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With their 54th win, the Caps continue to increase their record for wins in a season. In that win, Nicklas Backstrom notched his 100th point on the season, and Alex Ovechkin regained the NHL lead in points and goals with #49 and #50. It was a good night in Chinatown. The boys seem to be rounding into form, and we're just enjoying the calm before the storm. After tomorrow, only the strong survive. Do it Caps.

Things weren't looking great for the 25th-ranked Virginia Tech baseball team when they fell behind 6-1 to No. 9 Miami after 5 1/2 innings. However, the Hammerin' Hokies fought their way back by scoring eight of the game's final nine runs to defeat the Hurricanes 9-7 at English Field Friday night.

With the win, Virginia Tech improved to 22-10 on the season, 7-6 in the ACC. Miami fell to 22-8 on the season, 10-3 in the ACC.

Photo courtesy of hokiesports.com

The Hokies are back in the top 25 for the first time since 1992, coming in at #25 according to Baseball America. That ranking will obviously go one of two directions this weekend. With a series win, Tech could vault into the top 20 of multiple polls, not just Baseball America's. A series loss would obviously drop the Hokies out of the rankings. Here's a preview of this weekend's crucial ACC series:

Series Schedule (All games played at English Field- FREE ADMISSION)
Friday: 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: 1 p.m. (available on Regional Sports Network)
Sunday: 12 p.m.

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Can you hear that? That's the city of Pittsburgh throwing up the old "AO only scores empty net goals, he doesn't deserve the Richard" argument. Screw 'em. This was a good win that the Caps didn't have to have, but it was one hell of a way to send off that stupid old dome in Steel Town. Of course, that's probably only sending it off for the regular season. Tonight's loss dropped the Pens two points behind the Devils (who beat Atlanta 3-0) and effectively locks them into the four-seed in the East.

Unfortunately there was no Malkin, so this doesn't look as bad for the 'Burgh. Be prepared to read that in previews leading up to the playoffs...and during any series...over and over.

Bring it on, jerks. We'll see you in a few weeks.

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It's almost time for the playoffs. These regular season recaps are getting daunting. Here are a few thoughts.

• Brooks Laich giveth and Brooks Laich taketh away. Bad tripping penalty in the third, but beautiful GWG. It's so much better with that full cage too!
• I've said this once and I'll say it again. Tyler Sloan paired with John Erskine? DO NOT WANT.
• Joe Corvo seemed to perform well with his stickwork tonight under a little extra pressure (taking extra minutes from healthy scratch Mike Green), but somehow he didn't get credited with a single takeaway.
• Ovi's getting there. Two assists and a couple really good chances tonight, and he seemed to live up to Bruce Boudreau's challenge to play better in his own end.
• Another three point night for Nick Backstrom = more cash in his pocket.
• 33% in the dot and a minus one? Not what we need from you Stecks.
• Speaking of that statistic, Tomas Fleischmann matched Steckel's numbers in the dot. Normally that's a good thing, but not on this night.

Image Courtesy of ESPN.com

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Tonight's game was exactly what the doctor ordered for the Washington Capitals. They weren't really perfect in any facet of the game, but they certainly played tighter defense, battled back from a disappointing goal against, and ultimately pulled out an energetic win. I think it's certainly safe to say that the Caps really played a full sixty minutes tonight, and it showed when grinder Matt Bradley was rewarded with the game-winning goal. Here are just a few thoughts on tonight's franchise record-tying win: