After tonight's loss in Cleveland, the top-seeded Boston Celtics will have to win game 7 in Boston to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. At least we can say it is at home for the Celts. They are 7-0 at home this playoffs, but they are yet to win on the road going 0-6 away from home.

If the Celtics do survive Lebron and the Cleveland Cavaliers in game 7, they will face the Detroit Pistons, and you can bet that Detroit will not lose at the Palace and the Pistons are likely to win a game or two on the road.

If you can't win on the road in the playoffs you cannot win a title. I guess Boston will have to wait one more year, because it will be Detroit going to the finals to face either L.A. or New Orleans. It should be two great series in the Eastern and Western Conferences.

I am moving at the end of July for sure, but happily sooner if I get one of the many jobs I have applied for. I have applied to dance companies, dance organizations, and tour booking companies. I have received responses from three. One is considering having me come to New York for an interview. And the other two responded to let me know they received my resume and are reviewing it as we speak. Each day, I search for new administrative and management jobs with a dance affiliated organization.

As soon is something becomes available, I blast my best, most polished cover letter in that direction altered to fit the exact needs of that company. The truth is, until I committed to moving to New York and beginning a dance administrative career, I never realized how much experience I actually had. I am confident that the right thing will come my way at the right time. But meanwhile, I am loitering the job ads. Something that the world of dance is lacking right now is help with writing dance-related cover letters and resumes. I have noticed resume tips aimed at dancers seeking performance careers, however there isn't much help available in the way of dance administration. I plan to change that in upcoming posts with examples of cover letters I have written.

Housing... is another road bump. I have found on Craigslist several decent two bedroom apartments in the Brooklyn area. Brooklyn is about twenty minutes away from Manhattan and conveinient if you have train access. Surprisingly, the prices for monthly rent are not too far off from what I have been paying in the Northern Virginia area. I realize it would be for a smaller space, but being a young women in the beginning of her professional career is all about sacrifice. I don't know where the money for a sudden move would be coming from either. I just know that when I need it, it will come to me. In the meantime, I am working as much as possible to stay ahead of the current bills that are rolling in. Thankfully my car will be paid off in two months (woohoo!) but then I also start paying back my student loans (boo!).

Karen, Hasan (my boyfriend), and I are traveling to the City in a week for Memorial Day Weekend. We will be arriving Thursday night and coming home Sunday or Monday. Thankfully, the generous, Dr. Madhu Boppanna, has offered his humble abode in Chelsea as a place to stay. We have all day Friday and Saturday to look at apartments. If I am lucky enough to have anyone schedule me for an interview, it could happen on that Friday. But realistically, if they wanted me there in three hours, I would make that happen too.

Having this new New York project is exciting and makes me so hopeful for what is to come in my career. I feel so good about taking a step in this direction. It feels right... and I like that feeling.

In other current events... tomorrow is GRADUATION DAY!!!!!!
I'm so excited and I just can't hide it! I am sending out graduation announcements today also. I am extremely proud to announce this to my family, since I am the first person in my family to graduate from college. (Go Me!). I am looking forward to carrying on the GMU Dancers tradition of walking across the Concert Hall stage barefoot. My callused feet will glide across the marley surface one last time in honor of the days I danced before the college audience. It is the closing of one chapter and beginning of another.

Saturday...
Saturday is judgement day for Jenn Ruhl Kubilis' Dance Company. We have our first audition for an upcoming showcase after about half a year of work to mature the company. Look out DancePlace, here we come!

Until next time, dance like your life depends on it.

Hey, I just set up a Facebook group, so check it out!

[/short post]
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Apparently Ryan Pearson is more of an internet sensation than was once thought. I discovered this YouTube that is a collection of his highlights and it's 9 minutes long! I think the best thing to take away from this montage of Pearson is that he can run and get involved in fast breaks, much like Birdsong. What can also be seen in this video is his array of low post moves, which are sloppy at times but is not something that can't be developed while at Mason. Pearson definitely has athleticism for someone his size and seems to handle the ball well.

One of the most novel things I have seen in quite a while is PMOG, the Passively Multiplayer Online Game. What is novel about it? Well for one, you read right...it's "passive."

First you sign up (no more invites, they just went public) and download their toolbar. Now I know what you're thinking...ANOTHER toolbar....but this one can be hidden with a button-click so it is relatively unobtrusive. There may be a little bit of a resource drag because the extension fetches data from the PMOG servers on every page-load, but on a normal machine (unlike my clunky machine) you shouldn't have much of a worry.

Ok, so now that that ugly bit of business is out of the way...PLAY! What's great about PMOG is that it allows you to basically make a game out of surfing the web. Users can leave mines, mine-disarmers, crates with goods in them, and portals (fancy word for links) on almost any site on the web for other users to find. Every new domain you visit gives you a few "datapoints" which are both important for leveling your profile and buying the aforementioned things.

Here is a sample situation...
You're browsing Digg or something and you click on a popular article. Suddenly, BAM, your screen flashes red and your browser resizes rapidly so it looks like your screen was just blown up. After all this a little note pops up to say whose mine you just tripped over and a link to their profile. From there you can send them a note...or plant a mine on THEIR profile page.

There are lots of fun things like Badges, which are awarded for certain usage patterns, and Associations, which are like character classes. The whole thing is sort of steampunk or Victorian or something, so sometimes the directions are a bit hard to understand, but overall it's definitely something to try out.

Oh and if you want me to invite you (I get referral points), leave a message on this post with your email (feel free to type it out so the robots don't get you).

[Also, try visiting this page once you get PMOG running...]

Resources:
Beta Badge fromPMOG at pmog.com
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DunkTV, whatever that is, has named this dunk by future Mason freshman Ryan Pearson their "Dunk of the Year". Pearson, who was called for a charge on this play, looks like a man among children when he throws down the dunk. You gotta like the way this kid moves down the court and I really hope it doesn't take him too long to be pulling off moves like that for the Patriots next season.

Interestingly enough this seems to be first reported on the Washington Post, but Mason has picked up a walk on player who formerly committed to The Citadel. His name is Brian Henderson (#5 in the pictures), and the 6-4 guard and likely practice reserve player falls into the "recruited walk-on" category, where Coach L had him on his radar for awhile but was unable to give him a scholarship, although the Post is reporting that he may have in fact received one. Former Patriot Tim Burns fell under this category while at Mason. Henderson is a native of Maryland and played his high school ball at Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland.

Never hurts to have a tall guard on your practice squad and he could provide a lot of wisdom to the talented younger guards of the current Mason squad. From what I have found on rivals.com Henderson is a versatile player who plays excellent defense and has decent shooting range. He has played multiple positions in his career which could really help him possibly get some playing time down the road.

*************************
Update 5/7/08:

Maryland newsite gazette.net has a story on Henderson and confirms that he indeed is a walk-on.

All compasses, moral and polarized, are pointing North. I've pitter paterred long enough in hopes of finding some reason to stay here. When it comes down to it, the only thing holding me back is excuses. I thought that the temp agency was simply a necessary evil to sustain income until a better job came along. But it turns out to be a blessing in disguise because I have a steady income until just about the time I would like to be moving anyway.

Let the job hunt continue, but now I am honing in on the City of New York!
Here are a few of the sites I have come across that have been helpful in my NY planning.

dancenyc.org (affiliated with DanceUSA but way better, many helpful directories for dancers)

danceruniverse.com (affiliated with Dancer Magazine, good for the scoop on NY Dance Scene)

And don't think I'm doing this all alone, that would be pretty scarry (biting nails...eek). If I have to, I will do it alone. But if all goes as planned, the fabulous Karen Dunn will also be making the colossal life change as my once and future roommate. So I have begun scoping out housing on newyork.craigslist.org. Updates on this exciting endeavor to follow!

In other exciting news, The JRuhl Dance Krew (name change pending) led by choreographer and fellow alum, Jenn Ruhl Kubilis, will be having its first audition for performance at DancePlace. The audition is in two weeks, on May 17...( one day after my College of Visual and Performing Arts Graduation from George Mason University!) If accepted into the showcase we are auditioning for, we will be performing in late July.

Some might have called Coach Larranaga crazy when he turned down the Providence job but this article and interview from the Mason Gazette puts it in perspective for all those naysayers. Great work by the Gazette, it's refreshing to actually get some useful information about Mason basketball from them.

Hey everybody (and by everybody, I mean anyone who still has this subscribed in an RSS feed),

If you're wondering why the Mason Tech Beat kind of stopped working...well, Jimmy Chows Down (Google it) is part of the reason, but honestly I've been kind of innundated with school stuff and I also got WAY behind on my podcasts and tech news.  For that reason I've pretty much postponed any storied on tech until summer starts.  I'm sure when summer is here I can focus a lot more on the blog.  Also, tech has been surprisingly boring in the last few months so hopefully all the snazzy things coming up in the future will change that.

Till then,
Peace!
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Here was the situation....the Washington Capitals were down 3 games to 1 to the Philadelphia Flyers entering last Saturday's game....after a 3-2 victory at Verizon, the team went to the almost-impossible Wachovia Center last night and defied the odds with a come-from-behind 4-2 victory to force the all important game 7 tonight in Chinatown.

Down 2-0 in the second period, Nicklas Backstrom scored on a 3-on-2 to slice the lead in half. With just under two minutes remaining in the same period, Alexander Semin hit the back of the net after Marty Biron could not grasp the puck in his glove and the game was knotted at 2 apiece.

Heading to the third, Alex Ovechkin showed why he is the best in the world, as he received a pass from Viktor Kozlov and had noone to beat but Biron.

He used his speed, quickness and great puck handling to net the puck and give the Caps their first lead of the game. Later, Sergei Fedorov and Brooks Laich found Ovie once more and he hit the one-timer for a 4-2 advantage.

Cristobal Huet played arguably the best game of the series as he made incredible stops, including quite a few down the stretch to clinch a game 7 with the Flyers.

Tonight, Verizon and the Capitals host Philly for the final time this season as game 7 will be played at 7 p.m. and if you can't make it out to the game, Rock the Red in front of your televisions.

The game will be on Comcast Sportsnet with Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin, the best hockey team in the biz, calling the action. Sports Nite: Pregame Edition will begin at 6 p.m. on the network.

LETS GO CAPITALS!!!

Ryan Pearson is continuing to prove what a solid recruiter Jim Larranaga has been to the Mason program. Pearson exploded at the Jordan Classic for 36 points and 15 rebounds as he grabbed co-MVP honors playing against guys who will likely be one-and-done in the college game next year before jumping to the NBA. You cannot always put a whole lot of stock in these all-star game showcases as it is rare that anyone comes out looking bad but the fact still remains that Pearson was able to standout amongst recruits that were all considered to be more "talented" than him. Put up these kind of numbers against guys who will be starring at Memphis and Arizona next season, yeah I'll take that. Dick Weiss of the Daily News gives Pearson his praise:
"Forward Ryan Pearson from Christ the King – who has signed with George Mason – scored 36 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. He was a deserving MVP for the City team. What a steal for Jim Larranaga. Had Pearson – the most under-recruited player in the city – still been available, he would have wound up on some Big East or ACC roster next year."Has Larranaga found another diamond in the rough? We shall see, but I will tell you this, Pearson has the kind of game that will help us deal with the pain of losing work horse Will Thomas. Paired with Monroe, Pearson could do some damage early and hopefully be more aggressive on the glass than Birdsong. With two other freshman forwards coming in and Monroe returning from injury, the Patriots will finally have an abundance of depth up front.

After a heart-breaking defeat in double overtime on Thursday night, the Washington Capitals returned home to the nation's capital and held off those feisty Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in front of a jam-packed Verizon Center on Saturday afternoon.

Down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series and facing elimination, the Capitals played their best game of the series in order to keep their season and aspirations of a Cup intact.



"We had to win," Capitals forward Donald Brashear said. "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."

Though the Flyers failed to close out the series, goalkeeper Martin Biron is not at all worried that they will be able to close out the series.

"That's why you work hard to get a lead," Biron said. "You work hard to build that 3-1 lead. Now, we're still ahead and we're going to our building, and I still feel that's a very good position to be in."

The Capitals wasted little time as rookie Nicklas Backstrom scored a 5-on-3 power play goal (2) at the 7:31 mark in the first period. In that period, they outshot the Flyers 12-4, outhit them 22-9 and controlled the puck on the Philly side for the majority of the period. The Caps led 1-0 at the first intermission.

"I thought the first period was our best period of the series," Capitals defenseman Tom Poti said. "We were desperate and down to our last game. We're going to keep it up."

Less than 90 ticks into the second, Sergei Federov scored his first playoff goal with Washington with a backhanded wrister to put the Capitals up 2-0 and ignite the Rockin' Red crowd into a frenzy.

"Like a fine wine, isn't he?" Capitals Head Coach Bruce Boudreau said of Federov. "He slowed it down and he's good on the bench. He's the one yelling at the guys to calm down. He's been through the wars. He's got all our experience in the playoffs."

After a Vaclav Prospal power-play goal to cut Washington's lead in half, the Caps took a 2-1 advantage into the second intermission. Washington had controlled the first two periods, but the Flyers came to win the series and the pressure on Capitals goalkeeper Cristobal Huet and defense rose to a new level in the third.

At 14:33 in the third, Alexander Semin registered an all important power play goal that would put the Caps up 3-1 and end up being the game winner to keep the series alive.

"Evidently, it was pretty important because one thing about the Flyers is they don't quit," Boudreau said.

They did not give in being down by two goals, because less than a minute later Derian Hatcher scored to cut the lead to 3-2. With less than a minute to go, Philly pulled Biron and had an empty net in attempts to knot the game at three.

The Flyers had their chances but Washington was able to clear the puck as the final seconds ran off and as the horn sounded, the Caps knew they had lived to play another day and the ride is not over yet.

"Right now, we don't want to stop," Huet said. "It's a win. After the Thursday night loss, we regroup right away. We don't feel any satisfaction tonight, that's one and we're going to get focused for Monday.

On Monday night, at 7 p.m., the Caps and Flyers will play game 6 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, with Washington's season again at risk. With a win in the City of Brotherly love, it would force a game 7 back in D.C. That game would take place on Tuesday at Verizon Center.

"Right now, players know how to play in the playoffs," Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin said. "We know this will be hard, but we can do it. We don't care what the media says about us. We know we're a great team. We just have to win the game."

LET'S GO CAPITALS!!!

After a heart-breaking defeat in double overtime on Thursday night, the Washington Capitals returned home to the nation's capital and held off those feisty Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in front of a jam-packed Verizon Center on Saturday afternoon.

Down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series and facing elimination, the Capitals played their best game of the series in order to keep their season and aspirations of a Cup intact.



"We had to win," Capitals forward Donald Brashear said. "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."

Though the Flyers failed to close out the series, goalkeeper Martin Biron is not at all worried that they will be able to close out the series.

"That's why you work hard to get a lead," Biron said. "You work hard to build that 3-1 lead. Now, we're still ahead and we're going to our building, and I still feel that's a very good position to be in."

The Capitals wasted little time as rookie Nicklas Backstrom scored a 5-on-3 power play goal (2) at the 7:31 mark in the first period. In that period, they outshot the Flyers 12-4, outhit them 22-9 and controlled the puck on the Philly side for the majority of the period. The Caps led 1-0 at the first intermission.

"I thought the first period was our best period of the series," Capitals defenseman Tom Poti said. "We were desperate and down to our last game. We're going to keep it up."

Less than 90 ticks into the second, Sergei Federov scored his first playoff goal with Washington with a backhanded wrister to put the Capitals up 2-0 and ignite the Rockin' Red crowd into a frenzy.

"Like a fine wine, isn't he?" Capitals Head Coach Bruce Boudreau said of Federov. "He slowed it down and he's good on the bench. He's the one yelling at the guys to calm down. He's been through the wars. He's got all our experience in the playoffs."

After a Vaclav Prospal power-play goal to cut Washington's lead in half, the Caps took a 2-1 advantage into the second intermission. Washington had controlled the first two periods, but the Flyers came to win the series and the pressure on Capitals goalkeeper Cristobal Huet and defense rose to a new level in the third.

At 14:33 in the third, Alexander Semin registered an all important power play goal that would put the Caps up 3-1 and end up being the game winner to keep the series alive.

"Evidently, it was pretty important because one thing about the Flyers is they don't quit," Boudreau said.

They did not give in being down by two goals, because less than a minute later Derian Hatcher scored to cut the lead to 3-2. With less than a minute to go, Philly pulled Biron and had an empty net in attempts to knot the game at three.

The Flyers had their chances but Washington was able to clear the puck as the final seconds ran off and as the horn sounded, the Caps knew they had lived to play another day and the ride is not over yet.

"Right now, we don't want to stop," Huet said. "It's a win. After the Thursday night loss, we regroup right away. We don't feel any satisfaction tonight, that's one and we're going to get focused for Monday.

On Monday night, at 7 p.m., the Caps and Flyers will play game 6 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, with Washington's season again at risk. With a win in the City of Brotherly love, it would force a game 7 back in D.C. That game would take place on Tuesday at Verizon Center.

"Right now, players know how to play in the playoffs," Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin said. "We know this will be hard, but we can do it. We don't care what the media says about us. We know we're a great team. We just have to win the game."

LET'S GO CAPITALS!!!

The petitioning for signatures week is finally over. It was an experience and I am thankful its over. So the permanent job hunt ensues and along the way I have accepted another temp job, this time as a data entry clerk/ receptionist. This is a more long term assignment, it should last about 2 or 3 months. But I intend to continue interviewing while still working at this job.



Tonight is the Spring Concert for the GMU Dance Company held in Harris Theatre. I am excited because Karen Dunn, my college roommate and fellow dance alum will be attending with my boyfriend and I. I am also looking forward to the alumni gathering beforehand at Damon's Grill on campus. I can't wait to see what the dancers have choreographed for the concert tonight.



I must hurry today because I have to prepare for rehearsal with Jenn Ruhl Kubilis. Only three weeks until my college graduation, and also our audition for the upcoming Dance Place Performance.

Star Mason recruit Andre Cornelius had a terrific day yesterday for the U.S. Team in the Capitol Classic. Granted it was an all-star game showcase with no defense it was still impressive to witness Andre dish out some of those passes. One would almost have to wonder if Chris Fleming is going to be able to handle those no-look passes. His speed was also impressive and I cannot wait to see him blow by CAA opponents in Fairfax. If you missed it check out the clip below where scenes of Cornelius start at the 45 second mark, he is #10 on the red team. Don't ask about the music in the video, it scares me too.

In what will probably be his last real basketball experience in the states, Will Thomas joined other college hoops standouts in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this past week. Thomas had 17 points in the first game, and I wish I could be witnessing his last days of basketball in the U.S. before he undoubtedly ends up playing Pro ball over seas. Almost a sad realization that he will join the likes of Jai Lewis, Tony Skinn, and Lamar Butler playing ball in a distant far away land that is not the NBA. But then again playing basketball professionally any where for six figure salaries is nothing to complain about.

Sadly, my class with Curt Haworth was the last dance class I have taken. My priority of securing an income with a steady full time job has taken front seat to dance class attendance. This is due to the fact that the average dance class in the DC area costs $16. Buying class cards are usually a much better deal, but only if they don't expire and you fully intend to use every last class you bought. $16 becomes $48 a week if I take three dance classes. The creditors are closing in on me and my free-pass-because-I'm-a-student-ride is officially over. In a semi-regular call to transfer more credit into my checking account to pay bills, I was not only denied the money I requested, but my credit was cut back by $2,000. Fair enough because I am really not supposed to be living off credit, but now the desperation to secure employment becomes even more necessary.

So in my continuing saga of the job search I have been to three interviews last week and worked two temp jobs. Interestingly enough, last Tuesday I worked as a medical assistant at a dermatology office in Vienna. This involved constantly chasing the doctor from room-to-room to examine the skin of a variety of men and women old enough to be my grandparents and crusted with "barnacles." Despite its reminder to me of a dormant great whale, I assure you that "barnacle" is a medical term and made me laugh a little each time I heard it. Most of the patients were being checked for signs of skin cancer, but possible basil cells were removed in a punch biopsy which I saw and then witnessed the stitches closing the gaping hole. I also had the fantastic opportunity to witness a surgery removing basil cell carcinoma- the most deadly skin cancer. This lasted longer because it involved cutting out a deeper layer, cauterizing the open wound, and then closing with stitches again. This wasn't too disgusting, but I did get worried that I may faint due to the heat in the room. I had happily forgotten about the experience until I went home that evening and decided to help my boyfriend cook hamburgers on the grill and was reminded of the sound of cauterizing flesh. Great experience of a paid workday, but I declined the full time job offer in hopes of finding a less career-track job in a place that I wouldn't be so exposed to the probability of getting warts.

Somewhere down the road, I agreed to interview with a temp agency, Robert Half International, and accepted a temp job for this week. Today was my first day at the temp job that I was informed would involve helping Julien Modica (D) in his campaign to run for U.S. Senate. I have heard about the process of campaigning before so I openly asked my recruiter if this job would involve petitioning for signatures. "No," he replied, "nothing like that." He said it would be organizing the already collected signatures and also doing administrative work including scheduling, typing, and answering phones. With the decent pay that was offered and the party affiliation that Modica is a Democrat, I agreed to help for the week. So guess what i found myself doing at 10AM this morning... petitioning for signatures at George Mason University to get Modica on the ballot for the Democratic Primary on June 10. All of my coworkers were also from the same temp agency and had also received very incorrect information as to what the job would entail. i hated when people in the quad used to be doing political crap and chasing me down, I would often walk far around them or fake a phone call just to get through there as quick as possible and once again I find myself doing a job that I have always been against.

But I just said, "What the hell!? It's a job for the week, and its guaranteed to be a memorable experience." So besides the fact that it was freezing cold and half drizzling wet, I managed to get a good amount of signatures. It definitely helped that I was comfortable at my Alma Mater and ran into many of my friends or old acquaintances that I recognized. But I think I reeled most people in with my cute hair and adorable smile. So Mason was so successful as a place of gathering signatures that we are planning to go back again tomorrow morning and try all over again. We will be there approximately all day, but definitely in the morning and noon time. Please come out and help petition if you are a registered VA voter. It's not a promise to vote for him, it's just giving Modica a chance on the ballot for Senate.

Maybe I'll learn so much in this one week, that I'll be able to run for office and make some positive changes to benefit the dance population. Here are some of the campaign platforms that I would support if I were in office; more dance curriculum in public schools, better foreign policy with Cuba to allow the dance program that Jim Lepore loves, better health care support for independent artists, and capping the tuition rates for college students. I also strongly oppose affirmative action. I think it is outdated and unnecessary- it's basically reverse discrimination and personally all it has done is harm me from getting things I needed to fund a college education like certain financial aid and scholarships.

My mother always told me that God never gives you more than you can handle, so even if I was mislead to get to this place, maybe it will prove to be a valuable and useful experience. And plus at least he is a Democrat.

At the time of Bruce Boudreau's hiring, the Washington Capitals were in the cellar of the Eastern conference and their record stood at 6-14-1. Since then, the Caps have gone 37-17-7 under the former Hershey Bears coach.

Last night, the Caps completed the improbable run to the postseason with a 3-1 victory over the Florida Panthers to clinch the Southeast Division, their first division title in 7 years. The biggest win in most of these players' careers capped off their seventh-consecutive victory and their 11th win in 12 games.

In the 30-team era of the National Hockey League, Washington is the first team to climb from 15th place in the conference and still make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

For the Capitals it was not Alex Ovechkin who led the team in scoring. In fact, Ovie, who has the league leading 65 goals and 112 points, did not even register a point.

With goals by Tomas Fleischmann, Sergei Federov and Alexander Semin, Washington was able to complete their historic comeback in all of NHL history.

Federov, the 38-year old veteran who was a trade deadline pickup, scored the go ahead goal in the 2nd period and Boudreau was pleased with him. "He was unbelievable," Boudreau said of Fedorov. "He looked like he was 28. That goal he scored was just as a rocket. He looked as rejuvenated as anyone could be."

Cristobal Huet, who was another trade deadline addition, made 25 saves last night and earned his ninth straight victory in goal. "It's just an amazing run we have," said Huet. "It's just fun to be a part of this group right now. We're so happy to accomplish this."

The regular season will finish up today and with the Capitals clinching the division, they earn the 3-seed in the Eastern conference playoffs. Their opponent will either be the Ottawa Senators or the Philadelphia Flyers.

Ottawa currently leads Philadelphia by one game in the standings, but if the Flyers defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philly would pass Boston and Ottawa for 6th place.

Tickets went on sale as soon as the game ended last night and currently, tickets are available on a limited bases is upper level corner seats still available. Expect for the Red Out to continue as the Capitals attempt to return to the Stanley Cup Finals.

LET'S GO CAPS!!!

There are 60 minutes left to go in this long season, and if anyone would have said on Nov. 22 when Bruce Boudreau was hired that he would have the Capitals one game from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, you would have laughed, hysterically.

But guess what Caps fans.......it is most certainly true. The Washington Capitals will host the Florida Panthers for a chance to play for the Cup at 7 p.m. at Verizon Center.

The game is sold out because everyone wants a taste of the post-season.....and that's what Alex Ovechkin and company have their sights set on.

Ovechkin's NHL leading 65 goals has the league mesmerized at their 10 wins in 11 games, and he could help place the Capitals into the playoffs for the first time in five years. Since Boudreau's hiring, the Caps are 36-17-7 and the team who was once in the cellar of the NHL standings and the laughing stock, are a team no one wants to play at all.

The Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes last night in Raleigh 4-3 to put the final playoff spot in the hands of the Capitals. The Hurricanes need Washington to lose in regulation, while the Caps just need to make it to overtime and they get the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Tonight, whether you are inside Verizon or at a sports bar or in the confines of your home, wear RED and let's watch our team move on to for a chance to hold the Stanley Cup. This team has everything inside of them to do so, but they need you all to be their 7th man!

LET'S GO CAPS!!!