Series Discussion: (M1) Washington Capitals vs (WC1) Carolina Hurricanes, Category 2

[txpd]

More thoughts on the at the game experience last night.

TV is better
DSP was invisible.
Kuzy was aimless

Omen. Caps came out for warm up. Ovechkin goes and stretches. After the stretch, he accelerates as fast as can straight down the slot. About half way he blows a tire and crashes into the boards. I thought, oh boy.

 

[twabby]

I was one of only a handful of people to vote Caps in 7 in part 1 of this thread. Sticking to it.

Same. The Capitals had 5 more points and 2 more wins than Carolina in the regular season and the same number of ROW. These two teams are incredibly evenly matched and 7 games was always going to be the most likely outcome for this series.

 

[txpd]

I'm looking forward to it. Lots of players are due, and hopefully angry/frustrated with themselves. That wouldn't have helped in the past, but the Cup seems to have changed a lot of attitudes. No existential dread --> better performances under pressure, I hope.

I'm looking forward to either enjoying round two or taking a break from playoff hockey. Obviously I'd prefer the former, but I have a lot of books/games/shows to catch up on. And the stress of watching your team in the POs is real.

Yea. Either they win or they don't. The sun comes up either way. I think they will probably win. I saw a lot of disinterest last night though. Kuzy is the worst but Vrana too. Burakovsky is suddenly more motivated than Vrana. Based on what I am seeing right now, I would keep 65 instead of 13(knowing that really isn't an option).

Eller was working. DSP was not. Classic Backstrom knocking Jdub on his ass for snowing Holtby,

 

[marcel snapshot]

NBC showed a replay again after the commercial break that showed a better angle (I think) with commentary on the slash. But since it wasn't shown right after the goal, I can't seem to find it anywhere online right now.

I could only make a GIF of the goal from the first angle.

Edit: But you can still make out Aho's stick coming down onto Siegenthaler's gloves on this

View attachment 219547

Thanks - that's an impressively subtle weasel play by Aho. Didn't know he had that in him.

Canes were 24-9-2 in their last 35 games. They've been a really good team consistently since the All-Star break. We shouldn't be tearing our hair out because they beat us on their home ice in an elimination. But we can and should play with a little more poise and command.

 

[RandyHolt]

I mean it’s a small 6 game sample size. I wouldn’t sweat it.

Backstrom isn’t a 70 goal scorer either

Too late. There is going to be a lot of nervous sweat tomorrow.

 

[tenken00]

Thanks - that's an impressively subtle weasel play by Aho. Didn't know he had that in him.

Canes were 24-9-2 in their last 35 games. They've been a really good team consistently since the All-Star break. We shouldn't be tearing our hair out because they beat us on their home ice in an elimination. But we can and should play with a little more poise and command.

I'm actually really impressed by the Canes this last game. Their fans came into the series just hoping that the team would come out playing their guts out, and the Canes have done that in spades. To come back twice in their elimination game, especially after THAT kind of Game 5, takes all types of willpower. It just needs to end for them in Game 7.

The Canes don't have the skill or the physicality, but they do have the heart. And we all know that heart is the most important power in Captain Planet.

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Yea. Either they win or they don't. The sun comes up either way. I think they will probably win. I saw a lot of disinterest last night though. Kuzy is the worst but Vrana too. Burakovsky is suddenly more motivated than Vrana. Based on what I am seeing right now, I would keep 65 instead of 13(knowing that really isn't an option).

Eller was working. DSP was not. Classic Backstrom knocking Jdub on his ass for snowing Holtby,

This is how I see it as well. Hoping for a win but it's been frustrating watching the depth disappear again as it has so many times in the past. Their entire second line is MIA. Hagelin has been a total non-factor. Kuznetsov is a liability. Vrana, nothing. 4th line, no offensive output at all minus the Dowd penalty shot. Niskanen has been awful.

Bright spots: Ovechkin, Backstrom, Burakovsky, Eller, Orpik.

Meh: Wilson, Holtby, Orlov, Jensen, Carlson.

 

[RandyHolt]

I couldn't find anything right now on Ovi clapping but here you go

View attachment 219557

Fantastic! Thanks much.

The last time I remember the chicken dance was Hanlon vs the Thrashers

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Same. The Capitals had 5 more points and 2 more wins than Carolina in the regular season and the same number of ROW. These two teams are incredibly evenly matched and 7 games was always going to be the most likely outcome for this series.

Let’s be real....this is a coin flip league largely. Anyone with a clue picked 6 or 7.

Go Bettman.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I'm actually really impressed by the Canes this last game. Their fans came into the series just hoping that the team would come out playing their guts out, and the Canes have done that in spades. To come back twice in their elimination game, especially after THAT kind of Game 5, takes all types of willpower. It just needs to end for them in Game 7.

The Canes don't have the skill or the physicality, but they do have the heart. And we all know that heart is the most important power in Captain Planet.

Enough already. I hear they’re accepting fan applications if you are sooooooo impressed.

 

[RandyHolt]

The fact that all the favorites are collapsing....

A changing of the guard. But the league needs our body guards.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

More likely, “favorite” just doesn’t mean much in the NHL now.

 

[tenken00]

Enough already. I hear they’re accepting fan applications if you are sooooooo impressed.

Nah f*** the canes

 

[tenken00]

And screw Brind'Amour and his Gollum looking face too

 

[RandyHolt]

And screw Brind'Amour and his Gollum looking face too

Now we're talking. I think Golem's malformed nose is serving as a distraction to our players.

 

[4thTierSport]

Gonna throw it out there; what was the split on H/A games for Canes since the start of the new year?

 

[txpd]

Let’s be real....this is a coin flip league largely. Anyone with a clue picked 6 or 7.

Go Bettman.

What happened to TB and Pittsburgh? Did they lose their coin?

 

[4thTierSport]

What happened to TB and Pittsburgh? Did they lose their coin?

Pittsburgh was not a surprise.

 

[tenken00]

I need a gif of the Ovi chicken dance, and Ovi clapping. Ovi is playing very ornery of late. He has never taken any crap but this is a new level; it looked like he was ready to fight again. You could see the gears churning in Maelalenelanens head when he and Ovi had a little battle late. Pass.

The clapping one:



and the GIF for it

and the full video of the chicken flap:

 

[Capsman]

That Siegenthaler play was definitely a slash but it was also an example of a mistake I feel the Caps defensemen have made over and over these playoffs. He was trying to wind it around the boards when the best option, in my opinion, was to stop and take it up the boards to his left. He saw Aho, knew Aho was behind him to his right. I don't know if it's an issue of him lacking the confidence to do so or a strategy that we need to send pucks up the boards to a waiting Canes player. We are time and again making the wrong decisions in our zone.

 

[tenken00]

I don't know if it's an issue of him lacking the confidence to do so or a strategy that we need to send pucks up the boards to a waiting Canes player. We are time and again making the wrong decisions in our zone.

We've been doing that a lot, just throw it up the boards when we know that a Cane is sitting parked there because they know that's what we do.

 

[Devil Dancer]

That Siegenthaler play was definitely a slash but it was also an example of a mistake I feel the Caps defensemen have made over and over these playoffs. He was trying to wind it around the boards when the best option, in my opinion, was to stop and take it up the boards to his left. He saw Aho, knew Aho was behind him to his right. I don't know if it's an issue of him lacking the confidence to do so or a strategy that we need to send pucks up the boards to a waiting Canes player. We are time and again making the wrong decisions in our zone.

This is a good point. Last year in the playoffs they did a great job of making little outlet passes from the corners to the high slot, then breaking out. In this series they are content to throw it up the boards, often leading to a turnover.

The Canes' aggressive forecheck may prevent that same kind of outlet pass, but what they're doing now isn't working either.

 

[RandyHolt]

"The safe play is around the boards"

 

[Langway]

They're also often trying to stretch the neutral zone out with stretch passes rather than more patiently support one another with crisp short passes and playing as five man units. It's a sloppy game plan that in no way can be blamed on Kempny's injury. Kempny just made it easier on a talent level to reach a certain level but they're fundamentally not doing many things they drove their success last season, esp. on the road. They may not be terribly far from being gassed, with the notable exception of Ovechkin and maybe Orlov. Home ice may pump them up to prevail in Game 7 but thereafter who knows how much they really have left. The Islanders fourth line and overall diligence to make it a hard game will be a challenge, particularly if they're not able to be the sort of cleaner skilled exit and entry team that they want to be.