Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers: Last Night's Matchup a "Big Game?"

If you listened to the pundits on Versus last night, the nationally televised game between the first and second place teams in the Eastern Conference was going to be a glimpse into the playoff future and provide answers to all of the lingering questions about both teams.   

Well, knowing exactly what is going to happen in the NHL playoffs would certainly give me quite a bit of free time this spring; however, in reality, it was just a regular season game between two good teams.

I know, I know. They were playing for the top seed in the conference. Well, considering only two of the seven Eastern Conference playoff series last season were won by the team with home ice advantage, it’s safe to say that it really doesn’t matter much.  

Now some would argue that both teams have suffered lopsided shutout losses to the New York Rangers within the last month and should be looking to avoid playing them. That said, the Rangers are currently the seventh seed, and it is conceivable that they could finish anywhere from sixth to eighth place, so winning the conference could mean playing the Rangers in the first round.  

So that leaves us with “sending a message”. Well, Washington won the game and they definitely sent a message. The Caps stated loud and clear that if they get an early 3-0 lead, they could allow their opponent to dominate them for the next 40 minutes. The Boston Bruins from Game 7 of Round 2 last season thought the Capitals lacked intensity and focus last night.   

Of course, the lingering effect of the game, from the Flyers perspective, will be the poor performance of Sergei Bobrovsky. He let in a soft goal in the first period and looked out of sorts the entire night until he was pulled.

This will only serve to confirm the alarmist position that “Bob” is not ready for prime time. Although he looked plenty ready on Saturday in Dallas, but I guess most wouldn't consider that a “big game”.

And that’s the funny thing about big games that aren’t really big games—they are based always on perception and 20/20 hindsight.  

Even if Bobrovsky played well last night and the Flyers won, the same people who are saying this game dooms them to failure in the playoffs would claim that Washington didn’t have Alex Ovechkin or Mike Green. Of course, someone else could counter that the Philly didn’t have Chris Pronger, so the excuses for either team winning or losing could be endless.

And even with the win sans Ovechkin, do you really think Capitals fans are pleased that the team blew a three-goal lead? Or that their rookie goaltender allowed four goals?

The fact is that this game wasn’t of any real importance and it didn’t prove anything beyond both teams having some things to work on during the last 10 games.

See you in April when the big games really begin.

Visit http://crackingeggsofwisdom.com for Flyers game analysis as well my takes on other sports and pop culture.