Post-Game Talk: Capitals Vs. Red Wings 1/10/15 7:00 PM Caps Win 3-1

[BlitzSnipe]

Kuznetsov had the goalie down twice, with a more or less open net but didn't shoot the puck. The guy needs to shoot! Could've had two goals.

 

[BlitzSnipe]

Kuzya really needs to bury that.

Agreed - just shoot the puck! Guy has a great shot, but doesn't shoot.

 

[searle]

Kuznetsov had the goalie down twice, with a more or less open net but didn't shoot the puck. The guy needs to shoot! Could've had two goals.

Angle on some of them was pretty ridic though! Waited for the play to develop to see if he could pass to someone in front, I'm not against that

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

We win and cant gain any ground in the standings... its gonna be a tight race boys

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

Asserting a skater is a bad PKer based on save percentage while he's on the ice has got to be one of the most absurd interpretations of stats I've ever seen.

 

[Devil Dancer]

So, this team is pretty good right now, eh? They aren't as fun to watch as they were during the fun & gun era, but I feel a lot more confident that they'll hold a lead and that they can shut down a powerful team.

 

[NoMoreChoking]

One ONE regulation loss since December and we still have people crying.

We can win the Stanley Cup and people will cry cause we didn't do it in 4 games

 

[OVs Gold Chain*]

5 game win streak at home. Nice to see that we're starting to win at home. Who would have thought that would be an issue.

Trotz was really hammering the point home on epix about making the VC the toughest place to play in. Nice to see the boys get things turned around.

 

[OVs Gold Chain*]

They aren't as fun to watch as they were during the fun & gun era

To each their own. No more cardiac caps means extra years of watching the team added to our lifespans. We still have all the talent and skillful plays without all the 3-goal comebacks/lead giveaways.

 

[Ajax1995]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/capitals/capitals-build-early-lead-hold-on-to-defeat-red-wings-in-return-to-home-ice/2015/01/10/91e22aa6-9904-11e4-8005-1924ede3e54a_story.html

But upon greeting his players at intermission, those concerns quickly faded. Trotz might have once felt anxiety knifing through the locker room, spread across panicky faces, had this happened in October or November. Yet Saturday night, before the Capitals sealed a 3-1 victory at the official midway point of their maiden voyage under Trotz, their bench boss only saw confidence.

“Earlier in the season, when that would have happened to us, you would feel a tension in the room,” Trotz said. “I didn’t feel any tension in the room.”

I found the quote from the Post writeup on the game last night incredibly encouraging. While it has always been nice that this team has had a never say die attitude when down and you almost always felt they could come back from most deficits the opposite has pretty much always been true and you felt no lead was really safe. They have just seemed so incredibly mentally fragile for such a long time that you knew just one bad break or goal against would lead to panic. It is really nice to feel that maybe the days of being so weak mentally are over. Lets hope anyway...

 

[stanleycaps18]

I might be crying if the Caps win a Stanley Cup, but it sure as hell won't be because of the number of games it happened.

 

[HOLDITHERE*]

One ONE regulation loss since December and we still have people crying.

We can win the Stanley Cup and people will cry cause we didn't do it in 4 games

Welcome to the Capitals board!

And I feel like the only games we'll gain any ground are the divisional games. But they better pray their ***** get points in every other game

 

[Dream Big]

Trotz was really hammering the point home on epix about making the VC the toughest place to play in. Nice to see the boys get things turned around.

After watching the Winnipeg vs LA game last night I think Trotz really has a good point.

Battle mode needs to be turned on and kept on especially at home. I'm concerned that some of the younger players may not be able to sustain once the post games start.

 

[txpd]

I'm concerned that some of the younger players may not be able to sustain once the post games start.

who? what players do the caps have in primary roles that would be considered younger?

Bura on the 1st line, but how likely is it that he is there and not Wilson or a trade deadline upgrade?

Kuznetsov is on the nominal 2Line but doesn't carry a primary role. Againt a TDL upgrade could happen there as well.

The bottom 6 are playoff veterans except for Latta.

The primary role defense is all veterans and Holtby has been thru two playoffs.

I am concerned that he is playing too much.

 

[Calicaps]

who? what players do the caps have in primary roles that would be considered younger?

Bura on the 1st line, but how likely is it that he is there and not Wilson or a trade deadline upgrade?

Kuznetsov is on the nominal 2Line but doesn't carry a primary role. Againt a TDL upgrade could happen there as well.

The bottom 6 are playoff veterans except for Latta.

The primary role defense is all veterans and Holtby has been thru two playoffs.

I am concerned that he is playing too much.

Kuz doesn't have a primary role? How do you figure?

 

[OVs Gold Chain*]

Kuznetsov's role seems to be growing by the game. He's slowly but surely figuring out how to create his own space and make plays in this league.

 

[g00n]

I like the "battle mode" thing. This team seems to have had an attitude of "the regular season doesn't matter, just get to the playoffs, then flip a switch" for years. And it showed. Trotz reversing that is a HUGE step in the right direction.

They don't need to be thinking "just get in and anything can happen", per the message from the previous administration. They need to be playing every game like it counts as much as the one before or after.

Play a full 60 minutes and every game is equally important. More than anything else, that's professionalism.

 

[artilector]

 

[txpd]

They don't need to be thinking "just get in and anything can happen", per the message from the previous administration. They need to be playing every game like it counts as much as the one before or after..

while I agree with you, I think they taught themselves or convinced themselves of as result of the juggernaut that ran aground v Montreal and embarrassed them all.
that is there defining moment. They were damaged deep. It drove Boudreau from his convictions.

I think the Caps have needed Trotz. Maybe Lavy would have been better come playoffs. But Trotz seems to be able to talk to these Caps veterans to heal that damage.

As a racer, the inside the racing community view of Joe Gibbs is that of an emotional god. He is the best job in racing. No one ever quits him and they win championships. I have heard that Barry Trotz has a lot of the same qualities which explains how he could coach so long with one team. People don't quit him for a better opportunity.

 

[g00n]

while I agree with you, I think they taught themselves or convinced themselves of as result of the juggernaut that ran aground v Montreal and embarrassed them all.
that is there defining moment. They were damaged deep. It drove Boudreau from his convictions.

I think the Caps have needed Trotz. Maybe Lavy would have been better come playoffs. But Trotz seems to be able to talk to these Caps veterans to heal that damage.

As a racer, the inside the racing community view of Joe Gibbs is that of an emotional god. He is the best job in racing. No one ever quits him and they win championships. I have heard that Barry Trotz has a lot of the same qualities which explains how he could coach so long with one team. People don't quit him for a better opportunity.

Oh it definitely started after or DURING the Montreal series. They admitted they took the Habs too lightly, iirc. It wasn't until they were facing elimination that they got serious, and it was too late.

I think it was part in internal and part external for the players. Some of it was the overconfidence they'd built up from mowing down the league, and some was having their tires pumped in the media and from their marketing department.

Following that season the mixed message was put out that the regular season both did and didn't matter...the former to encourage fan interest and the latter to head off questions about seeding or ugly regular season performance. I think the players were in a loose environment with BB and that mean the "doesn't matter" side won out for most of the players, who took McPhee's "anything can happen, just get in" comments as the bottom line for job expectations.

And that's what we got. Until last year when they didn't get in.

 

[txpd]

I think to be fair that the anything can happen. just get in comments came when they were struggling to get in. what is the alternative? saying they had no shot even if they made it?

 

[g00n]

I think to be fair that the anything can happen. just get in comments came when they were struggling to get in. what is the alternative? saying they had no shot even if they made it?

Of course you make comments like that when you're struggling as opposed to when you're playing up to expectations. Why would a team that looks like a playoff threat need to say anything like that except as fake humility, which it was not?

The alternative would have been making moves or changes that needed to be made so you don't have to lower the bar to "just get in and hope for the best" spin.