Post-Game Talk: Devils @ Caps 11/14/14 7PM Caps lose 1-0

[MrGone]

My goal guesses would be:

Ovechkin 42
Backstrom 16
Mojo 18
Brouwer 18
Fehr 9
Burakovsky 14
Green 13
Carlson 10
Kuznetsov 7

That is not a lineup that can afford to pay a 3rd pair Dman 5x7. There is a real lack of talent that needs to be addressed.

 

[Acallabeth]

A couple times a game he'll try to fly into the zone off the LW like he used to do a rip a shot through the D's legs and it gets blocked every single time.

He does it occasionally, but his go to move now is stopping after the blue line and looking for a pass.

He needs an elite RW. Who that will be, I don't know, but we need to try to find it. Kuznetsov, Burakovsky, someone via trade, whatever.

He doesn't need an elite RW. Name me a couple of NHL lines that has 2 elite wingers and a legit #1C - none of the best lines in the league looks like that.
We just need the motors of the line to play better. When they started the season with Fehr (and when Wilson was promoted as well), the line didn't look great because of an awesome RW. They were successful because they played hockey that is tough to defend with quick crisp passing, aggression, net presence and staying pretty close to each other. What they do now is slow cycling and perimeter play with overholding the puck and trying low % dangles and 50 feet passes. When they turn hustle on and try to play a faster and more aggressive game, like late in the 3rd, they are a good line with any RW.

I'm also not seeing Mojo outplaying Backstrom. Mojo has been the recipient of some very good luck. Not to say he isn't playing well, but he and Nick aren't even on the same planet in terms of effectiveness.

What effectiveness? Backstrom produces slightly more, playing on a better line, getting more opportunities. Mojo's line is indeed working better now, but it's his merit, not luck.

If we had a RW that could occasionally set him up, I think he could easily be a 20-25 goal guy.

He had 18 goals last year under Oates, while not shooting. 20-25 goals is where he is now (if he shoots more than once every 5 games).

 

[FloridaCap]

He does it occasionally, but his go to move now is stopping after the blue line and looking for a pass.


He doesn't need an elite RW. Name me a couple of NHL lines that has 2 elite wingers and a legit #1C - none of the best lines in the league looks like that.
We just need the motors of the line to play better. When they started the season with Fehr (and when Wilson was promoted as well), the line didn't look great because of an awesome RW. They were successful because they played hockey that is tough to defend with quick crisp passing, aggression, net presence and staying pretty close to each other. What they do now is slow cycling and perimeter play with overholding the puck and trying low % dangles and 50 feet passes. When they turn hustle on and try to play a faster and more aggressive game, like late in the 3rd, they are a good line with any RW.


What effectiveness? Backstrom produces slightly more, playing on a better line, getting more opportunities. Mojo's line is indeed working better now, but it's his merit, not luck.


He had 18 goals last year under Oates, while not shooting. 20-25 goals is where he is now (if he shoots more than once every 5 games).

The Dallas Stars employ a top line of three all stars. Vancouver rolls a line of Sedin/Sedin/Vrbata, three very talented players. Toronto has JVR/Bozak/Kessel -- sure, Bozak isn't Backstrom, but when have we had our weakest link on Ovechkin's line anywhere near Bozak's level?

Ovechkin, at the moment, isn't elite at even strength. He sure isn't good enough to carry dead weight on the opposite wing.

 

[FloridaCap]

That is not a lineup that can afford to pay a 3rd pair Dman 5x7. There is a real lack of talent that needs to be addressed.

It also doesn't help when Brooks Laich sucks up 25-30 goal money on injured reserve every year. Should have bought him out while we could.

 

[Blades of Steel]

There will never be a resolve with this core I'm afraid. More of the same. It's about time to move on.. Sad as it is to say.

 

[SChan*]

I blame wada for sinking backstroms confidence

 

[txpd]

That is not a lineup that can afford to pay a 3rd pair Dman 5x7. There is a real lack of talent that needs to be addressed.

One track mind? Is every lost game somehow the fault of mike green?

 

[txpd]

Also is every game win or loss a reason to turn the team upside down?
Looks to me like they didnt score a goal in a game where they might have
scored several and gave up only one goal in a game where they might have
given up none.
after winning three in a row.

Now I am reading johansson is better than backstroke. No he isn't

 

[txpd]

Double post

 

[Blades of Steel]

Right, backstrom isn't flashy that's why he's a under rated 1C. He is leaps and bounds above mojo, that's silly to think otherwise.

Honestly tx , you're the biggest defender of Green and that's fine. At what point do you not stand pat any longer on this stale core? Haven't we had a large enough sample size to know its not working and still the same issues year after year?
I'm not sure what to think, I just feel like we aren't gaining traction.

 

[Coldplay619]

I feel like we're overreacting to one game.

It'd be interesting to see the mood change if we win tonight.

 

[BackToTheBasics]

One track mind? Is every lost game somehow the fault of mike green?

It's not about that. We don't need Green once Orlov comes back. If we can get a top 6 winger for him and Brouwer, we should definitely trade him. Orlov can easily replace Green. He was imo, our best defense man last year.

 

[g00n]

No I don't agree... if you told me we scored 0 goals, but also kept the other team off the scoreboard, I'd as we come away with 2 points more often than not... especially against a team like NJ. Unfortunately Holtby can't seem to keep the other team off the scoreboard.

This is the thing here. The situation matters. Nobody's scoring and it's a choppy game likely headed to OT and maybe the SO. It's both teams playing for 1-2 points, and NJ has been horrid at getting that second point. So all you have to do is stand pat like the other team for 10 more minutes.

But instead Holtby gags again when it counts most, and the result is a 3-4 point turnaround in the standings, depending on whether the Caps could have gotten lucky in the last half of the third. As it was it ended up being a 3 point turnaround as the Caps lose a point they should have had while NJ picks up 2 (Caps now down 1 point in the standings to NJ instead of up 2).

Yeah yeah, it's November. But November points count the same as March and April points. And how badly were we fighting for every single point last Spring? These are big points and the kind of things that get goaltenders shipped out of town after they happen in a playoff race. Holtby had better cure the Choke-itis before then or he may be backing someone up, maybe elsewhere.

I feel like we're overreacting to one game.

It'd be interesting to see the mood change if we win tonight.

"Blow up the whole team" is an overreaction to one game but I don't think this is about one game. And yes if they win there will be more optimism because that's how people and sports are. How a team is trending affects your outlook. Nothing sinister or head-shaking about that.

Looks to me like they didnt score a goal in a game where they might have
scored several and gave up only one goal in a game where they might have
given up none.

How many chances did NJ have, but fail to convert? I'm sure their fans could say the same things. Why stop the what if game at one goal? What if the Caps scored 7 goals? Then Holtby's error doesn't matter. But they didn't, and it did. That's the type of game it was. A goaltender has to recognize when he's in a lockdown situation like that, and he has to button up his game.

You can bet the players are aware of when a game is a free-flowing shootout vs a tight grinding hackfest. Niskanen even talked about it post-game, and clearly bit his tongue talking about the goal. Instead he dutifully and politically went on about how tight the game was, how they needed to capitalize on early chances and the old fallback of "luck" (in order to avoid throwing his goaltender under the bus to the press).

Trotz plays a system where his lines are constructed for balance and his forwards forecheck aggressively while d-men activate often. There isn't a foot on the gas pedal firewagon aspect to it so much as a pressure aspect. Four lines roll and time once it's time to change you'd better change, so little opportunity to make open ice runs at the end of shifts. Better dump and change and have fresh legs add the next wave of pressure. Then go to the net, and shoot often. Hope to get lucky. Once you have the lead you protect it by tying up the puck and getting it deep.

This all means your goaltending has got to be at a certain, high level or else you will get burned by counter-attacks and open ice plays. That's exactly what we've seen, especially when other teams surge out of desperation. Little mistakes by your netminder will cost you dearly.

Last year we chalked it up to some wobbly goaltending due to Oates' interference as well as his baffling, passive system that funneled shots at the goaltender. This year we're blocking shots again and pushing the play up ice more but still not getting the key saves.

You would hope that a guy like Korn could right the ship there but so far the results are spotty. Some have said that d-men and goaltenders take longer to develop, and that may be true in some cases. But it doesn't mean ALL young goaltenders and d-men improve as they get older. Some flash early and then fizzle out. Rare is the player who bursts onto the league with star potential, falters for a few years, and then returns to star status.

Which one is Holtby?

 

[BackToTheBasics]

I feel like we're overreacting to one game.

It'd be interesting to see the mood change if we win tonight.

I won't unless I see 5-10 games of consistent play. We played great for the first 6-8 games and have fallen asleep since.

 

[Mickstix]

I feel like we're overreacting to one game.

It'd be interesting to see the mood change if we win tonight.

I disagree.. I don't remember anyone saying "now that's more like it" during the 3 game win streak. Only difference between those and last night is we didn't bank one off the boards and their goalie into the net or have one bounce off a defender into their net..

Our offense has been suspect since the first week of the season and while the PP #'s may be hanging on, it's been sliding down hill for a while now.. When you have 4-5 PP's against the worst PK in the league and spend what seems like 90 seconds/per in the Ozone w/o ever coming relatively close to scoring, there's issues!

I'd love to see Kuznetzov get some time on PP1, cause if there's an area he shines, it's when he has space and time..

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

Really costly mistake, and given the context of the game to that point and the time remaining, you had to think there was a strong chance there would be one goal scored to win the game. So at that point in the contest, to go wandering and then misfire so badly as a goaltender, Holtby deserves plenty of criticism. The position has not been a strength this year.

Yet their o'fer the game offensively tonight isn't on the goaltending. They lost because of a gaffe by their goaltender. They also lost because they scored no goals. Aside from the glaring error, a goalie who gives you a 1.00 GAA isn't hurting you terribly. You should find ways to win those games.

Beagle is getting some time at center because the team hasn't had a crack second experienced scoring-line center since Fedorov. They've two talented and promising kids who could grow into the position, but that doesn't help you in October or November 2014. That's into the future. Trotz is hardly thinking it's a permanent solution, I'm sure.

There aren't a lot of great options. One is putting #8 / #19 together again when the offense goes totally anemic, but that has costs as well. They're spending a truckload on defense now, and their margin to flesh out the forward corps was squeezed by that. They have been lucky to have Johansson providing unexpected offense so far.

It's good to have you back.

In the short, medium and long run I have a lot more faith in Holtby getting his act together than a couple of green wingers developing into the centers that transforms the forward group into the kind of unit you need to compete these days.

I'm on Langway's Vermette train and I'd like to see something happen well before the deadline.

 

[amjay13]

I'm afraid this is going to be the personality of the team all year. Inconsistent. Look great for 2 or 3 games and terrible for 2 or 3 games. In the end, they'll finish better than last year since they have a competent NHL coach. They'll be a 7/8 seed that most teams want to avoid in round 1.

 

[Langway]

I'm on Langway's Vermette train and I'd like to see something happen well before the deadline.

If they wait until the deadline I'm not sure they'll end up buyers (or, if they are, they'll be desperate ones). As far as Arizona goes, given that market I doubt they'll put up the sale sign early.

They're currently tenth in the East and only four teams have fewer ROW. NJ passed them last night. NYR is getting healthy. To me their talent and execution level is really right about where they are now. They're a 10-12 type of team absent tightening up and further development. I'm not convinced a team like Ottawa is for real and Toronto could implode at any time but overall the fortitude, gumption and execution of a playoff team isn't there often enough.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

If they wait until the deadline I'm not sure they'll end up buyers (or, if they are, they'll be desperate ones). As far as Arizona goes, given that market I doubt they'll put up the sale sign early.

They're currently tenth in the East and only four teams have fewer ROW. NJ passed them last night. NYR is getting healthy. To me their talent and execution level is really right about where they are now. They're a 10-12 type of team absent tightening up and further development. I'm not convinced a team like Ottawa is for real and Toronto could implode at any time but overall the fortitude, gumption and execution of a playoff team isn't there often enough.

Well that's the whole thing. I think as we stand, we are a bottom third team (I'm a true believer in ROW). Vermette is a fit in the offseason and I'd pay for the privilege of trying him out early and he would help the offense and the PK immediately. I also think they're playing a dangerous game with the vets on this team and we really ought to demonstrate some desire to climb past mediocrity.

But then again, there's no indication that's an organizational goal.

 

[SChan*]

what's the difference between hunter hockey and trotz hockey?

 

[Devil Dancer]

I didn't see a minute of the game, but why are people blaming the goalie for a 1-0 loss?

 

[BackToTheBasics]

I didn't see a minute of the game, but why are people blaming the goalie for a 1-0 loss?

 

[g00n]

what's the difference between hunter hockey and trotz hockey?

More aggressive forecheck and d-men pinch or join the play more. With the lead, not as much difference I don't think?

 

[tycoonheart]

what's the difference between hunter hockey and trotz hockey?

Ok, allright. Calm down there. Lets not go crazy.

Hunter had the team play one way, and only one way - passive, block shots, try to be opportunistic on offense. That was it, that was his strategy. He never had the team forecheck aggressively. There way no two way play in his system. It was just defense.

Trotz deploys a bunch of different game plans depending on the opponent or the situation. We've seen the team push the pace aggressively, we've seen them clog up the neutral zone, we've seen them dump and chase. He also gives Ovi 20+ mins instead of the 13 Hunter gave. And Trotz is very good about using his offensive fire power smartly. The top line is almost always put out on o-zone. He's a good coach.

With that said, I had problem with the style they played last night.

 

[Devil Dancer]

That's a shame.