GDT: Capitals @ Flyers - 12/17/13 7:30 PM

[troyerlaw]

Anyone that pointed out forechecking isn't against the rules in comment sections was treated as if they were the devil.

This X 100

 

[troyerlaw]

I watched much of that game and wondered how much longer we are going to insist that the Caps are a soft team? Johansson is soft. Which other Caps forwards are soft? Wilson is a full on game changer. remember that the Flyers were upset early after the Fehr his on Giroux. They got nowhere trying to make a statement. Volpatti held his own in a fight. Erskine didn't take any crap. Alzner laughed at them and the Wilson trucked Schenn. Then there after the bunch stood up and didn't let the Flyers attempt any revenge. That included taking on Downie after the ppg against.

Not to mention breaking downie's face and concussing lecavelier in fights 2 games back.

But even if we are less soft physically than we used to be, i think team is still very soft mentally. Not resilient mentally, esp. in playoffs and esp. in game 7s. And it still bugs me that we didn't put a stop to Emery's nonsense, third-man-in repercussions be damned. I wanted to see a teamwide sprint to the scene of that abomination to see who could be first to put emery's teeth into his throat. Kinda like when matt bradley made a bee line to the downie-ovie dispute, or when brouwer immediately challenged the panther who head-hunted fehr.

But mainly it's the game 7 blowouts against rags and s***sburgh which haunt my dreams and gnaw at my soul and cause me to wonder whether Caps will ever ever hoist the damn Cup.

 

[Langway]

I watched much of that game and wondered how much longer we are going to insist that the Caps are a soft team? Johansson is soft. Which other Caps forwards are soft? Wilson is a full on game changer. remember that the Flyers were upset early after the Fehr his on Giroux. They got nowhere trying to make a statement. Volpatti held his own in a fight. Erskine didn't take any crap. Alzner laughed at them and the Wilson trucked Schenn. Then there after the bunch stood up and didn't let the Flyers attempt any revenge. That included taking on Downie after the ppg against.

I actually thought Philadelphia did make a statement with their physical forecheck prior to Wilson's major, which IMO emotionally resulted in Wilson doing what he did in response.

Still, I doubt the Flyers care. They won the game and that's what was most important. Toughness is necessary but it's not the central quality of a contender...not in such a restricted sense anyway. In a broader sense in terms of attacking and defending with great intensity it is. This team remains nowhere close to having the requisite crisp pace and overall cohesion of a contender. Their aspect of toughness is no doubt nice to see but it's not exactly new. They handled themselves very well in the playoffs against Boston and have been fairly physical overall in past series.

 

[Capathetic]

I have no problem with the caps physical play. It's when the refs start calling cheap **** on the caps but let thugs like Callahan and Marchand throw elbows and dive all over the rink that gets me.

Last year on the play Erat got hurt vs rangers by Ovi stands out. Plenty more documented moments in recent caps memory.

 

[Beef Invictus]

I have no problem with the caps physical play. It's when the refs start calling cheap **** on the caps but let thugs like Callahan and Marchand throw elbows and dive all over the rink that gets me.

Last year on the play Erat got hurt vs rangers by Ovi stands out. Plenty more documented moments in recent caps memory.

Ugh. I tried hard to like Callahan as a Mike Richards sort of guy, then I saw a few games in a row where he blatantly quit on a play to dive and I've soured on him.

Sadly, the Flyers and Caps are "old fashioned" in that while some players on our teams embellish (Giroux, I'll poop on your car if you headsnap one more time), it isn't endemic and both our teams generally lack the massive interference you see from a lot of other teams...like Detroit, NJ, Pitt, or most Western teams.

 

[txpd]

Still, I doubt the Flyers care. They won the game and that's what was most important..

yea...and how did they manage to win that game? they scored two ppg's in a tie game on a major power play that they shouldn't have gotten.

that gets missed in this conversation a lot. the caps should have killed that pp but reality is that based on sound hockey that was not a penalty at all much less a major.

 

[noptov]

the caps should have killed that pp but reality is that based on sound hockey that was not a penalty at all much less a major.

This. I was furious about the call at the time and the replays have not changed my mind.

 

[stanleycaps18]

Maybe the refs should get a refresher on the rules. I was pretty pissed about the 5 and 10. I would have been fine with a 2, but it was clear Shenn turned into the hit, making it worse.

Shanny has acknowledged it, correctly.