Post-Game Talk: Preseason Game #85: Caps @ Blooj | 4/17/18 | 7:30pm EST

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

Btw, what do you think, is Schmidt a better player than Kempny?

Yes, not even really close.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Not just the Leafs, that's how the Pens beat us every year. Slow tricklers, crashes, and greasy swats from in front.


The thing of note when we've played the Pens is that they block a tremendous amount of our shots, we never seem to adjust. In the regular season guys just aren't willing to lay out and take those blocks and as a result we get ourselves a lot of goals from above the faceoff circle. In the PlOffs those are blocked, so you can't just keep going back to them over and over. Ovechkin, for the most part, continuously tries it though. I have to believe he has probably a higher percentage of shots blocked than any other player.

We have very few Ds that are good at blocking shots now. I'd say only Orpik and Niskanen are good at blocking shots, the rest of them either don't try or suck at it. Losing Alzner left us a bit more vulnerable in the shot blocking department. It's the only thing I miss him for.

Our forwards don't block shots either, aside from Wilson, DSP, Beagle and Chiasson.

Btw, what do you think, is Schmidt a better player than Kempny?

The answer to this question is obvious.

 

[HunterSThompson]

Not just the Leafs, that's how the Pens beat us every year. Slow tricklers, crashes, and greasy swats from in front.


The thing of note when we've played the Pens is that they block a tremendous amount of our shots, we never seem to adjust. In the regular season guys just aren't willing to lay out and take those blocks and as a result we get ourselves a lot of goals from above the faceoff circle. In the PlOffs those are blocked, so you can't just keep going back to them over and over. Ovechkin, for the most part, continuously tries it though. I have to believe he has probably a higher percentage of shots blocked than any other player.

Over the last 3 playoffs he has had 33% of his shot attempts blocked, higher than any other forward. All defensemen not named Carlson are in the 40s. OV hits the net at a rate of 47% in the playoffs on all shot attempts, ranked third to last among forwards: Backstrom and Burakovsky apparently miss the net a lot.

 

[HunterSThompson]

4 seems like a lot to me off of one team, I have no idea how that stacks up to other teams though. We're not Montreal bad with the favortism, but we went through a period of like 3 years where we thought the answer was only Capitals players.

Agreed. Just trying to name them is all.

 

[Lindemann]

Kempny needs to be resigned after this year for sure

 

[HunterSThompson]

Game 5 is 3 PM

 

[g00n]

We need dirty playoff goals. That's how it works. Stop trying to be too pretty. No apologies for the winner.

We're like Philly a few years ago when they got their goaltending straight by switching to Neuvy and going to a more aggressive PK. Recall how nervous we were when Philly changed the momentum. Cbus could lose 4 in a row.

 

[Misery74]

We need dirty playoff goals. That's how it works. Stop trying to be too pretty. No apologies for the winner.

We're like Philly a few years ago when they got their goaltending straight by switching to Neuvy and going to a more aggressive PK. Recall how nervous we were when Philly changed the momentum. Cbus could lose 4 in a row.

Couldn’t agree with this more. In OT especially, you need to shoot the puck. That is what made game 2 maddening. The had a ton of shots, but they passed up many open looks in OT. Niskanen and Orlov come to mind.

Ugly wins in the playoffs. Deflections and rebounds.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I don't see it that way. Chiasson and Carlson hit the pipe in G2. Bob stopped a puck that was behind him when he had no idea where it was. That's hockey.

Also, consider this: Columbus shot 8.5% in the regular season which was good for 22nd... lowest in the league among playoff-qualifying teams. Washington shot 10.8% which ranked them 2nd in the league. In these playoffs, Columbus is shooting 9.3% (5th) but the Caps are shooting 4.3% (14th). You could read a lot into why these numbers are what they are (goaltending, game plan, small sample size, etc) but to say the Caps are getting really lucky probably isn't totally accurate.

The way I see it, they can have all the posts they want as long as 70 covers the net.

 

[kmart]

Cbus could lose 4 in a row.

so can the caps. at this point the momentum of the series is not switched, even if they had the lead 2-1... all the signs of the past failures are set up for another 1-2 round bounce.

goalies let in crucial goals
playing 50/50 hockey
to much ot
blowing leads

you can not sustain this type of play and go far... they need to change, they need wins where they can coast into the finish in 60 min of hockey now.
i remember when the caps played the flyers in round 1 a couple of years ago and for some reason the hope rose in first games back then, the caps followed with garbage hockey showed the true colors and let the untalented flyers drag them again to a game 7... they won it but it was the same choking art they doing right now.

 

[hockeykicker]

 

[Sam Spade]

Djoos is playing.

Now. Who knows if he is still playing in game four.

 

[Sam Spade]

Hopefully the Cap One fans watched last night and will remember how to be fans in OT. It was a crypt in there during OT for game 1 and 2.

How much more do people think Caps fans have to give?

I'm impressed they sold out both games, never mind people staying into an OT that was destined to end in heartbreak.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

How much more do people think Caps fans have to give?

I'm impressed they sold out both games, never mind people staying into an OT that was destined to end in heartbreak.

For $200 per ticket, I'm not missing a single second of action, even if it ends in heart break. My only game ever at Verizon Center was a playoff game, G2 vs the Leafs last year. Game ended in double overtime, and I was yelling at the top of my lungs from start to finish, even if we lost.

It's a game, it's entertainment and we pay for it.

 

[Sam Spade]

For $200 per ticket, I'm not missing a single second of action, even if it ends in heart break. My only game ever at Verizon Center was a playoff game, G2 vs the Leafs last year. Game ended in double overtime, and I was yelling at the top of my lungs from start to finish, even if we lost.

It's a game, it's entertainment and we pay for it.

My friends went to game two, they left, I don't blame them one bit.

I haven't watched one second of OT. Followed here for the first two while watching other games, and went to bed last night after Panarin hit the post.

 

[HunterSThompson]

For $200 per ticket, I'm not missing a single second of action, even if it ends in heart break. My only game ever at Verizon Center was a playoff game, G2 vs the Leafs last year. Game ended in double overtime, and I was yelling at the top of my lungs from start to finish, even if we lost.

It's a game, it's entertainment and we pay for it.

Exactly. Believe me, I don't expect anything else from Caps fans, but what the heck is the point of going. I understand being nervous and sick and tired of the losing, but you also better be ready to be called out by someone else at the game or people watching at home on TV. This "woe is me" attitude is disgusting. We cannot control the play on the ice. It is gonna stink at times. They are going to choke at times. The fans can control how they act at the arena though.

 

[Calicaps]

Our seats went unused for game 2. No one would even pay STH cost and my family were all unable to attend.

In terms of playing style, the GWG wasn't just greasy, it was a proper three man net drive with possession. We need more of that too because we don't retrieve our dump-ins anywhere near often enough.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

My friends went to game two, they left, I don't blame them one bit.

I haven't watched one second of OT. Followed here for the first two while watching other games, and went to bed last night after Panarin hit the post.

In the end, we all know we're gonna be missing hockey and Caps hockey especially during the long summer months. I don't want to miss a minute lol.

 

[Sam Spade]

Exactly. Believe me, I don't expect anything else from Caps fans, but what the heck is the point of going. I understand being nervous and sick and tired of the losing, but you also better be ready to be called out by someone else at the game or people watching at home on TV. This "woe is me" attitude is disgusting. We cannot control the play on the ice. It is gonna stink at times. They are going to choke at times. The fans can control how they act at the arena though.

"At times"?

If you gave me the best tickets in the arena to a Caps/Pens games I wouldn't take them. Why, Caps win, who cares Pens Cups yada yada, Caps lose, oppo fans celebrate on the steps of the art gallery. That is not woe is me that is reality. It happens here every second of every day.

In the end, we all know we're gonna be missing hockey and Caps hockey especially during the long summer months. I don't want to miss a minute lol.

I've just learned to separate the regular season (HELL YEAH CAPS!!), from the playoffs .

 

[g00n]

I just talked to an old timer who's followed the Caps for decades but says he doesn't watch regular season games at all, only the playoffs. What must his impression of the Caps be like? lol

 

[VaCaps Fan]

Missing out during the season....

 

[Midnight Judges]

Kempny needs to be resigned after this year for sure

Yes. Kempny looked solid out there IMO.

 

[txpd]

I just talked to an old timer who's followed the Caps for decades but says he doesn't watch regular season games at all, only the playoffs. What must his impression of the Caps be like? lol

Regular season is empty calories.
And he's free by early May to do something else.

I cut my regular season consumption of the Caps by 50% this season

 

[HunterSThompson]

"At times"?

If you gave me the best tickets in the arena to a Caps/Pens games I wouldn't take them. Why, Caps win, who cares Pens Cups yada yada, Caps lose, oppo fans celebrate on the steps of the art gallery. That is not woe is me that is reality. It happens here every second of every day.



I've just learned to separate the regular season (HELL YEAH CAPS!!), from the playoffs .

Peter Hassett? is that you?

 

[RandyHolt]

My RSTOI dropped by about 50% this year.

It sure is much nicer to wake up dead tired after an OT win vs loss, that is for DAMN sure.

Djoos held up well. It only took one period before Anderson was in his face and he stood up for himself with a push back (long enough for DSP to step in). I still think sliding him into a game 3 vs game 1 was wise. Kids in their first game, need to be assertive push back stand up for themselves, even if they are the smallest one on the ice.

Now, what to do about Orlov. Has he been overall our worst defender?