-Milan "Juice" Jurcina

Goaltenders
37-Olie "300" Kolzig, 38-Cristobal "Hip Hip" Huet

As the series progresses, feel free to chime in with your own nickname suggestions via email or comment - creativity is always welcome here in the Cheap Seats.

And on that note...DROP THE PUCK!

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