Post-Game Talk: Penguins @ Capitals | 7:00PM EST | NBC / SportsNet

[max21]

Is blowing a 2 goal lead and a rookie mistake handing the caps a powerplay, then Letang breaking his stick x2 really an “easy win”? Lol.

You’re right honestly was just trying to get under the skin of any Pens fan who stumbled over here lol. Got to keep the rivalry alive. Tom Wilson goal felt pretty great also

 

[JMUcapsfan07]

Yeah I think expectations are a bit high because of the history of this team. We aren’t a Tampa or Boston we are a second tier team that can win or lose against anybody. But second tier is good enough to make the playoffs and possibly make a deep run.

It is still annoying how often it feels like this team makes the same mistakes again and again but no team is great forever. Look at what happened to Detroit.

I mean I think an optimist could look at this team and see a scenario where they continue to adjust to Lavy's system, Ovi gets back closer to where he was last season, and a few other guys step up and see this team making a deep run. I still think goaltending is a huge concern if Samsonov can't get it together.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

You’re right honestly was just trying to get under the skin of any Pens fan who stumbled over here lol. Got to keep the rivalry alive. Tom Wilson goal felt pretty great also

Mature response, at least you admitted it, lol, I can respect that.

Wilson scoring goals like that is what makes his dirty play head-scratching. He doesn't have to play like a goon to be effective, but for some reason he still chooses to anytime he sees an opportunity to cheapshot someone.

 

[crab]

Wilson scoring the GWG against the Penguins .... icing on the cake.

 

[JMUcapsfan07]

God I miss the old postgame crew.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Cry? Lol, please. It wasn’t an “easy win” Caps were lucky to not fumble that one away.

That’s how we usually feel, so yeah right in our wheelhouse...

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Mature response, at least you admitted it, lol, I can respect that.

Wilson scoring goals like that is what makes his dirty play head-scratching. He doesn't have to play like a goon to be effective, but for some reason he still chooses to anytime he sees an opportunity to cheapshot someone.

dirty....pshhh....slightly late minor penalty with devastating physicality. That’s hockey.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

dirty....pshhh....slightly late minor penalty with devastating physicality. That’s hockey.

When I said "dirty play" I was speaking on his play-style moreso than that one specific instance.

 

[txpd]

When I said "dirty play" I was speaking on his play-style moreso than that one specific instance.

He hits like a freight train. He is fast and covers a lot of ground. His systematic and fundamentals are very sound. He isnt dirty. He hits hard. Players that hit a lot miss now and then and when they do it sometimes turns out as a late hit or a hit from behind. He's not a cheap shot artist.

 

[McVechkin]

Got away with one there. This team needs to find another gear and start winning games convincingly on the regular. Starts with 4 points v NJ.

 

[Silky mitts]

#1 star Letang’s stick

 

[Rodgerwilco]

He hits like a freight train. He is fast and covers a lot of ground. His systematic and fundamentals are very sound. He isnt dirty. He hits hard. Players that hit a lot miss now and then and when they do it sometimes turns out as a late hit or a hit from behind. He's not a cheap shot artist.

That is a very surprising take, even coming from a Capitals fan. I give a lot of players the benefit of the doubt for longer than most, heck I gave Wilson the benefit of the doubt longer than most Pens fans. But after he shows the same course of conduct over the length of time he's been in the league it's hard to not consider him a dirty player.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

#1 star Letang’s stick

Which one, the first one that exploded and led to a goal or the 2nd one that exploded and led to a goal? lol

 

[Eirikrautha]

That is a very surprising take, even coming from a Capitals fan. I give a lot of players the benefit of the doubt for longer than most, heck I gave Wilson the benefit of the doubt longer than most Pens fans. But after he shows the same course of conduct over the length of time he's been in the league it's hard to not consider him a dirty player.

He's never slashed anyone's finger off, and he doesn't cheapshot after the play. So he's not as dirty as Crosby, nor as whiny. So there is that...

 

[Rodgerwilco]

He's never slashed anyone's finger off, and he doesn't cheapshot after the play. So he's not as dirty as Crosby, nor as whiny. So there is that...

What does this discussion have to do with Crosby?

 

[Eirikrautha]

What does this discussion have to do with Crosby?

You were talking about dirty players, and mentioned Tom Wilson. I don't think he's dirty; just physical. I gave an example of a much dirtier player, on the team we just played tonight. It's called a "discussion"...

 

[max21]

I sometimes wonder why if you lose your stick on a PK why you don’t just race to the bench and grab a stick instead of wandering around for however long. Is a 5 on 3 for like 5 seconds really worse than no stick for potentially a minute?

 

[twabby]

Really like that they gave Nick Jensen the first star. I don't think he was the MVP of the game, though he was really good. But he's been consistently their best 5v5 defenseman all season long and has been especially good the past few weeks and he's earned it as kind of a "lifetime achievement award."

 

[txpd]

That is a very surprising take, even coming from a Capitals fan. I give a lot of players the benefit of the doubt for longer than most, heck I gave Wilson the benefit of the doubt longer than most Pens fans. But after he shows the same course of conduct over the length of time he's been in the league it's hard to not consider him a dirty player.

Go back and watch early to mid 20s Ovechkin. People hated him and called him the dirtiest player in the league. What for? Late hits, hits from behind, and leaving his skates. Poor choices. He didnt crosscheck guys in the head or slew foot them. It was basic body checking. If he made a mistake, it was a dirty play. Not a mistake. When you are top 5 in the league in hitting, its going to happen.

Same with Wilson. Brad Marchand is dirty. Wilson doesnt do this stuff

 

[Silky mitts]

Which one, the first one that exploded and led to a goal or the 2nd one that exploded and led to a goal? lol

They both died heroes!

 

[Rodgerwilco]

You were talking about dirty players, and mentioned Tom Wilson. I don't think he's dirty; just physical. I gave an example of a much dirtier player, on the team we just played tonight. It's called a "discussion"...

Making the point about thinking Wilson isn't dirty kinda relates to the discussion at hand. You just threw Crosby's name outta nowhere there. I'm not going to get triggered or argue that Crosby is dirty, if that's what you were hoping for, lol.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I sometimes wonder why if you lose your stick on a PK why you don’t just race to the bench and grab a stick instead of wandering around for however long. Is a 5 on 3 for like 5 seconds really worse than no stick for potentially a minute?

Yeah I really don't understand the purpose of players not doing this. I would expect that different coaches may have different mentality for what they want their players to do in these situations, but it seems pretty across-the-board that guys just skate around without a stick.

 

[hb12xchamps]

Nice win. Love the ECHLler ENG to put the cherry on top

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Go back and watch early to mid 20s Ovechkin. People hated him and called him the dirtiest player in the league. What for? Late hits, hits from behind, and leaving his skates. Poor choices. He didnt crosscheck guys in the head or slew foot them. It was basic body checking. If he made a mistake, it was a dirty play. Not a mistake. When you are top 5 in the league in hitting, its going to happen.

Same with Wilson. Brad Marchand is dirty. Wilson doesnt do this stuff

As a Pens fan I've seen a healthy share of him and I've never really considered Ovi dirty, I actually like him quite a lot and have defended him over the years. I've given Wilson the benefit of the doubt of "making mistakes" for quite a long time too, I just see some of his plays as more reckless, bordering on predatory.

 

[HTFN]

That is a very surprising take, even coming from a Capitals fan. I give a lot of players the benefit of the doubt for longer than most, heck I gave Wilson the benefit of the doubt longer than most Pens fans. But after he shows the same course of conduct over the length of time he's been in the league it's hard to not consider him a dirty player.

What's surprising about this? You can make Tom Wilson's big list of offenses, they're almost all hits within a few degrees of acceptable. There are a lot of them, because there are a lot of hits, but most of them hard and fast with a lot of moving parts.

What you don't see from Tom Wilson and do see from dirty players is a lot of excessive stick work, slewfoots, kicks, knees, etc. He's not a sucker puncher, he's a throwback, and hockey fans hate watching a guy like that they have no answer for. It feels so emasculating to them that they shriek about it now until the problem gets solved. They'd rather watch someone slashing people in and out of scrums and partially engaging like Tkachuk because they feel like if someone could get a hold of him they'd make him pay, and Tom Wilson isn't that guy either.

He got nothing but respect from league good guy Barry Trotz because, surprise, he's not a piece of shit but captain material. He's not a weasel who fractures locker rooms, he's a guy you win with. Moreover, he's a good example and not just someone you put up with. Some bad hits a year don't outweigh that. You're allowed to love the physical game, you're allowed to love sports psychology and play the game within the game, but I've never gotten the impression from Wilson that he was bigger or more important than the team.

I think that's the easiest way to separate it, it took some landing on though. With the league's biggest shitbags, you get the distinct impression that their grudge is as important as the hockey game, and with Wilson it's almost always been about his team and the hockey game.