Post-Game Talk: Caps/Sabres, 12/5/16, 7pm ET, Phone Booth

[um]

just so I read you right. you want to demote Ov for Vrana. You want to bump up Kuzy's toi because with Ov it will rise when he is clearly earning less ice time.

You are sending mixed messages

he said Vrana should be getting top 6 ice time and 2nd PP time, how is that demoting OV?

 

[hockeykicker]

 

[HecticGlow]

Can we just show some love out for Winnik please? The PK has stayed hot since he replaced Oshie (don't know if Trotz noticed it was the Eller-Wilson tandem that was getting scored on a bit on the PK to begin with, but whatever...), has 5 points in just 16 games (played a big role in the Beagle goal, got a couple of chances shorthanded lately). If he had a more reasonable contract he'd be praised far more on here (he's tied with Kuzy for sixth best goalscorer...).

We need more net presence from our lines - putting three cycle guys together doesn't make sense. Spreading Oshie, Mojo, Beagle, Wilson and Connolly or Winnik across the four lines would be one way of achieving this.

90-19-13
8-92-43
65-83-77
26-20-14

Every line would have at least two guys who are good at cycling, possession and have a decent shot and offensive IQ, while also having a guy who isn't afraid to go to the net and screen, deflect or look for rebounds. Vrana in particular has shown promise here, which is why he might work well with Backstrom and Mojo (whose hand-eye and underrated size also allows him to deflect and screen). Beagle and Oshie have been working well together on the PK, Wilson adds defensive responsibility to the Ovi-Kuzy line - only the fourth line lacks a great finesse/grit balance.

 

[HecticGlow]

Firstly, there's no way we can pretend 9-2 is our top pair. It's hard to argue 90-19-77 isn't our top line, too.

Secondly, scratching Burakovsky seems like a mistake to me. He hasn't been a great defensive liability, and he has joint-fifth with Kuzy in points... what is it scratching him will achieve? It's Kuzy whose decision making I think is questionable - Bura just isn't finding much luck.

 

[twabby]

I guess I'm okay with him being scratched for 1 game if there's something in particular the coaching staff wants him to look at. I don't think it makes much sense as a punishment so hopefully it's not that.

Otherwise the lineup looks fine. Would have preferred a little something different with right wings but meh.

 

[ovikovy817]

Can't believe, finally 27-2 are on differents pairing. Hope the Bruins don't score in the 5 first minutes, if not, we will see them reunited again.

I'm sure Bura, will be scratched just for a game, not more

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

When is a seat down in the press box NOT a punishment? I mean come on! Clearly trying to spur him on.

 

[trick9]

Yeah I noticed Ovie taking whacks at guys all night. It was a body of work call.

That said, I've never seen a superstar, 500-goal scorer, future Hall of Famer get penalized for more BS, borderline, ticky-tack stick or hold penalties than I'm seeing Ovie get hit with this year. Hell, maybe his sluggish play and torpid pace is so apparent to everyone on the ice that the refs are trying to spur him to pick up his game by sending him to the box every time he does something that results from being too slow and two steps behind the play too often. And this business of Ovie skating out of the zone without looking back to receive the puck - decent chance that that's a mental lapse borne of physical fatigue.

Players get warned if they are constantly slashing guys. That was a legit call by the ref. In the span of 7 seconds Ovechkin slashed Ristolainen once in the hands, once in the body and then went on to slash Foligno into the hands. That's not really even arguable because refs would often call that first slash but Ovechkin got the benefit of the doubt there. Those are exactly the calls Trotz was talking about that they need to avoid. Plays that happen because players aren't moving their feet and get caught on the wrong side.

Re-watched that overturned offside goal by Larsson by the way. 26 second shift for Ovechkin where he took about 3 quick steps forward when Caps D had the puck and glided the rest of it. That's not fatigue that's just lack of effort.

 

[Dr John Carlson]

Somebody needs to tell Ovechkin that Nolan Patrick isn't a top-tier 1st overall pick. He looks like he's going full tank mode.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Somebody needs to tell Ovechkin that Nolan Patrick isn't a top-tier 1st overall pick. He looks like he's going full tank mode.

Maybe he knows a supremely talented Russian kid coming up in the draft that nobody is aware of, hence the tanking mode.

I suggest that we now refer to Ovi as "Tank Commander".

 

[txpd]

he said Vrana should be getting top 6 ice time and 2nd PP time, how is that demoting OV?

Pretty simple. the only forwards that played any noticeable amount more than vrana were ov, backstrom, kuzy, Johansson and Beagle. Who do you take the ice time from?

8 or 90?

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

The most important stats of the game are 1 and 0. The Caps have 1 win and 0 losses when I start the GDT. #fancystats

 

[trick9]

Look on the bright side, atleast they don't seem to be peaking in December like last season.

 

[txpd]

Bura just isn't finding much luck.

Burt has 4 goals in going on his last 50 games. with 2 in one game that means he has scored in only 3 games in his last 50. His frustration maybe be reaching the point of diminishing returns.

Punishment? Winnik doesn't get scratched as a punishment. Neither does Connolly. In this case you can take from it that Trotz would like to give Vrana more games and is willing to take them now from Burt. If Vrana scores a couple, Burt might be spending more regular time on the scratch sheet

 

[bur and 666 others]

90-19-13
8-92-77/14
65-83-14/77/10 (Connolly in while Oshie is out with his injury)
26-20-43

I like these lines, #13 with 2 good defensive responsible guys. #77 on the 3rd line will spread out our offence. These lines can be dangerous and very well balanced if everyone is clicking. But unfortunately it's not the true, hopefully they will catch the fire at the right time this year.

oh yeah, forgot to mention: agree with everything that marcel snapshot pointed out.

 

[Blades of Steel]

I just noticed Ovie only had 1 SOG last game

 

[Langway]

Like I said before, a coach like Trotz bag skating a team after the goaltender calls them out seems like a last resort move for someone who doesn't know what to do and has lost the ability to motivate individually, or with other methods. The fact that it didn't appear to work is even more troubling.

I think that had more to do with how many days they had between games. It was routine conditioning but overall there are enough signs suggesting they're not engaged in refining their game. That's the solution to keeping them focused and yet Trotz seems content to basically let them get away with most suspect habits as long as the end result dresses it up as competence.

In a lot of ways their struggles to score should have been a blessing in disguise for them to pay more attention to how they think the game offensively. And yet it hasn't been. They don't learn from their mistakes. The players don't and the coaching staff doesn't. They just take their hits, dust themselves off and get back up again to do pretty much the same things over and over again. Just with more zeal. Zeal and ferver are their substitutes for better execution and decision-making. It's very difficult to imagine them getting over their mental humps with that sort of organizational attitude.

 

[um]

Pretty simple. the only forwards that played any noticeable amount more than vrana were ov, backstrom, kuzy, Johansson and Beagle. Who do you take the ice time from?

8 or 90?

there are 6 top 6 forwards, hence the term top 6. You know that man.

 

[RaindanceMaggie]

OV playing like he don't give a **** lately, I wonder if thats due to constantly changing line mates or something else but its out of the ordinary for him. Usually when he struggles you can see that he's still putting in the effort especially in the offensive zone but for a few games now he's floating hard.

 

[g00n]

I think that had more to do with how many days they had between games. It was routine conditioning but overall there are enough signs suggesting they're not engaged in refining their game. That's the solution to keeping them focused and yet Trotz seems content to basically let them get away with most suspect habits as long as the end result dresses it up as competence.

In a lot of ways their struggles to score should have been a blessing in disguise for them to pay more attention to how they think the game offensively. And yet it hasn't been. They don't learn from their mistakes. The players don't and the coaching staff doesn't. They just take their hits, dust themselves off and get back up again to do pretty much the same things over and over again. Just with more zeal. Zeal and ferver are their substitutes for better execution and decision-making. It's very difficult to imagine them getting over their mental humps with that sort of organizational attitude.

I doubt Isabella tweeted about a routine conditioning drill. That coincidentally came after some bad losses and the goaltender calling them out.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

The most important stats of the game are 1 and 0. The Caps have 1 win and 0 losses when I start the GDT. #fancystats

Sample size blah blah

 

[txpd]

there are 6 top 6 forwards, hence the term top 6. You know that man.

Burakovsky and Vrana were in the top 6 last night. the only two top 6 wingers that played more than Vrana were 8 and 90. Williams played a little more. Move Vrana down to Eller? Beagle played a lot. Move Vrana to Beagle?

Where is it you want to find the extra ice time?

 

[RandyHolt]

Spot on rant Marcel

 

[g00n]

Hearing on the radio that Oshie was a full participant in practice yesterday and is expected to play tonight