Series Discussion: (M1) Washington Capitals vs (WC1) Columbus Blue Jackets

[hockeykicker]

 

[g00n]

What is wrong with you people. Has anyone ever once thought that Columbus played well defensively? No one ever gives the opposition any credit. Instead they just **** all over the Caps. We aren't playing a bunch of cardboard cut outs. We are playing a decent team with a good Dcore. Teams also tend to tighten up in the playoffs. Columbus collapsed in front of their own net. You may remember when we had a very long shift in the offensive zone which ended up with Carlson and Orlov passing back and forth at the blue line because neither had a shooting lane. I know people complained that they didn't shoot but shooting someone's shins would have been the worst thing to do there.
And even though we only managed 5 shots on goal in the 3rd period we were not outplayed in 5 on 5. The play was fairly even. We might have even had the edge for time of possession 5 on 5. We did have a couple long shifts in the offensive zone. We did manage to score the only even strength goal of the period. It was the penalties that cost us. Not 5 on 5 play.

So now you're moving the goalposts from "they were on the PK for half the period" to "the other guys were just so good they bucked our .900 winning percentage after 2 periods".

There's always some excuse in this town.

That ESG you talked about was DSP on the rush, taking a pass from Vrana. The guy you hate so much created that goal with speed, not sustained pressure.

 

[maacoshark]

So now you're moving the goalposts from "they were on the PK for half the period" to "the other guys were just so good they bucked our .900 winning percentage after 2 periods".

There's always some excuse in this town.

That ESG you talked about was DSP on the rush, taking a pass from Vrana. The guy you hate so much created that goal with speed, not sustained pressure.

I never once stated that we were in the penalty box for half a period. There you go with your fictional stories again. I said 3 consecutive penalties in the 3rd. Huge difference. As for Vrana I don't hate him and yes he did make a nice play on the goal but he did get lucky just seconds earlier when he skated right in front of our net and lost the puck. I think it was Carlson that made the defensive play to bail him out there. So Vrana was on the ice for our even strength goal and he was still a minus 1. Guess that means he was on the ice for both of the even strength goals Columbus scored.
For the record I don't hate Vrana. He is a skilled young player that still needs to work on the other parts of his game. He could be a very solid player for us.

 

[g00n]

I never once stated that we were in the penalty box for half a period. There you go with your fictional stories again. I said 3 consecutive penalties in the 3rd. Huge difference. As for Vrana I don't hate him and yes he did make a nice play on the goal but he did get lucky just seconds earlier when he skated right in front of our net and lost the puck. I think it was Carlson that made the defensive play to bail him out there. So Vrana was on the ice for our even strength goal and he was still a minus 1. Guess that means he was on the ice for both of the even strength goals Columbus scored.
For the record I don't hate Vrana. He is a skilled young player that still needs to work on the other parts of his game. He could be a very solid player for us.

You don't have to state it when you logically suggest it by addressing equivalent claims. If you're going to claim the low shot totals and a 10 minute shot drought are due to being on the PK then 1) prove it, 2) that's half the period that you're blaming on the PK.

And again, why can other teams take 3 penalties in a period, TOTALLING ABOUT 3 MINUTES OUT OF 20, and still get more than 5 shots off? Hmm?

 

[The Instigator]

Sticking with Grubauer; I think I would as well. Give him one more to sink or swim before you live or die by the guy who you’ll probably be crucified for not playing.

 

[maacoshark]

You don't have to state it when you logically suggest it by addressing equivalent claims. If you're going to claim the low shot totals and a 10 minute shot drought are due to being on the PK then 1) prove it, 2) that's half the period that you're blaming on the PK.

And again, why can other teams take 3 penalties in a period, TOTALLING ABOUT 3 MINUTES OUT OF 20, and still get more than 5 shots off? Hmm?

Can you not read. I said Columbus tightened up defensively and collapsed in front if their net. All you are doing us posting fiction. You are making shut up. You just won't give up. Do I have to block you again?

 

[maacoshark]

Sticking with Grubauer; I think I would as well. Give him one more to sink or swim before you live or die by the guy who you’ll probably be crucified for not playing.

I don't like this decision. Maybe Grubauer is the right guy to start. I don't know. What if Grubauer plays average to mediocre again and we drop game 2? Do we then throw in Holtby and tell him to win this series for us? That's a lot if pressure to put on someone.

 

[The Instigator]

I don't like this decision. Maybe Grubauer is the right guy to start. I don't know. What if Grubauer plays average to mediocre again and we drop game 2? Do we then throw in Holtby and tell him to win this series for us? That's a lot if pressure to put on someone.

Honestly I think out of all the goalies in the league, Holtby should be one of a handful that should be able to cope with a pressure situation like that. At least this way we can get a better handle on whether Grubauer is a legitimate option for us in the playoffs. If we pull him after the first game and Holtby flops, they’ll be criticized for not letting Gruby keep at it. If they let Gruby go too long playing average hockey, they’ll wonder why we didn’t switch to the Vezina winner on the bench.

Pick your poison, I wouldn’t want to be the one to make that decision haha.

 

[shtorm2005]

I think Caps should play more defensively next game, like Flyers. Wait for opposition mistakes. We have high talent offensive guys and that`s the problem. Everyone wants them score a lot, including themselves probably. But it's playoffs game, CBJ studied our play, they try to shutdown our offense, with each more game they will know better and better how to do that. They are worst in counter attacks, but our defense is worst, so that situation will lead to a goal soon or later. If they play neutral zone trap, we should do the same. Only by equalizing defense we can win.

 

[txpd]

Noticed just now that Tarik posted on my twitterssss that the Caps lost 10 of 11 defensive zone 3rd period faceoffs. Did the give up any critical ppga? I didn't see CBJ's 2nd 3rd and 4th goals. Are we sure Beagle being out is good?

 

[Carlzner]

Noticed just now that Tarik posted on my twitterssss that the Caps lost 10 of 11 defensive zone 3rd period faceoffs. Did the give up any critical ppga? I didn't see CBJ's 2nd 3rd and 4th goals. Are we sure Beagle being out is good?

Straight from the school of twabby

 

[Lindemann]

Even with a bad coach like Hak is proof you shouldn’t pull a goalie after a mediocre performance.

Elliot played WAY worse than Gruby and he stole that game for Philly last night

 

[Langway]

I think it's a mistake to go back to Grubauer but they're going to be open to criticism regardless. I'm not so sure that Holtby is an ace up the sleeve should they need him in Game 3 down 2-0. Maybe he is but the combination of his somewhat suspect mental state along with the strong likelihood they won't be strong defensively in front of him makes for a problematic situation. Needless to say, Game 2 is a must win. Doing so with Holtby would have upped his confidence level considerably IMO whereas I'm not sure they're building that with Grubauer. We'll see if he has that in him. We just don't know. All of this is of their own making so it's hard to stress over it.

Some of those lost draws wouldn't have been so bad if they managed to clear the f***ing puck with they had the opportunities.

 

[trick9]

Trotz is either an idiot or then that Holtby injury may have been more than just a tweak.

 

[maacoshark]

Noticed just now that Tarik posted on my twitterssss that the Caps lost 10 of 11 defensive zone 3rd period faceoffs. Did the give up any critical ppga? I didn't see CBJ's 2nd 3rd and 4th goals. Are we sure Beagle being out is good?

The problem is when Beagle is out our next best faceoff guy is Stephenson but he only took 6 draws in that game and won 4 of them. We should be using him moire often on draws. Backstrom is slightly better than average in faceoffs. Eller is very inconsistent. I would say below average. And Kuzy is one of the worst centres on draws in the league.
Beagle being out hurts us in the faceoff circle. So I'd say Beagle being hurt is not a good thing.
If Beagle is out again I say give Stephenson more face off responsibilities in our end. He was our best last game and was our 2nd best behind Beagle in the regular season.

 

[ujju2]

I've said since before the playoffs that Holtbeast should be the guy to start, and I still stand by it. Nothing against Gruby, but Holtby's the proven playoff beast.

 

[maacoshark]

Trotz is either an idiot or then that Holtby injury may have been more than just a tweak.

The decision to start Grubauer could seal the fate of Trotz if it backfires. I hope either Grubauer plays better or the team wins it for him. I have no faith in Grubauer at all because if his weak technical play.
I have viewed all of the goals from that game over and over. I have come to the conclusion that he should have stopped the 2nd and 4th goals. The game winning goal he did a terrible job cutting down the angle. He didn't challenge Panarin and he actually overplayed it. His right skate was actually outside of the crease which was why there was room on his left.
And for all of the Vrana lovers out there he did play a part in both if the Columbus even strength goals.

 

[StrikingDistance]

I've said since before the playoffs that Holtbeast should be the guy to start, and I still stand by it. Nothing against Gruby, but Holtby's the proven playoff beast.

Holt3 was not good last in last year's POs nor has he been all season.

Grubi is the right choice. It's not like he sucked the last game.

Anyone but Grubi would be a panic move unless he was hurt.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

The decision to start Grubauer could seal the fate of Trotz if it backfires. I hope either Grubauer plays better or the team wins it for him. I have no faith in Grubauer at all because if his weak technical play.
I have viewed all of the goals from that game over and over. I have come to the conclusion that he should have stopped the 2nd and 4th goals. The game winning goal he did a terrible job cutting down the angle. He didn't challenge Panarin and he actually overplayed it. His right skate was actually outside of the crease which was why there was room on his left.
And for all of the Vrana lovers out there he did play a part in both if the Columbus even strength goals.

How is Panarin's goal Vrana's fault?

 

[ujju2]

Holt3 was not good last in last year's POs nor has he been all season.

Grubi is the right choice. It's not like he sucked the last game.

Anyone but Grubi would be a panic move unless he was hurt.

I know how Holtby's played this season, and I remember last year's playoffs, and I still wouldn't bet against him now.

 

[maacoshark]

Holt3 was not good last in last year's POs nor has he been all season.

Grubi is the right choice. It's not like he sucked the last game.

Anyone but Grubi would be a panic move unless he was hurt.

I would say Grubauer sucked last game. He played 2 of the goals very poorly. He did nothing to help our team win. Bobrovsky didnt have a great game either but still outplayed Grubauer.
How many key saves did Grubauer make in that game? I can only recall a couple decent saves. That along with a couple of questionable goals isn't good enough.
Holtby had a bad season and still managed to win 34 games.

 

[trick9]

Holt3 was not good last in last year's POs nor has he been all season.

Grubi is the right choice. It's not like he sucked the last game.

Anyone but Grubi would be a panic move unless he was hurt.

Holt3 is the reason they are playing in the Playoffs right now. Grubauer had 2 wins through January 8th.

Grubauer sucked last night. Half of the Jackets chances ended up in their net. Not sure how you can say that he didn't suck and yet claim that Holtby did last Playoffs. Atleast Holtby was good through the Round 1. He was bad against the Penguins but they wrecked every other goalie they faced too.

 

[maacoshark]

How is Panarin's goal Vrana's fault?

I didn't say it was his fault. I said he was involved in the play. He had a chance to make a play in the offensive zone along the boards.
If I had to point fingers it would be Orlov and Grubauer at fault.

 

[txpd]

Straight from the school of twabby

I am slow today. There is nothing twabby about anything Beagle.

 

[Lindemann]

Holt3 is the reason they are playing in the Playoffs right now. Grubauer had 2 wins through January 8th.

Grubauer sucked last night. Half of the Jackets chances ended up in their net. Not sure how you can say that he didn't suck and yet claim that Holtby did last Playoffs. Atleast Holtby was good through the Round 1. He was bad against the Penguins but they wrecked every other goalie they faced too.

Pretty sure if we didn’t bench Holtby, we could have very well missed the playoffs and for sure gotten a 7-8 seed

 

[txpd]

Holt3 is the reason they are playing in the Playoffs right now. Grubauer had 2 wins through January 8th..

That's not true. If they had ridden Holtby down the stretch they are a wild car or out of the playoffs. Last 14 starts only 3 starts where he gave up less than 3. Same stretch of 14 Grubauer gave up as many as 3 only 3 times. If you think that 14 games 28 games is a recipe for making the playoffs riding Holtby, I think a rethink is in order