Post-Game Talk: Flyers v Never Gonna Get It

[txpd]

i may be in the minority, but im not overly impressed with shattenkirk. maybe hes just taking time to figure out the new system etc, but idk he doesnt look that good

its not just you.

 

[artilector]

Well, it was fun to watch Wilson truck some Flyers.

Caps' game needs a lot of work, though.

 

[Capsman]

This was a playoff game preview; we had better be sharper and better prepared to beat stacked blue lines.

 

[Calicaps]

Big Willy lovefest on the post-game

 

[Capsman]

its not just you.

He looks very tentative. Not particularly comfortable carrying the puck. Looks like Alzner with a better outlet pass.

 

[txpd]

Big Willy lovefest on the post-game

he was the best player on the ice other than maybe holtby.

 

[Corby78]

its not just you.

3 games in and shanty is added to we hate our defense group. Outstanding! This is the best 6 defenseman the caps have ever had, but to some here all but niskinen suck.

 

[artilector]

https://twitter.com/muneebalamcu/status/838227880081559552

Just unacceptable 5-on-5 possession performance by the 1st line, and by Trotz, for that matter, just allowing it to continue.

And need to get Schmidt back into the lineup.

 

[hockeykicker]

 

[Bladerunner]

3 games in and shanty is added to we hate our defense group. Outstanding! This is the best 6 defenseman the caps have ever had, but to some here all but niskinen suck.

Good point.

We all know sports boards are biased toward being negative, over worrying. Know something else? Odds are less than 25% Caps win the SC, and they're most likely the favs (better odds than any other team atm). However upsets in the NHL playoffs are hardly scarce

 

[AtNightWeFly]

Flyers look so short. All of them. And not intimidating and not much skill. What happened to this team?

I recently re-watched a Caps/Flyers game on youtube from 2010(?) where Caps had like 40 shots on goal in the 1st period alone but lost 7-1. Good times.

 

[hockeykicker]

Blue jackets and rangers both lost

 

[txpd]

not sure its being negative. he hasn't been that impressive yet. the caps game is complicated and its going to take him a while.

meanwhile after the Caps have beaten the flyers 5-0, 4-1 and 2-1 their fan base thinks the Caps suck. Its funny.

appears Connolly is in the dog house. 6mins of toi

 

[Dr John Carlson]

Just unacceptable 5-on-5 possession performance by the 1st line, and by Trotz, for that matter, just allowing it to continue.

And need to get Schmidt back into the lineup.

Could also stand to give the "3rd" line more TOI. I guess Trotz is waiting for Burakovsky to come back before he starts rolling them again, but they still deserve better than 6-7 minutes.

 

[Coldplay619]

Possession numbers:

Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Oshie 59%
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Williams 53.85%
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Williams 51.95%
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Oshie 50.16%

Last season:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Williams 62.29%
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Williams 56.08%
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Oshie 55.88%
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Oshie 50.74%

Scoring chance percentages when on the ice:

Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Oshie 62.11%
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Williams 55.46%
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Oshie 51.13%
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Williams 50.90%

Last season:

Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Oshie 61.20%
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Williams 59.15%
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Oshie 52.12%
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Williams 50.83%

Hopefully it doesn't take Trotz till we're down 3-1 in a series to figure it out.

 

[hockeykicker]

 

[Langway]

the caps game is complicated and its going to take him a while.

Meh. They're just not playing with the pace and execution they were pre-break. It's not like it's just him out of rhythm...hardly any of them have it offensively. The PP is just about as simple as you can possibly make it. I think these two minute PP experiments with him and Ovechkin is forcing it. Players just need to play their role and get used to it over time. If anything those two and the rest of that unit need quality practice time.

Shattenkirk is what he is. He's probably a #3/4 and really not a franchise defenseman. His skating isn't great nor is he a shutdown defender. Like I said, he'll need to be downright brilliant offensively as a result in order to make them even contemplate moving Carlson in order to keep him.

 

[Bladerunner]

not sure its being negative. he hasn't been that impressive yet. the caps game is complicated and its going to take him a while.

meanwhile after the Caps have beaten the flyers 5-0, 4-1 and 2-1 their fan base thinks the Caps suck. Its funny.

appears Connolly is in the dog house. 6mins of toi

We all hope 22 improves and eases himself into the Caps system.

I noticed they don't see "it" about the Caps, are forecasting another early exit, and Caps really don't want to face the Flyers in round 1 cause Mase is hot...

You're being kind to label it as "funny"

 

[animositynow]

caps need to work on PP unit #1.



this is as good as the team is going to get. winning these games doesn't matter. the only time it matters is in april/may/june. wish we could just hurry up and get to the playoffs already

 

[artilector]

Meh. They're just not playing with the pace and execution they were pre-break. It's not like it's just him out of rhythm...hardly any of them have it offensively. The PP is just about as simple as you can possibly make it. I think these two minute PP experiments with him and Ovechkin is forcing it. Players just need to play their role and get used to it over time. If anything those two and the rest of that unit need quality practice time.

Shattenkirk is what he is. He's probably a #3/4 and really not a franchise defenseman. His skating isn't great nor is he a shutdown defender. Like I said, he'll need to be downright brilliant offensively as a result in order to make them even contemplate moving Carlson in order to keep him.

My concern is whether the Caps' finely-tuned mechanism, assuming it spins up again, can function when opponents take the pressure up a level.

Right now, it's too easy to take them off their game...

 

[Hivemind]

3 games in and shanty is added to we hate our defense group. Outstanding! This is the best 6 defenseman the caps have ever had, but to some here all but niskinen suck.

Langway, Stevens, Murphy, Hatcher, Johansson, Rouse, Sheehy

 

[discobob]

Ahhhhhh... where did the freaking offense go?

 

[Calicaps]

Ahhhhhh... where did the freaking offense go?

They've won 3 in a row and 5 of 6. They have out scored opponents 13-4 in those victories. I'm not too worried.

 

[twabby]

Possession numbers:



Last season:



Scoring chance percentages when on the ice:



Last season:


Hopefully it doesn't take Trotz till we're down 3-1 in a series to figure it out.

This is why I don't understand why people say Ovechkin will "drag down" any line he's on. 8-19-77 hasn't been good since the beginning of last season. It's not a recent thing. Meanwhile Ovechkin has had success with Kuznetsov.

And it's not like the second line has some unbreakable chemistry right now either that would make it difficult to mix up the top 6. Johansson had a nice game against the Rangers but aside from that he's been a turnover machine. Williams hasn't been much better. Kuznetsov has made some great individual plays but his wingers aren't contributing enough.

Flip 19 and 92 for 5 games or so. If it doesn't work then fine, go back. But there is actual tangible evidence that Ovechkin performs much better away from Backstrom and specifically with Kuznetsov. And his play can't get much worse right now.

 

[kmart]

its funny or interesting to see that some people here cant accept the home win streak because it was not convincing enough

one day its the offense, the other day its defense or goalie... i know why u do it... u switch around ur doubt the closer it gets to the post season. we dont know how, we dont know why, we dont know when. what we do know is that the regular season dominance will not translate into the playoffs, more likely the opposite will happen. like in a horror movie, those skeptical posts are those who want to prepare themselves for the shock that will come.