Post-Game Talk: Game 4: Caps vs. Flyers (mod note post #5)

[Nice]

On a side note, I ****ing hate Schenn. All he does the whole game is run around and try to injure all of our guys. I'm just gonna go watch Wilson's hit on Schenn repeatedly until I feel better.

 

[AllAlphas]

Looked to me like Carlson got plenty of rest out on the ice.

Like Backstrom he always looks lazy with the puck...smooth but lazy, like Green.
He should have put more effort into retrieving the puck at the end when the Flyers dumped it...just looked uninspired.

 

[ocubed]

Is it Friday yet?

 

[artilector]

I believed this team had advanced beyond the "do just enough" stage.

That **** doesn't win you a Championship.

Well... did you see enough of a level of 5-on-5 dominance in the first 3 games to expect that they could dominate game 4? I didn't...

If they got the same PP results/bounces as before, it would be 2-1 and Caps win the series. Alternatively, if they didn't dominate special teams in games 1,2,3, then very likely they would not be up 3-0.

And starting slowly/coming on late has been their thing for a long time. So, I mean, makes sense that some of these flaws carry over to playoffs...

Anyway, right now my biggest hope is -- they gotta get 2nd line going. I think Kuz remains their biggest potential offensive spark, give him some shifts with different linemates, both Bura and Williams can be said to have held him back a bit. Though, hopefully, even if they stay together, they can get it going...

 

[Hivemind]

Still alive. Much more harassment in my direction tonight than last game. Likely because the Flyers fans actually stayed until the end.

Philadelphia adjusted, Washington didn't. It happens over the course of a series. I trust Trotz to make the proper corrections in game 5. Philadelphia did a much better job protecting the middle of the ice tonight than they have all series. They let the Caps control play along the outsides, but they took away the middle of the ice. The Capitals didn't have the constant screens and unchallenged net pressure they had in the first three games. This almost bit Philadephia in the third period, when they also backed off in the neutral zone and they just let the Caps cruise into the offensive zone with possession over and over and over again.

Philadelphia also adjusted on the PK. They were willing to challenge Backstrom, rather than sitting in a passive box. It seemed effective, but there was very little special teams play this game. The lack of special teams play was a big factor as well. In terms of 5 on 5 play, this series had been much closer than the scores suggested. The Capitals had dominated on the PP and PK. This game relied much less on that.

Couple other thoughts:
Burt was dangerous all night long. So many chances. If Philadelphia keeps playing soft on the wings, he's going to score or get a crucial assist.

Orlov had one real nice pinch in the third, but he continues to disappoint in the playoffs. Too much half assed clearing attempts that end up as 50/50 pucks or straight up turnovers. He doesn't look focused out there.

Ovie looked gassed during his seemingly endless shift towards the end of the game. Flubbed a grade A scoring chance.

I liked what I saw from both Schmidt (minus the one turnover at the blueline) and Chorney tonight.

 

[artilector]

Still alive. Much more harassment in my direction tonight than last game. Likely because the Flyers fans actually stayed until the end.

Philadelphia adjusted, Washington didn't. It happens over the course of a series. I trust Trotz to make the proper corrections in game 5. Philadelphia did a much better job protecting the middle of the ice tonight than they have all series. They let the Caps control play along the outsides, but they took away the middle of the ice. The Capitals didn't have the constant screens and unchallenged net pressure they had in the first three games. This almost bit Philadephia in the third period, when they also backed off in the neutral zone and they just let the Caps cruise into the offensive zone with possession over and over and over again.

Philadelphia also adjusted on the PK. They were willing to challenge Backstrom, rather than sitting in a passive box. It seemed effective, but there was very little special teams play this game. The lack of special teams play was a big factor as well. In terms of 5 on 5 play, this series had been much closer than the scores suggested. The Capitals had dominated on the PP and PK. This game relied much less on that.

Couple other thoughts:
Burt was dangerous all night long. So many chances. If Philadelphia keeps playing soft on the wings, he's going to score or get a crucial assist.

Orlov had one real nice pinch in the third, but he continues to disappoint in the playoffs. Too much half assed clearing attempts that end up as 50/50 pucks or straight up turnovers. He doesn't look focused out there.

Ovie looked gassed during his seemingly endless shift towards the end of the game. Flubbed a grade A scoring chance.

Well done getting through the hostile environment.

 

[AllAlphas]

Is it Friday yet?

Nah...my ***** still hurt from the swift kick they received tonight, it usually takes at least 24 hours for the swelling to go down and for me to forget who kicked them.
Go Caps!
*********!

 

[AllAlphas]

Still alive. Much more harassment in my direction tonight than last game. Likely because the Flyers fans actually stayed until the end.

Philadelphia adjusted, Washington didn't. It happens over the course of a series. I trust Trotz to make the proper corrections in game 5. Philadelphia did a much better job protecting the middle of the ice tonight than they have all series. They let the Caps control play along the outsides, but they took away the middle of the ice. The Capitals didn't have the constant screens and unchallenged net pressure they had in the first three games. This almost bit Philadephia in the third period, when they also backed off in the neutral zone and they just let the Caps cruise into the offensive zone with possession over and over and over again.

Philadelphia also adjusted on the PK. They were willing to challenge Backstrom, rather than sitting in a passive box. It seemed effective, but there was very little special teams play this game. The lack of special teams play was a big factor as well. In terms of 5 on 5 play, this series had been much closer than the scores suggested. The Capitals had dominated on the PP and PK. This game relied much less on that.

Couple other thoughts:
Burt was dangerous all night long. So many chances. If Philadelphia keeps playing soft on the wings, he's going to score or get a crucial assist.

Orlov had one real nice pinch in the third, but he continues to disappoint in the playoffs. Too much half assed clearing attempts that end up as 50/50 pucks or straight up turnovers. He doesn't look focused out there.

Ovie looked gassed during his seemingly endless shift towards the end of the game. Flubbed a grade A scoring chance.

I liked what I saw from both Schmidt (minus the one turnover at the blueline) and Chorney tonight.

Way to fly the colors! Much rougher environment than the Shark Tank where I go to cheer on the Caps.
Nice first hand analysis as well...much appreciated.

 

[SpinningEdge]

We won first 2 at home... split in Philly.

We still have 2 of the last 3 at home (if needed).

Why are so many people worried? You guy think Caps are going to lose 4 in a row - and 3 more in a row??? That's not happening w/ our talent up top, defense we have, and Holtby in net.

We're in good shape. We protected home ice and split on the road. That's fine. We're playing a playoff team here...

 

[Empty Goal Net]

Friday. Caps get last change. Should have more favorable match-ups. That, plus showing up when the puck drops and playing a full 60, should be sufficient to end this.

I don't care what the advanced stats say, but Chorney instead of Orpik did not lead to better results.

 

[SpinningEdge]

Alzner as many minutes tonight basically as Schmidt? Yikes.

Good news is our main 3 d guys (Carlson, Alzner, and Nisky) combined for about 70 minutes - so avg of a little over 23 each. That's completely fine. They'll be okay for Fridays game to log a lot of minutes again if needed.

 

[Langway]

They are in good shape but they're never as good as they think they are. It was another tight game, which they fundamentally will probably be in until they're done. Whenever they get overconfident they believe they can just show up and be given a win. That mentality is a massive part of the killer instinct problem. When you're confident it shouldn't go to your head, it should lead to increased trust in the actions done that led to wins. It wasn't you, it was your actions. Instead, they actually get away from what was successful thinking that maybe doing less will still be good enough. It's fundamentally lazy and asking to be humbled in order to regain the edge they surrendered by not understanding how they got where they did.

So much of their success coming on the PP is very dangerous because they have not outclassed Philadelphia 5-on-5 much. They did territorially in the third but still struggled to get really good looks as Philly sat back. They need better starts and much better puck play 5-on-5. Relying on team defense as such a backbone of who they are is too one-dimensional. It always comes down to two-way play and we'll see if this group has the stamina and intelligence to effectively involve themselves in the guts of the game as situations become more challenging.

 

[SpinningEdge]

They are in good shape but they're never as good as they think they are. It was another tight game, which they fundamentally will probably be in until they're done. Whenever they get overconfident they believe they can just show up and be given a win. That mentality is a massive part of the killer instinct problem. When you're confident it shouldn't go to your head, it should lead to increased trust in the actions done that led to wins. It wasn't you, it was your actions. Instead, they actually get away from what was successful thinking that maybe doing less will still be good enough. It's fundamentally lazy and asking to be humbled in order to regain the edge they surrendered by not understanding how they got where they did.

So much of their success coming on the PP is very dangerous because they have not outclassed Philadelphia 5-on-5 much. They did territorially in the third but still struggled to get really good looks as Philly sat back. They need better starts and much better puck play 5-on-5. Relying on team defense as such a backbone of who they are is too one-dimensional. It always comes down to two-way play and we'll see if this group has the stamina and intelligence to effectively involve themselves in the guts of the game as situations become more challenging.

Eh, 5-3 ES is still a advantage ES. Sure, It's not a big one - but still a pretty big advantage.

Hopefully this is just a wake up call that Caps can't ever take the foot off the gas. They still need 13 more wins... and they're going to have to work their butts off to get 13 more.

Friday is a pretty big game though. Definitely don't want to go back to Philly...

 

[AllAlphas]

We won first 2 at home... split in Philly.

We still have 2 of the last 3 at home (if needed).

Why are so many people worried? You guy think Caps are going to lose 4 in a row - and 3 more in a row??? That's not happening w/ our talent up top, defense we have, and Holtby in net.

We're in good shape. We protected home ice and split on the road. That's fine. We're playing a playoff team here...

I think the Caps will beat the Flyers in this series...but if you have been a Caps fan for as long as I have (30 plus years) you have seen this type of play over and over and over again.
Islanders, Penguins, Rangers, Flyers, Montreal, etc., etc., etc.......
So many series losses to teams they should have beat.
It's infuriating.

 

[Raikkonen]

Man up ppl. Wtf is wrong with you? This game is lost, calm down.

I did expect Flyers to play their best for their own sake and even said so. They didn't have anything else to do. Then they got two long distance goals, that had to happen with all those shots they took from G1 on. Then maybe a little help from the refs and a big help from apathetic Caps. That's normal.

Barry has to adjust. Players have to be better 5v5.

1st line is OK. Backstrom >> Kuzy so far. That's a good thing.

Richards is not 3C I guess. He's vet, blablabla, but he's not helping the 3rd line. I expect Beagle to play 3C next game. Maybe it will help Chimera. 3RW? I don't know.

Not the end of the world if it goes another game, but I will say, Trotz is playing the crap out of Alzner and Niskanen. The longer this series goes, the more we may see the impact of that.

Alzner with 19 mins. Niskanen is getting the bigger load though.

 

[Corby78]

Caps play their worst game, on the road vs a team with nothing to lose. They gave them 2 entire periods of playing half asleep and they won 2-1. We win this I'm still not worried, but my only concern is somebody else getting hurt. I'm hoping with a home crowd, last change, ect.. it ends in 5.

Not bad to get another reminder you still need to bring it. Even the 8 seeds are solid teams, were not playing Toronto here.

 

[ovikovy817]

It's not a bad thing to play a fifth game in this series. Because with a sweep, we would have to wait 8 or 9 days to plain again. But now we have to finish them in 5 and without injury.

And this lose were so predictable. Neuvy with a A+ game

 

[HecticGlow]

Just watched the game.

The third line really woke up when it went back to 25-90-43 - at ES, it's been little more than a checking line, albeit an effective checking line, with Richards down the middle. They had some nice chances and good zone time in the third.

The problem for the third line right now is that Mojo is in pass-mode - and having some nice setups. But Chimera, Wilson and Richards are not the guys to finish it.

I'd play either:

90-92-14 / 65-83-43 / 25-10-26
or
25-92-14 / 65-90-83 / 26-10-43

Because the current bottom nine isn't getting much done at ES, and I think part of the problem for the bottom nine is that Mojo and Beagle (the two most skilled offensively right now) can't bring two linemates each up to that offensive standard, and Chimera has been pretty much MIA for a while now.

Burakovsky and Kuznetsov are both playing well - but still not together.

I didn't think Schmidt had a bad game all told - not defensively, at least. Anyone else get the feeling Niskanen was out and out being targeted all game long?

If the caps don't fix their ES issue we're not going to get very far in the playoffs, regardless of whether we get past this series. We don't need one goal a series from the second and third lines - we need them scoring most games. Why people here thing that the 65-92-14 line is going to 'wake up' one day and become a goal-generating machine (as opposed to the occasional goal here or there) has me puzzled.

On the plus side, welcome back 8-19-77 - not sure why it took you 80 odd games to find your feet, but it's nice to see the real you.

Right decision to move Richards to the fourth line, possibly a bad decision to keep Beagle there and not move Chimera down. Let's see what game five brings.

 

[amin723]

(mod) This as going to be a very tough game simply because you have no idea who is coming out of the tunnel. The Caps spent the first 2 periods worrying about fights, late hits, antics, etc. They overprotected themselves and cost victory but still were very close. Now we know how Philly will play for games 5-7 We will dominate game 5.

This is still the same team that did not lose in regulation back-to-back.

If the team's hadn't had the very strange Game 3 and then we saw a distinct lack of effort or complete change I think you could be upset about killer instinct. But the circumstances surrounding last nights game demanded some amount of hesitation or reactionary strategy on the part of the Caps. Get back home safely was the most important thing to do.

 

[HecticGlow]

This as going to be a very tough game simply because you have no idea who is coming out of the tunnel. The Caps spent the first 2 periods worrying about fights, late hits, antics, etc. They overprotected themselves and cost victory but still were very close. Now we know how Philly will play for games 5-7 We will dominate game 5.

This is still the same team that did not lose in regulation back-to-back.

What's your definition of 'close'? We played a strong third period, but could still only get past Neuvy once. They outplayed us in every meaningful way in the first two periods.

From what I can tell the series would be a lot closer if the Flyers had deployed the level of discipline they had in game four during the first three games - we scored most of our goals on the PP, and found our momentum through early PP goals. We had slow starts in games 2 and 3.

Concepts like 'bad luck luck' and 'lots of scoring chances' and 'great possession time' are going to mean absolutely nothing to any of us if we end up eliminated from the playoffs. If we're not going to get many power plays, we must start finishing our chances at even strength - and not be outshot in the first two periods. But at some point you've got to recognise when a line, or a strategy, isn't leading to goals.

I'd also remind you that at we have lost multiple games back-to-back in overtime - which in the playoffs = a full loss. I fully expect the team to have a strong start to game five and start relying more on ES goals than the special teams, because they know that with every flyers win the likelihood of Caps elimination disproportionately increases.

 

[ovikovy817]

I'd like the league to look at this son of a *****
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNo0F8DSB6Y

Hope he'll be suspended for game 5, but he won't because we're not the Hawks, Pens or Rags.

 

[amin723]

I define close as losing by 1-goal on the road with multiple chances to tie the game. I feel as though that's a pretty standard definition.

A lot of the Power Plays we earned in the first 3 games weren't simply "dumb penalties" but by driving the play at Even Strength and forcing a penalty to be taken. That aspect of the game was missing last night, and in my mind it's because the messaging was "STAY SAFE AT ALL COSTS!"

 

[amin723]

I'd like the league to look at this son of a *****
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNo0F8DSB6Y

Hope he'll be suspended for game 5, but he won't because we're not the Hawks, Pens or Rags.

LOL (this is a "shaking my head at the goonery type lol"). Always against the 2nd line too. ALWAYS.

 

[txpd]

Burakovsky and Kuznetsov are both playing well - but still not together.

They are not. They are getting a lot of slack, but other than the one flukey goal in the last game, those three forwards have 2 goals in the last 15 games and Kuzy just the one in his last 25 games. I was hoping that break in g3 would ignite Kuznetsov. It didn't.

This remains a primary issue for this team. Ov Oshie and Backstrom are scoring. They are getting contributions from the bottom 6. The 2nd line has been invisible this series. so far.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

Ever seen Tom Wilson take a shot at someone's knee from behind?

I haven't. As I said earlier in the series, Schenn is a far, far dirtier player than Wilson, and Philly fans celebrate it.