Post-Game Talk: Caps @ Jackets | 1/27/15 | 7pm EST | Everyone's an All Star!!

[g00n]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...ses-from-capitals-after-fourth-straight-loss/

Trotz not happy. Thinks team is cheating again. Wants to get back to defense first.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

I don't know. A couple plays stick out:

One was in our zone when MJ blatently got tripped leading to Cbus getting the puck. A few seconds later their guy gets tripped and there is a call.

Also after Wilson got out of the box he was going in the zone by chipping the puck. The defender locked him up and held onto him for several seconds and the Caps bench was going crazy.

There were several smaller plays too.

Again just me and certainly I'm biased. I was pretty ticked these last few games. 20-11 is a big disparity. We haven't gotten away with much at all.

I'm pretty pissed that the refs aren't calling interference pretty much at all this year. It's ridiculous on some nights, last night is a good example.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

I'm pretty pissed that the refs aren't calling interference pretty much at all this year. It's ridiculous on some nights, last night is a good example.

Yet more evidence as to why this team really needs top-6 ES help. The officiating is going to loosen up even more in the playoffs.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

Yet more evidence as to why this team really needs top-6 ES help. The officiating is going to loosen up even more in the playoffs.

Excellent point. And our PP has a history of disappearing when we do get calls.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

It's getting harder to tell just from fan reaction, if that's possible. Some thought the Backstrom call at the end was bad, but he clearly got his stick between Dubinsky's legs and torqued him with it in kind of a partial corkscrew. The first Wilson penalty was panned, but he hit from behind when the player was already facing away, and in a fairly odd position in relation to the boards. If that hit is put on one of our guys we're howling for a penalty.

Not to mention all the times our guys got away with no-calls.

We have had games where we clearly got ambushed but last night was not one of them.

Both the Backstrom and Wilson plays happen 20 times a game. Wilson pinned a guy to the boards that just happened to be crouching. It wasn't a vicious hit in the least. The ref didn't even want to call it, you could see it in his hesitation. Backstrom was called for holding, which he certainly didn't do. Dubinsky dove.

 

[g00n]

Both the Backstrom and Wilson plays happen 20 times a game. Wilson pinned a guy to the boards that just happened to be crouching. It wasn't a vicious hit in the least. The ref didn't even want to call it, you could see it in his hesitation. Backstrom was called for holding, which he certainly didn't do. Dubinsky dove.

I rewound both plays and watched in fast and slow mo and that's not at all what I saw.

 

[BobRouse]

I'm pretty pissed that the refs aren't calling interference pretty much at all this year. It's ridiculous on some nights, last night is a good example.

Good point.

Ever since the first year after 05 lockout penalties have been declining and declining. Maily the intereference variety.

Goal scoring has gone down consistently due to this.

I don't get it at all.

Last night was frustrating to watch a lesser skilled team essentially obstruct their way to victory. There was one blatent on on Ward a minute into the game which set the tone.

 

[Stewie G]

My take on the reduction in obstruction calls is that they are trying to slow players down in an attempt to curtail big hits along the boards with a eye towards player safety. You can't go full bore into someone if you can't take a straight line to the target.

 

[Ajax1995]

Trotz not happy. Thinks team is cheating again. Wants to get back to defense first.

Gotta agree with him. The team has given up 4, 5, 4, and 4 goals over this losing streak while scoring 3, 4, 4, and 3 and yet so many here are crying about the 'need' for more offense. You aren't going to win many games in this league when you give up 4 goals.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

Gotta agree with him. The team has given up 4, 5, 4, and 4 goals over this losing streak while scoring 3, 4, 4, and 3 and yet so many here are crying about the 'need' for more offense. You aren't going to win many games in this league when you give up 4 goals.

Well we have the personnel in place to drive that GA number down. Do we have the personnel in place to score reliably in the postseason? I certainly don't think so.

 

[Ajax1995]

I certainly don't think so.

Well that is because you are of the opinion that players actually improving only occurs in the land of Oz. If you have failed before you will always fail, end of story...

If that 6 week run of brilliance from Holtby was just a hot streak and not the harbinger of what we can expect from him on a fairly regular basis going forward then none of it matters anyway IMO...

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

Well that is because you are of the opinion that players actually improving only occurs in the land of Oz. If you have failed before you will always fail, end of story...

If that 6 week run of brilliance from Holtby was just a hot streak and not the harbinger of what we can expect from him on a fairly regular basis going forward then none of it matters anyway IMO...

Thanks for giving me my opinion, mocking it and dismissing it! Who needs a message board when you can just mutter angrily to yourself in a darkened room?

 

[Ajax1995]

Thanks for giving me my opinion, mocking it and dismissing it! Who needs a message board when you can just mutter angrily to yourself in a darkened room?

Come on man, are you really claiming you are not on record multiple times saying that certain players are who they are and will not improve regardless of their age?

I'm not saying you feel that way about everyone but outside of the guys who are in their first or second year here and maybe Carlson, Alzner, and Holtby who on this team isn't now, and thus their playoff past, who you think they always will be, at best of course as they could always decline?

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

Come on man, are you really claiming you are not on record multiple times saying that certain players are who they are and will not improve regardless of their age?

I'm not saying you feel that way about everyone but outside of the guys who are in their first or second year here and maybe Carlson, Alzner, and Holtby who on this team isn't now, and thus their playoff past, who you think they always will be, at best of course as they could always decline?

You pretty clearly said I feel that way about everyone.

 

[Ajax1995]

You pretty clearly said I feel that way about everyone.

I said if you have failed before you will fail again, meaning playoffs, and the youngsters haven't had the opportunity to fail before so...

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

I said if you have failed before you will fail again, meaning playoffs, and the youngsters haven't had the opportunity to fail before so...

Well that is because you are of the opinion that players actually improving only occurs in the land of Oz.

I have no idea what you're talking about right now, so let me know what my opinion/response is so that we can move on.

 

[Ajax1995]

so let me know what my response is so that we can move on.

I'm just here so I won't get fined...?

 

[ChibiPooky]

Interesting that Trotz predicted that they would be sloppy coming out of the break and was 100% right. He seems to have an excellent read on the room and the character of his guys. Hopefully that translates over the next season or so into actual roster alignment and positive direction.