The Top 8 Ovechkin-Era Playoff Series, Ranked | Part 2

[@SkinnyBeanss]

man, this channel is one of the best things to ever happen to the sport of hockey, thank you for continuing to bless this sport's community with your creativity! super excited for what's in store in the future.

[@PinholesGraham]

This is the kindest comment I've ever received. Thank you so much!

[@Gabeghouls]

In the club straight up “watching it”, and by “it”, haha well. let’s justr say. My pinholes Great vid as always, man 👍

[@brettmcguinness191]

Oh hell yeah 2015 semi's getting it's own video. It's truly one of the modern greats.

[@ikemuffin]

Just finished my last final AND Pinholes Graham caps upload, LIFE IS SO GOOD

[@georgemignogna3109]

I don’t want to just say I knew it, but being a lifelong rangers fan, I go back and watch the 2015 series recap of Rags vs Caps at least once a month for the past decade. It is the pinnacle of playoff hockey and whenever some asks for an example of what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object the only example that you can show them is Ovi vs Hank in this series.

[@ndrocca]

I ADORE your style. Yeah, it definitely takes inspiration from Jon Bois/Secret Base, but you’ve 1000% added your own flair to it and made it your own. So excited to see what you do in the coming years! Also, the Capitals are lucky they avoided the peak of Playoffs Danny Brière. Montreal merely spared them of that fate.

[@Jerry-Atrick93]

As a ranger fan who needs something to distract myself from my team's current form, a video on the best playoff series I've ever witnessed will do just that. Super excited to relive that with your phenomenal storytelling and great style. Keep this shit up!

[@sharkhaos_probably]

The crazy thing is that this video is probably gonna be outdated by May

[@PinholesGraham]

Let's hope so!

[@ianmillerdevilsfan1223]

A reminder that the Capitals were an OT goal going their way from being up 3-0 in that 2009 series. If they go up 3-0, they win that series most likely, and there’s a brand new cup winner

[@PinholesGraham]

I didn't need that reminder :')

[@calebos268]

Craziest thing is that the opposite happened in 2018. The Capitals were an OT goal against away from going down 3-0 vs the Blue Jackets, and while they did win games 4-6 in real life, who knows if they would've done the same after losing 3 straight games in OT.

[@lwgrazi]

About this season being Ovechkin's final, I personally believe that should he break the record, he takes 2025-26 as a farewell tour, as Gretzky and others have done. Other than that, always love to see the content, making stats fun. Hope you have as much fun making these as I do anticipating what you're going to say about things!

[@delux0365]

Love your videos! It's very clear you are a hockey fan first and a Capitals fan a very very close second. Most fan lists would rank the Cup win at the top, but your list is very objective and makes tons of sense. Arguably the most important series is the 2018 win over the Pens. I knew they would win the Cup after that. It played out just like 2017 where the better ROSTER lost but the better TEAM won. Anyways, keep up the great work!

[@ethanparker7900]

as a caps fan i was a bit nervous about going up against the bolts in the third round cause they ofc were a slightly deeper than us in sort of like the beginning part of a dynastic run after those long runs they went on in 2015 and 2016 (and eventually 2020, 2021 and 2022) and they also unexpectedly swept us in round 2 in 2011. When we were down 3-2 on the brink of elimination i knew we'd win game 6 being in our building but game 7 man was i feeling insecure and uneasy being in their building and ofc our mixed results in game 7s in previous years but once we did hammer them in game 7 i finally got over that anxiety and i knew the cup was gonna be ours one way or another. Ofc the Knights a were brilliant team you could hardly tell it was their inaugural year by looking at how stacked and deep their roster was but they weren't as deep as us and both our depth and goaltending led to us beating them as quickly as we did let alone at all.

[@countof3everybodyOD]

As a Pens fan yeah it has to be 2018. That was almost like their 2011 Mavs. They slayed their dragon. And to top it off they slayed Fleury in the Final. Rivalries don’t meant anything if one side never wins. The Caps 2018 sort of legitimized all their previous greatness. So hats off. Also f the caps :-)

[@serfindukdb1776]

was not expecting a Metalocalypse reference... well played sir

[@NSimmz]

2012 was Holtby's origin story as the Bruins' greatest sleep paralysis demon of the 2010s. There wasn't another goaltender who owned us as much as he did, pretty much a guaranteed loss every time he started against us

[@ethanparker7900]

i alwyas wonder what would've occurred if we had played you guys in the conference final in 2019 instead of the canes if we had won game 7 in round 1 of the 2019 playoffs and breezed by the isles in round 2. You guys prolly would've beat us since you guys were unbeatable that year but prolly not in a sweep like you actually did vs the canes. Maybe in 5 or 6 games which i would've been happy with since defending a title is hard even with a similar roster. We badly out played the canes in game 7 of that first round and should've won it and the series but were simply unlucky. Either way we would've matched up better against you guys in round 3 in 2019 than the canes since we had a bigger history with y'all

[@amazingkook143]

I do wonder how the next video will play out. Please talk about Krieder. That guy was a beast and was making his case as a Rangers Great.

[@mattycyt5973]

bro the joe b call unlocked so many memories from watching that series, the walton call will always be famous but like the joe b one is like the one i heard while jumping up and down and hugging my dad

[@PinholesGraham]

I literally never knew CSN even called that game until I saw a screenshot of the CSN ticker over Game 7. Then I went in a hunt to find it - and that potato recording is the only clip I can find. Truly a piece of lost media...almost!

[@Prime-hd7eq]

Please give this channel more love! You deserve more, the quality is palpable in your videos

[@conrii6736]

Dude what an awesome work, I’m not even a Caps fan and I had goosebumps wow, what a great video

[@WaybetterthanBron23]

Mr Graham This holiday season the most amazing gift I can receive is a playoff past between Anaheim and Chicago in the 2015 WCF Thank you for your time Also great vid so far

[@Killthesefears]

Thank you for your hard work. As a Caps fan, no one really knows like we do on this. The pain..

[@PinholesGraham]

But like all pain, it's temporary :)

[@OSUCoach]

Your videos are tremendous. Watching while working 😂

[@M_11_m41n]

I need a Blues-Stars 2019 Playoffs Past. This series was what truly made Norris division hockey what it was. These two teams do not hate each other, but we respect each other because we look so much alike that this was a friendly rivalry of purely deep competition.

[@toxiccakeee]

that was the first playoff series i remember watching (i watched blues-jets but i don’t really _remember_ watching it lol)

[@zdbaseball]

Your editing is legitimately insane. Every vid keeps getting better

[@danmcca2418]

I've been waiting for this!!!!!

[@christopheraffrunti9939]

I saw this upload this morning at work and i couldn't wait to get home and watch it!

[@natester2617]

Here after watching part 1, but man I gotta say, the amount of effort you put into these videos should not go unnoticed. Incredible work as always man! Go Caps!

[@ericksheldon3870]

As I stated in the discord server, you need to do this CIA document style presentation for every single video you ever make from now on - I love pausing and reading all the stuff in there. It reminds me of the intel files from Black Ops 1, it’s so great.

[@POg_POg_POg]

Always loved those rangers series in 2010s, they always had that intensity about them. Great video too. Thanks!

[@cheescakeissin8271]

Probably the best hockey channel on the app and across all social media, fantastic narrative structure and true understanding of the sport with wonderful narration and colorful commentary in perfect moments. Along with amazing creativity with the LOHL series. I hope you continue to make videos for a long time, your content is greatly appreciated as a fan of the sport and I doubt your channel will be underground much longer with such consistent high quality production. Along with all this it seems every new video you make is better than the last. Looking forward for what’s to come.

[@PinholesGraham]

Thank you so much for all the kind words! I really, really appreciate it and I won't forget it. Here's to 2025!

[@hunterlee8554]

Diehard rangers fan who grew up with the lundqvist era and man how did we not win a cup 😭. But also god damn we had some wars against those caps and we shouldve lost all of them but lundqvist had other ideas

[@johnnunz984]

Washington looks like a good squad this year, a series with the devils or canes in the first or second round should be a really good series. Also Playoffs Past X being the greatest series i’ve ever watched is awesome. Great video!

[@neithermanc1]

every video you make is top notch. no misses whatsoever. i think it may be time to upgrade my patreon membership tier.

[@averagejosh6699]

Brilliant as usual. I was really looking forward to this one and the next Playoffs Past is gonna be great!

[@rjhaney2614]

7:04 Man, you had the perfect chance to get another Cold War intelligence metaphor in there: “Trotz-ky”

[@jakepaulnumberonefanilovey8639]

ever since i watched your hank vid ive been praying for a playoffs past vid on 2015, so pumped

[@aleisnotreal]

Another Pinholes Graham banger. And, as a Ranger fan, let me just say I'm so sorry for the pain and suffering we have caused you

[@MSGVault15]

A Pinholes Graham video? Great, now my work isn't getting done for the time being lol

[@ryanahr2267]

Yeah, so, I'm a Sabres fan. This is the only hockey related thing I can stand to watch right now. Hopefully one day the Sabres will have a positive reason to appear in one of your videos. Thanks for all your work, man.

[@crimsonking6246]

You deserve 10x the subs. Really high quality vids, so glad one of my teams finally has a high tier content creator!

[@blakestoudt2131]

I HAVE BEEN WAITING SO LONG FOR THIS VIDEO MR. GRAHAM THANK YOU!!!

[@morganspriggs4426]

this channel continues to be one of the best on youtube

[@catJAM19]

amazing video as always, just makes me hope for a 2024 playoff series ranking even more

[@theawayfan6052]

Great breakdown as always, and anytime we get to hear Doc Emrick makes for a fantastic video in my opinion. I remember each of these series, I just choose to forget 2009 all together.

[@broadstreetbullies849]

37:06 I also miss prime Richards

[@Joygloom]

I expected this channel to have hundreds of thousands of Subs. Fantastic work!@

[@gabrielarrigo1525]

30:10 very sound analysis. Brilliant. A goal like this is perfect to tease apart Lunqvist’s process from the result as the input of Laich’s release is separated from the outcome (ie the puck direction) Love the out-of-the-box thinking Also the 2-man scrum blocks him from seeing the puck change once it has been released. Would it have made a difference? Probably not, but he certainly could have offered at it

[@PinholesGraham]

Thank you! Coming from a goalie, that means a lot :)

[@M_11_m41n]

I watched that 2015 series between Washington and New York. I actually talked to a Capitals fan at the museum job I am currently still working at and he did mention that that series felt like it took the Capitals to a very dark place.

[@SpencerKarns]

great analysis graham. only channel i have notifications always on. thank you!

[@Kro_NHL]

Well I know what’s getting my full attention for 50 straight minutes

[@ruttepii8390]

As a Rangers fan who started watching hockey with the start of the Hank era, early 2010s Rangers/Caps series made me fall in love with hockey, and in particular playoff hockey. I have never felt stress the way I did in those series

[@calebos268]

14:45 As a Leafs fan, this and the 2022 series vs the Lightning are the only two series losses in which I felt proud of the effort. It's kinda sad when you think about it lol It's a shame this series didn't go to a Game 7 (even though we would've lost because of course we would've).

[@ericshafer4291]

Thank you for expanding my hockey knowledge, started watching the nhl in 2020

[@Bejonkerss]

This is so good!

[@PinholesGraham]

Thank you! I had a fun time making it :)

[@VenomousStare]

Been a fan for over a year. Best hockey channel on YT! Can you please do a long form series video over Johnathan Quick's run to the 2011-2012 Cup? Big fan!

[@gabrielarrigo1525]

19:05 Corsi is calculated based on *all* shot attempts, blocked and unblocked. xGoals is calculated based on unblocked shots. Essentially, they’re two separate denominators. The fenwick should mirror the direction of any change in xGoals since they’re both counting unblocked shots attempts. Corsi is under no such obligations. So, I think what can be inferred here is that the Caps were actually playing EXCELLENT defense: they were blocking shots (padding the Bruins Corsi lead, but not effecting xGoals) and only allowing low-xGoal shot attempts. Which is funny because that would essentially describe the ideal 3rd period, defending a lead defensive effort which is very à propos for the playoffs

[@Eknashik]

Man, that montage was such a good distillation of playoff hockey nonsense. That's what the adds for the Stanley Cup Playoffs should be.

[@alasdairbell4354]

I just wanna thank you for getting me back into hockey and if I may, request a Belfast Giants or just a general EIHL video

[@Killthesefears]

Playoff Danny Briere will make your momma cry somebody else’s tears

[@Killthesefears]

Wasn’t expecting that 2008 Flyers series. Yeah. That one stung but we all knew it was just the beginning. The thing was, we thought it was the beginning of the Caps on their journey to winning the Cup. It just took so dang long and was so dang painful.

[@Frekgrek-je9lv]

Some of the best content out there,

[@Killthesefears]

I wish you talked about the score of each game (like, Caps won 2-1 in game one, etc)

[@broadstreetbullies849]

Just what I need to relax during finals week

[@mike.og13]

I know you talked about the Coliseum in your 2002 first round video but it felt Roman in that 2014-15 season. Building was closing and we were icing a serious team for the first time in ages. Was heartbroken when Kuznetsov scored in game 7

[@satiresalesman6545]

I’m sure you’re all stocked up on projects/new video ideas, but whenever you can, I’d love to see the series of mismanagements thats led to my Flyers being stuck in the pit of mediocrity they find themselves in every year. Thank you for everything and hope you’re having a happy new year!!

[@shaymerten173]

Babe, new Pinholes video just dropped!

[@WheresLouis]

ur the goat man need more!!

[@Killthesefears]

Dude the ambience is too good.

[@aidantremaine183]

47:16 LFG Amazing video

[@Killthesefears]

This video is a drug

[@jtsotta27]

I need this Rangers vs Caps Playoffs Past like I need air with how badly this season is going lol

[@39sabres]

i’m about to go re watch ep 1 cuz this wasn’t long enough lol. also, have you ever thought about doing the occasional live stream? might be fun to do some activities

[@thebwoods2029]

Thing about that series against the rangers in 2012 was like how i rooted for the panthers in 2023, they felt as close to that team as possible hell they even beat the bruins in 7 in the first round!

[@jakepaulnumberonefanilovey8639]

thank you goat ❤

[@kdan928]

16:40 lemme guess jon?

[@Rangerstown00]

Lundqvist in those 2010s Capitals series was just otherworldly. .927SV% in 2012, .947SV% in 2013 (including 62 straight saves in Games 6 and 7, both shutouts) and a .946SV% in 2015 (throwing the Rangers on his back down 3-1 with a .955SV% in the final 3 games).

[@Tom-kq3ng]

As a Rangers fan, I have been greatly looking forward to this video 😂

[@ericksheldon3870]

“deploy agent McBain” holy shit I got chills reading that

[@Killthesefears]

Love the Bruins series footage

[@smoodwoofer]

I love you Mr pinholes

[@cameronrooney1]

Another banger

[@WildWilliamPlayz2]

With how things are going we are probably gonna get at least one more series to add to the list

[@Killthesefears]

Matt Hendricks: Unidentified Flying Wagon🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣too freaking accurate and perfect

[@Realistic316]

you should do a countdown of best playoff games next… i was lucky enough to be at one of the greatest… 2008 Bruins-Canadiens Game 6

[@broadstreetbullies849]

22:15 ah, I miss Boychuk and Edwards

[@thebiasedannouncer9444]

Holy hell you found the Joe B call of 2012?????? What a pull!

[@jakepaulnumberonefanilovey8639]

mr pingoat dy have an idea of when that playoffs past video will be out?

[@outatime2254]

forgot to mention how Joel Ward's goal against the Bruins in Game 7 ABSOLUTELY would not count today. Knuble was practically clipping through Thomas and into the net 😭 EDIT: PLAYOFFS PAST TEN LETS GOOOOOO

[@Aburner960]

So as someone who doesn’t watch too much hockey (im a fan but a bit of a casual) can someone put 2015 ecsf in nfl terms? Also how are the capitals good this year? Thought theyd be better but not this good

[@Killthesefears]

I turned 45 when I was 26 watching the 2015 series

[@peter8367]

goat

[@Mmm14829]

2012 game 5 Richards tying goal was one of the loudest moments in NYC sports history. Shattered the NBC crowd mic

[@PinholesGraham]

It also shattered my heart

[@Mmm14829]

@ from a rangers fan, I’m sorry. We’ve been there, too.

[@dendyxyz]

drive by girardi .. a save .. rebound ..

[@youreprobablywrongmyguy2016]

More clips from the games

[@chooch2362]

16:50 Jon Bois, well known for not making any content past 2012 and influencing nothing here

[@satiresalesman6545]

YESSSSSSSSS

[@Killthesefears]

Mike Richards was amazing…

[@Killthesefears]

2015 makes the biggest men cry

[@MFPLATYPUS]

ah yes, the great anomaly: the competent Washington sports team.

[@MonTube2006]

Do you write your own scripts ? It feels forced and not genuine a bit. Beside that, awesome exercise. Thanks !

[@PinholesGraham]

I write everything.

[@MonTube2006]

@PinholesGraham So be it. Have a nice evening 😇

[@Killthesefears]

Statistics atheist🤣🤣🤣