Post-Game Talk: Caps/Devs Easter Adidtion GDT

[ovikovy817]

Sweeeep.Job done by the Caps. 16/16 from the Devils.

NJ has potential to win games against the direct Caps' opponents

 

[Fred22406Capsfan]

Lavi for periods 1 and 2 and Trotz for period 3 please.

THIS! Cup #2 in the bag...

 

[twabby]

I’d like to see Vrana in next game.

Kind of surprised they scratched him again today, especially given the post-game quote about how the Caps were tired from playing 3 games in 3 1/2 days. Could have used some fresh legs.

 

[Rayquaza64]

I’d like to see Vrana in next game.

Kind of surprised they scratched him again today, especially given the post-game quote about how the Caps were tired from playing 3 games in 3 1/2 days. Could have used some fresh legs.

yep. panik sure looked like he needs a break....

 

[maacoshark]

yep. panik sure looked like he needs a break....

Vrana is being benched for a reason.

 

[twabby]

Vrana is being benched for a reason.

Unless they are working on something in specific in practice where he needs more time, then I don't see how sitting him for a third game accomplishes any more than sitting him for 2 games.

I think they can take Daniel Sprong out of the lineup for a game and see what Vrana can accomplish against the Islanders. If he doesn't respond, then shame on him and the team and coach will have to figure out where to go from there. Either way, they need to know what version of Vrana they will have going into the postseason.

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

Vrana is being benched for a reason.

Maybe. But Ovechkins lazy ass shift with five minutes left led to a goal and is something that cannot happen with a lead in the third. And Lavy throws him back out there with 2 min left in the game. So I am sure Vrana feels like he is getting singled out.

 

[txpd]

Maybe. But Ovechkins lazy ass shift with five minutes left led to a goal and is something that cannot happen with a lead in the third. And Lavy throws him back out there with 2 min left in the game. So I am sure Vrana feels like he is getting singled out.

Pretty sure he is being singled out

 

[Fred22406Capsfan]

Tell me if I'm wrong here but though the Caps overall look better this year, they don't seem to have that killer instinct. They get a lead, then hit the cruise control while going against teams that are still trying to win. Lapses, breakdowns, inexcusable turnovers.... won't work against the big boys. Hope they can figure out how to kick it for 60 minutes but it hasn't happened consistently so far. Thoughts?

 

[sycamore]

All these wins are just so important for Samsonov. He didn't play perfect, but the fact that they won today, again,
boosts the kids confidence regardless.

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

 

[Kuznetsnow]

If it's about accountability Vrana should be playing over Dillon. Also Chara should really get some rest before the playoffs

 

[txpd]

Panik out. They lose 2. Vrana out. They win 2. Nice to see Kuzy with a crooked number.

 

[txpd]

If it's about accountability Vrana should be playing over Dillon. Also Chara should really get some rest before the playoffs

You know that makes no sense. Right

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

Pretty sure he is being singled out

And I worry that will lead to him demanding a trade. While he has some holes in his game we have a really depth of young scoring talent.

 

[Kuznetsnow]

You know that makes no sense. Right

Why not?

 

[txpd]

And I worry that will lead to him demanding a trade. While he has some holes in his game we have a really depth of young scoring talent.

The idea was to get a coach to hold players accountable. This is usually a multi tiered program. Getting scratched one of the last. Suggests things aren't good

 

[txpd]

Why not?

Well...Vrana is a forward and Dillon isnt

 

[895]

Panik out. They lose 2. Vrana out. They win 2. Nice to see Kuzy with a crooked number.

Wilson out, they win 7. Wilson back, immediately start playing .500 hockey

 

[Kuznetsnow]

Well...Vrana is a forward and Dillon isnt

Accountability is accountability and they've rolled with an uneven proportion of forwards and D before

 

[txpd]

Wilson out, they win 7. Wilson back, immediately start playing .500 hockey

Yea....ok. and? Take Wilson out for half the games?

 

[bur and 666 others]

Haven't watched the game, but the trend of blowing up in the 3rd period is troublesome. They had to score more than 5 goals to win games, that won't take us far in the playoffs.

 

[Ridley Simon]

I dunno this team doesn’t pass the eye test for me. So many of our wins during our streak came against Buffalo/NJ/Philly. We are playing .500 hockey lately against the other teams in our division. I don’t think this team is bad but in no way do I think they are a legit contender.

I see this post got some positive responses.

ok.

So how did all of us “think” we looked in 2018, with 20 games to go before the playoffs?

Did we all “think” we were ready to take it all down? Champs??

I’d guess not.

None of us know shit. Me included. You included.

 

[Roshi]

As long as we are top4 in our division i dont worry. Get to the playoffs and anything can happen, we should have learned that much by now. We have looked world beaters just to get ellminated first round, and won the cup on one of the biggest doom & gloom seasons on hfboards.

As long as we are leading our division i like what im seeing. That automatically puts us in front of our seed. Whatever holes or problems we have, others have them too. Propably bigger holes, problems as we are ahead of them.

As long as we are top3 in the league we are true contender heading to the playoffs and theres no denying it.

We are not looking to build the best hockey team that ever existed. Its cap era. Every team will have ups and downs and holes and everything. We just try to hide ours best we can and expose others. Match-up and momentum hockey is ruthless way to decide the winner and anything can go wrong on a seven game series. Or everything can go right.

Our biggest problem and hole for the last 2 playoffs were not talent, defence, goalies, whatever. Our biggest hole was momentum. We couldnt turn it on when needed. Regular season game 34 and a 5-4 W over Devils wont indicate anything on that part.

Regular season is a long grind to showcase the best overall teams in the league, playoffs is for them to go war on a heads up live or die combat. Protecting and exposing the holes. Point here; every team has holes. Noone cant win every game with flawless victory. We can relax a bit now, we are doing fine and have comfortable shield for our spot in the sun, that can sometimes show on the ice too.

Just make sure team doesnt look comfortable when we need to be ruthless, again. Im hoping Chara is one of the biggest changes on that part, along with Lavi obviously.

 

[HecticGlow]

Under Laviolette, do the defensive pairs even have specific assignments? I can’t say I’ve noticed any one pair taking the majority of ‘shut down’ tasks like we saw Niskanen and Orlov/Alzner take in the past? It could be Dillon, it could be Orlov, it could be Chara. The overall system seems better this year, but the ferocious matching of lines and pairs we saw from the Trotz era doesn’t seem to have carried over, and I wonder if players not having as clearly defined ‘roles’ at 5v5 but all being expected to play the same game is part of what’s causing them problems holding down leads?

I hate to say it, but Sprong seems like this year’s Travis Boyd - a guy who scores goals at a stupidly high rate when inserted back into the lineup, but beyond that becomes invisible. Sheary deserves a spot because he’s a good two-way player who works on multiple lines. I’m not convinced Sprong deserves a spot over Vrana going forward, and I’d take Panik from the start of the season over Sprong.