Post-Game Talk: DC v TB @ 7

[troyerlaw]

didn't see ovi in final minutes

Not unusual. When trotz protecting 2- or 1-goal lead, and when other team has pulled goalie, he'll frequently replace Ovie with Beagle on first line, for faceoffs if Nicky gets tossed, and for general defensive hustle and smarts

 

[troyerlaw]

Team showed up tonight. Great game by em. Holtby not very sharp tho.

I thought hotlby sharpened up as game went on and made several key stops down the stretch

 

[twabby]

Burakovsky looked fantastic tonight. Vrana might eventually become a good NHLer but Burt is a legit top 6 player who happens to be on the third line. I'd love to see the first line continue their solid play as well. Ovie was making plays, taking shots, and generating possession. No need to say much more about Backstrom and Oshie.

 

[notDkristich]

Yeah... That didn't touch his face... Its super obvious on the first replay.

recorded the game and watching now.

it was a high stick. oshie caught him in the throat. the stick comes up, and then down, and then up again. the first time the stick comes up it's real quick, but it did hit him high.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Burakovsky looking like a key ingredient. Dude was awesome. Oshie had a hat, Backstrom had 4 assists and we're talking about #65.

Beautiful passing on those first two goals.

 

[Calicaps]

Burakovsky looked fantastic tonight. Vrana might eventually become a good NHLer but Burt is a legit top 6 player who happens to be on the third line. I'd love to see the first line continue their solid play as well. Ovie was making plays, taking shots, and generating possession. No need to say much more about Backstrom and Oshie.

Caps' answer to Kessel?

 

[artilector]

Puck movement looked promising at times.
But the game was indeed about Bura's return -- his effect on his linemates was nothing short of phenomenal.
You can see how this team is a whole different animal when the 3rd line comes alive.
At the same time, Tampa is not the kind of suffocating opponent that the Caps need to prove themselves against.
Still, good win to build on.
Whatever they are feeding Bura, double those rations for Vrana.

 

[artilector]

 

[philip]

Burakovsky is always looking to be positive, prepared to take that shot, move his feet, look for the goal, keeps things pretty simple in the offensive zone and gets rubber on net... That attitude rubs off on people IMO... I think we can be in danger of over-playing things a bit when he's not around and look a bit sluggish. At least that's how it seems.

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

Hit 100 points and clinched a playoff spot by beating a desperate team on the road. Well done Caps!

 

[Bananas]

Is it just me or does a 4-3 win + ENG make me feel way better than a 2-1 win + ENG right now. Normally a solid low scoring win would do me just fine, but I currently have no problem imagining that we can clamp down defensively when the time comes but I'm scared ****less that our O will eventually dry up ..

 

[CapsJunkie]

I thought Eller was a bad addition. Man was I wrong. Bura was sensational tonight. Nicky = bada$$ oshihie kicking it. Ovie looked alive. Great game

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

I thought Eller was a bad addition. Man was I wrong. Bura was sensational tonight. Nicky = bada$$ oshihie kicking it. Ovie looked alive. Great game

Yep. When the Caps can roll four lines that can score, they can overwhelm opponents. Kind of what the Pens did to us last playoffs.

The Buracuda looking so good after his injury is very encouraging.

 

[Raikkonen]

something wrong with Ovi's shot. It's not as hard as usual and he misses the net very often even from his office.

Eagle Eye Chukcha you're

He's getting better already.

 

[txpd]

Burakovsky is always looking to be positive, prepared to take that shot, move his feet, look for the goal, keeps things pretty simple in the offensive zone and gets rubber on net... That attitude rubs off on people IMO... I think we can be in danger of over-playing things a bit when he's not around and look a bit sluggish. At least that's how it seems.

He is now. Recall that he was scratched for 3 games by Trotz in mid December because he was not shooting the puck. He went 26 games without a goal and more and more over handled the puck and shot it less and less. He scored a goal his first game back and has been pretty steady since then. That is also when Eller and Connolly game a live.

Trotz deserves some credit

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Hopefully Burt missing time keeps him fresh for the playoffs. I thought the young guys (Kuz, Burt, Pizza, Schmidt, Wilson) wore down the last third of the season and looked spent by the Pittsburgh series.

 

[txpd]

I thought Eller was a bad addition. Man was I wrong. Bura was sensational tonight. Nicky = bada$$ oshihie kicking it. Ovie looked alive. Great game

Give BMac credit. Eller fits the Caps roster like a glove. Its just without the trigger man of Burakovksy the things Eller does much more easily go unnoticed.

Does Eller remind anyone here of a bigger, stronger Circles?

 

[trick9]

This team is so much better with Burakovsky in the line-up.

That being said, Vrana was pretty good in his stint.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

I think Vrana will get there. He looks like he belongs.

 

[Devil Dancer]

Does Eller remind anyone here of a bigger, stronger Circles?

Not at all. Eller is basically a high end grinder and Circles was a perimeter playmaker.

 

[txpd]

Not at all. Eller is basically a high end grinder and Circles was a perimeter playmaker.

I don't see that at all. Eller came in from Montreal as a center that plays a high end game of keep away. That he doesn't finish much. What I see from watching him is the quality of his puck handling skills in tight quarters and a very tight turning radius that he uses with regularity.

Last night he stick handled thru 3 guys and put a one handed pass right on Burt's tape for a great scoring chance. Yes, I did say bigger and stronger. He has board play that Circles couldn't match and Circles could pass at a higher level than Eller. But I see a lot of the same game and Burakovsky brings it to the fore because he can do something with Eller's work where Vrana isn't ready for it. Connolly isn't having his best goal scoring season without Eller either

 

[txpd]

This team is so much better with Burakovsky in the line-up.

That being said, Vrana was pretty good in his stint.

I think Burakovsky reminds us how much Vrana still has to learn.

 

[442]

I don't see that at all. Eller came in from Montreal as a center that plays a high end game of keep away. That he doesn't finish much. What I see from watching him is the quality of his puck handling skills in tight quarters and a very tight turning radius that he uses with regularity.

Last night he stick handled thru 3 guys and put a one handed pass right on Burt's tape for a great scoring chance. Yes, I did say bigger and stronger. He has board play that Circles couldn't match and Circles could pass at a higher level than Eller. But I see a lot of the same game and Burakovsky brings it to the fore because he can do something with Eller's work where Vrana isn't ready for it. Connolly isn't having his best goal scoring season without Eller either

I'll agree with DD in the sense that Eller is significantly more physical than Nylander was. In terms of their board work, on the 1/2 wall, shielding the puck .... I see some similarities.

 

[RandyHolt]

It is impressive how difficult it is to find a player with a similar game to another that we all know. We all know hundreds of players and yet we struggle to find a consensus on a comparable.

When I think of Nylander I think of a 20G 60A non physical player first and foremost. When I think of Eller, the first thought is his physical game and the skill that does not quite match.

I think of Eller closer to Bobby Gould than a Nylander, and that is not a negative against Eller at all.

 

[Marshall]

Not at all. Eller is basically a high end grinder and Circles was a perimeter playmaker.

Pretty much my assessment as well. Eller plays a much more North-South game and is better with the puck off his stick than Nylander was.