Post-Game Talk: kangz @ copz 7:07pm

[DWGie26]

VV was amazing last game. He definitely should have got the start tonight to see if he could build on it. It was unfortunately a bad game, but you can't not allow to him an opportunity to prove himself.

Was going to say the same. VV was awesome in Winnipeg. gotta see what he can do in back-to-backs. But it was bad.

As I mentioned earlier in GDT, at least we can comfortably go back to Sammy as number 1. Need him to get #1 minutes.

 

[SherVaughn30]

VV was amazing last game. He definitely should have got the start tonight to see if he could build on it. It was unfortunately a bad game, but you can't not allow to him an opportunity to prove himself.

Vitek was very lucky against Sabres and the same can be said against the Jets. Both games he either got beat but the shot hit the post/crossbar or an open net was missed. This was multiple times in both games. Vitek had never faced the Kings before and Sammy had already had some familiarity and shut them out earlier in the season. Vitek's last 2 starts were encouraging from him as a backup standpoint, but not enough to start him over Sammy, who I think still has shown the edge to being the #1 over Vitek.

 

[twabby]

Who wants to guess who will land on the COVID protocol next?

I’m going with Martin Fehervary and Joe Snively.

 

[SherVaughn30]

Who wants to guess who will land on the COVID protocol next?

I’m going with Martin Fehervary and Joe Snively.

I say Orlov or Sammy, since they always hang out with the Kuzy. OV I think is immune because he has natural immunity according to his wife.

 

[Devil Dancer]

Nah, the defensemen don't get it as often.

Protas is next.

 

[TheSmokingMan]

Sorry I just see that as an excuse. There are other teams playing and dealing with the same issues the Caps are dealing with their roster. Yes the players on PP played poorly on the shorty, but once again why was Vitek reading the play to drop immediately into the butterfly and allowing Lizotte to easily fire it top corner? Vitek gave Lizotte the advantage! You don't think NHL teams have a scouting report on Vitek yet? They all do. On the 2nd Kings goal, just take a hard low shot to the leg pads and the scouting report probably says Vitek will give up rebounds in front on him and not properly adjust for the rebounds he gives up. It's exactly what happened. 3rd goal on Kempe, any goalie should come out a bit and either go for the poke check of the puck or at least be somewhat aggressive and be on top of the blue crease. This is not about having to make spectacular saves, but just basic goaltending 101 of being a butterfly goalie!

Vitek didn't have a great game, but he isn't the reason they lost. The biggest problem tonight was a lack of goalscoring. Lots of powerplays and shots, no finish. That indicates the players were working hard, but the talent missing from the lineup hurt. They would have put 5 or 6 on the board with a full lineup.

 

[SherVaughn30]

Vitek didn't have a great game, but he isn't the reason they lost. The biggest problem tonight was a lack of goalscoring. Lots of powerplays and shots, no finish. That indicates the players were working hard, but the talent missing from the lineup hurt. They would have put 5 or 6 on the board with a full lineup.

CMM gave the best answer in the post game interview with him and Snively. He said the Caps had good jump in the 1st period, but in the 2nd they let up and allowed the Kings to get back into the game. I put more blame on Carlson for his lazy play allowing Alex Iafallo to push the puck past him and then Iafallo raced past Carlson to the corner boards and passed the puck to open Blake Lizotte. Lizotte didn't shoot right away, waited for Vitek to drop into the butterfly with his glove caught down too low, and then Lizotte fired it top corner glove-side against the grain.

Vitek reacted too soon, as he could have kept his stance(or a 1/2 butterfly stance) coming across laterally, which would have not made it so easy for Lizotte to shoot high as long as Vitek had his glove ready. If Vitek takes the shooters high shot option away, then the shooter has to shoot low. In goaltending, it's a lot easier staying upright and then dropping down to stop a low shot, then dropping into the butterfly first and trying to stop a high shot. Only big goalies like Sammy(6'3") or bigger can drop down into the butterfly and still stop a high shot. Vitek is not big enough to do that. I see him getting exposed a lot more to top corner shots as soon as he drops down into the butterfly.

 

[aonb]

yeah keep playing ovechkin 25+ per game and i'm 200% sure he'll be fresh during playoffs. ffs i get this guy is an animal, freak and one of a kind but he's also 36. just stop it. he's averaging 22:02 TOI per game, the most since f**** 2008/09. i don't give a **** about injuries, he can't play this much, period

 

[PlushMinus]

yeah keep playing ovechkin 25+ per game and i'm 200% sure he'll be fresh during playoffs. ffs i get this guy is an animal, freak and one of a kind but he's also 36. just stop it. he's averaging 22:02 TOI per game, the most since f**** 2008/09. i don't give a **** about injuries, he can't play this much, period

Yes agree - very weird coaching decisions going on with our team. It's just dinosaur dinosaur - no creativity, imagination, no change - keep doing the same thing and try to force a result. Not working.

 

[maacoshark]

Call me crazy but if I had a guy like that who can do other things, when the roster looks like this I'd play him in my top 6 and not my 4th line. You're hiding him from what you think he can't handle and ensuring he can't do any of the things he does naturally. Taking reps away from a player like that isn't helping, it's hurting.

My take is that McMichael isn't near as good as you think he is.

 

[maacoshark]

Are you describing Sprong?

Sprong and McMichael have similar problems.
Sprong is a shooter. The rest of his game sucks.
I seem to remember Sprong getting alot of love on these boards when he was on a bit of a roll offensively. And most here defended him if anything was said about his defensive weaknesses. Now he is the whipping boy on these boards.
I'm not a fan of Sprongs game, never have been. I'm not a fan of McMichael either. For the same reasons.
Everyone here fell in love with McMichael when he was still in juniors. I tried to tell everyone here that he is an offense only player. He needs more time in Hershey to develope.

 

[maacoshark]

I say Orlov or Sammy, since they always hang out with the Kuzy. OV I think is immune because he has natural immunity according to his wife.

Supposedly Orlov is also immune.

 

[maacoshark]

Vitek didn't have a great game, but he isn't the reason they lost. The biggest problem tonight was a lack of goalscoring. Lots of powerplays and shots, no finish. That indicates the players were working hard, but the talent missing from the lineup hurt. They would have put 5 or 6 on the board with a full lineup.

Vanecek is the reason we lost. The Kings do not create alot of chances or score alot of goals. The Kings were playing the 2nd half of a back to back. They also have a few players out due to injury or covid.
The Kings had very few scoring chances in this game. There is no way they should have scored 3 goals in this game.

 

[PlushMinus]

My take is that McMichael isn't near as good as you think he is.

Lol ok boss. He's good - dinosaur coach just doesn't want to be creative or take chances.

That's why the PP is pathetic and the team is horrendous in 3v3 ot. no risk, no new blood

 

[PlushMinus]

The ridiculous part is - it's a long season and we have points to burn so could try to mix it up and risk a few points - but they won't.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

So many tears…


One game…moving on.

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

Lol ok boss. He's good - dinosaur coach just doesn't want to be creative or take chances.

That's why the PP is pathetic and the team is horrendous in 3v3 ot. no risk, no new blood

Exactly. He’s not so bad that you need to play OV 27 minutes. And Protas is definitely not twice the player he is…so why is he getting two times as much ice time. The best shift the Caps had the whole third period was CMMs line. And then I’m not sure they got a shift after that. Down a goal I’m sure as hell playing CMM over Hagelin’s bum ass.

 

[TheLegendOfPatPeake]

Play CMM more with all of the injuries and give him a chance on the PP. Fin.

 

[Neil Racki]

No wilson, oshie, backstrom, kuz, mantha

only Ovie

we need to get healthy

 

[shtorm2005]

Caps right now

 

[txpd]

Sprong and McMichael have similar problems.
Sprong is a shooter. The rest of his game sucks.
I seem to remember Sprong getting alot of love on these boards when he was on a bit of a roll offensively. And most here defended him if anything was said about his defensive weaknesses. Now he is the whipping boy on these boards.
I'm not a fan of Sprongs game, never have been. I'm not a fan of McMichael either. For the same reasons.
Everyone here fell in love with McMichael when he was still in juniors. I tried to tell everyone here that he is an offense only player. He needs more time in Hershey to develope.

There is an easy answer, if hard to see for some. Why does Protas play and McMichael not so much? Same reason that Sheary plays and Sprong doesn't, last night's game not withstanding?

 

[txpd]

Lol ok boss. He's good - dinosaur coach just doesn't want to be creative or take chances.

That's why the PP is pathetic and the team is horrendous in 3v3 ot. no risk, no new blood

On this hand: Lavy for the Adams
On the other hand: Lavy is a dinosaur

Whoever said "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." is still right.

 

[tycoonheart]

Sprong and McMichael have similar problems.
Sprong is a shooter. The rest of his game sucks.
I seem to remember Sprong getting alot of love on these boards when he was on a bit of a roll offensively. And most here defended him if anything was said about his defensive weaknesses. Now he is the whipping boy on these boards.
I'm not a fan of Sprongs game, never have been. I'm not a fan of McMichael either. For the same reasons.
Everyone here fell in love with McMichael when he was still in juniors. I tried to tell everyone here that he is an offense only player. He needs more time in Hershey to develope.

Point to some specifics regarding CMM. If he is such a defensive liability, there must be some plays that standout to you where he crapped the bed leading to other teams scoring. And if he is such a big defensive liability, there must be multiple examples of such cases. Even last night, what exactly did he do to lead to only 6 mins of TOI?

 

[Carlzner]

My favorite part of the game was when McMichael played well and Lavi played him less.

 

[Baszie]

Did anyone see the game against Winnipeg? The one where CMM started on the 2nd line before he got benched in the 3rd. Seems everyone is forgotten how bad he was.