RMNB Party 6 Recap And Capitals Beat Sharks

Remember all those things I joked about that were true the last time the Washington Capitals beat the Sharks? Well, they aren’t true anymore! For the first time since October 30, 1993, heck, for the first time since Meat Loaf’s “I’ll Do Anything For Love” was a hit single, the Washington Capitals beat the San Jose Sharks in San Jose. And I got to watch the game with a bunch of Capitals fans at RMNB Party 6, hosted by Russian Machine Never Breaks. The party was at RFD in Washington DC. Here’s a recap of both the game AND of RMNB Party 6!

PRE-GAME

I got to RFD at 8:30. The RMNB guys had yet to arrive, so the early comers watched the NCAA tournament!

Once the RMNB guys (that would be Ian Oland, Chris Gordon, Peter Hassett, Igor Kleyner, and Rachel Cohen) and Nathan from the Brouwer Rangers got to the party, we all met each other and we got to make name tags!

*This was my nametag. Lots of stuff on it!*

The Brouwer Rangers, being the hilarious hooligans that they are, made party favors for everyone- DIY Brouwer Bomb Kits!

The guy in the Green jersey Brouwer bombed a Brouwer bomb. *Head explodes*

And of course I had to get a selfie with my DIY Brouwer Bomb kit.

After the NCAA tournament was over, we turned on the Montreal Canadiens– Toronto Maple Leafs game to root for the Canadiens and watch the Leafs continue their downward spiral. We were not disappointed.

*The Canadiens won 4-3, which definitely helps the Capitals.*

I sat at a table with Eric (who was really cool and took the Brouwer Bomb selfie for me) and a few other people. One of them was wearing this:

Yes, that is an Aaron Volpatti jersey. I'm not one to judge though because I was wearing a Jay Beagle shirtsey. — *Yes, that is an Aaron Volpatti jersey. I’m not one to judge though because I was wearing a Jay Beagle shirtsey.*

Then I saw quite possibly the best Capitals shirt I have ever seen: This one!

*Attempt 1 was Brouwer Bombed by some girl.*

Then we turned on CSN and got to see the pre-game show!

*Obligatory skates being sharpened shot!*

*Joe B rocking an especially awesome suit in honor of #RMNBParty6*

The Actual Game

The game started off very well for the Capitals, as they started off with 4 of the first 5 shots on goal. After that, the first period was pretty much even until Eric Fehr scored a goal that I’m sure you all will see on the Not Top 10.

That was counted as an own goal, but Fehr was the last Capital to touch the puck, so he gets credit for it. That was Fehr’s 12th goal of the season. Here’s John Walton’s call of it.

The mood at the party was excellent. Everyone thought that the Capitals would go into the first intermission up 1-0. The Sharks didn’t get that memo.

Capitals couldn’t clear the puck and got some bad luck as a rebound happened to go straight to Patrick Marleau. The mood was pretty bad at the party until Ian decided to cheer us up:

Yes, that is Ian Oland dancing around in a Power Ranger helmet. — *Yes, that is Ian Oland dancing around in a Brouwer Ranger helmet.*

To provide some context, no Ian is not a member of Daft Punk. Here’s why Ian was wearing a silly helmet. I was hungry, so I ordered this.

*Loaded Potato Tots. Tots mixed with beer cheese, bacon, green onions, and sour cream. It tasted as amazing as it looks.*

I spent most of the second period going around meeting everybody, so I wasn’t able to watch most of it. Plus my camera died so I couldn’t take photos. The third period started off very badly for the Capitals, as the Sharks broke the tie and took a 2-1 lead.

The mood was pretty depressing at the party until the Capitals fourth line came through in a big way!

Another bad luck goal for the Sharks, but I’ll take it. Great fore-check by Tom Wilson and Dustin Penner. Chris Brown‘s shot got a lucky bounce, but considering that was his first NHL goal, I’m sure he’ll take it. That was Penner’s first assist as a Capital and his 21st of the season, and Wilson’s 7th assist of the season. Here’s John Walton’s call of it.

Capitals forward Chris Brown shows off the puck from his first NHL goal and point! Photo credit: Washington Capitals

Brown’s goal helped to give the party its second wind. Here’s proof:

The Capitals withstood a ton of pressure from the Sharks, including a penalty kill at the end of the third period, to guarantee themselves at least one point. Overtime went without a goal, so you know what that means: A SHOOTOUT!

Evgeny Kuznetsov's dirty shootout move. — *Evgeny Kuznetsov’s dirty shootout move. Click on image to see it!*

Nicklas Backstrom might have blew it against the Kings, but he made sure to not blow it this time as he scored the game winning goal in the shootout!

*Backstrom wins it for the Capitals! Click on image to see it!*

For whatever reason, Jason Chimera shoved a trainer while celebrating.

Here’s live video of the party during the aftermath:

I had a great time at RMNB Party 6! It was terrific meeting everyone. Here’s some more pictures from the evening, courtesy of other people.

The RMNB crew (from left to right): Chris Gordon, Igor Kleyner, Ian Oland, Rachel Cohen, and Peter Hassett. Photo credit: Suzanne Kang

Ian Oland uses an iPad to attempt epic selfies. Everybody judge him. Photo credit: Ian Oland

POST-GAME THOUGHTS

A huge win for the Capitals. Braden Holtby came up huge tonight and showed why everybody loved him so much as recently as November. Was it a pretty win? Heck no. But all that counts is that the Capitals went to the West Coast, played 3 of the best teams in the NHL, and emerged with 5 out of 6 points. That’s extremely difficult to do. The Capitals deserve a ton of credit for being able to do that. It definitely helps their playoff chances, especially if the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to lose.