GDT: Caps @ Sabres - 1/28/14 7:30 PM

[InfernalDark*]

Just got home... yea I'm a Caps fan and thats why I drink. Did I miss anything?

 

[Capathetic]

I thought Ward had a bad game. Blind passes to the middle and turnovers most of the night. Willy and Beagle are looking ok and Chimmer made some plays...really liked the pass Ovie made to him on Brouwer's goal.

Erat is a good player. 20 assists now in prob not as much ice time as he should be getting.

What happened with Laich?

 

[FloridaCap]

I thought Ward had a bad game. Blind passes to the middle and turnovers most of the night. Willy and Beagle are looking ok and Chimmer made some plays...really liked the pass Ovie made to him on Brouwer's goal.

Erat is a good player. 20 assists now in prob not as much ice time as he should be getting.

What happened with Laich?

Ward has been awful for a couple weeks now. I don't know what happened with him lately.

Laich is damaged goods. Buy him out and move on.

 

[Portable Mink]

That's probably the best cerebral game I've ever seen from Ovi and I've probably watched 99.8% of his games.

- great thinking pass
- holding onto the puck and waiting for his defender to reach or sit back THEN deciding his play
- better wall play
- thinking plays rather than necessarily attempting any shot

I think a lot of guys played with patience offensively tonight. I think once again our breakdowns are always in just horrible straight in front spots which needs to be extensively coached out of guys.

But Ovi.... What. A. Game.

 

[RandyHolt]

Gearing up for Sochi. I am sure no one is surprised and all remember the best stretch by our team ever 4 years ago. No one tell Green that he is not going. TSA will let him know. What's in the bag.

And it's not that Ovi can't pass, it's often that he shouldn't. He has about the best shot in the league.

That pass to Erat on the PP, he ripped it like a shot and think it hit a dman, a nice catch by Mouthpiece Marty. About Erat never scoring, he doesn't look to score. On our team he brings his passing hat and is likely told to do by Oatsie. We lack creativity so badly when Ovi makes a nice pass everyone feels the need to announce it. If we aren't on the PP our passing is largely atrocious. Hate all you want but Erat is a hard working creative player racking up assists.

 

[txpd]

backstrom. did he get a repeat of the rene bourque cheapshot elbow to the head? did he not get it in the head? meaning did the guy miss and get him a little lower or did he get backy in the head and not damage him? suspension coming?

 

[g00n]

backstrom. did he get a repeat of the rene bourque cheapshot elbow to the head? did he not get it in the head? meaning did the guy miss and get him a little lower or did he get backy in the head and not damage him? suspension coming?

Definitely targeted the head. Weber led with the shoulder and followed with an extended elbow on MJ90 and seemed to stick out the elbow on Backstrom. Neither player was near the puck, not even close, iirc. If that POS isn't suspended for obvious headhunting then something is seriously wrong with the league.

 

[txpd]

yea....forgot about the Johansson thing. I guess the Sabres wanted to fight and the Caps were saying no and so he decided to head hunt. I think for the given game he did a great job. 1 minor penalty for two head shots totally away from the puck.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Gearing up for Sochi. I am sure no one is surprised and all remember the best stretch by our team ever 4 years ago. No one tell Green that he is not going. TSA will let him know. What's in the bag.

And it's not that Ovi can't pass, it's often that he shouldn't. He has about the best shot in the league.

That pass to Erat on the PP, he ripped it like a shot and think it hit a dman, a nice catch by Mouthpiece Marty. About Erat never scoring, he doesn't look to score. On our team he brings his passing hat and is likely told to do by Oatsie. We lack creativity so badly when Ovi makes a nice pass everyone feels the need to announce it. If we aren't on the PP our passing is largely atrocious. Hate all you want but Erat is a hard working creative player racking up assists.

Last night he was utilized correctly. This is what I expect, not used as a 4th liner or scratched.

 

[SimplySensational]

Of course Weber won't get suspended.

When Mark Stuart did the same thing to Johansson, beat writers ignored it and CSN ignored it. League feels no pressure to suspend players for cheap shots on Capitals players and the local are ****ing Pejorative Slurs that will never press the issue unless apparently its Backstrom because they won't **** about the one on Backstrom.

 

[BiPolar Caps]

A Capitals win, so it's only appropriate to note the negatives:

Too much "spectatoring" at times last night by some players:
- Sabres first goal, both Erskine and Ovechkin allowed Sabres to have several whacks at the puck while it sat on the door step of the Caps goal. Standard lacrosse play in such situations was one player shouts out man and the other ball or in this case puck, that is one player goes to check the opponent while the other goes for the puck. In this case both players should have gone for the opponents and let Holtby get the puck. Clear the crease please!
- One of Mike Green's better games this season but it wouldn't be Mike Green without a bone head moment. Called for penalty and he stops playing in order to plead his case to the referee while the opponent is still playing/possessing the puck in close proximity to the Caps goal. Fortunately no harm done on this one. However
- Jason Chimera like Mike Green is called for a penalty and he reacts like Green did and forgets about staying with the play or the player but goes to argue with the referree while the Sabre player in this case Cody Hodgson maintains puck possession and goes directly to the goal and lifts the puck over Holtby for the goal.

Note: No matter what the sport, hockey, soccer etc. I've never seen a player win an argument with a referee.

Lack of focus and discipline at times last night by some Caps.

 

[SimplySensational]

A Capitals win, so it's only appropriate to note the negatives:

Too much "spectatoring" at times last night by some players:
- Sabres first goal, both Erskine and Ovechkin allowed Sabres to have several whacks at the puck while it sat on the door step of the Caps goal. Standard lacrosse play in such situations was one player shouts out man and the other ball or in this case puck, that is one player goes to check the opponent while the other goes for the puck. In this case both players should have gone for the opponents and let Holtby get the puck. Clear the crease please!
- One of Mike Green's better games this season but it wouldn't be Mike Green without a bone head moment. Called for penalty and he stops playing in order to plead his case to the referee while the opponent is still playing/possessing the puck in close proximity to the Caps goal. Fortunately no harm done on this one. However
- Jason Chimera like Mike Green is called for a penalty and he reacts like Green did and forgets about staying with the play or the player but goes to argue with the referree while the Sabre player in this case Cody Hodgson maintains puck possession and goes directly to the goal and lifts the puck over Holtby for the goal.

Lack of focus and discipline at times last night by some Caps.

Oh could you ****ng stop with your Holbty love.

Ovechkin bodied Ehrhoff. Ehrhoff is a left handed ****ing shot. Holtby has to kick the puck out of the crease. Ovechkin held Ehrhoff, but Moulson was also right there.

Holtby ****ed up, once again and was terrible.

Instead the 2 guys that bailed him out are the ones you attack.

 

[BiPolar Caps]

Oh could you ****ng stop with your Holbty love.

Ovechkin bodied Ehrhoff. Ehrhoff is a left handed ****ing shot. Holtby has to kick the puck out of the crease. Ovechkin held Ehrhoff, but Moulson was also right there.

Holtby ****ed up, once again and was terrible.

Instead the 2 guys that bailed him out are the ones you attack.

Didn't watch the game eh!

 

[trick9]

Oh could you ****ng stop with your Holbty love.

Ovechkin bodied Ehrhoff. Ehrhoff is a left handed ****ing shot. Holtby has to kick the puck out of the crease. Ovechkin held Ehrhoff, but Moulson was also right there.

Holtby ****ed up, once again and was terrible.

Instead the 2 guys that bailed him out are the ones you attack.

Bailed him out? Do you mean Ovechkin and Erskine?

Nice job bailing him out when both of them left their guys wide open right in front of the goal. It's goalies job to stop the initial shot, he stopped that and stopped the Moulson shot too. He could have stopped that Ehrhoff shot too but for god sake it's defenders job to get to the rebound, they failed to do that twice and it cost them.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Bailed him out? Do you mean Ovechkin and Erskine?

Nice job bailing him out when both of them left their guys wide open right in front of the goal. It's goalies job to stop the initial shot, he stopped that and stopped the Moulson shot too. He could have stopped that Ehrhoff shot too but for god sake it's defenders job to get to the rebound, they failed to do that twice and it cost them.

I tell you what ISN'T the goalie's job and that's to inexplicably lose sight of the puck when it's in the crease right in front of his foot. He appears to look right at it then turn away leaving the juicy rebound. It was a horrible play by the tender AND the skaters not picking up unattended guys around the crease (recurring issue of pathetic man to man coverage in tight).

 

[g00n]

And yet none of the commentators blamed Holtby. They in fact said the goalie's job is to make the first few saves and at some point the guys around you have to do their jobs and help out, which they didn't.

Holtby looked quicker and more decisive. He was beaten by good plays for the most part. The only thing you may be able to take issue with is not taking away enough of the angle on that one PP goal that beat him high blocker, but even then it was a pass through the crease.

How hard up for hate do you have to be to really think that a goaltender in the NHL will look at a puck, see it, and then look away and do nothing?

 

[Burakovsky95*]

To put all the blame on Holtby for any one of the 4 GA is stupid

 

[Midnight Judges]

To put all the blame on Holtby for any one of the 4 GA is stupid

Eh maybe but taken all together there are plenty of NHL goalies who likely end up with a better stat line under the same circumstances IMO.

 

[FloridaCap]

To put all the blame on Holtby for any one of the 4 GA is stupid

Don't we say this after every single Holtby start?

I mean, sure... some goals aren't his fault. Doesn't mean he can't stop a couple. And that Ehrhoff goal was DEFINITELY his fault. Coughed up a huge rebound from a sharp angle directly into the slot for an easy scoring chance, and then lost sight of the puck.

Holtby's confidence looks shot. Kolzig should be fired now and let Holtby go back to playing the way he wants. Maybe he'll start playing with some confidence again.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

To put all the blame on Holtby for any one of the 4 GA is stupid

I agree, I'm just of the mindset that a better goalie finds a way to keep at least one of those out.