What's Next for Washington?

[txpd]

Last 4 playoff rounds (including this ongoing one) the Caps have 4 regulation wins, that's 18% of all the games.

If you don't have the presence of mind to close games out and make the big plays when the game is on the line you're not going to do much.

Well...They didn't close out game 1. They forced OT in game 2. Lets not make it sound like the OT is always the Caps blown game. I have no issue with the OT wins. They count the same. In fact there was a time the Caps always lost if it went OT. Not the case anymore.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

Well...They didn't close out game 1. They forced OT in game 2. Lets not make it sound like the OT is always the Caps blown game. I have no issue with the OT wins. They count the same. In fact there was a time the Caps always lost if it went OT. Not the case anymore.

Forced OT in game 2 after blowing a 3-1 lead.

In a vacuum OT wins count the same but over a longer period sample size it also tells you there’s been some issues in a 60 minute game. Look, im not saying they are playing bad in the playoffs. I’ve watched every one of those series and often i think they’re playing pretty good hockey. But in the playoffs they don’t seem to have the routine of getting it done in regulation. A lot of the time they put themselves in a position to win, or are right there in a close game, but then the mental errors hit and the game takes a turn, and im not talking just about losing leads. Going to OT’s so much decreases your chances to win games mathematically, especially if we’re talking 4 playoff rounds.

I think the Caps have a good core. But if they want to go on a long run one of these years they have to find a way to play a more reliable game to get that belief system in place knowing if they play well and just keep on rolling with their game they can get it done. Too often it feels like they’re right there but something bad is about to happen, its almost like constant coin flipping.

Obviously their playoff history for sure matters, afraid of making mistakes in key moments is natural when you’ve gone through all those negative experiences. And im not sure what they have to do, but i know what they’ve been doing these past couple years is not going to work if they want to go on a long run. They have to find something new that gives the team better composure and sparks some extra confidence.

For example Preds won 12 playoff games in regulation last year. They were comfortable in 1 goal games. That’s how you ultimately get success.

 

[Zippy316]

I really, really want to see a Nick Backstrom for Ryan Getzlaf trade.

Might be tough on Washington's end cap-wise and NMC/NTCs could block it, but I would love to see that kind of shake-up.

 

[txpd]

Forced OT in game 2 after blowing a 3-1 lead.

In a vacuum OT wins count the same but over a longer period sample size it also tells you there’s been some issues in a 60 minute game. Look, im not saying they are playing bad in the playoffs. I’ve watched every one of those series and often i think they’re playing pretty good hockey. But in the playoffs they don’t seem to have the routine of getting it done in regulation. .

They don't have the routine of getting it done in 4 or 5 games either. Long ago I gave up trying to pin a reason on why they fail. The reasons change season to season. They have lost because Ov had a bad playoffs, because Backstrom was bad, because Kuzy went invisible, because Green got pulverized, because they had a rookie goalie starting 4 playoff seasons in a row.

They tried different coaches and different styles and in the end the same thing happens. The Caps make the playoffs and the media immediately hits every one of them with, so....are you going to choke this year too? Shattenkirk said that there was a noticeable change in the energy in both the room and the arena when the playoffs started.

Often THAT is the reason they fail. They collapse under the weight of who they are. You cant fix them by changing a few players, star or plug, or the coach or the gm.

 

[ThreeLeftSkates]

Round 2?

 

[westc2]

The team they have is capable of winning it all...that's just the way hockey goes....there are lots of very good, elite teams, but only 1 of them can win it all.

 

[Dr Pepper]

Pittsburgh, apparently.

 

[pmwlker]

Didn’t the Caps make a strong push for EK before the deadline ??

Perhaps it’s revisited this offseason.

 

[LarKing]

If they lose to Pitts, let Carlson go, trade futures for Karlsson. The time to go for it is now.

 

[CanadienShark]

Well the Sharks almost did that.

Not really. We had fairly significant roster additions and player development (that has been maintained). That was the mark of a team on the rise again, not an underachiever that finally put it together.

 

[Revelation]

Might be the best thing for them.

Get somebody who plays defense and 5v5 hockey for a fraction of the price.

If they extend Carlson, they're done with this core.

Right who needs the best playoff D in the league anyway when you have le spreadsheets

But yeah we should become allergic to good players like the Rangers, maybe we could even have a repeat of their season this year!

 

[Machinehead]

Right who needs the best playoff D in the league anyway when you have le spreadsheets

But yeah we should become allergic to good players like the Rangers, maybe we could even have a repeat of their season this year!

The "best playoff D in the league" aka mostly the same defense that has lost three series to the Rangers.

And the Rangers are awful at defense and has been for years.

 

[Revelation]

The "best playoff D in the league" aka mostly the same defense that has lost three series to the Rangers.

He's been heads and shoulders above any other D in the playoffs this year and one of the top D in the league despite having to carry Orpik and a rookie and Kempny until the latter found his stride.

His defensive struggles are a meme at this point, he's above average in his zone and gets astronomically more shit for bad plays than someone like Doughty does for the exact same plays.

 

[Machinehead]

He's been heads and shoulders above any other D in the playoffs this year and one of the top D in the league despite having to carry Orpik and a rookie and Kempny until the latter found his stride.

His defensive struggles are a meme at this point, he's above average in his zone and gets astronomically more **** for bad plays than someone like Doughty does for the exact same plays.

He doesn't play regularly with Orpik or Kempny.

His most common partner was Christian Djoos.

You don't even know that about your own team and you expect people to buy into your eye test. That's exactly why we have "spreadsheets."

 

[Revelation]

He doesn't play regularly with Orpik or Kempny.

His most common partner was Christian Djoos.

You don't even know that about your own team and you expect people to buy into your eye test. That's exactly why we have "spreadsheets."

Yes, Christian Djoos, the "rookie" that I mentioned who was so good he got phased out by Jakub Jerabek until the last few games of the playoffs.

He's the #1 D on a division winner that shed half of its defense (including the amazing Shattenkirk), 2 top 6 forwards and their best forward PKer this year.

The reason you have spreadsheets is for you to obliviously come up bernmeinster caliber material for us to laugh at.

 

[Machinehead]

Yes, Christian Djoos, the "rookie" that I mentioned who was so good he got phased out by Jakub Jerabek until the last few games of the playoffs.

He's the #1 D on a division winner that shed half of its defense (including the amazing Shattenkirk), 2 top 6 forwards and their best forward PKer this year.

The reason you have spreadsheets is for you to obliviously come up bernmeinster caliber material for us to laugh at.

Yes, the #1 D on a division winner that gets outshot in 2 out of 3 games.

Good luck against a Pens team that actually finishes chances. It'll go as well as it did the first twenty times.

 

[Gsus]

Not really. We had fairly significant roster additions and player development (that has been maintained). That was the mark of a team on the rise again, not an underachiever that finally put it together.

Well you can look at the younger guys as the roster additions for the Capitals. They have a veteran core of Ovechkin, Bäckström, Carlson, Kuznetsov, Holtby etc. just like the Sharks. That was my point.

 

[illpucks]

If they lose to Pitts, let Carlson go, trade futures for Karlsson. The time to go for it is now.

They don't have cap space. Vancouver will sign him

 

[Revelation]

Yes, the #1 D on a division winner that gets outshot in 2 out of 3 games.

Good luck against a Pens team that actually finishes chances. It'll go as well as it did the first twenty times.

It's almost like having more perimeter shots doesn't automatically translate into winning more games, but that's just reality messing with the Dallas Eakins school of spreadsheets again.

 

[Machinehead]

It's almost like having more perimeter shots doesn't automatically translate into winning more games, but that's just reality messing with the Dallas Eakins school of spreadsheets again.

Ah yes the "perimeter shots" excuse.

Gonna be hilarious when the Pens win in 6 yet again and people still tell us there's nothing wrong with the Capitals.

 

[Revelation]

Ah yes the "perimeter shots" excuse.

Gonna be hilarious when the Pens win in 6 yet again and people still tell us there's nothing wrong with the Capitals.

Actually according to your broscience the Caps won last year since they massively outshot the Pens in every. Single. Game. They put up a better fight against the Pens than

Gonna be hilarious when the Rangers oh nevermind Shatty leading what's left of the queen to the promised basement is already hilarious enough on its own.

 

[Machinehead]

Actually according to your broscience the Caps won last year since they massively outshot the Pens in every. Single. Game. They put up a better fight against the Pens than

Gonna be hilarious when the Rangers oh nevermind Shatty leading what's left of the queen to the promised basement is already hilarious enough on its own.

Actually yes they did. Caps absolutely should have won that series.

It was still funny.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Ah yes the "perimeter shots" excuse.

Gonna be hilarious when the Pens win in 6 yet again and people still tell us there's nothing wrong with the Capitals.

Fancy stats are important but they aren't the end-all, be-all. Columbus was a better fancy stats team until the playoffs and then the Caps buried them in pretty much every statistical category you can find.

As for last year, the Caps were mostly dominant (especially in the first 4 games) but still lost. Flower won them the series. He straight up stole it. Lundqvist has stolen series for the Rangers against the Caps in the past. That's hockey. It doesn't mean something is broken or there's something wrong... it could just be that by the 2nd round you typically have two very good teams playing each other and one has to lose, and it normally comes down to a handful of plays that determines the outcome of the series.

 

[Machinehead]

Fancy stats are important but they aren't the end-all, be-all. Columbus was a better fancy stats team until the playoffs and then the Caps buried them in pretty much every statistical category you can find.

As for last year, the Caps were mostly dominant (especially in the first 4 games) but still lost. Flower won them the series. He straight up stole it. Lundqvist has stolen series for the Rangers against the Caps in the past. That's hockey. It doesn't mean something is broken or there's something wrong... it could just be that by the 2nd round you typically have two very good teams playing each other and one has to lose, and it normally comes down to a handful of plays that determines the outcome of the series.

As for the bolded, what series did you watch?

Lundqvist didn't steal any series against the Caps. They were generally dead even because the Rangers are also bad at defense.

Last year, yes, the Caps had good metrics. They generally don't since they drafted Ovechkin. They've continually failed at the same hurdle, and every year, we spin the wheel of excuses. At what point, instead of a new excuse every year, do we acknowledge that there may be some truth to the same thing the numbers have been telling us for ten years?

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

As for the bolded, what series did you watch?

Lundqvist didn't steal any series against the Caps. They were generally dead even because the Rangers are also bad at defense.

Last year, yes, the Caps had good metrics. They generally don't since they drafted Ovechkin. They've continually failed at the same hurdle, and every year, we spin the wheel of excuses. At what point, instead of a new excuse every year, do we acknowledge that there may be some truth to the same thing the numbers have been telling us for ten years?

I watched the series where they were ahead in almost every statistical category adjusted for score effects. Which one did you watch?

Lundqvist absolutely stole series. Too busy at work right now but I'll dig up some fun stats for you later.