Post-Game Talk: Caps @ Bolts 11/1 7:00p ET

[DWGie26]

Will be interesting if there are any line changes for Thursday. I hope not. I’d give the same group and lines a chance to get one back. If a mere mortal was in net tonight instead of Vassy we walk with 2 points.

 

[SherVaughn30]

Goalie puck tracking and movement beneath the goal line continues to be an issue for both goalies. Scott Murray yet to address it

It's what you get when you have an under qualified goalie coach!

 

[traparatus]

No. I’d rather give someone a shot who might end up being good instead of someone we know is bad.

I'm under the impression that he has been passable overall this season, this game not withstanding. I think deployment and his pairing with TVR have played a major role but that's not really an issue. Cap hit is obviously an issue.

I guess I'm looking for a silver lining. I don't like the player and that signing was a colossal mistake but the situation can be mitigated with better deployment, like he has seen this season. It's kind of crazy that Schultz played around ~15min a night in the playoffs at 5on5 while with Pittsburgh. He averaged about ~19min against Boston last year with the Caps. How that was justified or reasoned, I'll never know.

 

[twabby]

I'm under the impression that he has been passable overall this season, this game not withstanding. I think deployment and his pairing with TVR have played a major role but that's not really an issue. Cap hit is obviously an issue.

I guess I'm looking for a silver lining. I don't like the player and that signing was a colossal mistake but the situation can be mitigated with better deployment, like he has seen this season. It's kind of crazy that Schultz played around ~15min a night in the playoffs at 5on5 while with Pittsburgh. He averaged about ~19min against Boston last year with the Caps. How that was justified or reasoned, I'll never know.

The damage can be mitigated but again you know what you have with Schultz: a borderline 6D. There’s nothing more to unlock with him.

It’s not really a silver lining for me that his damage can be mitigated if he’s playing with very good teammates since that applies to pretty much every player who’d play in Schultz’s stead. Schultz’s on-ice metrics are good this season but again, drilling it down it appears that most of this is due to playing alongside TVR as TVR’s isolates are much stronger. And when he’s not with TVR he’s been alongside Dmitry Orlov, who has also posted strong isolated numbers.

I’d much rather look for someone who can either start contributing now rather than just being along for the ride like Schultz is, or play another young player in Schultz’s place (Cholowski, Alexeyev, etc.) and see what they have and possibly develop them into something more. Right now Schultz is just kind of there. There’s no upside to playing him.

Further, as was mentioned in the GDT Schultz is often trusted with specialty minutes: 4v4, 3v3, 5v4 minutes that he is frankly no good at. Having Schultz in the lineup presents a non-negligible opportunity cost IMO due to Schultz seeing time in these minutes. Is there really a reason Dmitry Orlov isn’t on the PP2 point instead of Schultz, for instance? Is there any reason to believe Schultz is a better option than Nick Jensen in 3v3 OT, with Jensen being easily the best skater and defender on the D corps? Little bad decisions like these add up in terms of lost win probability, and perhaps if Schultz were scratched some superior options might see more ice time in specialty situations while not losing anything at 5v5.

 

[SherVaughn30]

I wouldn’t call VVs performance tonight bad. That goal against was just a breakaway, for instance. But Vasya is obviously faring better.

The situations of the 3 goals against were the teams fault, but VV is awful at times with his decision making and technique. Scott Murray is an inadequate goalie coach to get him and Sammy on the right track. The Caps being a top 10 offense and improved team defense compared to last season, are covering up for VV's deficiencies. After having 2 strong games to start the season, VV has slipped since. He's getting exposed and will get even more exposed as the season moves along. Sammy has all the talent but needs to learn to have better control in game situations. Vanecek should not be playing in the NHL, but because Sammy hasn't developed the way the Caps were expecting, it forced them to go to Vanecek at the NHL level.

 

[ovikovy817]

I do understand now why they are 2 times champion.
Cheating off the ice and on the ice (horrible officiating in the 2nd changed this game)

Hope Vasilevskiy will be as good in Beijing that he was tonight. Stole the game

 

[max21]

Well I’m glad I went and saw Dune instead lol

 

[AZ Caps Fan]

Pretty valuable how? By being -4 and having not had more than 1 point in his entire 3 playoffs for caps?

He’s a overpaid 4th liner who is only a pk specialist at this point.

Overall I think the 4th line can be a shut down line when healthy.

Just my opinion but I don't think any of the young forwards we have in the system are ready to step into that role.

 

[YippieKaey]

I agree with most, Vasi beat us tonight and that happens with all teams. He's just so consistently good. Thought we played well against the reigning champs and Hedman, Stamkos etc were kept very quiet so the defensive scheme held up well.

 

[TJHKY]

 

[Roshi]

Mixed feelings. Caps played great and got nothing for it. Week later and who cares we played well and lost, id rather have a crappy win and 2 points even if it means our board will whine about how we didnt deserve the win for a week.

Seriously guys, you are ripping Vanecek because he got "outplayed" by beast-mode Vasilevsky.? lol. Thats the best goalie in the world right now you know. Check your expectations, will you..

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Mixed feelings. Caps played great and got nothing for it. Week later and who cares we played well and lost, id rather have a crappy win and 2 points even if it means our board will whine about how we didnt deserve the win for a week.

Seriously guys, you are ripping Vanecek because he got "outplayed" by beast-mode Vasilevsky.? lol. Thats the best goalie in the world right now you know. Check your expectations, will you..

He has a .906 save percentage on the year. Save percentages for his last three outings: .885, .880, .765; all losses for Washington.

He’s a nice backup and spot starter but Vanecek is not good enough to be this team’s #1. They need Sammy to figure it out or they need to make a trade.

 

[txpd]

Everybody breaking out their pet hates after this one. On the positive, its great the see the mains back to attacking Tom Wilson. It makes my day. The entertainment will be endless for a few days.

Vanecek. Look at his sv% in regulation. The 3 on 3 OT goals have worked against him. Two of those L's were overtime losses. He has had one bad game. He was solid last night. He played well enough to win. The two rookies got killed on the first goal. The second was a 5 on 3 with a deflection. The 3rd was an breakaway by an all star. We are going to blame the goalie on that game?

What no love for the hated Conor Sheary today? I thought not. Didnt that just piss you off when he scored?

 

[txpd]

Mixed feelings. Caps played great and got nothing for it. Week later and who cares we played well and lost, id rather have a crappy win and 2 points even if it means our board will whine about how we didnt deserve the win for a week.

Seriously guys, you are ripping Vanecek because he got "outplayed" by beast-mode Vasilevsky.? lol. Thats the best goalie in the world right now you know. Check your expectations, will you..

1. They wont win them all. Losing that game considering the first goal against and with 4 rookies in the lineup doesn't bug me.
2. Vanecek. Agree 100%

 

[txpd]

The situations of the 3 goals against were the teams fault, but VV is awful at times with his decision making and technique.

Throttle back a little. Maybe? I get that you hate the goalie coach and really seem to have it in for Vanecek too but IIRC you had the Caps getting run out of the building last night. Something like Vanecek would get smoked or blown out in the first period. What was the score after 1?

Wait for him to have a good suck ass game. The first goal was an effective two on zero with a Lightning forward at each goal post top of the crease. The 2nd was a 5 on 3 with a lucky bounce against. The 3rd was Brayden Point(?) on a breakaway. He made several high danger saves and gave the team a chance to win. Blame Schultz or why Protas and Leason were on a defensive zone start together or Wilson/the ref for that second penalty or Orlov for the first penalty, but take a break on Vanecek.

 

[g00n]

Throttle back a little. Maybe? I get that you hate the goalie coach and really seem to have it in for Vanecek too but IIRC you had the Caps getting run out of the building last night. Something like Vanecek would get smoked or blown out in the first period. What was the score after 1?

Wait for him to have a good suck ass game. The first goal was an effective two on zero with a Lightning forward at each goal post top of the crease. The 2nd was a 5 on 3 with a lucky bounce against. The 3rd was Brayden Point(?) on a breakaway. He made several high danger saves and gave the team a chance to win. Blame Schultz or why Protas and Leason were on a defensive zone start together or Wilson/the ref for that second penalty or Orlov for the first penalty, but take a break on Vanecek.

Plus this team is missing two of it's most defensively responsible centers and one of it's best 2-way forwards, who are being replaced by rookies. These are not going to be perfect games.

 

[txpd]

Plus this team is missing two of it's most defensively responsible centers and one of it's best 2-way forwards, who are being replaced by rookies. These are not going to be perfect games.

Protas and Leason got totally fried for the first goal off that face off. Prototype rookie goof. The 5 on 3 goal was one of those blocked shots that deflects right to a guy to shoot it in the empty net. Ok...lets blame him for not stopping Point on the breakaway. He had a chance and got beat. Thats still just 1.

Edit: Having a player named Point is as confusing as having a team called the Caps in a league with a salary cap.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Amazing how explosively reactionary some posters are.

A little context like Tx provided on those goals should talk anyone sane off the ledge.

 

[trick9]

Good performance. The PP should have been a little better but they got robbed by Vasilevsky. That happens once in a while when you face an elite goalie. Vanecek got outplayed here.

Capitals win that game 9 out of 10 times.

 

[TootooTrain]

Did protas get banged up or did he really only play less than 4min yesterday?

 

[txpd]

Good performance. The PP should have been a little better but they got robbed by Vasilevsky. That happens once in a while when you face an elite goalie. Vanecek got outplayed here.

Capitals win that game 9 out of 10 times.

I will argue that the goalie in the Coyotes game looked like Vasi in that game. The Caps have a knack of making goalies look like that. We all know that. Vasi wasnt stopping the 1st to Tampa goals either.

Vanecek getting outplayed sounds.....Do you mean to say that he isnt Vezina level yet?

 

[txpd]

Did protas get banged up or did he really only play less than 4min yesterday?

He didnt play. Lavy didnt intend to use him much and he got badly used up on the first goal against.

 

[pman25]

I get holding back Leason and Protas, but McMichael has played well enough these games that he can take off the training wheels for him in close games IMO. I don't know the fancy stats yet here, but I think he's overall a net positive on the ice. Yeah maybe don't play him while defending a lead late in the game but if we are down a goal, he should be one of the guys out there. Only two shifts in the 3rd, one where he got a great chance before Point ended up going the other way and scoring, mostly off a Schultz goof. He didn't really see the ice again after that

 

[Hivemind]

Burying all the kids to play the supposedly trustworthy veterans all night when the team has no secondary scoring isn't working. Lavi needs to let the kids actually play.

 

[TJHKY]