Post-Game Talk: Caps vs Cats - 7pm EST

[shtorm2005]

WTF, you guys?! I left you with a 3 goal lead to explore Oak Island and talk through daughter's term paper thessis and this is what I come back to?!?!?!
HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO TRUST YOU NOW????

We lost it! We lost it all

 

[pman25]

And gave up a game’s worth of goals. I wouldn’t say he did ‘all he could.’ He was fine, but certainly not heroic. Hardly the first NHL goalie to face 50 shots in a game.

I mean the rebounds certainly got juicier once they hit shot 35 or so but damn we couldn’t even give the guy a breather with one damn sustained possession in their zone! The only times we were in their zone: we turn it over for a shorty and we commit a dumb interference penalty which ended the game

 

[pman25]

At least CBJ and NJ got stomped tonight too, don’t need any metro teams winning tonight.

 

[DWGie26]

Fun Lavi Presser! “All about Hard Work”. I love him. He will get them right. He’ll see things we didn’t but those that didn’t work, are going to get punished. Ice time / missed shift. Nacho duty. For sho Cholo will be sitting.

 

[troyerlaw]

I mean the rebounds certainly got juicier once they hit shot 35 or so but damn we couldn’t even give the guy a breather with one damn sustained possession in their zone! The only times we were in their zone: we turn it over for a shorty and we commit a dumb interference penalty which ended the game

Minor point, but I thought the interference call was really weak. Looked like an absolute dive on replay

 

[DWGie26]

I thought Wilson was particularly bad tonight. Wasn’t skating. Wasn’t hitting. Wasn’t driving. he won’t sit, but Lavi is going to get in his ass!

 

[troyerlaw]

I thought Wilson was particularly bad tonight. Wasn’t skating. Wasn’t hitting. Wasn’t driving. he won’t sit, but Lavi is going to get in his ass!

I hope he doesn’t get in it

 

[JohnCarlsaurus]

"Interference"

 

[Baszie]

Forward with the most xG against: Carl Hagelin. Imagine if he wasn’t scoring all those goals..

 

[CapsJunkie]

did anyone else get extremely crappy camera work? mine got blurry every 10 seconds added to the misery...espn+

 

[Peeri]

Defensively horrible game, 3rd period was as bad as it gets. Sammy was actually 0,3 above expected goals. That's how bad the game eventually became. This game went deservedly to Florida.

MoneyPuck.com

 

[pman25]

Minor point, but I thought the interference call was really weak. Looked like an absolute dive on replay

Yeah but if you’re behind the goalie, deep in the paint like that, I’d say that’s a boneheaded decision. He knew it too, didn’t have to be there

 

[twabby]

These types of games happen, especially with an entire line missing. Better now than when it matters much more.

The Dowd line just isn’t doing it for me this year after having a pretty good year last year. They were caved in again this game, to the tune of ~20% xGF. Beating a dead horse here but Hagelin’s dropoff this year defensively has been drastic.

HDH is going to get increased ice time with the second line out injured but they shouldn’t be regularly getting more 5v5 TOI than players like McMichael and Sprong, both of who are easily better 5v5 players at this point. They need to be deployed more like a normal 4th line: limited 5v5 minutes with regular special teams time.

Unsurprisingly McMichael was the best forward tonight in terms of chance differential, yet once Washington went up 4-1 his ice time dropped quite a bit while HDH’s went way up. There’s just no need to do this if you’re Laviolette, especially with HDH being so disappointing this year.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Meh, not going to sweat it. Every team has stinkers throughout a long season and the Caps were due. Not sure what happened to them in the third but it wasn’t pretty and they couldn’t stop the snowball from building.

Feel bad for Beck, thought that was a giant flop by Bob who acted like he got shot by a sniper. Between that and his diving performance against Wilson it seems like he’s thinking about trying out for Beckham’s MLS team. It worked tonight tho so hats off to him.

Also please please please bench Hagelin. He is so awful.

 

[KingAlfie11]

To blame Sammy for this embarrassing loss is moronic! The 18 players playing in front of him are the only one responsible for this monumental collapse!

 

[Carlzner]

Well the first half was fun!

 

[Roshi]

I hate hockey.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Unrelated note, how has that illpucks guy on the main boards been allowed to subtlety troll us for years?

He or she shows up and jinxes the Caps all the time.

 

[Capsman]

To blame Sammy for this embarrassing loss is moronic! The 18 players playing in front of him are the only one responsible for this monumental collapse!

I don’t blame Sammy. I think he’s played well overall but I wouldn’t say there’s been a game where he really bailed us out. Tonight could have been one of those, every great goalie does that now and again. But no, on this night he didn’t transcend the team.

 

[SherVaughn30]

He faced a lot of shots, but also, that was a very soft one to give up. And it was the 5th of the game. So he was part of the problem tonight. Not a big part, but a part nonetheless

I think Sammy might have been fatigued a bit. Yeah it's the type of goal a goalie shouldn't give up, but Sammy gets a pass because the team played like shit in front of him.

 

[SherVaughn30]

Can't disagree. Vets should know how to handle a situation like this. But six rookies in the line-up certainly don't help. Crap PP doesn't help. Not getting the puck in deep doesn't help. There are lessons here but I think it's multifaceted.

Fraudsythe was exposed again. Caps PP won the game against the Canes, but went back to failing again with a lack of urgency. They were back to terrible execution again and gave up a costly shorty breakaway goal. Panthers PP scored 2 goals, so they stepped up when they got their big opportunities to change the game around. Caps PK has been money lately, but tonight had a bad game. As bad as the Caps played in the 3rd, special teams was the difference tonight.

 

[crab]

Good example why he was the first user I ignorelisted. Can't stand him.

They are the only user I have ignored. Just pure trolling stupidity.

 

[crab]

These types of games happen, especially with an entire line missing. Better now than when it matters much more.

The Dowd line just isn’t doing it for me this year after having a pretty good year last year. They were caved in again this game, to the tune of ~20% xGF. Beating a dead horse here but Hagelin’s dropoff this year defensively has been drastic.

HDH is going to get increased ice time with the second line out injured but they shouldn’t be regularly getting more 5v5 TOI than players like McMichael and Sprong, both of who are easily better 5v5 players at this point. They need to be deployed more like a normal 4th line: limited 5v5 minutes with regular special teams time.

Unsurprisingly McMichael was the best forward tonight in terms of chance differential, yet once Washington went up 4-1 his ice time dropped quite a bit while HDH’s went way up. There’s just no need to do this if you’re Laviolette, especially with HDH being so disappointing this year.

Dowd hasn’t been great this year but he has been banged up. Hathaway played great away from that line. Hagelin has no excuses and IMO is the one dragging the line down. He use to be decent on the cycle but he’s been awful there as well, he is constantly turning the puck over, ruining chances or just dumping the puck in when their is opportunity to do something with the play. He’s worse 5on5 than any of the AHL call ups this season.

 

[Capsman]

Fraudsythe was exposed again. Caps PP won the game against the Canes, but went back to failing again with a lack of urgency. They were back to terrible execution again and gave up a costly shorty breakaway goal. Panthers PP scored 2 goals, so they stepped up when they got their big opportunities to change the game around. Caps PK has been money lately, but tonight had a bad game. As bad as the Caps played in the 3rd, special teams was the difference tonight.

Caps PP was 1 for 5 against the Canes and it was a busted play with Orlov going to the net that won it. Otherwise the PP is a mess. They’re not on the same page with zone entries and even with possession it’s slow and lifeless.

 

[tycoonheart]

So this issue of collapsing in the 3rd plagued the team last year, and Lavi needs to nip it in the bud right away. They had been much better so far this year, but they've been doing that the last few games.

We seem to have no idea what to do when the other team pushes back. You can get away with it against lesser teams, but a talented team like Florida will make you pay.