The 3-3 draw was a combination of each team’s altruistic ways and a heavy dose of unwanted chaos and drama. Dwayne De Rosario scored all three of United’s goals including the game tying goal on a penalty in the 88th minute that preceded 8-minutes of stoppage time and an earlier chaotic substitution situation that led directly to Toronto’s second equalizing goal.

“I don’t know what just happened,” said United Coach Ben Olsen, who did not want to discuss the substitution incident. “It was a pretty eventful game…Dwayne DeRosario should be the story and the heart of that group out there that got (jobbed) every which way tonight, didn’t get a call all night but they found a way to get a point and should have been three.”

De Rosario has scored all of United’s goals (6) over their last five games and with tonight’s tallies, he has scored against all three of his former teams (New York, San Jose, and Toronto) that United have played since his arrival.

The impending drama started just 7-minutes into the match and altered the game significantly as United goalkeeper Bill Hamid was ejected for a wild and reckless challenge on Eric Avila. With Avila’s last touch a bit heavy on a run down the right flank, Brandon McDonald had already cleared the ball away when Hamid inexplicably slid out with his legs slightly up, flipping the recently acquired midfielder head over heels and hard to the turf.

After briefly consulting with the Assistant Referee directly in front of the play, referee Jasen Anno decided to dismiss the young goalkeeper.

“The initial play with Bill is not good enough. We made a meal of that play and we have to learn that that play hurts everybody. It kills the game and makes the guys do a lot of work,” Olsen said. “It’s too early in the game and we have to be tuned in every play whether it’s three minutes in or late. That play haunted us.”

Steve Cronin came on to man the pipes and midfielder Stephen King was removed. With the recent run of injuries among the forwards and players logging heavy minutes, including DeRosario, Olsen certainly did not want to use a substitute that early.

With Santino Quaranta making his first appearance since May 14 and the nagging left hamstring injury to Josh Wolff, the early red card put Olsen immediately in the trick bag. Austin Da Luz did come in for Wolff in the 60th minute but Quaranta played the full 90 despite Olsen’s intentions to limit those minutes.

“No,” said Olsen if he planned on playing Quaranta the entire match. “We didn’t know how long he could go so obviously making the early change postpones that second and third change especially when you are playing down a man.”

Regardless of the manpower situation, United took the lead as the rain had just started to fall in the 19th minute. DeRosario received a simple free kick from Quaranta, took one touch and cut loose a right footed blast from 25-yards out that got through Stefan Frei and into the upper left corner to give United the unexpected lead.

As the half progressed however, United settled at least eight, and often nine, men behind the ball in hopes of shutting the game down and getting into the break with the lead.

Toronto got the break they were looking for in the 52nd minute when Cronin’s punch of an Ashtone Morgan cross from the left flank deflected off McDonald to an unmarked Peri Marosevic, who tapped the ball into the wide open net to equalize.

De Rosario was the beneficiary of Tornoto’s Andy Iro’s benevolence, gifting United the lead again in the 64th minute. Iro let a dreadful Chris Pontius cross from the right flank skip right through his legs at the edge of the penalty area directly to DeRosario, who simply stepped around a committed Frei and slotted it home for a 2-1 United advantage.

The lead did not last long however as Toronto equalized on a goal similar to DeRosario’s first goal in the 70th minute but off a throw-in. Second half substitute Julian de Guzman took a simple ball from Morgan, near where Quaranta delivered the ball to DeRosario, and hit a right footed shot that Cronin got his hands on as well, and probably should have knocked away, that slipped into the left corner.

“It kind of dances all over the place on me and got by. That one I definitely regret,” said Cronin. “He hit a knuckle ball and if it’s wet at all, this ball does a lot of funny things. It’s a ball I should save.”

Prior to the throw-in however, drama gave way to chaos when Ethan White, a United defender, was coming on for the cramping McDonald. White was apparently waved on by Anno, who allowed play to continue without giving White ample time to get properly and fairly situated in a reasonable position. A boiling and incensed Olsen was subsequently excused from the bench after a vociferous tirade aimed at the referee.

“The play has to stop on a sub. It was unbelievable,” said White. “The fourth official is screaming at him to stop play and I just sprinted on the field because play hasn’t stopped. I took it upon myself to run on the field and by the time I took three steps the ball was already in the back of the net.”

“These are the decisions that continually impact games. I’ve never seen a referee ever flag on a sub without blowing the whistle and stopping the play and letting the defender get into his position,” added De Rosario. “I definitely didn’t hear a whistle and you could tell by our reaction we didn’t hear a whistle. You wait for a defender to get into his position — that’s just sportsmanlike and he (Anno) didn’t.”

It was Cronin’s turn to reciprocate the benevolence as he let a harmless bouncing ball get through his legs to give Toronto a surprising 3-2 lead in the 86th minute. Danny Koevermans took the innocuous shot and was given credit for the goal but the ball took a subtle deflection off Iro standing near the top of the 6-yard box.

Toronto’s lead lasted all of two minutes however as Da Luz broke free in the penalty area and was knocked down by Iro for the penalty. De Rosario easily converted the kick to get United back to level terms.

De Rosario could have capped the final scene of the night with a shocking game winner a few seconds later as he collected a long Cronin punt, took on a Toronto defender before playing it inside to the onrushing Pontius, who was taken down at the top of the box leaving the fans hoping for another penalty. After the penalty was rightfully denied however, De Rosario collected the loose ball only to have his low shot skitter just wide of the far post.

Scoring Summary:
DC — Dwayne De Rosario 7 (Santino Quaranta 1) 19
TOR — Peri Marosevic 2 (unassisted) 52
DC — Dwayne De Rosario 8 (Chris Pontius 3) 64
TOR — Julian de Guzman 1 (Ashtone Morgan 1) 69
TOR — Danny Koevermans 3 (Joao Plata 4) 86
DC — Dwayne De Rosario 9 (penalty kick) 88

Toronto FC — Stefan Frei, Richard Eckersley (Matt Stinson 51), Doneil Henry (Peri Marosevic 46), Andy Iro, Ashtone Morgan, Torsten Frings, Eric Avila, Terry Dunfield (Julian de Guzman 55), Joao Plata, Danny Koevermans, Ryan Johnson.

Substitutes Not Used: Danleigh Borman, Ty Harden, Eddy Viator, Milos Kocic.

TOTAL SHOTS: 17 (Joao Plata 6); SHOTS ON GOAL: 7 (Danny Koevermans 2, Joao Plata 2); FOULS: 12 (Andy Iro 3); OFFSIDES: 4 (4 tied with 1); CORNER KICKS: 5 (Joao Plata 3); SAVES: 5 (Stefan Frei 5)

D.C. United — Bill Hamid, Perry Kitchen, Dejan Jakovic, Brandon McDonald (Ethan White 69), Daniel Woolard, Santino Quaranta, Stephen King (Steve Cronin 9), Clyde Simms, Chris Pontius, Dwayne De Rosario, Josh Wolff (Austin Da Luz 60).

Substitutes Not Used: Brandon Barklage, Blake Brettschneider, Marc Burch, Charlie Davies.

TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Dwayne De Rosario 7); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Dwayne De Rosario 4); FOULS: 6 (Dwayne De Rosario 2, Santino Quaranta 2); OFFSIDES: 4 (Dwayne De Rosario 3); CORNER KICKS: 4 (Santino Quaranta 3); SAVES: 4 (Steve Cronin 4)

Misconduct Summary:
DC — Bill Hamid (ejection; Serious Foul Play) 7
DC — Dwayne De Rosario (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 79

Referee: Jasen Anno
Referee’s Assistants: -Brian Poeschel; Bill Dittmar
4th Official: Andrew Chapin
Attendance: 11,684
Time of Game: 1:56
Weather: Cloudy-and-84-degrees

“We don’t want to be a team that is accepting of where we are at right now, we keep moving forward and we have big plans and even the game against LA-it’s not good enough in the end,” said Olsen. “It’s a good tie I suppose, but when you put a performance like that you should get the three points, we deserved the three points and we got to get the mentality where that’s the case.”

United takes on San Jose this Saturday, a team that is finding good results in a similar manner as United in recent weeks. The Earthquakes will be without forward Chris Wondolowski who is with the U.S. National Team at the Gold Cup.

After leaking goals with frequency during a tumultuous April, that included conceding four in successive league games to close out the month and several heart-to-heart meeting with his team, he resorted to a young back line that so far has been productive.

United earned five of an available nine points in three home games that included two disappointing draws with Dallas and Colorado, while getting four of a possible six points on the road. Had they turned two of those three draws into wins, they would be sitting at the top of the table in the Eastern Conference.

“First and foremost it’s a results oriented business so you have to take what’s there,” said United forward Josh Wolff. “When you go to Portland you play a different brand of soccer than you do at Home Depot (Center). I think that shows our versatility… LA it called for a different game-you are not going to open the field up the game and let (David) Beckham pick you apart.

“I don’t think anybody is perceived as being a Barcelona in this league. We play possession when we can, we counter when we can, and if we got to dig in and make a mess, we make it a mess and get the result. We’ve got players of all sorts so we are comfortable playing any type of game.”

Concentration and fight are expected traits from an Olsen-coached team and have been the baseline for the turnaround not only at that end of the park but across the lot. But the clean, attractive soccer you would also expect has been lacking.

“We need to keep pushing. The concentration is high, the fight’s been high and that’s the basics, that’s what we need every week. Now we got to get the soccer side a little bit sharper,” said Olsen.

In the scoreless draw with Los Angeles on Friday, Wolff, Charlie Davies, and Chris Pontius each missed chances they could have, and perhaps should have, buried that would have altered the outcome of the match.

Pontius could have first timed a ball in the penalty are that was perhaps a shade behind him early in the match, Wolff was perhaps a touch too casual with his chance inside the six-yard box, and Davies got behind the back line but couldn’t turn fast enough to get around the ball and slot it home later in the match.

“Being more cutthroat in the final third; taking a little more pride in having the right options in the box; cleaner final ball; all the little stuff that you need to score goals,” Olsen continued. “It’s not easy to score goals and you have to be pretty precise or have a guy or two that take it upon themselves to make sure they are getting the job done.

“We’ve got those guys, don’t get me wrong; Wolffy can score obviously and Charlie, that’s a rare miss for Charlie so I am not worried about it all, but I want to make sure we are not feeling okay about ourselves.”

Pontius has played the most games (12) and logged the most minutes (1,005) for United so far this season and his work on one flank, with Andy Najar on the other side, has been exemplary.

“Andy and Chris are out there for a reason. If we can get them isolated I think people put their money on those two either getting around (a defender) or getting a cross in or a shot off,” said Olsen.

“I don’t think any of us is surprised at the way Chris is playing. We saw some glimpses in his first year…he puts guys on their heels, he’s been aggressive but still would like to see him, out of the run of play, get more points for us.”

Olsen selected Fred against Los Angeles while going with Stephen King in the previous match at Portland to play alongside Clyde Simms in the middle. Olsen has conceded at this point that creativity out of central midfield is lacking with the loss of Branko Boskovic to season ending ACL surgery.

“The middle has been steady and that is right now, what I need from our central players,” said Olsen. “I need a good, workmanlike performance. Fred came in and did a good job. I thought he helped out with taking Beckham out of the game, he is a big part of their game and he (Fred) helps us with possession. Whether it’s him, or King has come in and done a good job and Clyde has been steady so that is what I am looking for in that position right now.”

With the small field at Jeld-Wen Stadium in Portland versus the full-size at Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, Olsen planned accordingly with his midfield and overall tactics.

“It’s almost a different game plan going from Portland to LA,” Olsen said. “Here is a small field where there is a lot of second balls and you go to LA and it’s about keeping the ball and making the other team defend and I thought Fred came in and did a good job in that sense and Kinger played his role perfectly against Portland and that is what this is about. We’ve got guys now that if we see a certain game needs a certain thing, we’ve got options and that’s a good thing and I think the guys are buying into it.”

The meeting with Big East New York City power St. John’s University, in which the Rams won up at Rose Hill Saturday evening, may have put Pecora ahead of his plan. Fordham certainly is a dominant squad and not showing any effects of a team that won five games the past two years.

The game was sold out, a rarity at Rose Hill. Fordham overcame a 20-point deficit, and showed no signs of a team that would quit. It was perhaps one of the most memorable games up at Rose Hill. And after their 84-81 triumph, that put Fordham over the .500 mark at 5-4, many in the crowd stormed the court

They were not storming the court for the “Red Storm” of St John’s.  It was the Rams of Fordham, believe it or not, who can truly say they are right now the premiere college basketball team in New York City.

“This wasn’t about me,” Pecora would say afterwards about the most significant win for a Fordham basketball team in the past five years. “This was for these kids, for the fans,” he said. Truly, after Saturday, at least for the time being the suffering was over up at Rose Hill.

There is still a competitive Atlantic 10 conference schedule to come in January, That will determine how good this Fordham team is, or if they truly are going to be a competitive basketball program once again in New York. Pecora has definitely seen the competiveness of his team and a revival of the interest since taking over the program last March.

“Saturday is going to be fun to play and fun to watch,” said Pecora after his team defeated Manhattan College earlier in the week up at Rose Hill in the annual “Battle of the Bronx.”  “These matchups revitalize New York college basketball,” he said about consecutive games against Manhattan and St. John’s.”

After that win over Manhattan, Fordham reached the .500 mark for the first time in three years. Pecora said more than once, something special is happening at Rose Hill.  There is no talk about the dismal past after an abysmal, 2-26 overall mark and 0-16 record in the Atlantic 10 Conference of last season under former coach Dereck Whittenburg.

They have already equaled their win total of the last two seasons. The players, many who have been a part of the previous losing seasons up at Rose Hill, believe there has been a change of culture. Their coach wants them to believe that.

“We don’t look at what happened here in the past,” said senior Brenton Butler had a game high 21 points for the Rams against Manhattan and was a big part of a 16-0 run against St. John’s that narrowed the gap. Butler averaging 15.3 points per game has now scored in double figures in seven of his last eight games and had 22 in the win Saturday.

The last Fordham win against the Red Storm came in December of 2000. The entire campus anticipated the matchup, a buzz about Fordham basketball that hasn’t been heard in a long time.

“It’s a great environment, it’s awesome, it’s exciting,” said Butler who had not heard this reaction about an upcoming game, the one with St John’s in his four years at Rose Hill. He is a five year player that wanted to stay and be a part of this new culture that Pecora has preached.

Pecora said his team stayed around and stole one late against St. John’s. To the contrary Fordham did not steal this one. They have convinced their faithful and suffering fans they are ahead of the plan to revitalizing basketball up at Rose Hill.

NOTES: Butler was named Most Valuable Player of the Manhattan game by writers at press row and received the Mike Cohen Award, a trophy in memory of the late New York City public relations executive and former Manhattan Sports Information Director….

Before tipoff prior to the Manhattan game, a moment of silence was observed for Freddy Schuman, “Freddy Sez” a fixture at Fordham and Manhattan games and also at New York Yankee games with his trademark frying pan and motivational sayings.  Also silence was observed for former New York Yankee and former Fordham baseball coach Gil McDougald who passed away last week.

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring76@aol.com

Both of Wondolowski’s goals came from nearly the same spot on the field and were barely contested. He has six goals in his last five games, eight in his last ten and with this pair, vaults over four players to second in the chase for the Budweiser Golden Boot with 14, just two behind Los Angeles’s Edson Buddle.

The match took a significant turn in just the 8th minute when Jaime Moreno and Brandon McDonald were ejected for exchanging head butts near midfield. During a Troy Perkins goal kick, Moreno had his left arm wrapped around the back of McDonald and as the two jostled for position, apparently head butted the stout defender, who in turn head butted the Bolivian star right back. Referee Alex Prus, after conferring with one the Assistant Referees, concluded that both actions were worthy of immediate red cards.

“Basically I was punched and I pushed him back and he head butted me,” said Moreno. “I would like him to show me what I did, but I got sent off and I didn’t even retaliate. I don’t know what they saw.”

Prus was also the referee two weeks ago when Ben Olsen and Houston coach Dominic Kinnear were ejected for both leaving the technical area to engage each other.

“I didn’t understand why they would have the same referee crew for our game again two weeks later after what went down but whoever it is made that decision and I think tonight you see why you shouldn’t do that,” said Olsen.

While United was the better and more aggressive side in the attacking third throughout the first half, they were still bereft of the closing idea to reward themselves for the hard work. Conversely, San Jose did what good teams do on the road-defend, counter and capitalize on their chances.

“It’s more of the same…The first half was good; the second half wasn’t,” said Olsen. “Regardless of the refereeing, we still have issues. It wasn’t their fault tonight it was ours fouling up two plays again. We have got to learn that every play counts and this league is getting better.”

Wondolowski’s smashing left footed volley was completely against the run of play but served as an eerily typical fate for the languishing home side. Tim Ward’s ball from the right flank floated over Clyde Simms and bounced in front of Jordan Graye, to Wondolowski whose perfectly struck volley just beyond the far corner of the 6-yard box beat Perkins to the upper corner at the near post.

“The first goal comes down to falling asleep; not being aware of the play and not being aware of what’s around us; letting the ball bounce in the box,” said Perkins. “Give him credit, he hits it really well. He puts it in a very tough spot.

“Obviously I am the first person that if I think I can get it I will raise my hand and say I should have got it but I don’t think I had a chance. He puts it in the upper corner and hits it with a lot of pace.”

“He was standing by himself but he was at a pretty bad angle,” added defender Jed Zayner, who shifted to central defense in the absence of Dejan Jakovic and Julius James who were both away on national team duty.

“Clyde was trying to shove off his man pretty good and he was dealing with him and it bounced after Clyde, Jordan maybe could have been closer to Wondowloski a little bit but hands down to Wondolowski and the bomb shot he hit.”

Scott Sealy should have extended the lead just seconds before Prus blew the fateful halftime whistle, wandering into the penalty area but his left footed shot sailed high and wide from 12-yards out.

“In a game like that, you get the first goal, it’s huge. They can just sit back and counter and that’s what they did,” said Zayner. “They stayed at the half line and they sat back and countered when we tried to shove it in there or tried find the entry pass, it’s so much easier when you are one goal up and especially you have nine men so they had the game.”

Wondolowski’s second came off a scramble in United’s box just 10-minutes into the second stanza. Bobby Convey floated a ball from the left channel that was slightly deflected on its way into the crowded penalty area. Perkins did not get enough oomph on his punch attempt to knock it far enough away with the ball finding the alone and omnipresent Wondolowski, who banged it in from near the back side corner of the 6-yard box.

“The second goal, maybe I gotta put more on it with the punch but saying that, I thought I put in the best spot I could have off to the side,” said Perkins. “It took a deflection on the way in and having to change my route to get there but saying that, I just got to do better.”

In the 81st minute, a cheeky little back heel from Eduardo near midfield sprung Brad Ring but his dismal effort from outside of the penalty area missed wide right with United’s defenders in tow. Ring did follow that up however with a deflected shot that dinged the crossbar five minutes later.

Not to be outdone at the other end a minute after that, Pablo Hernandez insistent refusal to shoot with his right foot cost him his chance for his first MLS goal. After two coy dribbles left him a clear shooting channel from some 10-yards out, he inexplicably pulled the ball back to his more comfortable left foot, allowing the reeling San Jose defenders to recuperate and spoil the chance.

In almost 24 hours, the second season will get started for John Tortorella’s Rangers when they visit superstar Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals in D.C.  If they did what was required by winning the final three to earn a fourth straight trip to the postseason and the East’s No.7 seed, then by no means will they be favorites against an explosive offense led by the game’s best player.

What the Rangers will attempt is to neutralize Ovechkin attacking a suspect D and veteran goalie Jose Theodore as much as possible, utilizing the more aggressive style that helped salvage a disappointing season. They should be able to score in this series and will call upon Henrik Lundqvist to come up with the momentum turning saves. If they get the goaltending, then perhaps an upset could be in the cards.

Let’s take a look at how the old Patrick Division rivals- who haven’t met in the playoffs since 1994 when the Blueshirts ousted the Caps in five games Conference Semis en route to a Stanley Cup- stack up:

FORWARDS-It’s pretty obvious that the high powered Capitals should have a decided edge boasting league leading finisher Ovechkin (56 goals, 110 Pts) along with super soph Nicklas Backstrom (22-66-88), Alex Semin (34 goals, 79 Pts, +25) and roving defenseman Mike Green (31-42-73, +24 in 68 GP), who basically is an extra threat who must be contained. Their secondary scorers shouldn’t be underestimated either featuring Brooks Laich (23 G), Tomas Fleischmann (19 G), Viktor Kozlov (41 Pts), Eric Fehr (12 G) along with the proven Sergei Fedorov (22 assists) and Michael Nylander (24 A). All this explains why Washington finished third in offense behind only Detroit and Boston.

Conversely, the Rangers had the third worst offense totaling only 200 goals excluding the shootout. It will take a total team effort. Their best players must perform which means Scott Gomez (16-42-58, 7 GW) must elevate his game off a disappointing second year on Broadway. Nik Zherdev (23-35-58) was up and down all season and awfully quiet down the stretch. That can’t happen. Chris Drury (22-34-56, 10 PPG) came on the final month but missed the final game and didn’t practice. He must be healthy. Nik Antropov (7-6-13 in 18 GP) has been a solid contributor whose size and skill have been a welcome sight. Top finisher Markus Naslund (24 goals) did little until the last week. Is that a good sign? Expect the Blueshirts to get contributions from Ryan Callahan (22 goals, SHG, +7), Sean Avery (12 Pts in 18 GP, 34 PIM) and rejuvenated soph Brandon Dubinsky (13 G, 28 A, 7 GW). Each must get involved physically.

Edge: Capitals

DEFENSE-Green (25:45 TOI) headlines a group that is solid but unspectacular. That includes former Ranger ‘fan fave’ Tom Poti (13 Pts, 28 PIM in 52 GP), who gets important minutes (21:08) as does Jeff Schultz (19:45). Milan Jurcina and John Erskine provided physicality and Shaone Morrisonn can move the puck. Bruce Boudreau will rely on Green a ton in all situations. They can be attacked.

A huge storyline to this series is how Marc Staal (15 Pts, 64 PIM, 21:07) will fare against Ovechkin. Tortorella has used the former 2005 No.1 pick along with partner Dan Girardi (18 helpers, 53 PIM, 21:31) as a shutdown pair. Both will need to be physical on Ovechkin limiting time and space. It will be trial by fire. Wade Redden (23 assists, 51 PIM, -5) has been a nightmare but does log crucial minutes (22:20). Michal Rozsival (8-22-30, 3 PPG, 22:30) has looked better since returning playing more steady which must continue. It would also help if he shot the puck. Paul Mara (5-16-21, 94 PIM  in 76 GP) quietly was the Rangers’ best defenseman and Derek Morris (8 A, 4 PPA, +3 in 18 GP) has been a good pickup showing the ability to make good reads along with smart outlets. He also has a rocket from the point.

Edge: Rangers

GOALIES-Washington GM George McPhee gambled on Theodore to replace Cristobal Huet. The one-time Hart/Vezina winner has been alright posting a 32-17-5 record along with a 2.87 GAA, .900 save percentage plus two shutouts. On most teams, those mediocre numbers wouldn’t be good enough. But on a high scoring run and gun team, it has. He’ll be asked to make timely saves in this series. Will he be up to the challenge? He’s the wild card in the series.

Henrik Lundqvist was an NHL All-Star for the first time establishing a new career high in wins (38) while putting up solid numbers across the board (2.43 GAA, .916 Sv Pct, 3 SHO) on a lowscoring team. It’s true enough he wasn’t always consistent but enters playing his best hockey of the season. He’ll have to be in tip top form and might need to steal a couple of games. This will be a huge test.

Edge: Rangers

Special Teams-Special teams are always important at this time of year. The good teams execute cashing in on opponents’ mistakes. This series pits the No.2 rated power play (Wsh-25.2) against the top ranked penalty kill (NYR-87.8 percent). Even though the tandem of Blair Betts and Freddy Sjostom are as good as it gets, it’s still advisable for Tort’s club to stay disciplined. The Caps have many weapons which is why it might be wise. The Ranger PK can attack having scored nine shorthanded goals and the Cap PP did give up 11 during the season.

As for the Ranger powerless play, they’ve driven fans nuts all year placing second to last converting at only a 13.9 clip. If there’s an area the coach must get untracked to win this series, it’s the man-advantage. They also allowed the second most shorthanded goals (14) in the league with just Calgary (15) worse. The encouraging news is they haven’t permitted one since the coaching change. Washington’s PK was middle of the pack (80.6 percent-tied 17th) but scored seven SHG.

Edge: Even

Coaches-Boudreau is in his second year and has guided the Caps to two consecutive Southeast Division Titles. He’s certainly done an admirable job turning this team into one of the better ones in the league. He can motivate. The question is what did he learn from last year’s first round ouster to the Flyers?

Tortorella boasts experience having been behind the Tampa Bay bench when they won the Cup in 2004. He’s fiery and demands a lot out of his players. If someone doesn’t perform, Tort won’t be afraid to bench them. He will doubleshift the players who are going and tinker with lines when things aren’t working. Can he outfox Boudreau?

Edge: Even

Intangibles-The Capitals believe they’re better than a year ago and ready to make some noise. So, there’s some pressure to deliver. Losing again in the first round would be a bitter pill to swallow following such a good season. The Rangers will also be expected to perform under Tort, who doesn’t take to losing well. Still, the pressure really isn’t on them in this series which might work to their advantage.

Edge: Rangers

Prediction-In assessing this series, it becomes clear that it’s basically offense against defense. Well, really the goaltending of Lundqvist to be exact. The Ranger blueline looks to have an edge. It might all depend on if the forwards score enough or what kind of series develops. A wide open one favors Ovechkin’s club. But a tighter series where defense and timely saves could factor in would bode well for the Blueshirts. They also haven’t performed well on the road winning just four times in the final 19. Plus the Caps went 29-9-3 at Verizon Center. Washington has never been kind to the Rangers. Due to that, it seems like almost too many things have to break right for them to pull it off.

Capitals in 7