Post-Game Talk: Game 3 | Washington Capitals @ New York Islanders | 12 PM [MOD NOTEs #183 & 706]

[BTCG]

This team regardless of coaches seems to not put any lines together that make sense. You don't place the best goal scorer in the world with a grinder/cycling guy... and you don't place a good top 6 guy with speed on a 4th line grinder line. Just doesn't make sense and It's not surprising terrible results offensively are happening b/c of it.

Quick question: is the underlined a typo? If not, could you explain how grinding is synonymous with cycling the puck?

I'd be interested in your answer.

 

[BTCG]

*Sigh*

Is it so hard to understand that due to the general nature of puck luck, and the particular nature of the puck luck that won the game, it's disingenuous to say the Caps had "no chance" to win game 3? By any reasonable evaluation, they absolutely had a chance to win.

Did they deserve to win? No. Did they get outplayed? Yes. Do teams that drive the play have more opportunities for good puck luck? Absolutely.

It's not hard people. All I'm saying is that the series is not over and that they were a fortuitous bounce from it being 2-1 the other way. No reason to panic.

WOW... I'm getting you... some phase of the moon? J/K

I think there's some disconnect tonight, or people are just attempting to expand in ways they might explain better (see my first post, where I don't get the association of grinding and cycling) themselves.

CCFan then posts this:

CCFan: "Not happy with the Caps play on the series so far, but the good news is they have shown they can be the better team if they execute."


Better in that they'll win the game. But a better team? Probably not. Just a figure of speech, most likely.

Goon adds his version next:

Goon: "You think no luck or "softness" by the Isles was involved in anything good that happened for the Caps? "

Again... (although he does use 'or'), you don't expect the grouping.'

Maybe I'm reading too closely? But hey, I am reading closely, and if I didn't respect the author, I wouldn't.

We now return you to our broadcast.

 

[BTCG]

I don't remember a single good chance to go up after we tied the game. It was all them after the game was 1-1. If we had had some great opportunities and played well after tying the game, I'd have said we could've won the game.

At the end of the day its not 3-0 them or 2-1 us, its 2-1 them. And we have played some horse manure hockey.

TC,

Could you be being just a bit too picayune? maybe, you're upset? I kinda see it Wiz's way. Not to make you angry. I apologize if I did.

 

[g00n]

*Sigh*

Is it so hard to understand that due to the general nature of puck luck, and the particular nature of the puck luck that won the game, it's disingenuous to say the Caps had "no chance" to win game 3? By any reasonable evaluation, they absolutely had a chance to win.

Did they deserve to win? No. Did they get outplayed? Yes. Do teams that drive the play have more opportunities for good puck luck? Absolutely.

It's not hard people. All I'm saying is that the series is not over and that they were a fortuitous bounce from it being 2-1 the other way. No reason to panic.

Every team in every game CAN get lucky. If that's your point it hardly requires anyone strain to understand, but it's not the end of the discussion.

The larger picture deals with the relative merits and deficits of each team, and so far the Caps are underperforming while the Isles are, as someone said, making their own luck by being that much more diligent, aggressive, and attentive save for a span in Game 2 where they laid back. In the case of Game 3, again, a virtuoso performance by the goaltender was needed to keep it close enough for "luck" to even be a potential factor. That's a problem.

There really is no excuse for failing to leave it all on the ice and come at 100% in the playoffs, especially for a team that knows it has a history of first round letdowns, and has preached all year about employing a "playoff style".

It's not panic or stupidity, it's disappointment.

 

[g00n]

I think I would be very pleased us destroying them.

RMNB link allowed to stand as a reputable media source but needs a NSFW language warning (updated). 2nd link removed as it contains profanity and other site violations but also comprised of anecdotal complaints and not a credible media source.

We're not going to get into the fanbase wars. Please do not repost it, and per the rules nobody is to respond to visiting fans with flames. If you believe a rule is being violated USE THE REPORT BUTTON.

 

[Capsman]

Every team in every game CAN get lucky. If that's your point it hardly requires anyone strain to understand, but it's not the end of the discussion.

The larger picture deals with the relative merits and deficits of each team, and so far the Caps are underperforming while the Isles are, as someone said, making their own luck by being that much more diligent, aggressive, and attentive save for a span in Game 2 where they laid back. In the case of Game 3, again, a virtuoso performance by the goaltender was needed to keep it close enough for "luck" to even be a potential factor. That's a problem.

There really is no excuse for failing to leave it all on the ice and come at 100% in the playoffs, especially for a team that knows it has a history of first round letdowns, and has preached all year about employing a "playoff style".

It's not panic or stupidity, it's disappointment.

I maintain that ill-preparedness breeds hesitation. No team goes in deciding not to work hard. It's like the kid who is labelled a "bad test taker". That's a kid who is not prepared for tests.

 

[tycoonheart]

TC,

Could you be being just a bit too picayune? maybe, you're upset? I kinda see it Wiz's way. Not to make you angry. I apologize if I did.

Of course I am upset. That doesn't mean what I am saying is wrong.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

The Caps are just trailing by a game, I'm confident they can still win the series. They just need to put it all together again. If they follow exactly the system and give their max effort, they will outwork this Isles team.

If they can't, I'm just praying that Ovi enters his beast mode once again and saves the team.

 

[txpd]

How? Game 1 we had no chance. Game 2 they were ahead by 2 goals. Game 3 we really had no chance, it was all them.

as a general rule of thumb, any game that goes to OT could have gone either way because regulation ended in a tie. I add to that the only Islanders goal was a double deflection.

since the backstrom goal was not the caps only quality scoring chance and was not a good bounce of the puck, I'd say one good bounce could have one the game for them. its not that hard to see.

the sky is not falling. yet. I am remotely inclined to reach for the ejection handle.

 

[Vladiator16*]

Another PO game and another disappointment... yet, for some reason i refuse to believe that this is all we got... I guess thats why they call us fans (fanatics)

 

[RandyHolt]

I think its a myth to think that Team A can outwork Team B, or think its shallow to have that be the game plan. We will win, because we will outworkem!!!1!

What happens if the opposition shows up to work, too? Dare I think it appears that the Isles have worked harder than us in all 3 games.

At best one can only expect to match the other teams work effort.

It's time for Trotz to do his thing. Prove all those playoff lumps he took in Nashville were simply because he didn't have the offensive horses / money to spend

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

I think its a myth to think that Team A can outwork Team B, or think its shallow to have that be the game plan. We will win, because we will outworkem!!!1!

What happens if the opposition shows up to work, too? Dare I think it appears that the Isles have worked harder than us in all 3 games.

At best one can only expect to match the other teams work effort.

It's time for Trotz to do his thing. Prove all those playoff lumps he took in Nashville were simply because he didn't have the offensive horses / money to spend

Hockey is a mental game. A team can outwork another team by winning crucial puck battles, skating a bit more than the other team. It makes the other team back up slowly, until they are too exhausted physically and mentally to win the game.

The Isles have outworked the Caps so far, and look at the results.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

Hockey is a mental game. A team can outwork another team by winning crucial puck battles, skating a bit more than the other team. It makes the other team back up slowly, until they are too exhausted physically and mentally to win the game.

The Isles have outworked the Caps so far, and look at the results.

The Isles have outworked the Caps. They're also more talented up front and much faster. I'd say the latter two are more important.

 

[txpd]

Trotz has never proven so far as I know to have much in the way of playoff chops. Not to say he doesn't have them. I am pretty sure that this is the first time Trotz has had a team in the playoffs that had home ice for a series and was favored to win.

 

[KevinM]

I think its a myth to think that Team A can outwork Team B, or think its shallow to have that be the game plan. We will win, because we will outworkem!!!1!

What happens if the opposition shows up to work, too? Dare I think it appears that the Isles have worked harder than us in all 3 games.

At best one can only expect to match the other teams work effort.

It's time for Trotz to do his thing. Prove all those playoff lumps he took in Nashville were simply because he didn't have the offensive horses / money to spend

Yeah, come playoffs teams are going to be giving their all every night so unless one team has significantly better stamina to keep a higher intensity for the 60 minutes that's not something in and of itself you can rely on to give your team the edge.

Trotz better have some adjustments up his sleeve for Game 4, you can't rely on that kind of performance from Holtby to keep them in the game every night.

 

[g00n]

Trotz has never proven so far as I know to have much in the way of playoff chops. Not to say he doesn't have them. I am pretty sure that this is the first time Trotz has had a team in the playoffs that had home ice for a series and was favored to win.

Maybe someone can look that up, but what I do know is that with the Preds he never swept and never went to a Game 7. All 5 and 6 game decisions.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

Maybe someone can look that up, but what I do know is that with the Preds he never swept and never went to a Game 7. All 5 and 6 game decisions.

http://www.hockeydb.com/stte/nashville-predators-7024.html

Yup. Also of note he had 106 and 110 point teams and won 0 rounds with them.

 

[fedfed]

Trotz season-by-season:

 

[RandyHolt]

Hockey is a mental game. A team can outwork another team by winning crucial puck battles, skating a bit more than the other team. It makes the other team back up slowly, until they are too exhausted physically and mentally to win the game.

The Isles have outworked the Caps so far, and look at the results.

Now I agree the sport largely becomes mental, but players should be doing everything at this point without thinking, and without having to be begged to work harder.

In the end, the playoffs are the time for coaching to take over. BT should have his players well conditioned, and giving a full effort. All coaches should.

He now gets the luxury of facing the same team over and over. I feel playoff adjustments are mandatory. Our defense never had to face hitting like it did in game 3. He needs to address things like that. We are struggling to score. Moar Ward and Brouwer? Or an injection of Buraoffensky?

More work is not a solution, for the Islanders will simply do the same, and offset it.

 

[marcel snapshot]

Caps play the start of these games like they are instructed to control or contain the game with an emphasis on not making any mistakes. So they are, at best, flat-footed which has morphed into going onto their heels in all 3 starts. We fall behind, get desperate, play with more initiative and crawl back to even. And then right after Backie's goal in Game 3, it's as if Trotz told them to go back to start-of-the-game, contain the tempo mode. Based on the way we've started the last 3 games, I'd say a new set of instructions is in order.

And T-Bro has to bury the empty-netter, he got by the side of the post. The Isles D slips and falls, a Cap (can't remember who) sees the opportunity and sets him up for a slam dunk that is shanked. Teams that win playoff series score that goal

 

[Langway]

It's time for Trotz to do his thing. Prove all those playoff lumps he took in Nashville were simply because he didn't have the offensive horses / money to spend

It's a little late in the game to prove that now. For the remainder of this series they're probably just going to do what they do and hopefully do it better.

It will be the task of the off-season via trades and tweaks to their approach that shows if Trotz is just a steward of splendid mediocrity or whether maybe there is some upside with this hire after all.

 

[Chardo]

Trotz has never proven so far as I know to have much in the way of playoff chops. Not to say he doesn't have them. I am pretty sure that this is the first time Trotz has had a team in the playoffs that had home ice for a series and was favored to win.

Keep in mind, Caps only have home ice due to a shootout goal deciding a tiebreaker. These were two dead even teams entering the playoffs.

 

[tycoonheart]

Now I agree the sport largely becomes mental, but players should be doing everything at this point without thinking, and without having to be begged to work harder.

In the end, the playoffs are the time for coaching to take over. BT should have his players well conditioned, and giving a full effort. All coaches should.

He now gets the luxury of facing the same team over and over. I feel playoff adjustments are mandatory. Our defense never had to face hitting like it did in game 3. He needs to address things like that. We are struggling to score. Moar Ward and Brouwer? Or an injection of Buraoffensky?

More work is not a solution, for the Islanders will simply do the same, and offset it.

Buraoffensky. Thats fantastic, Randy. I'll have to steal that one.

Yes, SOME adjustments have to be made. Three games in and I haven't seen any. As I have said, the PP adjustment is the one that needs to be made ASAP.

Ward up top is hurting the team. Doesn't Bura have some really good #s while playing with Nicky and Ovi? At this point, I'd be okay with his defense gaffes if it means he is going to chip in offensively.

Trotz kind of reminds me of Gibbs II, a coach who wanted his players to play mistake free first.

 

[NoMoreChoking]

If we lose this series, my fear is what do we do now?

It's obviouslly not the coach. This is a broken record.

So sick of losing in the playoffs

 

[RandyHolt]

Buraoffensky. Thats fantastic, Randy. I'll have to steal that one.

Yes, SOME adjustments have to be made. Three games in and I haven't seen any. As I have said, the PP adjustment is the one that needs to be made ASAP.

Ward up top is hurting the team. Doesn't Bura have some really good #s while playing with Nicky and Ovi? At this point, I'd be okay with his defense gaffes if it means he is going to chip in offensively.

Trotz kind of reminds me of Gibbs II, a coach who wanted his players to play mistake free first.

Giving up 40+ shots, I am not sure how much of a liability BuraO would be, when its a shooting gallery already.

Lets open it up and have some fire wagon hockey. As a team comes to Bruce's eye, over yonder.

We have scored 2 PPGs but they weren't from set plays. I wanted Barry to show up for game 1 PP1 with a new PP formation, to throw off the work Fred Flintstone had done. But with the PP eeking out 2 goals, I am laying off that for now, for I think he missed the window to adjust anyways.

We have bigger problems at ES. We are not interfering, being tough to play against, working the system at all, and those 4LFs of theirs are coming in at full speed and wrecking our defense. I watch the Isles and than other games, guys are hacking whacking and cross checking all over the place. I dont see us doing it though.