GDT: G3 Caps - FLA 1pm

[crab]

Great game by Samsonov. Made some really big key saves.

 

[g00n]

Things are progressing nicely.

Aside from spells of competent goaltending, experience is winning this series so far. FLA were not prepared for the weight of 1 seed expectations. Lavi is also out-coaching AB, who is shuffling things up rapidly in hopes the team will wake up and turn it around. Also an experience gap.

 

[Fred22406Capsfan]

Things are progressing nicely.

Well that's nice, Mr. Huberdeau. I think I'm richer than Bezos, Buffett & Gates put together and can shoot laser beams from my eyes. That's about as realistic as your last sentence, sir.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Traveling this weekend so have been out of pocket since Thursday but had to stop in to say what a f***ing game.

Sammy you beautiful bastard I knew you had it in you. Keep it up.

And Anthony Mantha… what a beast. That takeaway to set up MoJo’a goal was something straight out of Datsyuk’s playbook. Simply a terrific individual effort which very well may have changed the tide of the game and the series.

 

[HTFN]

Traveling this weekend so have been out of pocket since Thursday but has to stop in to say what a f***ing game.

Sammy you beautiful bastard I knew you had it in you. Keep it up.

And Anthony Mantha… what a beast. That takeaway to set up MoJo’a goal was something straight out of Datsyuk’s playbook. Simply a terrific individual effort which very well may have changed the tide of the game and the series.

I get what you mean but to me Mantha looked more like the older of two brothers using these:

 

[RandyHolt]

Small thing but did notice CMC swarming around the net to start the game. Of course vanished after that but whatever when you get a young F in there you should see them flying on adrenaline to start.

 

[pman25]

Small thing but did notice CMC swarming around the net to start the game. Of course vanished after that but whatever when you get a young F in there you should see them flying on adrenaline to start.

Didn’t see much of him with no PP or PK time but he went to the crease, had a chance off the rush, and a solid back check in the 3rd. Good enough showing with few minutes. Needs to stay in for game 4. Every shift counts!

 

[HeyMattyB]

A nice bonus to a matinee win is that the post-victory good-vibes afterglow lasts a lot longer, including the rest of the afternoon and all night.

 

[trick9]

Things are progressing nicely.

Zero Playoff series won in this millenium.

'Way better team'

Checks out.

Someone is frustrated.

 

[tycoonheart]

A nice bonus to a matinee win is that the post-victory good-vibes afterglow lasts a lot longer, including the rest of the afternoon and all night.

Oh yeah now I get to watch the rest of the games today without being grumpy.

 

[max21]

A nice bonus to a matinee win is that the post-victory good-vibes afterglow lasts a lot longer, including the rest of the afternoon and all night.

This is a legit fact. Vibes are up for the rest of this beautiful day. I’m f***in wasted

 

[EYEuhFRAYtee]

A nice bonus to a matinee win is that the post-victory good-vibes afterglow lasts a lot longer, including the rest of the afternoon and all night.

Going to ride this til Monday night!

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Go back to Vitek in G4 and Sammy in G5 since we know that our goalies can't play 2 games well in a row.

This would be the ultimate 3-D chess move. I’d love it…just for originality.

 

[ovikovy817]

Zero Playoff series won in this millenium.

'Way better team'

Checks out.

Someone is frustrated.

As I understand this I think he's talking about FLA and not the Caps.
I mean he wants to say that FLA should do better and he's not telling that they're outplaying the Caps in this series.

 

[Jags]

Having that kind of reaction to the crowd chanting his name... Let's hope that's his wake-up call. It'd be nice if his Jekyll & Hyde routine was because of youth, new money, communication issues, blah blah blah. Being young and living it up is a trap lots of athletes fall into early on, losing sight of the fact that THIS is what you play for. No kid pretends to be an all-star pro player for the paycheck and wardrobe. It's making the big play to win it all, crowd chanting your name...

It took a while for Ovi to grow up, too. Maybe a taste of playoff heroism will light a fire under him.

Well that's nice, Mr. Huberdeau. I think I'm richer than Bezos, Buffett & Gates put together and can shoot laser beams from my eyes. That's about as realistic as your last sentence, sir.

I think he meant that they're better than they played today.

Didn’t see much of him with no PP or PK time but he went to the crease, had a chance off the rush, and a solid back check in the 3rd. Good enough showing with few minutes. Needs to stay in for game 4. Every shift counts!

I liked what I saw from McMike, too. Not sure he needs to be sheltered so much. As for him playing in Game 4, I guess that only happens if Wilson still can't go. I don't see him bumping anyone else out of the lineup right now.

 

[Langway]

 

[BigWilly43]

Guys over on the Florida boards are acting like the season is over LOL lots of hockey left to play.

I will say that it is nice to watch an opposing team struggle to change anything and just get beat by better play and a better system....Nice to be on the other side of it this time.

 

[Misery74]

It’s nice to have confidence your goaltender can make saves. The team and fans both seemed to feed off Sammy playing well.

Monday is the biggest game since Game 5 of the Cup Finals. We need to go to Florida up 3-1.

 

[Empty Goal Net]

Back home from today's game. Haven't read the thread but will slog through most of it to recall all the good moments.
This was a very satisfying win. Good team structure overall, with limited periods of shakiness.
- Got pinned in their zone a few times. Without harm today, but something they need to tighten up.
- First period was replete with errant passes. Typical afternoon performance but they worked through it.
- Cats getting frustrated. I thought the refs called a fair and relatively even game. Caps need to stay under control. Dowd, Hath, Kuzy and Eller all stayed out of the box. Caps are better when these guys aren't taking stupid stick or retaliation penalties.
- After they got into the later stages of period one, the team seemed able to find open teammates. It seemed like weaving and positioning were adjusted, and the Caps were able to gain the Panthers' zone regularly and challenge Bob with decent shots.
Very pleased with the strategy and effort today. Hope they can keep it up!

 

[twabby]

I think they’ll need more from Kuznetsov and Ovechkin, but it’s great seeing Mantha and Johansson playing so well and making the second line a force. I didn’t see that coming. Well I saw Mantha playing well coming. But I didn’t see the second line decisively winning their matchups coming.

 

[crab]

You have to imagine Ovechkin is still playing through the injury. Kuznetsov though has been making a lot of terrible blind passes to no one.

 

[Fallschirmyager]

I think they’ll need more from Kuznetsov and Ovechkin, but it’s great seeing Mantha and Johansson playing so well and making the second line a force. I didn’t see that coming. Well I saw Mantha playing well coming. But I didn’t see the second line decisively winning their matchups coming.

Having suffered so many playoff losses that if Ovy didn't do it didn't get done it is nice to see 6 different goals scorers today. If Ovy and Kuzy start adding it definitely increases our chances.

 

[RVACapsFan]

Can’t say enough about Mantha. Every time he’s on the ice good things seem to happen

 

[g00n]

I think they’ll need more from Kuznetsov and Ovechkin, but it’s great seeing Mantha and Johansson playing so well and making the second line a force. I didn’t see that coming. Well I saw Mantha playing well coming. But I didn’t see the second line decisively winning their matchups coming.

What more do you want from Ovie? He's clearly leading the team by example with his effort, he's playing a team game, and is putting up points. Hit physicality early helped set the tone and dig them out of their funk from G2.

Kuzy has kind of been a force of chaos out there. Even when he's not shooting or scoring he's affecting the game, most notably by getting under the FLA players' skin. I'm not sure we win today if he doesn't knock them off balance early on with all his shenanigans.

Not surprised by Mantha or Mojo. The former is playing the way some thought he could play and Mojo had been performing very well in the regular season after a rough start.

This is the team I imagined in the playoffs based on their upside. The only surprise so far is Larsson has a little more speed than I thought following surgery though he doesn't threaten the ASG lap record for sure. And maybe Sammy righting the ship after the softie but we'll see how it goes.

Only complaints are Oshie has been scoring but needs to limit some of the bonehead plays. Sheary must shoot instead of pass sometimes but otherwise he's been a spark plug. Nick is playing a cagey veteran game but has to be careful about the cute stick work when there's nobody left to support behind him.

Expecting a massive effort by FLA on Monday. Be ready, boys!

 

[zappa4ever]

What's up babes!?!

Hope we've got some happy cappers today