GDT: Caps@Flyers - we still don't like these guys 7:30pm

[hb12xchamps]

There is no way a coach would throw his player under the bus like that and support the opposition on a play like that plus contradict a ref on a play that goes his way. I'll need to see a quote to ever believe that.

Look at every Washington beat writers Twitter pages.......

 

[Halpysback*]

Crap... forgot to finish my point on Radulov and Kostitsyn. IMO Poile and Trotz sorta singled them out and scapegoated them to take the spotlight away from Suter and Weber, who were both subpar against Phoenix (Suter was flat out bad), probably since they needed those two to resign very much and taking the spotlight away from them was beneficial.

 

[BTCG]

I'm not calling you out over the Radulov thing or anything, it's just that I always feel compelled to comment on it as it was one of those "boy that escalated quickly" moments that in reality was little more than nothing.

Another thing about Radulov quickly forgotten, is that he came from another league after being absent from the NHL for years, had 9 games to gel with his team, played on a torn meniscus (fairly serious injury)... and still led his team in points. Andrei Kostitsyn himself put up a dominant performance against Detroit, who aren't exactly unfamiliar with the playoffs. That's one of the reasons I wanted him so badly in the offseason to the annoyance of many regulars.

Ovechkin isn't gonna win a Selke any time soon, but whenever goals are scored against us it's very rarely his fault. I mean, there are times he could have done more to stop it, but usually he's covering somebody away from the play, which can be bad or can be neutral depending on the situation. Any mess he creates himself he generally hustles back to clean up. Every time a goal against is flat out his fault people reminisce about it for like a week. What Backstrom did today on Gagne's goal was worse than all of Ovechkin's bad defensive plays for the day combined. Yet no one is calling our precious butters out on it.

I don't know which is true, but according to Redmond, the 2 were at a bar and were out pretty late.

As to Alex, gotta disagree. Just tonight (on their 2nd goal, if I'm not mistaken), he was too high, and could have made a difference.

 

[BTCG]

Crap... forgot to finish my point on Radulov and Kostitsyn. IMO Poile and Trotz sorta singled them out and scapegoated them to take the spotlight away from Suter and Weber, who were both subpar against Phoenix (Suter was flat out bad), probably since they needed those two to resign very much and taking the spotlight away from them was beneficial.

I don't know if Redmond & Daniels dislike Rads or not, but they showed some isolated shots of him and his defenceive play in those clips was horrible.

 

[Halpysback*]

I don't know which is true, but according to Redmond, the 2 were at a bar and were out pretty late.

As to Alex, gotta disagree. Just tonight (on their 2nd goal, if I'm not mistaken), he was too high, and could have made a difference.

You mean the Giroux goal? He didn't play well, but that wasn't his guy to cover if I'm not mistaken. So while he didn't save the day there I don't think he ruined it.

Backstrom literally turned around and skated away as Gagne got the puck alone in front of an empty net.

 

[BTCG]

You mean the Giroux goal? He didn't play well, but that wasn't his guy to cover if I'm not mistaken. So while he didn't save the day there I don't think he ruined it.

Backstrom literally turned around and skated away as Gagne got the puck alone in front of an empty net.

Not sure... I've got it taped, and I'll look at it again later. But as is typical, he will not spend a second longer than he has to in our zone, and he could have made a difference.

 

[Acallabeth]

As to Alex, gotta disagree. Just tonight (on their 2nd goal, if I'm not mistaken), he was too high, and could have made a difference.

Well, if he doesn't play that high, the team is swarming around their net, allowing more and more shots from the point. The Flyers were dominating us when we tried this, our only good moments in the game were when they couldn't keep that pressure.

 

[Halpysback*]

I don't know if Redmond & Daniels dislike Rads or not, but they showed some isolated shots of him and his defenceive play in those clips was horrible.

I think that was Roenick presenting the montage. It looked really bad but I went through the game looking for them and while that wasn't a good defensive game for him by any stretch a lot of those he was simply covering a point man while action was somewhere else or forced off the puck or caught up too high when the play turned around. It was a bad game for him but the editing made him worse than he was and prior to that he was good enough defensively for them. I think Legwand literally batted the puck into the preds' own net that game and nothing was made of it. A lot of preds made bad plays but only Radulov was called out on it. Just like a lot of respected caps' grinders (or Backstrom) would make bad plays as well as good but only Semin was really held to the fire for his.

As far as the whole curfewgate, I believe initially the speculation was that they were hammered until 4AM but later it came out that they had dinner and came back something like 30 minutes to 1 hour after curfew. I'll have to find a link, I remember for the first week people the media was saying Radulov partied all night and killed a hooker and whatnot.

 

[BTCG]

Well, if he doesn't play that high, the team is swarming around their net, allowing more and more shots from the point. The Flyers were dominating us when we tried this, our only good moments in the game were when they couldn't keep that pressure.

In that particular play, I thought at the time that he was too high. I'll look at it again later.

 

[BTCG]

I think that was Roenick presenting the montage. It looked really bad but I went through the game looking for them and while that wasn't a good defensive game for him by any stretch a lot of those he was simply covering a point man while action was somewhere else or forced off the puck or caught up too high when the play turned around. It was a bad game for him but the editing made him worse than he was and prior to that he was good enough defensively for them. I think Legwand literally batted the puck into the preds' own net that game and nothing was made of it. A lot of preds made bad plays but only Radulov was called out on it. Just like a lot of respected caps' grinders (or Backstrom) would make bad plays as well as good but only Semin was really held to the fire for his.

As far as the whole curfewgate, I believe initially the speculation was that they were hammered until 4AM but later it came out that they had dinner and came back something like 30 minutes to 1 hour after curfew. I'll have to find a link, I remember for the first week people the media was saying Radulov partied all night and killed a hooker and whatnot.

It may have been JR, but I'm recalling it as MR. I didn't save it, or make a big deal of it at the time. But rads play was pretty bad defenceively in the clips. And in the KHL that year, I believe that he was the leading scorer (although this aside has nothing to do with the point).

 

[Halpysback*]

Not sure... I've got it taped, and I'll look at it again later. But as is typical, he will not spend a second longer than he has to in our zone, and he could have made a difference.

Those be the perils of zone defense. Wingers (or at least one winger) floats up high to cover the point man, which makes said winger seem like a lazy floating turd any time a goal is scored and he's not providing support down low. The flip side would be for everyone to collapse down low, which means any successful pass to the point gives them a day and a half to tee up a slapshot and you have to have everyone lie down to block it and hope for the best. Ovechkin serves a dual function there - on one hand he's not bad at pressing the pointman (pokes at him, block shots if they get any off, forces the pointman to **** himself and make hasty plays), on the other hand he's also the lightning rod on transition - if you regain possession you want him speeding out of the one for a counterattack.

The real problem was that whoever was covering Giroux (I think one of the D or Ribeiro) let him go egregiously, probably to go help someone else who was getting owned by the guy who had the puck at the time. In Hunter's man to man system that practically never happened.

 

[Koized]

Stephen Whyno‏@SWhyno

#Caps' Oates on Perreault hit: "Matty thought he could stick-handle through the team. It’s not what we do"

Great thing to say Oates. One of the only players who put forth a good effort tonight and you chirp him. Maybe focus your attention on your captain and #52 who were trying to stick-handle through the other team all night and whose effort levels were horrible.

 

[SimplySensational]

Ovechkin brushed off Milbury’s criticism after the Caps’ 4-1 loss.

“Well it’s his point,†Ovechkin said. “I don’t listen to those guys; I don’t listen to nobody right now, so they can talk whatever they want, to be honest with you. It’s their point.â€

Asked generally about his game, Ovechkin said: “A couple chances in the third, PP chances. In that kind of position what was today we have to – I have to – score that kind of goals to give team a ump.â€

asdf

 

[um]

great ovechkin and co got embarrassed again. We really should trade the guy (OV), not because of who he is I love the guy but because of that cap hit. if we are lucky someone will overpay for him like montreal did for gomez.

 

[Halpysback*]

great ovechkin and co got embarrassed again. We really should trade the guy (OV), not because of who he is I love the guy but because of that cap hit. if we are lucky someone will overpay for him like montreal did for gomez.

yeah we're really hurting for cap space right now.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Disappointing loss, but nothing us fans can do.

 

[msrulo]

great ovechkin and co got embarrassed again. We really should trade the guy (OV), not because of who he is I love the guy but because of that cap hit. if we are lucky someone will overpay for him like montreal did for gomez.

Can't agree more, I think he's great but not fit for the cap space.

 

[um]

yeah we're really hurting for cap space right now.

you know his contract goes on for another 8 years right? you wanna be not competitive for another 8 years?

 

[Acallabeth]

you know his contract goes on for another 8 years right? you wanna be not competitive for another 8 years?

And here we go again... Yeah, I agree, trade Ovechkin. Having 3 Browers instead is much better.

 

[bonzaibondra12]

And here we go again... Yeah, I agree, trade Ovechkin. Having 3 Browers instead is much better.

If his attitude is as poor as it seems, then yea it might be.

And anyway, Brouwer has as many goals as OV, a better shot %, more hits, and better defensively. So yea, right now, if the return was 3 Brouwers for OV, I'd take it.

 

[fsnoles98]

This team is again inconsistently bad, lol.
Same issues year in and year out. Lacks heart, physicalness. They are quick to quit on each other and do not stand up for their own.

Backstrom is killing me with his Euro play, Green with his "I realy could careless"attitude.

Just another year as a Cap fan

 

[caps4cup]

Then they had a good 3rd period.

nvm, why bother you are just going to say it was a bad period too so it fits your argument.

It was better but still very sloppy.

 

[RandyHolt]

It was nice to see a regular season game with some hitting. Sure, it only lasted a few minutes, but it looked like for a moment there that our boys stood up for themselves.

I think its time we recalled some beef. Crabb and Hendricks could use a rest. Our energy line is more like a Dramamine line. No 4th liner should be above the occasional scratch.

I still wish Phil got the start last night. I want guys coming and going from Hershey to keep our slugs motivated. We call up Wellman but scratch him. Its easy to see calls up flying around giving their all, almost always exceeding expectations based on adrenaline. Everyone in Hershey sees, everyone in Kettler sees, and it motivates all.

I learned, short the Caps on the road B2B. Maybe on the road period.

 

[BobRouse]

It was nice to see a regular season game with some hitting. Sure, it only lasted a few minutes, but it looked like for a moment there that our boys stood up for themselves.

I think its time we recalled some beef. Crabb and Hendricks could use a rest. Our energy line is more like a Dramamine line. No 4th liner should be above the occasional scratch.

I still wish Phil got the start last night. I want guys coming and going from Hershey to keep our slugs motivated. We call up Wellman but scratch him. Its easy to see calls up flying around giving their all, almost always exceeding expectations based on adrenaline. Everyone in Hershey sees, everyone in Kettler sees, and it motivates all.

I learned, short the Caps on the road B2B. Maybe on the road period.

Granted the whole team looked flat from the get go and that weird 1st goal double bounce off Alzner took the wind out of their sails early..but...

Not to single certain players out but I wonder what Crabb brings to the team? What does Wolski bring?

Niether of them hit. They aren't strong on the puck and don't win very many one on one battles. They both don't score. I'd rather have a couple thuggish players inthe lineup instead and go with three line for most of the game.

Chimera hasn't played well all year but he has proven before that he is a very capable player. Not sure whats wrong with him.

But Wolski and Crabb really don't seem to bring much in my mind. Wolski seems to kill every line he is on and Crabb is about as worthless as it gets. Perhaps we aren't using them right or they are not a good fit with our team as structured.

I would hope to see them as healthy scratches when Laich and Marcus come back.

Wolski FEARS any form of contact..he alligator arms every poke check and never competes for loose pucks that he can't fish for with his stick. Crab tries but he just gets stomped on like an ant.

 

[CrashTheNet9]

Bring up Mitchell and put him in place of Crabb. Play anyone over Wolski.