GDT: Capitals at Blackhawks Oct 1, 2013 8:00 PM ET

[RandyHolt]

How about the PP, the big positive from the game for us. Wasn't someone complaining about Grabs on PP1?

Grabs > Backstrom down low. He crashes the net hard on shots, something I don't ever recall Nick doing; gets dirty. It was good for 2 goals in one game. Maybe no more the rest of the year sure, but its a fine start.

And like clockwork, Grabs "forces" that exact pass Nick was so hesitant to do, to Ovi, that I wanted to see more of. He took that risk Nick often does not, and threw it anyways. It deflected in the direction of Ovi, and he scored. I love that play. When teams are collapsing, it can still work. Brouwer is there. Ovi is there. Even if its deflected, it causes instant confusion and chaos and breaks down the PK. The goalie panics.

Nick does just fine in Ribs spot, and maybe even better. He and Green, no wrong handing, and much more urgency it seems. I am sure no one questioned that he could fill Ribs shoes. All Ribs did was make 10m passes over and over.

Good
PP / Overall Passing. Green changing angles on PP shots. Mind blown.
Grabs our super hero
Alzner's Langway Beard

Bad
Holtby. Not tight on the post. Should have slammed Toews into the goal. Play dumb.

Defensive zone play. It was not just Carrick and Erskine either.

Erat on 4 is like Ward on 4 to me. Yes he can bring positives, but it sucks the energy out of the line, which is really what the others are here for. If you want Latta if you want Wilson to be themselves, put them on a line to do that. I can see Erat at center with our hitters, but not wing. Volpatti/Chimera Latta Wilson for me.

 

[MoJoSauce]

I didn't think it was a terrible game by the caps. Granted when you are leading in the third you want to keep that, but there were a lot of positives tonight. I thought the power play looked really good and like grabo down around the net. Ovi and green were doing a good job of finding shooting lanes and getting shots off. Backstrom does need to pull the trigger some when qbing the power play.

Fehr ward chimmera looked a great checking line and were doing a solid job tilting the ice in our favor.

Defense had some issues, but I thought Carlson looked better defensively than last year and alzner looked alright. Hillen and Carrick was a scary combo

 

[Wendy Clear]

Good PP/offense, horrendous D and G - is it 3, 4, 5 years ago again?

 

[Chimaera]

Overall, they usually get blasted on opening night.

I felt they played alright. Lot of things to correct, but the bigger part of it is if their PP is effective, they're going to make the playoffs.

I also think it should be noted that Ovechkin looked active, even if he flew back from Greece a day ago. If we get MVP level Ovechkin, the club will win more than it's share of hockey games.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

So after the 30 or so games it takes players to adjust to Oates' system, what kind of production should we expect from Grabovski?

 

[blokeyhighlander]

So after the 30 or so games it takes players to adjust to Oates' system, what kind of production should we expect from Grabovski?

grabovechtrick

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Good PP/offense, horrendous D and G - is it 3, 4, 5 years ago again?

Those were fun times at least....

 

[billcook]

Good
Alzner's Langway Beard

They kinda look alike, actually.

 

[BobRouse]

Those were fun times at least....

I watch hockey to be entertained. BBs Caps were entertaining.

I'd prefer a loss and watching last nights game than a 1-0 Hunter Hockey victory truth be told. At least when I WATCH. With Hunter Hockey I had to really get drunk to get through those games.

We will win our fair share of games for sure. The team looks good despite some warts.

 

[Ridley Simon]

Nope, but I see you have your tried and true "Fire George" bit fired up already.

Where is it? I'd like to see it myself (cause I haven't done that, but thanks)

 

[Ridley Simon]

I watch hockey to be entertained. BBs Caps were entertaining.

I'd prefer a loss and watching last nights game than a 1-0 Hunter Hockey victory truth be told. At least when I WATCH. With Hunter Hockey I had to really get drunk to get through those games.

We will win our fair share of games for sure. The team looks good despite some warts.

Good to know.

This is the exact line in the sand where we differ. Exact.

I've got a family, I'm always working, and I've been a caps fan for 37 years now. I want to see them win a cup, and experience that feeling.

I've done what you espouse, it's time to see a winner.

Sadly, I think George thinks like you.

 

[txpd]

Good PP/offense, horrendous D and G - is it 3, 4, 5 years ago again?

one game. I would have to look but I think kolzig gave up 6 goals in a game the year he won the vezina.

 

[marcel snapshot]

That was the Stanley Cup champs on home ice on an emotional night - it's not like playing Florida at home on opening night.

Likes:

Our tempo - played up-tempo all night, speed through neutral, possession into zone, very nice puck movement, lots of crisp passing -- that's all stuff we really struggled to do over large stretches of the past 2 seasons. Good to see.

Grabo - stat line speaks for itself

PP - ditto

Dislikes

Erskine - sorry but Johnny got schooled; starting in the 2nd period you could see the Hawks strategy on the forecheck was to position themselves so that Ersk would be forced to handle the puck and then pressure the hell out of him to create turnovers. It worked. A lot. Everybody watched the Rangers series, and unless Ersk steps up his puck-handling/puck-moving, he just cannot be a top 4 guy.

Hillen/Carrick - as everyone noticed, physically overmatched in a highly noticeable way.

Laich - many of our forwards last night were carrying the play and dictating tempo. He was not one of them.

Johannson - same

Holtby made some 10-bell stops to keep us in it in the 2nd, but geezus can't hand 'em a softie at that point in the 3rd.

For those who think the D solution is Orlov, that strikes me as wishful thinking. I'd love for it to happen too, but he did not look good in the pre-season. But I think Oleksy and Kundratek need to be back here soon.

 

[txpd]

Good to know.

This is the exact line in the sand where we differ. Exact.

I've got a family, I'm always working, and I've been a caps fan for 37 years now. I want to see them win a cup, and experience that feeling.

I've done what you espouse, it's time to see a winner.

Sadly, I think George thinks like you.

get a grip. that was one game. one game on the road. one game on the road at the defending cup champs. one game on the road at the defending cup champs on opening night.

for god's sake. in the end, if holtby was sharp, the caps win. he made some nice saves but he gave up more than one soft goal and one of those was the 3rd period winner in a tie game.

now....are you saying that is the real holtby? because that is really what last night came down to. not carrick. not Wilson. not Forsberg. not Erskine. neither team was playing shutout hockey last night.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Hoping next game's lines are:

Johansson-Backstrom-Ovechkin
Erat-Grabovski-Brouwer
Fehr-Laich-Ward
Chimera-Latta-Wilson

Fehr seems to be the only righty Oates will put on the left. I honestly have no idea why he's playing center. He was such a good bottom-6 RW for us last year and now we're screwing it up with him at center.

As far as defense goes:

Alzner-Green
Orlov-Carlson
Hillen-Oleksy

Will never happen because for whatever reason Orlov doesn't really get a fair shake with this coaching staff. Ideally Erskine would be on the 3rd pairing but with Oleksy it would be abysmal.

Why would you want to break up Chimera-Fehr-Ward? They were our best forechecking and possession team. They're 3 big, strong, fast bodies who will be a bear for the other team to play on every shift. Anyone else think Ward looked fast last night? And Chimmer? Even Laich? Laich made one play around Keith in the neutral zone that had my jaw drop.

This team will go as Holtby goes. He'll make some unbelievable stops, and let in a goal or two that a high school goalie would stop. The team played well enough to win last night.

Carrick will be fine; it's his 1st NHL game. More worried about the 6 minutes Erat-Latta-Wilson got last night. Erat gave Wilson a slamdunk that Crawford made a great save on. Latta impressed as well. If Wilson is going to get 6 minutes/night, send him down and put Beagle in his spot.

Like many of you, I remain steadfast that we need to package a LW/pick for a 2LD. Last night showed what kind of team we are, and what kind of team we can be. With a competent 2LD to support Carlson, we have almost no holes. Erskine ain't it. Volpatti-Latta-Beagle can be a pesky 4th line. We don't need to waste Erat down there. With Kuz coming over, we'll have 6 guys at LW and 0 at 2LD. Erskine is a perfect 3LD with Carrick/Olesky/Kundratek. Do something, George. Now is the time -- this team can be great.

 

[txpd]

So after the 30 or so games it takes players to adjust to Oates' system, what kind of production should we expect from Grabovski?

0.75 pts per game

 

[kmart]

2points 9shots 2 hits, if he keeps that up caps will be fine

 

[Ridley Simon]

get a grip. that was one game. one game on the road. one game on the road at the defending cup champs. one game on the road at the defending cup champs on opening night.

for god's sake. in the end, if holtby was sharp, the caps win. he made some nice saves but he gave up more than one soft goal and one of those was the 3rd period winner in a tie game.

now....are you saying that is the real holtby? because that is really what last night came down to. not carrick. not Wilson. not Forsberg. not Erskine. neither team was playing shutout hockey last night.

I have a grip. For most of yesterday and today, I've been watching posters put words in my mouth and make up crap that I said. I'm over it.

Caps lost to the better team. I'm not frustrated that they lost, as they deserved too. I am frustrated that they deserved to lose, as it doesn't need to be this way.

I am pretty clear on my stances. Some people want to be entertained, some people are just happy to be fans. That's all well and good, just not my stance. I want the Caps to win the cup. Take home the brass ring. That is all I care about. This team, as constructed, can NOT beat one of the top 5 to 8 teams in the league in a 7 game series. They can compete, but they can't win. You can see it with the eye test. Anyone saying otherwise is just trying to make themselves feel better.

The defense and goaltending, as a combo, are simply not good enough. They just are not.

If you (and anyone else) wants to believe otherwise, then that is fair. But I know what I see. It's more of the same from this team.

And in the end, it will not be near good enough to win the Stanley Cup.

Edit-- for you hockey historians...last night game reminded me of game 1 versus Detroit in 1998. We gave it to them, but they were the better team.

 

[txpd]

rids, last season holtby started the season slow. he was erratic in games and erratic game to game for about the first 20 games. remember? he played just like last night. he might stop stamos on a breakaway and then with the game in the balance score one on himself to lose the game.

as last night was a pure example of that, i am not sure how you can throw the team as a group under the bus as not good enough. they came from a goal down in the 3rd period on the road at the champs to take the lead. teams that just not good enough don't do that.

both teams played like it was early in the season. both teams could have won the game. had the caps gotten the goaltending, they would have won.

so...here's my question. is George's failure going with holtby?

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

rids, last season holtby started the season slow. he was erratic in games and erratic game to game for about the first 20 games. remember? he played just like last night. he might stop stamos on a breakaway and then with the game in the balance score one on himself to lose the game.

NO ONE STOPS STAMOS WITH THE GAME ON THE LINE

 

[Langway]

I watch hockey to be entertained. BBs Caps were entertaining.

I'd prefer a loss and watching last nights game than a 1-0 Hunter Hockey victory truth be told.

A false choice, of course. I prefer fundamentally sound hockey most of all and this team rarely delivers that. Part of it's roster shortcomings in terms of balance but overall they still don't do the little things very well. I like polished mechnical teams from an execution standpoint and the Caps hardly find themselves near that level. The PP is the main area where they resemble a coherent team but that's not enough.

It's the first game...yadda yadda yadda...but I don't expect much improvement from the 4-6D or for them to suddenly become a much more poised team overall. Goaltending should straighten out and Laich ought to play center but that game was pretty reflective of what this team is for the most part. Competitive? Sure but not a powerhouse in terms of overall chemistry.

 

[Ridley Simon]

rids, last season holtby started the season slow. he was erratic in games and erratic game to game for about the first 20 games. remember? he played just like last night. he might stop stamos on a breakaway and then with the game in the balance score one on himself to lose the game.

as last night was a pure example of that, i am not sure how you can throw the team as a group under the bus as not good enough. they came from a goal down in the 3rd period on the road at the champs to take the lead. teams that just not good enough don't do that.

both teams played like it was early in the season. both teams could have won the game. had the caps gotten the goaltending, they would have won.

so...here's my question. is George's failure going with holtby?

To your question....no, he didn't. I like Holtby, and I believe in him. But, he's not the kind of goaltender than can make up for a bad defense. He's not in the realm of Lundqvist, or Quick, or even Rask/Bobrovsky from last year, etc etc.

He's good, and as I said, I like him. But if a defense leaves him in positions to have to win the game for us, he most of the time won't be able to do it. He will do it about as often as he loses a game for us too.

The defense is the problem. It's weak. Outside if Alzner, who I LOVE, we don't have any actually good defender. Our "best" defender, isn't really good at defense at all (Green). Same can be said for our "3rd best" defender (Carlson). Erskine is ok at defense, but he's not ok in other areas (like speed and mobility, and reading the play.... So when he misreads the play, he isn't quick enough to make up for it). The rest of the defense is marginal or young.

We have 11.5m tied up in Laich, Erat, and Neuvirth. At least one of those is a luxury, possibly 2. The defense needs that money spent on it, and I have been stating that for a long while now.

PS-- this is something Hunter understood, everyone. He knew our defense and goaltending, standing on it own, couldn't win anything. THAT is why he had the forwards playing such intense defense. It was not his "brand" at all, it was him doing what was the only thing he thought he could do to win. He came as close as anyone to making it work for us. Yet he is vilified here. Go figure.

 

[Ridley Simon]

A false choice, of course. I prefer fundamentally sound hockey most of all and this team rarely delivers that. Part of it's roster shortcomings in terms of balance but overall they still don't do the little things very well. I like polished mechnical teams from an execution standpoint and the Caps hardly find themselves near that level. The PP is the main area where they resemble a coherent team but that's not enough.

It's the first game...yadda yadda yadda...but I don't expect much improvement from the 4-6D or for them to suddenly become a much more poised team overall. Goaltending should straighten out and Laich ought to play center but that game was pretty reflective of what this team is for the most part. Competitive? Sure but not a powerhouse in terms of overall chemistry.

Correct. It's the same stuff from them.

Pointing it out after one game doesn't make us bad fans, for crying out loud. It's more a continuation of the same problems we have seen for years now. There is no bloom on this rose, everyone.

 

[amjay13]

The Caps played well, got poor goaltending and D out of a couple players and lost on the road against the best team in the league. Play like that and they win most nights.

 

[RandyHolt]

Rids - Good point on Dale. I was one of the few that supported him. I originally thought his approach was to force Ovi to play defense, but agree, he saw young goalies a sketchy D leaning hard on kids, and figured it was easier to win 2-1 than 5-4. And probably knew our studly PP wouldn't get many chances in the playoffs.

It says something about George always patting himself on the back for his mobile defense. He had no idea that Dale would get so defensive.

Translated, he has no idea that he has assembled a backend that is not cup worthy. I guess Dale fishing for a job didn't have the heart to tell him his D/G was lacking. Would you tell your prospective boss, that he needs to rethink things, before he asks you if you want the job?

We have rolled young Gs and a largely a young D (Green Alzner Carlson etc) - are there any cup winners that did that? Sure we mix in a Theo and a Hammer, but our core pieces are young.