GDT: New York Paul Rangers at Washington Capitals -- 10/16/13, 8PM

[MrGone]

I think we all have to step back and really look at how we evaluate the players on this team. The best way to explain and understand what we are doing is make this a subject we all have lived threw one time or another.

If the players on the Caps were girls in a bar. We would have a two 10's and a bunch of 5-6's. And at some point most of them look so bad we are starting to see some of the others as good. And that is just not the case.

 

[ForzaItalia]

If our 5v5 play was somewhat decent we probably would've won today.

I have no idea what's going on with our forwards when we have possession in the offensive zone. Either players are just being lazy or the forwards aren't communicating with each other enough along the boards. The Rangers had no problem setting up long cycles consistently in our zone. But, on the other hand, our offence looks completely out of sync. Terrible passing, terrible support for the puck carrier, players not moving towards the puck but waiting for the puck to get to them along the boards.

Luckily for the players it's still only 7 games in, so some of these mistakes could be attributed to shaking the offseason rust off or regaining chemistry from last year. Either way, our forwards are out of sync and don't seem to be on the same page. Seems like everyone's timing is off with each other.

Some other things I'll add; Urbom is fine, Schmidt surprised me with his physicality, Erat's got his legs going now (deserves top 6 spot), Holtby played well, and the 2nd line doesn't work with Laich and Brouwer together, they just take it to the boards and lose possession quickly.

Also, I've always thought OV and Backstrom probably get frustrated often having MoJo on the top line. His constant turnovers, bad shots, and flubbed passes really deflate the sails of OV and Backstrom's shifts and it happens way too often. Every game, I give MoJo the benefit of the doubt and assume he just young and will get better. He has his flashy moments but not enough of them to deserve a 1st line role. He doesn't seem to be getting much better playing against top D pairs. It's pretty obvious that a veteran like Erat would do much better with OV and Nick. Oates needs to make these changes already. Maybe he's just waiting for the lines to get used to each other but, IMO, the top 6 won't work the way it is.

With our 5v5 lines, we need to give OV and Nick the best support they can get on the 1st line because we already struggle 5v5. Playing MoJo with OV and Nick on 5v5 just makes it harder on them because they have to make-up for a lot of Johnasson's mistakes as a young player. It's annoying to see the 1st line stay the same game after game when it obvious the 1st line is doing jack **** 5v5.

The whole team has been this way going back to last season. Looks like Oates should have been brought in as just the PP coach.

 

[KevinM]

I think we all have to step back and really look at how we evaluate the players on this team. The best way to explain and understand what we are doing is make this a subject we all have lived threw one time or another.

If the players on the Caps were girls in a bar. We would have a two 10's and a bunch of 5-6's. And at some point most of them look so bad we are starting to see some of the others as good. And that is just not the case.

That's a surprisingly apt analogy.

 

[DanTHEMan71]

Having two proper handed wingers with their sticks to the outside in poor shooting angles and no threat of the middle cut for a forehand release from a high percentage angle makes this team really, really easy to defend off the rush and zone entries. It's literally a joke for d-men to play guys wide.

This. I don't know about any of you but I don't believe a super "safe" offence is ever effective. Sure playing some wingers on their on-wing will help them out with receiving passes up the rush and having your forehand along the boards for easier defending/passing along the boards. This does help a bit with reducing turnovers on the rush, but offences need to have some creativity with the ability to cut through the middle, at least somewhat. For us, we have none of that because every winger is forced to play the puck to the outside because literally every winger is forced to their on-wing.

Sure it's going to be easy for opposing defences to shut us down 5v5 when we have no variation up front. All defences have to do against us is force us to the outside every time. They know that basically all of our forwards usually won't cut to the middle because 1) our team is 80% grinders, 2) most players, especially grinders, won't cut to the middle off their on-wing because then they'll most likely have to get off a low % backhand chance.

Forcing every winger to their on-wing just makes our offence way too predictable. The whole game against the Rangers was enter the offensive zone, get pushed to the outside, set up a mediocre cycle, generate nothing off the boards because everyone is forced to shoot from the boards, and then lose possession. Play the point tight and our forwards have no real threatening passing options. It's one big reasons our 5v5 sucks, IMO.

 

[EroCaps]

So it looks like they're punishing a veteran player (Erat) for speaking about the situation they created.

Thin-skinned ***** leading this team kept arguably the most selfish guy in the league (Semin) for years bc he helped them win.

GMGM saving his own skin at every turn.

 

[Halpysback*]

I got a very pervasive feeling that Oates is doing this as revenge for the stank that happened with him towards the end of his caps career. Am I on to something here or am I just paranoid?

 

[Halpysback*]

So it looks like they're punishing a veteran player (Erat) for speaking about the situation they created.

Thin-skinned ***** leading this team kept arguably the most selfish guy in the league (Semin) for years bc he helped them win.

GMGM saving his own skin at every turn.

I agree with the first part, but the Semin being selfish misconception is a product of McPhee more than anything. Dude just wanted to play good hockey his whole career and has been extremely useful and unselfish for Carolina in all aspects of the game. Playmaking, scoring, PKing, defense, boardwork, he's doing everything for them. At this stage we sadly don't have any forward nearly as complete.

 

[Ridley Simon]

I got a very pervasive feeling that Oates is doing this as revenge for the stank that happened with him towards the end of his caps career. Am I on to something here or am I just paranoid?

Lol.

So Oates torpedoes his coaching career for a 15 yr old grudge?

 

[Burakovsky95*]

Alzner - "I don't think we're a very tough team to play against right now."

You don't say

 

[Icetime]

I wonder how the historians of hockey will describe the 2012 and 2013 Washington Capitals top line of Ovechkin, Backstrom and who the **** was that clown?

 

[Burakovsky95*]

Can Kuznetsov please just stop ****ing around so we can play him on that top line lol

 

[DanTHEMan71]

Can Kuznetsov please just stop ****ing around so we can play him on that top line lol

If only it was that simple.

 

[maybam]

So it looks like they're punishing a veteran player (Erat) for speaking about the situation they created.

Thin-skinned ***** leading this team kept arguably the most selfish guy in the league (Semin) for years bc he helped them win.

GMGM saving his own skin at every turn.

I must have missed it, what did Erat say?

 

[MrGone]

I wonder how the historians of hockey will describe the 2012 and 2013 Washington Capitals top line of Ovechkin, Backstrom and who the **** was that clown?

How many years now have we been saying "If we only had a partner for Green" or "Its the off wing that is hold back our two super stars"

How about our big guys carry the team?

 

[Langway]

The Devils showed what Oates' system can look like during their playoff run but this team can't really forecheck worth a damn. They lack any identity whatsoever at even-strength. They don't forecheck well, transition well or defend well. That's a recipe for disaster under any system. In the past maybe they had the raw skill to compensate for such bad habits but it's beyond time that they learn that discipline and consistency are pretty important.

 

[artilector]

Can Kuznetsov please just stop ****ing around so we can play him on that top line lol

Or he could play on the 4th line like Erat. Or he could sit in the press box like Yakupov. With the current state of the team, who knows.. not that it really matters, at this point, anyway..

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

McPhee has built a one line team that is piss poor at puck possession. Horribly bad 5-5....if they manage a shot it's guaranteed that there's a simple clear or whistle after....zero sustained attack.

I'd like to see a player mutiny....at least that would be entertaining to watch.

 

[Hivemind]

Pitiful ****ing effort all around. Coughed up the puck pretty much every time they touched it. Couldn't get more than four feet into the Rangers' zone and maintain possession of the puck. Couldn't get the puck to the middle of the ice, and we all know that this team wasn't going to beat the Rangers along the walls. **** game all around tonight.

Ovie was back to his 2012 ways. Trying to do everything himself and forgetting that he had linemates. We get it Ovie, you think you can school McDonaugh and Girardi. You can't, get over it.

Without proper support in the neutral zone and across the blueline, this team is going to continue to get dominated by opponents who run a tight, coordinated trap.

 

[Capathetic]

Looks like teams figured out how to stop the power play. Take another penalty.

Seriously Green could bring a lot more then just pp assists. He's had some point blank chances in every game and nothing.

The lack of skill is really starting to show on this team.

 

[DanTHEMan71]

How many years now have we been saying "If we only had a partner for Green" or "Its the off wing that is hold back our two super stars"

How about our big guys carry the team?

OV and Backstrom are doing their part production wise. It's just the lines that are the problem, IMO.

OV is doing his job on the PP but we rely on it too much. Like tonight, if our PP doesn't produce, we usually lose. We're We were 1st in the league in PP but it can't save us every game.

It's the 5v5 play that's currently terrible and that falls more on Oates, IMO, because the line combinations have much more influence on 5v5 results than PP results. OV is the PP, it doesn't take a genius to make it work. He does what he's always done.

But it does take more of a more strategic effort to put together good ES lines/strategies, and this is where Oates is messing up right now. We have so many players making more $ than our 1LW, Marcus Johansson. Why? Because they're better players. Sure some of those players can be considered overpaid (Ward, maybe Erat and Laich), but most of them are still more fitted for the 1LW role than MoJo currently is.

Erat Backstrom OV
MoJo Grabo Brouwer
Chimera Laich Ward
Fehr Beagle Wilson

Keep starting Urbom, Schmidt, and Oleksy

Just do it Oates and hope to jeebus Kuz comes over in March.

 

[Carlzner]

At this point why would Kuznetsov even want to join this team?

 

[DanTHEMan71]

His KHL team sucks as well but let's hope he doesn't stay in Russia and just join a better team.

But I think he wants to play in the NHL regardless, at least that's what he's been telling the media.

 

[SimplySensational]

At this point why would Kuznetsov even want to join this team?

Traktor sucks.

 

[troyerlaw]

How anyone can say Ovi isn't trying tonight is stupid. Hard to do much when he is smothered at every opportunity. Same dilemma as the playoffs, no one else stepping up to take the load off him.

he and 19 certainly should have had assists on the perfect set-up of Ward. holy crap. how did he miss that? a 1-0 lead would have been nice.

 

[Capitlols]

Traktor sucks.

So do the Caps.