Post-Game Talk: DC vs St. Lou - 8pm

[Sam Spade]

My biggest concern, and it should concern everyone, is the CF% has taken a bit of a hit the last few games.

If the Caps stay below 52% and/or drop out of the top five (currently 51.59 and 6th overall) they are done come playoff time. PDO is too high (#1) as well.

These last three games are the first time the Caps have been below 52% all season.

I will wait about ten more games before I panic but this is exactly what happened last season. Top five advanced stats, blizzard hits, and it all went south and they finished 14th.

 

[Revelation]

Can't help but wonder how many of those goals would go in in a Metro playoff game.

They did put 4+EN and 7 on the Pens recently which is encouraging. But that was just **** defense from Stl with some unremarkable goatlending

 

[Coldplay619]

My biggest concern, and it should concern everyone, is the CF% has taken a bit of a hit the last few games.

If the Caps stay below 52% and/or drop out of the top five (currently 51.59 and 6th overall) they are done come playoff time. PDO is too high (#1) as well.

These last three games are the first time the Caps have been below 52% all season.

I will wait about ten more games before I panic but this is exactly what happened last season. Top five advanced stats, blizzard hits, and it all went south and they finished 14th.

Where are you seeing that we're 6th?

We're 4th right now in raw CF% and 3rd in score and venue adjusted CF% according to Corsica.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Their execution is WAY up from earlier in the season. Remember when everyone was complaining they couldn't make basic passes!??! Gee no wonder that had some negative impact on their performance.


This is nothing new, the best teams usually round into form around Christmas.

 

[Corby78]

Can't help but wonder how many of those goals would go in in a Metro playoff game.

They did put 4+EN and 7 on the Pens recently which is encouraging. But that was just **** defense from Stl with some unremarkable goatlending

Just another reason to go win the division. Get home ice, and play a Toronto or Phili in the first round. Let Montreal worry about the rags or columbus, and Pitt worry about the other. Then deal with whomever in the 2nd round. Finally break that seal and were looking at a Montreal/Boston team to get to the SC. I like our chances right now.

 

[Corby78]

Pitt made their run mid-late Feb. Were we a few weeks early

 

[Ridley Simon]

My biggest concern, and it should concern everyone, is the CF% has taken a bit of a hit the last few games.

If the Caps stay below 52% and/or drop out of the top five (currently 51.59 and 6th overall) they are done come playoff time. PDO is too high (#1) as well.

These last three games are the first time the Caps have been below 52% all season.

I will wait about ten more games before I panic but this is exactly what happened last season. Top five advanced stats, blizzard hits, and it all went south and they finished 14th.

Other than the Flyers game, the Caps have been getting out to some big leads, early. Like middle game early. So of course they will sit back a bit.

 

[Sam Spade]

Where are you seeing that we're 6th?

We're 4th right now in raw CF% and 3rd in score and venue adjusted CF% according to Corsica.

http://www.naturalstattrick.com/teamtable.php

Honestly though placing aside being under 52% is more concerning. They have stayed above that number all season until the last three games knocked them below.

As I said, not jumping off a bridge yet but will be paying close attention.

 

[RandyHolt]

I don't remember dmen consistently joining the rush like they do now. They actually try to score on the trenaisiton than trying to play the board game and grind the opponent down.

You nailed it. I wonder why people say nothing has changed, downplaying our best scoring output in close to 25 years. It is easy to see a very different system is in place now. It's far more than puck luck. We are more creating our own luck.

The scoreboard is proof alone. Even Strength Goals pouring in like a cup grade team. I noticed the new approach before the goals starting pouring in, and caught flak. Aggressively trying to score off every rush is very refreshing. Long gone are the hours of grinding behind the opposition goal, every single game. As I tuned out yet another snoozer hoping for an Ovi PPG to wake me. Facepalming his effort in the corners. Now, when we do end up behind the net, grinders will be grinders after all, we quickly pass to the front of the goal, where we have a player what do you know funneling to the net.

That Winnik blind assist a few games ago, he looked like 99 for a moment there. Did he develop all world vision, or, maybe it's just the system.

 

[442]

You nailed it. I wonder why people say nothing has changed, downplaying our best scoring output in close to 25 years. It is easy to see a very different system is in place now. It's far more than puck luck. We are more creating our own luck.

The scoreboard is proof alone. Even Strength Goals pouring in like a cup grade team. I noticed the new approach before the goals starting pouring in, and caught flak. Aggressively trying to score off every rush is very refreshing. Long gone are the hours of grinding behind the opposition goal, every single game. As I tuned out yet another snoozer hoping for an Ovi PPG to wake me. Facepalming his effort in the corners. Now, when we do end up behind the net, grinders will be grinders after all, we quickly pass to the front of the goal, where we have a player what do you know funneling to the net.

That Winnik blind assist a few games ago, he looked like 99 for a moment there. Did he develop all world vision, or, maybe it's just the system.

I believe the d activating and having an offensive mindset as Twabby always advocates for will help mitigate the speed gap we have against certain teams. It simply forces the opposition to adjust.

 

[BobRouse]

My biggest concern, and it should concern everyone, is the CF% has taken a bit of a hit the last few games.

If the Caps stay below 52% and/or drop out of the top five (currently 51.59 and 6th overall) they are done come playoff time. PDO is too high (#1) as well.

These last three games are the first time the Caps have been below 52% all season.

I will wait about ten more games before I panic but this is exactly what happened last season. Top five advanced stats, blizzard hits, and it all went south and they finished 14th.

Not having our #1D soak up the tough minutes probably has a great deal to do with that.

 

[twabby]

My biggest concern, and it should concern everyone, is the CF% has taken a bit of a hit the last few games.

If the Caps stay below 52% and/or drop out of the top five (currently 51.59 and 6th overall) they are done come playoff time. PDO is too high (#1) as well.

These last three games are the first time the Caps have been below 52% all season.

I will wait about ten more games before I panic but this is exactly what happened last season. Top five advanced stats, blizzard hits, and it all went south and they finished 14th.

I wouldn't worry about the PDO being too high if the underlying play is good. Just as long as the staff and players understand that they will not continue shooting 39% like they did last night and that they need to value the process over the results.

Last night's game honestly wasn't very good. They had 29 total shot attempts, and while it did end up being a blowout the game wasn't really blown wide open until the middle of the second period. I'm not the only one who feels this way. Brent Johnson mentioned it in the postgame and Trotz himself said they were lucky to face a goalie who couldn't make a stop and that they didn't play very well.

Obviously Carlson is a far superior player to Chorney, even given Carlson's somewhat inconsistent play this season, but the coaching staff hasn't done the team any favors over the past two games by breaking up their two best shot-attempt pairings in Orlov-Niskanen and Orpik-Schmidt. These were the pairings that helped lead to the turnaround in early December and while I understand that with Carlson out it would put Alzner on the third pairing, in terms of optimizing defensive pairs I think it's better to reduce Alzner's ice time than break up two good pairings and have three mediocre pairings just so Alzner gets his ice time.

 

[RandyHolt]

I believe the d activating and having an offensive mindset as Twabby always advocates for will help mitigate the speed gap we have against certain teams. It simply forces the opposition to adjust.

Agreed. Defensemen activating cause defensive breakdowns all over ice. Chaos ensues. You know what really makes it most effective though. Trying to score quickly before the defense can get coverages sorted out. Funneling everything to the net as soon as possible. Call it a quick strike attack.

A proverbial 4th forward D going in deep, behind the net, and then trying to hold the puck in his skates and get a cycle going, is simply not as effective. Plus, the opposition has plenty of time to see MoJo or Bura playing point, and will attack that at the first chance. Call it, slow play attack.

I still cannot believe... sorry I am laughing as I type this... believe that hitch threw Allen back in to face the wolves. Allen and his fragile eggshell mind, against us of all teams, on our hottest goal scoring run in well over 2 decades.... I bet he had nightmares last night .

Maybe the GMs spoke as I speculated.

 

[Chukcha]

after that 15G fiesta a tight defensive boring-as-hell game expected.

i'm happy to be wrong

 

[ovikovy817]

goals goals goals goals, and 0 for Ovi in the past few games. That's what we're asking for in the postseason for so many years.

PS: I want to know, who from the Caps boards took possession of the Steen's stick on the 7th goal?
Kuzya has the goal, but it looks like, he was looking for a pass to Ovi

 

[trick9]

+47 (105 for, 58 against) goal difference 5-on-5. That's insane.

Minnesota is second with +31. Columbus is the 3rd best with +25.

That sounds encouraging. Just need to carry that into the Playoffs. That's been their issue in the Playoffs for years.

 

[ovikovy817]

Hey guys, did you also noticed that after the Oshie's goal, Ovi wanted to take the puck
Why?? He thought it was a milestone maybe

 

[Corby78]

You nailed it. I wonder why people say nothing has changed, downplaying our best scoring output in close to 25 years. It is easy to see a very different system is in place now. It's far more than puck luck. We are more creating our own luck.

The scoreboard is proof alone. Even Strength Goals pouring in like a cup grade team. I noticed the new approach before the goals starting pouring in, and caught flak. Aggressively trying to score off every rush is very refreshing. Long gone are the hours of grinding behind the opposition goal, every single game. As I tuned out yet another snoozer hoping for an Ovi PPG to wake me. Facepalming his effort in the corners. Now, when we do end up behind the net, grinders will be grinders after all, we quickly pass to the front of the goal, where we have a player what do you know funneling to the net.

That Winnik blind assist a few games ago, he looked like 99 for a moment there. Did he develop all world vision, or, maybe it's just the system.

This is what has me so happy.

 

[Revelation]

I think they're all just copying Kuzy since the worst case outcome of the twist is a turnover so deep in the offensive zone it doesn't really matter while the rewards are enormous. Shame they couldn't figure that move out before he came along. All you gotta do is contort yourself and throw the puck up and if it connects you look Wayne Gretzky

 

[RandyHolt]

This is what has me so happy.

You and me both. Without almost no hitting and few goals, my level of interest is serious tested. I need fantasy games loaded up with all caps to get through the day.

 

[CapsJunkie]

Hey guys, did you also noticed that after the Oshie's goal, Ovi wanted to take the puck
Why?? He thought it was a milestone maybe

Oshie was with the blues for 7 years. I believe that was his first goal in St. louis against his former team. probably because his dad was there. something to give his dad?

 

[ovikovy817]

After that goal, you can also hear "bad romance" by lady gaga Good sense of humour in St Louis.

 

[txpd]

Oshie was with the blues for 7 years. I believe that was his first goal in St. louis against his former team. probably because his dad was there. something to give his dad?

Ov went for the puck Oshie scored last night too. Its got to do with Coach and not so much about St Louis