Post-Game Talk: Caps vs. Lightning, 7pm

[twabby]

Schmidt is out, Chorney is in.

I get giving Chorney reps every now and then but it's such a huge downgrade going from Schmidt to Chorney. Look at the Orpik/Schmidt pairing:

TOI|CF%|FF%|xGF%|SCF%|GF%
307.66|56.87|54.48|58.61|60.1|53.78

Hint to Trotz: the problem right now isn't with 44-88, it's with 27-74. Sit Carlson if you're going to sit anyone.

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[AlexBrovechkin8]

No excuse not to win this game. Tampa played last night in Florida and will be starting either Vasilevskiy on a back-to-back or a goalie with two career appearances. Need to take advantage when the circumstances fall in your favor.

 

[hockeykicker]

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

No excuse not to win this game. Tampa played last night in Florida and will be starting either Vasilevskiy on a back-to-back or a goalie with two career appearances. Need to take advantage when the circumstances fall in your favor.

Thanks for dooming us!

 

[EroCaps]

I'm late to this party.

Tom Wilson has 0 assists in 31 games?



There has to be some kind of record he's approaching.

 

[ovikovy817]

Need to win this one, to calm down everyone on this board.

 

[billcook]

I'm late to this party.

Tom Wilson has 0 assists in 31 games?



There has to be some kind of record he's approaching.

Not really.


For single seasons, from 1917-18 to 2016-17, in the regular season, playing skater, requiring Assists = 0, sorted by descending Games Played.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

Not really.


For single seasons, from 1917-18 to 2016-17, in the regular season, playing skater, requiring Assists = 0, sorted by descending Games Played.

Lots of ex Caps on that list

 

[billcook]

Lots of ex Caps on that list

Well, a lot of scrubs this franchise had.

 

[troyerlaw]

Connolly grumblings are interesting. Something to watch. He has been a decent player, but I'm not sure who you sit for him at this point. Maybe Winnick for a game or two. Or Vrana, if he stagnates. But you also don't want to reward a player for bellyaching publicly.

 

[AtNightWeFly]

If I see 74 on the PP today I might barf. Truly and honestly.
In fact I think he should scratch himself, I would respect the hell outta him if he did.

 

[Barry Amsterdam]

Connolly grumblings are interesting. Something to watch. He has been a decent player, but I'm not sure who you sit for him at this point. Maybe Winnick for a game or two. Or Vrana, if he stagnates. But you also don't want to reward a player for bellyaching publicly.

Wilson x 100

 

[Hivemind]

I thought 10-20-13 looked like a solid line while it was together. Would like to see that unit reunited.

 

[billcook]

I thought 10-20-13 looked like a solid line while it was together. Would like to see that unit reunited.

Who is playing on fourth line then, Bura?

 

[troyerlaw]

Wilson x 100

I guess, but you do lose the Wilson physicality and intimidation factor, which still exist, albeit on a reduced scale this year.

Willy gets under opponents' skin and draws penalties. Plus he has turned into pretty good PKer too. And he works well w/ 83 & 26 on the forecheck and cycle.

I am not as hung up on the total lack of production because i see other things about his game which i like, including work ethic. I'm not looking for 4th liners to put up a lot of points necessarily. Also, last game, Winnick was a superhuman turnover machine. So you could start there, if you wanted to give Connolly a couple games.

But sure, if 65 benefitted from a couple games of aerial view, you could always do same for Willy. He would come back extra amped, I think.

Reality is, you have a few wings in the mix for that final sweater - vrana, connolly, sanford, winnick. Trotz will probably do his best to get games for each, to keep them as involved and engaged as possible, heading into spring.

Hopefully one of them catches fire, esp. Vrana. I love his confidence w/ puck and his feistiness. I hope he can bury a few in this next month to help solidify his spot in the lineup.

 

[txpd]

Connolly grumblings are interesting. Something to watch. He has been a decent player, but I'm not sure who you sit for him at this point. Maybe Winnick for a game or two. Or Vrana, if he stagnates. But you also don't want to reward a player for bellyaching publicly.

I am sure that its hard for Connolly and Winnik who between them have 7 goals to be scratched all the time so that Sanford can never score, Burt can go 25 games between goals. Connolly has as many goals as Burakovsky. Vrana as fun as he has been to watch has 1.

Winnik hit a crossbar late v Montreal for what would have been his 5th goal and then its back on the scratch sheet.

 

[txpd]

But sure, if 65 benefitted from a couple games of aerial view, you could always do same for Willy. He would come back extra amped, I think.

That assumes the Wilson is either dogging it or depressed and needs to be amped up. Might be that the NBC producer like Wilson but in the Flyers game they showed multiple quality offensive plays that Wilson made.

Seems to me that he is neither losing his confidence with the puck nor losing focus on the parts of the game he has been successful in. He dangled and beat Gudas. He hit Winnik with a backhand pass that Winnik shot wide. At the same time, the Caps pk has been on the rise. 7th last I looked and Wilson is a primary reason for that. Wilson Beagle Winnik have had regular dominating offensive zone shifts with Wilson's puck dogging and keeping plays alive being a major part.

Burt was just losing steam. Getting lost on defense while losing confidence in his shooting game. Different story entirely

 

[troyerlaw]

Burt was just losing steam. Getting lost on defense while losing confidence in his shooting game. Different story entirely

Agreed. I was not advocating for Wilson to sit in, I was just saying it wouldn't be the end of the world. I agree about his game against the Flyers; it was awesome.

The obvious counter argument would be, very very little production, points wise. But as I said, I don't mind it myself. I would certainly sit Winnick before I sat Wilson.

Sitting Schmidt bums me out. And I agree with the analysis here :
http://www.russianmachineneverbreak...-is-a-terrible-coaching-decision/#more-120047

 

[Barry Amsterdam]

Connollly or bura at center

13-10-65
26/43-83-20

 

[troyerlaw]

For better or worse, some guys just get a pass. I guess there's nothing you can do about it, especially because it blows up and creates a bunch of headlines if you do scratch one of them. I'm thinking here of Williams, earlier in the season, and Carlson at various points along the way. But it does go against the supposed 'accountability' which Trotz preaches.

Also, re: lackluster performances from top guys ... what the hell is deal w/ 8? Long stretches of games go past where he doesn't ... seem super engaged, I guess, would be the polite way to say it. I know TexMD will speculate that 8 is injured. It's always a possibility. But I just don't see the fire right now, like at all. Hopefully he's saving it for the spring and will reconnect the controller then.

Finally, on my Xmas wish list, both Backstrom and Kuz start firing puck whenever they get half a chance. Backstrom was doing it a few weeks ago, with spectacular results.

 

[Holtbyisms]

I've got 52 beers for xmas break, off work 4 hours early. This is gonna be a long night!

Go Caps Go!

 

[Holtbyisms]

Connolly grumblings are interesting. Something to watch. He has been a decent player, but I'm not sure who you sit for him at this point. Maybe Winnick for a game or two. Or Vrana, if he stagnates. But you also don't want to reward a player for bellyaching publicly.

Don't really see it as bellyaching, I see it as a guy who's working hard, playing hard and making things happen when he does play. If I'm Trotz I like the comment, shows he wants it.

 

[Sam Spade]

I've got 52 beers for xmas break, off work 4 hours early. This is gonna be a long night!

Go Caps Go!

This cat has the right attitude.

 

[Steazy Doo]

I always liked Connolly as a Lightning fan, good to read that he made fans here, even though he's not playing as much as he would hope.

 

[RandyHolt]

At the Kettle today..... Connolly adeptly flipped up a puck over the boards to the tyke today.... don't know how comfortable he was dropping it a foot away from his head but he did it.