GDT: Caps vs Habs 7:00PM EST

[A1LeafNation]

Samsonov hurt. Cant make this stuff up

What happened?

 

[Devil Dancer]

2 points, I suppose.

Backstrom looks so slow.

 

[chilimac]

7th win in regulation since..... December 1st (think about that... if you dare)

 

[caps4cup]

Happy they won but this team is in trouble.

Special teams are still terrible and they deserved to lose this game but they also deserved to win at least one of the last 2 games, if not both. Their 5v5 play has generally been pretty good without much luck in the way of finishing/goaltending. Tonight was the exact opposite.

 

[pman25]

Awful performance tonight

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

Backstrom looks so slow.

He’s done. Can’t convince me otherwise at this point.

 

[Hivemind]

What happened?

Looked awkward after a lateral motion save. Broadcast thinks his knee might have twisted funny under his weight. He ended up staying in the game for the final 2 minutes tho, so who knows.

 

[pman25]

Backstrom looks in pain when he turns or pivots. Can’t imagine that he doesn’t have another summer of some sort of hip rehab or surgery

 

[Capsman]

I wonder if the team is being coached to retreat through the neutral zone and defensive zone. One of the biggest differences I’ve seen in our defense over the past month or so. It’s really bizarre.

 

[pman25]

Someone check McMichaels ice time so I don’t have to

 

[twabby]

Echoing everyone here: Backstrom is concerning. The points are there which is fine, and even the metrics are fine overall, but his hip really seems like it is a ticking time bomb and his isolates aren’t very good. I understand that it takes time to get your legs under you without a training camp, but it’s been almost 2 months now since he’s returned. Plenty of time for the rust to have been knocked off by now.

Hard to envision him being an effective 2C in the postseason at this rate.

 

[caps4cup]

I wonder if the team is being coached to retreat through the neutral zone and defensive zone. One of the biggest differences I’ve seen in our defense over the past month or so. It’s really bizarre.

I haven’t noticed it until this game, but yeah that was certainly a major problem tonight. I don’t recall thinking that very often this year but it was apparently clear.

 

[Baszie]

Someone check McMichaels ice time so I don’t have to

7:51

 

[twabby]

Someone check McMichaels ice time so I don’t have to

7:51, which includes a final garbage time shift to close out the game.

I guess scoring a goal earned him the coach’s ire again.

 

[Capsman]

It’s 3v2 central out there for MTL. The Caps neutral zone defense has been absolutely non existent. The sad thing is, that’s what it looked like every game under Reirden. Not how you wanna play.

They are literally retreating deep unto their zone and giving up the neutral zone AND first 10 feet or more of the defensive zone. That period reminded me a lot of that Panther 3rd period where Montreal went up ice and into our zone with impunity.

 

[twabby]

Oh and Carl Hagelin got 17 minutes. More ice time than every forward except Hathaway at ES.

 

[troyerlaw]

2 points, I suppose.

Backstrom looks so slow.

Incredibly slow! I really noticed it tonight

 

[HTFN]

Oh and Carl Hagelin got 17 minutes. More ice time than every forward except Hathaway at ES.

Well I mean the guy scored a goal and we need those….

 

[tycoonheart]

Someone check McMichaels ice time so I don’t have to

I got you fam: 7:51

 

[lotty83]

This is one of those “make the playoffs and hope for the best” kind of seasons. Hopefully this team can figure it out by the end of April.

 

[Capsman]

Well I mean the guy scored a goal and we need those….

So did McMichael.

 

[Langway]

Oh and Carl Hagelin got 17 minutes. More ice time than every forward except Hathaway at ES.

Gotta hump that football against such stiff competition.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

A much needed win and Hagelin's goal reminded me of Bondra's 98 Finals. That should boost his scoring confidence. Sammie made the saves in the third to secure the win. The bad is they let Montreal pile up shots and that first PP sequence by the Caps was one of the worst executed this year and that is saying a lot. So glad we gave St Louis a loss.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Oh forgot to say it's a plus when our future forwards are scoring goals.

 

[Langway]

That was a season-high in shots for Montreal BTW with 44.