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

[zappa4ever]

In what ways did you see them as effective?

Leason's goal was pretty effective, for one
They had possession most of the time, barely in own zone, had very strong shift late in 2nd, good forecheck, Protas almost had tap-in, mid 2nd? Protas made good decision to stay on instead of line change when dump-in was potential danger

The GA when Protas lost faceoff was the only blemish on their night, blame could go to JC74 and Sheary not taking Killorn's stick as much as anybody

Line was either fairly visible doing the right thing, or invisible not doing anything bad; too bad they didn't get more TOI

 

[Hivemind]

In what ways did you see them as effective?

They scored a goal, for starters…

 

[Roshi]

Finally we agree on something. How many times have we seen a team have tremendous difficulty cracking an unfamiliar goaltender? There is no book yet.

What's VV's fatal flaw that's going to be the book on him? Rebounds? I keep hearing this complaint every year about every Caps goaltender. IMO it's often confirmation bias or just expecting too much. A low shot around the pillows is going to produce a rebound. A wobbling puck at the chest may not be easily trapped. It happens.

If someone can show me clear evidence of this complaint, and show me how other goaltenders are NOT making the same mistake, then I'll change my tune.

For the bolded one, if you want to range a bit around go check on some of the other teams boards. Every board has couple of those guys who insist they would ease up to stanley cup if just their goalie wouldnt suck so hard.

I mean, appearantly Vasilevsky saves all of the 3 Tampa goals while giving no rebounds doing so too, because he has been succesfully taught how to "not only save the ones he should, but also the ones he shouldnt".

Every goalie in the league gives out rebounds. Sometimes soft ones.

 

[g00n]

For the bolded one, if you want to range a bit around go check on some of the other teams boards. Every board has couple of those guys who insist they would ease up to stanley cup if just their goalie wouldnt suck so hard.

I mean, appearantly Vasilevsky saves all of the 3 Tampa goals while giving no rebounds doing so too, because he has been succesfully taught how to "not only save the ones he should, but also the ones he shouldnt".

Every goalie in the league gives out rebounds. Sometimes soft ones.

Oh yeah, it's a thing.

When a goalie makes a mistake it's amplified because, more than any other position, it can show up immediately and permanently on the scoreboard. But there are 10 other guys skating at any given moment, and their errors usually just blend in with the flow of the game so the mistakes are either forgotten or given less weight. Being the last line of defense puts the spotlight on you, fair or not.

Point guards in the NBA have more turnovers than other positions because they handle the ball so much, not because they stink at it.

Quarterbacks in the NFL are usually blamed for losses or turnovers for similar reasons. Maybe the WR made the wrong cut on his route, or the DB made a good play. But the QB sucks for that TO regardless of the 30 other good throws.

Pitchers in MLB give up a home run on a hanging slider and suddenly the guy is a bum. Sometimes it happens on a good pitch, and that's still going against his ERA. Doesn't mean he sucks.

Or maybe I'm just ignorant of goaltender rebound control expectations. Maybe low slappers into the pads with 2 guys screening really should be directed to a corner every time. Maybe every shot above pad height should either be caught in the glove or trapped against the chest, or at worst harmlessly trickled into a safe spot in the crease to be covered. Maybe there are no good shots or mistakes made anywhere else in the league and my expectations are too low.....

 

[txpd]

VV didn’t play poorly but he did get out played by Vasi, most goaltenders do though, hence why TB has two cups in a row.

We also know that goaltenders have good games and bad games. We know that our goaltenders will have outstanding games where they are the difference. Usually the other team's goaltender doesnt have one of those games also going on the same night.

 

[SherVaughn30]

For the bolded one, if you want to range a bit around go check on some of the other teams boards. Every board has couple of those guys who insist they would ease up to stanley cup if just their goalie wouldnt suck so hard.

I mean, appearantly Vasilevsky saves all of the 3 Tampa goals while giving no rebounds doing so too, because he has been succesfully taught how to "not only save the ones he should, but also the ones he shouldnt".

Every goalie in the league gives out rebounds. Sometimes soft ones.

The good goalies(there's a good two handful of them at least), if they give up a rebound, kick them to the side or hard or get their glove or stick on the puck. VV does a poor job of that. If you watch him closely, on some simple shots he gives up a soft rebound in front where a lot of other goalies collect the shot and either hold onto the puck or give it quickly to their d-man. VV has poor technique catching shots with his glove and when he does attempt to make a glove save the puck misses his pocket webbing hitting another part of the glove. His recovery(technique) on rebound shots is poor. Goalie coaches on a lot of NHL teams teach their goalies all this technique(it's the new age butterfly) I mentioned above. It's just not goalies stopping shots, as more in the details are coached/expected of them. Vanecek is the type of goalie that has to rely a lot on how his team plays in front of him. He needs to be limited to the type of shots he faces. VV doesn't have the tools like Sammy does to steal games. If the team defense is bad, then he will most likely struggle with shooters. Had VV played in that game against the Sens, and not Sammy, he would have been smoked a lot worse and the Caps would have lost the game. Unless the Caps get a better goalie coach, Vanecek will not survive long in the NHL even as a backup.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

@SherVaughn30 is certainly the top goaltending critic around these parts.

I wonder how @maacoshark would respond to your assessment. He’s been largely defending the goalies, where you have pooped on everything from the goaltending coach downward lol….

I must admit I chuckled when it was suggested Vasi would have easily dismissed those 3 goals against.

/popcorn…..

 

[SherVaughn30]

@SherVaughn30 is certainly the top goaltending critic around these parts.

I wonder how @maacoshark would respond to your assessment. He’s been largely defending the goalies, where you have pooped on everything from the goaltending coach downward lol….

I must admit I chuckled when it was suggested Vasi would have easily dismissed those 3 goals against.

/popcorn…..

I did not use the word, easily. You are putting words in my mouth on that. Vasilevskiy is the best goalie in game right now. His goalie technique is elite, which would have allowed him to handle those 3 Bolts goals a lot better than VV. In my opinion, Vasi would have stopped all 3 of those. At the same time, there are a good deal of other NHL goalies(including Sammy) that would handled the situations that VV faced on those 3 goals, a lot better. VV has a limited ceiling and he's just about close to it. Sammy on the other hand has a much higher ceiling.

 

[TheLegendOfPatPeake]

We also know that goaltenders have good games and bad games. We know that our goaltenders will have outstanding games where they are the difference. Usually the other team's goaltender doesnt have one of those games also going on the same night.

I haven’t seen either goalie make many saves that they shouldn’t have with any sort of regularity.

 

[txpd]

I haven’t seen either goalie make many saves that they shouldn’t have with any sort of regularity.

While the game was still 0-0 he makes several saves on clean chances. These are all gimmies?

 

[txpd]

Early in this Rangers game. He stops Fox from the inside hash marks and Kakko from the slot. These are not high danger chances?

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I did not use the word, easily. You are putting words in my mouth on that. Vasilevskiy is the best goalie in game right now. His goalie technique is elite, which would have allowed him to handle those 3 Bolts goals a lot better than VV. In my opinion, Vasi would have stopped all 3 of those. At the same time, there are a good deal of other NHL goalies(including Sammy) that would handled the situations that VV faced on those 3 goals, a lot better. VV has a limited ceiling and he's just about close to it. Sammy on the other hand has a much higher ceiling.

you flippantly responded he would have saved them…..almost as with the wave of a finger lol…..not one second of credit for any Caps goaltender or the difficulty of at least one of those saves due to the defensive breakdowns.

ps - I also said it was “suggested” (implied), I didn’t quote you.

 

[txpd]

Lets be frank. When the team still had Holtby I warned about going with a kid goalie as your primary goaltender on a cup contender team. I still dont like it. But I can give either of them credit for playing well and stopping Fox from dead in the slot is a quality save. Vanecek has made many high quality saves. Throwing him in the dumpster and saying he hasnt made saves to took goals away from the opposition is F'd.

Rant over. Moving on

 

[TheLegendOfPatPeake]

Lets be frank. When the team still had Holtby I warned about going with a kid goalie as your primary goaltender on a cup contender team. I still dont like it. But I can give either of them credit for playing well and stopping Fox from dead in the slot is a quality save. Vanecek has made many high quality saves. Throwing him in the dumpster and saying he hasnt made saves to took goals away from the opposition is F'd.

Rant over. Moving on

I don’t remember saying he never has. That would be hyperbole. I don’t think it happens with enough regularity from either of the two goalies for the team to succeed in the playoffs. Time will tell.

 

[txpd]

I don’t remember saying he never has. That would be hyperbole. I don’t think it happens with enough regularity from either of the two goalies for the team to succeed in the playoffs. Time will tell.

What you said what you havent seen them make saves they shouldnt with any regularity. I posted a couple of Vanecek's first games this season and in the first period of both he made saves he shouldnt have. I think the comment you made is hyperbole. But thats just me. Vanecek has earned my respect. I am not sure that he is good enough, yet but he is way better than a fringe back up goalie(not your comment) and makes quality saves a lot more often than not with any regularity.

His career to date has proven he is mentally strong as concrete and I think the team is confident playing in front of him. But, again, thats just my perspective as a fan.