Caps vs. Pens part ii

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

No need to go there. Sid is still the best player in the game he's just having some issues, don't know what they are but given the right environment he'll rise up again.

Crosby is not the best player in the game. He was not anymore

 

[gordie]

Letang was the reason we were down a goal

Letang was the reason we were tied

Letang was the reason we were down 2-1

Letang was the reason we were down 3-1



For a dude having an A+++ year. That's quite a weird roller coaster ride tonight that started shaky, then fun with loops, then the track derailed and we all died.

That's why I've said trading him at age 28 during the summer might just be a good idea.

 

[Wolf Without a Howl]

What are the options they have in regards to Crosby's contract?

Go to bed.

 

[Al Smith]

And they did NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!! Are any Caps going to have any scars from this game??

No, the Caps obviously weren't going to engage, and we don't really have anyone to make them pay. And doing headbutts in the faceoff circle and taking an obvious slash when your already down a man were just stupid responses.

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDo]

What are the options they have in regards to Crosby's contract?

The only proper response is to stand up and cheer. For it, along with Geno's, MAF's and Letang's gives them a chance to add the needed pieces. I weep for the great Chicago fans, whose stars wouldn't give up a little $ to help the rest of the team.

Great question.

 

[Gurglesons]

Interesting comment. I'm generally fairly optimistic and positive--at least as far as these boards go. However, the fact is (or at least as it appears to me) is that we're a decent team--one of probably 10 in the league. Not bad I guess, but there was a time in which competing for the Cup was our expectation, not simply hanging in there with the Caps and the Islanders.

The league has changed.

The Caps are in the same boat.

The best team in the league statistically is the Preds.

 

[ColePens]

Its just sad, because when he was "Sid the kid" he was so dominant 1v1 1v2, but now he has really lost a step.

He has never been the same player after the concussions

There was a 3 on 2 we had where he actually split and got in the middle of the defense. Instead of taking a quick shot and driving to the net, he veered off into the corner because he didn't want any contact. I didn't want to call him out in the GDT because people think I'm a Crosby-hater right now, but that just isn't #87. That's not him at all.

He's bad.

 

[#66]

This team just isn't that good. I like Perron but just like Neal... he's not someone that can control and skate with the puck no matter how good his hands are. Its the same with Hornqvist.

Its still about Crosby and Malkin feeding players instead of giving and going.

The Pens are slow and soft. Laps and Downie just aren't striking fear into anyone and team wise this is a smaller and soft team. The Pens were just out muscled and out skated. No excuses... no bad breaks... The caps were just better. So are the Isles and so are the Rangers.

A first for Perron still boggles my mind.

 

[Jacob]

Yeah, I don't see why Crosby can't just be having a crap season. He did in 08-09 too. Ovechkin's had his fair share and he's back to being a force on the ice. Malkin seems to alternate between bad and good every other year.

 

[gordie]

Or possibly Tocchet knows less about coaching a powerplay than Todd Reirden.

Possibly. His last coaching jobs didn't exactly have ownerships knocking at his door wanting to hire him.

 

[bradshaw06]

at least they showed some tenacity after letang went down. shame the pp cares more about the perfect play than getting it on net

 

[clefty]

Meanwhile, some guy named Jim Hiller, also known as Who the **** is Jim Hiller, has turned Detroit's pile of **** powerplay into an automatic goal.

 

[Ocoee]

I just wanna know why can the Caps be given a two man advantage but the Pens struggle to get the same respect? Whether or not OV was swinging at the puck he missed and viciously chopped Letang's ankle without a call... How is that acceptable? I remember Caps fans screaming bloody murder when Kunitz cross checked Varlamov in the neck but they are ok with this?

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

For all the sky is falling talk, I think a lot of our problems could be solved by the coaches getting their heads out of their ***** and making the tough roster decisions that need to be made.

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

I hate to pile on Sid but this is the breaking point. He needs to admit to himself that this style of play isn't working and his decisions haven't been the right ones. I'm tired of the whole "well, it didn't work that time" attitude. I want to see a conscious effort to make better decisions.

 

[billybudd]

It's funny. We seem to have fixed the goalie, but at the cost of our two best players. I don't know if it's the system that's too passive, without enough movement, enough speed, or what...but 87 and 71 look quite ordinary MANY nights nowadays.

Why bother going after rentals? We're a broken franchise. Our meal tickets are no longer the dynamic duo. They're mortal. Some nights, extremely mortal. 1 goal vs. Wsh all season. Yes they have a much better system now, but that's not a GREAT defensive team from an individual standpoint. Good yes, but shouldn't we be able to do more against them?

This team will continue to spin its wheels unless/until they start asking the hard questions about what's wrong.

And the veterans really didn't help tonight. Scuderi gave the puck away right to Ovi. Bad penalty by Adams. Bad penalty by Kunitz. Bad penalty by Letang. Yeah we responded tonight, and played with some passion. But this GROUP can't get it done. We've known this since '10, and we're still here.

Please tweak the roster, JR. No rentals. We need a refresh (at least).

It's the refereeing, not anything the coach is doing. Look around the league. Almost every player of 87's stature is struggling. Doubly so the guys who aren't huge.

Claude Giroux, for example, is not a worse player than Voracek, but his numbers are way down at ES. Tavares too. Kessel....

Star players are really, really struggling with all that's let go. It's the 2nd tier guys that are having good seasons. Guys who aren't good enough to draw shadows.

Well, them and the guys with freak strength.

 

[Shockmaster]

The top 2 lines need shaken up. They aren't working.

 

[Captain Hook]

Feels like they just can't get over the hump and beat good teams this year for the most part. They do enough to hang around in the games but just don't have enough to get over the hump and win.

Sid is having a bad year. I'll leave it at that. He's a pretty dedicated guy that can certainly bounce back at some point going forward.

 

[penguins2946*]

The Pens PP in their first 13 games of the season was 21 for 56, an astonishing 37.5% rate of success. The Pens PP since has gone 15 for 121 in the 44 games since. Not only are the Pens getting significantly less power plays (dropped from 4.3 PPs per game to 2.75 PPs per game), it has dropped drastically in effectiveness, going from a 37.5% clip to a 12.4% rate.

Yes, our PP scored 40% more goals in the first 13 games of the season than it has in the 44 games since.

 

[ColePens]

Yeah, I don't see why Crosby can't just be having a crap season. He did in 08-09 too. Ovechkin's had his fair share and he's back to being a force on the ice. Malkin seems to alternate between bad and good every other year.

When you are the best player in the world - you don't get that. If you are Michael Jordan, you are the headline of every game if you don't come through for your team. If you are Tom Brady, you start getting questioned after going 2-2 in Superbowls (before this year) instead of praised for winning 2 and getting to 4.

That's just the way life works, man. Right or wrong. And hey... it's probably wrong to do it.

 

[Gurglesons]

It's the refereeing, not anything the coach is doing. Look around the league. Almost every player of 87's stature is struggling. Doubly so the guys who aren't huge.

Claude Giroux, for example, is not a worse player than Voracek, but his numbers are way down at ES. Tavares too. Kessel....

Star players are really, really struggling with all that's let go. It's the 2nd tier guys that are having good seasons. Guys who aren't good enough to draw shadows.

Well, them and the guys with freak strength.

Patrick Kane? But, I really agree with the fact that this league should cater towards stars.

 

[gordie]

No, the Caps obviously weren't going to engage, and we don't really have anyone to make them pay. And doing headbutts in the faceoff circle and taking an obvious slash when your already down a man were just stupid responses.

Teams take cheap shots. Pens PP fails and then they lose the game on dumb penalties. Its getting real old with this bunch.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

The Pens PP in their first 13 games of the season was 21 for 56, an astonishing 37.5% rate of success. The Pens PP since has gone 15 for 121 in the 44 games since. Not only are the Pens getting significantly less power plays (dropped from 4.3 PPs per game to 2.75 PPs per game), it has dropped drastically in effectiveness, going from a 37.5% clip to a 12.4% rate.

Yes, our PP scored 40% more goals in the first 13 games of the season than it has in the 44 games since.

Yikes.

 

[Michael8771*]

Feels like they just can't get over the hump and beat good teams this year for the most part. They do enough to hang around in the games but just don't have enough to get over the hump and win.

Sid is having a bad year. I'll leave it at that. He's a pretty dedicated guy that can certainly bounce back at some point going forward.

Pretty solid post. I agree. We're simply not good enough.

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDo]

I just wanna know why can the Caps be given a two man advantage but the Pens struggle to get the same respect? Whether or not OV was swinging at the puck he missed and viciously chopped Letang's ankle without a call... How is that acceptable? I remember Caps fans screaming bloody murder when Kunitz cross checked Varlamov in the neck but they are ok with this?

I was rustled earlier, but you know, sometimes the refs have bad games too. They tried to let the teams play, but in the end, they ****ed up. You have to learn to forgive.

Another point--kind of funny how when Getzlaf lays OV low, no question of a penalty, but when OV is the perpetrator, no call. I haven't been able to follow all the threads, but I'm sure that was brought up.