GDT: Pens @ Capitals - 11/20/2013 8 PM - Wednesday Night Pierre Ruining a Good Game

[SkinsFan09]

Honestly can we just amnesty Brooks Laich and move on already. What a waste of a roster spot.

5 points in 22 games and is a -10. That is atrocious.

Use that $4.5 million for a legit top 6 forward or more importantly a top 4 D.

 

[Vladiator16*]

Well, glad our boys showed up ready to play...

What a ****ing joke...

 

[Vladiator16*]

A lot of people talking about Orlov, granted, i'd like to see him too... but really is he gonna save this defense/team? Right...

 

[swimmer77]

Speaking for myself - Orlov isn't gonna save this team. LOL But the Orlov I remember played with spunk. That actually is something more than I saw last night.

 

[Hivemind]

Games like this show how poorly constructed this team is.

I don't think this game said a whole lot about roster construction. Everyone sucked, save perhaps Backstrom. It was a **** game all around, but **** games are going to happen. It wasn't one particular aspect of the roster getting outmatched, it was a lack of effort and preparation from the whole team. Simply put, they got outplayed.

 

[Ajax1995]

I think last night was yet another example of a team that does not understand that sometimes you just need to get the puck out of the zone.

This team has an incredible habit of having good opportunities to clear the zone and failing because they either are too nonchalant about it or try something cute and don't pull it off.

It happens way more than it should every game but when you do it against a team like the Pens you are more likely to pay for it, definitely in extended time in your own zone if not in goals against.

This is something that drives me crazier than anything else as far as this team goes because the entire team does it.

 

[Capitlols]

I don't think this game said a whole lot about roster construction. Everyone sucked, save perhaps Backstrom. It was a **** game all around, but **** games are going to happen. It wasn't one particular aspect of the roster getting outmatched, it was a lack of effort and preparation from the whole team. Simply put, they got outplayed.

As far as I'm concerned, it showed how soft the forwards are and how very few of them can win board battles, let alone maintain possession. Defensively they still can't clear the crease or out-muscle guys in front of the net.

Also, the majority of the time in the D zone they look like they don't know who their assignment is, whether that's a lack of communication or coaching or both. Nevermind how passive they are, they give way too much space to the opposition.

All of this has been a theme for years.

 

[Langway]

Not big game material. Same as it ever was.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

My 3 stars of the game:

1) Ovechkin
2) Backstrom
3) Strachan

It's a pity that these two superstars don't (and probably never will) have a supporting cast.

 

[KevinM]

I don't think this game said a whole lot about roster construction. Everyone sucked, save perhaps Backstrom. It was a **** game all around, but **** games are going to happen. It wasn't one particular aspect of the roster getting outmatched, it was a lack of effort and preparation from the whole team. Simply put, they got outplayed.

Yup, more or less this. Every team is going to have bad games and even bad stretches throughout the course of a season. While it is unfortunate we tend to do that whenever we're broadcast nationally I don't know that we can really **** on the whole team based on this one performance.

That said I do think there are a number of issues that have been identified on these boards about the problems with the teams construction and games like this are easier to use as ammunition on that front.

 

[caps4cup]

My 3 stars of the game:

1) Ovechkin
2) Backstrom
3) Strachan

It's a pity that these two superstars don't (and probably never will) have a supporting cast.

I thought Strachan was the worst player on the ice.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

I thought Strachan was the worst player on the ice.

Given his ability/situation, I thought he handled himself pretty well.

 

[itsjustsurvival]

Given his ability/situation, I thought he handled himself pretty well.

Agreed, he looked ok. Laich was obviously the worst player on the ice.

What a terrible game to watch.

 

[Hivemind]

Holtby was definitely the worst player on the ice. Those were some buttery soft goals he gave up. And I'm not one to lynch the goalie often.

Strachan made some okay players, but was clearly overmatched. His lack of effort wasn't a problem so much as his lack of skating ability.

 

[Calicaps]

We did win the Winter Classic at Heinz Field.

Yep. And the guy who scored 2 of their 3 goals was sitting in the press box last night in favor of 20.

 

[BobRouse]

Tough night.

Just nothing went our way. Couldn't complete 10ft passes..there were 5 or 6 instances in the first half of the game where we would have had a potential odd man rush from their blue line to a streaking player if we could just make a 10ft pass.

Hitting posts, Fluery making saves and not getting called for chucking the puck over the glass, Brouwer getting high sticked, Kunitz mid air deflection, Bennets goal that didn't have a true follow thru since it hit Carlsons stick..etc etc

The Pens were absolutely on their game. Their passing was 100% on target in the neutral zone.

Again just one of those nights where things weren't going our way.

I think last night was yet another example of a team that does not understand that sometimes you just need to get the puck out of the zone.

This team has an incredible habit of having good opportunities to clear the zone and failing because they either are too nonchalant about it or try something cute and don't pull it off.

It happens way more than it should every game but when you do it against a team like the Pens you are more likely to pay for it, definitely in extended time in your own zone if not in goals against.

This is something that drives me crazier than anything else as far as this team goes because the entire team does it.

Well if we always chipped it out of the zone or made the safe play then we wouldn't look good either.

Its like the QB in the NFL who never throws more than 5 yards downfield..always throwing it away or hitting the checkdown for a couple yards and then punting. Brunell at the end of his carreer for example.

Its a fine line to walk. I don't mind them making plays and taking risks. They just have to do a better job at identifying times when they shouldn't.

That comes with experience. Our D lineup last night had very little comparatively.

Our 4th line was out there for the 1st 2 goals (Volpatti had a very rough night) against their top line. One due to icing with a weird faceoff where I don't think the Caps were ready.

Chalk it up as a learning experience.

 

[Hivemind]

Some credit does have to be given to the Penguins here. They played a terrific game all around. Their coverage was spot on in the defensive zone, and they played about as dominant in the neutral zone as you possibly can (both with and without the puck). They played a crisp, play-off style game and completely outperformed the Capitals.

The Capitals lack of execution was a very large part of it, but the Penguins were forcing them to the outsides and keeping them from gaining the zone with speed. The Penguins always had numbers and were there to scoop up loose and contested pucks. They played really really well.

 

[Langway]

Pittsburgh is fourth in Shots Against per Game. I think J.Martin has having an impact (although they've also played a pretty soft schedule).

Washington is 26th in that category and only Toronto & Buffalo have a worse per game Shots For / Shots Against differential. They are way too loose and have no concept of shutdown hockey (surprise surprise). It's too bad Hunter burned bridges like he did because he at least had them buying into taking pride in being somewhat hard to play against defensively.

 

[RandyHolt]

I am starting to worry about Oates's famed complex system.

Some if it may be personnel but the system should mask those issues.

It is just too ugly too often for my liking, and rather boring to boot.

 

[Hivemind]

The neutral zone worries me the most about Oates' system. Offensively, bad passing may excuse Oates' system in terms of gaining the zone with speed (and I think they've been gaining the zone much more consistently this year than last). Defensively, though, it's still very rare for them to deny the zone as well as a good playoff team should. It's too easy to get into the defensive zone with speed, which ends up destroying much of a defensive zone system anyway.

Obviously the breakout is still very inconsistent as well, too.

 

[um]

im not sure what the system or the plan is for five on five, the only thing that stands out is that they dont want ovechkin carrying the puck for some reason.

 

[hb12xchamps]

Just remember. McPhee hired Oates over Jon Cooper. Look what Cooper's extremely young Tampa Bay team is doing. Second in a very good division.

I wanted Cooper during that whole process and we got stuck with Oates.

 

[Dream Big]

The perfect system may work with the right players. Sometimes.

The problem is to figure out the perfect system with the players you've got. Then make the adjustments for variables such as opponents, reffing styles, injuries, ice and travel conditions.

It's always changing and what makes coaching/managing so challenging.

A bit of puck luck and the blessing of the hockey gods helps too.

 

[usiel]

Best thing for this game was getting home at 11pm, checking the score, deleting game off the DVR. So I had a good night.

 

[Hivemind]

im not sure what the system or the plan is for five on five, the only thing that stands out is that they dont want ovechkin carrying the puck for some reason.

If you still want Ovechkin carrying the puck into the zone at even strength, I question if you've watched this team the past two+ years.