GDT: Caps vs Bruins 7pm ET Jan 20

[HTFN]

I think it’s an easy way to continue the bickering about the 4th line.

and I think that's an easy way to dismiss a very real problem

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

I might look to AJF. And go deeper to Snively, Beck (out with COVID), or even Gersich. But if you are not going to play CMM then send him to Hersey.

I mean. I just don't see how that offers any better chance. Literally none of those guys (McMichael aside) have shown an ounce of something that would make you think they are going to give you a better shot with those minutes than the existing roster.


McMichael, LaPierre, and Protas are the only rookie forwards who have shown this season that they were deserving of more opportunities/time. I'd say Snively is worth of another shot in the bottom 6. I don't think the organization is too high on Gersich, he hasn't really had a decent look since 2018 and if you're not getting a look in this roster that's a red flag. AJF is really underwhelming, I'm of the mind that is his name was Brad Smith and he had a buzzcut he'd have a fraction of the hype.


I just don't see anyone besides McMichael who have shown they are deserving/would deliver better results with more time.

 

[troyerlaw]

I know it doesn't fit the narrative around here but that penalty on Dowd was a fantasy and the NHL office should be embarrassed that they gave that game away like that on national tv. Pathetic.

Who cares? Kill the penalty. What's pathetic is recording two total shots on 4 PPs and surrendering goals on 2 out of 3 PKs.

 

[TRASHCAT]

lol missing the playoffs? weve been first round fodder for years

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

I like to read your posts, don’t go

Oh I'm just being hyperbolic. I just go through ebb and flows of how prolific I am posting here mainly due to real life obligations. I'll always be here for the gluttony of punishment that is the playoffs.

 

[Hivemind]

McMichael picked up another primary assist tonight, and people are calling for him to go to Hershey.

 

[caps4cup]

We had 4 PP opportunities and did nothing with it. That's the bigger issue.

The PP was awful and nobody is denying that, but the ref is actually going to make that call on Dowd with 2 minutes left in the game, after missing a slew foot against Hathaway 30 seconds earlier? That’s bullshit. If they call the penalty 30 seconds earlier, we could be giving Hathaway props for drawing a call with 3 minutes left in a game instead of lamenting a 4th liner taking a penalty.

 

[amin723]

The PP was awful and nobody is denying that, but the ref is actually going to make that call on Dowd after missing a slew foot against Hathaway 30 seconds earlier?

Exactly. Hathaway goes down and his head bounces off the ice. Nothing. Bruin lays down. PP. Really wanted to sneak a point tonight. Did not deserve to win, but we’re so close to getting a point and maybe clawing out 2.

Just treading water when the team is in a funk is how teams stay on top.

 

[Capsman]

Who cares? Kill the penalty. What's pathetic is recording two total shots on 4 PPs and surrendering goals on 2 out of 3 PKs.

Yeah but wait until Backstrom gets back. Oh wait, I mean wait until Backy and Oshie play together. Oh wait, well, we just have no talent on the PP.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

and I think that's an easy way to dismiss a very real problem

you’re right, a decimated lineup where many players are forced to play in over their heads…..massive problem.

 

[TRASHCAT]

like im all for jumping off cliffs but that cliff?

 

[Langway]

I mean. I just don't see how that offers any better chance. Literally none of those guys (McMichael aside) have shown an ounce of something that would make you think they are going to give you a better shot with those minutes than the existing roster.

How about sitting Sprong on a night where they can't muster shots and are slow? It doesn't look very good.

Injuries don't help but neither does Lavi's overwhelming preference toward hustle and defense over anything else of value. When it comes to actual team building and attacking play it remains a mess and that will likely remain the case even when healthy. They'll just have more skill doing it and more finishing ability to continue to cover up the gaps in play.

 

[troyerlaw]

How about sitting Sprong on a night where they can't muster shots and are slow? It doesn't look very good.

Injuries don't help but neither does Lavi's overwhelming preference toward hustle and defense over anything else of value. When it comes to actual team building and attacking play it remains a mess and that will likely remain the case even when healthy. They'll just have more skill doing it and more finishing ability to continue to cover up the gaps in play.

I mean, to the extent that AJF played for Sprong, I'm not sure we really lost anything speed wise. And while Fjallby didn't score, he forechecked well, drew a penalty, back-checked like his life depended on it, and just overall played a lot harder without the puck than Sprong generally does. I don't think Sprong being in the lineup would have made much difference, at least not a positive one.

 

[txpd]

Who cares? Kill the penalty. What's pathetic is recording two total shots on 4 PPs and surrendering goals on 2 out of 3 PKs.

I dont complain about refs often. You are right. Kill it. Just the same for the ref to get played that badly in the last 2 mins of a tie game is embarrassing

 

[ClevelandCapsfan]

lol missing the playoffs? weve been first round fodder for years

 

[txpd]

I like to read your posts, don’t go

Its running pretty deep right now.

 

[caps4cup]

Still in a good position for a top 3 spot in the division, and hopefully top 2. The Rangers and Penguins are both riding massive PDO waves these last 2 months while the Caps have been on the opposite end of that wave. Those things even out as we’ve already seen this year with Pittsburgh earlier in the season as well as Colorado and Toronto. They need to get healthy, improve their special teams, and potentially trade for a goalie. I really don’t see any underlying or pressing issues with the team besides this. They’ve constantly been missing 3 or more top 6 forwards at a time this year and now they’re going through the same thing on the back end. Interested to see this lineup when fully healthy (I guess minus Mantha).

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

How about sitting Sprong on a night where they can't muster shots and are slow? It doesn't look very good.

Injuries don't help but neither does Lavi's overwhelming preference toward hustle and defense over anything else of value. When it comes to actual team building and attacking play it remains a mess and that will likely remain the case even when healthy. They'll just have more skill doing it and more finishing ability to continue to cover up the gaps in play.

Was Sprong not sat in favor of AJF? I feel like we're now just pivoting the issue.


Do we want young guys playing big minutes? Yes? Then who?

Who do we want sitting? Hagelin? How does that result in a young guy getting bigger minutes?



My problem isn't with the suggestion that Lavi makes some personnel choices that are questionable, it's that it's typical fan whinging about it, it's never very substantive. Do I think Hagelin should be scratched? Maybe, I honestly think far more is made over a guy playing 4th line minutes then really impacts the overall team. Do I wish Sprong and McMichael were more heavily featured? Sure, I also think though that it's easy as a casual observer to only notice Sprong's offensive assets and not to notice that he has a long history of abandoning the system/responsibilities (something you could literally see Ovi call him out for on the bench not 3 weeks ago).

Ultimately, at the end of the day I think looking at Sprong or AJF over Hagelin with the current status of our injured/COVID list is like complaining that there is a scratch in the paint of your car while the engine is on fire. It's not really going to make a huge difference, but I guess we gotta complain about something and no one wants to talk about Forsythe.

 

[TRASHCAT]

a

View attachment 500231

i was being positive!

 

[troyerlaw]

I dont complain about refs often. You are right. Kill it. Just the same for the ref to get played that badly in the last 2 mins of a tie game is embarrassing

Fair point. Anyway I gotta take a break from watching these games, just puts me in a bad mood lately

 

[Langway]

I mean, to the extent that AJF played for Sprong, I'm not sure we really lost anything speed wise. And while Fjallby didn't score, he forechecked well, drew a penalty, back-checked like his life depended on it, and just overall played a lot harder without the puck than Sprong generally does. I don't think Sprong being in the lineup would have made much difference, at least not a positive one.

In isolation this may be true. I think the problem overall is there's very little building and gelling over the course of time. What is working well together? It all just seems thrown together and that's beyond whatever absences outside their control. We can blame COVID, injuries and the like but they need to be gaining cohesion and instead are just doing the same old thing most nights. Sometimes it works and the opponent doesn't execute as well. Mostly it's sloppy. The discipline and adherence to process aren't really there...certainly not compared to earlier in the season. More subtlety and focus is needed. Combine that with the same ol' PP approach and it's just a lot of staleness.

They're a veteran team. I don't really expect any vets to significantly improve in areas individually. But they still need to have a much better focus and awareness on the attack. Instead it just seems like a lot of bullshit.

 

[TheLegendOfPatPeake]

Was Sprong not sat in favor of AJF? I feel like we're now just pivoting the issue.


Do we want young guys playing big minutes? Yes? Then who?

Who do we want sitting? Hagelin? How does that result in a young guy getting bigger minutes?



My problem isn't with the suggestion that Lavi makes some personnel choices that are questionable, it's that it's typical fan whinging about it, it's never very substantive. Do I think Hagelin should be scratched? Maybe, I honestly think far more is made over a guy playing 4th line minutes then really impacts the overall team. Do I wish Sprong and McMichael were more heavily featured? Sure, I also think though that it's easy as a casual observer to only notice Sprong's offensive assets and not to notice that he has a long history of abandoning the system/responsibilities (something you could literally see Ovi call him out for on the bench not 3 weeks ago).

Ultimately, at the end of the day I think looking at Sprong or AJF over Hagelin with the current status of our injured/COVID list is like complaining that there is a scratch in the paint of your car while the engine is on fire. It's not really going to make a huge difference, but I guess we gotta complain about something and no one wants to talk about Forsythe.

Forsythe doesn’t make decisions in a vacuum. The bucks stops with Lavi.

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

Forsythe doesn’t make decisions in a vacuum. The bucks stops with Lavi.

Yes and no. Forsythe has been here since the Carter Administration, so I'm not certain Lavi has the unilateral ability to jettison him, the decision might be partially GMBM's as well.

Regarding his actual Special Teams. I guess the buck stops with Lavi, but in the sense that if I turn in ass at work my boss is technically also culpable, but short of literally doing my job for me, i'm not sure how he actually can take an active role in avoiding that. There has to be and is a level freedom between coaches, you'd go crazy/fail as HC if you micromanaged.


The Leafs Amazon series did offer an interesting window to the dynamic of coaches and GMs. From what I gathered there wasn't a ton of specific oversight to "what are you doing in the day-to-day part of your role" rather "hey, the goalies suck, fix that goalie coach". It also made me realize that the GM likely has a far greater say in what happens with the coaching staff and lineups.

 

[Langway]

Was Sprong not sat in favor of AJF? I feel like we're now just pivoting the issue.

Do we want young guys playing big minutes? Yes? Then who?

Who do we want sitting? Hagelin? How does that result in a young guy getting bigger minutes?

I have much less of an issue with the roles of the youngsters than the overall inability to better piece together the middle six. Elevating HDH and treating the rest like an afterthought is sheer risk-averse laziness. It won't hunt ultimately. It's not a great middle six group even when healthy but even now we're seeing the costs of not having much of a functional third line to either elevate into higher roles or just lean on. HDH is a pretty big crutch. Elevating Hathaway can work for a spell but they need better balance and more skill than they display most nights. I don't have an easy answer but they do have more skilled options that could provide more than they currently are, in part because of either a lack of confidence, consistency or both. They have limitations, sure, but the collective focus needs to be on point to maximize every skill set and it hasn't there often enough.

They need to get healthy. They need their top two D back. But the choppy play is probably not going anywhere. It's going to be similar hustle-fests with periods of staleness and dumbness and that'll be that. Maybe they add a goaltender to more seriously compete to avoid a wild card spot but if not I tend to think they're destined for one and would get trounced pretty early. You don't get the sense they're fully present enough collectively lately to really believe. Timing is everything and there's plenty left but the process is much shoddier than I'd like from a very experienced coach.

 

[DWGie26]

I mean. I just don't see how that offers any better chance. Literally none of those guys (McMichael aside) have shown an ounce of something that would make you think they are going to give you a better shot with those minutes than the existing roster.


McMichael, LaPierre, and Protas are the only rookie forwards who have shown this season that they were deserving of more opportunities/time. I'd say Snively is worth of another shot in the bottom 6. I don't think the organization is too high on Gersich, he hasn't really had a decent look since 2018 and if you're not getting a look in this roster that's a red flag. AJF is really underwhelming, I'm of the mind that is his name was Brad Smith and he had a buzzcut he'd have a fraction of the hype.


I just don't see anyone besides McMichael who have shown they are deserving/would deliver better results with more time.

The coaches just don’t seem to trust CMM or they would give him more time. Don’t know why. So let him develop in Hershey.

You should check on Gersich. He has had to change his game like 4 times. Really developed into a defensive / PK specialist but was asked to score this year with thin lineup and he has delivered. I think they will give him a shot.

If you are going to pick up a utility player, I like Travis Boyd. Right handed center of which we only have 1. He can also play RW and has won a Cup.